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Quiz about A History Lesson from Billy Joel
Quiz about A History Lesson from Billy Joel

A History Lesson from Billy Joel Quiz


'We Didn't Start the Fire' is a history lesson in song, listing events from the years 1948-1986. Unfortunately, he only gives a list, without any explanation as to what the events ARE! Here are some questions on the historical events mentioned there.

A multiple-choice quiz by kevinatilusa. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
kevinatilusa
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
91,379
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
9 / 15
Plays
24525
Awards
Editor's Choice
Last 3 plays: Guest 58 (11/15), Changeling_de (10/15), Guest 75 (10/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. The first name mentioned in the song is Harry Truman. Truman won a surprise victory over Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election. Which newspaper, not expecting this final result, ran a headline the day after the election saying "Dewey Defeats Truman!" Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. The lyric "England's Got a New Queen" refers to Elizabeth II, the current monarch. Which man, Elizabeth's father, preceded her on the throne? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. The lyric "Santayana Goodbye" refers to the 1952 death of George Santayana. Who was this man? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. The "Communist Bloc" referred to a group of Eastern European nations which later joined the U.S.S.R. under the Warsaw Pact. Which of these nations was NOT a signatory of this treaty? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. "Dien Bien Phu falls" refers not to a waterfall, but to the 1954 defeat of French forces in what is now which Asian nation? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. There are two phrases in the song related to desegregation. One, "Ole Miss", refers to James Meredith and the forced integration of the University of Mississippi. The other lyric refers to the 1957 integration of Central High School in what city?

Answer: (Two Words (don't include the state))
Question 7 of 15
7. The lyric "Children of Thalidomide" refers to a drug used by pregnant women in Europe in the 1950s. It later turned out to have horrific side effects and was pulled from the market. What was the drug originally used as a remedy for? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Monkeys (and dogs) were sent as test subjects into space before humans were (hence the lyric "Space Monkey"). Which pair of monkeys, launched in 1959, became the first monkeys to go into space and successfully return to earth? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Fidel Castro (from "Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel Is a No Go") was a Cuban revolutionary who took power in 1959. Whom did he overthrow to gain his position? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. "Payola" (mentioned just before Kennedy in the song) referred to a scandal involving what form of entertainment? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. "Stranger in a Strange Land" refers to the 1961 science fiction novel of the same name by which author? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. "Richard Nixon Back Again" refers to the successful comeback of Nixon. Nixon gained the presidency in 1968 after previously losing a close race to what man? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Begin (as in "Begin, Reagan, Palestine") refers to the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The crowning achievement of Begin's term was the signing of a peace agreement with which Egyptian leader? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Near the end of the song, Sally Ride's name is sandwiched between "Wheel of Fortune" and "heavy metal". Was Sally Ride the first woman in space?


Question 15 of 15
15. This man, the so-called "subway vigilante" was the last person mentioned in the song. In 1984 he shot four black youths who he claimed were attempting to mug him for five dollars. Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 58: 11/15
Mar 21 2024 : Changeling_de: 10/15
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 75: 10/15
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 173: 6/15
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 135: 9/15
Mar 16 2024 : Guest 213: 8/15
Mar 16 2024 : Kthmrkhm: 12/15
Mar 16 2024 : Jaarhead: 12/15
Mar 15 2024 : Ithaqua: 10/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first name mentioned in the song is Harry Truman. Truman won a surprise victory over Thomas Dewey in the 1948 presidential election. Which newspaper, not expecting this final result, ran a headline the day after the election saying "Dewey Defeats Truman!"

Answer: Chicago Daily Tribune

To be fair, the Tribune was not quite in top condition at the time. The Printer's Union was on strike, so the paper was being typed and put together by inexperienced workers. If they were to have waited until the election results were known, they would have taken much longer to get the paper on the street. They decided to take a gamble on what seemed a likely election result, and lost.
2. The lyric "England's Got a New Queen" refers to Elizabeth II, the current monarch. Which man, Elizabeth's father, preceded her on the throne?

Answer: George VI

George VI was king from 1936-1952. He guided Britain through the turmoil of World War II and the following years. During the war, he announced he would remain at Buckingham Palace during the German air-raids on London and defend the city with his own pistol if necessary. This did much to enhance the public's view of the Royal Family.
3. The lyric "Santayana Goodbye" refers to the 1952 death of George Santayana. Who was this man?

Answer: A novelist and philosopher

Santayana was known for works such as 'The Sense of Beauty' and 'The Life of Reason'. In these works, he explained his belief that man's knowledge and goodness came from his response to reality (matter). Santayana served as a mentor to such luminaries as T.S. Eliot and Robert Frost. He may be best remembered for his quote "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it".
4. The "Communist Bloc" referred to a group of Eastern European nations which later joined the U.S.S.R. under the Warsaw Pact. Which of these nations was NOT a signatory of this treaty?

Answer: Finland

Finland was ruled by Russia in the 19th century, but not after World War I. It declared independence in 1917 while Russia was distracted by a series of revolutions. By the 1960s Finland and Norway were the only European country bordering the U.S.S.R. which did not have Communists in power.
5. "Dien Bien Phu falls" refers not to a waterfall, but to the 1954 defeat of French forces in what is now which Asian nation?

Answer: Vietnam

The French were defeated there by the communist Viet Minh. The Viet Minh were led by Ho Chi Minh and General Vo Nguyen Giap (both of whom were familiar to Americans through the Vietnam War). The United States had been giving clandestine support to the French before the battle and two of the pilots killed on the French side were Americans. Needless to say, this did not help their later relations with the North Vietnamese government.
6. There are two phrases in the song related to desegregation. One, "Ole Miss", refers to James Meredith and the forced integration of the University of Mississippi. The other lyric refers to the 1957 integration of Central High School in what city?

Answer: Little Rock

The Supreme Court had ruled in 1954's Brown v. Board of Education that the concept of "Separate, but equal" was no longer valid. All public schools therefore must be open to all races. Arkansas governor Orval Faubus decided the ruling didn't apply to his state and submitted the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the enrollment of nine black students.

This in turn forced President Eisenhower to send in Federal troops to enforce the court's decision.
7. The lyric "Children of Thalidomide" refers to a drug used by pregnant women in Europe in the 1950s. It later turned out to have horrific side effects and was pulled from the market. What was the drug originally used as a remedy for?

Answer: Morning sickness

In 1961 it was discovered that babies born to mothers who used Thalidomide often suffered stunted limbs, eye and ear defects, and worse. It was immediately pulled off the market, but the legacy remains. Interestingly, thalidomide remains in use today.

It is used to treat such diverse ailments as leprosy, arthritis, and some symptoms of the HIV virus. Women who take the drug must now go through a rigorous series of tests to make sure they are not pregnant and have no risk of repeating the horrors of the 1950's.
8. Monkeys (and dogs) were sent as test subjects into space before humans were (hence the lyric "Space Monkey"). Which pair of monkeys, launched in 1959, became the first monkeys to go into space and successfully return to earth?

Answer: Abel and Baker

Albert, the first "Space Monkey" went up in a V2 rocket all the way back in 1948. Unfortunately, many of the earliest animals in space (including Albert, the spider monkey Gordo, and the dog Laika) either failed to survive the flight or failed to survive the return to earth.

Although Able and Miss Baker both survived their return to earth, Able was to die on the operating table shortly afterwards. Miss Baker lived another 26 years after her return.
9. Fidel Castro (from "Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel Is a No Go") was a Cuban revolutionary who took power in 1959. Whom did he overthrow to gain his position?

Answer: Fulgencio Batista

Batista also came to power in a coup by overthrowing Socarras in 1952. Castro had planned to run for parliament in this election, but instead took up arms against this new government. Although his initial revolt failed, (he was arrested and later given amnesty), he returned to Cuba and led a series of guerrilla campaigns.

This revolt eventually led to Batista fleeing the country and Castro setting up a communist dictatorship. Relations between Cuba and the United States have been strained ever since (especially since the "Bay of Pigs" invasion of 1961, also mentioned in the song).
10. "Payola" (mentioned just before Kennedy in the song) referred to a scandal involving what form of entertainment?

Answer: Radio music shows

The term payola comes from a combination of pay and Victrola (a brand of record player at the time). In 1959 disc jockey Alan Freed (who also coined the term "rock and roll") was arrested by two detectives who charged him with accepting $2500 to give a song more airplay. Congressional hearings soon followed where it was revealed this "pay for play" system was common practice.
11. "Stranger in a Strange Land" refers to the 1961 science fiction novel of the same name by which author?

Answer: Robert Heinlein

The novel tells of a human named Valentine Michael Smith. Born on Mars to a lost expedition, he is brought back to Earth by two astronauts. Although he is lost in an unfamiliar culture at first, he soon goes on to gain fame, riches, and the leadership of a new cult that he founded.

The novel is famous both for its unique way of looking at human culture from an outside perspective and for being one of the precursors to the era of free love. It also introduced such ideas as "grokking" and the waterbed. Seventy thousand words were cut from the original edition to keep the novel from being too socially radical.
12. "Richard Nixon Back Again" refers to the successful comeback of Nixon. Nixon gained the presidency in 1968 after previously losing a close race to what man?

Answer: John Kennedy

Nixon lost in the election of 1960 and again in the race for governor of California in 1962. By that point Nixon's career was thought to be finished for good. This was actually Nixon's second major political comeback. He managed to survive a scandal and remain on Eisenhower's 1952 ticket as the vice-presidential candidate by his famous 'Checkers' speech.
13. Begin (as in "Begin, Reagan, Palestine") refers to the Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The crowning achievement of Begin's term was the signing of a peace agreement with which Egyptian leader?

Answer: Anwar Sadat

The 1978 Camp David accords would lead to a Nobel Peace Prize shared by Sadat and Begin. This was the first Peace Prize ever awarded to leaders from the Middle East. The presenter noted that their's was the second peace treaty concluded between Egypt and Israel in 6,000 years, the first being between Solomon and an Egyptian Pharaoh!
14. Near the end of the song, Sally Ride's name is sandwiched between "Wheel of Fortune" and "heavy metal". Was Sally Ride the first woman in space?

Answer: No

Sally's 1983 flight only made her the third woman in space (she was the first American woman in space). Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, flew on the Vostok 6 spacecraft in 1963. Unlike Tereshkova (who left the program after her first flight) Ride went up multiple times. She accumulated more than 340 hours in space.
Svetlana Savitskaya was the second woman in space.
15. This man, the so-called "subway vigilante" was the last person mentioned in the song. In 1984 he shot four black youths who he claimed were attempting to mug him for five dollars.

Answer: Bernhard Goetz

Goetz's name was abbreviated to Bernie in the song. He was acquitted of attempted murder charges (but convicted of illegal weapons posession) in 1987. Nine years later, Darrell Cabey, one of the youths shot, filed suit in a civil court. Cabey claimed that Goetz did not simply act in helpless self-defense.

Instead, he was a racist who intended to needlessly maim the black men who had approached him. In a civil suit a jury awarded Cabey $43 million in damages.
Source: Author kevinatilusa

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Exit10 before going online.
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