Here are the answers to today’s questions.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Today’s first question is about a pioneering ‘first’, the rest follow a theme of ‘firsts’ rather than the letters of ’first’.
One
On this day in what year did Valentina V. Tereshkova become the first woman in space, and on what spacecraft did she travel?
Answers: 1963; Vostok 6.
On this day in 1963, Valentina V. Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, made history as the first woman to travel in space. She launched into orbit aboard Vostok 6 completing 48 orbits in just 71 hours. To date, she is the only woman to have flown in space solo and is the youngest, being 26 years of age at the time of Vostok 6.
Two
Who won the first of his three Wimbledon singles titles in 1934, and in what other sport was he a world champion?
Answers: Fred Perry; Table tennis.
Fred Perry was a British tennis and table tennis player, achieving significant success in both sports. In table tennis, he became the World Champion in 1929. Perry began his tennis career aged 21, seven years after taking up the sport. He won 10 Majors in tennis, including eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Pro Slam singles titles, as well as six Major doubles titles. Perry was the first player to achieve a ‘Career Grand Slam’ by winning all four singles titles, completing this feat at the 1935 French Championships at age 26. He remains the only British player to do so. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships from 1934 to 1936 and was the world amateur No. 1 during those years. Perry also played a crucial role in Great Britain’s Davis Cup victories from 1933 to 1936. Disillusioned with the Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain’s class-conscious nature, he turned professional in 1936, moved to the United States, and became a naturalised U.S. citizen in 1939. After retiring, he founded the Fred Perry clothing label in 1952 and worked as a tennis broadcaster for BBC Radio. Despite his contributions, Perry was not fully recognised by tennis authorities until later in life, but in 1984, a statue was unveiled at Wimbledon.
Three
In what year did the Wright Brothers achieve the first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft, and which of the brothers was the pilot?
Answer: 1903; Orville Wright.
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were American aviation pioneers credited with inventing the first successful airplane. They achieved the first controlled, sustained flight of an engine-powered aircraft, the Wright Flyer, on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their innovation was a three-axis control system, crucial for fixed-wing flight. Unlike others, they focused on pilot control over engine power. Their mechanical skills, honed through bicycle work, were pivotal in their success.
Four
Absolute primogeniture is a form of primogeniture in which gender is irrelevant for inheritance.
- What country became the first modern European monarchy to adopt this system in 1980?
- What two European monarchies still (June 2026) have male-preference primogeniture?
Answers.
- Sweden.
- Spain and Monaco (have male-preference primogeniture).
Sweden adopted absolute primogeniture in 1980, displacing Prince Carl Philip for Princess Victoria. Other monarchies followed: Netherlands (1983), Norway (1990), Belgium (1991), Denmark (2009), and Luxembourg (2011). In 2011, the realms within the Commonwealth, with Queen Elizabeth II as a common monarch, agreed to adopt absolute primogeniture; it became effective in 2015.
Five
In The Lord of the Rings who is/are the first to leave the Company of the Ring?
Answer: Gandalf.
The Company of the Ring consists of nine members: Legolas (Elf), Gimli (Dwarf), Aragorn and Boromir (Men), Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin (Hobbits), and Gandalf (Wizard). Led by Gandalf, they begin their journey at the start of winter, travelling south through Eriador. After failing to cross the Misty Mountains, they enter the mines of Moria, where Gandalf falls battling a Balrog, allowing the others to escape.
Quizology.Online 
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