People With Commonalities Trivia

1. Who was the French singer with the trademark song 'Non, je ne regrette rien'?

From Quiz To the Joy and Through the Tears

Answer: Édith Piaf

Édith was abandoned at birth by her mother, who was a café singer, and brought up in the brothel ran by her paternal grandmother. She lost her sight as a result of complications of meningitis, but recovered it four years later. She accompanied her father, who was a street acrobat, and started singing in the streets of Paris to make money while he performed. Her rise to fame began at the age of 19 when she was discovered by nightclub owner Louis Leplée. It was he who gave her the nickname 'La Môme Piaf', meaning 'The Little Sparrow', which would stay with her for the rest of her life. Her opening night at his nightclub Le Gerny's was attended by Maurice Chevalier, and the bandleader that evening was Django Reinhardt. The love of her life was the boxer Marcel Cerdan. Her life is documented in the film 'La Vie en Rose'. 'Non, je ne regrette rien', which translates to 'No, I do not regret anything' is probably her most famous song.

From Quiz Isn't He Dead by Now?

Answer: He was discovered by the Japanese Navy

Lt. Louis Zamperini was a long-distance runner who had formerly competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he finished eighth in the 5,000 meter race. After crashing into the ocean on a search and rescue mission, he and Lt. Russell Phillips survived on rainwater and fish for 47 days before reaching the Marshall Islands and being discovered by Japanese forces, who took them prisoner and tortured Zamperini. Zamperini survived that trauma, was transferred to another prison, and eventually liberated in 1945.

From Quiz Against My Religion

Answer: Ignatius of Antioch

Not a whole lot is known about the life of Ignatius of Antioch, including when he was born. He was born in Roman Syria and was said to have converted to Christianity at a young age. As a Christian writer, he was one of the first to emphasize the importance of loyalty to a single bishop in a specific area. As a prisoner, he was transported to Rome by a group of ten Roman soldiers where he was to be put to death. It was unusual for martyrs to be transported from where they lived and there isn't a lot of agreement amongst scholars as to why Ignatius of Antioch was sent to Rome. While enroute and in chains, he was allowed to meet with other Christians and he wrote a series of letters detailing the journey. In his letters, he wrote that he would likely be killed by lions. The actual date of his death is also debated but after his death, his remains were transported back to Antioch.

From Quiz Great Depression

Answer: Melancholy

Melancholy or melancholia has been used for centuries to describe severe forms of depression, especially when it involves physical symptoms. Today, the term melancholic depression is used to refer to a subtype of depression that particularly features anhedonia (inability to find pleasure in normally enjoyable things). William Herndon, Lincoln's third law partner, stated of Lincoln, "He was a sad-looking man; his melancholy dripped from him as he walked." Yet, he was also noted for his sense of humour and resilience. In a letter written in 1842, Lincoln gave the following advice to his friend Joshua Speed: "Remember in the depth and even the agony of despondency, that very shortly you are to feel well again."

From Quiz Not Today Your Majesty

Answer: Peter Alliss

Alliss was offered the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1992 but declined, givng his reasoning in a 2004 interview as, "Honours like that should only go to people who are brave in battle or help others less fortunate than themselves. I was just doing a job and there's nothing courageous or special about being a golf commentator. So I was never going to consider an OBE for services to golf." Thanks to theguardian.com for the quote.

From Quiz Who's Who At The National Archaeological Museum

Answer: Alexander the Great

In an exhibit of mosaics from Pompeii, I was astounded to see a mosaic that covered an entire wall; it depicted the famous battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king, Darius III, at the Battle of Issus. It was at this battle that Alexander captured what was perhaps Darius' greatest treasure - his family; losing his family, however, probably was not the only concern that Darius III felt at the time. His defeat marked the first time that a Persian army had been defeated with the king in its midst. Alexander, it was written, treated Darius' family with the upmost respect, eventually marrying Stateira II, one of the king's daughters.

From Quiz A Wing and a Prayer

Answer: Tom Cruise

Born in Syracuse, New York, Tom had an abusive father and grew up in relative poverty, sleeping in cars and living in trailer parks for most of his childhood. The family was always on the move with his father chasing employment, and Tom attended 15 different schools in the course of 14 years. Despite this inauspicious start in life, he went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful actors.

From Quiz Men and Women of Iron

Answer: Lou Gehrig

This one should be a gimme for most people. While those that aren't sports fans may not recognize the player for being a baseball player, the disease that is now associated with Mr. Gehrig, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), should have helped you find the right answer. If you answered too quickly, you may have selected one of the other famous Lou's. For those that don't know, Lou Brock was another famous baseball player (but was never associated with an "iron man" streak). Lou Reed, at least the one the quiz author was thinking of, was not associated with baseball. Rather, he was/is a musician. Lou Rawls was/is also a famous musician. It should be noted the Mr. Gehrig's nickname was not that of the man that followed him and earned the title of (modern era MLB) Iron Man. Instead, Mr. Gehrig's nickname was that of "Iron Horse". While the title involved the animal, it was a man, so we'll rule this question and answer "in" for this category (Men and Women of Iron).

From Quiz More Transgender Pioneers

Answer: Israel

Sharon Cohen was born in Tel Aviv in 1972 and her birth name was Yaron. Cohen came out as transgender while she was still a teenager and underwent gender reassignment surgery shortly after. She is one of Israel's best-known pop stars internationally, largely due to her memorable Eurovision performance of Israel's competition entry 'Diva' which won the 1998 contest.

From Quiz Do You Write Right... ?

Answer: Weak

Even being "ambidextrous" isn't truly descriptive. The Latin word for "right" is "dexter," the root word in "dexterity." Adding "ambi" doesn't change it to "even handed," it's literally "being right-handed on both sides."

From Quiz Mother Died Today

Answer: Benedict Arnold

Arnold was a leading general for the American Continental Army in the American Revolution. But, unhappy with being passed over for promotion, he defected to the British side. He eventually moved to England and died there in 1801.

From Quiz Just Say No

Answer: Julie Andrews

The star of "Victor/Victoria," outraged that the show received no other Tony nominations (including one for Best Musical while two shows that had closed months before the nominations, "Swinging On A Star" and "Chronicle Of A Death Foretold," were nominated), declined her nomination and said that she would remain with her "egregiously overlooked" fellow cast members. Patti LuPone won that award in 1980 for playing Eva Peron in "Evita"; Tyne Daly won in 1990 for her role as Mama Rose in "Gypsy"; and Bebe Neuwirth won in 1997 as Velma in "Chicago."

From Quiz Missing But Not Forgotten

Answer: Spartacus

There were three major slave uprisings against the Roman Republic between 135 BC and 71 BC, known as the "Servile Wars". Eunus led the first, in Sicily between 135 BC and 132 BC. Salvius, latter known as Tryphon, led the second, also in Sicily, between 104 BC and 100 BC. Spartacus led the best known of the three, in southern Italy. Born in Thrace, he had served in the Roman army for a time before being enslaved. From a small band of about 70 slave-gladiators who escaped with Spartacus, his forces grew to include more than 120,000 followers. The Roman legions under the command of Marcus Licinius Crassus finally defeated the rebellion. Spartacus is reported to have fallen in the final confrontation, the Battle of the Silarius River in 71 BC, but his body was never found. Tacky was a Ghanaian-born slave who led one of the most important slave rebellions in Jamaica.

From Quiz The Ampersand Connection

Answer: Abelard & Heloise

I started with Abelard and Heloise because their passionate love affair and tragic separation make them one of the most celebrated couples of all time. Theirs is the story of the nine hundred year old love affair between the theologian Peter Abelard and his student Heloise d'Argenteuil. Their letters and the details of their physical and spiritual relationship, i.e., their forbidden love, scandalized their community with its intellectual and sexual freedom; the tale will live on long after "Fifty Shades of Grey" is gone and forgotten. Antony and Cleopatra's love was in the B.C. era. Dante lived in the 13th century, and Petrarch in the 14th century.

From Quiz Contemporaries

Answer: Dorothy Sayers

Sayers was most famous for writing the Lord Peter Wimsey detective novels. However, she also translated Dante's "Inferno" and wrote essays ("The Lost Tools of Learning" argued for a return to classical education), plays ("The Man Born to Be King" being her most famous), and books on theology (including "The Mind of the Maker"). She was not an official member of "The Inklings" (which contained only men), but she was friends with many of them, particularly Lewis. Of the other answers, only Doyle was alive at the same time as Lewis, Tolkien, and Sayers, although he was roughly 40 years older.

From Quiz Among the Living

Answer: F. Lee Bailey

Bailey also defended Captain Ernest Medina for the My Lai Massacre. Because of misconduct when defending Claude DuBoc, he was disbarred in Florida (2001) and Massachusetts (2003).

From Quiz Jewish Celebrities

Answer: Bob Dylan

Apparently he really liked Dylan Thomas. Bob Gibson was a fierce competitor for the St. Louis Cardinals of baseball. Bobby Fisher was a famous chess grandmaster. Rob Thomas was a singer and writer was born after Woodstock.

From Quiz Is It On The Left Or On The Right?

Answer: Alvarez Kelly

"Alvarez Kelly" stars William Holden as Kelly, a cattleman who is to deliver a herd to the Union Army in Virginia. The herd and Kelly are captured by Confederate raiders led by Colonel Tom Rossiter (Widmark) who want to take the beef to besieged Richmond. (Gene Kelly starred in the 1951 film "An American in Paris.")

From Quiz Ten People Fade to Black

Answer: Johnny Cash

Some of Johnny Cash's well known songs are "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues" (the quote in the question), and "Ring of Fire."

From Quiz I Took the Wrong Left

Answer: Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart's plane is still missing and the object of ongoing searches.

From Quiz Old Soldiers

Answer: just fade away

Gen. Douglas MacArthur served for an astonishing 52 years, including the Mexican Revolution, WWI, WWII and Korea. He won the Medal of Honor and was the de facto ruler of post-war Japan. Once he retired, he did largely "fade away", serving various causes and advising U.S. presidents until his death in 1964. (There are also some jocular variants of this saying, such as "Cold warriors never die and don't fade away, either").

From Quiz They did the Right using Left

Answer: Aristotle

No other philosopher influenced the world more than Aristotle, a student of Plato and Alexander the Great's teacher. His works are a summary of the ancient Greek view of the world, covering all the (then) branches of knowledge, including logic, rhetoric, physics, literature, poetry, zoology, meteorology, embryology, geology, geography, ethics, economics, government, metaphysics, education, aesthetics and, of course, philosophy.

From Quiz Law of the Jungle

Answer: Edgar Rice Burroughs

Burroughs (1875-1950) wrote a long series of books about his famous jungle-born Tarzan, raised by apes and thinking he was one until he came upon his parents' cabin, long abandoned. There he deduced that he was human, that he had a family like himself and that his real people used books. He taught himself to read and speak. Tarzan went on to become an American icon, although he was portrayed as English and entitled to be called Lord Greystoke. Burroughs also wrote science fiction, Westerns and a series about Mars (Barsoom) Venus and the moon. When Burroughs was in his late 60s and living in Hawaii, he became the oldest living WWII correspondent at the time to have witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor. More on Tarzan: he had a life after the series, you know! What did Jane call out to Tarzan as he was leaving for work one morning? "Be careful, honey, it's a jungle out there!" And on jungle school days? "Honey, can you swing by and pick up Boy after school?"

From Quiz 10 Words or less on Lengthiness

Answer: Haystacks

'Haystacks' Calhoun was an American wrestler in the 1950s and 60s. His gimmick (besides his size), was wearing overalls and a horseshoe necklace. He died in 1989 from diabetes, probably caused by his weight. He was 55.

From Quiz Eeeek....It's Red-Headed Freckle Monsters!

Answer: Geri Halliwell

The band was formed in 1994, with five members. Melanie Brown was known as 'Scary Spice', Melanie Chisholm was 'Sporty Spice', Emma Bunton was 'Baby Spice' and Victoria Adams was 'Posh Spice'. Geri Halliwell was named 'Ginger Spice' and left the band in 1998. The Spice Girls had much chart success, with 'Wannabe' becoming a number one hit around the world. Each of them also pursued solo careers, with varying levels of success.

From Quiz He, Too, Was A Jew !

Answer: Jonas Salk

Salk enrolled in City College at the age of fifteen and turned his attention to science and medicine. He later studied at N.Y.U.(New York University) medical school and spent eight years of pursuing a vaccine for polio. When he thought he had found it, he tested it on himself and his children. As it was successful, he announced its release in 1955. He subsequently received many awards, among them the Congressional Medal Of Honor for distinguished achievement. He also worked as a consultant for WHO (World Health Organisation), and later set up the Salk Institute for cancer research in La Jolla, CA.

From Quiz The Thorn

Answer: Christian Dior

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. He first opened his doors to the public in 1947 selling haute couture clothing to the rich and famous. His first perfume, "Miss Dior", was also created in the same year. The rose named after Christian Dior was introduced in 1958 by Meilland in France. The flower is a vibrant crimson hybrid tea rose with a light fragrance.

From Quiz Coffeeholics Anonymous

Answer: France

Voltaire (1694-1778) created plays, novels, essays, and poetry. He also authored historical and scientific papers. Voltaire was considered by many to be one of the greatest thinkers of his time. Some of his energy undoubtedly came from the 50 cups of coffee that he is said to have drunk every day. If you do not sleep, there is so much more time to write!

From Quiz Blokus Pocus

Answer: Derren Brown

In "Derren Brown: The Heist," Brown used a range of subtle psychological techniques to persuade four people to rob a security van in broad daylight. Unlike many stage magicians, Brown often concludes his shows by demonstrating how his tricks work.

From Quiz Our famous 'Namesakes'

Answer: Dawn

* Robotic spacecraft Dawn, launched at Cape Canaveral in 2007, is scheduled to explore asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres between the years 2011 and 2015. * Dawn French is probably best known for her hilarious portrayal of "The Vicar of Dibley." * "Dawn (Go Away)" was released by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in 1964.

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Last Updated Apr 29 2025 9:48 AM

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