99 Fun Facts About Famous Duos

Who created Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to the world in 1887 with "A Study in Scarlet."

Which two Cambridge scientists published the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, using Rosalind Franklin's X-ray data?

Watson and Crick shared the 1962 Nobel with Maurice Wilkins; Rosalind Franklin, whose photo 51 was key, had died in 1958.

What type of animal are the Disney cartoon characters Chip 'n Dale?

Chip 'n Dale are famous anthropomorphic chipmunks from Disney, known for their mischievous personalities and their distinct appearances. They first appeared as unnamed characters in the 1943 short film "Private Pluto."

Which two Saturday Night Live cast members starred as Jake and Elwood Blues in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers?

John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd created Jake and Elwood on SNL; the film's 'mission from God' tears through Chicago with Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles cameos.

What do lab mice Pinky and The Brain try to do every night?

Every night, Pinky and The Brain devise elaborate, though often flawed, plans to achieve world domination. The animated series was created by Tom Ruegger.

Which comedy duo's catchphrase was 'Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!'?

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were a highly influential comedy duo from the early Hollywood era, renowned for their distinctive slapstick routines and memorable catchphrases.

In what decade did outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow commit their crimes?

Their spree ran from roughly 1932 until a police ambush on Louisiana Highway 154 killed them both on May 23, 1934.

What two animals are the main characters in the classic animated cartoon series "Tom and Jerry"?

Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse, are the titular characters of the long-running animated cartoon series, known for their comedic rivalry and slapstick antics.

In the popular video game franchise, what is the profession of the brothers Mario and Luigi?

Mario was a carpenter in Donkey Kong because that game is set on a construction site; when he returned in Mario Bros., set largely underground, Nintendo made him a plumber and the trade stuck.

What is the name of the iconic spaceship co-piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca in the Star Wars universe?

The Millennium Falcon is a highly modified Corellian YT-1300 light freighter, famously owned and piloted by Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca.

On which long-running children's television show do the puppet characters Bert and Ernie reside?

Bert and Ernie have shared a basement apartment on Sesame Street since the show premiered in 1969, originally performed by Frank Oz and Jim Henson.

Which legendary animator co-created Mickey and Minnie Mouse?

Walt Disney, along with Ub Iwerks, co-created Mickey Mouse, who debuted in 1928, with Minnie Mouse appearing alongside him.

What are the first names of the hitmen played by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction?

Vincent and Jules: Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield; Vega's brother Vic is Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs.

Which twins of myth, sons of Leda by different fathers, were tied to horsemanship?

Castor and Pollux, known as the Dioscuri, were twin brothers in Greek and Roman mythology. Castor was mortal, the son of Tyndareus, while Pollux was immortal, the son of Zeus, both born to Leda.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led which famous journey across the western US from 1804 to 1806?

Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery in 1803 to cross the Louisiana Purchase and find a route to the Pacific; only one member, Sergeant Charles Floyd, died along the way.

Which husband-and-wife scientific duo pioneered radioactivity research and discovered polonium and radium?

Pierre and Marie Curie were a groundbreaking scientific duo who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, leading to the discovery of polonium and radium, and sharing a Nobel Prize in Physics.

Which Spanish author gave Don Quixote his squire Sancho Panza?

Miguel de Cervantes published Don Quixote in two parts, in 1605 and 1615; Sancho Panza is the peasant squire who rides a donkey beside the deluded knight.

Which hobbit stays with Frodo all the way to Mount Doom?

Samwise Gamgee is Frodo Baggins' devoted gardener and companion, accompanying him on the dangerous journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring.

Which French electronic music duo is famous for performing in robot helmets?

Daft Punk's robots were Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, who split in 2021 with a video of one of them exploding.

What musical genre is Daryl Hall and John Oates, often referred to as Hall & Oates, primarily known for?

Hall & Oates achieved massive success with their blend of rock and roll and rhythm and blues, popularizing the "blue-eyed soul" sound in the 1970s and 80s.

What was the name of the raw garage rock duo made up of Jack and Meg?

The White Stripes were a highly influential garage rock duo composed of Jack White (vocals, guitar) and Meg White (drums), famous for their minimalist sound and distinct visual aesthetic.

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, later an Oscar-winning writer for Get Out, made their name in what kind of comedy?

Sketch comedy was Key & Peele's game from 2012 to 2015, with Obama's anger translator and the East/West Bowl names; Peele then won an Oscar for writing Get Out.

Which classic comedy duo is renowned for their "Who's on First?" routine?

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello first performed 'Who's on First?' on radio in 1938; a gold record of the routine has been displayed at the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1956.

Which Las Vegas magic duo pairs a talkative giant with a partner who never speaks on stage?

Penn & Teller: Penn Jillette talks, Teller stays mute; they first teamed up at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in 1975.

Which two elderly Muppets heckle every act from their balcony box on The Muppet Show?

Statler and Waldorf are named after two grand New York hotels, the Statler Hilton and the Waldorf-Astoria.

In the Star Wars saga, what kind of beings are the inseparable companions R2-D2 and C-3PO?

R2-D2, an astromech droid, and C-3PO, a protocol droid, are two of the most enduring and beloved characters in the Star Wars universe, appearing in almost every film.

In Disney's "The Lion King," what are the species of the comedic duo Timon and Pumbaa?

Timon, a quick-witted meerkat, and Pumbaa, a kind-hearted warthog, are best friends who live by the philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" in Disney's "The Lion King."

Which Mike Judge animated duo mocked music videos on MTV with crude humor?

Judge created them for MTV in 1993, and they have been revived twice since, in 2011 and again from 2022.

Which German-American duo was famous for Las Vegas magic shows featuring white tigers and lions?

Siegfried Fischbacher and Uwe Ludwig Horn, known as Siegfried & Roy, were a legendary magic duo celebrated for their elaborate illusions and the use of exotic animals, particularly white tigers, in their Las Vegas shows.

Which neurotic chihuahua and dim-witted cat star in a famously bizarre gross-out animated series?

Ren Höek (a chihuahua) and Stimpy J. Cat are the titular characters of "The Ren & Stimpy Show," an influential and controversial animated series known for its surreal humor and gross-out gags.

Which animated duo, a cynical alcoholic scientist and his anxious grandson, started out as a crude Back to the Future parody?

Rick and Morty began as a Doc and Marty parody by Justin Roiland; Dan Harmon helped turn it into Adult Swim's multiverse hit.

Garth Algar co-hosts which fictional public access show from a basement in Aurora, Illinois?

Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar are the hosts of "Wayne's World," a fictional public access TV show that originated as a recurring sketch on "Saturday Night Live" before being adapted into two successful films.

Which stop-motion duo pairs an eccentric inventor with his intelligent dog?

Wallace, a cheese-loving inventor, and his silent but clever dog, Gromit, are the beloved British stop-motion animated characters created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations.

Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted 'Theodore' Logan, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, take what kind of journey?

A time-traveling adventure in a phone booth, collecting Napoleon, Lincoln and Socrates for a history report.

In which Shakespeare tragedy do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern originally appear?

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are childhood friends of Prince Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to find the cause of his apparent madness. Tom Stoppard later expanded their story in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

What do Phineas and Ferb build in their backyard in the very first episode?

The 2007 pilot 'Rollercoaster' had the boys' ride snake through the whole city; it drew 10.8 million viewers airing after 'High School Musical 2' and was later remade as a musical episode.

What is the name of the tech-savvy sidekick who often assists the superhero Static Shock?

Richie Foley, under the alias Gear, is the best friend and technological support for Virgil Hawkins, also known as the superhero Static Shock, in the animated series "Static Shock."

What kind of animal is the talkative companion of the ogre Shrek?

Donkey, voiced by Eddie Murphy, is Shrek's sidekick throughout the series and ends up married to Dragon, with whom he fathers a litter of 'Dronkeys'.

What kind of animal is Hobbes, Calvin's best friend in the comic strip?

Hobbes is a tiger: a living, philosophising companion to Calvin and a stuffed toy to everyone else, and Bill Watterson's strip never settles which is true.

After a marijuana-fuelled craving in their 2004 film, Harold and Kumar spend all night trying to reach which burger chain?

The film is Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle; the chain's small square 'sliders' date to its founding in Wichita, Kansas, in 1921.

What do 1970s TV duo Dave Starsky and Ken 'Hutch' Hutchinson do for a living?

David Starsky and Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson were two undercover police detectives in the fictional Bay City, California, famous for their red Ford Gran Torino and unique crime-fighting style.

Which alien twins from the Super Friends cartoon touch fists and shout 'Wonder Twin powers, activate'?

Zan and Jayna, from the planet Exxor: he becomes water in any form, she becomes any animal, with a space monkey named Gleek.

Which two 'Mystery Machine' occupants are known for cowardice and insatiable appetites?

Shaggy and Scooby excuse their bottomless appetites in 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' by insisting that 'being in a constant state of terror makes us constantly hungry'; Shaggy was modelled on beatnik Maynard G. Krebs from 'Dobie Gillis'.

In Toy Story, which two toys are a pull-string cowboy doll and a space ranger action figure?

Woody and Buzz Lightyear: Woody was named after Western actor Woody Strode, and Buzz after Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin; Woody's pull-string came from a Casper doll John Lasseter owned as a child.

Which classic romantic drama features the iconic pairing of Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund?

Rick Blaine, an American expatriate nightclub owner, and Ilsa Lund, his former lover, are the central figures in the timeless 1942 romantic drama film "Casablanca."

Which teacher-and-student pair cook meth in 'Breaking Bad'?

A chemistry teacher with stage-three lung cancer recruits his former student to cook and sell meth.

Which brilliant, unconventional TV diagnostician is longtime friends with oncologist Dr. James Wilson?

The House–Wilson friendship was written to echo Holmes and Watson; Robert Sean Leonard has said the two were originally meant to work cases together before House's diagnostic team took over that role.

Which masked Western hero rides with Tonto and shouts "Hi-yo, Silver!"?

The Lone Ranger, a former Texas Ranger, left silver bullets as his calling card; on TV Tonto was played by Jay Silverheels, a Mohawk from Ontario's Six Nations reserve.

Which comedic duo, often loitering outside convenience stores, recur in Kevin Smith's 'View Askewniverse' films?

Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith himself, are two foul-mouthed but often philosophical slackers who appear in many of Kevin Smith's interconnected films.

Simon & Garfunkel's songs featured prominently in which 1967 Mike Nichols film?

The Graduate (1967): Nichols used existing Simon & Garfunkel songs plus the new 'Mrs. Robinson', and the soundtrack album reached number one on the Billboard chart in 1968.

What make of convertible do Thelma and Louise drive across the Southwest in the 1991 film?

Louise's car is a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible, which the pair drive off a Grand Canyon cliff at the end; Hans Zimmer's main theme is titled 'Thunderbird'.

To which country do Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid flee in the 1969 film?

Bolivia: Butch sells it as a robber's paradise, and the film ends on a freeze-frame as the pair charge out against Bolivian soldiers in a small town.

Which 1943 show was Rodgers and Hammerstein's first collaboration?

Oklahoma! opened on Broadway in March 1943; it tried out in New Haven under the title Away We Go! before the name was changed.

How many comic operas did Gilbert and Sullivan write together between 1871 and 1896?

14 comic operas, from Thespis in 1871 to The Grand Duke in 1896; Gilbert wrote the words and Sullivan the music, with The Mikado the best known.

Who is Jack Black's partner in the comedy rock duo Tenacious D?

The two met in 1986 as members of the Actors' Gang theater troupe in Los Angeles, years before forming the band in 1994.

In which city did Big Boi and André 3000 form Outkast in 1992?

Atlanta: the pair met at the city's Lenox Square mall at 16 and attended Tri-Cities High School together before signing to LaFace Records.

Who was George Michael's partner in the 1980s pop duo Wham!?

Andrew Ridgeley met George Michael at Bushey Meads School near Watford in 1975; they played in the ska band the Executive before forming Wham! in 1981.

Which vocalist formed Eurythmics with Dave Stewart in 1980?

Annie Lennox met Dave Stewart in 1975 at a London restaurant where she waitressed; they were a couple and bandmates in the Tourists before forming Eurythmics in 1980.

In which year did Sonny & Cher's 'I Got You Babe' top the Billboard Hot 100?

1965: 'I Got You Babe', cut at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, topped the Hot 100 in August 1965 as the first single from their debut album Look at Us.

On which CBBC drama did Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly meet as child actors?

Byker Grove, the BBC children's drama set in Newcastle, where they played PJ and Duncan; they later recorded pop singles under those character names.

Under what real surname did Eric Morecambe debut alongside Ernie Wise in 1941?

Bartholomew: John Eric Bartholomew and Ernie Wise debuted as a double act at the Liverpool Empire in 1941; he later took his stage name from his Lancashire home town of Morecambe.

What was the title of Cheech & Chong's first feature film, released in 1978?

Up in Smoke (1978) was record producer Lou Adler's directorial debut; Cheech & Chong followed it with Cheech & Chong's Next Movie in 1980.

Who played Agent Scully, Fox Mulder's partner in The X-Files?

Gillian Anderson was 24 when Chris Carter cast her as Dana Scully in 1993; the 'Scully effect' credits the character with drawing young women into science careers.

What breed of dog is Hooch, Tom Hanks's slobbering partner in Turner & Hooch?

Hooch is a Dogue de Bordeaux, a French mastiff; the dog who played him was named Beasley, and in the story Hooch is the only witness to his owner's murder.

Which actor played Roger Murtaugh opposite Mel Gibson's Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon?

Danny Glover: casting director Marion Dougherty suggested him because Murtaugh had no set ethnicity in Shane Black's script, and he played the role in all four films.

In which 1933 film were Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers first paired on screen?

Flying Down to Rio (1933) paired them in supporting roles behind star Dolores del Río; they went on to make ten films together, the last, The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), in Technicolor at MGM.

Which 1944 film first paired Humphrey Bogart with Lauren Bacall?

To Have and Have Not (1944), where Bacall delivered her 'you just put your lips together and blow' line; the two married in May 1945.

In which Italian city is Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set?

Verona, in the Veneto; the play opens with a street brawl between Montague and Capulet servants, and Prince Escalus threatens death for any further breach of the peace.

At which 31 BC naval battle were Antony and Cleopatra defeated by Octavian?

Actium, off western Greece in the Ionian Sea, on 2 September 31 BC; Octavian's fleet under Agrippa won, and Antony and Cleopatra killed themselves the next year.

Near which African lake did Henry Morton Stanley find David Livingstone in 1871?

Lake Tanganyika: the meeting took place at Ujiji, on the lake's eastern shore in present-day Tanzania, in November 1871, and produced the line 'Doctor Livingstone, I presume?'

In which year did Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Everest?

1953: they topped out at 11:30 am on 29 May via the South Col route, on the ninth British expedition to the mountain; the news reached London on Coronation Day.

The Wright brothers made the first powered flight in December 1903 near which North Carolina town, picked for its steady winds?

Kitty Hawk gets the credit, though the flight happened four miles south at what is now Kill Devil Hills.

In which California city is the garage where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard started HP?

Palo Alto: the garage at 367 Addison Avenue, where Hewlett and Packard started in 1939, is a California Historical Landmark billed as the 'Birthplace of Silicon Valley'.

What kind of renovated building housed Ben & Jerry's first ice cream parlor in 1978?

A renovated gas station in downtown Burlington, Vermont, opened on 5 May 1978 with a $12,000 investment, $4,000 of it borrowed.

In which English city did Charles Rolls and Henry Royce first meet in May 1904?

Manchester: they met at the city's newly opened Midland Hotel on 4 May 1904; by December Rolls had agreed to take every car Royce could make.

Who was the third co-founder of Apple alongside Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976?

Ronald Wayne held a 10 percent stake, drew the first Apple logo and sold his share back within two weeks for $800; the partnership was founded on 1 April 1976.

In which city did Bill Gates and Paul Allen demo their Altair BASIC to MITS in 1975?

Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of MITS: Allen flew there in March 1975 to demo the interpreter, which ran on real hardware for the first time and worked; Microsoft's first office was there.

In which fictional town do Rocky the flying squirrel and Bullwinkle the moose live?

Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, a town modelled on real-life International Falls, one of the coldest spots in the continental US.

What kind of sea creature is Patrick, SpongeBob SquarePants's best friend?

Patrick is a starfish; creator Stephen Hillenburg, a former marine biology teacher, chose the animal because it looks slow and dumb but is actually an active predator.

In Adventure Time, what special power does Finn's best friend Jake the Dog have?

Stretching his body: Jake can shrink, grow or mold himself into almost any shape, a power that traces to a shapeshifting creature that bit his father Joshua.

In the Rare video games, what kind of animal is Banjo, who carries Kazooie on his back?

Banjo is a honey bear who carries Kazooie, a female 'breegull', in his blue backpack; Rare released Banjo-Kazooie on the Nintendo 64 in 1998.

Ratchet, the mechanic partnered with the robot Clank, belongs to which feline species?

Lombax, a cat-like species whose homeworld is the planet Fastoon; Insomniac's artists first sketched Ratchet as a reptile before settling on the feline design.

Why does Obelix, Asterix's best friend, never need to drink Getafix's magic potion?

He fell into the cauldron of magic potion as a baby, leaving him permanently superhumanly strong, which is why he carries menhirs around with ease.

What breed of dog is Snowy, Tintin's constant companion?

Snowy is a white Wire Fox Terrier; in the original French he is called Milou, a nickname of Hergé's first girlfriend, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem.

Hansel and Gretel was published in 1812 in whose collection of fairy tales?

The Brothers Grimm included it in the first volume of their Children's and Household Tales in 1812; later editions changed the mother who abandons the children into a stepmother.

In which city's Shotz Brewery did Laverne and Shirley work as bottle-cappers?

Milwaukee: the Happy Days spin-off kept them at the fictional Shotz Brewery until season six, when automation cost them their jobs and they moved to Burbank, California.

In which city did Burke and Hare commit their sixteen murders in 1828?

Edinburgh: they sold the corpses to anatomist Robert Knox; Burke was hanged in January 1829 and his skeleton was given to the University of Edinburgh's anatomy museum.

Which playwright created the waiting tramps Vladimir and Estragon?

Samuel Beckett wrote Waiting for Godot in French between 1948 and 1949; he cited Caspar David Friedrich's painting Two Men Contemplating the Moon as an inspiration.

To which Colorado ski town do Lloyd and Harry drive in Dumb and Dumber?

Aspen: they set out from Providence, Rhode Island, in a dog-shaped van to return Mary Swanson's briefcase, which is actually ransom money.

Gene Siskel wrote for the Tribune; which rival paper employed Roger Ebert?

The Chicago Sun-Times, where Ebert reviewed films from 1967 and won the 1975 Pulitzer for criticism; the two were first paired on WTTW's Opening Soon at a Theater Near You.

For which newspaper did Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein report on Watergate?

The Washington Post: city editor Barry Sussman put the two young reporters on the June 1972 burglary story alongside veteran police reporter Alfred Lewis.

To which Ravel piece did Torvill and Dean skate their perfect-score 1984 Olympic free dance?

Boléro: the Sarajevo routine earned 6.0 for artistic impression from all nine judges, and the pair returned to the city in 2014 to skate it again.

Which Scottish author wrote Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in 1886?

Robert Louis Stevenson; as a teenager he had already drafted a play about William 'Deacon' Brodie, an Edinburgh councillor who led a secret life as a burglar.

By what experiment number is Stitch, Lilo's alien friend, officially known?

Experiment 626, created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba; sentenced to exile by the United Galactic Federation, he escaped and crash-landed on Kauaʻi, where Lilo named him Stitch.

Which award was stripped from Milli Vanilli after their lip-syncing scandal?

The Best New Artist Grammy they won in February 1990 was revoked that November after producer Frank Farian admitted the duo had not sung on their records.

Who was Odie's original owner before the dog ended up with Garfield's Jon Arbuckle?

Lyman, Jon's roommate, brought Odie into the strip in 1978 and then vanished; Jim Davis has offered a variety of humorous explanations for his disappearance over the years.

Who wrote the play The Odd Couple, featuring roommates Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar?

Neil Simon's play opened on Broadway in 1965 with Walter Matthau as Oscar, a slovenly sportswriter, and Art Carney as Felix, a neurotic news writer thrown out by his wife.

What car is the General Lee, driven by Bo and Luke Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard?

A 1969 Dodge Charger painted orange with '01' on the doors; it appears in every episode except season one's 'Mary Kaye's Baby', and the show wrecked hundreds of Chargers filming its jumps.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, childhood friends from Boston, won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for which 1997 film?

Good Will Hunting earned nine nominations; Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor for it, and Damon and Affleck were 27 and 25.