Middle Ground Redux Trivia Quiz

Answer: Taylor

"Sweet Baby James" Taylor was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1948. In 1970, his single, "Fire and Rain", hit number three on the pop charts. Winner of multiple Grammy Awards, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Taylor Swift was born in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1989. She began her career singing country music but successfully crossed over to become one of the best-selling artists of all time, with hits like "Shake It Off" from 2013.

Answer: Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. From 1801 to 1809, he served as the third President of the United States.

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was born in Kentucky and became a Congressman and Senator from Mississippi. He served as the United States 23rd Secretary of War. During the Civil War, Davis was president of the Confederate States of America.

Answer: Tyler

Steven Tyler is the lead singer of the rock band Aerosmith. Known as "The Demon of Screamin'", he was born in New York City in 1948. His group is responsible for hits which include "Dream On", "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way".

Tyler Perry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1969. He is one of the 'renaissance' men of the 21st century. Perry is an author, an actor, a comedian, a director, producer and songwriter. "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" ran on cable television from 2006 to 2012.

Answer: North

If you're old enough, you might remember actor Jay North who played "Dennis the Menace", beginning in 1959. He started acting when he was six years old in 1957, but he did not transition into adulthood easily. Unable to find work, he joined the Navy and, after that, the Florida Department of Corrections.

On June 15, 2013, North West was born. She is the daughter of rapper Kanye West and celebrity Kim Kardashian.

Answer: Dean

On September 30, 1955, on his way to a race, James Dean crashed his Porsche Spyder, and died at the age of 24. He only appeared in three movies, "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955), "East of Eden" (1955) and "Giant" (1956, posthumously). However, his persona made an impact on the culture for decades to come.

Dean Martin (1917-1995) originally became popular in the 1950s as the straight man on the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. When they split, Dean Martin went on to become a popular singer, actor and member of the Rat Pack.

Answer: Truman

Harry S (which stood for nothing) Truman (1884-1972) was the 33rd President of the United States. Truman took over when FDR died on April 12, 1945. He later ran for the presidency and, on November 2, 1948, Truman won, despite the headline of the Chicago Daily Tribune.

Truman Capote (1924-1984) was a southern novelist, playwright and actor. Among his movies were "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961), "In Cold Blood" (1967) and "Murder by Death" (1976).

Answer: Paul

In 2011, opthalmologist Rand Paul became the junior Senator from Kentucky serving with the senior Senator, Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader. Paul is the son of a former Congressman from Texas, and he also campaigned for president in the 2016 election.

Paul Ryan was born in Wisconsin in 1970. In the 2012 election, he was the Republican nominee for Vice President, with Mitt Romney for President. In October 2015 Ryan was officially elected as the 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Answer: John

Former professional Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John was born in Indiana in 1943. He played for six different teams, including the Yankees, Dodgers and White Sox, and won 288 games. During his career, he had successful surgery to repair a ligament in his pitching arm; this is now called "Tommy John surgery".

John Adams (1735-1826) was born in the Province of Massachusetts. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the country, in addition to being the first Vice President, and the second President of the United States of America.

Answer: Roosevelt

In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt and his first wife, Alice Hathaway Lee, had a daughter whom they named Alice Lee. In 1906 Alice Lee Roosevelt (1884-1980) married politician Nicholas Longworth. In 1933 her book, "Crowded Hours", was published.

Roosevelt Grier is a former professional football player with the National Football League, and an actor. He was born in Georgia in 1932. 'Rosey' was traded from the New York Giants to the Los Angeles Rams in 1963, and he became part of the "Fearsome Foursome" with Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen and Lamar Lundy.

Answer: Brooks

Mel Brooks is a writer, producer, director, actor, comedian and composer; he is a "one man movie". Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1926, Mel started writing for early television on "Your Show of Shows". He went on to make hit films like "The Producers" (1967), "Young Frankenstein" (1974) and "Blazing Saddles" (1974).

Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984) was a drama critic for the New York Times from 1925 to 1960. In those days, critics often had the power to make or break a play. When he retired in 1960, the Mansfield Theater in New York City was renamed in his honor.

Answer: Irving

Clifford Irving is a novelist and a reporter who was born in New York City in 1930. His first novel "On a Darkling Plain" was published in 1956. However, he is most famous (or infamous) for his "fictional autobiography" of Howard Hughes. In 1972 Hughes threatened to sue; Irving confessed to the hoax and served time.

Born in Russia in 1888, Irving Berlin (1888-1989) emigrated to American at five years old. He had his first hit, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", in 1911. He went on to become one of the greatest songwriters of all time, with hits such as "White Christmas", "Easter Parade" and "There's No Business Like Show Business".

Answer: Marshall

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993), served on the "Highest Court in the Land" from 1967 to 1991. He was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson. Marshall was the 96th justice and the first black judge to sit on the Supreme Court.

You may know singer Marshall Bruce Mathers III by his stage name, Eminem. Born in Missouri in 1972, Mathers became a household name in 1999 with his rap album "The Slim Shady LP", which won him his first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. He also starred in the film "8 Mile" in 2002.

Answer: Carson

Neurosurgeon, politician and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. He ran for president in the Republican Primaries in 2016. Prior to his political career, he was Director of Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Carson McCullers (1917-1967) was a writer whose stories were set in the southern United States. She dealt with themes of disenfranchisement and isolation, and her novels were often turned into films, e.g., "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter", "A Member of the Wedding" and "Reflections in a Golden Eye".

Answer: Jane

Actor Thomas Jane was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1969. His films include "Boogie Nights" (1997), "The Thin Red Line" (1998), "Deep Blue Sea" (1999) and "The Mist" (2007). He also played Mickey Mantle on the TV film "61*" in 2001, and the HBO cable series "Hung" from 2009 to 2011.

Does the name Sue Sylvester have any meaning to you? If so, then you might have been a "Glee" fan. Actress Jane Lynch played the role of the 'teacher you loved to hate'. She could also be seen in the mockumentary film "Best in Show", and in a role as a schizophrenic on "Criminal Minds".

Answer: Tatum

Art Tatum (1909-1956) was, perhaps, one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Self-taught and legally blind, Tatum moved to New York City in the 1930s. He won a big following and became famous for reinventing pop songs with a whole new style and virtuosity. Among his hits: "Yesterdays", "Tiger Rag" and "Tea for Two".

Actress Tatum O'Neal is the daughter of "Love Story" actor, Ryan O'Neal. In 1974, at ten years old, she acted with her father in the movie "Paper Moon". At the time, she was the youngest actress to ever win an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.