instruction
stringlengths 1
87
| input
stringlengths 12
56.4k
| output
stringlengths 18
120
|
|---|---|---|
Karuna | Uma Karuna Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, into a highly unorthodox and Eurocentric family. She is the daughter of Nena Thurman (née Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge), a fashion model and socialite who now runs a mountain retreat, and of Robert Thurman (Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman), a professor and academic who is one of the nation's foremost Buddhist scholars. Uma's mother was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to a German father and a Swedish mother (who herself was of Swedish, Danish, and German descent). Uma's father, a New Yorker, has English, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry. Uma grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, where her father worked at Amherst College. | What is Uma Thurman's middle name? |
Queen Mary | Some 200,000 spectators gathered at the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank for the christening of "Hull 534", when the Queen Mary was launched in 1934. As well as the largest and fastest liner of her time, she was the last word in ocean-going luxury and Art Deco interior design. | Which liner launched in 1934 was the largest of her time? |
Project Mercury | On April 9, 1959, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduces America’s first astronauts to the press: Scott Carpenter, L. Gordon Cooper Jr., John H. Glenn Jr., Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra Jr., Alan Shepard Jr., and Donald Slayton. The seven men, all military test pilots, were carefully selected from a group of 32 candidates to take part in Project Mercury, America’s first manned space program. NASA planned to begin manned orbital flights in 1961. | What was the name of NASA's manned space project whose astronauts were chosen in 1959? |
Ireland | Anjelica Huston was born on July 8, 1951 in Santa Monica, California, to prima ballerina Enrica "Ricki" (Soma) and director and actor John Huston . Her mother, who was from New York, was of Italian descent, and her father had English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish ancestry. Huston spent most of her childhood overseas, in Ireland and England, and in 1969 first dipped her toe into the acting profession, taking a few small roles in her father's movies. However, in that year her mother died in a car accident, at 39, and Huston relocated to the United States, where the tall, exotically beautiful young woman modeled for several years. | In which country was Anjelica Huston born? |
Hammond Innes | The Delta Connection by Hammond Innes | Who wrote the novel Delta Connection? |
Anwar Sadat | It could be worse for the Mubaraks, but of course, it once was much better. Hosni Mubarak, after all, dominated Egypt from his ascension to president in 1981, shortly after the assassination of Anwar Sadat, right up until early 2011. | Who preceded Hosni Mubarak as President of Egypt? |
El Salvador | Cuscatlan International Airport (SAL) is situated in the San Salvador area, El Salvador | Cuscatlan international airport is in which country? |
Curran | Finding in-laws is a bonus, and a great way to discover maiden names. If I didn’t already know that Harriet’s maiden name was Curran (from Gene’s biography – and it is also Gene’s middle name), I would have discovered it on the 1930 census since her brother Frank Curran was living with the Kelly family. Also, I knew Harriet’s mother’s maiden name was “Eckhart” from the biography, and the 1880 census of the Curran family lists her brother and sisters – James, Jennie, and Josephine Eckerd. | What was Gene Kelly's middle name? |
Photographer | William Eugene Smith personified the concerned photographer, one for whom the medium was more a means of expressing his own fears and misgivings about the world than of simply creating effective images. He was invariably extremely involved with his subject and often spent periods of a year or more working on a particular story. | What was the profession of William Eugene Smith? |
David Lean | A Passage to India is a 1984 drama film written and directed by David Lean. The screenplay is based on the 1924 novel of the same title by E. M. Forster and the 1960 play by Santha Rama Rau that was inspired by the novel. | Who directed A Passage To India? |
Eldred | Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003), born Eldred Gregory Peck, was an Oscar-winning American film actor. He was one of 20th Century Pictures most popular film stars, from the 1940s to the 1960s, and played important roles well into the 1990s. | What is Gregory Peck's real first name? |
Georgia | Golfing legend Bobby Jones was born to Robert Purmedus Jones and Clara Thomas in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 17th, 1903. Bobby Jones was named after his grandfather, a popular businessman from Canton. In 1907, his father joined Atlanta Athletic Club, which also owned the East Lake Country Club, where the family spent each summer. It was at East Lake Country Club that Jones learned how to play golf, mainly by imitating the swing of the club’s professional Stewart Maiden. | Golfer Bobby Jones was born in which state? |
Philip Johnson | The Seagram Building is a skyscraper, located at 375 Park Avenue, between 52nd Street and 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The integral plaza, building, stone faced lobby and distinctive glass and bronze exterior were designed by German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Philip Johnson designed the interior of The Four Seasons and Brasserie restaurants. Severud Associates were the structural engineering consultants. | Which architect designed the Seagram Building, New York City? |
1942 | Few nights in the history of the arts in America can rival October 30, 1944, when the ballet Appalachian Spring received its first performance, at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. That the music was by Aaron Copland and the choreography was by Martha Graham speaks for the consummate level of creativity that was put before the audience. By the time Appalachian Spring appeared, Copland had already won his place in the hearts of balletomanes through his scores for Billy the Kid (1938) and Rodeo (1942), and Graham’s name had become synonymous with the new direction of modern dance. But others who were involved in the project were as eminent in their own ways. Erick Hawkins and Merce Cunningham, both of whom would go on to lead their own dance companies to renown, shared the stage with Graham in the performance, and the acclaimed artist Isamu Noguchi designed the set. | In what year was the first performance of Copland's ballet Rodeo? |
Hungary | Budapest Ferenc Liszt Airport (IATA: BUD, ICAO: LHBP) also commonly known as Ferihegy, is the international airport that serves Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The airport is located 16 km southeast of Budapest city centre. The airport serves as a base for Ryanair and Wizzair. | Ferihegy international airport is in which country? |
Chris Evert | Wade won at Wimbledon, in 1977. It was the sixteenth year in which Wade had played at Wimbledon, and she made her first appearance in the final by beating the defending champion Chris Evert in a semifinal 6–2, 4–6, 6–1. In the final, she faced Betty Stöve. Not only was 1977 the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Wimbledon Championships, but it was also the 25th year of the reign (the Silver Jubilee) of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen attended the Wimbledon championships for the first time in a quarter-century to watch the final. Wade beat Stöve in three sets to claim the championship, nine days before her 32nd birthday. Wade received the trophy from Queen Elizabeth, and the audience at Centre Court burst out into a chorus of "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow!" to celebrate her triumph. | Who was the defending champion when Virginia Wade won the Wimbledon singles? |
Tracy Austin | Not so long ago, women’s tennis was chock-full of teenage champions. A 16-year-old Tracy Austin threatened the Evert-Navratilova duopoly in the late 1970s. Monica Seles won the French Open at the same age in 1990. Martina Hingis broke countless “youngest ever” records and won five Grand Slam titles before she turned 19. | Who is the youngest female tennis player to win the US Open? |
80 | The Red Baron was one of those heroes whose life seems almost scripted. Discipline, pride, hunting skills, and Teutonic patriotism all combined in this man, bringing him to the pinnacle of fame which long outlasted the man himself. "Curse you, Red Baron," cried Snoopy, the Mitty-esque canine ace of Charles Schultz' Peanuts comic strip. But Richthofen was no caricature, methodically claiming 80 aerial victories, before falling himself, in a Wagnerian finale. | How many 'victories' did The Red Baron claim in aerial dogfights? |
Northern Ireland | Sam Neill was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland, to army parents, an English-born mother, Priscilla Beatrice (Ingham), and a New Zealand-born father, Dermot Neill. His family moved to the South Island of New Zealand in 1954. He went to boarding schools and then attended the universities at Canterbury and Victoria. He has a BA in English ... See full bio » | In which country was Sam Neill born? |
Rothchild | In 1917 Dorothy met and married Edwin Pond Parker II, a stockbroker. Dorothy was only too happy to marry and rid herself of the Rothchild name. She dealt with strong feelings about her Jewish heritage, most of them negative because of the raging anti-Semitism of the time. She said that she married to escape her name. However, the marriage did not last long. The couple was separated when Edwin Parker was sent to fight during World War I . Edwin was seriously injured after only a few months of service. This injury, along with the pains and memories of the war, led Edwin to a life long addiction to alcohol and morphine. The relationship was not a positive one, and it ended in divorce in 1919. But Dorothy would never revert back to her maiden name. She kept the last name of Parker for the rest of her life, even when she married again. When she was asked if there was a Mr. Parker, she casually responded: "There used to be." | What was Dorothy Parker's maiden name? |
March | On the night of March 9th 1997, Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles. To date his murder remains a mystery. His life was not. NOTORIOUS, the film and soundtrack is his story. Through determination and raw talent, Wallace transformed himself from a Brooklyn hustler to become one of the greatest rappers of all time; The Notorious B.I.G. As it was ingrained in his head �Mo� Money begets �Mo� Problems.� At the height of his short career, Wallace found himself (along with his mentor and Executive Producer) Sean �Diddy� Combs, in the middle of an �east coast-west coast� hip hop feud. This feud ultimately triggered a series of events over a six month period that brought down two of the legends of the game: First (Death Row recording artist) Tupac Shakur was shot on the Las Vegas strip (September 13, 1996), and then The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in Los Angeles six months later (March 9, 1997). | In which month in 1997 was The Notorious B.I.G. gunned down? |
Art historian | Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), known as Sir Anthony Blunt, KCVO, from 1956 to 1979, was a leading British art historian who in 1964, after being offered immunity from prosecution, confessed to having been a Soviet spy. He had been a member of the Cambridge Five, a group of spies working for the Soviet Union from some time in the 1930s to at least the early 1950s. A closely held secret for many years, his status was revealed publicly by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in November 1979, and he was stripped of his knighthood immediately thereafter. | What was the official occupation of Sir Anthony Blunt who was unmasked as a Soviet spy in 1979? |
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela | Further tarnishing her reputation were accusations by her bodyguard, Jerry Musivuzi Richardson, that Winnie Madikizela-Mandela ordered kidnapping and murder. On 29 December 1988, Richardson, coach of the Mandela United Football Club (MUFC) -- which acted as Mrs. Mandela's personal security detail -- abducted 14-year-old James Seipei (also known as Stompie Moeketsi ) and three other youths from the home of Methodist minister Rev. Paul Verryn. Mrs. Mandela claimed that she had the youth taken to her home because she suspected the reverend was sexually abusing them. The four were beaten in order to get them to admit to sex with the reverend and Seipei was also accused of being an informer. Seipei's body was found in a field with stab wounds to the throat on 6 January 1989. This incident became a cause célèbre for the apartheid government. In 1991, she was convicted of kidnapping and being an accessory to assault in connection with the death of Seipei. Her six-year jail sentence was reduced to a fine on appeal. | Which famous name was accused f the abduction of Stompie Seipei? |
Brigadier general | In 1954, Lindbergh was honored with the rank of brigadier general. The same year, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoir The Spirit of St. Louis. | What was the highest rank Charles Lindbergh attained? |
Amelia Earhart | Eighty-five years ago today, aviator Charles Lindbergh landed his single-engine monoplane Spirit of St. Louis in Paris, France, completing the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic. Five years later Amelia Earhart set out to recreate his historic journey, becoming the second person and first woman to accomplish the feat. She succeeded, but not by following in Lindbergh’s exact contrails. | Who was the second person to make a solo transatlantic flight? |
George S. Patton Jr | The 1st Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox on July 15, 1940. Its first commander was Major General Bruce R. Magruder from July 1940 to March 1942. In 1941 General George S. Patton Jr. had just named his 2nd Armored Division "Hell on Wheels" and everyone thought that the 1st Armored Division needed a name too. Major General Bruce Magruder announced a contest to find a suitable name for his Division. Approximately 200 names were submitted including "Fire and Brimstone" and "Kentucky Wonders." The General took them home to study over the weekend but failed to find any that appealed to him. While mulling the matter over, he happened to glance at a painting of the U.S.S. Constitution that he had bought during a drive for funds for the preservation of that famous fighting ship. From the painting of the U.S.S. Constitution USS Constitution he noted its nickname, "Old Ironsides". Impressed with the parallel between the early development of the tank and the Navy's "Old Ironsides" spirit of daring and durability he decided the 1st Armored Division should also be named "Old Ironsides." Thus a famous warship of the US Navy and the famous 1st Armored Division of the US Army are historically and appropriately welded by name "Old Ironsides." That ended the search for a name. The 1st Armored Division became "Old Ironsides" that same day and forty months of fighting later testified that its name was well chosen. This was a fighting Division. | Who became commanding general of the First Armored Corps in 1941? |
Hawaii | With his health failing and support for his regime fading fast, on February 25, 1986, Ferdinand Marcos and much of his family were airlifted from the Manila presidential palace, going into exile in Hawaii. Evidence was later uncovered showing that Marcos and his associates had stolen billions from the Philippine economy. | Where did Ferdinand Marcos live in exile? |
Congo | Exactly 50 years ago, UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold died in a plane crash on a mission to prevent civil war in newly independent Congo. Suspicions that the plane was shot down, never fully laid to rest, are now again on the rise. | UN Secretary Dag Hammarskjold was killed over which country? |
Red Brigade | Thirty years ago this month, the extreme left terrorist group, the Red Brigades murdered former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro who they'd kidnapped and held for nearly two months. Moro was the head of the Christian Democratic Party, which was moving towards a parliamentary coalition with the Italian Communists, a move opposed by some in the far left and which worried western power, particularly the US. Italy's interior minister at the time was Francesco Cossiga, who took a hard line and refused to negotiate with the Red Brigades for Moro's release. In an interview with Cossiga, EuroNews has tried to get at the truth of an incredibly tangled tale involving allegations of CIA involvement and claims of vital clues sent via a Ouija board. | Which terrorist group murdered Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro? |
Afghanistan | On February 15, 1989, Commanding General Boris Gromov was the last Soviet soldier to leave Afghanistan, walking across the Friendship Bridge that connected that war-torn country with what was then Soviet Uzbekistan. | General Boris Gromov was the last Soviet soldier to leave where in 1989? |
1979 | Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: '; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organization the Iraqi Ba'ath Party—which espoused Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and socialism—Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup (later referred to as the 17 July Revolution) that brought the party to power in Iraq. | In what year did Saddam Hussein become President of Iraq? |
Colin Powel | In 1989, President Bush rewarded Powell for the knowledge and skills he had acquired in the military and political arenas by naming him to the military’s top post, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the youngest man and first black to hold that position. Said the president of Powell: “As we face the challenges of the 90s, it is most important that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff be a person of breadth, judgment, experience, and total integrity. Colin Powell has all those qualities and more.” In peacetime, the chairman’s responsibilities have included overseeing the prioritization of Pentagon spending and keeping the channels of communication open between the military and the White House. They have also included drawing up plans for military action, first in Panama and then in the Middle East . | Who became chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989? |
Radovan Karadzic | 2016 - Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is convicted of genocide and war crimes for his role in the 1992-1995 war. | Who became leader of the Bosnian Serbs in 1992? |
Agnes | Mother Teresa was born on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. Mother Teresa's original name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. The youngest of the children born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu. Her father was a successful merchant and she was youngest of the three siblings. She received her First Communion at the age of five and a half and was confirmed in November 1916. From the day of her First Holy Communion, a love for souls was within her. Her father’s sudden death when Gonxha was about eight years old left in the family in financial straits. Drane raised her children firmly and lovingly, greatly influencing her daughter’s character and vocation. Gonxha’s religious formation was further assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was much involved. At the age of 12, she decided that she wanted to be a missionary and spread the love of Christ. At the age of 18 she left her parental home in Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India. There she received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux. After a few months of training at the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dublin Mother Teresa came to India on 6 January 1929. On May 24, 1931, she took her initial vows as a nun. From 1931 to 1948, Mother Teresa taught geography and catechism at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. On 24 May 1937, Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, becoming, as she said, the “spouse of Jesus” for “all eternity.” From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. Mary’s and in 1944 became the school’s principal. A person of profound prayer and deep love for her religious sisters and her students, Mother Teresa’s twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy. | What was Mother Teresa's real first name? |
Stella McCartney | In 1997 McCartney was appointed chief designer at Paris fashion house Chloe, following in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld. She started with the Autumn/Winter 1997 collection, and has been an astounding success. A Chloe boutique has opened in London, though it is hoped that Stella can have more control on the London end than she does on the Paris end. The rather elderly staff at Paris Chloe are pretty rigid about underclothes on the models, and see-through dresses (they are against them). Stella McCartney is a strict vegetarian and PETA supporter like her mother Linda, who died in 2000. She had a contract with Chloe that she need never work with fur or leather. All the shoes are made of vinyl or plastics, all the bags and belts of fabric or raffia. Her soft romantic clothes have been very successful at Chloe. For the Spring 2000 collection, she has created several designs with cut-work rhinestone necklines and bodices. | Which famous daughter was made chief designer at Chloe in 1997? |
Rachel Hunter | Rachel Hunter was born on September 9, 1969 in Auckland, New Zealand. She is an actress and producer, known for Ford Supermodel of the World (1995), The Benchwarmers (2006) and Jordon Saffron: Taste This! (2009). She was previously married to Rod Stewart . See full bio » | Which supermodel was married to Rod Stewart? |
Bobby Fischer | The 2015 U.S. Chess Championship is Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura’s first return to the U.S. Championship since winning the title in 2012. Ranked in the world's top-10 players for nearly five years, Nakamura has been the longtime U.S. No. 1 Grandmaster and the leading hopeful to bring America its first World Champion since Bobby Fischer. The chance for that world title creeps ever closer this year, as Nakamura currently sits second place at the halfway point of FIDE's 2014-15 Grand Prix and may earn his first seat in a Candidate's Tournament. | Who was America's first world chess champion? |
Sam J. Ervin | Sam J. Ervin -- The folksy chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee, who offered homespun lessons on constitutional law in televised Watergate hearings; those hearings dramatized the issues and personalities, allowing Americans to weigh the credibility of Watergate's key players for themselves. | Who was chairman of the Watergate hearings? |
Alan Freed | The ashes of Alan Freed, the disc jockey credited with popularizing the term "rock 'n' roll," are no longer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but their final resting place won't be too far away. | Who was credited with popularizing the term rock 'n' roll? |
Let's do it | Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad on January 17, 1977, at 8:07 a.m. The night before, Gilmore had requested an all-night gathering of friends and family at the prison mess hall. On the evening before his execution, he was served a last meal consisting of a steak, potatoes, milk and coffee, of which he consumed only the milk and coffee. His uncle, Vern Damico, who attended the gathering later claimed to have secretly smuggled in three small, one-ounce Jack Daniels whisky shot bottles for Gilmore which he supposedly consumed. He was then taken to an abandoned cannery behind the prison which served as the prison's death house. He was strapped to a chair, with a wall of sandbags placed behind him to absorb the bullets. Five gunmen, local police, stood concealed behind a curtain with five small holes cut for them to place their rifles through which were aimed at him. After being asked for any last words, Gilmore simply replied, "Let's do it!" The Rev. Thomas Meersman, the Roman Catholic prison chaplain, imparted Gilmore's last rites. After the prison physician cloaked him in a black hood, Gilmore uttered his last words to Father Meersman: | What were Gary Gilmore's final words before his execution in 1977? |
Czechoslovakia | Socialite Ivana Trump initially gained national recognition as the first wife of billionaire Donald Trump , to whom she was wed from 1977 to 1992. Born Ivana Marie Zelnickova in 1949, she grew up in Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia, just south of Prague, and established herself as a champion skier at an early age. After earning her masters in the dual arenas of physical education and languages, Ivana spent a number of years professionally coaching ski racers with then-paramour George Syrovatka in Montréal, Canada, then shifted gears and moved into modeling for the Audrey Morris agency during the 1970s -- a line of work that inadvertently brought her to New York City and introduced her to Donald Trump in 1976. The two married within a year and had three children: Ivanka Trump , Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump. | In which country was Ivana Trump born and brought up? |
Gucci | Last May, Versace's brother, Santo, was convicted of bribery along with two of Italy's leading designers. In 1995, Maurizio Gucci, of the luggage-to-frocks luxury goods dynasty, was shot dead outside his office in Milan. His wife, Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli, was arrested and charged with ordering his murder earlier this year. As Versace acknowledged in an interview two years ago, there have been rumours - vigorously denied by the family - that the company founded to market his creations had underworld links. In 1995, the Independent on Sunday paid substantial damages for what it admitted were libels about his business practices. | Which Italian fashion designer was murdered on the orders of his ex-wife? |
38 | WHEN George Gershwin died in 1937 at the tragically early age of 38, his doctors said he had been suffering from a fast-growing malignant brain tumor. But a pathologist in Louisiana has come up with another diagnosis -- that the tumor may have been slow-growing and treatable, even with the technology of the time. | How old was George Gershwin when he died? |
Ralph J. Bunche | Dr. Ralph J. Bunche (pictured) achieved a few firsts as an African American, but none may be more more notable than the political scientist and academic winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950. Becoming the first Black person to win the coveted award, Dr. Bunche maintained a dignified stance despite the rampant segregation he and others like him faced. | Who was the first black man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? |
Three | Connors reached the final of the US Open in five straight years from 1974 through 1978, winning three times with each win being on a different surface (1974 on grass, 1976 on clay and 1978 on hard). He reached the final of Wimbledon four out of five years during his peak (1974, 1975, 1977 and 1978). Despite not being allowed to play in the French Open for a number of years, he was still able to reach the semifinals four times in his career. | How many times did tennis legend Jimmy Connors win the US Open in the 1970s? |
David Bowie | Iman and David Bowie married in 1992 after knowing each other for two years. The pop star died of cancer on Jan. 10 in New York. He was 62 years old. | Which pop star did model Iman marry in 1992? |
Beatrice Arthur | Beatrice Arthur , best known as the acerbic Maude Findlay on Norman Lear 's sitcom "Maude" and as the strong-willed Dorothy Zbornak on the long-running "The Golden Girls," died Saturday. She was 86. | Which actress links Dorothy in The Golden Girls and Maude Findlay in Maude? |
The Beverly Hillbillies | “The Beverly Hillbillies” is a classic American comedy series that originally aired for nine seasons from 1962 to 1971 and was the first television series to feature a “fish out of water” genre. The series was about the Clampett family – widower Jed “J.D.” (Buddy Ebsen); his mother-in-law, Daisy May “Granny” Moses (Irene Ryan); beautiful but tomboyish daughter, Elly May (Donna Douglas); and nephew Jethro (Max Baer, Jr.) – that moves to ritzy Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on the family’s Texas country farm. The show was a huge success during most of its nine-year original run, and it continues to be broadcast on different channels to this day. Different episodes of the show continue to rank as some of the most-watched episodes of television shows of all time. | What was the name of Jed's nephew in The Beverly Hillbillies? |
Granby's Green Acres | Old Time Radio's "Granby's Green Acres" was created for 1950s Radio by Jay Somers. The radio comedy starred actors Gale Gordon (Mr Mooney of "The Lucy Show) & Bea Benaderet (Kate of "Petticoat Junction" as well as Mrs. Bodine of The Beverly Hillbillies). | What was Green Acres called on radio? |
1895 | Cheers obviously had several owners before Sam, as the bar was opened in 1889. The "Est. 1895" on the bar's sign is a made-up date chosen by Carla for numerological purposes, revealed in the 8th season episode, "The Stork Brings a Crane". In the second episode, "Sam's Women", Coach tells a customer looking for Gus, the owner of Cheers, that Gus was dead. In a later episode, Gus O'Mally comes back from Arizona for one night and helps run the bar. | According to the series when was the Cheers bar founded? |
Mama's Family | One of the most beloved television personalities of her generation, Emmy Award-winning comedienne, actress and singer Vicki Lawrence is best known for her co-starring role on "The Carol Burnett Show," and as the sharp-tongued matriarch, Thelma Harper, on the long-running television hit "Mama's Family," a spin-off from the popular "The Family" sketches from "The Carol Burnett Show." She's bringing both to The Palace Theater in Waterbury on Saturday, April 18. Her new stage show is a little bit Vicki Lawrence and little bit Mama, with both offering music, comedy and some real-life observations. The 66-year-old Lawrence was home in Long Beach, Calif., soaking in the sun, wishing for a little rain, and really quite mellow compared to her well-known "Mama" persona as she spilled the Beans with Java. | Which sitcom with Vickie Lawrence was a spin-off from the Carol Burnett Show? |
Donald Bellisario | '<mark>Donald Bellisario</mark> was creator and executive producer of JAG, NCIS, and other television series including Magnum PI, Airwolf, and Quantum Leap. A recent lawsuit 1 in Los Angeles brought against CBS by him and his personal services company illustrates' | Who was creator and executive producer of Magnum PI? |
Marsh Tracy | Daktari (Swahili for "doctor") is an American children's drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series, an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television, stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour in East Africa. | What was the name of the vet in Daktari? |
John Landis | The show was created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, who also served as producers. Dream On was executive produced by Kevin Bright and John Landis. Landis also directed several episodes of the series. | Which executive producer of Dream On is well known for films such as Trading Places? |
Rob Petrie | The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Larry Mathews, and Mary Tyler Moore. It centered on the work and home life of television comedy writer Rob Petrie (Van Dyke). The show was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen. | Who did Dick Van Dyke play in The Dick Van Dyke Show? |
Janet | Janet Jackson first appeared onstage in April 1974, singing and doing impressions alongside brother Randy in the Jackson family's Las Vegas act. In 1976, she appeared on The Jacksons, a summer replacement television show. Her performance earned her the attention of a producer who hired her to play Penny, a regular on the TV comedy series Good Times, from 1977-79. She continued her television work in the short-lived A New Kind of Family (1979), the sitcom Different Strokes (1984-5) and the teen drama Fame (1984-5), based at a New York City performing arts high school. | Who in the singing Jackson family appeared in Different Strokes? |
Petticoat Junction | The Beverly Hillbillies is an American sitcom originally broadcast on CBS for nine seasons, from September 26, 1962, to March 23, 1971. The show had an ensemble cast which features Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as a poor backwoods family who move to Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on their land. The show was produced by Filmways and was created by writer Paul Henning. It was followed by two other Henning-inspired country-cousin series on CBS: Petticoat Junction, and its spin-off Green Acres, which reversed the rags-to-riches model of The Beverly Hillbillies. | What was the first spin-off from The Beverly Hillbillies called? |
Nurses | Upon the success of The Golden Girls creator Susan Harris later devised Empty Nest as a spin-off from The Golden Girls with some character crossovers. Nurses was later spun off from Empty Nest, and the shows would occasionally have special episodes in which characters from one show made appearances in the others. | Which series was a spin off from the Golden Girls spin-off, Empty Nest? |
Johnny Carson | Married men live longer than single men. But married men are a lot more willing to die. - Johnny Carson - BrainyQuote | "Who said, ""Married men live longer than single men, but married men are more willing to die""?" |
Wood Newton | Evening Shade is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 21, 1990 to May 23, 1994. The series stars Burt Reynolds as Wood Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas, to coach a high school football team with a long losing streak. Reynolds personally requested to use the Steelers as his character's former team, because he is a fan. | Which character did Burt Reynolds play in Evening Shade? |
Jackie Mason | Chicken Soup is an American sitcom that aired on ABC, starring Jackie Mason and Lynn Redgrave. | Which comedian starred in the ABC sitcom Chicken Soup? |
Debbie Thompson | Debbie Reynolds portrayed Debbie Thompson, a housewife married to Jim, a successful sportswriter for the Los Angeles Sun. Jim was portrayed by actor Don Chastain, his boss by longtime television actor Tom Bosley. Reynolds' attempts to amuse herself were regarded as being reminiscent of those of Lucille Ball on Here's Lucy. | Who did Debbie play in The Debbie Reynolds Show? |
Barbara Walters | ABCNEWS' Barbara Walters interviewed actor and musician Dudley Moore for 20/20 in the fall of 1999 about his career and the malady that ultimately took his life. The following is a transcript of their conversation. | Who interviewed Dudley Moore about his illness in November 1999? |
Blanch | In an exclusive excerpt from Jim Colucci's new book, Golden Girls Forever, the author describes how Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia paved the way for shows like Living Single and Looking. | Dorothy, Rose, Sophia and who else formed the Golden Girls? |
Children's Television Workshop | Sesame Street was conceived in 1966 during discussions between television producer Joan Ganz Cooney and Carnegie Foundation vice president Lloyd Morrisett. Their goal was to create a children's television show that would "master the addictive qualities of television and do something good with them", such as helping young children prepare for school. After two years of research the newly formed Children's Television Workshop (CTW) received a combined grant of US$8 million ($ million in dollars) from the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the U.S. Federal Government to create and produce a new children's television show. The program premiered on public television stations on November 10, 1969. It was the first preschool educational television program to base its contents and production values on laboratory and formative research. Initial responses to the show included adulatory reviews, some controversy, and high ratings. By its 40th anniversary in 2009, Sesame Street was broadcast in over 120 countries, and 20 international versions had been produced. | Who first funded Sesame Street? |
Godzilla: The Original Animated Series | Attack of the Stone Creatures is the third episode from the first season of Godzilla: The Original Animated Series (1978). The animated series follows the adventures of four sea explorers, which include Captain Carl Majors, scientist Darien Quinn, her nephew Pete and the team's first mate, Brock. In Attack of the Stone Creatures, the crew encounters a new brand of creature while streaming the Nile River. The Guardians of Ra Mal are the name of these stone creatures and Godzilla is called upon once again to rescue the crew.moreless | In the animation series, what was Godzilla's nephew called? |
Joyce Whitman | Joyce Whitman (Betty White), a middle-aged actress, lands the lead in a fictitious police series, Undercover Woman (a parody of Angie Dickinson's Police Woman). Joyce is thrilled with the show, but less pleased to learn that the director is her ex-husband, John Elliot (John Hillerman), whom she unfondly refers to as "old pickle puss". He responds in kind, supplying his star with an oversized male double named Hugo (Charles Cyphers), a sexy, much younger onscreen sidekick (Caren Kaye), and dialogue not nearly as sharp as her tongue. Also on hand are Joyce's best friend, Mitzi Maloney (Georgia Engel), co-star actor Fletcher Huff (Barney Phillips) and network penny-pincher Doug Porterfield (Alex Henteloff). | Which character did Betty White play in The Betty White Show? |
Barr | Barr’s massive success continued to inspire increasingly extreme behavior. She had repeated plastic surgeries, claimed to be possessed by 24 different personalities, and revealed that she had been the victim of sexual abuse as a child, a charge her family vehemently denied. Divorcing Pentland, Barr married comic Tom Arnold in 1990 and alienated many of her associates by her vigorous promotion of Arnold as the star of two failed sitcoms, The Jackie Thomas Show and Tom. Calling herself Roseanne Arnold, she stunned her fans by announcing that she and Arnold were “marrying” her young female assistant. By 1994, her relationship with Arnold had ended in an ugly divorce, and she changed her stage name to simply Roseanne. She subsequently married her bodyguard Ben Thomas, with whom she had a son, Buck, in 1995. Roseanne filed for a divorce from Thomas three years later. | During the series Roseanne changed her name to Arnold from what? |
Emiliano Zapata | Who was the revolutionary who said, “It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees”? The answer is C. Emiliano Zapata. | "Who said, ""It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees?""" |
1964 | On 26 April 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form a new republic, the name �Tanzania� being adopted on 29 October 1964. Like the name of the country, the new flag adopted was a merger of that of its constituent parts. The lower green stripe of the Tanganyika flag took the blue of the Zanzibar flag, and the stripes were re-arranged diagonally to give them equal status. | In which year did Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania? |
Foreigner | Gagliardi was part of Foreigner’s original lineup from 1976 to 1979 with founding members Lou Gramm, guitarist Mick Jones, keyboardist Al Greenwood, drummer Dennis Elliott and Ian McDonald. He was part of the group’s early success on its self-titled 1977 debut that spawned hit singles “Feels Like The First Time” and “Cold As Ice” as well as the 1978 follow up Double Vision featuring hit songs “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision.” | Ed Gagliardi, Al Greenwood and Dennis Elliot have all been in which group? |
Hotel California | Just what does "colitis" mean? In the song "Hotel California" by the Eagles the first lines are, "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, warm smell of colitis rising up through the air." I remember I tried looking it up at a university library years ago and couldn't find the answer. I know songwriters sometimes make up words, but I didn't see a Dr. Seuss credit on the album. | "Which song starts, ""On a dark desert highway?""" |
Lion in Winter | Hepburn was awarded her third Oscar for her starring turn in A Lion in Winter (1968). She continued to appear in films and on television (including an Emmy-winning performance in 1976’s Love Among the Ruins) throughout the next three decades, winning a fourth Best Actress statuette for 1981’s On Golden Pond. Nominated for 12 Academy Awards in her lifetime (a record that would stand until 2003, when Meryl Streep received her 13th nomination), Hepburn never attended the awards show to collect her honors in person. In 1986, she broke her longtime silence about her relationship with Tracy (his widow had died in 1983) in a televised tribute to the actor. She read aloud a poignant letter she had written to him about his drinking, and about their last years together. She later included the letter in her best-selling 1991 autobiography Me: Stories of My Life. | For which movie did Katherine Hepburn win her third Oscar? |
John | According to the first film First Blood, Rambo's full name is John Rambo. He was born on July 6, 1947 in Bowie, Arizona, to a Navajo father (whose name according to the last film was probably R. Rambo) and an Italian American mother Marie Drago. However, in Rambo: First Blood Part II, Marshall Murdock states that Rambo is of American Indian and German descent. Rambo enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 18 on August 6, 1964, although he states in Rambo IV he was "drafted into Vietnam." After he graduated from Rangeford High School in 1965, his military service began in January 1966. Rambo was deployed to South Vietnam in September 1966. He returned to the U.S. in 1967 and began training with the U.S. Army Special Forces at Fort Bragg, North Carolina under Colonel Trautman's tutelage. | What was Rambo's first name? |
1908 | Field hockey was first introduced at the Olympic Games for men in 1908 in London. It was subsequently removed from the Olympics at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games due to the lack of an international structure. It was back in 1928 after The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded. | When did field hockey become an Olympic event for men? |
Herman Hollerith | Herman Hollerith’s first tabulating machines opened the world’s eyes to the very idea of data processing. Along the way, the machines also laid the foundation for IBM. | Who invented the world's first data-processing machine? |
REBECCA | Pursuing greater opportunities than those available in Britain, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood in 1939. His first film made under contract to producer David O. Selznick was an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier's REBECCA (1940), starring Laurence Olivier , Joan Fontaine and a host of talented British character actors including Judith Anderson , George Sanders , Gladys Cooper , Florence Bates, Nigel Bruce and C. Aubrey Smith. In addition to popularity with critics and audiences, REBECCA also won the Academy Award as Best Picture of 1940 -- Hitchcock's only film to take the top prize. | What was the first film Alfred Hitchcock made in Hollywood? |
High Street | According to Zoopla...the most popular street name ending in 'Road' would be 'Station Road', but the most popular name of all is 'High Street'. Teehee.. I read this days ago and would have done well on the TV show 'The Million Pound Drop Live'. | What is the most common street name in the UK? |
Burundi | Bujumbura International Airport is an airport in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. It is Burundi's only international airport and the only one with a paved runway. | Bujumbura international airport is in which country? |
Oslo | On May 7, 1994, Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, was recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. Thefragile painting was recovered undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40 miles south of Oslo, police said. | The painting The Scream was stolen form which city in 1994? |
The Silver Chalice | Newman's first film for Hollywood was The Silver Chalice (1954). The film was a box office failure and the actor would later acknowledge his disdain for it. In 1956, Newman garnered much attention and acclaim for the role of Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me. In 1958, he starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), opposite Elizabeth Taylor. The film was a box office smash and Newman garnered his first Academy Award nomination. Also in 1958, Newman starred in The Long, Hot Summer with Joanne Woodward, with whom he reconnected on the set in 1957 (they had first met in 1953). He won Best Actor at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival for this film. | What was Paul Newman's first movie? |
Diane Hall | Diane Hall (born January 5, 1946), better known by her stage name Diane Keaton, is an American film actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She began her career on stage and made her screen debut in 1970. Her first major film role was as Kay Adams-Corleone in The Godfather (1972), but the films that shaped her early career were those with director and co-star Woody Allen, beginning with Play It Again, Sam in 1972. Her next two films with Allen, Sleeper (1973) and Love and Death (1975), established her as a comic actor. Her fourth, Annie Hall (1977), won her the Academy Award for Best Actress. | What is Diane Keaton's real name? |
Albanian | Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, now known as Mother Teresa, was the third and final child born to her Albanian Catholic parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, in the city of Skopje (a predominantly Muslim city in the Balkans). | What nationality were Mother Teresa's parents? |
Freddie and the Dreamers | "I'm Telling You Now" is a song by Freddie Garrity and Mitch Murray, originally performed by Freddie and the Dreamers that hit number one on the American Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. Murray also wrote songs for other British artists during the 1960s, including Gerry and the Pacemakers, Manfred Mann, and Georgie Fame. "I'm Telling You Now" was first released in 1963 on Capitol Records, USA/Canada and on Columbia, UK/India/Netherlands/Sweden, and was not successful. Two years later, Capitol's subsidiary, Tower Records, re-released the song, which became extremely popular, and propelled Freddie and the Dreamers to pop-music stardom. | Who had a 60s No 1 hit with I'm Telling You Now? |
Herbert Marcuse | Herbert Marcuse was a German philosopher born in Berlin in the year 1898 and died in 1979. He was a critical thinker who in his lifetime wrote a lot of philosophical works among them being Eros and Civilization, One dimensional Man and The Aesthetic Dimension. In his early youthful years, he joined the German army and he later found his way into the soldiers' council that participated in the Sparta cist uprising where he became a members. By the year 1922 he had completed his Ph.D. thesis at the University of Freiburg. He moved to Berlin after this and worked with a publishing house and while at it met and married Sophie Wertheim, who was a mathematician. In 1924 he and another writer by the name of Martin Heidegger, whom he referred to as his greatest teacher, wrote a book by the title Hegel's Ontology and Theory of Historicity, which was later published in the year 1932. In 1933 after Marcuse's academic career was blocked by the rise of the Third Reich, he joined the Frankfurt Institute for Social research. In the same year he published his own review of Marx's Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. This was the first publication that helped him gain a social standing as a theorist of his generation. He did not step here because while still a member is the Institute, he created a model for critical social theory by creating a theory on capitalism. In this theory he described the relationships between philosophy, sociology and cultural criticism. He went ahead and provided a criticism and analysis of German fascism. His works were boosted by the fact that he closely worked with critical theorist while in Frankfurt Institute (Herbert, p.301). | Which philosopher wrote Eros and Civilization and One Dimensional Man? |
Cl | Sri Lanka’s old vehicles using the licence number plates with Sinhala auspicious letter 'Sri' are now being issued with new registration numbers with English letters. This was initiated by the Department of Motor Traffic with the approval of the cabinet, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, B.D.L Dharmapriya said. He added that owners of 36 vehicles have changed their number plates from the 'Sri' numbers to English letters, so far. Old vehicles that bear 'Sri' numbers can obtain numbers with English letters after paying Rs. 20,000 to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles Department. The old vehicles will be issued numbers from AA 0001 to FZ 9999, he added. The issue of English numbers has commenced from GA 0001. | What are the international registration letters of a vehicle from Sri Lanka? |
Elia Kazan | East of Eden is a 1955 film, directed by Elia Kazan, and loosely based on the second half of the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. It is about a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother, thus retelling the story of Cain and Abel. | Who directed the movie East of Eden? |
1984 | In 1976, Basie suffered a heart attack -- and although he recovered, he performed only when his health permitted, sometimes in a wheelchair. He died of cancer on April 26, 1984, and is buried in Pine Lawn Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York. | In which year did Count Basie die? |
Brooklyn Bridge | Hart Crane and the Brooklyn Bridge | Which bridge is the subject of Hart Crane's The bridge? |
Johnny Weissmuller | The Tarzan yell is the yodel-like call of the character Tarzan, as portrayed by actor Johnny Weissmuller in the films based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, starting with Tarzan the Ape Man (1932). The yell was a creation of the movies, based on what Burroughs described in his books as "the victory cry of the bull ape." | Who is credited with inventing the Tarzan yodel? |
CAMELOT | CAMELOT (The Musical): "How to Handle a Woman" | Which musical featured the song How To Handle A Woman? |
Montana | The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. The major proportion of Cree in Canada live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories. About 15,000 live in eastern Quebec. In the United States, this Algonquian-speaking people historically lived from Lake Superior westward. Today, they live mostly in Montana, where they share a reservation with the Ojibwe (Chippewa). The documented westward migration over time has been strongly associated with their roles as traders and hunters in the North American Fur Trade. | In which state do most Cree Indians live in the USA? |
Richard Adams | Watership Down is a classic adventure novel, written by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language, proverbs, poetry, and mythology. Evoking epic themes, the novel follows the rabbits as they escape the destruction of their warren and seek a place to establish a new home, encountering perils and temptations along the way. | Who wrote the novel Watership Down? |
Robert James Lee Hawke | Robert James Lee Hawke, Prime Minister of Australia (1983–1991), Rhodes Scholar (Western Australia and University College, 1953) | Who was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1983 - 1991? |
Zambezi | Kariba Dam (kärēˈbä) [ key ], hydroelectric project, in Kariba Gorge of the Zambezi River, on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border, S central Africa; built 1955–59. One of the world's largest dams, it is 420 ft (128 m) high and 1,900 ft (579 m) long. The Kariba project's generators supply electricity to the Copperbelt in Zambia and to parts of Zimbabwe. Kariba Lake, the vast reservoir created by the dam, extends c.175 mi (280 km) and has a maximum width of 20 mi (32 km). The creation of the lake forced resettlement of about 50,000 people living along the Zambezi. In 1960–61, Operation Noah captured and removed the animals threatened by the lake's rising waters. | On which river was the Kariba Dam built? |
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross | Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Born and raised in Detroit, she rose to fame as a founding member and lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, which, during the 1960s, became Motown's most successful act and is to this day America's most successful vocal group as well as one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. | Detroit born Diana Earle became famous under which name? |
Irving Berlin | God Bless America is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version was recorded by Kate Smith, and became her signature song. | Who wrote God Bless America? |
Blondie | "The Tide Is High" was covered by the American new wave band Blondie in 1980, in a reggae style that included horns and strings. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Autoamerican (1980). It was Blondie's third number one smash on the Billboard Hot 100 and their fifth in the UK. It also went on to reach the top three of Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, and was popular throughout the world, reaching no. 4 in Australia, and no. 15 in Germany. It was the last UK number one single for the band until "Maria" in 1999. The B-side of "The Tide Is High" was "Suzie and Jeffrey", which appeared as a bonus track on the original 1980 cassette edition of the album Autoamerican and was also included on EMI-Capitol's re-issue of Autoamerican in 2001. | Who had and 80s NO 1 with The Tide is High? |
The Man with the Golden Gun | Britt Ekland (born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish film, stage, and television actress, and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including critically acclaimed roles in William Friedkin's The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), and the British crime film Get Carter (1971), which established her as a movie sex symbol. She also starred in the British cult horror film The Wicker Man (1973) and appeared as a Bond girl in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974). | In which Bond film did Britt Ekland appear? |
Philip | Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the lead singer and a co-founder of the Rolling Stones. | What is Mick Jagger's middle name? |