Long to Reign Over Us—Answers

One

On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom. Is it true or false that in a list of the longest reigning monarchs within the UK, Queen Victoria would be placed second and George III, third?

Answer: True

Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, 214 days, while Victoria reigned for 63 years, 216 days, and George III for 59 years, 96 days.

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Two

Is this true or false that The Great Herding was a historical event in medieval Scotland which began on 8 September annually?

Answer: False

The Great Herding, or El Gran Arreo, began in 1888 when five settlers, led by Henry Jamieson, moved thousands of sheep hundreds of kilometres to Santa Cruz, Argentina, to establish large sheep farms.

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Three

Is it true or false that on 8 September 1941, German and Finnish troops began a siege that would last 872 days?

Answer: True

The siege of Leningrad, lasting two years, four months, and nineteen days from 1941 to 1944, was a devastating blockade by Germany and Finland. It is renowned as the most destructive siege in history. Although Leningrad was never captured, the intentional starvation of its civilians resulted in an estimated 1.5 million deaths.

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Four

Is this true or false that on this day in 1644, Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria, in Milan.

Answer: False

1644 and Milan are incorrect. Michelangelo’s 5.17-metre marble statue, David, was created between 1501 and 1504. On 8 September 1504, it was unveiled in Piazza della Signoria, Florence. Originally intended for Florence Cathedral, David became a symbol of civil liberties and was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia in 1873.

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Five

Is it true or false that the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television on 8 September 1970?

Answer: False

The Man Trap, the first episode of Star Trek had premiered on NBC some four years earlier on 8 September 1966. The Man Trap follows Captain Kirk and his crew as they visit an outpost and encounter a shapeshifting alien.