Trivial Trivia - taking trivia to new levels

[L Verge]

If I have even come close, riddle me this - What man who is suspected of having ties to the kidnap/assassination of Lincoln was sent to London as a Confederate purchasing agent involved in the cotton trade? And, in 1865, what infamous American fled to a sister city of Manchester in the UK? What was the city?

Benjamin Ficklin? John Surratt/Liverpool?

Absolutely correct, Susan. Now let's wait and see if I am correct as to what AussieMick is looking for.

---

Forgot to add to the Raphael Semmes answer that he was born a hop-skip-and-a-jump from me in Charles County, Maryland, near the escape route used by Booth. And, as Roger mentioned, he was a graduate of Charlotte Hall Military Academy in adjacent St. Mary's County (alma mater to many of my male ancestors from the 1700s until its closing in the 1970s.)

[AussieMick]

Just found this but still no clue what else.
http://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-his...-scabbard/
(Guess all knives over here are made in Solingen...)

---

When I wrote England ... a particular city ... Bobby Charlton came from there. Eva might know of Bobby Charlton. I'm guessing that because her recent Post in another Thread.

Sorry, didn't check the thread after considering the question way off my abilities (plus just returned home for Xmas break after some months abroad, a lot off-line to do). Not sure to which of my posts you refer to and no clue about the question but sure know THE WEMBLEY GOAL...
He played for ManU, and in that national team of 1966...

Yes! Well done Eva. Manchester United. ( The goal I think you're referring to was scored by Geoff Hurst ... and I think most people now regard it as the 1966 "goal" ).

So you've got Manchester.

Yes... and here it's still the "Wembley goal"...

---

PS: I'm just thinking that you beat me now as for being ahead time...

Eva , you've almost got it with that link
http://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-his...-scabbard/

Read the last paragraph and do an internet search on one of the names there and include the word aspidistra.

[Eva Elisabeth]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6XROMw3Z4e0
It's late...she died in Capri, which reminds me of a song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WStnedpKMgA

[AussieMick]

I'm really stretching on this one, and I hope you are too -- My mother loved plants, so I know that the common name for aspidistra is the cast iron plant. Tying this to Raphael Semmes: He did wondrous things for the Confederate Navy, including manning the cast iron raiding ship Alabama. Semmes also had a home in Mobile, Alabama.

I do know that Bobby Charlton was a great soccer (football) star in England, but not sure how to tie him to this unless he was from some English town named Mobile?

That cast iron connection is even more tenuous than the one I was thinking of .... Eva's link leads the way though ...
http://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-his...-scabbard/

And the last paragraph has a name which leads to aspidistra.
(search on the name with word aspidistra)

Oh, and that airplane crash ? Every school boy when I was there would know of it. The Busby Babes ( Matt Busby was the club manager) were on a plane flight 6th Feb 1958 Munich. Several of the worlds best (at that time) soccer players died.

---

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6XROMw3Z4e0
It's late...she died in Capri, which reminds me of a song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WStnedpKMgA

YES! You can go to bed now ... noon here. Well done

---

Eva arrived at the answer using a different link to the one I started with . This was mine ...
http://revealinghistories.org.uk/the-ame...abama.html

this provides a pointer some interesting Manchester issues here ...
http://revealinghistories.org.uk/the-ame...amine.html

[L Verge]

I'm really stretching on this one, and I hope you are too -- My mother loved plants, so I know that the common name for aspidistra is the cast iron plant. Tying this to Raphael Semmes: He did wondrous things for the Confederate Navy, including manning the cast iron raiding ship Alabama. Semmes also had a home in Mobile, Alabama.

I do know that Bobby Charlton was a great soccer (football) star in England, but not sure how to tie him to this unless he was from some English town named Mobile?

That cast iron connection is even more tenuous than the one I was thinking of .... Eva's link leads the way though ...
http://www.gmmg.org.uk/our-connected-his...-scabbard/

And the last paragraph has a name which leads to aspidistra.
(search on the name with word aspidistra)

Oh, and that airplane crash ? Every school boy when I was there would know of it. The Busby Babes ( Matt Busby was the club manager) were on a plane flight 6th Feb 1958 Munich. Several of the worlds best (at that time) soccer players died.

---

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6XROMw3Z4e0
It's late...she died in Capri, which reminds me of a song:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WStnedpKMgA

YES! You can go to bed now ... noon here. Well done

---

Eva arrived at the answer using a different link to the one I started with . This was mine ...
http://revealinghistories.org.uk/the-ame...abama.html

this provides a pointer some interesting Manchester issues here ...
http://revealinghistories.org.uk/the-ame...amine.html

OMG - I knew that Aspidistra was the code name for a British radio broadcast during WWII, but I never thought with all the other links to Semmes that the answer would boil down to Gracie Fields and her gift of Semmes's sword. What a tangled web that one was...

[AussieMick]

I didnt know about the codeword ... and I thought I was quite aware of most WW2 history ... now reading it on net

[L Verge]

I didnt know about the codeword ... and I thought I was quite aware of most WW2 history ... now reading it on net

Do you know about Camp X?

[AussieMick]

Camp X ... not until you told me. Just had a look at one internet site thus far.
( wish I'd known about that code word Aspidistra ... I could have made the tangled web leading to WW2 propaganda)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_X

[L Verge]

My father had top-secret clearance with the OSS (way down on the totem pole), but I learned more details about Camp X under the three fine gentlemen who wrote Come Retribution, and especially from the one who went on to write the sequel, April '65. All three of those authors had training in military and government intelligence. One later worked with the CIA and another with NSA. I also learned from them that the Confederate Secret Service structure became the impetus for the French Underground during WWII.

I learned about Aspidistra in college when we were discussing Tokyo Rose.

[AussieMick]

My father had top-secret clearance with the OSS (way down on the totem pole), but I learned more details about Camp X under the three fine gentlemen who wrote Come Retribution, and especially from the one who went on to write the sequel, April '65. All three of those authors had training in military and government intelligence. One later worked with the CIA and another with NSA. I also learned from them that the Confederate Secret Service structure became the impetus for the French Underground during WWII.

I learned about Aspidistra in college when we were discussing Tokyo Rose.

With top-secret clearance your Dad was obviously something special no matter where on the totem pole.

I read about Wild Bill Donovan ... what a life. And this despite obviously being sometimes pushed aside (who knows for what reasons? probably political and insider jealousy) ... one time he was given the position of head of the fire dept ( yes, quite an important role I'm sure ... but not really his area of expertise!). The holder of more military US awards than anybody else ( I think thats right).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Donovan

[RJNorton]

In 1862 President Lincoln sprained his wrist in checking his run-away horse as he rode from the Soldiers' Home to the White House. Nearly two weeks later the wrist was still so sore that he sought treatment from a doctor. What was the doctor's name?

[AussieMick]

I'll go with Washington Chew Van Bibber (because I like the name)

[RJNorton]

Wonderful guess, Michael, but it's not him. (I agree with you on the name!)

[L Verge]

Dr. Robert King Stone was Lincoln's personal physician. Would that be the answer?

---

I'm taking my staff out to lunch shortly and won't be around to watch answers come in. Just in case I failed with the first guess, I'd like to second guess with the doctor that I think was mentioned years ago in respect to Lincoln's foot problems. I think his name starts with a Z? I'd google, but I don't have time. Who's my wing man on this one?

[Gene C]

Dr. OZ ?