This is the first “older than dirt” trivia quiz…more links below.
When Kaiser asked his Internet audience what else they’d like to see in his columns, many answered “nostalgia” and “trivia.” Always eager to please, he’s writing a column a month for the next few months on nostalgic trivia.
Here’s Your Chance to Prove that Your Memory’s (Almost) Intact
1. What year was the bikini swimsuit unveiled to the public?
a. 1943, Casablanca.
b. 1947, Honolulu.
c. 1946, Paris.
2. What method did women adapt to look as if they were wearing stockings when none was available due to rationing during W.W.II?
a. Suntan.
b. Leg painting.
c. Wearing slacks.
3. Which Paris designer gained fame in the 1940s for his “New Look?”
a. Lewis Comfort Tiffany.
b. Christian Dior.
c. Yves St. Laurent.
4. How did famous ’40s bandleader, Glenn Miller, die?
a. Pneumonia caught when his trombone’s spit valve backfired.
b. Heart attack when hearing that June Allyson was to play his wife in a movie.
c. Plane crash over the English Channel.
5. What was the nickname given to the women who worked in the USA’s war production plants during W.W.II?
a. Contentious Clara, the commander.
b. Bodacious Betty, the blue-collar bomb.
c. Rosie the Riveter.
6. Who was Bill Haley and what was the name of his group?
a. World War II General, wounded leader of the Italian Campaign.
b. Democratic candidate for Congress in 1958.
c. 1950s Rock and Roll singer and guitarist, leader of “Bill Haley and the Comets.”
7. What was a DA?
a. Hairstyle featuring hair combed into a “duck ass” in the back.
b. District Attorney.
c. The name of a ’50s rock group.
8. What does LSMFT stand for?
a. Lets Share More Fun Times
b. Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco
c. Leisure Strides Make Feet Tingle
9. During the Korean War, name the date of the US Marine assault on the port of Inchon?
a. July 4, 1949
b. September 6, 1951
c. October 1, 1950
10. Name the two stars of “The African Queen,” and the year the movie debuted.
a. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, 1950
b. Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, 1956.
c. Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, 1951.
11. What phenomena made popular in the 1950s allowed everyone to become an artist?
a. Paint-by-Number sets.
b. Paint Rollers.
c. Feathery brushes.
12. In the early days of TV, how was program audience size measured?
a. Viewers would call the Roper Poll.
b. Water pressure was measured in various cities to see when most toilet flushes occurred, thus indicating when the most popular program ran its commercials.
c. George Gallup had all early TVs wired to his “GallopingMeasuraBoard.”
“OLDER THAN DIRT” TRIVIA ANSWERS:
1. c) 1946, Paris. The bikini got its name from the South Pacific atoll where the atomic bomb was tested.
2. b) Leg painting, including black lines on the back of the leg to resemble seamed stockings. A whole industry developed around leg painting as it was thought the height of fashion to look as if you were wearing the impossible-to-get nylon stockings.
3. b) Christian Dior. After the war years with their masculine fashions, Christian Dior designed a line of clothing featuring nipped waists and long “Flower Petal” skirts topped with head-hugging hats. Mamie Eisenhower adopted this style and, along with her bangs, became the world’s most avid fan of the “New Look.”
4. c) Plane crash. It has never been established whether his plane was shot down or crashed due to weather or mechanical failure.
5. c) Rosie, the riveter. These wives, mothers, and girlfriends of the men fighting overseas become the deciding factor in the production of war material and share in America’s final victory.
6. c) “Haley and the Comets,” early rockers. They debuted on American Bandstand and helped usher in the Rock and Roll age, much to the consternation of parents and clergy worldwide.
7. a) High school boys’ hairstyle popular in the 1950s. Hair was worn long, greased up, and combed into a V formation at the back of the head. Elvis wore his DA well.
8. b) Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco, an advertising slogan used after the cigarette’s wartime, “Lucky Strike Green has gone to War.” Because Luckies and Camels were given to GI’s during the war, they were the most popular brands for many years after.
9. c) October 1, 1950. This audacious invasion behind enemy lines closed the port and helped push the North Koreans north of the 38th Parallel.
10. c) Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. One of Hollywood’s most tender love stories, Bogart’s Mr. Olnot remains one of the screen’s most enduring and endearing characters.
11. a) Paint-by-Number sets. Complete with brushes and pots of oil paints, and a picture, with numbers corresponding to the colors, these masterpieces were destined to hang in living rooms all over the country, until, like all fads, it thankfully died out.
12. b) Water pressure was measured in various cities to see when the most toilet flushes occurred, thus pointing out when the most popular program ran its commercials.
SCORING:
10 – 12 correct: You must really lead a terribly dull life to remember all that dumb stuff.
