Trivial Decathlon Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brian Cox

That's right, Brian Cox, born June 1, 1946 in Dundee, Scotland is the only man from that country to play the psychiatrist with a taste for human flesh, Hannibal Lecter. He appeared in Michael Mann's criminally underrated 1986 film 'Manhunter', based on Harris's novel 'Red Dragon' which was later remade under that title in a 2002 version starring Edward Norton and one Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins was born on December 31, 1937 in Margam, Wales and garnered his first and only Oscar for his role as the deranged doctor in 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991). Sir Thomas Sean Connery was born on August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland and will always be the ONLY James Bond in my humble opinion. William John 'Liam' Neeson was born on June 7, 1952 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Cox has been prolific of late, appearing in films such as 'Red Eye', 'Match Point' and 'The Ringer' (all 2005).

He has also brought some memorable villains to the big screen, most notably in 'The Bourne Supremacy', 'Troy' and 'X-Men 2'.

Answer: Hamamatsu

The Yamaha Corporation, founded by Torakusu Yamaha on October 12, 1897 is the world's biggest piano maker and was founded in the city of Hamamatsu. This industrial city sees farming, fishing and forestry flourish due to the mild climate, good soil, rain and inventive techniques employed. Chief produce include mandarin oranges, musk melons, celery, onions, eel (unagi), cedar and cypress wood. Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa established a line of shogun that ruled Japan in the Edo Era and built Hamamatsu Castle in 1570 while still a minor noble. The city and it's castle were of strategic importance, saw many battles fought nearby and was later nicknamed the 'Castle of Success' due to the fact that many of its lords went on to attain prominent positions in government.
Considered by most Japanese to be in the 'middle of Japan' since medieval times due to the fact that it is equal distance from both Tokyo and Osaka, Hamamatsu is so prized for its location that it's the site of the country's only inland container terminal. It is now the largest city in the Shizuoka prefecture since it merged with eleven surrounding cities and towns on July 1, 2005 and is slated to become a city 'designated by government ordinance' on April 1, 2007 (no joke!) given the 500,000+ population and important industrial and economic functions which classify it as a major city. Interestingly, Tokyo is not classified as a single city and is instead Japan's sole designated metropolis.
Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd also has its HQ in Hamamatsu as does the Suzuki Motor Corporation. Kawasaki is located in the Kanagawa prefecture and links Tokyo and Yokohama. Atami and Shimoda are both located in the Shizuoka prefecture and are popular seaside destinations famous for their hot springs (onsen).

Answer: John Aloisi

Go Aussies! With just eight minutes remaining in the first match of the Socceroos finals campaign, Japan lead 1-0 when Tim Cahill scored the first of his two goals which were actually the first goals scored by an Australian on the world's biggest sporting stage. Substitute John Aloisi made sure of the result by scoring the third and sent Aussies into raptures of delight again as it was Aloisi who scored the winning goal against Uruguay some seven months earlier to qualify his country for the finals for the first time since 1974 in a penalty shoot-out. I cried tears of joy on both occasions.

Answer: bird

Thrushes are a species of plump, soft plumaged, small to medium sized birds. They often feed on the ground and many will sing an attractive tune. The blackbird is of this genus. The word thrush can also be related to a fungal infection of the mouth or female genitals, a U.S. aircraft manufacturer and an informal term for a female singer.

Answer: The Forever War

If you're a lover of sci-fi and haven't read these books then I suggest you seek them out immediately. 'The Forever War' is probably my favourite novel ever, truly a genre classic. Joe Haldeman, born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma used his experiences in the Vietnam War to help create this tale which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1976.

The Hugo Award is given each year for the best sci-fi/fantasy work from the previous year and is chosen by members of the 'World Science Fiction Convention'.

The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of sci-fi magazine 'Amazing Stories'. The Nebula Award is chosen and awarded by the 'Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America' for the best work published in the U.S. during the previous two years. Haldeman explored similar themes in 'Forever Peace', published in 1997, which took out the same two awards in 1998.

A sequel to 'The Forever War' was published in 1999, 'Forever Free'. Alfred Bester, born December 18, 1913 in New York City, wrote 'The Stars My Destination' aka 'Tiger! Tiger!' in 1956.

Another classic of the genre, it is essentially a sci-fi version of 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. The inaugural Hugo was given to Bester for his work 'The Demolished Man' (1953). Undoubtedly the most mind-bending story i've read is Philip Kindred Dick's, born December 16, 1928 in Chicago, 'The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch' (1965) which showcases his unique ability to create a futuristic reality or unreality if you like in which the protagonists use psychotropic drugs, another popular theme in Dick's work. He won the Hugo in 1963 for 'The Man in the High Castle' and was nominated for the Nebula on five occasions of which 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' (1968) was one. This is the story the film 'Blade Runner' was based upon. Alan Dean Foster, born November 18, 1946 in NYC, is responsible for co-writing the novelization of 'Star Wars: A New Hope' which originally was solely credited to George Lucas. 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye' (1978) is set between 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back' and is a worthy read. He is probably best known for his 'Spellsinger' series of fantasy novels.

Answer: self-education

An autodidact is someone educated largely through one's own efforts rather than formal education. Self-deprecation is one given to being overtly modest or critical of oneself. The other two are self-explanatory.

Answer: 29th April, 1770

April 29, 1770 is the day the British recorded their first landfall on the east coast of Australia in what is now known as Botany Bay. After becoming only the second European after Abel Tasman to reach the coast of New Zealand where he mapped the entire coastline of both islands he headed westwards with the intention of establishing whether or not Van Diemen's Land (present day Tasmania, also sighted by Tasman) formed part of the postulated southern continent of Terra Australis.

A Lieutenant Hicks was the first recorded European to sight the east coast of Australia on April 20 off Victoria, hence Point Hicks. Continuing northward the expedition dropped anchor just over a week later in Botany Bay, first called Stingaree Bay (Stingray Bay) for obvious reasons but later renamed due to the many unique species retrieved. The 26th of January, 1788 is the date the First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sailed into Sydney Cove (commonly but incorrectly called Sydney Harbour) and established the first official European settlement on the continent. Cooktown, Qld is the actual original European settlement after the 'Endeavour' ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef and had to be repaired.

It is today celebrated as Australia Day. April 7, 1770 is the birth date of major English romantic poet William Wordsworth and the great German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on the 17th December, 1770.

Answer: Elliot Goldenthal

Born May 2, 1954 in Brooklyn, New York City, Elliot Goldenthal is best known for his ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original ways. His major film works include 'Interview with the Vampire' (1994) and 'Michael Collins' (1996) for which he received Academy Award nominations.

He won his first Oscar for the film 'Frida' (2002) starring Salma Hayek and was directed by his long time partner Julie Taymor. In my opinion his score for the urban crime classic 'Heat' ranks as one of the most memorable of all time. Howard Shore won Oscars for his work on the first and third 'Lord of the Rings' films. Hans Zimmer tasted Oscar glory for 'The Lion King' and the legendary John Williams has received forty-five nominations, the most of any living person, for five trips to the podium.

Answer: a sheep

The word 'jumbuck' famously appears in 'Waltzing Matilda' and simply means a sheep. The origin of the word is uncertain, some people argue that it is an English expression meaning 'jump up' while others insist that it comes from an Aboriginal dialect and was used to describe the animal. There were, of course, no sheep in Australia prior to European settlement.

Answer: Orion

Prior to receiving its current name Orion was known as the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). It is planned to make its maiden manned voyage in 2014, will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center on the new Ares 1 crew launch vehicle and initially handle logistic flights to the International Space Station, eventually becoming a key component for future missions to the Moon and Mars after 2015. NASA selected the Lockheed Martin Corporation as the prime contractor for the design of the vehicle which is based heavily on the Apollo Command and Service Modules flown between 1967 and 1975 but includes technology derived from the Space Shuttle program.

It will be more than 2.5 times the volume of an Apollo capsule and carry between four to six astronauts. Still in it's very early stages of development it is one of the elements of NASA's Project Constellation, the agency's current plan for space exploration. Artemis is the official name of the Lunar Surface Access Module to be used in the same program. Pegasus is the winged horse found in Greek mythology, a constellation and an early British computer.

The part human, part horse creatures found also in Greek mythology are known as centaurs.