Pointless trivia answers

[chickenfeet]

Where would you find a pub named after the author of The 39 Steps?

I imagine that there are quite a few answers to this one. There may even be one in Buchan. Edinburgh does seem plausible but Broadstairs? coughingbear please enlighten us. There is a Buchan Hotel in Vancouver but it would be hard to describe it as a pub. Then there is the one I was thinking of, The Lord Tweedsmuir in Tweed, Ont. This one is unquestionably a pub and unquestionably named for the former governor general and novelist.


Which American general was also an Olympian?

One of the easier questions I think. George Patton represented the USA in modern pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912.


Which French historian was executed by the Gestapo in /near Lyon?

Marc Bloch of course. Soldier, scholar and patriot. All those medievalists on the f-list and only one of them knew.


Which soccer player finished an FA Cup Final with a broken neck?

I was surprised no-one knew this one. Bert Trautmann, Manchester City goalkeeper and former POW, in the 1956 final. No substitutes in those days!


Which English cricketer was offered the throne of Albania?

I'm not sure how this sort of thing used to work. Nowadays one would call up Heidrick and Struggles or someone like that. It appears in those days the process was to stick a pin in Wisden. Anyway the answer is CB Fry. He was probably being quite sensible in turning the offer down.


Which Australian artist painted a series of pictures on the theme of Ned Kelly?

No f4f3, not Rolf Harris. As both oursin and australian_joe knew it is Sidney Nolan. If you ever have the misfortune to be in Canberra go see them. They really are quite striking.


Who was the last winner of the Heisman trophy not to play in the NFL?

This was supposed to be a trick question! "Everybody" knows about Pete Dawkins of the USMA, the 1958 winner, who chose to remain in the army, became a brigadier general and ultimately ran for the senate. Unfortunately "nobody" did. Anyway it's not the right answer. As dherblay points out, the last Heisman winner not to go to the NFL was Charlie Ward of Florida State who won in 1993 but chose a career in the NBA instead.


Which Bordeaux cru classé is named after an earl of Shrewsbury?

Spot the claret drinkers; gillo and shezan! Ch. Talbot, a 4th growth, is named for John Talbot, earl of Shrewsbury, who was killed at Castillon in one of those HYW battles that aren't considered memorable.


Why might one want to give Captain Danjou a hand?

So shezan and coughingbear decided to get as cute with the answers as I was trying to be with the questions but obviously knew of what they spoke. Captain Danjou's wooden hand is the thing you see being paraded around by the Légion Etrangère. It was about the only bit left of the good captain after his suicidal defence of a rather irrelevant farm at a place called Cameroun which is in Mexico where the Légion was trying unsuccessfully to install a Bonaparte as emperor on behalf of the French government. It is thus the perfect symbol for the LE combining suicidal tendencies, slaughter and the pointless interference of the French government in places it has no business to be.


Who was the last English person to be executed for treason?

This is a bit tricky too. William Joyce (Lord Haw Haw) was the last person to be executed for treason in England but by no reasonable definition could he be considered English as he was born an American of Irish descent and subsequently became a german citizen. He almost certainly wasn't guilty of treason either and the government of the day, abetted by the Law Lords, twisted the law of treason probably further than it had been twisted since Henry VII ante-dated his accession so he could pin a treason rap on the those who had fought for the legitimate king at Bosworth Field. So the answer is John Amery, son and brother of Tory cabinet ministers, who was hanged a couple of weeks before Joyce for trying to recruit for the Waffen-SS among British POWs.

Comments

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

At least you come by it honestly.

I do indeed. My grandfather used to go to Old Trafford regularly before WW1. I find the current crop of japanese schoolgirls who think that wearing a facsimile of Wayne Rooney's shirt makes one a United fan rather tedious.

[a-d-medievalist.livejournal.com]

What, as opposed to Wayne Rooney who is just plain tedious?

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Duncan Edwards he is not.

[a-d-medievalist.livejournal.com]

I can think of a similarly youthful player on a certain London team who Rooney is also not. But as I gear up to move across the country and actually shell out for cable, since I will not be in London during the WCF as planned, I am worrying slightly about Engerland's chances. Of course, I'm also predicting that the Gemermans will win the tournament by going to penalties in each game.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I can think of a similarly youthful and talented United player who isn't as big a PIA as Rooney.

I predict that the WCF of football will live up to its reputation as one of the truly tedious events in the sporting calendar.