Birthday Twins/Capricorn Chaos
Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, was born on January 3rd in 2003. What nationality is Greta?
A) Swedish
B) Norwegian
C) English
A - Swedish
Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga features a heroine named Bella, her full name being Isabella. What is the name of the vampire she falls for? (Full disclosure, I have never read Twilight or watched the films!)
A) Edward
B) Joe
C) Ferdinand
A - Edward
How many days does January have?
A) 31
B) 30
C) 28
A - 31
What is the title of Taylor Swift's most recently released album?
A) The Tortured Poets Department
B) Midnights
C) Taylor Swift
A - The Tortured Poets Department
Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived in which town in Massachusetts:
A) Boston
B) Amherst
C) Concord
Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan was born on January 1, 1997, making him a Capricorn - and almost exactly 10 years older than Isabella Watkins (who gets to put her name in here because she is writing this).
Finish the line in Noah Kahan's hit single "Stick Season":
I love Vermont, but it's the season of the sticks
I saw your mom, she forgot that I ______
Answer: Existed
(I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed)
Isabella Rossellini is an Italian actress whose mother was a famous black-and-white era movie star, probably best known for her role as leading lady in Casablanca. What was the name of Isabella Rossellini's mother?
Ingrid Bergman
January is national book month! Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was published in January, and Anne Bronte's birthday is mid-January. January is also the birth month of American writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is best known for his hit Broadway play called ...
Hamilton: An American Musical (or just Hamilton)
Olivia Rodrigo launched into superstardom in 2021 for her single "drivers license," and has since released two albums. She's also been honored with seven Grammy nominations. How many Grammys has she won?
A) 3
B) 1
C) 6
A - 3
What is the name of the heroine in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?
A) Elizabeth
B) Catherine
C) Elinor
A - Elizabeth
A writer of tremendous caliber was born on January 3rd in 1892 - this author would change not only English literature but the fantasy genre as we know it with his inimitable works including The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This writer is J.R.R. Tolkien. What does the "J" stand for?
A) Joseph
B) John
C) Josiah
B - John
True or False: Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist who made history with her stunning "Ain't I a Woman?" speech, was actually named Isabella.
True! Her full name was Isabella Baumfree - Sojourner Truth was the name she adopted.
What is the birthstone for January?
Garnet
Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known as Hozier, is an Irish singer-songwriter whose most recent album was released in 2023 (the deluxe edition was released in December 2024). How many albums does Hozier have?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
B - 3
Which of the following two heroines are NOT 18 years old in the beginning of their respective books?
A) Jo March from Little Women
B) Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables
C) Jane Eyre from Jane Eyre
A and B - Jo is 15 and Anne is only 11!
Actress Florence Pugh was born on January 3rd in 1996. In 2019, she was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal as which March sister in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little Women?
A) Meg
B) Jo
C) Beth
D) Amy
D - Florence Pugh was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Amy March
Which of the following book features a character named Isabella?
A) Wuthering Heights
B) Pride and Prejudice
C) Little Women
MLK Day, dedicated to civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., occurs in January. What is the name of the famous speech MLK gave during the March at Washington?
"I Have a Dream"
Coldplay is a British band who has released albums like "Viva la Vida" and "Music of the Spheres." Who is Coldplay's lead singer?
A) Chris Martin
B) Bruno Mars
C) Conan Gray
A - Chris Martin
Oscar Wilde was an Irish author, poet, and witty word wrangler from the Victorian era. He penned countless plays and one spine-chilling, genre-defying novel called The Picture of Dorian Gray. True or False: Oscar Wilde was childhood friends with fellow Irish writer Bram Stoker, whose novel Dracula had a long-lasting impact on the horror genre.
True! Wilde and Stoker were childhood friends and even supported each other's writing careers in adulthood
Which of these celebrities is NOT a Capricorn?
A) Timothee Chalamet
B) Zendaya
C) Elvis Presley
B - Zendaya
Isabella Stewart Gardner was an American philanthropist who founded her famous Isabella Stewart Gardner museum on January 1st (close to Isabella Watkins's birthday!), 1903. In what New England town is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum located?
Boston (Massachusetts)
What are the two star signs for January birthdays?
A) Capricorn and Pisces
B) Capricorn and Sagittarius
C) Capricorn and Aquarius
C - Capricorn and Aquarius
Nina Simone was a jazz and blues musician in the mid-1900s in America. Her activism and influence on the music industry inspired Irish musician Hozier to write a megahit called "Nina Cried Power," a tribute to her that he released in 2018. True or False: Nina Simone performed under a stage name.
True! Her real name was Eunice Waymon
True or False: L.M. Montgomery was not the real name of the author of Anne of Green Gables. It was a penname she chose after reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women - "L.M." is a tribute to Alcott's first two initials, and the name "Montgomery" was one of Jo's characters.
False! L.M. Montgomery's real name was Lucy Maud Montgomery, so she shortened her name, but did not change it completely.