Happy Memorial Day. Trivia Road dedicates today's quiz to Emma Morano of Pallanza, Italy. Not only is Emma 116 years old, and not only is she the world's oldest living person, (a distinction she gained about three weeks ago) she is also believed to be the last living person in the world born in the 1800s. She was born November 29th, 1899. Among Emma's secrets to longevity: thinking positively about the future, eating three raw eggs a day and remaining single since 1938.
Emma's longevity is impressive in historical perspective. She was born during the McKinley administration. The Spanish-American War and Second Boer War were fought during her birth year. Marconi broadcast the first radio signal across the English Channel in 1899.
Emma's also outlived an impressive roster of famous individuals also born in 1899. Hey, that would be a good topic for a quiz! Identify these people born in 1899:
1. d. 1957, he won his only Oscar for his portrayal of Capt. Charlie Allnut
2. d. 1961, this author's home in Key West, Fla. is still known for its colony of polydactyl cats
3. d. 1974, this bandleader has a bridge in Washington D.C. named for him, and he's on the back of the District of Columbia quarter
4. d. 1980, this director appears in some of his own films carrying a violin case, a double bass case, a trumpet case or two Sealyham terriers
5. d. 1985, he authored a writing style guide with William Strunk in 1918 and wrote classic children's novels in 1945 and 1952
7. d. 1987, his iconic movie scene is from the 1951 movie Royal Wedding, where he dances on the ceiling
8. d. 1989, this businessman owned the St. Louis Cardinals for 36 years
9. d. 1992, he won a Nobel Prize for Economics in 1974 and is famous for authoring The Road to Serfdom
10. d. 1994, this American cartoonist was the creator of Woody Woodpecker
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