Akira Kurosawa is someone that few people know very much about. That means that brushing up on your Akira Kurosawa trivia can aid you in stumping your friends and family the next time you have a game night. There are a few interesting facts that you can use as trivia questions to quiz your friends on and ensure that you win the game. For instance do you know that Akira Kurosawa was the youngest of seven children or that he made his debut as a director with Sugata Sanshiro in the year 1943?

Taking an Akira Kurosawa quiz can show you how much you know about Akira. What might come up when taking a quiz about Akira Kurosawa? There are several questions that could come up, let’s see what they might be. Questions such as, what was the first job that Akira held in the film industry? The answer is that he was an assistant to the director Kajiro Yamamoto in 1936 for his first job in the film industry. What year did the Los Angeles Film Critics Association give Akira Kurosawa a Career Achievement Award? The answer to this bit of trivia is 1985.

The fact that Akira Kurosawa was nominated for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures by the Directors Guild of America for Rashomon in 1953 is something that could appear in Akira Kurosawa trivia. What were award did he receive from the Directors Guild of America during 1986? The answer to this bit of trivia is the Golden Jubilee Award. What else happened in 1986?

There are a few trivia questions about Akira Kurosawa that could revolve around the year 1986. For example, in 1986 at the San Francisco International Film Festival what award was Akira Kurosawa given? The answer would be the “The Akira Kurosawa Award.” What film did he win the Norwegian Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film during 1986? The answer to this bit of trivia is Ran.

Another trivia question about Akira Kurosawa might be which year he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America. The answer to this question would be 1992.

What else could come up with Akira Kurosawa trivia? What year did he receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in at the Japanese Academy Awards? The answer would be 1999. Want to stump your friends ask them how tall Akira Kurosawa was. The answer is six feet, and chances are your friends won’t know that.

Taking an Akira Kurosawa quiz will help you to find interesting facts to amaze your friends with.

It is a well known fact that the United States bombed Hiroshima during World War II in retaliation for the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor but what else is known about Hiroshima? Taking a quiz on Hiroshima can show you how much you know about the history of World War II and the actual city that was bombed. Hiroshima trivia can assist you in brushing up on your knowledge of this Japanese city.

A question on a Hiroshima quiz might include how many people were injured, killed or missing when the first atomic bomb was dropped on the city. The answer would be 130,000 people. What else might come up? What date was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima? The answer to this piece of historical trivia is August 6, 1945 and it leveled ninety percent of the city itself. Now what else could you learn about the city of Hiroshima?

An interesting fact that might come up during a quiz about Hiroshima might be what year the First Sino-Japanese War started. The answer is 1894. How many streetcar lines were opened by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Co. Ltd during November of 1912? The answer would be four and they replaced the system of horse drawn carriages as Hiroshima’s main transportation. Where did the streetcar line that opened in April of 1915 run? The answer is between Miyuki-bashi Bridge and Ujina.

When it comes to Hiroshima trivia there is an abundance of possibilities since the history of Hiroshima goes back for centuries. For instance did you know that Hiroshima means “Wide Island” and got its name in 1589? What led up to the naming? The construction of a castle was started by Terumoto Mori on an area known as Goka meaning “five villages’ and the area became Hiroshima. These are the facts that come up when asked about how the area got its name.

An interesting piece of trivia is that for performing unauthorized repairs to Hiroshima Castle the Fukushima clan received a penalty from the shogun. The punishment was having the territories confiscated and being transferred. Who occupied the Hiroshima Castle during 1916 while controlling the entire Aki Province and eight counties of Bingo? The answer would be Nagaakira Asano.

Trivia about Hiroshima has to include what happened after the atomic bomb nearly destroyed it. For instance, do you know what the first special law was in Japan after the bombing to assist in the rebuilding? The answer to this is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law that came to be on August 6, 1949. A Hiroshima quiz can reveal numerous historical facts that you might not have known.

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The moment that man stepped foot on the moon is definitely one of the more admirable historical moments of all time. Being that it is so admirable and so absolutely intriguing that this event actually occurred; many people want to learn more about it. Apollo 11 trivia is helpful to those who want to learn a great deal of information about this voyage into space in a very short period of time. In fact, several of the facts that you would learn through trivia would take you hours, if not days, to find in a book – or even surfing online.

 

One of the main focuses of the Apollo 11 quiz is the fact that it was the first mission to carry humans to the moon. It was on this voyage that the famous words, “That’s one small step for man…one giant leap for mankind,” were uttered by Neil Armstrong as he became the first human being to ever set foot on the moon.

 

Do you know the name of the lunar module used in Apollo 11? Its name was “Eagle”; named after the United States national bird. The name “Columbia” was chosen for the larger command module.

 

Another interesting piece of Apollo 11 trivia is the fact that the Apollo missions had actually been ongoing and this was actually the fifth mission of Project Apollo that involved human spaceflight. Aside from that, it was also the third voyage by humans to the moon; however, no human had ever stepped foot on the moon until this specific voyage.

 

The Apollo 11’s lunar module, Eagle, landed on the surface of the moon on the 20^th of July, 1969. It landed at approximately 20:17:40 UTC. An interesting fact is that the Eagle had barely enough fuel left for 25 seconds more, as the two men had encountered some difficulties during landing due to their training at NASA. Things were quite a bit different in reality and the several alarms that were going off certainly didn’t help to calm the already likely nerve-wracking maneuver.

 

The crew was able to complete the mission, which would have put a big smile on the face of former President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy had set a goal to put a man on the moon prior to the end of the decade (1960’s) and this goal had now not only been fulfilled, but broadcast worldwide for any who wished to see the triumphant event. Clearly, this amazing feat proves that anything is possible.

         

Bob Marley trivia is going to, simply put, be all about the music. His music has been thought by many to be among the most positive and uplifting music ever created, and is extremely popular throughout the world. An interesting fact is that in radio tests created for random listening experiences conducted worldwide, Bob Marley tested the highest amongst all musicians among random listeners for pure enjoyment of his music.

 

A Bob Marley quiz is obviously going to contain some questions about his record sales and his greatest hits. One good example of this type of information is how he has the most popular selling reggae album of all time, which has sold more than 20 million copies over the entire globe. The name of that album was “Legend” which was released posthumously. Some of his most well known songs include, “No Woman No Cry” “Redemption Song” and “I Shot the Sheriff”.

 

Bob Marley trivia should include facts about his early life. He comes from a very small town in Jamaica called Nine Mile. His name was Nesta Robert Marley at birth, and an error in paperwork later in life would place the Robert “Bob” as the first name instead of Nesta. Marley’s father was white, and as a result Marley was the target of racism in his younger years because of his mixed parentage, something that could make him the target of racism from both black and white social sectors.

 

Bob Marley’s band was known as “The Wailers” although most people don’t know that they went through many different names before they finally became the Wailers, ultimately making records under the name of “Bob Marley and the Wailers”. Before settling on that name they had been “The Teenagers” “The Wailing Rudeboys” “The Wailing Wailers” and “The Wailers” and the band was ultimately composed of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh, although Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith were all former members of the group.

 

Religion was a very large part of Marley’s life, and he was a follower of the Rastafarian movement.  A large part of his life became devoted to the spread of this religion and through getting the music of the movement to the remote parts of Jamaica, as well as exposing it through his popularity to the music world at large.

 

Marley died in 1981 at only 36 years old from cancer.

           

 

Today, most of us take for granted the fact that we can pick up a newspaper, magazine, book or periodical at nearly any store and easily read it. Well, we’ve come a long way. Years ago, books and periodicals were completely handwritten. Imagine the time it would take an individual to create one single book, let alone mass quantities of it! Ah, yes, you would hear of the book, but you wouldn’t be able to get your hands on a copy for years…that is, unless of course you were one of the elite and extremely wealthy. Even then, you would likely still have to wait nearly a year for a copy to be produced.

So, how do you think it affected society and the world in general when someone finally invented a way to mass produce content? Well, let’s just say that one man’s contribution likely forged the beginnings of modern day publishing, thus giving our ancestors a reason to want to learn how to read and actually relishing the chance to own a piece of literary history.

The full name of Johannes Gutenberg was actually Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg. Although his actual birth date is unknown, it is assumed that he was born sometime in the year of 1398 in Mainz, Germany. He was the son of Friele Gensfleisch zur Laden and Else Wyrich (who was his father’s second wife).

One of the pivotal figures credited with having a hand in the European Renaissance was Johannes Gutenberg. This German born printer and goldsmith changed the publishing world forever with the invention and use of two major publishing needs; moveable type and the mechanical printing press. In fact, this man and the work that he committed himself to nearly 570 years ago is, astonishingly, still being honored today! Most recently, he was honored by Time-Life Magazine in 1997 and the A&E Network in 1999.)

The printing press was invented by Gutenberg at some point during the years of 1439 – 1449, though his ideas of the press and moveable type were reportedly revealed as early as 1440. By the year 1450, the printing press was up and running and word traveled fast. Gutenberg ended up partnering with Johann Fust. The partnership ended in a courtroom and the result left Gutenberg nearly bankrupt and his age left little time to replace what had been lost.

Then, 10 years later and 3 years prior to his death, Gutenberg’s contributions were recognized by Archbishop von Nassau. This earned Gutenberg the title of Hofmann and included grain, wine, a special court outfit and a generous stipend. Finally, he had earned a portion of the recognition he so deserved.

To find out more about Johannes Gutenberg or play Johannes Gutenberg trivia, the Johannes Gutenberg quiz or Johannes Gutenberg quizzes, please visit MastersOfTrivia.com.

Since 1975, one actress has been stealing the stage and the screen; proving that age has nothing on ability. Though an American, this actress is world renowned as she has won numerous awards all over the world for the variety of roles that she has played throughout her lengthy acting career, not to mention her many nominations! She was born Mary Louise Streep on the 22nd of June, 1949, in Summit, NJ to Mary and Harry Streep. She soon became accustomed to the nickname Meryl (which is somewhat of a combination of her first and middle names).

After high school, she attended Vassar College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Drama. Streep briefly attended Dartmouth as well, but later graduated from Yale School of Drama with her Masters in Fine Arts Degree.

Starting out as many actors do, on the stage, she got her first taste of true acting in 1971 while playing the role of Imogene Parott in Trelawney of the Wells.  She met her first fiancé, John Cazale, while performing in Measure for Measure.  Shortly afterward, she landed a role alongside Cazale in The Deer Hunter, which premiered in 1978. Cazale died of bone cancer in March of that same year.

Streep buried herself in her work after Cazale’s death. However, in late 1978, she married sculptor Don Gummel. As gathered from Streep’s own quotes throughout the years, she had obviously developed the theory that life is too short; a theory which many realize much too late in life. Perhaps this is why she married so quickly after Cazale’s passing. Regardless of reason, the marriage has withstood the tests of time for nearly 31 years.  The pair has four children, Henry, Mamie, Grace and Louisa.

Streep’s work has been continuous throughout the years, but her best known role is likely that of Sophie Zawistowski, a surviving woman of the Polish Holocaust. Though Streep has stated time and time again that she cares nothing about fashion, her role as the editor-in-chief of Runway Magazine, Miranda Priestly, in the movie The Devil Wears Prada forced her to act otherwise. This 2006 film became number 2 on Streep’s list of highest grossing films; with the first being the 2008 film adaptation of Broadway hit Mama Mia! Both of these films garnered worldwide appreciation; allowing Streep to once again earn new fans the world over.

Streep currently has two films in production mode. Surely, her obsession with perfecting her roles will continue to entertain fans for years to come.

Find out more about Meryl Streep by playing the Meryl Streep quiz, Meryl Streep quizzes and Meryl Streep trivia games at MastersOfTrivia.com.

There are few musical artists in the last century which have been as important as Paul McCartney. Popular music in the last fifty years can almost all be directly traced to the music created by Paul McCartney and his three band mates in the most famous pop band of all time, The Beatles. John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr completed the rest of the group. The music created by this band completely revolutionized the popular music industry, and is not only among the most influential, but also the most covered music that has ever been created.

Paul McCartney’s story starts in Liverpool in 1940. From humble beginnings in a poor, working class town, he has gone on to become the person who is generally considered to be the most successful musician of all time. He has sold over a hundred million singles, and has over 60 gold records. During those early years in Liverpool he met George Harrison in 1954, and a few years later he would meet John Lennon. Once these three began to play music together, history began to unfold in front of them.

In 1962 the band would take its legendary form after the firing of Pete Best and the hiring of Ringo Star. On October 5th, 1962, “Love Me Do” was released, and after that The Beatles quickly shot to international stardom to become the most successful band of all time.

Despite having written some of the most famous songs of all time with The Beatles and John Lennon, such as “Yesterday” “All you Need is Love”, and “ Hey Jude”, McCartney proved himself able to go on and have a vital and thriving solo career after the break-up of the band in the early seventies.

Although performing and writing music has remained an important part of Paul McCartney’s career in the last several years, but he has increasingly focused his attention on his political causes and a variety of causes. He has publicly promoted the vegetarian lifestyle for many years now and fights extremely hard for animal rights. One of the most common places to find Paul McCartney over the last several years has been playing at a variety of benefits and aid concerts to raise money for various international causes. His vast amount of star power has been one of the major contributing factors to many concerts and benefits being able to raise huge amounts of money for a wide variety of causes.

To find out more about Paul McCartney, visit MastersOfTrivia.com and play the Paul McCartney trivia games and Paul McCartney quizzes.

Igor Stravinsky was born in 1882 and raised in St. Petersburg where his love for music was kindled at the age of 8 after seeing a performance of Tchaikovsky’s ballet, “The Sleeping Beauty”. Throughout his life, Stravinsky would travel the world. This included spending significant portions of his life and career in places such as Switzerland, France, and finally in the United States where he would live out the rest of his life. During his time living in the U.S. he resided in the Los Angeles area but later chose to make the move to New York City, where he passed away in 1971.

The work of Stravinsky has continued to be influential and important in the realms of composition and classical music, and is broken into three large categories of work. The Russian period is generally thought to consist of the work which he created between the years of 1908 and 1919. Significant work from this period included three ballets that he composed; which include L’Oiseau de Feu, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring.  This period is also noted for a riot which was caused by the premiere of the first of those ballets in 1913.

The next period in his career was significantly longer, and runs from roughly 1920 to 1954. This period is characterized by his attention which was turned to the music of the classical period.   He spent time working with the material of Mozart and Bach. The music he wrote in this period was characterized of sparser arrangements than that of his earlier work, which typically employed extremely large and full orchestras, as opposed to the Neoclassical work which was much more typically using wind orchestration with a piano, as well as choral arrangements.

The final period of his career started in 1953, and is known as the serial period. He turned to a type of composition which included dodecaphony. This is a twelve tone method that was created by Shoenberg.  Interestingly enough, these two lived very near to each other during this period in L.A., but they never became friends or spent much time together. The compositions from this time such as Cantata, Septet, and Three Songs from Shakespeare were composed with serial techniques which were NOT twelve-tone based.

Stravinsky contributed many innovations to the field and his particular use of rhythm and of the large orchestra were both considered innovations of the time. His compositional techniques during all of his significant musical periods have provided significant influence on both his contemporaries and on those who have come afterwards.

Learn more about Stravinsky by playing Igor Stravinsky Trivia games, the Igor Stravinsky trivia Quiz and Igor Stravinsky trivia questions at MastersOfTrivia.com.