A Slice in Time: 1950s History Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In February 1950 this Academy Award-winning actress was at the center of an international scandal for giving birth out of wedlock. Censure against her included being denounced on the floor of the US Senate. Who was she?

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

Bergman, already the winner of an Oscar for "Gaslight" (1945), survived the scandal and went on to win two more Academy Awards for "Anastasia" (1956) and "Murder on the Orient Express" (1975). Model, actress and busineswoman Isabella Rossellini is her daughter.

2. In July 1951 King Leopold III abdicated the throne of this country after he was accused of treason. He was succeeded by his son Baudouin. Where did this happen?

Answer: Belgium

The accusations of treason arose from his alleged cooperation with the Nazi regime in World War II. A commission of inquiry had exonerated him of all these charges in 1946, and in 1950 a plebiscite on the question of whether or not he should remain king produced a vote of 57% - probably not enough for a constitutional monarch.

His return to Belgium from exile in Switzerland later in 1950 was followed by serious civil unrest. He abdicated in favor of his son Baudouin to ease the tension and ensure the continutation of the royal line.

3. November 24, 1952 marked the premiere of one of the longest running stage productions in history, "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie. It was based on a BBC radio play called what?

Answer: Three Blind Mice

"The Mousetrap" has been performed more than 20,000 times in various theaters in London's West End. In November of 2002 a Royal Gala Performance celebrating the show's 50th anniversary was attended by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

4. One of the most famous frauds in archeology was exposed in 1953. It concerned what was purported to be the skull of a primitive hominid found in 1912 that was promoted as the "missing link" between humans and apes. What popular name was given to this artifact, which was really a composite of three separate fossils?

Answer: Piltdown Man

The interest regarding the "Piltdown Man" incident remains so strong that the British Natural History Museum staged a major exhibit in 2003 on the 50th anniversary of this unmasking of this "discovery."

5. This man, often cited as the "father of modern computer science" died in June, 1954. His illustrious career included leading the group of cryptanalysts at Bletchley Park that broke the code for the German Enigma machine. Who was he?

Answer: Alan Turing

Turing's death has remained veiled in mystery with some calling it a suicide and others an assasination. His homosexuality was thought to have made him a security risk. Though he didn't receive the recognition he deserved in his lifetime, Turing is now honored with a host of international schools named for him, statues, awards and even a relay race. An excellent movie about the code breaking and activity at Bletchley Park is the 2001 film "Enigma" starring Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott. Unfortunately, Alan Turing was only a minor character.

6. This book was published in France in 1955 after major publishing houses in the US and UK turned it down because of its controversial subject matter. A movie was later made with the same title. Which book, also credited with the first use of the word "nymphet", is this?

Answer: "Lolita"

Though now considered a literary classic, when Vladimir Nabokov first wrote "Lolita" (The Olympic Press, Paris) it was turned down by every American publisher to which it was submitted because of what was then interpreted as promoting pedophilia. Its distribution was banned in the UK until 1958.

The term "a Lolita" is now part of the English language lexicon synonymous with a sexually provocative adolescent girl.

7. In which country did the Soviet government crush a revolt originated by students against the restrictive communist influence in October and November of 1956?

Answer: Hungary

The Hungarian Freedom Fighters were named by Time magazine as the "Man of the Year" for 1956. In 1991 Boris Yeltsin formally apologized to the country of Hungary for the actions of the USSR. October 23rd, the first day of the revolution, is now a national holiday in Hungary.

8. In March 1957 Ghana achieved independence from British colonial rule. What was the country's name prior to that?

Answer: The Gold Coast

Ghana took its name from a medieval African empire. In early colonial times there was fierce competition in the Gold Coast among several European nations including Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands for the trade in both gold and slaves. Tobago is an island in the Caribbean, British Guyana is now Guyana in South America and Rhodesia has become Zimbabwe.

9. Which three future Rock and Roll Hall of Famers were born in 1958?

Answer: Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson

Jackson was the first of the trio to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, in 2001. Prince followed in 2004 and Madonna made the list in 2008. Though several of the incorrect choices are Hall of Fame inductees, including Nicks, Sting, Sid Vicious, Osbourne, Bono and Van Halen (as members of Fleetwood Mac, The Police, The Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath, U2 and Van Halen, respectively) none of the incorrect options were born in 1958.

10. The Vatican issued an edict in April 1959 that forbade Italian Catholics to vote for whom?

Answer: Communists

The Church has since lifted the ban. Divorce has remained illegal in Italy.

Source: Author brewster76

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

This is the first of my quizzes on the 1950's, the decade of Elvis, poodle skirts and bomb shelters. Good Luck!

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