Paper Tigers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mao Zedong

The phrase "Paper Tiger" can be traced back, in Western culture to 1836 when John Francis Davis published his work on Chinese culture. It was popularised by Mao Zedong in August 1946 in an interview with American journalist Anna Louise Strong whose speciality was Russian and Chinese communism. A year later Mao used the term again, to illustrate "American imperialism" with the same interviewer:
"In a 1956 interview with Strong, Mao used the phrase "paper tiger" to describe American imperialism again:

"In appearance it [USA] is very powerful but in reality it is nothing to be afraid of; it is a paper tiger. Outwardly a tiger, it is made of paper, unable to withstand the wind and the rain. I believe that it is nothing but a paper tiger".

In this context "paper tigers" are superficially powerful but are susceptible to sudden collapse. Some years later Mao criticised Soviet sympathy with the US during the Sino-Soviet split, but Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev might have been closer to the reality when he reportedly responded, "The paper tiger has nuclear teeth".

Answer: Britain

The quote was attributed to Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's official spokesman at the summit. The quote caused an angry response from the UK Prime Minister David Cameron. The British press including "The Times" and "The Telegraph" believed the remarks were meant to embarrass Great Britain and that the Russians would use the summit to upstage Mr Cameron over his denouncement of Syria, Russia's closest ally in the Middle East.
Britain, the forebear of the UK, seems to have been the butt of political insults for sometime. Napoleon's most famous quips about his perpetual foe include:
"England is a nation of shopkeepers" (a comment on Britain's preparedness to take on the US in the war of 1812).

AND
"England has 42 religions and only two sauces" (Ouch!)

Answer: Mark Twain

This quote appears in Mark Twain's autobiography (Vol. 1 p169). It became more well known after it was quoted by many subsequent people dissatisfied with the American government.
Mr Twain was not a fan of congress as far other witty sayings attributed to him, go:

"Fleas can be taught nearly anything a congressman can."

"We have the best government that money can buy."

Answer: Winston Churchill

In war time Britain, Winston Churchill succeeded Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister in 1940. He formed a bi-partisan government with the Labour leader Clement Attlee. The government worked well together and governed Britain to a victory in WWII. However after WWII there was a general election and while Winston Churchill was seen as a supreme war time leader, the British public thought Clement Attlee would be a better PM to implement the Welfare State that was promised Britain during WWII. This was not an isolated remark by Mr Churchill on Mr Attlee, there were many. Perhaps the most remembered one was: "He is a modest man with much to be modest about".

Answer: Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor

There were not many women in the British government when this little exchange took place in 1929. Nancy Astor was an American by birth, married to British-American Waldorf Astor. He took his seek in the House of Lords when he father died leaving a vacancy in the lower house. His wife sought election to his subsequent vacant seat in the House of Commons. She was the second woman elected to parliament but the first to take her seat. (Constance Markievicz was the first woman MP elected in 1918, but she did not take her seat as she was detained in Holloway Prison at this time).

The quote was not original. It was thought to originate as a joke. In March 1900, a humorist called Marshall Pinckney Wilder asserted authorship of the gag but the claim is not clear. There have been other uses of the joke with variations. It is possible that Mr Churchill knew of the joke and merely had to add the punchline when confronted by Viscountess Astor.

Answer: Paul Keating

Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia 1991-1996 and Treasurer 1983-1991 was eloquent with his quip but he saved the best for his counterpart on the the other side of the political divide. No one was spared:
On Mr Hewson (again) "It was the limpest performance I have ever seen...Like being flogged with a warm lettuce".

Tim Costello, Treasurer after 1996 copped a spray: "Poor old Costello, all tip and no iceberg"
John Howard, Opposition Leader then Prime Minister in 1996: "I am not like the Leader of the Opposition. I did not slither out of the Cabinet room like a mangy maggot". and "What we have got is a dead carcass, swinging in the breeze, but nobody will cut it down to replace him". It was unrelenting: "John Howard has all the vision of Mr Magoo without the good intentions."

Mr Howard's predecessor, Andrew Peacock, a man known for his sartorial elegance was also spared no mercy: "We're not interested in the views of painted, perfumed gigolos". This was followed up with: "I suppose that the Honourable Gentleman's hair, like his intellect, will recede into the darkness". And even: "It is the first time the Honourable Gentleman has got out from under the sunlamp".

Mr Keating's immediate forebear Bob Hawke, was eloquent of speech but not as quote-worthy, was most famous for the quote "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum." This was said after Australia had won the America's Cup from the USA in 1983. None of us were interested in yachting but we (just about the entire nation) all stayed up until the early hours of the morning watching the last race which finished about 8am AEST.

Answer: Mistress

Again there are several versions and protagonists concerning this exchange. The Earl of Sandwich is certainly one of the participants as while there is conclusive evidence that Benjamin Disraeli also used the phrase but it was at least six years after the exchange above. Similarly there are accounts that the recipient was not John Wilkes in 1828 but Samuel Foote, perhaps as early as 1790, though this cannot be verified, whereas the 1828 exchanges with John Wilkes certainly occurred.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

This quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln on Stephen A. Douglas when, in 1858 both these men were vying for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. Two years later they would be both candidates for the bitter 1860 US election where slavery was the major issue. Abraham Lincoln had to fight off two Democrat opponents; Stephen A. Douglas, the Northern Democrat and John C. Breckenridge the Southern Democrat. (there were two Democrat candidates as the party could not come to a unified slavery platform. John Bell also stood as a fourth candidate for the Constitutional Union party which was the remnant of the Whigs.

Many insults were traded in this elections and there was much debate over whether the divided democrat ticket cost them the election. However Lincoln won 180/303 Electoral College Results.

Answer: IQ

Sir Robert David "Rob" or "Piggy" Muldoon (25 September 1921 - 5 August 1992) served as the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing New Zealand National Party. While he presented himself as an ordinary fellow, he was often mocking Australia as Prime Minister yet one his most fervent policies was to re-affirm New Zealand's defence commitments to the United States and Australia under the ANZUS pact.

His capacity as a speaker sometimes was self-deprecatory. In his farewell speech to the New Zealand parliament he said: "There was a lady walking down the pavement and as we passed she stopped and she said: 'I know you, don't I?' ... I said: 'My name's Muldoon'.

She said: 'You're not related to that b*stard in Parliament, are you?'. And on that salutary note Mr Speaker, I say goodbye".

Answer: Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un

Donald Trump was the first US president to tweet politically profusely. In his tweets he habitually referred to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as "Rocket Man" when North Korea launched nuclear Missiles into the ocean beyond its own borders. However, the magnitude of the insult was magnified when Mr Trump repeated the name in his maiden speech in the United Nations in 2017:
"The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime. The United States is ready, willing, and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary. That's what the United Nations is all about".

The North Korean leader retaliated by calling Mr Trump a "Dotard".
They met for the first time at the 2018 North Korea-United States Singapore Summit where they appeared to get along and, more importantly, they signed an agreement which included the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula.