Trivia People

Richard Loeb, left, and Nathan Leopold (Photo from German Federal Archive via Wikipedia)

Ninety-one years ago, Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, leading to the third case to be described as “The Trial of the Century.”

Here are some things you may not have known about it:

First: Leopold and Loeb decided to kill Franks as an intellectual exercise to demonstrate that a perfect crime could be committed. The duo kidnapped Franks, who was Loeb’s second cousin, two blocks from his home, which was located across the street from Loeb’s home. Franks was killed by several chisel blows to the head. The murderers dumped Franks’ body 25 miles from Chicago.

Second: Leopold and Loeb planned to pretend to hold Franks for ransom to throw investigators off their trail. Once the body was found, they pair continued acting as normal. Police found a pair of glasses which had a rare hinge mechanism, owned by only three people in the Chicago area. One of them was Nathan Leopold. After their alibi was proven false, the two confessed to the killing.

Third: The “Trial of the Century” wasn’t even a trial at all. The pair pleaded guilty in hopes of avoiding the death penalty and hired legendary defense attorney Clarence Darrow to convince a judge to spare their lives. The judge did that, sentencing them to life sentences for the murder and an additional 99 years for kidnapping. Loeb was killed by a fellow inmate in 1936. Leopold was paroled in 1958 and moved to Puerto Rico, where he died in 1971.

Our question: Whose trial was the last of the 20th Century to be called “The Trial of the Century”?

Norman Rockwell’s painting “The Rookie” (illustration via Wikipedia)

Ninety-nine years ago, Norman Rockwell made his debut on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post.

Here are some things you may not have known about Rockwell:

One: His artwork appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post 323 times, the final time in 1963 with a memorial portrait of President John F. Kennedy.

Two: Despite being best known for his Saturday Evening Post work, his longest professional association was with the Boy Scouts of America. He worked with the scouts for 64 years and created 471 illustrations and paintings.

Three: He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 for “vivid and affectionate portraits of our country.” He died of emphysema in 1978 at the age of 84.

Our question: In Rockwell’s famous “Freedom from Want,” what food is the mother serving to the waiting family?

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Andre the Giant in the late 1980s. (Photo by John McKeon via Wikimedia Commons)

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the birth of Andre Rene Russimoff, better known as Andre the Giant.

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

One: He was born in Grenoble, France, and was raised in a small village near Paris. One of his neighbors was Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, who would give him rides to school in his truck. According to the website, TheMaryJane.com, Andre said the two would talk mostly about the sport of cricket.

Two: Andre’s large size was caused by acromegaly, a pituitary gland condition that results in the production of excess growth hormones in adolescence.  By the age of 12, Andre was 6-foot-3 and weighed 240 pounds. He would grow to be 7-foot-4 and 520 pounds.

Three: Andre began his professional wrestling career in 1963, eventually making his World Wide Wrestling Federation debut in 1973. He would become one of the most popular good guy or babyfaces in the organization’s history. In 1987 he made what is called a heel-turn, changing to a bad guy involved in a rivalry with Hulk Hogan. That rivalry culminated with Hogan’s victory over Andre at Wrestlemania III.

Four: Andre made several television guest appearances in the 1970s and 1980s before landing his most memorable role as Fezzik in “The Princess Bride” in 1987. His last role was in the movie “Trading Mom” which was released one year after he died in 1993.

Our question: Andre the Giant was the inspiration for what movie starring Billy Crystal?

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Mount St. Helens erupting on May 18, 1980, near Portland, Oregon, USA (Photo by Austin Post/USGS)

On this date, 35 years ago, Mount St. Helens in Washington state erupted, killing 57 people.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the eruption.

One: There was plenty of warning that the mountain was going to erupt.

On March 18, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake was centered beneath the northern flank of the mountain followed by more than 150 small quakes in the next two days.

By May, the north face of the mountain had swelled some 500 feet.

Two: On May 18th at 8:32 a.m. Pacific Time, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake caused the north face of the mountain to give way, which in turn triggered pyroclastic flows and a 15-mile high ash column.

The ash turned day into night in parts of eastern Washington state, depositing 5 inches of ash in Yakima and closing Interstate 90 between Seattle and Spokane for 10 days.

The ash would eventually cover parts of 11 states, as far east as Minnesota and Oklahoma.

Our question: What was the only other major volcanic eruption in the contiguous 48 United States in the 20th century?

Etching by C. Lloyd first published as a plate in the 1877 book “Famous Horses of America: Containing fifty-nine portraits of the celebrities of the American turf past and present” by Porter and Coates, Henry B. Ashmead Publisher, Philadelphia. (via Wikipedia)

Today marks the 140th anniversary of the first Kentucky Derby horse race.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the first Kentucky Derby:

One: The first race was won by Aristides with jockey Oliver Lewis aboard. Including Lewis, 13 of the 15 jockeys in the race were African-American. Aristides’ trainer Ansel Williamson was also African-American.

Two: The Kentucky Derby was the brainchild of Meriweather Lewis Clark Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. He was inspired by the Epsom Derby in England.

Three: The first 21 Derbies were run at a distance of 1 1/2 miles. In 1896, the race adopted the current mile and a quarter distance.

Our question: Which is oldest, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes or the Belmont Stakes?

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On this date in 1842, the first major group of pioneers departed Elm Grove, Missouri on the Oregon Trail.

The movement of nearly 400,000 settlers between 1841 and 1869 inspired the landmark “Oregon Trail” video game.

Here are some facts about the game that you may not have known.

First: It was originally written in 1971 by Minnesota student-teacher Don Rawlitsch. After using the game to teach his eighth-grade history class, he deleted the game from the server, but printed out the source code.

Rawlitsch was hired by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium in 1974, where he rebuilt the game for students across the state. In 1979, the game was adapted for the Apple II, and again in 1985 with better graphics.

Second: In the game, you choose whether you want to be a doctor, a carpenter or a farmer, leaving Independence, Missouri for Oregon. The different occupations gave players different supply budgets and different bonuses for reaching Oregon safely.

Third: The game was selected to be inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015. It’s available on Windows, Macintosh, iOS, Android, 3DS and Windows Phone.

Our question: Which of the following diseases was not in the 1982 version of the game? Dysentery, cholera, typhoid or scarlet fever?

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The Original McDonald’s Restaurant in San Bernardino, California.

On May 15, 1940, Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald’s restaurant.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the early days of McDonald’s.

One, the first location started out as a barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, California. In 1948 the brothers pared their menu from 25 items to just six to increase efficiency.

Two: The first franchised location opened in Phoenix, Arizona in 1953. The oldest location still standing is McDonald’s No. 3 in Downey, California.

Three: In 1954, the McDonald brothers made a deal with Ray Kroc to franchise the restaurant across the United States. The first location outside of California or Arizona was in a suburb of Chicago. Kroc bought the company outright in 1961.

Our question: Which came first, the Big Mac, the Filet-O-Fish or the Egg McMuffin?

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Cover of the sheet music of “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa. (Image via Wikipedia)

Today marks the 118th anniversary of the public debut of John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Here are some things you may not have known about the march and about Sousa:

One: Sousa’s father was a trombonist in the U.S. Marine Band. When Sousa was 13, his father enlisted him in the Marine Corps to join the band to prevent him from joining a circus band. In 1880, Sousa returned to the Marine Band as its conductor. He stayed with the band until 1892, after which he formed the Sousa Band, which toured until 1931.

Two: Before writing “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” Sousa wrote such notable marches as “The Washington Post,” “The Liberty Bell” and “Manhattan Beach.”

Three: “The Stars and Stripes Forever” was written on Christmas Day 1896 following the death of David Blakely, the manager of the Sousa Band. In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated the song as the National March of the United States of America.

Our question: The Sousaphone, an instrument requested by Sousa, is closely related to two other instruments, what are they?

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The cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life.”

Today marks the 65th birthday of Stevie Wonder.

Here are some things you may not know about him:

First: He was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. He was six weeks premature, which led to him developing retinopathy of prematurity, causing him to lose his vision.

Second: He had his first audition at Motown Records when he was 11 years old. He had his first No. 1 single called “Fingertips” at age 13 (although it was recorded when he was 12). Before his 20th birthday, he recorded hits such as “For Once in my Life,” “My Cherie Amour” and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours.”

Third: In 1972, he released “Talking Book,” which featured the songs “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Superstition” and “I Believe (When I Fall in Love it Will be Forever).” Followed by landmark albums “Innervisions” and “Songs in the Key of Life.”

Our question: Stevie Wonder wrote the music for the only song by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Name the song.

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King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Photo via National Archive)

On this date 78 years ago, George VI was crowned King of Great Britain and Northern Ireland following the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII.

Here are a few things you may not know about King George VI.

First: If you’ve seen the film “The King’s Speech,” you know George VI had a stammer or stutter, which made him dread public speaking. He was also naturally left-handed and was forced to learn to write with his right hand.

Second: His full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George. He was named after his great-grandfather Prince Albert, the prince consort. He was known informally as “Bertie.” He married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923.

Third: He took the name George VI to promote the continuity with the reign of his father and to help rebuild public trust in the monarchy following his brother’s abdication.

Our question: In which major sporting event did George VI participate?

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