Crossword Clues “B”
He was an actor and twice-husband of Elizabeth Taylor
Who is (Richard) Burton? Burton and Taylor’s romance began during the filming of 1964’s Cleopatra and was met with a media frenzy.
This nocturnal hunter is known for its near-silent flight.
What is the owl? The shape of owl wings and feathers significantly reduce the sound made when they fly
This 1972 Francis Ford Coppola film based on the book by Mario Puzo tells the story of an Italian American family in the 1930s and ’40s. It stars Marlon Brando and Al Pacino.
What is The Godfather? During filming, Marlon Brando read his lines from cue cards. He felt it made him look like he was searching for just the right words. Fun fact: You never hear the words mafia or mob in the movie.
The Beatles landed in New York City in this decade.
What is the 1960s? On February 7, 1964, the Beatles phenomenon crossed the Atlantic Ocean. They were greeted by 100 police officers, 200 members of the press, and 4,000 screaming fans.
Born in 1835, what is the pen name of author Samuel Clemens?
Mark Twain. Twain’s pseudonym was inspired by his days as a riverboat pilot. Mark Twain was steamboat slang meaning “12 feet of water,” which was considered a safe depth.
This was the profession of Muhammad Ali
What is boxer? Born Cassius Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky, Ali went on to become an Olympic gold medalist in 1960 and a world boxing champion in 1964.
John Travolta plays a hardware store worker by day and a disco king by night in this 1970s film.
What is Saturday Night Fever? Disco music and dancing were all the rage in the 1970s, especially in New York when Studio 54 reigned supreme.
Tommy Dorsey, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, and Lawrence Welk were all leaders of this type of musical group.
What is big band? Though big bands are associated with the 1940s, their popularity launched during the Great Depression. So many performers were unemployed that it became easy to find 10 or more musicians to form a band. Radio was in full swing, which promoted the bands to those who could not attend in person.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson died in a plane crash while on tour during this decade.
What is the 1950s? On February 3, 1959, the plane crashed in Clear Lake, Iowa. The pilot was not instrument qualified, but he took off in inclement weather. There were no survivors.
hat “W” clothes washer company was founded in 1911 as the Upton Machine Company?
Whirlpool. The company changed its name to Whirlpool in 1950 and introduced many home appliances, including clothes dryers and irons.
This was the barrier dividing East and West Germany until the late 1980s
What is the Berlin Wall? The Berlin Wall was erected in 1961 and stood until 1989.
This is the proper name of the North Star.
What is Polaris? Did you know that, while Polaris is the current North Star, it hasn’t always been? The title is given to a bright star that is closest to Earth’s celestial pole. Vega was the North Star 14,000 years ago.
He was Dean Martin’s comedic partner.
Who is Jerry Lewis? The duo appeared together on national radio, in 16 films, and on the Colgate Comedy Hour before they split. They reunited on Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy Telethon when Martin made an unannounced appearance arranged by Frank Sinatra.
Prince William married Kate Middleton in this decade.
What is the 2010s? The wedding was televised live on April 29, 2011, and it was the most-viewed event of the year.
What is the surname of Pierre and Justin, the father-son duo who have both served as prime minister of Canada?
Trudeau. Pierre Trudeau served as the 15th prime minister, and his son followed in his footsteps in 2015 as the second-youngest PM of Canada.
This is the first name of the star of the film Funny Girl.
What is Barbra? Streisand is a multitalented star who graduated high school at the age of 16 and was fourth in her class!
This is the proper name for the northern lights.
What is aurora borealis? The phenomenon is caused by protons and electrons from the sun hitting Earth’s atmosphere.
These nationwide variety shows performed before live audiences across America before the advent of silent films.
What is vaudeville? Variety shows were nothing new, but they had gained infamy due to their graft and corruption, so the name was changed to vaudeville. The classy, French-sounding name helped promote the shows. Vaudeville’s popularity began to wane during World War I, and its run ended in the 1930s.
This decade brought us the first televised presidential debate.
What is the 1960s? The debate was between Kennedy and Nixon, and it was broadcast in 1960 on CBS.
What inland region of Australia is sparsely populated, with less than five percent of the nation’s people residing there?
The Outback. The Outback covers the Northern Territory, much of Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, as well as a portion of New South Wales.
This party was formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California, in 1966.
What are the Black Panthers? The party’s philosophy was influenced by civil rights leaders like Malcolm X.
On the Doomsday Clock, the end of civilization is represented by this time.
What is midnight? The symbolic clock is set annually and is run by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a nonprofit organization.
Brothers Larry, Daryl, and Daryl are featured in this TV sitcom.
What is Newhart? Bob Newhart got the inspiration for the show while people-watching at hotels. He decided there were just as many crazy people in hotels as there were in his previous sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show, where he played a psychologist.
This entire decade was focused on the possibility of a Y2K bug.
What is the 1990s? People feared that, because early computer code expressed years in two numerals, omitting the “19” before the year would cause power, communications, and access to electronic funds to be lost. In the end, nothing happened. Life went on without a hiccup.
Who was the first Black baseball player to play on the Major League Baseball team the Brooklyn Dodgers?
Jackie Robinson. Although Robinson is largely seen as the man who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947, historians recognize Moses Fleetwood Walker as actually being the first. Walker played for the Toledo Blue Stockings in the 1884 season.