Here are the answers to the questions I posed in my earlier post.
All of these questions relate to today’s date, November 21st.
Image Wikipedia
One
Which two boroughs of New York City were linked by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, pictured above, upon its opening on 21 November 1964?
Answer: Brooklyn and Staten Island
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, spans the Narrows and carries 13 lanes of Interstate 278. Designed by Othmar Ammann and others, it opened in 1964 with a central span, 4,260 feet (1,298 m), that was the longest in the world until 1981. The bridge, named after explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, collects tolls in both directions.
Two
The first crewed hot air balloon flight took place on this day in 1783 in a balloon constructed by the Montgolfier brothers. Which of contemporary Paris’s over 400 public parks was the site of this historic flight?
Answer: Bois de Boulogne
The first untethered manned balloon ascent occurred on 21 November 1783, when two Frenchmen Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d’Arlandes, travelling from the Château de la Muette across the Bois
de Boulogne, Paris. The flight lasted 20 minutes in a hot air balloon designed and built by brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier. This historic event was witnessed by Louis XVI, the French Academy of Sciences, and the public, including Benjamin Franklin.
Three
On this date, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presented the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light. Which century was this?
Answer: 17th century
In 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer announced that an eclipse of Jupiter’s moon would occur ten minutes later than expected, a prediction based on his calculations of the speed of light. Despite this occurring as he predicted, there was initial scepticism from the Paris Académie des Sciences, including his patron, Cassini. Rømer’s claim was eventually confirmed by James Bradley’s discovery of the aberration of light in 1729.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Four
Who is this Belgian artist, born on 21 November 1898 and pictured above with one of his works?
Answer: René Magritte
René Magritte (1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist renowned for his bizarre and enigmatic paintings that depicted ordinary objects in unsettling, unexpected contexts, challenging perceptions of reality and representation. Influenced by Giorgio de Chirico, Magritte developed a unique style characterised by carefully rendered objects in dreamlike juxtapositions. His work gained international popularity in the 1930s and influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art, continuing until his death in 1967.
Five
Frankenstein, the classic horror film, was released in the US today in 1931. Who played the monster in this film?
Answer: Boris Karloff
Frankenstein is a 1931 American horror film directed by James Whale, based on Peggy Webling’s 1927 stage play adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. Starring Colin Clive and Boris Karloff, the film follows Dr. Frankenstein’s experiment to create life, resulting in tragic consequences. It was a commercial success, significantly impacting popular culture and spawning sequels and remakes, with its influence still felt today.
Quizology Online 