University Blues

Here are the answers to the questions about universities which were posed earlier.

One

The world’s oldest continuously operating university is the University of al-Qarawiyyin. In what city and country is it located?

Answer: Fez, Morocco.

Founded by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman who used her inheritance to establish a centre for education and religion, Al-Qarawiyyin began as a madrasa. It later became a leading spiritual and educational hub in the Muslim world. UNESCO and the Guinness World Records both recognise it as the oldest continuously operating higher education institution globally.

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Two

The second-oldest university in the United States is what, and who is it named after?

Answer: College of William & Mary; (named after England’s) King William III and Queen Mary II

Founded in 1693 in Williamsburg, Virginia, William & Mary was established by royal charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of England. It educated several key figures in early US history including Thomas Jefferson James Monroe and John Tyler all of whom became presidents. Notably it was also the first US college to implement an honour code and establish a Greek-letter fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1776.

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Three

What’s the third book (2009) in the series featuring a fictional professor of religious iconology and symbology? Who is this professor? The character first appeared in a book published in 2000.

Answer: The Lost Symbol; Robert Langdon

Dan Brown’s book series centres on Robert Langdon, a fictional Harvard professor of Religious Iconology and Symbology. This latter subject is a fictional field studying historic symbols distinct from the real discipline of semiotics.

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Four

In the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Charles (Hugh Grant), Tom (James Fleet), and Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) have known each other since university. What university?

Answer: Cambridge University

Charles, Tom and Scarlett are shown to have attended Cambridge University in Four Weddings and a Funeral and their friendship began there.

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Five

What are the five ancient universities of Britain and Ireland which were founded in the 15th and 16th centuries and are NOT located in England?

Answer: University of St Andrews (founded 1413), University of Glasgow (1451), University of Aberdeen (1495), University of Edinburgh (1583) and University of Dublin (Trinity College Dublin) (1592)

Although located in Ireland, Trinity College is historically linked with the British ancient universities. The other two ancient universities of Britain are Oxford (1096) and Cambridge (1209).