J.R.R. Tolkien - When..... Trivia Quiz

Answer: J. R. R. Tolkien was born.

Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, of British parents, Arthur and Mabel. Although he thought of himself as British, the Tolkiens, in fact, originated in East Prussia. His father was a bank employee.

Answer: Tolkien moves to England.

He went to England the same year his father died in South Africa. He moved with his mother and brother. She taught them at home, including botany and a love of plants. The family converted to Catholicism in about 1900. Mabel died of diabetes when Tolkien was about 12.

Answer: Tolkien first meets Edith Brant

They met at a boarding house in Birmingham. Edith was also an orphan. They would marry in 1916 shortly before Tolkien enlisted in the army.

Answer: Tolkien's first term at Oxford University

He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, initially reading in classics before switching to English language and literature. He would graduate in 1915 with first-class honors. By then, the pressure from his relatives to enlist in the military (due to the First World War) had become quite noticeable.

Answer: John Tolkien (son) was born.

John was born the same year Tolkien went to France with the army.. When he grew up John became a priest. He served as the curate in a variety of parishes.

Answer: Michael Tolkien was born.

Michael was Tolkien's second son. He served as an anti-aircraft gunner. After the war he worked as a teacher. His sister Priscilla was Tolkien's fourth child and only daughter.

Answer: Christopher Tolkien was born.

Like his father, Christopher was also an author and an academic. He edited a number of his father's works. He was rather outspoken the adaption of Tolkien's works in other media.

Answer: "The Hobbit" published.

Tolkien's novel was published in Britain by George Allen & Unwin. The novel tells the story of Bilbo Baggins (the titular hobbit) who joins a group of dwarfs who are questing to regain treasure that has been claimed by the dragon Smaug. Since its publication, millions of copies have been printed and the book has been translated into over sixty different languages.

Answer: "The Fellowship of the Ring" published.

"The Fellowship of the Ring" is the first part of "The Lord of the Rings" along with "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King". After working on the book for over a decade, Tolkien had completed the book in 1948. "The Lord of the Rings" had begun as a more light-hearted, child-friendly book before assuming a more somber form.

Answer: Death of J. R. R. Tolkien.

After his retirement from Oxford, Tolkien and his wife lived in Bournemouth for a number of years. His wife Edith had died two years before him. On the gravestone it says "Beren and Luthien."