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

I've enjoyed Icy's quizzes so much that I've decided to do one of my own, on the theme of death. You have to identify the entities referenced below. Most of them are from the past 50 years. Dates are given in yyyy-mm-dd format to prevent confusion between British and American conventions. During my research, I realized that "This Is Spinal Tap" had it right -- this quiz could have been composed of nothing but drummers!


1. Born: 1998-1-1 - Died 2010-12-1.
Cause of death: infirmity.
Clue: inherited $12 million.

2. Born: 1920-06-29 - Died: 2013-05-07.
Cause of death: old age
Clue: Clash of the Titans.

3. Born: 1987-05-10 - Died: 2009-01-10.
Cause of death: avalanche.
Clue: youngest Briton to climb Mt. Everest

4. Born: 1947-07-31 - Died: 2013-03-28.
Cause of death: heart surgery complications.
Clue: appeared in HHGG, the movie.

5. Born: 1937-05-12 - Died: 2008-06-22.
Cause of death: heart failure.
Clue: seven words you can't say on television.

6. Born: 1940-11-27 - Died: 1973-07-20.
Cause of Death: cerebral edema.
Clue: Jeet Kune Do.

7. Born: 1935-02-16 - Died: 1998-01-05
Cause of Death: skiied into a tree
clue: I got you, babe.

8. Born: 1560-08-07 - Died: 1614-08-21
Cause of Death: Starvation.
Clue: Convicted of 80 murders.

9. Born: 1990-08-06 - Died: 1996-12-26
Cause of Death: Murder.
Clue: pageants.

10. Born: 1962-02-22 - Died: 2006-09-04
Cause of Death: Stingray attack.
Clue: Crocs.

11. Born: 1948-05-31 - Died: 1980-09-25
Cause of Death: Asphyxiation.
Clue: Zep.

12.Born: 1906-04-28 - Died: 1978-01-14
Cause of Death: starvation
Clue:
If the system is consistent, it cannot be complete.
The consistency of the axioms cannot be proven within the system.

13. Born: 1932-04-12 - Died: 1996-11-30
Cause of Death: Heart Attack on stage.
Clue: falsetto

14. Born: 1889-04-20 - Died: 1945-04-30
Cause of Death: suicide.
Clue: Started World War II.

15. Born: 1946-09-05 - Died: 1991-11-24
Cause of Death: AIDS
Clue: galileo galileo

16. Born: 1946-12-02 - Died: 1997-07-15
Cause of Death: Murder by gunshot
Clue: Personal friend of Princess Diana

17. Born: 1877-05-27 - Died: 1927-09-14
Cause of Death: strangled by a car
Clue: Dancer

18. Born: 1929-03-01 - Died: 1978-09-11
Cause of Death: assassination by umbrella
Clue: cold war.

19. Born: 1948-05-31 - Died: 2010-09-03
Cause of Death: car struck by round bale of hay
Clue: evil woman

20a. (Brit) Born: 1943-03-22 - Died: 1976-05-14
Cause of death: electrocuted while playing guitar
Clue: was actually a lead singer in his band

20b. (Yank) Born: 1936-09-07 - Died: 1959-02-03
Cause of death: plane crash
Clue: a hey, a hey hey

5. George Carlin

7. Sonny ?

9. Ack, on the tip of my tongue... Jon Benet Ramsey. Or something like that.

10. Steve Irwin

14. Adolf Hitler

1. I'm guessing a dog or cat but no idea.

7. Sonny Bono?

10. I know who you mean but I can't quite get his name off the tip of my tongue!

14. Hitler.

15. Freddy Mercury.

20b. Buddy Holly?

I'm rubbish at this!

Deb

1. Born: 1998-1-1 - Died 2010-12-1.
Cause of death: infirmity.
Clue: inherited $12 million.

No idea, but debs guess of a pet cat sounds a fair bet.

2. Born: 1920-06-29 - Died: 2013-05-07.
Cause of death: old age
Clue: Clash of the Titans.
Ray Harryhausen? I should know this one, as we published A87778408 last week, complete with a new illustration by Wowbagger.

3. Born: 1987-05-10 - Died: 2009-01-10.
Cause of death: avalanche.
Clue: youngest Briton to climb Mt. Everest
pass

4. Born: 1947-07-31 - Died: 2013-03-28.
Cause of death: heart surgery complications.
Clue: appeared in HHGG, the movie.
pass

5. Born: 1937-05-12 - Died: 2008-06-22.
Cause of death: heart failure.
Clue: seven words you can't say on television.
pass
6. Born: 1940-11-27 - Died: 1973-07-20.
Cause of Death: cerebral edema.
Clue: Jeet Kune Do. pass
pass
7. Born: 1935-02-16 - Died: 1998-01-05
Cause of Death: skiied into a tree
clue: I got you, babe.
Sonny Bono

8. Born: 1560-08-07 - Died: 1614-08-21
Cause of Death: Starvation.
Clue: Convicted of 80 murders.

9. Born: 1990-08-06 - Died: 1996-12-26
Cause of Death: Murder.
Clue: pageants.
Jon Benet, don't recall surname

10. Born: 1962-02-22 - Died: 2006-09-04
Cause of Death: Stingray attack.
Clue: Crocs.
Steve Irwin

11. Born: 1948-05-31 - Died: 1980-09-25
Cause of Death: Asphyxiation.
Clue: Zep.

12.Born: 1906-04-28 - Died: 1978-01-14
Cause of Death: starvation
Clue:
smiley - spacesmiley - spacesmiley - spaceIf the system is consistent, it cannot be complete.
smiley - spacesmiley - spacesmiley - spaceThe consistency of the axioms cannot be proven within the system.

13. Born: 1932-04-12 - Died: 1996-11-30
Cause of Death: Heart Attack on stage.
Clue: falsetto

14. Born: 1889-04-20 - Died: 1945-04-30
Cause of Death: suicide.
Clue: Started World War II.
Hitler

15. Born: 1946-09-05 - Died: 1991-11-24
Cause of Death: AIDS
Clue: galileo galileo
Freddy Mercury

16. Born: 1946-12-02 - Died: 1997-07-15
Cause of Death: Murder by gunshot
Clue: Personal friend of Princess Diana

nope, sorry

17. Born: 1877-05-27 - Died: 1927-09-14
Cause of Death: strangled by a car
Clue: Dancer
Isadora Duncan

18. Born: 1929-03-01 - Died: 1978-09-11
Cause of Death: assassination by umbrella
Clue: cold war.

Can't recall his name right now

19. Born: 1948-05-31 - Died: 2010-09-03
Cause of Death: car struck by round bale of hay
Clue: evil woman
no idea, makes me think of the witch in Oz

20a. (Brit) Born: 1943-03-22 - Died: 1976-05-14
Cause of death: electrocuted while playing guitar
Clue: was actually a lead singer in his band

20b. (Yank) Born: 1936-09-07 - Died: 1959-02-03
Cause of death: plane crash
Clue: a hey, a hey hey
Buddy Holly?

which goes to show I am rubbish at quizzes.

1. Born: 1998-1-1 - Died 2010-12-1.
Cause of death: infirmity.
Clue: inherited $12 million.
No idea either but I think I may be related.

4. Born: 1947-07-31 - Died: 2013-03-28.
Cause of death: heart surgery complications.
Clue: appeared in HHGG, the movie.
I have wiped this film from my memory.
Just hope it wasn't Marvin.

5. Born: 1937-05-12 - Died: 2008-06-22.
Cause of death: heart failure.
Clue: seven words you can't say on television.
I know many linked with one word but seven? Must be Peter Cook.

6. Born: 1940-11-27 - Died: 1973-07-20.
Cause of Death: cerebral edema.
Clue: Jeet Kune Do.
Either Star Wars or the Orient. I'll go for Bruce Lee

8. Born: 1560-08-07 - Died: 1614-08-21
Cause of Death: Starvation.
Clue: Convicted of 80 murders.
Wild guess after a half heard programme last night.
Henry Avery.

12.Born: 1906-04-28 - Died: 1978-01-14
Cause of Death: starvation
Clue:If the system is consistent, it cannot be complete.
The consistency of the axioms cannot be proven within the system.
Obviously someone really clever who starved to death trying to figure out how to operate a microwave.

13. Born: 1932-04-12 - Died: 1996-11-30
Cause of Death: Heart Attack on stage.
Clue: falsetto
The only falsetto I can bring to mind was Tiny Tim. Tiptoe through the Tulips
Now I won't be rid of that song until bedtime

16. Born: 1946-12-02 - Died: 1997-07-15
Cause of Death: Murder by gunshot
Clue: Personal friend of Princess Diana
That's as good a motive as any in my book said the nasty person.

19. Born: 1948-05-31 - Died: 2010-09-03
Cause of Death: car struck by round bale of hay
Clue: evil woman
Cliff Richard sang 'Evil Woman' but I think he's still alive.
We can but hope.

I am great at quizzes, apart from guessing the answers of course. Is that important?

14 - Hitler.
15 - Freddy Mercury.
17 - Isadora Duncan.

As for the others... I've no idea!

Looking forward to learning some new stuff!

4. Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz (voice)- Richard Griffiths

19- Mike Edwards of ELO

18 - Georgi Markov - BBC world Service presenter

ANSWERS

1. Leona Helmsley's dog Trouble inherited $12 million from the wealthy tax dodger at her death, and was cared for by the doorman at the hotel where Trouble continued to live. I have no idea who he willed his money to.

2. Ray Harryhausen, stop-motion animation king. He was particularly proud of his Medusa in Clash of the Titans, for the way all the snakes moved independently.

3. Rob Gauntlett, killed with a friend in the French Alps

4. Richard Griffiths, British actor

5. George Carlin

6. Bruce Lee

7. Sonny Bono - went from hosting a variety show with Cher to divorcing her and taking all their assets, then becoming a Republican politician. And then skiiing into a tree.

8. Countess Elizabeth Báthory - one scary lady! Convicted of 80 deaths but strongly suspected of 600 more. On conviction she was bricked into a set of rooms at the family castle, with slits allowed for food and ventilation, and she lived for another four years. She was presumed to have died of starvation, as food was seen to be untouched when people peeked through the slits. So this was possibly a suicide. Or she became too ill to eat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory

9. JonBenét Ramsey, kidnapped and murdered in her own home. Case still unsolved.

10. Steve Irwin, crocodile over-enthusiast. A stingray impaled his heart.

11. John Bonham, drummer for Led Zeppelin. It was statistically unavoidable that we have a drummer.

12. Kurt Friedrich Gödel
He had extreme paranoia and would only eat what his wife personally prepared, so when she was hospitalized he simply stopped eating. Logical but paranoid. The clue is his extremely important contribution to the philosophy of mathematics, the Incompleteness Theorem. I thought y'all would know that.

13. Tiny Tim (I'd argue that "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" was THE strangest song to ever get into the top 10).

14. Adolf Hitler (or did somebody else start World War II? Should we blame 2legs?)

15. Freddie Mercury of Queen. The clue is a fragment from "Bohemian Rhapsody", one of the stranger songs to become a smash hit.

16. Gianni Versace, murdered in his south Florida mansion by a complete stranger.

17. Isadora Duncan, thrown from the car and nearly decapitated when the long scarf she was wearing got tangled in wheel spokes.

18. Georgi Markov - Bulgarian defector, stabbed with the tip of an umbrella on a London street

19. Mike Edwards of ELO - a huge round bale broke loose, rolled down hill and t-boned his van.

20a. Keith Relf (Yardbirds) This wasn't a stage death; he was just messing about at home.

20b. Buddy Holly

Kudos to those who figured a few of them out. I know some were really obscure, but they were so educational! Extra glory to Bald Bloke for getting three of the harder ones.

Oh, and a trivia factoid: there's a thrash-death metal band named Bathory, after the Countess.

Trivia Collection & retention

Richard Griffiths, When he died I made a comment about his HHGTTG involvement, the other two are for somewhat more odd reasons.

Mike Edwards, I happened to drive along that road the day before, so when I saw the news it stuck.

Georgi Markov, I remember the Whoo Ha at the time, but then happened across his grave in Whitchurch Canonicorum (sp?) last summer.

[BB]