12 Days of Christmas - Random Trivia Answers

• A1) The Cowsills. The Newport, Rhode Island singing group began in 1965 with the four brothers Barry, Bill, Bob, and John and later added their sister Susan, their brother Paul, and their mother Barbara.
• A2) The Netherlands. Unilever had bought a soap factory called De Duif and eventually began marketing Dove soap in the U.S. in 1957.
• A3) Sadie (Cohen). Although Youngman frequently joked about his wife ("Take my wife... please!"), they were happily married for over sixty years.
• A4) Magic Johnson. The huge rivalry, which included the 1979 NCAA Final Four Championship contest and three NBA Finals over a dozen seasons, earned them billing on the first double-sided Wheaties box.
• A5) Mount Doom. The long history of the Ring included Sauron creating it, Isildur stealing it from him, Smeagol killing his friend Deagol for it, and Bilbo Baggins finding it after Smeagol, who had turned into Gollum, lost it.
• A6) Richard. On August 6, 1988, the Hall of Famer became the second reliever, after Rollie Fingers, to record 300 career saves.
• A7) Jerry Rice. The San Francisco 49er amassed 589 yards in four games, dropping Swann's 364 into second place. Rice also owns the record for most receiving yards in a single Super Bowl, with 215 in Super Bowl XXIII; Swann's 161 in Super Bowl X was a record at the time but now ranks fourth.
• A8) Fitzwalter. Lady Marian Fitzwalter of Leaford was supposedly the daughter of the real-life Robert Fitzwalter, who had attempted to assassinate King John.
• A9) Fred Astaire. The Nebraskan born as Frederick Austerlitz would ultimately appear in 31 musical movies over a 76-year entertainment career.
• A10) Puck. The fairy had been causing trouble in the forest during Act III, Scene ii of A Midsummer Nights Dream.
• A11) Germany. Frankie Gammyfoot used his music to lure the rats from the town of Hamelin into the Weser River in 1284.
• A12) Stirrup (stapes). The hammer (malleus) and anvil (incus) also move, transferring the vibration to the cochlea, whose hairs generate nerve signals that are sent to the brain.

12 Days of Christmas - Random Trivia Questions

The Twelve Days of Christmas do not lead up to Christmas but actually run from Christmas Day (December 25) through Twelfth Night (January 5), which is the day before Epiphany. The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was initially published in England in 1780, but probably dates even further back in France. Since you're probably all holidayed out by now, this week's quiz uses the gifts in the song only to launch questions completely unrelated to the holidays.

12 Days of Christmas Questions

• Q1) What real life singing family was the basis for The Partridge Family television series?
• Q2) In what country did Dove soap originate?
• Q3) What was the first name of comedian Henny Youngman's wife?
• Q4) With whom did Larry Bird share the two big sides of Wheaties boxes in 1993?
• Q5) In The Lord of the Rings, into what volcano does the simple-looking gold ring known as the One Ring need to be tossed to be destroyed?
• Q6) What was Major League Baseball pitcher Goose Gossage's given first name?
• Q7) Who broke Lynn Swann's record for career receiving yards in Super Bowls?
• Q8) In the Robin Hood stories, what was Maid Marian's last name, introduced by playwright Anthony Munday in the early 17th century?
• Q9) What famous dancer first appeared on the big screen in the 1933 movie Dancing Lady, starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable?
• Q10) What Shakespeare character observed, "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"?
• Q11) In what country does the Pied Piper live?
• Q12) What is the smallest bone in the human body, which vibrates in reaction to the movement of the eardrum?