Tuesday Trivia

1. What famous poet was known to his close friends by the nickname Junkets?
2. What French novelist inadvertently provided actress Ruth Davis with her stage name, Bette Davis?
3. What Shakespearean character was based on a London doctor who served as Queen Elizabeth I's chief physician until he was arrested and hanged for conspiring to kill her?
4. What two great writers died on April 23, 1616?
5. Which book did Americans rate as their favorite in the year 1900 (second only to the Bible)?

Last Week's Answers

What famous writer claimed she did most of the plotting for her books while sitting in a bathtub munching on apples?

Agatha Christie, an English writer equally famous for her novels, short stories, and plays, played an important role in shaping the crime genre. She has been quoted as saying that her over 80 detective novels and various other works all began as musings in the tub.

What American novelist was challenged to a duel and beaten by a woman he later married?

Jack London dueled with future bride, Charmian Kittredge, with foils, face masks, and breast plates.


Who was the inspiration for the popular sixteenth-century nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet?

Patience Muffet was the daughter of the poem's author, Dr. Thomas Muffet. Dr. Muffet worked as an entomologist and wrote frequently about spiders.


What future playwright was expelled from Princeton University by Woodrow Wilson when the American president-to-be was president of the university?

Eugene O'Neill was expelled for throwing a bottle of beer through Wilson's office window.

What famous author wrote under the pen names Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, Sergeant Fathom, and W. Apaminondas Adrastus Blab before switching to the name with which he gained fame?

Samuel Clemens, who finally settled on the name Mark Twain.