Trivia People

Cover of “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak.

Today is the 86th anniversary of the birth of American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak.

Here are a few things you might not have known about him:

One, Sendak was inspired to become an illustrator after seeing the Disney movie “Fantasia” when he was 12 years old. His first illustrations were published in a text book when he was in his late teens.

Two, in 1963 “Where The Wild Things Are” was published. Sendak originally planned to have the boy Max escape to a land of wild horses, but he realized he couldn’t draw horses very well. More than 13 million copies of the book have sold.

Three, Sendak died in 2012 of complications from a stroke. He was 83.

Our question: Maurice Sendak won a Caldecott Medal for “Where the Wild Things Are.” What is the difference between a Caldecott Medal and a Newbery Medal?

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Donald Duck (Image from Disney)

On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck made his debut in the Disney animated short “The Wise Little Hen.”

Here are some things you may not have known about Donald.

First, Donald Duck has appeared in more films than any other Disney character. Donald has been in 197 films, while Mickey Mouse has been in 167.

Second, Donald distinctive voice is also called buccal speech, where, instead of the larynx, the voice is created using the inner cheek.

Third, The University of Oregon’s duck mascot was inspired by Donald Duck and the university and Disney eventually came to a licensing agreement allowing the university to continue using it. The costumed duck mascot is no longer designed to look like Donald, but the university still uses a Donald-like character in its graphics.

Our question: What is Donald Duck’s middle name?

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Porsche 356 (Photo via Wikimedia)

On June 8, 1948, Ferdinand Porsche completed the first prototype of his namesake sports car.

Here are some things you may not have known about Porsche and his cars.

First: Porsche was born to German-speaking parents in Mattersdorf, Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, in 1875. In 1898, he designed his first automobile, an electric carriage called the Egger-Lohner. After being drafted into the military in 1902 he served as chauffeur for Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the assassination of whom would spark World War I in 1914.

Second: In 1934 at the direction of Adolf Hitler, Porsche began the design process on what would become the Volkswagen Beetle. Eventually Porsche joined the Nazi party and the SS, using SS members as security and drivers.

Third: Following World War II, Porsche was asked by the French to run the Volkswagen plant as a means to fund reparations by the Germans. This plan stalled and Porsche was jailed for more than a year as a war criminal. Following his release, his company produced its first eponymous sports car, known as the Porsche 356.

Our question: What city is the Porsche company’s headquarters located?

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The TV room at Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley.

On June 7, 1982, Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, was opened to the public.

Here are some things you may not know about the Memphis mansion.

First, the home wasn’t built for Elvis. It was built in 1939 by Dr. Thomas and Ruth Moore.

Presley bought the 10,266-square-foot home in 1957 for $102,500.

Second, Elvis died there in 1977. He is buried next to his parents and his grandmother on the estate.

Faced with mounting maintenance costs and dwindling funds, Elvis’ ex-wife Pricilla Presley decided to open Graceland to the public.

Third, more than 600,000 people visit Graceland annually. Among those who have visited include former President George W. Bush, who accompanied former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (an avid Elvis fan) on a tour in 2006. Others have included Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince William and Prince Harry, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon, who wrote a hit song about the experience.

Our question: Paul Simon’s song “Graceland” featured what two legendary musicians of the 1950s and 60s?

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A group of movie-goers sit on a couch in the back of a pickup truck waiting for a movie to begin at Rodeo Drive-In near Bremerton, Wash. For more on Rodeo Drive-In, visit their website by clicking here (Photo courtesy of Rodeo Drive-In)

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the opening of the first drive-in movie theater.

Here are some things you may not know about them:

First, the original drive-in theater was located in Camden, N.J. and was the brainchild of Richard M. Hollingshead Jr.

His theater had space for 400 cars and a 40-by-50 foot screen with speakers located on a pole near the screen.

The first movie shown was “Wife Beware” starring Adolphe Menjou.

Second: In 1941 RCA introduced the traditional drive-in speaker, which was connected by wire to a post and hung inside the window of the car.

This innovation solved two problems: Noise pollution surrounding the theater and poor sound quality inside the cars.

Theaters later began using low-power radio stations to broadcast audio directly to car radios.

Third: In the United States, drive-in theaters reached their peak in the early 1960s with more than 4,000 facilities across the country.

Several causes are cited for the decline of drive-ins: Color television, video tapes, land prices and the adoption of daylight saving time.

As of 2013, there were 389 theaters in operation.

Our question: How much did it cost per person to get into the first drive-in theater?

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U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson talk in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. (Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives via Wikimedia)

Today marks the 47th anniversary of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

Here are some things you may not have known about the tragedy.

First, Kennedy had just wrapped up a celebratory campaign rally after winning the California presidential primary in the early moments of June 5 in Los Angeles. Kennedy was led from the stage through the Ambassador Hotel’s kitchen where he was shot three times, including once in the head by 24-year-old Sirhan Sirhan.

Second: Five other people were wounded that night, William Weisel of ABC News, Paul Schrade of the United Auto Workers, Ira Goldstein of the Continental News Service, campaign volunteer Irwin Stroll, and Democratic party activist Elizabeth Evans. Among those who wrestled the gun away from Sirhan were writer George Plimpton, decathlete Rafer Johnson and former NFL player Rosey Grier.

Third: Kennedy died at Los Angeles’ Good Samaritan Hospital 26 hours after the shooting. He remains one of two sitting U.S. Senators to be assassinated. The other was Louisiana’s Huey Long in 1935, who was also killed while running for president.

Our question: What two major party candidates ended up contesting the U.S. Presidential election of 1968?

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Cleveland Indians players stand in their dugout as fans riot on the field during “Ten Cent Beer Night” on June 4, 1974 at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland (Photo courtesy of ESPNMediazone)

Today is the 41st anniversary of the infamous “10 Cent Beer Night,” baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium.

Here are some things you may not have known about other bad ideas for sports promotions.

First: “10 Cent Beer Night” was just as it sounds. 12-ounce beers were sold for a dime apiece. There was a six-beer per purchase limit, but no overall limit for the game. The drunken crowd, already agitated by an earlier incident between the teams, eventually spilled onto the field, causing the Indians to forfeit the game to the Rangers.

Second: In 1979, “Disco Demolition Night” was held during a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. Fans were allowed into the game for 98 cents if they brought a disco record to be blown up on the field between games. The explosion damaged the field forcing the White Sox to forfeit the game. This game is the most recent American League forfeited game.

Third: The most recent National League forfeited game was in 1995, when the Los Angeles Dodgers forfeited to the St. Louis Cardinals when fans threw giveaway baseballs on the field after a controversial call on the field.

Our question: The Cleveland Indians didn’t cancel their next planned “10 Cent Beer Night.” But they did change the per-purchase limit from six to what number of beers?

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American astronaut Ed White becomes the first American to walk in space on June 3, 1965 (Photo by James McDivitt via Wikimedia)

Fifty years ago today, Edward H. White II became the first American astronaut to walk in space.

Here are some things you may not have known about the Gemini 4 mission.

First, White was joined on the mission by James McDivitt, who remained inside the 2-man Gemini capsule.

The mission also included the first attempted space rendezvous, which failed.

Second, before the space walk, the astronauts had problems opening the hatch. McDivitt knew how to fix the problem and was able to successfully open and, more importantly, close the hatch.  During the space walk, a communications problem led White to stay outside the vehicle longer than anticipated and he returned just before the capsule entered darkness.

Third, the mission lasted four days and orbited the earth 66 times, the two men cramped inside the capsule about the size of a compact car.

Our question: Ed White was killed in 1967 in the Apollo 1 fire on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Which other two astronauts were also killed in the accident?

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Thanks for listening to the Trivia Minute.

We just wanted to let you know that there won’t be an episode for June 2, 2015, due to the fact that I have a cold.

We’ll return with a new episode for June 3.

Until then, pass the NyQuil

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“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album cover. (Photo via thebeatles.com)

Today is the 48th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Here’s a few things you may not know about the album:

One: It was the first Beatles album released at the same time in the United Kingdom and North America. It was also the first to have the same songs in the same order in both places.

Two: The BBC included the album’s cover in its list of British masterpieces of 20th century art and design.

Three: The album went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart despite having no singles issued. It stayed at No. 1 for 15 weeks, when it was knocked out by “Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry.

Our question: Despite being on top of the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks, “Sgt. Pepper” wasn’t the longest-tenured No. 1 record of 1967. Can you name which album was?

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