Happy Birthday, Mr. President — Answers

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Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy.
Image Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Five questions which in some way are connected to today, May 19th.

One

The world’s first national park service was established in 1911 in which country?

Answer: Canada.

In 1911, Canada established the first national parks service in the world. What began as a cluster of parks in the Rocky Mountains gradually became a national system, fostering tourism and economic growth while upholding conservation ideals. In 1914, the definition of a “Dominion Park” was expanded to include significant historic places, laying the groundwork for a modern system of iconic national parks and national historic sites, which welcome millions of visitors annually, and initiating a tradition of national and international leadership in the management of protected places that continues to this day.
— Parks Canada

Two

Colin Chapman, an English engineer born in 1928, founded which sports car company, and Formula One team?

Answer: Lotus Cars; Team Lotus.

Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars, was an English design engineer known for his lightweight, high-handling sports cars. Under his direction, Team Lotus achieved significant success in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500.

Three

In 1959, the North Vietnamese Army’s Group 559 was established to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam. The supply route to fulfil this brief became known as what? And what countries, other than North and South Vietnam, did the route traverse?

Answer: Ho Chi Minh trail; Laos and Cambodia.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a logistical network of roads and trails, ran from North to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia, supporting the Viet Cong and People’s Army of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Despite being heavily targeted by air interdiction, the trail effectively supplied troops in the south.

Four

Charlotte, the future queen consort of George III, was born in 1744 in the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was part of what empire?

Answer: Holy Roman Empire.

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1761 to 1818, was the longest-serving queen consort. She was a patron of the arts, introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, and was deeply affected by her husband’s illness and the French Revolution.

Five

On this day Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a gala to mark John F. Kennedy’s birthday. The gala, a Democratic Party fundraiser, was held ten days before the president’s birthday. What age would the president become on that birthday, and where was the gala held?

Answers: 45 years of age; Madison Square Gardens, NYC.

Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy at a 1962 gala, inserting ‘Mr. President‘ for his name and adding a snippet of Thanks for the Memory with new lyrics.