1968 in Pop Culture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, was born in 1958, ten years before the other people in the list!

Rikki Lake was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and her big break in show business came with the movie "Hairspray". She later became a famous talk-show host.

Cuba Gooding, Jr., was born in New York City. His first big break was breakdancing for Lionel Richie at the 1984 Olympics, but his major acting debut was in "Coming to America".

Parker Posey of Baltimore, Maryland, never finished her course of study at the North Carolina School for the Arts; three weeks before graduation, she appeared on the daytime soap opera "As the World Turns". Since then, she has made numerous appearances in films (especially indie films).

Answer: Oliver!

"Oliver!" was filmed in Surrey, England, and it was based on the stage musical, which was based on Charles Dickens' classic novel "Oliver Twist", about an orphan boy. Famous numbers from the film include "Consider Yourself" and "Food, Glorious Food".

What about the other films? They did not leave the Awards empty-handed! "2001: A Space Odyssey", Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece, was originally released in Cinerama and received an Oscar for Best Editing. Another sci-fi film, "Planet of the Apes", earned its make-up artist, John Chambers, an Honorary Academy Award. The venerable Ruth Gordon won Best Supporting Actress in Roman Polanski's horrifying "Rosemary's Baby".

Answer: Yellow Submarine

One of the taglines of the film featured on American theatrical posters was, "It's all in the mind, y'know!" A sailor named Old Fred convinces The Beatles to battle the Blue Meanies who have attacked Pepperland and captured the Lord Mayor. Gold Key Comics published a comic book of the film in 1968.

Although the animation is often assumed to be the work of psychedelic artist Peter Max, the film's art director was Heinz Edelmann, who actually pioneered the style for which Max became famous.

Answer: India

Transcendental Meditation (TM) involves using a mantra whilst meditating for a 20 minutes, twice daily. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed TM, an international movement considered both religious and a non-religious by observers and participants, though it seems to be rooted in Hinduism. The adoption of TM by two Beatles certainly helped it become popular!

Answer: "Masterpiece Theater" - NET

"Masterpiece Theater", a production of station WGBH in Boston, appeared on the successor to NET, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), starting in 1971. The program didn't yet exist in 1968! Renamed "Masterpiece" in 2008, it showcases dramas from the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4.

Rooted in vaudeville and burlesque, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in" ran from 1968 to 1972 and pushed the envelope in sketch comedy. "Here's Lucy" was Lucille Ball's last successful prime-time sitcom, and it was filmed before a live audience, unlike most of the comedies of the 1960s, which added a laugh track in post-production. "The Mod Squad", a groundbreaking show about young undercover police officers, ran from 1968 to 1973 and starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, and Clarence William III as the counter-culture cops.

Answer: O.J. Simpson

Nicknamed "The Juice", Orenthal James Simpson (b. 1947) was running back at USC and set a record for the largest margin to win the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He went on to set records in pro football, too, and became an actor after he retired. In 1995, Simpson was acquitted of the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, but lost the wrongful death civil suit, although he did not pay very much of the $33.5 million judgement.

Johnny "The Golden Arm" Unitas (1933-2002) of Louisville, Kentucky, played quarterback for the Baltimore Colts in the 1960s and was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Namath (b. 1943) played for the University of Alabama and for the the New York Jets in the now-defunct American Football League (AFL) in the 1960s. He continued to play for the Jets in the National Football League (NFL) through the 1970s. Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier (b. 1932) played pro football in the 1950s-60s, and after retirement he became a singer-actor and a Christian minister.

Answer: Columbia

There were many student demonstrations in 1968, but the ones in Columbia were especially newsworthy because the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) discovered a link between Columbia and the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a military think-thank -- which tied the university to the Vietnam war effort. Additionally there were concerns that a gymnasium to be erected in Harlem would be racially segregated. Finally in April 1968, students took over Hamilton Hall, which held the Columbia College Administration. Consequently, Columbia distanced itself from the IDA and abandoned its plans to build the Harlem gym.

Answer: James Earl Ray

Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot as he stood on the balcony at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. The motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum. James Earl Ray confessed to the assassination in 1969 and then later recanted; nonetheless his attorney advised him to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. In the 1990s, the King family concluded that Ray was not responsible for Martin Luther King's death and that the murderer was in fact Loyd Jowers, whose family was sued for wrongful death. Ray died in prison in 1998 from complications due to hepatitis C.

Sirhan Bishara Sirhan shot and killed Attorney General Bobby Kennedy in 1968, some months after the King assassination.

Answer: London Bridge

In the 19th century, when the London Bridge was falling down (as in the song), Sir John Rennie supervised the construction of a new bridge to replace the one his engineer father had built. This became the busiest bridge in London, but by the 1920s it, too, needed replacement.

It took more than 40 years, however, for the London City Council to place the bridge up for sale. Robert P. McCulloch of McCulloch Oil bought London Bridge for nearly $2.5 million -- although he thought he was buying the iconic Tower Bridge! The bridge was dismantled and shipped overseas, where it was reconstructed over the Bridgewater Channel in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Meanwhile, back in London, John Mowlem and Co built yet another London Bridge at the same spot as Rennie's.

Answer: fedoras

Other popular fashions of 1968 included fringed buckskin vests, large caftans, and hostess pajamas, which consisted of a tunic over floor-length culottes. Headbands and sandals were also popular, and the look was rather androgynous. Fedoras and other old-school hats were definitely "out" for men, who favored headbands or bandanas, if anything at all on their heads. Women sometimes wore berets or Newsboy caps, however.