Went To Heaven in '67 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jack Ruby

Jack Ruby was found guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald and was sentenced to death. He successfully appealed the conviction and was awaiting a new trial at the time of his death in prison on January 3, 1967, which was due to a pulmonary embolism that was caused by lung cancer.

Answer: Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was a well-known writer of a new genre of poetry, which was known as jazz poetry. Poets would incorporate beats and rhythms from jazz music, which was an important part of African-American culture at the time, into their poetry. He also became the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, which was considered to be a rebirth of African-American arts.

He died on May 22, 1967, from complications after surgery related to prostate cancer.

Answer: Brian Epstein

Epstein discovered the Beatles at the Cavern Club in 1961. Even though he was sure they would become famous performers, his group was rejected by many of the record companies in London. George Martin agreed to sign the group in 1962, mostly because Epstein was so certain of their potential for success.

Indeed, the early success of the group is said to have been due to his managerial style, and ability to mediate and find answers to problems regarding personal disputes. Paul McCartney famously called him "the Fifth Beatle". Brian Epstein died on August 27, 1967 due to an overdose of Carbitral, which was a form of sleeping pill.

Answer: Che Guevara

Born in Argentina, Che Guevara is still a symbol of rebellion today. As a young man he became a medical student; it was during this time that he became radicalized by the poverty and suffering he saw. While in Mexico City he met Fidel and Raúl Castro and joined their 26th of July Movement. Quickly rising through the ranks, and becoming the second-in-command, he led the guerillas who eventually brought down the government of Fulgencio Batista.

After the revolution he filled many roles in the new government, including Minister of Industries, where he began agrarian land reform.

He died on October 9, 1967, after being captured and executed in Bolivia.

Answer: Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer, an American physicist, became the head of the Los Alamos Laboratory, which was known as Project Y, in 1943. The purpose of the project was to design and build the first atomic bomb. After the first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, Oppenheimer famously said, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds".

After WWII, he became associated with the Atomic Energy Commission, and was appointed as Chairman of its General Advisory Committee. In addition he teamed with other scientists to make the world aware of the dangers that some scientific discoveries posed to humanity.

He died of throat cancer on February 18, 1967.

Answer: Carl Sandburg

During his lifetime, Carl Sandburg won three Pulitzer Prizes - two for his poetry, and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. Much of his poetry centered on life in Chicago, Illinois, as he was a reporter there for the "Chicago Daily News". A multi-talented individual, he was also awarded a Grammy in 1959 for Best Performance - Documentary Or Spoken Word (Other Than Comedy) for his recording of "Lincoln Portrait" with the New York Philharmonic.

He died on July 22, 1967, of natural causes.

Answer: Henry Kaiser

Henry Kaiser was an industrialist who owned Kaiser Shipyards, where the Liberty ships were built during WWII. After the war he also led the companies Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel, along with Kaiser-Frazer and Kaiser Motors, automobile companies that were known for the safety of their designs.

A wealthy businessman, Kaiser was also connected to charitable organizations and established Kaiser Permanente, which provided health care for his workers. He died on August 24, 1967, of an unspecified cause.

Answer: Woody Guthrie

Known for writing hundreds of songs of all types, Woody Guthrie wrote many songs about his experience of growing up in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, which earned him the nickname "Dust Bowl Troubadour". Although he was not apparently a member of any Communist group in the United States, he was typically associated with them; when he performed, he usually used a guitar that had the slogan "This machine kills fascists" written on it. Guthrie died on October 3, 1967, from complications of Huntington's disease.

Many songwriters to this day credit him with providing their inspiration.

Answer: Dorothy Parker

A founding member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of New York city writers, actors, and critics, Dorothy Parker left for Hollywood to pursue a career in screenwriting after the group dissolved. There her work was critically acclaimed; she received two Academy Award nominations; she co-authored the script for the 1937 film "A Star is Born" which was nominated in 1937, and co-authored "Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman", which received a nomination in 1947.

Unfortunately, she found her name on the blacklist in Hollywood due to her association with left-wing politics.

She died June 7, 1967, of a heart attack.

Answer: Vivien Leigh

Vivian Leigh won two Academy Awards during her career; the first was as Scarlett O'Hara in 1939, and the second came in 1951, in her role as Blanche DuBois in the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire". In 1963, she also won a Tony Award for her work in the Broadway musical "Tovarich". Married to Laurence Olivier, with whom she worked on many different projects, Leigh gained a reputation for being difficult to work with as she suffered from bi-polar disorder.

She died July 8, 1967, of chronic tuberculosis.