FINISH THE NURSERY RHYME
“Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them …”
“ … Leave them alone and they’ll come home, wagging their tails behind them.”
Polio vaccine or insulin?
Insulin, 1921/Polio vaccine, 1952
Levi Strauss, Bruce Willis, and Ludwig van Beethoven
Germany
This prolific English author wrote sixty-six mystery novels, including And Then There Were None, Murder on the Orient Express, and Death on the Nile.
Agatha Christie
In 1921, she became the first leading female fashion designer to introduce a perfume – and it is still a bestseller today.
Coco Chanel (Chanel No. 5)
“Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey ...”
“ … Along came a spider and sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away.”
Coca-Cola or ice cream?
Ice cream, 1660/Coca-Cola, 1886
Peter Jennings, William Shatner, and Alex Trebek
Canada
She followed Little Women two years later with Little Men, and fifteen years after that, Jo’s Boys.
Louisa May Alcott
Of the three gifts that the Magi brought to the baby Jesus, these two are resins used in perfumes.
Frankincense and myrrh. (The third gift was gold.)
“The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout; Down came the rain and washed the spider out …”
“ … Out came the sun and dried up all the rain; and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.”
Cellophane tape or rubber bands?
Rubber bands, 1845/Cellophane tape, 1937
Isaac Asimov, Yul Brynner, and Al Jolson
Russia
She was 32 when she achieved worldwide fame with the publication of her novel The Fountainhead. Her second bestseller, Atlas Shrugged, was published fourteen years later in 1957.
Ayn Rand
Ambergris, a substance produced in the intestines of this animal, is a highly prized ingredient used in luxury perfumes.
Whales (sperm whales, to be specific)
“Three blind mice, three blind mice. See how they run, see how they run! They all ran after the farmer's wife …”
“ … she cut off their tails with a carving knife. Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice?”
Telephone or movies?
Telephone, 1876/Movies, 1893
Harry Houdini, Joseph Pulitzer, and Zsa Zsa Gabor
Hungary
Her dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale won multiple awards when it was published in 1985. It also had a remarkable resurgence in 2017, when a TV series based on the book was released on Hulu and earned eight Emmy Awards in its first season.
Margaret Atwood
Introduced in 1952 by Prince Matchabelli, this perfume “stayed on his mind” … at least according to the advertisements.
Windsong
“It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring …”
“ … He got into bed and bumped his head and couldn’t get up in the morning.”
Push button phone or helicopters?
Helicopters, 1939/Push button phone, 1963
Pierce Brosnan, James Joyce, and Oscar Wilde
Ireland
Every one of her 32 novels appeared on The New York Times bestseller list – from The World Is Full of Married Men in 1968, to Hollywood Wives in 1983 (her most commercially successful novel), to The Santangelos, the final novel before her death in 2015.
Jackie Collins
Her perfume White Diamonds was introduced in 1991, and is still wildly popular today – nearly ten years after her death, at age 79, in 2011.
Elizabeth Taylor