h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

More folks celebrating birthdays today - can you name them?

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1. Nov 15, 1708: British Prime Minister, after whom a US city is named.
2. Nov 15, 1738, German-English astronomer who discovered the planet Uranus.
3. Nov 15, 1890: British authoress, who wrote the ‘Just William’ series of books.
4. Nov 15, 1891: German soldier, commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps from 1941.
5. Nov 15, 1897: Welsh politician, who spearheaded the establishment of the National Health Service.
6. Nov 15, 1930: Chinese-born English writer of short stories and novels including ‘Empire of the Sun’ and ‘Crash’.
7. Nov 15, 1932: English singer who recorded ‘Downtown’ in 1964.
8. Nov 15, 1942: Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor, husband of Jacqueline Du Pré.
9. Nov 15, 1967: Lebanese-born English journalist and comedian, who created the hidden camera show ‘Trigger Happy TV’.

and two for MMF, if he's watching:

10a. Nov 15, 1988: English rugby union player, son of a tree surgeon, who plays for Gloucester and England (in the inside centre position).
10b. Nov 15, 1988: French rugby union player, who plays for Clermont Auvergne and France (scrum half and goal kicker)

1 William Pitt (& Pittsburgh)
2 William Herschel
4 Rommel
5 Aneurin Bevin

Can I get a bonus point for it being my wife's birthday today too?

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Hope at least one of these are correct
3. Richmal Crompton
7. Petula Clark
8. Daniel Barenboim

6 J G Ballard

This is fascinating. Although I don't know all the answers, it gives me a glimpse into who's famous in the UK, and how you remember them.

My guesses:

1. William Pitt? Oh, say it's William Pitt!
2. Herschel
3. Oh, god. More awful English kiddie lit. Why can't you people tell your kids scary folktales like the rest of us? Not a clue.
4. Erwin Rommel
5. I will take a wild guess and say his last name was either Evans, Williams, or Jones.
6. JG Ballard
7. Petula Clark. That brings back memories...
8. I should know, but don't associate anyone with the clues. Who is Jacqueline Du Pre, and what perfume does she advertise?
9. Oh, come on. I don't believe even YOU people had a TV show by that name. Really?

My observation is the UK folks have more trouble than you do, Dmitri

I could pick some baseball players next time, if you like?

Jacueqline du Pre was a wonderful cellist who died of [I think] Amyotropic Lateral sclerosis, also know as Lou Gehrig's disease. There's your baseball player!

Form some reason I thought 1. might have Lord Jeffrey Amherst, though he my not have ever been prime Minister. or even prime Interest rate.

6. Yes, of course it was, Bob. If Icy had said the author of 'High Rise' I'd've got it.

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You have collectively solved questions 1 through 8. Just the comedian and the rugby players to go.

Collectively is good.

I might know a few baseball players......not many...

Fascinating fact about Lou Gehrig, thanks paulh

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/did-lou-gehrig-actually-die-of-lou-gehrigs-disease/

Baseball players… Hmmm… Kevin Costner was in a film about dead baseball players called 'Field of Dreams', does that count as knowing the name of a baseball player?

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Remember the name of the lead baseball player?

In fact, everything I know about baseball I learned from 'The Naked Gun'. It is a game rather like rounders, only the fielders are all female and when you get to the various bases you have to try and grope them etc in a variety of different ways as appropriate.

Seems a bit bizarre, but that's sport for you…

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Why don't they make cricket movies? Dmitri would love them, I'm sure

I believe somebody made one about cricket AND baseball...let's see...

Yep. 'Million Dollar Arm', with Jon Hamm. They teach an Indian cricketer to pitch baseball, I believe. (Haven't seen it, I would fall asleep.)

Baseball players? Well, there was Shoeless Joe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAvhrpuG1gQ

Petula Clark
is the only one I know mind, I rarely recall my own birthday, let alone other people's

There's lots of good Bollywood films about cricket. Has no-one else seen 'Lagaan' (2001)?

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