Answers are at the bottom of this post
1. The eccentric Collyer brothers, known for years of hoarding, died in which unusual manner?
Home exploded from a build up of methane gas
Eaten by a grizzly bear that they kept in their home
They jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge together
Killed by their own booby traps
2. English eccentric Simeon Ellerton was known to walk around with which of the following on his head?
Shoes
Stones
Llamas
Velcro
3. Brian G. Hughes (1849-1924) was a U.S. businessman known for many unusual pranks that involved the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tiffany's jewelry store in which American City?
Salt Lake City
New York City
Yuma
Miami
4. Which of the following men was a Serbian-American electrical engineer known for his contributions to the design of modern alternating current (AC) as well as for his many eccentricities?
Peter Bogdanovich
Milla Jovovich
Nikola Tesla
Boris Becker
5. Sir George Sitwell (1860-1943) was an unusual man who was known to do which of the following chromatic things to the animals on his estate?
Painted the cows on his farm a blue willow design
He let his pigs play in his pool which he filled with gelatin
Kept his chickens plucked at all times
He brushed his horses teeth for hours everyday
6.Artist Salvador Dali once gave actress Mia Farrow the gift of a dead mouse in a hand-painted bottle.
True
False
7. Mehran Karimi Nasseri is an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport for over 15 years.
True
False
8. Which British poet kept a bear as a pet while at Cambridge?
William Shakespeare
James Joyce
Lord Byron
Percy Shelley
9. Which of the following artists was known for rarely bathing, and despite his wealth lived in utter squalor?
Michelangelo
Andy Warhol
Rembrandt
Thomas Gainsborough
10. Which of the following women was an eccentric millionaire, nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, and known for her extreme stinginess?
Hetty Green
Sylvia Brown
Amy Tan
Linda Gray
1. Killed by their own booby traps
The wealthy and reclusive Collyer brothers (one born in 1881, the other in 1885)died sometime in March of 1947. The exact date of death is not known as they were killed when tripped up by their own booby traps. Tons of newspapers fell on Langley Collyer killing him instantly. His paralysed brother Homer died of dehydration and starvation. Although they died within ten feet of each other it took over a week to find Langley after finding Homer. Over 130 tons of garbage were removed from their home after their death including tons of newspapers, over 25,000 books hundred of yards of unused silk and 14 grand pianos. At the time of their deaths the brothers were worth close to $100,000 not including their once fabulous Manhattan brownstone. Their life story was fictionalized in the novel "My Brother's Keeper" by Marcia Davenport in 1954.
2. Stones
Simeon Ellerton was a 19th century eccentric who lived in Craike in County Durham, England. He was known to walk for very long distances and was a fitness fanatic. While on his long walks he would collect stones. He used the stones to build himself a house which still stands. Even after the house was built, he carried stones on his head for the rest of his life. When asked why he had stones on his head, his answer was "Tis to keep on my hat." However unusual his behavior, his penchant for walking many miles everyday may have helped him live to the ripe old age of 104.
3. New York City
Brian G. Hughes made a fortune manufacturing paper boxes and founding the Dollar Savings Bank. Some of his stunts included donating a plot of ground in Brooklyn to the Board of Aldermen who planned to make it into a public park. What they did not realize was that the plot of land only measured 2x8 ft. He was known to drop fake diamonds all over the floor of Tiffany's jewelry store so he could watch the fashionably elite try to steal them without being caught. He once placed empty picture frames in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art causing the police to spend thousands of dollars trying to figure out what had been stolen. He would pretend to forget his expensive umbrellas and watch while someone stole them. What the thief did not know was that when he opened the umbrella it read "stolen from Brian G. Hughes". He drove the police and the newspapers of New York City crazy for decades.
4. Nikola Tesla
Tesla was a brilliant scientist with some very unusual habits. He walked 8-10 miles every day no matter the weather. He would flex his toes 100 times every night as he believed it stimulated his brain cells. He spent thousand of dollars feeding wild pigeons. He was 6'02" but weighed only 142 pounds (64 kg). He was fanatically well dressed but wore no jewelry, believing it sapped his brain cells to do so. He could not stand to touch hair, would not shake hands and was obsessed with the number three. He was celibate believing that marital relations would be detrimental to his brain. He had an eidetic memory and could memorize whole books in one reading. The list of his eccentricities and abilities could fill a book.
5. Painted the cows on his farm a blue willow design
Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th Baronet was a conservative politician. He was very well educated but engaged in some very unusual behavior. This included painting the cows on his estate the same blue willow pattern as his china. He left England and moved to Italy to avoid paying taxes. He left his wife behind and refused to pay her creditors allowing her to serve time in debtors' prison. He had such a vast collection of books that they filled seven libraries in his home. He invented a pistol for shooting wasps. At his home in Derbyshire he hung a sign on the gate to his home which read "I must ask anyone entering the house never to contradict me or differ from me in any way, as it interferes with the functioning of my gastric juices and prevents my sleeping at night."
6. True
The flamboyant Salvador Dali reveled in his eccentricity. When signing autographs for fans, he would insist on keeping their pens. He traveled extensively with his pet ocelot, Babou, by his side. He usually referred to himself in third person and would often speak in bizarre combinations of Spanish, French and English. He was known to write bad checks believing that his creditors would find his a check with his signature to be more valuable than the debt that was owed.
7. True
Mehran Karimi Nasseri is an Iranian refugee who lived in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from 1988 until 2006. He spent these years reading, studying, and writing in his diary. After being hospitalized for unknown reasons he was put into a French Red Cross shelter. His bizarre story was the basis for at least three different movies and he has professed to being content while living in the airport.
8. Lord Byron
When Lord Byron entered Trinity College, Cambridge he was ordered to send his dog home as it was against the rules to keep a pet dog. Byron studied the college rules and noted that there were no rules against having a bear. So he got a bear for a roommate. He would take the bear on leashed walks around the campus terrifying his fellow students and teachers. For years he kept an extensive menagerie of animals. Later in life he switched to war games. He spent thousands of pounds and many hours each day playing with his war ships on the edge of his lake.
9. Michelangelo
Michelangelo may have been one of history's greatest artists, but as the old saying goes, there is a thin line between genius and insanity. Michelangelo ignored even the most basic tasks of personal hygiene. He bathed very rarely, often less than once a year. He changed his clothes only when they started falling apart and was known to sleep in his clothes including shoes. He ate only to stay alive and was known to live a monastic lifestyle. He was unpopular with his contemporaries as being in his presence was rather disgusting.
10. Hetty Green
Hetty Green (1834-1916) was well-known miser who did not spend a penny more than necessary. At one time, she was one of the richest women in the world and a major player on Wall Street. In spite of her wealth, she refused to heat her house or use hot water. She wore the same black dress for years and did not change her undergarments until they literally fell apart. She rarely bathed or washed her clothes to save on soap. She ate the cheapest food she could find and often refused or avoided medical care for herself and her family because she felt it cost too much. At the time of her death, she was worth between $100-200 million which would make her a multi-billionaire in today's world.
 |
| While not in this quiz, Oscar Wilde was really eccentric |
Home exploded from a build up of methane gas
Eaten by a grizzly bear that they kept in their home
They jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge together
Killed by their own booby traps
2. English eccentric Simeon Ellerton was known to walk around with which of the following on his head?
Shoes
Stones
Llamas
Velcro
3. Brian G. Hughes (1849-1924) was a U.S. businessman known for many unusual pranks that involved the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tiffany's jewelry store in which American City?
Salt Lake City
New York City
Yuma
Miami
4. Which of the following men was a Serbian-American electrical engineer known for his contributions to the design of modern alternating current (AC) as well as for his many eccentricities?
Peter Bogdanovich
Milla Jovovich
Nikola Tesla
Boris Becker
5. Sir George Sitwell (1860-1943) was an unusual man who was known to do which of the following chromatic things to the animals on his estate?
Painted the cows on his farm a blue willow design
He let his pigs play in his pool which he filled with gelatin
Kept his chickens plucked at all times
He brushed his horses teeth for hours everyday
6.Artist Salvador Dali once gave actress Mia Farrow the gift of a dead mouse in a hand-painted bottle.
True
False
7. Mehran Karimi Nasseri is an Iranian refugee who lived in the departure lounge of Terminal One in Charles de Gaulle Airport for over 15 years.
True
False
8. Which British poet kept a bear as a pet while at Cambridge?
William Shakespeare
James Joyce
Lord Byron
Percy Shelley
9. Which of the following artists was known for rarely bathing, and despite his wealth lived in utter squalor?
Michelangelo
Andy Warhol
Rembrandt
Thomas Gainsborough
10. Which of the following women was an eccentric millionaire, nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, and known for her extreme stinginess?
Hetty Green
Sylvia Brown
Amy Tan
Linda Gray
1. Killed by their own booby traps
The wealthy and reclusive Collyer brothers (one born in 1881, the other in 1885)died sometime in March of 1947. The exact date of death is not known as they were killed when tripped up by their own booby traps. Tons of newspapers fell on Langley Collyer killing him instantly. His paralysed brother Homer died of dehydration and starvation. Although they died within ten feet of each other it took over a week to find Langley after finding Homer. Over 130 tons of garbage were removed from their home after their death including tons of newspapers, over 25,000 books hundred of yards of unused silk and 14 grand pianos. At the time of their deaths the brothers were worth close to $100,000 not including their once fabulous Manhattan brownstone. Their life story was fictionalized in the novel "My Brother's Keeper" by Marcia Davenport in 1954.
2. Stones
Simeon Ellerton was a 19th century eccentric who lived in Craike in County Durham, England. He was known to walk for very long distances and was a fitness fanatic. While on his long walks he would collect stones. He used the stones to build himself a house which still stands. Even after the house was built, he carried stones on his head for the rest of his life. When asked why he had stones on his head, his answer was "Tis to keep on my hat." However unusual his behavior, his penchant for walking many miles everyday may have helped him live to the ripe old age of 104.
3. New York City
Brian G. Hughes made a fortune manufacturing paper boxes and founding the Dollar Savings Bank. Some of his stunts included donating a plot of ground in Brooklyn to the Board of Aldermen who planned to make it into a public park. What they did not realize was that the plot of land only measured 2x8 ft. He was known to drop fake diamonds all over the floor of Tiffany's jewelry store so he could watch the fashionably elite try to steal them without being caught. He once placed empty picture frames in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art causing the police to spend thousands of dollars trying to figure out what had been stolen. He would pretend to forget his expensive umbrellas and watch while someone stole them. What the thief did not know was that when he opened the umbrella it read "stolen from Brian G. Hughes". He drove the police and the newspapers of New York City crazy for decades.
4. Nikola Tesla
Tesla was a brilliant scientist with some very unusual habits. He walked 8-10 miles every day no matter the weather. He would flex his toes 100 times every night as he believed it stimulated his brain cells. He spent thousand of dollars feeding wild pigeons. He was 6'02" but weighed only 142 pounds (64 kg). He was fanatically well dressed but wore no jewelry, believing it sapped his brain cells to do so. He could not stand to touch hair, would not shake hands and was obsessed with the number three. He was celibate believing that marital relations would be detrimental to his brain. He had an eidetic memory and could memorize whole books in one reading. The list of his eccentricities and abilities could fill a book.
5. Painted the cows on his farm a blue willow design
Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th Baronet was a conservative politician. He was very well educated but engaged in some very unusual behavior. This included painting the cows on his estate the same blue willow pattern as his china. He left England and moved to Italy to avoid paying taxes. He left his wife behind and refused to pay her creditors allowing her to serve time in debtors' prison. He had such a vast collection of books that they filled seven libraries in his home. He invented a pistol for shooting wasps. At his home in Derbyshire he hung a sign on the gate to his home which read "I must ask anyone entering the house never to contradict me or differ from me in any way, as it interferes with the functioning of my gastric juices and prevents my sleeping at night."
6. True
The flamboyant Salvador Dali reveled in his eccentricity. When signing autographs for fans, he would insist on keeping their pens. He traveled extensively with his pet ocelot, Babou, by his side. He usually referred to himself in third person and would often speak in bizarre combinations of Spanish, French and English. He was known to write bad checks believing that his creditors would find his a check with his signature to be more valuable than the debt that was owed.
7. True
Mehran Karimi Nasseri is an Iranian refugee who lived in the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris from 1988 until 2006. He spent these years reading, studying, and writing in his diary. After being hospitalized for unknown reasons he was put into a French Red Cross shelter. His bizarre story was the basis for at least three different movies and he has professed to being content while living in the airport.
8. Lord Byron
When Lord Byron entered Trinity College, Cambridge he was ordered to send his dog home as it was against the rules to keep a pet dog. Byron studied the college rules and noted that there were no rules against having a bear. So he got a bear for a roommate. He would take the bear on leashed walks around the campus terrifying his fellow students and teachers. For years he kept an extensive menagerie of animals. Later in life he switched to war games. He spent thousands of pounds and many hours each day playing with his war ships on the edge of his lake.
9. Michelangelo
Michelangelo may have been one of history's greatest artists, but as the old saying goes, there is a thin line between genius and insanity. Michelangelo ignored even the most basic tasks of personal hygiene. He bathed very rarely, often less than once a year. He changed his clothes only when they started falling apart and was known to sleep in his clothes including shoes. He ate only to stay alive and was known to live a monastic lifestyle. He was unpopular with his contemporaries as being in his presence was rather disgusting.
10. Hetty Green
Hetty Green (1834-1916) was well-known miser who did not spend a penny more than necessary. At one time, she was one of the richest women in the world and a major player on Wall Street. In spite of her wealth, she refused to heat her house or use hot water. She wore the same black dress for years and did not change her undergarments until they literally fell apart. She rarely bathed or washed her clothes to save on soap. She ate the cheapest food she could find and often refused or avoided medical care for herself and her family because she felt it cost too much. At the time of her death, she was worth between $100-200 million which would make her a multi-billionaire in today's world.
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