Decade Decisions — Answers

Today’s Answers

Today’s questions are all related to today, 7th September.

One

The first Miss America pageant took place on this day. In what decade, and at what location did this occur?

Answer: 1920s; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

The inaugural Miss America pageant began on 7 September 1921, when the two-day Inter-City Beauty event opened in Atlantic City during the Fall Frolic. Margaret Gorman, representing Washington, D.C., secured victory on the first day and again in the Bathers’ Revue the following day. She was named ‘the most beautiful bathing girl in America’.

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Two

England’s future Queen Elizabeth I was born on this day. In what decade, and at what palace was she born?

Answers: 1530s; Greenwich Palace.

Elizabeth I, born on this day in 1533, ruled England from 1558 to 1603. Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Age, saw the country emerge strongly as a leading European force in politics, trade, and the arts.

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Three

The earliest recorded submarine attack occurred when an attempt was made by the Turtle to fix an explosive device with a timer to the British ship HMS Eagle in a harbour. In what decade, and in what harbour, did this occur?

Answers: 1770s; New York Harbor.

American colonial accounts describe how on 7 September 1776, Ezra Lee launched the first submarine strike in the Turtle, aiming to fix a timed explosive to HMS Eagle in New York Harbor, though British records do not confirm the event.

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Four

A songwriter achieved a record-setting milestone while working at EMI by having written seven simultaneous hits by different artists on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In what decade did she achieve this, and who was she?

Answers: 1980’s; Diane Eve Warren.

Her success drew praise from EMI’s UK Chairman, Peter Reichardt, who famously described her as ‘the most important songwriter in the world’. Although Warren is recognised for her extensive catalogue of hits with some of the most popular artists, she is strongly committed to safeguarding her creative rights; she founded Realsongs to retain ownership of her masters, a step that grants her full control over how her music is used and how revenue is generated.

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Five

Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident, was assassinated while walking across Waterloo Bridge in London, U.K. by Bulgarian secret police. In what decade did this happen, and what was the weapon speculated to have been used?

Answers: 1970s; Umbrella.

On 7 September 1978, Markov felt a sharp pain on his right thigh at a bus stop on Waterloo Bridge and reported seeing a man pick up an umbrella behind him. A post mortem examination later found a tiny pellet measuring 0.067 in (1.70 mm) in diameter in his leg. The assumption is that Francesco Gullino, a Bulgarian secret police agent, killed him using a ricin pellet launched from a purpose-built umbrella.

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