Here are the answers to my earlier questions.
Today’s questions all relate to February 8th.
Image Wikimedia Commons
One
The US space station launched in 1973 and operational until 1974 ceased operations on this date. What was its name and how many weeks was it occupied?
Answer: Skylab; 24 weeks.
Skylab, the first U.S. space station, was launched in 1973 and constructed from a repurposed Saturn V stage. It hosted three crews for missions lasting 28, 59, and 84 days, conducting research on human adaptation to space, solar studies, and Earth observations. Skylab’s use came to an end after 171 days and it disintegrated in 1979 due to faster-than-expected orbital decay resulting in debris coming down in the Indian Ocean and Western Australia.
Two
Who was executed on this date in 1587, as a suspect in the Babington Plot to murder England’s Queen Elizabeth I?
Answer: Mary, Queen of Scots.
Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed at Fotheringhay Castle, England. Her execution was notoriously botched, requiring multiple blows to sever her head. Despite appearing uninvolved, Elizabeth I faced significant backlash for the event and refused Mary’s request for a Catholic burial. A controversial figure throughout her life, she remains the subject of historical debate and public fascination.
Three
What film, which premiered in 1915, was hailed for its technical and dramatic innovations but condemned for its overt racism and positive portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan?
Answer: The Birth of a Nation.
The Birth of a Nation (1915), a silent film starring Lillian Gish, was a groundbreaking Hollywood blockbuster. While praised for its technical and dramatic innovations, it was also criticised for its racist portrayal of the Ku Klux Klan.
Four
In what decade did Sandford Fleming propose at the Royal Canadian Institute the adoption of Universal Standard Time?
Answer: 1870s.
In 1879, Fleming proposed a single 24-hour clock for the world, with 24 time zones based on the Greenwich meridian. His system, initially linked to the Greenwich meridian, was later revised to use the anti-meridian. Although the International Meridian Conference adopted the Greenwich Meridian, it rejected Fleming’s time zones.
Five
In the biographical film Iris, both Kate Winslet and Judith Dench portrayed the title character. Who was the real Iris?
Answer: Iris Murdoch.
Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) was a British novelist and philosopher known for her psychological novels with philosophical and comic elements. Her works, characterised by convoluted plots and realistic observations of 20th-century life, explore the influence of the unconscious mind and societal forces on human behaviour. Murdoch’s novels, plays, verse and philosophical works continue to be celebrated for their intelligence, wit, and high seriousness.
Quizology Online 