Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
These questions cover 321 years from the earliest to the most recent, but all are connected to today’s date, November 24th.
One
On this day in 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman sailed along the southern coast of the island now known as Tasmania. His voyage, an expedition from the Dutch East Indies capital eastwards towards southern South America, marked the first recorded European contact with the island. Four questions: (i) What did Tasman name the island that is now called Tasmania? (ii) What was the Dutch East Indies capital at that time; (iii) what is it called today? And (iv) which country is it now the capital of?
Answer: (i) Anthony van Diemen’s Land; (ii) Batavia; (iii) Jakarta and (iv) Indonesia
Tasman named the island Anthony van Diemen’s Land after his sponsor Anthony van Diemen, the Governor of the Dutch East Indies. This became shortened to Van Diemen’s Land.
Batavia was the capital city of the Dutch East Indies; this city is now Jakarta, which is the capital of Indonesia. Batavia, founded by the Dutch in 1619 on the site of Jayakarta, became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and the centre of the Dutch East India Company’s trading network. The city, located on the north coast of Java, remained a European colonial city until World War II.
Two
On this day in 1700, which European monarch accepted the will of the late Charles II of Spain and proclaimed his grandson Philip as King of Spain — a decision that helped trigger the War of the Spanish Succession?
Answer: Louis XIV of France
The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) was a European conflict over the succession of the Spanish throne. The war ended with the Peace of Utrecht, confirming Philip as King of Spain but preventing a union with France.
Image Slideshare.net
Three
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published today in which decade?
Answer: 1850s
Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, published in 1859, introduced the theory of evolution by natural selection. The book, supported by evidence from Darwin’s Beagle expedition and subsequent research, sparked scientific, philosophical, and religious debate. While initially controversial, Darwin’s ideas gained widespread acceptance within the scientific community by the 1940s.
Four
On this day in 1877, the book Black Beauty was published. Who was the author?
Answer: Anna Sewell
British author Anna Sewell wrote the beloved children’s classic Black Beauty to champion kindness and understanding towards horses. Confinement to her home due to illness saw Sewell spend her final years penning the book. It’s believed this work played a significant role in abolishing the cruel practice of using the checkrein.
Originally published in the Dallas Times Herald, November 25, 1963.
Image Wikipedia
Five
Who, in the above picture, is the man facing away from the camera shooting Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas today, 1963?
Answer: Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, murdered Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas Police Headquarters. Ruby was convicted of Oswald’s murder and sentenced to death, but this conviction was overturned on appeal, leading to a new trial. However, Ruby fell ill, was diagnosed with cancer, and died on January 3, 1967, before the new trial could take place. While the Warren Commission concluded Ruby acted alone, his death fuelled conspiracy theories.
Quizology Online 