Today’s Answers
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Today’s questions all relate to this date, 2 October, but have nothing else in common. Although numbered one to five there are seven answers.
One
On this day, Charles Darwin returned to the United Kingdom after his five-year voyage making observations and gathering specimens, which led to his theory of evolution. In what decade did he return to the UK; and what connects this voyage to Charlie Brown’s dog?
Answers: 1830s; Beagle
In 1836, Charles Darwin returned to Britain from his voyage on HMS Beagle, and Charlie Brown’s dog Snoopy is a beagle.
Two
Mummy brown, a shade of brown which appeared in the news on this day in 1964 was a colour which was named so because it was:
- The mother of all shades of brown
- The colour of habit worn by the Superior Mother Superior of the Carmelite Order
- A pigment made from the flesh of mummies
Answer: A pigment made from the flesh of mummies.
Mummy brown, made from mummies, pitch and myrrh, was popular among Western European artists and Pre-Raphaelites such as Delacroix and Burne-Jones. Demand fell by 1915 and supply ended mid-twentieth century due to scarcity and poor quality.
Three
In 1954, Elvis Presley appeared on the radio show the Grand Ole Opry On how many occasions in total did he appear on this show?
- Once
- Twice
- Three Times
Answer: Once.
The appearance on 2 October 1954, which received a mediocre reaction. was his only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. He had more success with an appearance on the rival Louisiana Hayride show.
Four
In 1937, a speech by the Dominican Republic’s Dictator, Rafael Trujillo, led attacks by Dominican soldiers that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Haitians. By what name is this known?
- Parsley Massacre
- Poppy Pogrom
- Pot Genocide
Answer: Parsley Massacre.
In October 1937, Dominican Army troops ordered by Rafael Trujillo killed an estimated 20,000 Haitians in the northwestern frontier and Cibao region. Known as the Parsley massacre, victims were killed or fled across the Dajabón River; the name stems from a reported pronunciation test, where Haitians had to pronounce the Spanish word for parsley, perejil, to the satisfaction of the interrogators, though scholars consider this mythic.
Five
On this day in 1957, a classic war film had it premiere. The film which featured the River Kwai in its title went on to win the Academy Award for the Best Picture. What was the film’s full title; and who starred as Colonel Nicholson, the senior British officer in the prisoner of war camp?
Answer: The Bridge on the River Kwai; Alec Guinness.
The 1957 epic war film The Bridge on the River Kwai, directed by David Lean and based on Pierre Boulle’s novel. It notes that while the story is fictional, it is set against the historical construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–1943. The film stars William Holden, Alec Guinness, and Jack Hawkins. The Bridge on the River Kwai was the highest-grossing film of 1957, won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, and is preserved in the National Film Registry. It appears on the American Film Institute’s best list and was ranked 11th by the British Film Institute.
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