Tuesday Trivia

1. In 1097, Trotula, a midwife of Salerno, wrote The Diseases of Women – a then legitimate text book for medical students. How many years was it used before it was considered outdated?
2. In the classic fairy tale, what were Cinderella’s slippers originally made of?
3. Who was the author of the first detective story in 1841?
4. Which was the first American novel to sell a million copies?
5. What is the origin of the phrase, "United we stand, divided we fall"?

Last Week’s Answers

Which 16th century Italian painter was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the greatest poets of all time?

Though it is not widely known, the Italian painter Michelangelo was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the greatest Poets of all time. About 250 of his poems and sonnets have come down to us today and are still read by scholars, historians, and fellow poets.


Which of Shakespeare’s close friends and fellow authors is buried in a standing position in Westminster Abbey?

To save costs, the body of Shakespeare’s friend and fellow dramatist, Ben Jonson, was buried standing up in Westminister Abbey, London in 1637.


Which 20th century French Journalist wrote an entire book one letter at a time — indicating the next correct letter by blinking only his left eye?

Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French journalist suffering from “locked-in” syndrome which paralyzed his body but did not affect his mind, wrote the book The Diving Bell and the Butterfly solely by blinking his left eye. When the correct letter was reached by a person slowly reciting the alphabet over and over again, Bauby would blink to indicate his choice —composing and editing the book entirely in his head.

Which is the shortest stage play on record?

The shortest stage play to date is Samuel Beckett’s “Breath” – 35 seconds of screams and heavy breathing.


Who coined the term “Beat” — a slang term to symbolize the literary movement created by writers such as Ginsberg and Burroughs?

Jack Kerouac first used the term in the late 1940s, but was not until the 1950s that it would begin to describe the literary movement by writers such as Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs.