On This Day: A Daily Quiz - February 13

Ray Charles, Galileo and Henry VIII: find out what happened in their lives on this day as you test your knowledge of history, celebrities and pop culture.

February 13

1. In 1633, Italian astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome to stand trial before the Inquisition on charges of heresy. He had supported the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun, as formulated by:
a. Johannes Kepler
b. Tycho Brahe
c. Nicolaus Copernicus
d. Aristotle

2. In 1974, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was exiled from the Soviet Union. In 1970, he won the Nobel Prize in what category?
a. Peace
b. Economics
c. Medicine
d. Literature

3. Ray Charles' final album, Genius Loves Company, won eight posthumous awards at the 2005 Grammys. With which of the following artists did he not sing a duet on the album?
a. Norah Jones
b. Celine Dion
c. Elton John
d. Willie Nelson

4. In 1689, after deposing her father, James II, Mary and her husband, William of Orange, were proclaimed joint rulers of England. Where is Orange?
a. France
b. Holland
c. Prussia
d. Denmark

5. In 2008, the Writers Guilds of America, East and West, labor unions representing film, television, and radio writers, ended their strike. How long did the strike last?
a. 50 days
b. 51 days
c. 100 days
d. 101 days

6. Born on this day in 1942, musician Peter Tork is best known for having been a member of what 1960s group?
a. The Doors
b. The Monkees
c. Cream
d. The Lovin' Spoonful

7. In 1542, Henry VIII of England executed his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. To which of his other wives was she related?
a. Anne Boleyn
b. Catherine Parr
c. Jane Seymour
d. Anne of Cleves

Answers: 1. c, 2. d, 3. b, 4. a, 5. c, 6. b, 7.a

Sources: History.com, Wikipedia, The New York Times: On This Day