Quizology.Online

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”

— Bertrand Russell

Category: Pursuit of the Trivial

  • Flowery Twats — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    See question four. Fawlty Towers episode 11 sign.

    Today’s first question is date-related to 3 October. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on a theme created in the first.

    One

    On this date, episode 1 of The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered. The show starred Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie, but who played his wife, Laura; and in what year did this episode air?

    Answers: Mary Tyler Moore; 1961.

    The Dick Van Dyke Show was an American sitcom that aired from 3 October 1961, to 1 June 1966, consisting of 158 episodes across five seasons. Created and produced by Carl Reiner, the series starred Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, and others. The show focused on the life of Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke), a television comedy writer for the fictional Alan Brady Show. Petrie lived in suburban New Rochelle with his wife, Laura Petrie (Mary Tyler Moore), and young son, Ritchie (Larry Mathews). The series achieved critical success, winning 15 Emmy Awards, and has maintained a strong reputation among critics and industry groups, earning high rankings on lists from TV Guide and the Writers Guild of America.

    Two

    Which of these was a character in an episode in the first season of The Flintstones; and what was Fred a member of at that time?

    • Hot Lips Hannigan; Loyal Order of Dinosaurs
    • Radar Rockpile; Loyal Order of Woolly Mammoths
    • Spearchucker Stone; Loyal Order of Pteranodon

    Answers: Hot Lips Hannigan

    The Hot Lips character predates MAS*H by some 10 years, and the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes replaced the dinosaurs in later episodes. The Flintstones, produced by Hanna-Barbera, was the first prime-time animated sitcom on ABC, set in a romanticised Stone Age. Its popularity stems from blending modern concerns with this setting; it was the most successful animated series for three decades.

    Three

    It is well known that the stars of Friends negotiated their contracts collectively, but this was only true for part of their ten-season run. In which season or seasons did they get different salaries; and in which season(s) did they receive $1 million per episode? (Answers will be number(s) between 1 and 10.)

    Answers: Season 2; Season 9 and 10.

    Wikipedia explains it as follows:

    In their original contracts for the first season, cast members were paid $22,500 per episode. The cast members received different salaries in the second season, beginning from the $20,000 range to $40,000 per episode. Before their salary negotiations for the third season, the cast decided to enter collective negotiations, despite Warner Bros.’ preference for individual deals. The stars were each paid $75,000 per episode in season three, $85,000 in season four, $100,000 in season five, $125,000 in season six, $750,000 in seasons seven and eight, and $1 million in seasons nine and ten, making Aniston, Cox, and Kudrow the highest-paid TV actresses of all time.

    — Wikipedia

    Four

    What two actors were the co-creators and co-writers of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, and who played the Spanish waiter Manuel in the same series?

    Answers: John Cleese and Connie Booth; Andrew Sachs.

    In May 1970, the members of Monty Python stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, where owner Donald Sinclair’s rudeness, including discarding Eric Idle’s briefcase, influenced John Cleese and Connie Booth. The building was demolished and replaced by a nursing home, Sachs Lodge, which was named after the late Andrew Sachs.

    Five

    In Frasier, the lead character returns to his hometown to present a radio psychiatry programme. Which two cities mark his move from and to, and which two actors played Frasier’s father and brother?

    Answers: Boston, Massachusetts, to Seattle, Washington; John Mahoney (as his father Martin Crane) David Hyde Pierce (as his brother Niles Crane).

    Frasier, an NBC sitcom created by David Angell, Peter Casey and David Lee, followed Frasier Crane’s return to Seattle. It won 37 Primetime Emmys, including five consecutive Outstanding Comedy Series awards.

    Flowery Twats

    The title draws from the opening sequence of Fawlty Towers, where the hotel sign shifts into forms such as Farty Towels and Fatty Owls; however, Flowery Twats in the penultimate episode is the sole arrangement using every letter of Fawlty Towers.

  • Flowery Twats

    See question four. Fawlty Towers episode 11 sign.

    Today’s first question is date-related to 3 October. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on a theme created in the first.

    One

    On this date, episode 1 of The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered. The show starred Dick Van Dyke as Rob Petrie, but who played his wife, Laura; and in what year did this episode air?

    Two

    Which of these was a character in an episode in the first season of The Flintstones; and what was Fred a member of at that time?

    • Hot Lips Hannigan; Loyal Order of Dinosaurs
    • Radar Rockpile; Loyal Order of Woolly Mammoths
    • Spearchucker Stone; Loyal Order of Pteranodon

    Three

    It is well known that the stars of Friends negotiated their contracts collectively, but this was only true for part of their ten-season run. In which season or seasons did they get different salaries; and in which season(s) did they receive $1 million per episode? (Answers will be number(s) between 1 and 10.)

    Four

    What two actors were the co-creators and co-writers of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, and who played the Spanish waiter Manuel in the same series?

    Five

    In Frasier, the lead character returns to his hometown to present a radio psychiatry programme. Which two cities mark his move from and to, and which two actors played Frasier’s father and brother?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • 7 Up — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Elvis Presley..
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    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.

  • 7 Up

    Elvis Presley..
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    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?

    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

    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

    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

    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?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • History Lesson — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Defendants in Dock at Nuremberg.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions all relate to 1 October.

    One

    On this day in 1936, who took charge of Spain’s new Nationalist government during the civil war and thereafter remained head of state until what year?

    Answers: Francisco Franco; 1975.

    Francisco Franco led Spain from 1939 to 1975 after commanding Nationalist forces in the Spanish Civil War. His rule involved repression and economic growth, shifting from totalitarianism to authoritarianism. He died aged 82, succeeded by King Juan Carlos.

    Two

    On this day, who became the first queen to rule England in her own right; and in what century did this occur?

    Answers: Mary I; 16th century.

    Mary I, the first queen to rule England in her own right, reigned from 1553 to 1558. The daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, she overcame early challenges after being declared illegitimate to ascend the throne. Mary is best known for her efforts to restore Roman Catholicism in England, which included the execution of around 300 Protestants, earning her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’. Her reign also saw an unpopular marriage to Philip II of Spain and the loss of England’s last European foothold, Calais. She died childless in 1558 without permanently re-establishing Catholicism and was succeeded by her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth.

    Three

    In 331 BCE, Alexander the Great of … defeated Darius III of … at the Battle of Gaugamela, spelling the end of the … empire.

    What two places are missing from the first two spaces; and the name of what empire is referred to at the end of the above sentence?

    Answers: Macedonia; Persia; Persian (or Achaemenid or Achaemenian).

    On 1 October 331 BCE, Alexander the Great of Macedonia confronted Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela. This decisive clash ultimately sealed the fate of the Persian Achaemenian Empire. The quote above actually uses the term ‘Persian’, but Achaemenid or Achaemenian both refer to the same empire.

    Four

    Today in 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte persuaded the king of Spain to give a territory back to France which France sold on a few years later?. Who was the king of Spain and what was the territory?

    Answers: Charles IV; Louisiana.

    The secret Third Treaty of San Ildefonso, signed on October 1, 1800, between Spain and the French Republic, established an agreement in principle for Spain to trade its North American colony of Louisiana for territories in Tuscany. These terms were subsequently confirmed in March 1801 by the Treaty of Aranjuez. The area referred to was extensive and extended from the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Delta north to the Canadian border, and from the Mississippi River basin west to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

    Five

    On this day in 1946, an International Military Tribunal delivered verdicts in trials concerning atrocities by Nazi leaders during World War II. In which city were these proceedings held, and which nations formed the tribunal?

    Answers: Nuremberg; France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    The Nuremberg trials (1945–46) saw former Nazi leaders indicted by the International Military Tribunal on four counts: crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, war crimes and conspiracy to commit them. On 1 October 1946, after 216 sessions, 22 defendants received verdicts: three acquitted, four imprisoned, three given life terms, and twelve sentenced to death; ten were hanged on 16 October, Martin Bormann condemned in absentia, and Hermann Göring committed suicide. The tribunal rejected claims that only states are liable and that proceedings were ex post facto (having retrospective effect or force).

  • History Lesson

    Defendants in Dock. See question five.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions all relate to 1 October.

    One

    On this day in 1936, who took charge of Spain’s new Nationalist government during the civil war and thereafter remained head of state until what year?

    Two

    On this day, who became the first queen to rule England in her own right; and in what century did this occur?

    Three

    In 331 BCE, Alexander the Great of … defeated Darius III of … at the Battle of Gaugamela, spelling the end of the … empire.

    What two places are missing from the first two spaces; and the name of what empire is referred to at the end of the above sentence?

    Four

    Today in 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte persuaded the king of Spain to give a territory back to France which France sold on a few years later?. Who was the king of Spain and what was the territory?

    Five

    On this day in 1946, an International Military Tribunal delivered verdicts in trials concerning atrocities by Nazi leaders during World War II. In which city were these proceedings held, and which nations formed the tribunal?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Gallimaufry IX — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Jupiter in true colour, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in January 2024.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today is obviously is a disconnected collection of questions but don’t count on it.

    One

    In 2026, the EU, the European Union, has 27 members, butt is the successor organisation to what was originally the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The ECSC was founded in 1952 by the six signatories of the Treaty of Paris: what were these six nations?

    Answers

    • Belgium
    • France
    • Italy
    • Luxembourg
    • the Netherlands
    • West Germany

    Two

    What are the first names of the von Trapp Children from the 1965 film The Sound of Music? (Including von Trapp is not necessary.)

    Answers

    • Liesl
    • Friedrich
    • Louisa
    • Kurt
    • Brigitta
    • Marta
    • Gretl

    Three

    What are the names of the US states which begin with ‘M’?

    Answers

    • Maine
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana

    Four

    List the Star Wars films in release order with episode number, whether or not it was shown as part of the title; and subtitle, including the later added subtitle for the original film. (Including Star Wars is not necessary.)

    Answers

    • *Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
    • Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    • Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
    • Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
    • Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
    • Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
    • †(E(EpisodeII) The Force Awakens (2015)
    • †(Episode VIII) The Last Jedi (2017)
    • †(Episode IX) The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

    Note

    • Subtitle was added at a later date.
      † The sequel trilogy used the subtitle without the episode numbers.

    Five

    Starting with the largest, list in order of size (based on the equatorial diameter) each planet plus the two largest dwarf planets in the Solar System.

    Answers

    According to NASA
    Planets (1 to 8) and Dwarf Planets (9 & 10)

    1. Jupiter
    2. Saturn
    3. Uranus
    4. Neptune
    5. Earth
    6. Venus
    7. Mars
    8. Mercury
    9. Pluto
    10. Eris

    Gallimaufry IX

    The ninth edition of Gallimaufry — a confused jumble, a hodgepodge, or a heterogeneous mixture of things — so, simply an unconnected assortment of questions

    .

  • Gallimaufry IX

    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today is obviously is a disconnected collection of questions but don’t count on it.

    One

    In 2026, the EU, the European Union, has 27 members, butt is the successor organisation to what was originally the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The ECSC was founded in 1952 by the six signatories of the Treaty of Paris: what were these six nations?

    Two

    What are the first names of the von Trapp Children from the 1965 film The Sound of Music? (Including von Trapp is not necessary.)

    Three

    What are the names of the US states which begin with ‘M’?

    Four

    List the Star Wars films in release order with episode number, whether or not it was shown as part of the title; and subtitle, including the later added subtitle for the original film. (Including Star Wars is not necessary.)

    Five

    Starting with the largest, list in order of size (based on the equatorial diameter) each planet plus the two largest dwarf planets in the Solar System.

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

    .

  • A Billion Here, A Billion There — Answers

    Bill Gates House, “Xanadu 2.0”. See question two.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s Answers

    The first question today is related to the date, 29 September. The remainder are not date-related but follow-on from number one.

    One

    On this day newspapers proclaimed the world’s first billionaire. Who was this billionaire and in what year were these stories published?

    Answers: John D. Rockefeller; 1916.

    In 1916, John D. Rockefeller was reported as the world’s first billionaire. Yet the claim remained uncertain. A sudden rise in the value of his oil holdings the day before seemed to push his wealth beyond $1 billion. Newspapers tracked his fortune like a baseball box score, though no exact count existed. Reporters had to estimate his assets and their value, making the billion-dollar figure an informed guess.

    Two

    Tech billionaire Bill Gates had a lakeside mansion built in Medina, Washington. A Wikipedia article about the house refers to it as follows:

    Some news articles call the house Xanadu 2.0, a reference to the motion picture …, which was itself a reference to the opening lines of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem …

    — Wikipedia

    What 1941 movie and poem published in 1816 are missing from this quote?

    Answers: Citizen Kane; Kubla Khan.

    In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

    A stately pleasure-dome decree:

    — Kubla Khan. Poetry Foundation

    Newsreel Narrator: [at beginning of newsreel on Charles Foster Kane’s death] In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree.

    — Citizen Kane. IMDb

    Three

    Which is the nearest planet to the Sun whose average orbital distance is more than one billion miles? This planet has only been explored by one spacecraft (in 1986): what spacecraft?

    Answer: Uranus; Voyager 2.

    Uranus is the third largest planet in our solar system. It’s about four times wider than Earth, and has an equatorial diameter of about 31,763 miles (51,118 kilometres). Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, orbiting at an average distance of 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometres). It’s about 19 times farther from the Sun than Earth. The exploration of Uranus has been limited to telescopes and a single flyby by NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1986. During this mission, the spacecraft discovered 10 new moons and two new rings, studied the planet’s atmosphere, and imaged its five largest moons.

    Four

    What now deceased billionaire bought the island of Skorpios in the Ionian Sea in 1963; and who did this billionaire marry on the island in 1968?

    Answers: Aristotle Onassis; Jacqueline Kennedy.

    Skorpios, a private Ionian island bought by Aristotle Onassis in 1963, hosts three residences and hosted his 1968 wedding to Jacqueline Kennedy, former First Lady of the United States. After Onassis’s death, ownership passed to Christina and then Athina Onassis.

    Five

    In January 2025, an American tech company saw the largest one-day loss in market capitalisation for a U.S. company in history. What company and how much was that loss?

    Answers: Nvidia; $600 billion.

    By 7 January 2025, Nvidia’s $3.66 trillion market cap exceeded double the combined value of AMD, ARM, Broadcom and Intel. That month, DeepSeek’s V3 model caused Nvidia’s record $600 billion one-day loss; its AI assistant overtook ChatGPT on Apple’s App Store.

  • A Billion Here, A Billion There

    Bill Gates House, “Xanadu 2.0”. See question two.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question today is related to the date, 29 September. The remainder are not date-related but follow-on from number one.

    One

    On this day newspapers proclaimed the world’s first billionaire. Who was this billionaire and in what year were these stories published?

    Two

    Tech billionaire Bill Gates had a lakeside mansion built in Medina, Washington. A Wikipedia article about the house refers to it as follows:

    Some news articles call the house Xanadu 2.0, a reference to the motion picture …, which was itself a reference to the opening lines of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s classic poem …

    — Wikipedia

    What 1941 movie and poem published in 1816 are missing from this quote?

    Three

    Which is the nearest planet to the Sun whose average orbital distance is more than one billion miles? This planet has only been explored by one spacecraft (in 1986): what spacecraft?

    Four

    What now deceased billionaire bought the island of Skorpios in the Ionian Sea in 1963; and who did this billionaire marry on the island in 1968?

    Five

    In January 2025, an American tech company saw the largest one-day loss in market capitalisation for a U.S. company in history. What company and how much was that loss?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.