There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge. (Bertrand Russell)
Author: Quizologist
As a retired trivia writer, editor and quiz compiler, I wholeheartedly agree with Bertrand Russell’s quote: “There’s much pleasure to be gained in useless knowledge.” Trivia of all sorts has always fascinated me, and for many years, I’ve written and compiled trivia for various media, including traditional TV and radio quiz shows, newspapers and magazines, apps, and other digital platforms.
Here are the answers to the questions from my earlier post.
Bayeux Tapestry – Scenes 55 & 56 – Duke William lifts his helmet to be recognized on the battlefield of Hastings. Image Wikipedia
One
Is it true or false that William the Conqueror died of smallpox on 9 September 1092?
Answer: True
King William of England died on 9 September 1087 at Rouen, France, several weeks after being seriously injured at the Battle of Mantes. In July 1087, while fighting a counter-offensive against the French, the King fell against the pommel of his saddle, severely damaging his intestines.
Two
Is it true or false that Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time on 9 September 1960?
Answer: False
Presley’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was on 9 September 1956. He made two further appearances over the next four months, but he didn’t appear on the show again after his third appearance.
Is it true that a Scottish monarch was crowned at the age of nine months on 9 September 1543? If so, who was the monarch?
Answer: True. Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary Stuart became queen at the tender age of six days old in December 1543 upon her father James V’s death. Crowned as Mary, Queen of Scots on 9 September 1543 in Stirling, she remained queen until her forced abdication on 24 July 1567.
Four
Is it true or false that on 9 September 1759, forty-seven nations adopted Sauchie Fraser’s proposal for a standard time and time zones?
Answer: False
On this date in 1885, twenty-five nations adopted Sanford Fleming’s proposal for standard time and time zones.
Five
Captain William Bligh FRS RN, born on 9 September 1754, is best known for being cast adrift from HMS Bounty. Is it true or false that between 1806 and 1808, he served as Governor of New South Wales?
Is it true or false that William the Conqueror died of smallpox on 9 September 1092?
Two
Is it true or false that Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time on 9 September 1960?
Three
Is it true or false that a Scottish monarch was crowned at the age of nine months on 9 September 1543? If so, who was the monarch?
Four
Is it true or false that on 9 September 1759, forty-seven nations adopted Sauchie Fraser’s proposal for a standard time and time zones?
Five
Captain William Bligh FRS RN, born on 9 September 1754, is best known for being cast adrift from HMS Bounty. Is it true or false that between 1806 and 1808, he served as Governor of New South Wales?
On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom. Is it true or false that in a list of the longest reigning monarchs within the UK, Queen Victoria would be placed second and George III, third?
Answer: True
Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, 214 days, while Victoria reigned for 63 years, 216 days, and George III for 59 years, 96 days.
Is this true or false that The Great Herding was a historical event in medieval Scotland which began on 8 September annually?
Answer: False
The Great Herding, or El Gran Arreo, began in 1888 when five settlers, led by Henry Jamieson, moved thousands of sheep hundreds of kilometres to Santa Cruz, Argentina, to establish large sheep farms.
Three
Is it true or false that on 8 September 1941, German and Finnish troops began a siege that would last 872 days?
Answer: True
The siege of Leningrad, lasting two years, four months, and nineteen days from 1941 to 1944, was a devastating blockade by Germany and Finland. It is renowned as the most destructive siege in history. Although Leningrad was never captured, the intentional starvation of its civilians resulted in an estimated 1.5 million deaths.
Is this true or false that on this day in 1644, Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria, in Milan.
Answer: False
1644 and Milan are incorrect. Michelangelo’s 5.17-metre marble statue, David, was created between 1501 and 1504. On 8 September 1504, it was unveiled in Piazza della Signoria, Florence. Originally intended for Florence Cathedral, David became a symbol of civil liberties and was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia in 1873.
The Man Trap (1966), Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek. Image IMDB
Five
Is it true or false that the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television on 8 September 1970?
Answer: False
The Man Trap, the first episode of Star Trek had premiered on NBC some four years earlier on 8 September 1966. The Man Trap follows Captain Kirk and his crew as they visit an outpost and encounter a shapeshifting alien.
On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom. Is it true or false that in a list of the longest reigning monarchs within the UK, Queen Victoria would be placed second and George III, third?
Two
Is it true or false that The Great Herding was a historical event in medieval Scotland which began on 8 September annually?
Three
Is it true or false that on 8 September 1941, German and Finnish troops began a siege that would last 872 days?
Four
Is it true or false that on this day in 1644, Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria, in Milan?
Five
Is it true or false that the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television on 8 September 1970?
Edward VI by William Scrots. Image WikipediaMary by Hans Eworth, 1554. Image Wikipedia
One
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Answers: Edward VI and Mary I
Elizabeth I’s shrewdness, courage, and self-display inspired loyalty and unified England against foreign enemies. Her carefully crafted image as a symbol of the nation’s destiny, coupled with her authority to make critical decisions, defined the Elizabethan Age.
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Answer: Seventies (1970s)
ESPN, founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott, revolutionised sports broadcasting. With backing from Getty Oil and later ABC, ESPN secured major sports contracts, including the NFL and NCAA football, establishing itself as a dominant force in the industry. Despite facing challenges in the 2010s, ESPN continues to evolve, launching streaming services and expanding its reach through partnerships and acquisitions.
Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by Vasily Vereshchagin (1897). Image Wikipedia
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Answer: France and Russia
The Battle of Borodino, fought on 7 September 1812, was the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite a French victory, the Imperial Russian army retreated, leading to the French occupation of Moscow and the eventual failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: Greenwich, New York
Grandma Moses, an American folk artist, gained fame in her 70s for her paintings of rural life. Her work, characterised by simple realism and nostalgic atmosphere, has been widely exhibited and merchandised. Greenwich, New York, is a town in Washington County with a population of 4,868. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and has historical significance as part of the Underground Railroad.
RMS Lusitania, possibly New York, c.1907. Image Wikipedia
Five
Launched on this day in 1907, what Cunard liner was named after an ancient Roman province on the Iberian Peninsula?
Answer: Lusitania (RMS Lusitania)
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Four
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: RMS Lusitania
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
Here are the answers to the questions from my earlier post.
V2-Rocket in the Peenemünde Museum. Image Wikipedia
One
On 6 September 1944, Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 rocket, a precursor to modern long-range missiles. What city was the target of this inaugural launch?
Answer: Paris
[The first] was fired against Paris on September 6, 1944. Two days later the first of more than 1,100 V-2s was fired against Great Britain (the last on March 27, 1945). Belgium was also heavily bombarded. About 5,000 people died in V-2 attacks, and it is estimated that at least 10,000 prisoners from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp died when used as forced labour in building V-2s at the underground Mittelwerk factory. After the war, both the United States and the Soviet Union captured large numbers of V-2s and used them in research that led to the development of their missile and space exploration programs.
Joseph Kenney, United States Ambassador to the Court of St James’s. Image Wikipedia
Two
Joseph Kennedy Sr. was born on 6 September 1888. He was the father of the Kennedy dynasty, which included John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. He was appointed as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom but what is the formal name for that post: US Ambassador to the…?
Answer: US Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s
The Court of St James’s serves as the official royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It formally receives all ambassadors accredited to the UK and, conversely, ambassadors representing the UK are formally accredited from this court. It is named after St James’s Palace, the most senior of Britain’s royal palaces.
Three
On 6 September 957, Liudolf, the Duke of Swabia and son of the Holy Roman emperor Otto I, passed away. Today, the area known as the Duchy of Swabia is located in which modern country?
Answer: Germany
Swabia is a cultural and linguistic region in southwestern Germany, roughly coinciding with the Swabian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Swabians, natives of Swabia and speakers of Swabian German, numbered close to 800,000 as of 2006.
On 6 September, Leon Czolgosz shot a US president. Who was the president?
Answer: William McKinley
On 6 September 1901, President McKinley was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, when he was shot twice in the chest and abdomen by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. He lingered for a week before succumbing to his injuries on 14 September, when Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.
Victoria, the sole ship of Magellan’s fleet to complete the circumnavigation. Detail from a map by Ortelius, 1590. Image Wikipedia
Five
The Victoria, the first known ship to circumnavigate the world returned to Spain on 6 September. In which decade did this event occur?
Answer: 1520s
On 6 September 1522, the Victoria, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition, completed the circumnavigation of the world and arrived at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. Of the 270 men who had set sail on the expedition on 20 September 1519, only 18 or 19 survived. Magellan had been killed approximately 18 months earlier.
V2-Rocket in the Peenemünde Museum. Image Wikipedia
One
On 6 September 1944, Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 rocket, a precursor to modern long-range missiles. What city was the target of this inaugural launch?
Two
Joseph Kennedy Sr. was born on 6 September 1888. He was the father of the Kennedy dynasty, which included John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. He was appointed as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom but what is the formal name for that post: US Ambassador to the…?
Three
On 6 September 957, Liudolf, the Duke of Swabia and son of the Holy Roman emperor Otto I, passed away. Today, the area known as the Duchy of Swabia is located in which modern country?
Four
On 6 September, Leon Czolgosz shot a US president. Who was the president?
Five
The Victoria, the first known ship to circumnavigate the world returned to Spain on 6 September. In which decade did this event occur?
Good luck! As usual I will post the answers later today.
Freddie Mercury, born on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town, the Sultanate of Zanzibar, is best known as the frontman of Queen. Which two Queen albums from the mid-seventies are named after Marx Brothers films?
Answer: A Night at the Opera (1975) and A Day at the Races (1976)
Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, was a British rock singer and songwriter known for his flamboyant showmanship and powerful vocals. He joined the band Smile in 1970, renamed it Queen, and became its lead singer. Queen achieved international fame with albums like A Night at the Opera, and Mercury’s solo career included collaborations with Montserrat Caballé.
Gerald R. Ford, presidential portrait. Image Wikipedia
Two
On 5 September 1975, Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate the US president. This was one of two assassination attempts in that month, Who was the president who was targeted?
Answer: Gerald R Ford
Twice in September 1975, Ford was the target of assassination attempts. In the first instance, Secret Service agents intervened before shots were fired; in the second, the would-be assassin fired one shot at Ford but missed by several feet. — Encyclopædia Britannica
Jim Henson with Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in 1979. Image Wikipedia
Three
The first episode of The Muppet Show aired on 5 September 1976. In which country was it broadcast?
Answer: United Kingdom
The Muppet Show, created by Jim Henson, premiered in the UK on 5 September 1976 and ended on 23 May 1981. Five seasons, totalling 120 episodes, were broadcast on ATV and other ITV franchises in the UK and in syndication in the United States from 1976 to 1981. It featured iconic characters like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, with its success leading to films, merchandise, and other series. The Muppets were acquired by Disney in 2004.
Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas on 5 September. In which decade of the 19th century did this event occur? Thirties
Answer: Thirties
Houston was elected in 1836. Samuel Houston was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, a U.S. Senator, and the governor of both Tennessee and Texas. Houston opposed secession and was forced out of office as Texas governor in 1861.
On 5 September 2000, the Pacific island nation whose flag is shown above became the 189th member of the United Nations. Please name that country?
Answer: Tuvala
Tuvalu, a Polynesian island country in the Pacific Ocean, comprises three reef islands and six atolls. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1978 and is a constitutional monarchy. The economy relies on imports, fishing, and remittances, while facing challenges from climate change and sea level rise.
Why Why a Duck?
The title of the post, Why a Duck?, doesn’t directly relate to the content, except for the mention of the Marx Brothers in the first question. However, I’ve always enjoyed the routine it originates from. This routine comes from The Cocoanuts. A bit of an explanation follows.
“Why a Duck?” is a comedy routine featured in the Marx Brothers movie The Cocoanuts (1929). In a scene in which Groucho and Chico are discussing a map, Groucho mentions the presence of a viaduct between the mainland and a peninsula. Chico, who is playing the role of an immigrant with poor English skills, replies “Why a duck?” This leads into a long schtick with Chico responding “Why a no chicken?”, “I catch ona why a horse”, and so forth — Wikipedia
Freddie Mercury, born on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town, the Sultanate of Zanzibar, is best known as the frontman of Queen. Which two Queen albums from the mid-seventies are named after Marx Brothers films?
Two
On 5 September 1975, Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate the US president. This was one of two assassination attempts in that month, Who was the president who was targeted?
Three
The first episode of The Muppet Show aired on 5 September 1976. In which country was it broadcast?
Four
Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas on 5 September. In which decade of the 19th century did this event occur?
Five
On 5 September 2000, the Pacific island nation whose flag is shown above became the 189th member of the United Nations. Please name that country?
Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.
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