We’ve had a Problem — Answers

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Here’s today’s answers.

All of these questions are related to today, April 13th.

Apollo13 – view of the crippled Service Module after separation.
Image Wikimedia Commons

One

In 1970, Apollo 13 suffered an explosion in a tank en route to the Moon. What did the tank contain, and who were the three crew?

Answers: Oxygen; James A. Lovell, John L. Swigert and Fred W. Haise (aka Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise).

Apollo 13, the seventh crewed Apollo mission, was aborted after an oxygen tank explosion two days into the mission. The crew used the Lunar Module as a lifeboat, facing hardships like limited power and water, but successfully returned to Earth. The incident highlighted the need for improved safety measures, leading to changes in oxygen tank design for future missions.

Two

In accordance with the Nanakshahi calendar, a religion was formalised as the Khalsa – the brotherhood of Warrior-Saints. In what century did this occur, and what religion was formalised as described?

Answers: 17th century; Sikh or Sikhism.

Sikhism, founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region, is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and nine successors. It emphasises faith in one creator, equality, selfless service, and honest conduct. Since 1699, Sikhs follow the Guru Granth Sahib as their eternal guru and are identified by the five Ks, which are:

Kesh — unshorn hair and beard
Kangha — a comb for the kesh, usually made of wood
Kara — a bracelet, usually made of iron or steel
Kachhera — an undergarment
Kirpan — a small curved sword or knife made of iron or steel

Three

In 1953, the CIA launched Project MKUltra. What was the purpose of this programme?

Answer: Mind-control (alter human behaviour).

MKUltra was a CIA programme that ran from 1953 to 1973, experimenting on unwitting subjects to alter behaviour using drugs, hypnosis, and other methods. The programme, which involved illegal activities and violated individual rights, was exposed in 1975, and further information was declassified in 2001. Encyclopædia Britannica notes that MK-ULTRA was a CIA mind-control programme from 1953 to 1964, continuing work from concentration camps with the aim of controlling minds for Cold War purposes.

Four

George Frideric Handel’s Messiah made its world premiere on this date. In what century, and in what capital city, did this premiere take place?

Answers: 18th century; Dublin, Ireland.

Messiah, an oratorio by George Frideric Handel, premiered in Dublin in 1742 and is now a popular Easter performance. Based on biblical texts by Charles Jennens, it features the famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ and combines Old and New Testament verses. Originally for a small Baroque orchestra, performances have since expanded.

Five

On this day in 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first African-American man to win the Best Actor Academy Award.

Who was the first African-American to win an Academy Award in any category, and for which film was the award made?
Who was the first African-American woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, and for which film was the award made?

Answers

Hattie McDaniel; Gone with the Wind.
Halle Berry; Monster’s Ball.
Hattie McDaniel played Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939) and won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Halle Berry won the Best Actress Oscar as Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball (2001). Berry was also the first person of colour to win Best Actress, and that year was the first time two African-American performers won Oscars in the same year — Denzel Washington for Training Day.