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Died in the 1970s Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Died in the 1970s Quizzes, Trivia

Died in the 1970s Trivia

Died in the 1970s Trivia Quizzes

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7 quizzes and 70 trivia questions.
1.
  Another One Bites the Dust : 28   great trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
I will give you a series of clues to famous people who died in 1977. All you have to do is identify them.
Average, 10 Qns, Spontini, Jul 20 14
Average
Spontini
982 plays
2.
  Another One Bites the Dust: 14   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The following clues will point to people who died in 1974. But who were they?
Easier, 10 Qns, Spontini, Dec 14 24
Easier
Spontini
Dec 14 24
954 plays
3.
  Another One Bites the Dust: 9    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The following clues will point to a person who died in 1970 or 1971. Who were they?
Average, 10 Qns, Spontini, Apr 03 14
Average
Spontini
978 plays
4.
  Another One Bites the Dust: 18   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The following clues point to people who died in 1978. Who are they?
Average, 10 Qns, Spontini, Apr 30 14
Average
Spontini
827 plays
5.
  Another One Bites the Dust: 12   popular trivia quiz  
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Another trip down memory lane into the 1970s. Who were these people who all died in 1972?
Average, 10 Qns, Spontini, Apr 11 14
Average
Spontini
903 plays
6.
  Another One Bites the Dust: 16    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
All these people died in the year 1976. Who were they?
Average, 10 Qns, Spontini, Nov 27 16
Average
Spontini
775 plays
7.
  Decade of Death: the 70s    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
The seventies, the decade of extremely tight clothes. The world also lost some great and less great people. Do you know who?
Tough, 10 Qns, Angelo80, Nov 22 24
Tough
Angelo80
Nov 22 24
1144 plays
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Died in the 1970s Trivia Questions
1. This British actor is famous for (among others), films such as "A Man for All Seasons" (1966) and "The Sting" (1973). He is probably best remembered for playing a fisherman.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Robert Shaw

His father committed suicide when he was 12 years old. After making "The Sting" and "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974), he had re-established himself with American audiences and was unsure about his next film, "a movie about this big fish" he is reported as saying. He had never heard of the director (Steven Spielberg) and didn't like the title ("Jaws"). It was of course the biggest film ever at the time and the first to make over $100 million worldwide. He died on 27 August, 1978.

2. This American comedian used a badly played violin as a trademark. He was never older than "39".

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 14

Answer: Jack Benny

His inept violin playing was actually for effect as he was in fact an accomplished player. A school football team in Waukegan, Illinois, his hometown, are known as the "39ers" in honour of his insistence of always being thirty-nine. After his death on 26 December, 1974 he left instructions for a rose to be delivered to his wife every day until she died.

3. The seventies started with the loss of arguably the best guitar player ever: Jimi Hendrix in September 1970. Which other legendary artist passed away one month later?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: Janis Joplin & Joplin

Janis Joplin died in October 1970 from an overdose of heroin. Her greatest hit was "Me and Bobby McGee". [ Jim Morrison passed away one year later in July 1971 ]

4. This 'big as a horse' actor starred in a TV series for 13 years before his untimely death. The series was extremely successful but didn't last an entire season after his death.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 12

Answer: Dan Blocker

He weighed 14 lbs at birth in 1928. By the age of 12 he was already 6 feet tall and over 200 lbs in weight. Dan played Hoss Cartwright on "Bonanza" which was the #1 show on American TV 1964-5 until 1966-7 and was in the top 5 for 9 years. Dan started the Bonanza Steak House chain in 1963. He died of a pulmonary embolism on 13 May, 1972 aged just forty-three.

5. Which jazz musician died in 1971?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: Louis Armstrong

The correct answer is Louis Armstrong, also known as Satchmo. 'What A Wonderful World' may be his greatest hit. Duke Ellington died in 1974. Miles Davis' death occured in 1991. Dizzy Gillespie died in 1993.

6. This American criminal committed two murders in Utah on the nights of 19th and 20th July 1976. He was executed by firing squad on 17 January 1977.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust : 28

Answer: Gary Gilmore

Prior to his execution, there had been a ten-year moratorium on executions in the U.S. Gilmore actually requested that he be shot and tried to commit suicide when the first stay of his execution was granted and again a month later. His last words were apparently "Let's do it". The sporting goods company Nike ran a "Just Do It" advertising campaign which according to Dan Wieden, the advertising executive responsible for the campaign, was based on these last words. Since then there have been over 1,300 further executions in America. Spenkelink, Bishop and Coppola are 2nd-4th in that list.

7. This American ventriloquist's most famous character is Charlie McCarthy. His daughter is a famous actress.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Edgar Bergen

There were 3 versions of the Charlie McCarthy dummy. Magician David Copperfield owns one, bought at auction for $110,000. The other two are in museums, (the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago). His daughter is of course Candice Bergen. He died on 30 September 1978.

8. This English actress was nominated for three Oscars for the films "My Fair Lady" (1964), "The Song of Bernadette" (1943) and "Now, Voyager" (1942). She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1967.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 9

Answer: Gladys Cooper

Gladys played the mother of Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady", a role she had played on TV only a year earlier. In the film version, there is a portrait of a lady above the fireplace in Henry Higgins house. It is actually a portrait of Gladys, painted in 1922. She died 17 November 1971.

9. Which former US President died in 1972?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: Harry Truman

Harry Truman who became president during WWII when Franklin D. Roosevelt died in 1945. Dwight Eisenhower died in 1969. Lyndon B. Johnson or LBJ, passed away in 1973. 1972 also saw the death of J. Edgar Hoover.

10. This English musician was best known as the drummer in the English rock group "The Who". He had a reputation for smashing his kit on stage and destroying hotel rooms on tour.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Keith Moon

He became addicted to alcohol in the 1970s and passed out several times while on tour with The Who and had to spend time in hospital. He returned to London in 1978 and died of an overdose of the drug Heminevrin which is intended to curb alcohol abuse. He died on 7 September 1978 in the same London flat as Mama Cass Elliott four years earlier.

11. One of the great actors of the silent era, he was famous for wearing glasses and performing death defying stunts such as the scene where he is hanging from a clock in the film "Safety Last!" (1923).

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 9

Answer: Harold Lloyd

He lost the thumb and forefinger of his right hand in 1919, when a prop bomb exploded. He wore a glove and a prosthetic device to hide it thereafter. He is one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is said that his 'glasses' character was the inspiration for Clark Kent, Superman's secret identity, as he looked very different when he took them off. He died on 8 March 1971.

12. Bruce Lee died in strange circumstances in 1973. Which two cultural figures passed away in that same year?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: Pablo Picasso & Tolkien

Picasso was known for his cubism, his most famous work is 'Guernica', which can be admired in Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. Tolkien is the writer of 'Lord of the Rings'. Samuel Barber was the composer of 'Adagio for Strings' and died in 1981. Painter and designer Piet Mondriaan died in 1944.

13. This American pilot was at the centre of an international clash between the US and the Soviet Union in 1960 when the U2 spy-plane he was flying in Soviet air-space was shot down.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust : 28

Answer: Francis Gary Powers

Soviet intelligence had been aware of the U2 spy-planes flying over their territory for several years but had not been able to do anything about them because of the great height at which they flew. In 1962, this changed and Powers was shot down. He parachuted to the ground and was captured. The US issued a statement about a 'weather plane' pilot being missing. Powers had been unable to set off the plane's self destruct system and it had crashed almost intact. All its secret equipment therefore fell into the hands of the Soviets. Powers was exchanged for a KGB spy some months later. He was killed in a helicopter crash on 1st August 1977.

14. This person is one of the giants of Hollywood. He and his two brothers founded a famous studio which released the first ever picture with sound, "The Jazz Singer".

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Jack L. Warner

By 1973 he was becoming a little confused and even lost his way in the building housing his own office and retired. In 1974, he suffered a stroke which left him blind. Over the next few years he lost the ability to speak and withdrew into himself. He died on 9 September, 1978.

15. In 1974 Charles Lindbergh died. He was the first to fly across the Atlantic. When did he achieve this?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: 1927

He flew in The Spirit of St. Louis. He was active in WWII and died on Hawaii.

16. This American funny man had several brothers. They were the world's most popular comedy team during the 1920's and 1930's. This particular brother was the leader of the group and famous for his cigars, eyebrows and greasepaint moustache.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust : 28

Answer: Julius Marx

Julius was better known as 'Groucho'. Leonard was 'Chico', Adolph was 'Harpo', Herbert was 'Zeppo' and the fifth Marx brother was Milton ('Gummo'). Groucho is famous for amusing quotes such as "Marriage is a wonderful institution. But who wants to live in an institution?" He died on 19 August 1977.

17. This American politician was Vice-President of the United States during the 1960s. He ran for president but lost to Richard Nixon.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Hubert Humphrey

He was Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota (1943-48) and then a Senator from Minnesota (1948-64). After his defeat in the 1968 Presidential election he returned to the Senate from 1971 until his death on 13 January 1978.

18. This actor was the star of many "B" Westerns in the 1930 and 1940s. He was a singing cowboy perhaps best known for singing the theme to "High Noon" (1952). He became a country-music recording star.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 14

Answer: Tex Ritter

Tex was the father of John Ritter the actor. His name was actually Woodward Ritter. He got that from the surname of the doctor who helped at his birth. He became known as "Tex" later. He died on 2 January, 1974.

19. This jazz musician was born in New Orleans and played the trumpet. He sang the theme to a James Bond film. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 9

Answer: Louis Armstrong

He was known as 'Satchmo' or 'Satchelmouth' and was a star back in the 1920's but his biggest hits came late in life. "Hello Dolly" was a huge hit in 1964 and "What a Wonderful World" topped the UK charts in 1968. "We Have All the Time in the World" was the theme to the James Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969). He died 6 July, 1971.

20. This American composer/band leader was one of the major figures in jazz history. He played the piano. He was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1999 in recognition of his musical genius.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 14

Answer: Duke Ellington

He has appeared on both stamps and coins. On 16 July 2008, he appeared on a 42 cent USA stamp celebrating Vintage Black Cinema. In 2009, the District of Columbia issued a 25 cent commemorative coin as part of the USA's Statehood Quarters series. He is shown seated next to a piano, and the name "DUKE ELLINGTON" is engraved in the area above the piano keys. He died on 24 May, 1974.

21. This American baseball player was the first African American to play Major League Baseball when he started for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. He played himself in a film about his life to date which was released in 1950.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 12

Answer: Jackie Robinson

He excelled in all sports and at UCLA, he became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports. They were baseball, basketball, football and track. He joined the army but was courtmartialed - and acquitted. The 1950 film was of course "The Jackie Robinson Story". He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 and died on 24 October, 1972.

22. This noted South-African anti-apatheid activist founded the 'Black Consciousness Movement'. He was expelled from the University of Natal in 1972 because of his political activities.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust : 28

Answer: Steve Biko

Biko was arrested on 18 August 1977 under the Terrorism Act No 83 of 1967 and questioned for 22 hours. He was tortured and beaten unconscious resulting in a coma. He had severe head injuries. It wasn't until 11 September 1977 that he was taken to a prison with hospital facilities, still naked and manacled. He died the following day. A British journalist, Donald Woods, exposed what had happened to his friend and was forced to flee the country. He wrote a book about Steve entitled "Biko" which was later turned into the film "Cry Freedom" (1987).

23. This Swedish racing driver was twice runner up in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 1971 and again in 1978 despite a fatal accident at the Italian Grand Prix.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 18

Answer: Ronnie Peterson

His car was involved in a shunt shortly after the start of the race and fully fuelled, went into the barriers where it exploded and bounced back into the middle of the track. He was pulled from the burning wreckage with severe leg injuries but amazingly, only minor burns. He was taken to hospital where it was found he had three fractures to one leg and seven to the other. He was operated on, but overnight he developed an embolism and died on 11 September, 1978.

24. This American made 31 films as an actor between 1956 and 1969 and an additional two films of concerts. "Concerts?", you ask. Well, while not recognised as a great actor, he could sing a bit.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust : 28

Answer: Elvis Presley

Elvis was actually a twin. His brother Jesse died at birth, 35 minutes before Elvis was born. He is a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln's great-great grandfather, Isaiah Harrison. Elvis died on 16 August 1977 and he was placed in the family crypt. Eleven days later an attempt was made to steal his body. Three men were charged with trespassing and released on bond. The Memphis Adjustment board gave permission for the re-interment of Elvis and his mother Gladys to the Meditation Garden at Graceland on 2 October 1977.

25. This British artist is famous for painting industrial scenes in the North of England. He developed a unique style whereby human figures in his paintings were represented as "matchstick men".

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 16

Answer: L. S. Lowry

In 1968, the band Status Quo released a song in tribute to him entitled "Pictures of Matchstick Men" and in 1978 Brian and Michael reached #1 in the UK with their song "Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs". Lowry died on 23 February, 1976.

26. This Frenchman grew up to be both French Prime Minister under President de Gaulle and the President himself following de Gaulle's resignation.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 14

Answer: Georges Pompidou

All four of those named were French Presidents. Pompidou was President June 1969-April 1974, d'Estaing from May 1974 until May 1981, Mitterand from May 1981 until May 1995 and Chirac from May 1995 until May 2007. He died on 2 April, 1974.

27. This American musician/songwriter had a relatively short career but is regarded as one of the greatest electric guitarists in the history of pop music. He was famous for his afro hairstyle and brightly coloured clothes.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 9

Answer: Jimi Hendrix

Jimi was honourably discharged from the U.S. army after breaking his ankle in a parachute jump. He played "The Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in August 1969 and footage of that performance has become a study piece. He died in London 18 September 1970 from a barbiturate overdose.

28. Sex, drugs and rock and roll! 1978 was the end for Keith Moon. Which band can be linked to Keith Moon?

From Quiz Decade of Death: the 70s

Answer: The Who

Keith Moon was drummer in The Who and died from an overdose of pills.

29. This American choreographer was famous for elaborate production numbers involving lots of showgirls moving in complex patterns rather like a child's kaleidoscope toy.

From Quiz Another One Bites the Dust: 16

Answer: Busby Berkeley

In 1935, he was involved in a car accident in which two people were killed and five seriously injured. Berkeley himself suffered only minor injuries and found himself charged with second degree murder. Two trials ended with hung juries and he was acquitted at a third trial. He died on 14 March, 1976.

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