As we mentioned this morning in our introductory blog, this week and next, Jeopardy! is airing some of Alex Trebek’s favorite episodes from around the World. This felt like the perfect time to pay tribute to the Godfather of trivia, the late, the great Alex Trebek. If you are a trivia buff, like I am, you’ve already heard of Alex Trebek, the celebrated host of Jeopardy! who recently passed away. If you are a CanadianTrivia buff, like me, losing him hurts that much more.
“He was gracious and funny. In addition to being curious, stalwart, generous, reassuring and, of course, Canadian. We love you, Alex. And always will.”
– Actor Ryan Reynolds
In paying tribute to this great man and to kick off the official launch of Quizefy, we have written a special bunch of trivia questions about his life and career, inspired, in part, by his book: The Answer Is … Reflections onMy Life. These questions are available today only in the Quizefy app.
Alex was a true Canadian. His father was an immigrant. Alex spoke both English and French. He started out at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and his career took off when he moved to the United States. He was a kind-hearted, generous person, as most Canadians are, but was a bit of a problem child. So much so that he was expelled from the boarding school his parents sent him to in order to straighten him out. Guess that didn’t work!! Next was a stop at military college, but he quickly dropped out because he REFUSED to cut his curly locks. He did have great hair! And what about that mustache?
At one point Alex considered becoming a priest, he even spent the summer at a Trappist Monastery, but he quickly changed his mind realizing that there was no way he could take a vow of silence.
Since Alex loved his Canadian heritage, I thought I’d share a few facts with you about his home and native land:
The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Alex attended university there and, in 2020, just a few weeks before his passing, he made a surprise appearance at the 2020 NHL Draft to announce the Ottawa Senators’ pick.
Although Canada is an independent Country with its own Prime Minister, the Canadian Constitution states that the King or Queen of the United Kingdom will always be recognized as the King or Queen of Canada. Queen Elizabeth’s face is on the back of Canadian coins and featured on the colorful bills made from a polymer plastic.
Canada has 2 official languages: Even though Alex spoke both languages, I’ve only ever heard him rap in English. Do you remember this one?
The name Canada is thought to have come from the Huron-Iroquois word “Kanata”, which means “village” or “settlement”.
The first official use of the name Canada came in 1791, when the Province of Quebec was divided into Upper Canada and Lower Canada. In 1841, these two colonies were united under one name, the Province of Canada. In 1867 the Country became one Dominion under the name of “Canada”.
Canada has 10 provinces (Alberta, BritishColumbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan) and 3 territories (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon). You might be wondering: “What’s the difference between a Province and a Territory”? That’s a very good question; here’s the answer (and more):
The population of Canada is approximately 38 million, one of its most famous citizens is Drake. Drake hails from the largest city in Canada, Toronto. Or as he calls it ‘The 6’. The 6 is only 342 miles from New York City and, as Drake says, “Shit is hot up in the 6 six right now”. Did you know that Drake is a big basketball fan and has been the Toronto Raptors’ Global Ambassador since 2013?