Scott F

Vexillological Fluttering Part II

Part I, posted 25 March 2025, was multiple choice but today’s offering is not

Vexillological Fluttering Part I’s questions revealed the Vatican City State as being only one of two square national flags, what other nation has a national flag which is square?
How many red stripes are on the flag of the United States?
The Ashoka dharmachakra is on which national flag?
The official flag of what US State has a British Union Jack on it?
What European national flag is the oldest continuously used national flag?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II | Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

Calvin Coolidge—was US President on the 26 March 1925. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th US President, served from 1923 to 1929. He is known for his small-government conservatism, taciturn personality, and support for racial equality. Coolidge oversaw economic growth during the “Roaring Twenties” but is criticised for failing to address economic inequality and for his potential role in the Great Depression.
World War I—The First Battle of Gaza, fought on 26 March 1917, was a British defeat during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The British Desert Column, nearing capture of Gaza, withdrew due to darkness and Ottoman reinforcements.
2000—Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has served as President of Russia since 2012, with previous terms from 2000 to 2008. His rule has been marked by economic growth, military conflicts, authoritarian tendencies, and human rights violations. Putin’s actions have led to international sanctions and a war crimes warrant.

Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat with U.S. president Jimmy Carter at Camp David in September 1978.
Wikipedia
Camp David, Maryland—the Camp David Accord was reached the previous September (1978) when President Carter hosted Egypt’s President Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Begin at his Maryland retreat.
They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place—
16-years—

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II

All of the following relate to today’s date, 26 March.

Who was the president of the United States of America 100 years ago today, 26 March 1925?
- Warren G. Harding
- Calvin Coolidge
- Herbert Hoover
What conflict saw the First Battle of Gaza take place on this date?
- The Six Day War
- World War I
- World War II
When was Vladimir Putin, a Russian intelligence officer and politician, elected president of Russia for the first time.
- 2000
- 2004
- 2006
Where did talks, mediated by US President Jimmy Carter, between Menachem Begin, the Israeli Prime Minister, and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt take place? These talks led to an historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that was signed on 26 March 1979.
- Camp David, Maryland
- Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- Plains, Georgia
Why did these members of Heaven’s Gate kill themselves? On 26 March 1997 the bodies of 39 members of Heaven’s Gate were found after a mass suicide.
- They believed they alone would be reincarnated as gods in an earthly paradise
- They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place
- They believed they had to poison themselves to meet Jesus
How long had this interlude lasted? After a hiatus, the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who made a triumphant return to television with a new episode in which Christopher Eccleston reprised the iconic role of the Doctor.
- 6-years
- 10-years
- 16-years

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Vexillological Fluttering Part I | Answers

Vatican City State—Both the coat of arms and flag of Vatican City feature crossed gold and silver keys bound with a red cord, topped with a tiara. The yellow and white stripes of the flag date back to the early 19th century.

Flag of Nepal
Wikipedia
Nepal—Nepal’s national flag is unique in the modern world as it is non-rectangular. It consists of two united pennant shapes, resembling a triangular flag. The flag is crimson with blue borders and incorporates stylised symbols of the sun and moon.
Wales—Until the early 17th century, England and Scotland were two entirely independent kingdoms. Wales had been annexed into the Kingdom of England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542.

Flag of Mozambique
Wikipedia
Mozambique—The national flag of Mozambique is a horizontal tricolour of green, black, and golden-yellow with a red isosceles triangle at the hoist. The triangle contains a gold star, a gun, a hoe, and an open book, representing the Mozambican people and their war of independence. Although the constitution doesn’t mention the specific gun used in the design, it’s generally understood to be an AK-47 with a bayonet attached.
Triskelion—a Celtic symbol consisting of three legs or lines radiating from a centre. The Manx triskelion, a sun symbol, has been used since the late 13th century. It became the basis for the Manx flag after Sir Thomas Randolph became ruler in 1313.
Brazil—The national flag of Brazil, adopted in 1889, features a green field with a yellow rhombus and a blue disc depicting a starry sky. The stars represent Brazilian states and the federal district, with their sizes proportional to their geographical size.

Vexillological Fluttering Part I

The *Allée des Nations* in front of the Palace of Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva)/Wikipedia

Vexillology is the study of flags and below are some questions related to that subject.

Out of the only two national flags that are square in shape, where can you a gold and white flag bearing a coat of arms?
- Principality of Monaco
- Republic of San Marino
- Vatican City State
Only one national flag is non-quadrilateral, ie NOT rectangular or square, which one is it?
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
Which of these is NOT represented on the Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom?
- Scotland
- Wales
- Ireland
A gun, generally understood to be an AK-47 with a bayonet attached, features on what national flag?
- Kazakhstan
- Liberia
- Mozambique
Flag of the Isle of Man
Wikipedia
What word describes the symbol on this Isle of Man flag?
- Triskelion
- Treiskaideka
- Tristesse
The second highest number of stars on a national flag, after the USA with 50, is a country with 27 where the stars represent 26 states and a federal district. What country?
- Brazil
- Micronesia
- India

Good Luck! The answers will be posted later today.

Confused to Start With | Answers

J. M. Flagg’s recruiting poster, 1917
Wikipedia

Luc means—is an anagram of Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam, a national personification of the United States, represents the federal government and is a symbol of patriotic emotion. The character, popularised by a 1917 recruiting poster, originated during the War of 1812 and is distinct from Columbia, representing the nation, and Brother Jonathan, representing the populace.

Lonesome George.
Wikipedia
Pinta—Pinta Island tortoise, a subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, was hunted to near extinction by the end of the 19th century. A single male, Lonesome George, was discovered in 1971 but died in 2012, leading to the subspecies’ presumed extinction.
Yesterday—Yesterday was the only “solo” Beatles Track.

“He [McCartney] played it to John, George and Ringo, who approved but didn’t think it required them to play on it. Yesterday would be a Beatles song with only one Beatle on it.”

– The Sunday Times, 23 March 2025 © Ian Leslie 2025. Extracted from John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs.
AA Milne—Heffalumps and Woozles appear in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories
Galahad—Sir Galahad, a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table, is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot and Lady Elaine. He is renowned for his gallantry and purity, replacing Percival as the hero in the quest for the Holy Grail.
Arachnophobia—fear of spiders. Shelob is a spider featured in The Lord of the Rings. Emetophobia is the fear of vomiting and pogonophobia is having an extreme dislike of beards.

Piglet dreams of the Heffalump. E. H. Shepard’s original illustration, from *Winnie-the-Pooh*.
Wikipedia

Confused to Start With

Nothing to do with today’s date just a selection of questions.

Which one of the following can become a personification of the US government?
- Clean Sue
- Muscleman
- Luc means
Lonesome George, the last of his subspecies, died in 2012. His subspecies, now extinct, was named…
- Niña Island tortoise
- Pinta Island tortoise
- Santa Maria Island tortoise
The only Beatles song featuring just one Beatle was…
- If I Fell
- This Boy
- Yesterday
Heffalumps and Woozles appear in books by…
- AA Milne
- CS Lewis
- JRR Tolkien
One of King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table; the son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Lady Elaine of Corbenic; renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights, is…
- Bedivere
- Galahad
- Percival
An irrational fear of the fictional Shelob is…
- Arachnophobia
- Emetophobia
- Pogonophobia

*The Arming and Departure of the Knights*,
one of the Holy Grail tapestries, 1890s, figures by Edward Burne-Jones
Wikipedia

Good luck! The answers will be posted later.

Ups and Downs! | Answers

E.V. Haughwout Building, 488-492 Broadway, New York City.
Wikipedia

Steam—The E.V. Haughwout Building, NYC installed the world’s first successful passenger elevator in 1857. The steam-powered hydraulic lift, designed by Elisha Graves Otis, was a novelty that attracted customers to the five storey department store.
Akira Kurosawa—Akira Kurosawa, a Japanese filmmaker, directed 30 films over seven decades. His bold and dynamic style, influenced by Western cinema, earned him international acclaim. Notable works include Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Red Beard.
President Ronald Reagan—The Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), introduced by President Reagan in 1983, was a missile defence system designed to protect the US from Soviet ICBMs using various platforms. Known as “Star Wars,” it faced criticism for its technical feasibility and potential to destabilise the MAD doctrine and escalate the arms race. Although the programme ended in 1993, some elements were revived in 2019 by the Space Development Agency.
Ben-Hur (1959)—Films with the most awards: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) each earned 11 Academy Awards. (Wikipedia)
2001—Mir, the first modular space station, was launched in 1986 and operated for 15 years. It served as a microgravity research laboratory for experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and more. Mir held records for the longest continuous human presence in space and the longest single human spaceflight until surpassed by the ISS.

*Mir*’s re-entry into the atmosphere over Fiji, 2001.
Satobs

Ups and Downs!

Otis free-fall safety demonstration in 1853.
Wikipedia

All of the following relate to today, 23 March.

On 23 March 1857 the first commercial elevator was installed in a New York City department store, it was powered by…
- Steam
- Electricity
- Water
Born today in 1910, a Japanese film director who according to Encyclopædia Britannica ‘won worldwide acclaim with subtle, brilliantly composed films, such as Rashōmon (1950) and
Seven Samurai (1954), that combined Japanese historic themes with a Western sense of action and drama”; he was…
- Yasujirō Ozu
- Ishirō Honda
- Akira Kurosawa
On this date a nationwide television address in the US announced a space based defence system against nuclear attacks which came to be known as “Star Wars”; the address was made by…
- President Jimmy Carter
- President Ronald Reagan
- President George HW Bush
On this day in 1998 Titanic won 11 Academy Awards equalling the record set by…
- All About Eve (1950)
- Ben-Hur (1959)
- The Godfather (1972)
The space station Mir returned to Earth on 23 March. It had been launched by the Soviet space agency in 1986 with a design life expectancy of five years. In what year did it re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
- 1991
- 1996
- 2001

Approach view of the Mir Space Station viewed from Space Shuttle Endeavour during the STS-89 rendezvous. A Progress cargo ship is attached on the left, a Soyuz manned spacecraft attached on the right. Image ID: STS089-340-035
NASA/Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

To Boldly Go…to a Musical—Answers

Montreal, Quebec – William Shatner, a Canadian actor, is renowned for his prolific output and self-deprecating humour, which have solidified his place in North American pop culture. He is best known for his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk in the science fiction television series Star Trek (1966–69) and several Star Trek films.
Amerigo Vespucci—is best remembered for the place named after him. He believed Brazil was part of a new continent, inspiring Waldseemüller to name it “America”—the Latinised Amerigo—in 1507. This name became standard on maps of the New World.

Ruins of the Great Dam of Marib, Yemen.
Wikipedia
Yemen—The Arab League, formed in Cairo in 1945 with seven members, is a regional organisation in the Arab world. It now has 22 members and its main goals are to strengthen relations, safeguard independence, and consider the affairs of Arab countries.
1934—The 1934 Masters Tournament, the first of its kind, was held at Augusta National Golf Club. Horton Smith won the event with a 284 (−4), one stroke ahead of Craig Wood.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—the following quote is about Lloyd Webber and Rice’s collaboration: “The names of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice are, of course, forever bound together in musical theatre history, like those of Gilbert and Sullivan.”—Theatre critic Mark Shenton on the partnership of Lloyd Webber and Rice.