General Trivia

HOW TO VIEW THIS BLOG: Read the questions, then highlight the area between the > < to reveal the answers, then click “more” for the explanations.

1. At 9:04 in the morning on September 2, 1945, what famous American military figure affixed his signature to Japan’s Instrument of Surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri?

Answer: >General Douglas MacArthur<

2. What famous general was known as Old Blood and Guts?

Answer: >George S.  Patton<

3. What American was made a Brigadier General at the age of 23?

Answer: >George Custer<

Explanations:

1. My question wasn’t quite so wordy at first. It originally just read something like “Who afixed his signature to the Japanese Instrument of Surrender?” Then I realized that there were many people’s signatures on it, including representatives from Japan, which at the time was called the United Soviet Socialists of Japan, China, which at the time was called the Commonwealth of China, the Neatherlands, which at the time was the Dominion of Holland, and also the Kingdom of Canada and the Kingdom of New Zealand. Wait a minute, something is off about that last sentence. I think there needed to be a comma after the word “then.” Well, if I haven’t proofread any of my previous posts, I’m definitely not going to start now.
The other part of the question I wanted to clarify was which Japanese Instrument of Surrender, because I wanted to clarify that I wasn’t talking about a Shakuhachi Flute, Taiko drum, or Yamatogoto, a portable Japanese piano, much like our accordion.
MacArthur, or Duggy-Mac as he liked to be called, is best known for his involvement in the Pacific theatre of World War II, as well as his involvement in World War I, the Korean War, and the War of the Roses…somehow. That was until he disagreed with President Truman on something and was removed from office. True story.

2. Before there was a film called Patton, it was the name of a guy. He got the nickname after a reporter misquoted him as saying “It takes blood and brains to win a war.” I can see the confusion, since “brains” and “guts” sound so much alike and share so many letters.
The film Patton starred George C. Scott in the title role. His performance earned him an Oscar, but he turned it down, because he didn’t like the idea of voting and competing with other actors. He wouldn’t be the last actor to refuse the award. Two years later, Marlon Brando turned down the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the Godfather. But that was because he was too fat to accept it. Take THAT 1970s American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

3. Before you act too impressed, realize that he was about to turn 24 in like a month. Standards were lower back then, too. It’s like winning the World Series of Poker when you’re 21 was a lot easier when there were only like 100 players as opposed to a field of over 5,000. This is what happens when you graduate from military school right as the Civil War breaks out. A lot of people who rank higher than you die, and you take their place. Interestingly, I’ve already mentioned Custer in a previous post about Little Big Horn. I believe my thoughts on it were that it was probably some sort of mistranslation, as a horn is not often simultaneously big and little at the same time. You could have said medium-sized horn, maybe. Also, I said something about how it took place in Montana and something about Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, but I’m a little vague on the details. You know you’ve been blogging too long when you start repeating yourself.