Well Red Trivia Quiz

Answer: Communists

"Red-baiting" dates back to the early part of the 20th century, and is used by conservatives to accuse their political opponents of being communists or socialists. The tactic reached its height in the 1950s, when Senator Joseph McCarthy destroyed the lives of many people by accusing them of being communists, whether they were or not.

The tactic was still being used in the 21st century against progressive Democrats in the United States, including notably US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Answer: Aeschylus

Aeschylus (525 BC - 450 BC) was a Greek dramatist and poet, and is seen as the father of tragedy as a dramatic form. Few of is plays survive, notably "The Persians" and "Prometheus Bound." His play "Agamenon" about the king of Argos, is part of the Oresteia trilogy.

Euripides and Sophocles were 5th century BC contempories of Aeschylus. Aristophanes, who was born a few years after Aeschylus died, is regarded as the father of comedy as a literary form.

Answer: Early in the morning

"Red eye" flights refer to over night flights that typically leave late in the evening and arrive at their destination the next morning. In the United States, west coast to east coast flights (Los Angeles to New York) are often red eyes, leaving between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. and arriving the next morning between 5 and 7 a.m.

Answer: Connecticut

Connecticut (1999) was the first state, after a shooting incident at the Lottery. The next four states were Indiana (2005), California (2014), Washington (2016) and Oregon (2017). The mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, seems to have opened the floodgates, with eight states passing gun violence restraining order legislation, and a dozen more considering such laws.

"Red flag" laws allow police or family members to petition a judge to remove firearms from individuals who are judged to be a danger to themselves or others. They are known as "Extreme Risk Protection Orders." Both Indiana and Connecticut saw significant reductions in their suicide rates following the passage of ERPO laws.

Actual red flags have been used historically to indicate danger. Militaries use red flags during live fire exercises, forest rangers use red flags to indicate fire hazards, and beaches use red flags to indicate dangerous water conditions.

Picture: Connecticut Hall at Yale University, New Haven CT

Answer: Judge Lawrence Wargrave

"And Then There Were None" is based on the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians." Each of the victims is killed in a manner describe in the nursery rhyme. Judge Wargrave turns out to be the one behind the murders, and his supposed death is one of the book's biggest red herrings.

The other three were victims of Wargrave. However, everyone the judge kills was responsible for the death or deaths of other people.

Herrings are not naturally red, but can become so when they are brined or smoked. The phrase originates in Britain, where kippers are often smoked. The phrase's use to refer to something misleading dates to the early part of the 19th century.

Red herrings are often used in mystery literature; Agatha Christie used them quite frequently to mislead readers. In "The Da Vinci Code," Dan Brown uses Bishop Aringarosa to distract readers; his name in Italian literally means "red herring."

Answer: Lehman Brothers

Lehman Brothers had the most spectacular financial meltdown in history on September 17, 2008, losing almost $700 billion in value. Its remains were picked up by Barclays bank in England.

Washington Mutual had a spectacular failure the next week, losing $328 million before being bought up by JP Morgan. Merrill Lynch was bought up by the Bank of America on September 4, 2008, while Wachovia was bought up by Wells Fargo on October 3. All the banks collapsed in the week of reckless financial regulation that came to a head in the fall of 2008.

Answer: Donald Trump

The very first story about Donald Trump in "The New York Times" was about how he and his father Fred systemically prevented black and Hispanic tenants from renting in their apartment buildings. The Trumps settled a lawsuit with the US Department of Justice over their illegal housing violations.

Donald Trump was born in New York City in 1946. He inherited large sums of money from his real estate developer father and avoided paying taxes on it. He was a businessman whose fortunes roller coastered during the eighties and nineties (some success, but at least four bankruptcies. In 2004, he become a reality television star and in 2017 President of the United States.

Answer: Jeff Foxworthy

Jeff Foxworthy has built a whole career around the phrase "You might be a redneck." The 1993 album was his first. It has sold over 2 million copies since its release.

Foxworthy has been performing as a stand-up comedian since 1984. When he isn't doing standup, he has hosted several game shows, most notably "Are You Smarter than A Fifth Grader?" (2007-2011). The other three comedians mentioned toured with Foxworthy as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour.

Answer: Angry

Someone who is seeing red is quite angry. The phrase is believed to be related to the sport of bullfighting, where matadors would rave a red cape at the bull, which seemed to make the animal angrier.

Answer: Charles V of Spain

Charles V, who was Holy Roman Emperor on top of running Spain, was the first to use red tape. Administrators in his court used red tape to identify documents that needed to be acted on quickly - ironic, given the current meaning of the phrase.

Charles V ruled from 1516 to 1556. He presided over a dramatic expansion of Spanish wealth and influence as the conquistadors explored (and exploited) Central and South America.

Henry VIII ruled England from 1509 to 1547. Francis I led France from 1515 to 1547. James V, father of Mary Queen of Scots, ruled from 1513 to 1542.