Here Lies (4) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, born in 1899 to poor Italian immigrant parents, was perhaps the most notorious gangster in the history of the U.S. Capone was clearly quite violent from an early age: at age 14 he left school after hitting a female teacher in the face. In 1917, at age 18, he earned the nickname 'Scarface' (which Capone hated). This came about when he insulted a woman, and her incensed brother slashed Capone's face three times with a knife.

In 1918, he married Mae Coughlin. The Capones moved to Chicago in 1920 and Al became involved in illegal activities in 1921. By 1925 he was a full-blown prohibition-era crime boss. His organisation, which was worth millions of dollars even at that time, was involved in bootlegging, extortion, prostitution and gambling. Any criminal rivals were treated with extreme measures, as evidenced in 1929, when he ordered the assassination of seven of his rivals in the St Valentine's Day Massacre.

Though Capone was on at the top of the FBI's Most Wanted list and was deemed 'Public Enemy No 1,' the police struggled with convicting Capone of anything: witnesses were intimidated (or worse), he bribed officials and police (it's believed he 'owned' nearly 50% of the police force), and he had hideouts all over Chicago.

Capone was eventually caught for tax evasion (hence the clue) in 1931 by Elliot Ness and was sentenced to 11 years in jail. He was imprisoned in Alcatraz for much of his sentence, but was released in 1939 due to good behaviour and ill health. (Capone had contracted syphilis when he was about 20, and, too embarrassed to say anything, did not seek medical treatment until it was too late). He died in Florida, aged 48, of a stroke and pneumonia, however it is believed his syphillitic state had a significant role in his demise. He is said to have had the mental capacity of a 12-year old for the latter years of his life.

Upon Capone's death the headline in the New York Times read 'End of an Evil Dream'. Perhaps due to his legacy as a cold-blooded murderer, Capone only had a small wake at a memorial home in Miami Beach. He was then buried in a simple ceremony at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Chicago. However, in 1952 his mother died and, due to his gravesite consistently being vandalised at the Mount Olivet Cemetery, his body was moved to a family plot in Mount Carmel Cemetery, Illinois. The grave here simply reads 'Capone'.

Answer: Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh was born in 1853 and started drawing at a young age. His first job was as an art dealer which saw him travel fairly extensively. When his employer transferred him to London, though, he became depressed, threw in his job, and moved to Belgium, where he became a Protestant missionary.

At the age of 28, he returned home to his parents, and, enjoying financial support from his brother, Theo, Vincent began to paint. Over the next five years he painted many pieces showing peasant workers and labourers, but his palette didn't include the vivid colours for which he was later renowned. His started to introduce these vivid colours when he moved to Paris in 1886 at age 33, and it was at this time that his subject matter also expanded.

Unfortunately though, Vincent suffered from quite debilitating mental health issues through much of his life, and after famously chopping off part of his ear with a razor, he was required to spend time in psychiatric hospitals. Many people viewed Vincent as an unsuccessful madman, and it was perhaps for this reason that Vincent is believed to have sold only one painting in his entire lifetime. By 1890 Vincent was depressed, not eating properly, drinking heavily and was living in poverty.

On 27th July, Vincent is believed to have shot himself in the chest, although there is some controversy about this, as some believe it was an accidental shooting by a couple of Vincent's friends. Either way, Vincent wanted to take the blame, saying to his doctor not long before he died from the gunshot injury: 'My body is mine and I am free to do what I want with it. Do not accuse anybody, it is I that wished to commit suicide'. He died the next day.

Vincent's coffin was laid out in a painting room in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent had been staying. In this room stood his last canvases, masses of yellow flowers, his easel, a stool and his brushes. Visitors, including artists such as Lucien Pissarro and Auguste Lauzet, came to pay their respects before his coffin was moved to a Cemetery on a hill outside Auvers. His beloved brother, Theo, who died 6 months after Vincent (age 33, possibly from syphilis) is buried next to him.

As is the case with many artists, Vincent realised fame only after his death. By the early 20th century, he was recognised as a creative genius. His 900-odd paintings are now some of the most expensive pieces of art in the world. His best known paintings are 'Starry Night', 'Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers,' 'The Potato Eaters' and 'Wheatfield With Crows'.

It is thought that if 'Starry Night' was auctioned today it would fetch well in excess of $100,000,000.

Answer: Baroness Margaret Thatcher

Baroness Margaret Thatcher was born in Grantham, Lincs, in 1925 to shopkeeper parents. She was educated at a grammar school and won a place at Oxford University where she studied chemistry. While Margaret loved chemistry, she had always craved a political career. She studied to be a barrister and tried at every turn to get into politics. in 1959, she succeeded, winning the seat of Finchley, North London. After years of hard work she challenged Edward Heath for conservative leadership in 1975 and won. Just four years later she led the conservative party to a decisive win in the 1979 elections and became Britain's first ever female Prime Minister.

Margaret was no pushover and was soon dubbed 'The Iron Lady' (hence the clue) by a Soviet journalist, for her hard-line, uncompromising leadership style. She is said to have loved the nickname. Love or hate her (she was certainly polarising) she had two significant accomplishments: she was the first female Prime Minister of the UK, and she was the longest-serving UK Prime Minister of the 20th century. She served as PM for nearly twelve years, from 1979 to 1990. After leaving politics she toured the world giving speeches until she retired in March 2002.

In 2011 Margaret was named 'the most competent prime minister of the past 30 years' according to an Ipsos MORI research poll. Margaret confessed that while she was in power she slept for just four hours a night, which most likely impacted her health in later years. Towards the end of her life she suffered from several falls and then dementia. She died, aged 87, of a stroke on 8 April 2013.

Margaret had a ceremonial funeral at St Paul's Cathedral which was attended by Queen Elizabeth II - the only UK Prime Minister's funeral the Queen ever attended, except for that of Sir Winston Churchill. Margaret was then cremated and her ashes were interred in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, next to her beloved husband, Dennis Thatcher, who died in 2003.

Answer: Manfred von Richthofen

Manfred von Richthofen (aka 'The Red Baron') was born in Poland to an affluent family. He was enrolled in a military college at age 11 and at age 19 was made a commissioned officer in the Prussian Army. The Great War had been waging for just under a year when Manfred asked for a transfer to the Imperial Air Service in May 1915. Here Manfred trained under ace fighter pilot, Oswald Boelcke. He had his first 'kill' in September 1916 and shot down four more planes soon after, giving him the title of 'flying ace'.

In 1917, Manfred was given his own squadron, Jasta 11, which included his younger brother, Lothar von Richthofen. In celebration of him having his own squadron, Manfred painted his plane bright red, and continued to do so with all his planes, thus earning himself the famous moniker of the 'Red Baron'. Manfred proved to be a highly strategic, tactical fighter and ended up with 80 confirmed kills by April 1918, making him the 'ace of aces'.

Surviving in this environment was nothing short of a miracle, and Manfred's luck finally ran out on 21st April 1918 after more than eighteen months of dogfighting. His downfall came while he was chasing an enemy aircraft - his plane came into the range of Australian gunners on the ground, and a Canadian plane in the sky. He was shot in the torso by either the gunners or the pilot and his plane crashed into a field near Sailley-le-Sec Somme in France. To this day, it is unclear who shot him down, but suffice to say that both the Australians and Canadians claim the credit.

Though Manfred was a fearsome enemy, he was also highly respected by the Allies as a brave combatant and an incredibly competent flyer. As such, after they recovered Manfred's body, the Allies buried him in Bertangles, France, with full military honours. He was then buried three times more: his body was first moved to a larger cemetery at Fricourt, France, then it was moved to Berlin to the Invaliden Cemetery; and finally, since his gravesite was on the Soviet side of Berlin, in 1970 he was relocated to a family plot in Wiesbaden, Germany.

A couple of interesting notes:
Within a day of crash-landing there was nothing left of Manfred's plane but the framework - it had been taken apart for souvenirs.
Manfred's eventual successor as commander of the fighter group was the infamous 'Hermann Göring'.
Manfred's brother, Lothar, survived the war but was ironically killed while flying a commercial aircraft from Berlin to Hamburg in 1922.

Answer: William The Conquerer

William The Conquerer (William I) was born in Normandy in 1028. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy which was how he gained the name 'William The Bastard' - a moniker he loathed. William was just seven when his father died and William became the duke. Though he was the rightful heir of Robert I, the next years weren't easy for William; he was not only taunted for being illegitimate, but there were many who believed they had something to gain if he died, and as such he spent much of his time hiding in disguise. He was knighted at age 15 and over the next two decades he used his strength, fighting prowess, shrewdness, brutality and ruthlessness to gain power.

In 1051 William entered into negotiations with his distant cousin, Edward The Confessor, King of England, for William to become Edward's heir, being as Edward was childless. At the conclusion of these negotiations, it was agreed William would take the English throne. However, on Edward's deathbed in January 1066, he named Harold Godwinson, a British nobleman, his successor. William called Harold an 'usurper', and set sail with an army to England to wage war. The result was Harold's famous death (he was shot through the eye with an arrow) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Victorious, William rode to London and was made King of England on Christmas Day in 1066.

William's rule of England was polarising, however what can be said is that he was responsible for building many Norman churches and edifices, including The Tower of London, and he instigated the 'Doomsday book' - the 'great survey' of Britain.

In 1087, William, who was now obese, had an incident in his native country where he fell forward hard onto the pommel of his horse, and it is thought he ruptured his intestine on the hard wood. He was taken to nearby Rouen in France, where he lay dying for five days. He finally succumbed at age 59.

William, who was not a popular man, did not have a dignified exit from this world. While he lay dead, his servants looted his rooms and even took his clothes. When he was finally taken to his resting place at the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, his body, wrapped in sheets, was starting to bloat. During the service, the town caught fire and everyone but the monks left to fight it. Next, there was a dispute bought up by one of the congregation, who claimed, rightfully, as it transpired, that the land the church was on was his by birthright, and this matter had to be settled there and then - which it was. Unfortunately by this stage, poor old William was enormous, having spent all this time bloating. When the priests tried to squash him into a stone coffin, he exploded, causing a 'putrid stench' which caused many mourners to run out of the church, and the rest of the funeral to proceed with indecent haste.

William's remains didn't fare much better in ensuing years; his tomb was raided twice, and as a result there is reportedly only a thigh bone left under the slab at Abbaye-aux-Hommes.

Answer: Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson

Vice-Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson was arguably the greatest naval officer in British history. Born into a family of eleven children in Norfolk, UK, he enrolled in the Royal Navy at age 12. Horatio was a quick learner and although he suffered extremely badly from sea-sickness (he would suffer this his whole life) he thrived. By the age of 20, Horatio was given his own ship to captain.

In ensuing years, as Horatio climbed up the Royal Navy ladder, he was victorious in battle after battle, his most renowned being the Battle of the Nile. He proved to be highly intelligent, a brilliant tactician, and very brave - and as a result was highly respected by crews and superiors alike. However Horatio, a frail man of only 5' 4" didn't have it easy. He suffered from malaria, dysentery and scurvy and lost an eye in a battle in Corsica and an arm in a battle in Tenerife.

Despite his health issues, Horatio fought on, eventually becoming involved, in 1805, in the Battle of Trafalgar, a sea war fought by the British against a Franco-Spanish fleet. Before the battle started, Horatio, who was now Vice-Admiral, famously sent a signal to the fleet, 'England expects that every man will do his duty.' This they did, winning the battle decisively, despite the odds being against them.

But there was a cost: Horatio would lose his life during this battle. He was hit by a musket ball shot from the Redoutable while he was on the deck of his ship, the Victory. Despite being fatally ill, Horatio was aware the British had won, and was able to say many words in the hours before his death, including the famous 'Kiss me, Hardy' (hence the clue) however his last words were: 'Thank God I have done my duty.'

Such was his beloved status that thousands cried when they heard of Horatio's death, including the King of England, George III, who through tears, also reportedly said, 'We have lost more than we have gained.' Horatio's body, which had been placed in a barrel of brandy at the time of his death, was eventually transferred to a lead-lined coffin.

Horatio's funeral was apparently one of the biggest in England's history, and the outpouring of grief has been likened to that at Princess Di's funeral. It has been suggested part of this reaction was relief - the British, who truly expected to be overrun by Napoleon, felt that Horatio had essentially saved their nation with his life. The procession itself consisted of 32 admirals, a hundred-odd captains, and an escort of 10,000 soldiers. His coffin, watched by hundreds of thousands who lined the streets, was taken to St Paul's Cathedral, and, after a four-hour service, he was buried, on January 9th, 1806, in a sarcophagus originally intended for Cardinal Wolsey. He is one of a handful of 'commoners' to be afforded a State funeral in Britain.

Answer: Captain James Cook

Before I say anything about James Cook, I feel I must give a shout out to James Cook's wife, Elizabeth Batts, who had an extraordinarily sad life. But more on that later.

James Cook was born in Yorkshire, UK, in 1728. His father - also called James Cook - was a migrant farmhand from Scotland. From a very early age, young James showed signs of being inquiring and smart and as such, his father's employer offered to pay for James' schooling until he reached the age of 12. When young James moved to the seaside town of Whitby at age 17, he decided a life at sea was what he wanted. At the age of 18, Cook signed up to become an apprentice in the British merchant navy. By the time he was 30, he was the master of his own ship.

Cook studied while in the merchant navy, and learnt charting, geography, maths and astronomy. It was knowledge of the latter subject that though that brought him to the attention of The Royal Navy. After hastily being promoted to Lieutenant, he was tasked by the Royal Navy to lead an expedition. This mission, in 1769, saw him take members of the Royal Society to Tahiti, so that they could observe the transit of Venus. But Cook also had a secret mission: he was to search for lands in the south Pacific, and try to find whether the mythical Great Southern Continent existed.

As we know, Cook was successful and went on to not only discover, but map out, Australia, New Zealand, and the Hawaiian Islands. In his relatively short life, he managed to circumnavigate the globe twice and was in his third circumnavigation when he met his demise.

In 1779, Cook unfortunately made a fatal error of judgement while he was in Hawaii, when he tried to abduct Kalaniʻōpuʻu, the Hawaiian chief. Cook's intention was apparently to take him in revenge for a stolen cutter. A melee ensued which resulted in Cook being stabbed to death. A young William Bligh (who later became the infamous captain of HMS Bounty) later said that he watched this occur from the ship Resolution. He added that he saw Cook's body dragged up the hill, where it was then torn to pieces by the Hawaiians. Cook's remains were then thought to have been thrown into the sea.

It is possible to find the spot where Cook was killed as it marked by a 27ft white obelisk which was erected in 1878. However, it is apparently very hard to get to, requiring either a boat, or a two-and-a-half-mile hike.

So, quickly back to Cook's wife. While Cook was busy discovering the world, Elizabeth gave birth to six of his children. By the time James Cook died, four of their children had, tragically, died. By 1794, the remaining two children were also, heartbreakingly, gone. James was reportedly not there for any of the deaths, so Elizabeth had to bear the grief of all six deaths alone. Her children all died before they had children, so their are no direct descendants of James Cook and Elizabeth Batts. Elizabeth was still alive 41 years after her last child died, and lived as Cook's widow for 56 long years. She is said to have loved James dearly, which is why she never remarried.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky. He was the son of illiterate, and very poor, parents. Lincoln had many jobs in his youth, but in his early 20's decided he wanted to be a lawyer. Rather than go to law school, he taught himself, primarily by reading. He went on to receive his law license at age 25. Lincoln did well as a lawyer, practising in Illinois throughout the 1830s and '40s. In 1847, he turned his attention to politics, serving a single term in Congress.

Lincoln climbed his way up the political ladder until he eventually became the 16th president of the United States. In the four years he served (1861-1865) he achieved much, but he is perhaps best known for both managing to preserve the Union during the US Civil War, and bringing about emancipation in the US.

Lincoln met an untimely death at age 56 when he attended the theatre to watch a play with his wife, Mary Todd. While he was watching 'Our American Cousin' he was shot in the head by 26 year-old John Wilkes Booth, an actor and ardent Confederate sympathizer. Despite the best medical attention, Lincoln died the next morning from his injuries. He was the first US president to be assassinated. (Booth, incidentally, was on the run for 12 days before being apprehended and killed.)

Lincoln's death brought about a series of events which were held over a three week period. The first was a funeral service and procession, held in Washington D.C. This was then followed by a lying in state at the Capitol Rotunda for several days. (Lincoln's coffin, incidentally, was said to have cost US1,500, which was the equivalent of an average worker's wage for a year.) Lincoln's wife, Mary, was unable to attend any of these as she was reportedly too grief-stricken.

Next, Lincoln's remains were transported back to his the place he called home - Springfield, Illinois - on a train which passed through seven states and covered a distance of 1,654 miles (2,662 km). The train apparently never exceeded 20 mph, and made a number of long stops, primarily in principal cities and state capitals. At these stops, local officials held orations, processions and additional lyings in state so that the masses could farewell their 16th president.

Lincoln's final resting place was The Lincoln Tomb which is located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. An impressive structure, it also contains the remains of his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln and three of their four sons: Edward, William, and Thomas. (Two of these died before Abraham, and the third died age 18, 6 years after Lincoln was assassinated.) The tomb itself is a huge granite affair, which has a large rectangular base. An obelisk dominates the skyline.

Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born on January 27, 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. (It is little wonder we just call him Mozart!) He is believed to be quite possibly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, composer in human history. Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, to a family of good standing. From a ridiculously early age Mozart showed a talent the rest of his contempories could only aspire to. By the age of three he was able to pick out chords on the harpsichord, by four he was playing music and by just five, he was managing to compose simple music. Unsurprisingly, by his teenage years he was performing in front of royal courts all over Europe.

In his short lifetime Mozart was responsible for creating more than six hundred pieces of work. They ranged from being operatic (he wrote such operas as 'Don Giovanni,' 'The marriage of Figaro' and 'The Magic Flute') to symphonic (he wrote over 50 symphonies including his famous 'Symphony No. 41, Jupiter'). Even today, these pieces of music are acknowledged as being some of the greatest in their genres. In fact, if you look up 'most famous pieces of classical music', Mozart's 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik' (or Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major) will absolutely be there. If you are struggling to remember it, it has been used in the movies 'Charlie's Angels - Full Throttle', 'Alien', and 'There's Something About Mary,' amongst others. Plus of course, it featured heavily in the brilliant film 'Amadeus,' which was about Mozart. (This film was the inspiration for me to trot halfway across the world to see the house Mozart did much of his composing in, and touch the pool table he did much of his composing on.)

But I digress... Mozart's illness, death and burial has been highly contended ever since he died. All sorts of theories have been put forth regarding the cause of death, from poisoning to syphilis and everything in between. We do know Mozart died on 5 December 1791 after an illness. In the parish register, his death was noted as severe miliary fever. However the most recent conclusion is that Mozart died of a 'streptococcal infection leading to an acute nephritic syndrome'. During his short life Mozart had had his fair share of health issues: he had suffered from bronchitis, smallpox, tonsillitis, pneumonia, rheumatism, typhoid fever, and gum disease, so it is possible that he may have had a very weakened system by the time he did die.

Mozart, I am pleased to say, was seen as a great talent while he was still alive, and his death was seen as a tragedy. He was buried in a common grave (not to be confused with a pauper's grave) at the St. Marx Cemetery in Vienna. Burial in a common grave was the Viennese custom for anyone who was not aristocracy. So Mozart did get an individual grave, but unfortunately the 'common grave' part of the deal meant the city had the right to dig up the grave after ten years. Only a handful of Mozart's friends attended his funeral, which was believed to have been conducted (no pun intended) during a terrible storm.

In 1896, a beautiful monument to Mozart was unveiled in Burggarten, Vienna, which shows Mozart with a music stand. On the back of it, in relief, is a depiction of six-year-old Mozart as he plays music with his father and his sister.

Answer: Jane Austen

Jane Austen was born in December, 1775, in Hampshire, England. An English writer, she started writing at age 19 and managed to publish six main novels while she was alive, four of which were published in just a few short years. 'Sense and Sensibility' was published in 1811, while 'Pride and Prejudice' was published just two years later, in 1813. In the next two years, both 'Mansfield Park' and 'Emma' were published. Jane's final two novels - 'Persuasion' and 'Northanger Abbey' - were published posthumously in late 1817. It is worth noting that all of Jane's books were published anonymously. They simply say 'By a lady.' Many believe this was because Jane was a woman, and while this might be so, it is true that in those days it was common for both men and women to publish anonymously.

Jane had a happy childhood in a rectory, which she lived in with her parents and seven siblings. Her relationships were close-knit, and her home was often overflowing with visitors and relatives. Jane's parents encouraged their children to be educated, witty and affectionate. Jane also often visited minor landed-gentry in Bath or London, and as an upshot of all of this, she was well-placed to write about English middle-class life. Her novels, which really defined the late 1700's/early 1800's eras have become classics, with many of her books still being in print 200 years after her death, and all six of the novels mentioned were either adapted into films or made into TV series.

Like so many others of her time, there has been great speculation about what Jane died from. Initially it was thought to be Tuberculosis, then Addison's Disease, then Hodgkin's disease (a form of lymphoma) and as at 2017, and based on analysis of three pairs of glasses Jane owned, accidental arsenic poisoning. (Arsenic was apparently in many medications and was found in some water supplies, particularly wells.) Regardless, poor Jane was unwell for at least eighteen months before her death on July 18, 1817. The first of her seven siblings to die, she is said to have been sweet and even-tempered right up until she died.

Jane was buried in Winchester Cathedral in the UK. Although Jane had paid to be buried there from the funds from her writing, she could only have a tiny send-off, because her funeral had to be finished by 10am, the time when the cathedral began its daily business. As such, only 3 of her brothers and a nephew were able to make it. Women were not allowed to attend, and so Jane's best friend in the world, her only sister Cassandra, missed her funeral. The cathedral bell tolled 41 times though as Jane was buried... one for each year of her life.