A Decade of Difference (9) Trivia Quiz

Charlie Chaplin, a British actor, filmmaker, and composer from London, became one of cinema's defining figures during the silent film era. His best-known creation was "The Tramp," the small, bowler-hatted wanderer with a cane, oversized shoes, and a mix of comic dignity and hardship.

In films such as "City Lights" (1931) and "Modern Times" (1936), Chaplin mixed precise physical comedy with pointed scenes about poverty, factory labor, and social inequality. In 1919, he co-founded United Artists, which gave him more control over his own films.

He later received an honorary Academy Award in 1972.

Vladimir Nabokov was a Russian-American novelist, poet, critic, professor, and lepidopterist born in Saint Petersburg. After the Bolshevik Revolution, his family left Russia, and Nabokov later lived in Europe before moving to the United States. He is best known for "Lolita" (1955), a controversial novel famous for its elaborate style, unreliable narration, and linguistic precision.

His other major works include "Pale Fire" (1962) and "Ada or Ardor" (1969). He taught literature at Cornell University, and his lifelong study of butterflies helped shape the attention to detail and classification that also appears in his fiction.

U Thant, born in Pantanaw in British Burma, served as the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. He took office during a tense Cold War period and became involved in several major international crises. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, he helped keep communication open between the United States and the Soviet Union at a moment when nuclear war seemed possible.

He also supported decolonization, peacekeeping work, and UN involvement in conflicts such as the Congo Crisis.

Jackie Robinson changed American sports history when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier. Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson had to face racist abuse from opposing players as well as fans, all while proving himself on the field.

He won Rookie of the Year in 1947, became National League MVP in 1949, and helped the Dodgers win the 1955 World Series. A six-time All-Star, Robinson is also honored across the sport through the retirement of his number, 42, by every MLB team.

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl born in Frankfurt, Germany, whose diary became one of the most widely read personal accounts of the Holocaust. After the Nazis came to power, her family fled to Amsterdam, but German occupation of the Netherlands forced them into hiding in 1942. For about two years, Anne wrote about fear, confinement, family tension, hope, and her desire to become a writer.

Her diary was later published as "The Diary of a Young Girl." Anne died at Bergen-Belsen, but her diary remains one of the clearest personal records of life under Nazi persecution.

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, critic, and essayist from Ottawa. Her fiction often examines power, gender, environmental damage, surveillance, and the stories societies tell about themselves. "The Handmaid's Tale" (1985) imagines a theocratic state that controls women's bodies and language, while "The Blind Assassin" (2000) layers family history and political secrets within a story-within-a-story.

In the MaddAddam trilogy, beginning with "Oryx and Crake," Atwood turns to corporate power and ecological collapse.

She has often described much of this work as "speculative fiction" rather than pure fantasy because it grows out of technologies and social patterns that already exist.

Bruce Springsteen, the New Jersey musician nicknamed "The Boss," built his reputation on rock songs about working-class life and the uneasy promises of the American dream. Born in Long Branch, he broke through with "Born to Run" in 1975, an album full of cars and young people trying to outrun dead-end lives. "Born in the U.S.A." (1984) made him a global star, though its title track is often misunderstood as simple patriotism rather than a story about a damaged Vietnam veteran. Springsteen has won Grammy Awards, an Academy Award for "Streets of Philadelphia," and a Tony Award for "Springsteen on Broadway."

Hugh Laurie is a British actor, comedian, musician, and writer from Oxford. Before becoming widely known in the United States, he built a major comedy career in Britain with Stephen Fry in "A Bit of Fry & Laurie" and "Jeeves and Wooster." His role as Dr. Gregory House in "House" (2004-2012) brought him international fame, partly because many viewers did not realize the caustic American doctor was being played by an English actor. Laurie won two Golden Globe Awards for the role and later appeared in projects such as "The Night Manager," "Veep," and "Avenue 5."

Steffi Graf is a retired German tennis player from Mannheim and one of the sport's greatest champions. Her forehand was one of the most feared shots in women's tennis, and her speed around the court made it hard for opponents to control points. Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 377 weeks.

In 1988, she completed the "Golden Slam" by winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and Olympic gold in the same calendar year. She retired in 1999.

Heath Ledger was an Australian actor from Perth who moved from teen roles into some of the most intense film performances of the 2000s. "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999) brought him early popularity, while "Brokeback Mountain" (2005) earned him an Academy Award nomination for his restrained performance as Ennis Del Mar.

His most famous role came as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" (2008), where he turned the character into a chaotic, unsettling figure rather than a simple comic-book villain. Ledger died at 28 and later received a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.