Leith and the Lucky Ducks Trivia Quiz

Answer: Speed skating

It was a series of fortunate events that allowed Steve to make it into the final of the 1000m at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games in 2002. Once the race began, Steve was well off the pace of the winners, but they all crashed on the final turn, leaving Steve as the last man standing. As the first across the line, Steve was astonished at his win and looked quite confused. Did he or didn't he win? Many people thought the race should be re-run. After a short delay while the footage was reviewed, the judges upheld the decision and awarded Steve the gold medal.

"Doing a Bradbury" (meaning an accidental win) is now a recognised part of the Aussie vernacular.

Answer: Titanic

The brothers Slade were drinking with other shipmates at the Grapes pub, and were due to board the Titanic by midday. A lot of water has flowed under duck's feet since then, and there are many different versions of what happened once they left the pub. One story tells of the brothers waiting for a long train to pass before they got to the ship, and by the time they got there, the gangplank had already been withdrawn. Some sources say the brothers were then charged with desertion.

Another story tells of the brothers holding up a passenger train, so the wealthy people on the train also missed boarding the Titanic. One would presume these people would then be suitably grateful once the ship had gone down. However there is no record of the brothers being charged with robbery, so this version may not be entirely accurate.

All welcome the Slade Brothers: winners of the "Lucky Duck Award" for missing the boat.

Answer: Alexander Fleming

As the story goes, Fleming left some staphylococci cultures in his lab while he went on a month long holiday. On his return, he found they had become contaminated with a mould. In some of the cultures, the mould had actually killed the staphylococci colonies.

After consultation with a mycologist, he found the mould was called Penicillium; therefore he named the active agent, Penicillin. If Fleming hadn't left his lab in such a mess, who knows when Penicillin would have been discovered. Such a fortuitous occurrence thoroughly deserves a prestigious "Lucky Ducky Award".

Answer: Hand of Faith gold nugget

The hand of Faith gold nugget weighed a massive 875 Troy ounces (or almost 28kg)! Hillier sold it at auction where it was purchased by The Golden Nugget Casino at Las Vegas for a million dollars. Quite a bit of money, especially back in 1980. The nugget is on display at the casino. The Welcome Stranger nugget was found in 1869 and weighed 2316 troy ounces (72kg). The finders were paid £19,068, a fortune in those times.

Answer: District 5

"The Mighty Ducks" (1992) was a movie about District 5, a struggling Peewee hockey team from the wrong side of the tracks. Gordon Bombay was convicted of a drink driving offence and assigned community service to coach the team. After initial animosity and mistrust on both sides, the players and Bombay forge a strong bond. Bombay secures sponsorship for the team, gaining them valuable equipment, practice time, and the name "The Ducks".

Through the infection of another team with the measles, District 5 make the finals despite their lack of skill. Their opponents are Bombay's old team, who have dominated the league since time immemorial. Of course, in the style of all good movies though, the underdogs win by the skin of their teeth in the last possible moment. This feat scores the Ducks official "Lucky Duck" status.

Answer: Ken Mattingly

Thomas "Ken" Mattingly was to be the command module pilot of the Apollo 13 mission on his first assignment in space. But just three days prior to launch, he was removed from the mission as he had been exposed to Rubella (German Measles) which he did not have immunity against.

Luckily he never contracted the disease, and after the explosion onboard the Apollo spacecraft, he worked with the technical staff to solve the power problems of re-entry This ensured the safe return of his fellow astronauts.
The Apollo 13 mission has been recreated on film, and Mattingly was portrayed by Gary Sinise in "Apollo 13" (1995 movie) and Zeljko Ivanek in "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998 miniseries).

Barbara Morgan receives honorary lucky duck status too. Morgan was the understudy for Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first teacher in space on board the shuttle "Challenger".

Answer: Mega Millions

Mega Millions is a large, multi-state lottery in America. It operates in California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington. After Eddie Nabors won the lottery, he chose the cash option and pocketed a cool $116m. With his winnings he planned to buy a boat and go fishing! What a lucky duck!

Answer: The Ugly Duckling

Hans Christian Anderson created the tale of "The Ugly Duckling: in 1843. It has been suggested that Anderson modelled the duckling on himself, as he had been a tall, rather ugly boy with a big nose and big feet. As such, he had been the object of ridicule and abuse during his school years.

There has also been speculation that he was the illegitimate son of Christian Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark and Anderson's transformation was not that of a swan, but of a secret royal linage. Walt Disney adapted the story into film twice. Once in black and white in 1931 and again in colour (1939).

This version won an Academy award for Best Short Subject (cartoons).

Answer: Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford amassed almost $65m in 12 months from June 2008, purely because of the success of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (2008). Ford had been in semi-retirement since 2000, only making four films before the fourth instalment of Indiana came along. He came out of retirement, induced by the lucrative deal that split nearly all profits between himself, director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas.

When casting the role of "Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981), Spielberg wanted Ford in the lead role, but Lucas preferred Tom Selleck. Since Selleck couldn't be spared from his "Magnum, P.I." commitments, Ford was offered the role. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: J.K. Rowling

Most people know the rags to riches tale of J. K. Rowling. While on a train she came up with the idea of Harry Potter, and spent her days in a local café writing the story. Editor Barry Cunningham gave Rowling a $1500 advance to allow them to publish the novel, although he also advised her to get a day job. Scholastic Inc. won an auction for the American rights to publish, and they paid $105,000 for the privilege.