“By George” Trivia - Famous Folks Named George

By Paula Green

 "By George" is an exclamation used to express surprise or approval. It is similar to saying "by gosh" and is considered a mild oath, with "George" serving as a substitute for "God" in a less direct manner. Saint George is the patron saint of England and Georgia and is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints. His feast day is April 23.

This month, we celebrate George Washington, our first President of the United States. February 22 is Washington's birthday; we will explore other notable individuals named George in his honor.

In addition to Washington, several prominent politicians are named George, including George H.W. Bush, the 41st President, and his son, George W. Bush, the 43rd President. We also have George Wallace, a former governor of Alabama, and George Stephanopoulos, a well-known political commentator. In England, Prince George is the eldest child of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

Onto to celebrities that bear that name. Who could forget comedians George Burns, George Carlin, and George Lopez? We’ve also been entertained by actors George Clooney, George Hamilton, George Lazenby, George Peppard, and George Takei. 

There have been plenty of musical talented Georges as well. We sang along with George Harrison, George Jones, George Michael, George Strait, George Thorogood, and composer George Gershwin.

Athletes rule; we’ve enjoyed cheering for heavyweight boxer George Foreman and NFL players George Blanda, Eddie George, and current Pittsburgh Steeler, George Pickens. In baseball, there's George Brett, and one of the greatest MLB players of all time was Babe Ruth, whose given name was George Herman Ruth.   

On to to authors, George Washington Irving wrote Rip van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and he also penned an extensive biography of George Washington. George Orwell found success when he wrote Animal Farm and 1984.

We've enjoyed a few fictional characters: Curious George, George Jetson, George of the Jungle, and George Pig. You can't forget females—Georgia Engel portrayed Georgette Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lynda Day George appeared in the TV series Mission: Impossible, and Phyllis George was a former Miss America and the first female co-anchor on The NFL Today.

                Since we have explored famous folks named George, we must now delve into this namesake query, put on your thinking caps because it's time to get a little trivial.

1. This former U.S. Senator from South Dakota ran for President in 1972; Richard Nixon defeated him.

   
   

2. In Seinfeld, George Costanza worked for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Who voiced Steinbrenner's character?

   
   

3. Name the American filmmaker who was the creator of Star Wars. He executive-produced its first six films.

   
   

4. George Foreman has 12 children, one daughter named Georgette, and how many sons did he name George?

   
   

5. This actor starred in the Naked Gun movies and won a Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Cool Hand Luke.

   
   

6. George Harrison was part of the fabulous four “The Beatles.” He was also a band member of a group composed of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison.

   
   

7. Who portrayed George Bailey in the Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life?

   
   

8. This English singer's name is George Alan O'Dowd. What was his stage name?

   
   

9. He was a scientist and inventor famous for his work with the peanut; he invented over 300 products involving the crop, including dyes, plastics, and gasoline.

   
   

10. This actor won an Academy Award for portraying World War II General George S. Patton.

    
    

11. Actor George Reeves was best known for portraying this character in a popular 1950 TV show.

    
    

12. He directed Night of the Living Dead and Creepshow.

    
    

13. Name the fourth state admitted to the union on January 2, 1788.

    
    

14. He was a U.S. cavalry commander who died during the Battle of Little Bighorn.

    
    

15. Which U.S, state has a city named Saint George?

Answers: 1. George McGovern 2. Larry David 3. George Lucas 4. five 5. George Kennedy 6. The Traveling Wilburys 7. Jimmy Stewart 8. Boy George 9. George Washington Carver 10. George C. Scott 11. Superman 12. George Romero 13. Georgia 14. General George Custer 15. Utah

Sources: www.netmums.com/life/famous-people-called-george/, www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-George, playback.fm/people/first-name/George, www.biography.com/scientists/george-washington-carver, www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/washington-irving, Famous spiracles.com/Georges