The Who What Quiz

1. We start with a 'naughty' one. Who are this pair? Why are they being shown here?

Ans.: The inspiration for the comic strip Dennis the Menace came from Dennis Ketcham, the real life son of Hank Ketcham, who was only four years old when he refused to take a nap and somehow messed up his whole room. Hank tried many possible names for the character, and translated them into rough pencil sketches. But when his studio door flew open and his then-wife Alice, in utter exasperation exclaimed, "Your son is a menace!", the "Dennis the Menace" name stuck. The character of Henry Mitchell bore a striking resemblance to Ketcham. The Mitchell family of Dennis, Hank/Henry and Alice were all named after the Ketchams.

2. The main people in this photograph are easy to identify. The question is, What is the event?

Ans.: The Channel Tunnel was opened in Calais on 6 May 1994 by British Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand.

3. A mixture of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Who is he, what is his claim to fame / notoriety?

Ans.: Jim Gordon, drummer for Derek and the Dominoes, is the only murderer to win a Grammy. He won it for co-writing Layla and in 1983 was convicted of killing is mother with a hammer and knife.In the late 1970s, Gordon complained of hearing voices in his head, primarily those of his mother. Unfortunately, his physicians did not diagnose his condition as schizophrenia and instead treated him for alcohol abuse.On June 3, 1983, he murdered his mother with a hammer. It was not until his trial in 1984 that he was properly diagnosed. Due to the fact that his attorney was unable to use the insanity defense, he was sentenced to sixteen years to life in prison with a possibility of parole. He has served his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero State Hospital in Atascadero, and the State Medical Corrections Facility in Vacaville. He remains incarcerated. Currently, there is a petition online to assist him in either being released from prison or placed in a facility where he is able to receive more sophisticated treatment.

4. The Sitter of the Quiz. What is being shown here?

Ans.: The Zenith Space Commander 600 remote control. The first wireless remote control invented by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1956. It was nicknamed "Lazy Bones"

5. What were these people collectively called? Explain the title.

Ans.: The Hollywood TenThe first systematic Hollywood blacklist was instituted on November 25, 1947, the day after ten writers and directors were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to give testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities. A group of studio executives, acting under the aegis of the Motion Picture Association of America, announced the firing of the artists ”the so-called Hollywood Ten in what has become known as the Waldorf Statement. On June 22, 1950, a pamphlet called Red Channels appeared, naming 151 entertainment industry professionals in the context of "Red Fascists and their sympathizers"; soon most of those named, along with a host of other artists, were barred from employment in much of the entertainment field. The blacklist was effectively broken in 1960 when Dalton Trumbo, an unrepentant member of the Hollywood Ten, was publicly acknowledged as the screenwriter of the films Spartacus and Exodus.

6. This person has a unique distinction in the history of cinema. Who is he? What is the distinction he holds?

Ans.: Barry Fitzgerald. He achieved a feat unmatched in the history of the Academy Awards: he was nominated for both the Best Actor Oscar and the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the same performance, as "Father Fitzgibbon" in Going My Way (1944). (Academy Award rules have since been changed to prevent this.) He won the Best Supporting Actor Award.

7. What are we seeing here? Looong story like the event.

Ans.: Thomas J. Hicks with his supporters at the 1904 St.Louis Olympics. He won the marathon event.The funda behind the question is Conditions were bad, the course being a dirt track, with large clouds of dust produced by the accompanying vehicles. Hicks was not the first to cross the finish line, trailing Fred Lorz. However, Lorz had abandoned the race after 9 miles. After covering most of the course by car, he re-entered the race 5 miles before the finish. This was found out by the officials, who disqualified Lorz, who claimed it had only been a joke.Had the race been run under current rules, Hicks too would have been disqualified, as he had been given a dose of 1/60th of a grain (roughly 1 mg.) of strychnine and some brandy by his assistants as he was flagging badly during the race; the first dose of strychnine did not revive him for long, so he was given another. As a result, he collapsed after crossing the finishing line. Another dose may well have proved fatal. Strychnine is now forbidden for athletes.

8. We have it on record that this person is famous. Who is He? What record does he hold?

Ans.: Regis Philbin.He holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera. His trademarks include his excited manner, his New York Bronx accent, his wit, and irreverent ad-libs. He is most widely known for Live with Regis and Kelly, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Million Dollar Password, and for hosting the first season of America's Got Talent

9. This person ought to be far better known than she is. Who is she and what is her claim to fame?

Ans.: Mangte Chungneijang Merykom (aka Mary Kom or MC Merykom). She is a three time world boxing champion.

Medals won by Marykom:

Turkey 2002 - Gold Medal at the 2nd World women's boxing championships.

Austria 2005 - Gold Medal at the 3rd World women's boxing championships.

Delhi 2006 - Gold Medal at the 4th World women's boxing championships.

10. What exactly is being shown here?

Ans.:Those are frames from the film depicting the electrocution of Topsy the elephant by Edison to prove the dangers of AC current at the peak of his rivalry on that issue with Nikola Tesla.

Topsy was a domesticated elephant with the Forepaugh Circus at Coney Island's Luna Park. Because she had killed three men in as many years (including a severely abusive trainer who attempted to feed her a lit cigarette),Topsy was deemed a threat to people by her owners and killed by electrocution on January 4, 1903. Inventor Thomas Edison captured the event on film. He would release it later that year under the title Electrocuting an Elephant. A means of execution initially discussed was hanging. However, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals protested and other ways were considered. Edison then suggested electrocution with alternating current, which had been used for the execution of humans since 1890.To reinforce the execution, Topsy was fed carrots laced with 460 grams of potassium cyanide before the deadly current from a 6,600-volt AC source was sent coursing through her body. She was dead in seconds. The event was witnessed by an estimated 1,500 people and Edison's film of the event was seen by audiences throughout the United States.