On 6 August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Firstly, what was the name of the bomb, and secondly, what name did the pilot of the aircraft which dropped the bomb give to that aircraft?
Two
Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, who was born on on the 6 August 1881, revolutionised antibiotics in 1928 with the discovery of…
Three
This actor, who was born 6 August 1917, portrayed Sheriff J.P. Harrah in the 1966 western El Dorado and was Charles Shaughnessy in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Who is he?
Four
The Old Man of Hoy, a 449-foot sea stack, was first climbed by three mountaineers including Chris Bonnington, born on 6 August 1934. This sea stack is located in which British archipelago?
Five
A poet born on this day in 1809, penned the lines quoted
Someone had blundered. Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die.
Who was the poet and what poem are the lines from?
Joseph Merrick, c 1889. See #2 below. Image Wikipedia
One
Marilyn Monroe was found dead on the morning of 5 August 1962 in her Los Angeles home. Where was she born?
Answer: Los Angeles, California
Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, was an American actress and model who became a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and early 1960s. Known for her ‘blonde bombshell’ characters, she starred in numerous successful films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot. Despite her success, Monroe’s personal life was troubled, and she died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 36.
Two
Joseph Merrick, born on 5 August 1862, was renowned for his severe physical deformities and was exhibited in freak shows for a period. A film about Merrick’s life was made by David Lynch in 1980. In this film, who portrayed Joseph Merrick?
Answer: John Hurt
Joseph Carey Merrick, known as ‘The Elephant Man’ was an English man born in 1862 who suffered from a rare disorder causing severe physical deformities, possibly Proteus syndrome. After being exhibited in freak shows, he lived at the London Hospital under the care of Sir Frederick Treves. There he became well-known in London society and received visits from prominent individuals. Merrick died at age 27 from accidental suffocation. A film The Elephant Man starring John Hurt as Merrick was made about his life.
Three
On 5 August 2010, thirty-three miners became trapped in a mine collapse for a prolonged period of time, attracting international attention. In what desert area was the mine situated?
Answer: Atacama Desert
In 2010, a collapse at the San José copper-gold mine in Chile‘s Atacama Desert trapped 33 miners underground for 69 days. Despite the mine’s history of safety violations and geological instability, the miners were successfully rescued after a global effort involving multiple organisations and governments.
Four
On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon released subpoenaed tapes after being ordered to do so by the US Supreme Court. One tape, recorded on 23 June 1972, clearly showed the president’s connection to the Watergate burglaries from shortly after they occurred. This tape is known by what two-word term?
Answer: Smoking Gun (tape)
The US Supreme Court ordered President Nixon to release tapes of conversations, including the ‘Smoking Gun’ tape, which revealed his involvement in the Watergate coverup. This led to the loss of his political support and imminent impeachment, prompting his resignation on August 8, 1974.
Five
Vitus Bering, born on 5 August 1681, led two Russian expeditions to explore the northeast Russian coast and the western coast of North America. Despite being an officer in the Russian Navy, in what country was he born?
Answer: Denmark
Vitus Bering, a Danish-born Russian explorer, led two expeditions exploring the north-eastern coast of Russia and the western coast of North America. He discovered the Bering Strait, proving that Asia and America were not connected by land. Bering died of scurvy on Bering Island in 1741, along with 28 of his men.
Marilyn Monroe was found dead on the morning of 5 August 1962 in her Los Angeles home. Where was she born?
Two
Joseph Merrick, born on 5 August 1862, was renowned for his severe physical deformities and was exhibited in freak shows for a period. A film about Merrick’s life was made by David Lynch in 1980. In this film, who portrayed Joseph Merrick?
Three
On 5 August 2010, thirty-three miners became trapped in a mine collapse for a prolonged period of time, attracting international attention. In what desert area was the mine situated?
Four
On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon released subpoenaed tapes after being ordered to do so by the US Supreme Court. One tape, recorded on 23 June 1972, clearly showed the president’s connection to the Watergate burglaries from shortly after they occurred. This tape is known by what two-word term?
Five
Vitus Bering, born on 5 August 1681, led two Russian expeditions to explore the northeast Russian coast and the western coast of North America. Despite being an officer in the Russian Navy, in what country was he born?
Burkina Faso, an African country, changed to that name on August 4, 1984. What was its name prior to that?
Answer: Republic of Upper Volta
This landlocked West African country, which had been a French colony, gained full independence in 1960 and changed its name to Burkina Faso on this day in 1984.
Two
On this day in 1944, following a tip from an informer the Gestapo search a warehouse and find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others. In what city was the warehouse located?
Answer: Amsterdam
Diarist Anne Frank (Annelies Marie Frank), a German-born Jewish girl, documented her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in a diary. After being arrested by the Gestapo and transported to concentration camps, Anne and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen, likely from typhus. Her diary, published posthumously by her father Otto, became a global bestseller and a powerful testament to the Holocaust. The warehouse, offices and secret annex are now a museum, Anne Frank House.
Three
An actor born today in 1955, played Dan Truman, a NASA executive, in Armageddon (1998) and Davy Crockett in The Alamo (2004). Who is he?
Answer: Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, filmmaker, singer, and songwriter. He gained international attention for his work in Sling Blade and has since appeared in numerous films and television series, winning several awards including an Academy Award and Golden Globes. Thornton is also a musician, having released four solo albums and performing with the Boxmasters.
Four
The last Empress of India was born 4 August 1900 in England. What was here name, and her primary title between December 1936 and February 1952?
a prolifically gifted natural musician and the leading trumpeter in jazz history
…was born 4 august 1901. Almost seven decades later he sang We Have All the Time in the World in a Bond film. Who was he?
Answer: Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong, a highly influential American jazz trumpeter and vocalist, was born in New Orleans and rose to prominence in the 1920s. He shifted jazz’s focus from collective improvisation to solo performance and became an international icon by the 1950s. We Have All the Time in the World” was featured on the soundtrack of the James Bondfilm _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Burkina Faso, an African country, changed to that name on August 4, 1984. What was its name prior to that?
Two
On this day in 1944, following a tip from an informer the Gestapo search a warehouse and find and arrest Jewish diarist Anne Frank, her family, and four others. In what city was the warehouse located?
Three
An actor born today in 1955, played Dan Truman, a NASA executive, in Armageddon (1998) and Davy Crockett in The Alamo (2004). Who is he?
Four
The last Empress of India was born 4 August 1900 in England. What was her name, and her primary title between December 1936 and February 1952?
Five
A man described by Encyclopædia Britannica as…
a prolifically gifted natural musician and the leading trumpeter in jazz history
…was born 4 August 1901. Almost seven decades later he sang We Have All the Time in the World in a Bond film. Who was he?
The Diomede Islands are located in what strait between Alaska, the United States, and Siberia, Russia?
Answer: Bering Strait
The Diomede Islands, located in the Bering Strait, are the northernmost islands in the Pacific Ocean. The two islands are only 2.4 miles (3.8 km) apart but due to the International Date Line, Big Diomede (Russia) is 21 hours ahead of Little Diomede (US), earning them the nicknames ‘Tomorrow Island’ and ‘Yesterday Island’.
Three
Te Moana-o-Raukawa separates North and South Islands in New Zealand. By what English name is it known?
Answer: Cook Strait
Cook Strait, separating New Zealand’s North and South Islands, connects the Tasman Sea and South Pacific Ocean. Regular ferry services operate between Picton and Wellington across what has been described as “one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world”.
Four
Greenland and Iceland are separated by what strait?
This tidal strait or estuary separates Brooklyn and Queens (on Long Island) from Manhattan Island, and The Bronx (on the North American mainland). What is it called?
The Alboran Sea is the westernmost part of what larger sea?
Two
The Diomede Islands are located in what strait between Alaska, the United States, and Siberia, Russia?
Three
Te Moana-o-Raukawa separates North and South Islands in New Zealand. By what English name is it known?
Four
Greenland and Iceland are separated by what strait?
Five
This tidal strait or estuary separates Brooklyn and Queens (on Long Island) from Manhattan Island, and The Bronx (on the North American mainland). What is it called?
Lt. (jg) John F. Kennedy aboard the PT-109, Tulagi, Solomon Islands, South Pacific, 1943. Image Wikipedia
One
Which future president of the United States was in command of PT-109 when the incident described above occurred on August 2nd?
Answer: John F. Kennedy
On patrol the night of August 1–2, 1943, his boat was struck in the inky darkness by a Japanese destroyer. Two crew members died in the fiery collision, but eleven, one badly injured, clung to the hull until morning. Despite his own injuries, Kennedy managed to get all of them to shore and then secure their rescue, six days later, with the help of native islanders friendly to the Allies. For his courage and leadership, Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart.
Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Vienna this Austrian-American actress later sued Warner Brothers ‘for almost using her name’ in Blazing Saddles. During World War II, she co-invented a radio guidance system for torpedoes. Who is she?
Answer: Hedy Lamarr
During World War II, Hedy Lamarr co-invented a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes using spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology. However, this technology wasn’t used operationally until after the war. In 1974, Lamarr sued Warner Bros. for $10 million over the use of her name in the film Blazing Saddles which featured the character ‘Hedley Lamarr’. The case settled out of court for an apology.
Three
Drawing by Nicholas Volpe after Guinness won an Oscar in 1957 for his role in The Bridge on the River Kwai. Image Wikipedia
During the 1943 invasion of Sicily, an actor who once portrayed a wartime bridge builder in Asia and played a forceful character in Star Wars commanded a landing craft. Who was this actor?
Answer: Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness played Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai and Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. During the Allied invasion of Sicily Guinness commanded a Landing Craft. Later, in the eastern Mediterranean theatre, he ferried supplies and agents to the Yugoslav partisans.
Four
Christopher Lee at the Women’s World Awards 2009 in Vienna, Austria. Image Wikipedia
At one time, he was known as Scaramanga, famous for his love of gold. However, later in life, his colour changed to white, fittingly, as Saruman the Wise. This title was appropriate considering his time in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II. Who is he?
Answer: Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee was Scaramanga in the Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun and Saruman in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. After volunteering for the Finnish Army during the Winter War, Lee joined the Royal Air Force in 1941. His flying career was cut short due to optic nerve issues, leading him to intelligence work in North Africa and Italy. After the war, Lee worked with the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects, tracking down Nazi war criminals.
Five
Official Navy portrait of Paul Newman, 1944-45. Image Wikipedia
John Joseph Vincent Murphy III, an officer at Fort Apache, had previously been Butch. In real life, he served as an airborne turret gunner in the US Navy. Who is he?
Answer: Paul Newman
Paul Newman was a police officer named Murphy who was stationed at Fort Apache: The Bronx. He was previously Butch Cassidy in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He served in the US Navy during World War II, initially as a radioman and tail gunner, later qualifying as a turret gunner in an Avenger torpedo bomber. His unit was assigned to theUSS Bunker Hill, but he and his crew were grounded due to a pilot’s earache, missing a kamikaze attack that killed several hundred crewmen.
At 02:27 on 2 August 1943, the US Navy’s PT-109 was cut in two by a Japanese destroyer.
Today’s questions focus on individuals who gained recognition in other fields but had roles in World War II.
One
Which future president of the United States was in command of PT-109 when the incident described above occurred on August 2nd, 1943.
Two
Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler in 1914 in Vienna this Austrian-American actress later sued Warner Brothers ‘for almost using her name’ in Blazing Saddles. During World War II, she co-invented a radio guidance system for torpedoes. Who is she?
Three
During the 1943 invasion of Sicily, an actor who once portrayed a wartime bridge builder in Asia and played a forceful character in Star Wars commanded a landing craft. Who was this actor?
Four
At one time, he was known as Scaramanga, famous for his love of gold. However, later in life, his colour changed to white, fittingly, as Saruman the Wise. This title was appropriate considering his time in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II. Who is he?
Five
John Joseph Vincent Murphy III, an officer at Fort Apache, had previously been Butch. In real life, he served as an airborne turret gunner in the US Navy. Who is he?
What is the name of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series mentioned above?
Answer: A Song of Ice and Fire
George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is a high fantasy series. The series, originally planned as a trilogy, has five published volumes with two more planned.
Two
The first appearance of the detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is in an 1887 novel. Which one?
Answer: A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, introducing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The novel, the first in the Holmes canon, follows the duo’s investigation of a murder, with Holmes describing the case as his “study in scarlet”.
Three
Killing Floor and Die Trying are books one and two in publication order of what book series?
Answer: Jack Reacher
The Jack Reacher series, written by Lee Child, follows the adventures of a former US Army major turned drifter. The series, which includes 29 books and a short story collection, has been adapted into films and a television series.
Four
What book series was at one point described as ‘a trilogy in five parts’?
Answer: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series is described as a ‘trilogy in five parts’. Some US editions humorously acknowledges the series’ evolving title saying,
…the book that gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘trilogy’.
Five
A seven-book series begins with a novel whose title hints at a cat, a sorcerer, and a closet. What is the series?
Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels by C.S. Lewis, set in the fictional realm of Narnia. The first book in the series is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The series follows the adventures of children transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by Aslan, a great, majestic talking lion, to protect the land from evil.
Quizology.Online 