Astorian's 13th Common Bond Game Quiz

Answer: Cyrus McCormick

McCormick's invention had far-reaching effects on America's population. Because of the reaper, far less farm labor was needed, and America's population shifted more and more from the country to cities.

Answer: Oliver Hazard Perry

There weren't many high points for the United States in the War of 1812, but Perry's naval victory on Lake Erie was one of them. After the battle, he made the famous utterance, "We have met the enemy, and they are ours".

Answer: Jack Welch

Welch's management style earned him both admirers and ardent enemies. Fortune Magazine named him Executive of the Century, but some called him "Neutron Jack" for the way he slashed employees while leaving buildings standing.

Answer: Shocking Blue

Bananarama took the same song to Number One on the American charts fifteen years later.

Answer: Irvin McDowell

The Confederate Army tended to name battles after nearby towns, while the Union Army tended to name battles after nearby rivers or bodies of water. Hence, Southerners refer to the Battle of Bull Run as the Battle of Manassas.

McDowell believed his troops were insufficiently trained and not ready to take on the Confederate Army, but received heavy pressure from President Lincoln to go on the offensive. The result of this premature offensive was the fiasco at Bull Run.

Answer: Bob Ford

Jesse James began his criminal career as a member of William Quantrill's Confederate guerilla band.

Legend has it that Jesse's former friend Bob Ford shot him from behind, while James was standing on a chair, adjusting a picture frame.

Answer: Chance

Apart from gardening, Chance knows nothing of the world except what he sees on television. He describes everything in terms of gardening or television programs. That ought to make him sound foolish, but instead, it makes him seem wise, deep and perceptive to many people.

Peter Sellers gave one of his last great film performances as Chance, in the film version of "Being There".

Answer: Santana

Santana's performance of "Soul Sacrifice" was a highlight of the Woodstock festival.

Thirty years after Woodstock, Carlos Santana earned a Grammy for the smash hit CD "Supernatural".

Answer: Carlton

Carlton's voice was provided by Lorenzo Music, who also provided the voice of Garfield the cat, in TV cartoons.

Answer: Lyle, the Effeminate Heterosexual

Chris Farley played the hapless Matt Foley, Will Ferrell played clueless Craig, and Eddie Murphy played Little Richard Simmons.

Lyle's mannerisms were so flamboyantly effeminate, even his own wife (played in one sketch by tennis star Chris Evert) assumed he must be gay.

Answer: Samuel Johnson

The acerbic, witty Dr. Johnson was immortalized in James Boswell's biography, "Life of Johnson".

Answer: The Cone of Silence

The Cone of Silence was a plexiglass dome that could be lowered over two people having a conversation. It was supposed to ensure that nobody outside could hear what was being said, but somehow, it never worked very well.

Answer: the viola

The viola is the Rodney Dangerfield of instruments in the classical music world, commanding little respect. John Cale of the Velvet Underground is one of the few modern musicians who has incorporated the viola successfully in pop or rock music.

Answer: The Beast With Five Fingers

The severed hand of a deceased pianist seems to be strangling people, in this thriller, and Peter Lorre's character seems to be trying to catch and stop the murderous hand. Only at the end do we learn that Lorre's character is himself the strangler, and that the hand is part of his psychotic delusions.

Answer: Murphy's Law

There are numerous corollaries to the pessimistic Murphy's Law. My favorite is, "The chances of a falling piece of toast landing butter-side down increase in proportion to the price of your carpet."

Answer: The War of Jenkins' Ear

"God Save the King", now the British national anthem, was first performed during a celebration of British victories in the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Answer: Samuel Clemens

Samuel Clemens, better known to fans as Mark Twain, often showed a bitter, cynical, anti-religious streak. In this story, however, Twain's humor is gentle and sentimental and respectful of traditional Christian doctrine.

Answer: Mr. Drysdale

Even though the wealthy Milburn Drysdale was a snob who looked down on the uncouth Clampetts, he was desperate to keep their business, and did everything possible to ingratiate himself with the Clampetts, often with embarrassing results.

Luckily, he had the level-headed Jane Hathaway to keep his worst impulses in check.

Answer: John Newcombe

Newcombe, who won seven Grand Slam singles titles in his career, was named captain of Australia's Davis Cup team in 1995.

Answer: Cy Young

Denton True "Cy" (short for "Cyclone") Young won more games than any other pitcher in baseball history, and in his honor, baseball's best pitchers are honored each year with the Cy Young Award. Among the men who've won this award are Mike MCCORMICK (1967), Jim and Gaylord PERRY, Bob WELCH (1990), Vida BLUE (1971), Jack MCDOWELL (1993), Whitey FORD (1961), Dean CHANCE (1964), Johan SANTANA (2004), Steve CARLTON (4 times), Sparky LYLE (1977), Randy JOHNSON (5 times), David CONE (1994), Frank VIOLA (1988), Rollie FINGERS (1981), Fergie JENKINS (1971), Vern LAW (1960), Roger CLEMENS (7 times!), Don DRYSDALE (1962), and Don NEWCOMBE (1956).