Category: Pursuit of the Trivial

Legs 11

Here are some questions related to today, 11 May.

Adolf Eichmann.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Where, on 11 May 330, was dedicated as the “New Rome”?
    • Avignon
    • Byzantium
    • Cordoba
  1. Which Spanish artist born today in 1904, at Figueras, Spain, also died there in 1989?
    • Salvador Dali
    • Francisco Goya
    • Pablo Picasso
  2. Former senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was captured by Israeli intelligence agents on 11 May 1960. Near what capital city was he captured?
    • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Brasilia, Brazil
    • Santiago, Chile
  3. On this day in 1997, Garry Kasparov was defeated in the final game of a six-game chess match. Which computer defeated him?
    • Deep Blue
    • Deep Mind
    • Deep Thought
  4. 11 May 2010, saw the resignation of which British prime minister?
    • Gordon Brown
    • David Cameron
    • Tony Blair

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Miscellany II | Answers

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea)
Image Wikipedia
Peanuts.
Image Wikipedia
  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Peanut—Jimmy Carter, the first US president born in a hospital, grew up in Plains, Georgia, and later Archery. He attended the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1946, and served in the Navy until 1953, including a stint in the nuclear submarine programme. After his father’s death, Carter returned to Georgia to take over the family peanut business, facing challenges but eventually becoming successful.
      Amazon, which has the greatest discharge of any river, discharging into the Atlantic Ocean.
      Image NASA/Wikipedia
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges—is second at 43,950 m$^3$/s following the Amazon’s 224,000| m$^3$/s. The Yangtze comes fifth with 31,900 m$^3$/s and the Mississippi tenth at 21,300 m$^3$/s.
      Tomb of Merlin, Forest of Paimpont (Brocéliande).
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Merlin—The forest of Brocéliande, first mentioned in Chrétien de Troyes’s Arthurian romance, is associated with Merlin and Morgan le Fay in later works. Its exact location is debated, with theories placing it in Brittany, specifically near Quintin or in Paimpont forest, with the latter being considered most likely.
      Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, on Lunar Surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Omega—Buzz Aldrin became the first person to wear a watch on the Moon, wearing the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph. Although Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the Moon, he left his 105.012 Speedmaster inside the Lunar Module Eagle as a backup because the LM’s electronic timer had malfunctioned. Aldrin wore his Speedmaster, making it the first watch ever worn on the Moon.
      Marionette, is a puppet worked by strings.
      Image Pinterest.
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quockerwodger—which is best described as follows:

      The term quockerwodger, although referring to a wooden toy figure which jerks its limbs about when pulled by a string, has been supplemented with a political meaning. A pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else, is now often termed a quockerwodger.
      — John Camden Hotten. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859)

Miscellany II

Full Moon
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which have no connections they are simply miscellany.

  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Avocado
    • Peanut
    • Zucchini
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges
    • Mississippi
    • Yangtze
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Circe
    • Merlin
    • Witch of Endor
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Bulova
    • Omega
    • Rolex
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quaalude
    • Quillaja
    • Quockerwodger
Ancient Greek Terracotta dolls.
National Archaeological Museum in Athens/Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Miscellany | Answers

Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier today. The answers are shown in bold below.

Bikini Atoll.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands—Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States for atomic bomb testing from 1946 to 1958, contaminating the atoll and forcing the relocation of its 166 native inhabitants. Despite cleanup efforts, radiation levels remain too high for resettlement, though tourism is permitted.
      Bluetooth logo
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Bluetooth—ruled Denmark from c. 958 to c. 986, during which time he unified the various tribes, introduced Christianity and consolidated his power. His rule in Norway was brief, likely lasting only a few years in the 970s. The Bluetooth wireless specification would unite devices and so was named after Harald, who united the tribes of Denmark. The Bluetooth logo incorporates his initials, H and B, in Younger Futhark bind runes.
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Sanskrit—A pundit is an expert who offers authoritative opinions on a particular subject area, typically through the mass media. The term originates from the Sanskrit word “pandit,” meaning “learned man,” and has historical roots in India, referring to scholars and advisors to the king.
      One of Princess Anne’s Reliant Scimitar GTE’s— she had eight apparently!
      Classicyorkshire.co.uk
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer launched this model in 1968?
    • Reliant—a British company commonly known for their three-wheeled Robin produced this sports car from 1964 to 1986, during which time it evolved from a coupe to a sports estate and convertible. It featured a fibreglass body on a steel chassis and Ford engines. The Reliant Scimitar SE5, a sports estate hatchback, was designed in under a year and featured a new chassis, suspension, and fuel system. It was powered by a 3.0-litre Ford Essex engine and could reach over 120 mph. The SE5 was a success, with 4,311 units produced, and Princess Anne received one as a birthday present and reportedly owned eight or nine in total.
      Pipe-weed.
      Image lots.fandom.com
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed—is a fictional strain of tobacco from JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with varieties such as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star and Southlinch. In contrast, Polecat weed, also known as Symplocarpus foetidus or skunk cabbage, is a real low-growing plant found in eastern North American wetlands, characterised by its bruised leaves that emit a skunk-like odour. Additionally, Colic weed encompasses species like Aletris, Corydalis flavula and Dicentra.
Merry and Pippin smoking pipe-weed.
Image Pinterest

Miscellany

Here are some questions with no link to anything other than general miscellany.

Scimitar GTE.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands
    • Solomon Islands
    • Wallis and Futuna Islands
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Greycloak
    • Harald Bluetooth
    • Sweyn Forkbeard
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Mesopotamian
    • Egyptian
    • Sanskrit
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer had launched this model in 1968 ?
    • Jaguar
    • Lotus
    • Reliant
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed
    • Colic weed
    • Polecat weed

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

A year in the day | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Let It Be
Image Pinterest
  1. Almost a month after Paul McCartney’s announcement that he had left the band, The Beatles released their last original studio album, Let It Be on 8 May…
    • 1970—the Beatles’ final studio album, Let It Be, was released in 1970 after the band’s disbandment. The album, originally titled Get Back, was recorded in 1969 and included the iconic title track and popular songs like Across the Universe and I’ve Got a Feeling.
      Alex Van Halen.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Drummer Alex Van Halen was born today in…
    • 1953—Alex Van Halen, drummer and co-founder of Van Halen, is known for his technical prowess and speed And widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time. Van Halen, the band, formed in 1972 andsigned with Warner Brothers Records in 1977.
      Smallpox Immunization, Niger, Africa.
      Image: CDC/ Dr. J. D. Millar/Wikipedia
  3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it had eradicated smallpox, the announcement was made on 8 May…
    • 1980—The global eradication of smallpox was certified, based on intense verification activities, by a commission of eminent scientists on 9 December 1979 and subsequently endorsed by the World Health Assembly on 8 May 1980. The first two sentences of their resolution read:

      “Having considered the development and results of the global program on smallpox eradication initiated by WHO in 1958 and intensified since 1967 … Declares solemnly that the world and its peoples have won freedom from smallpox, which was a most devastating disease sweeping in epidemic form through many countries since earliest time, leaving death, blindness and disfigurement in its wake and which only a decade ago was rampant in Africa, Asia and South America.”

      Jaws, first edition cover.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter, was born on 8 May…
    • 1940—Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author best known for his novel Jaws. Later in life, he became an advocate for marine conservation, expressing regret for his writing about sharks.
      John S. Pemberton.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Pharmacist John S. Pemberton sold a carbonated beverage for the first time as a patent medicine, naming it Coca-Cola, on 8 May…
    • 1886—Confederate Colonel John Pemberton, wounded in the Civil War and addicted to morphine, created Pemberton’s French Wine Coca nerve tonic in 1885. After prohibition legislation in Atlanta, he developed Coca-Cola, a non-alcoholic version, in 1886, marketing it as a cure for various ailments including morphine addiction.
“Drink Coca-Cola 5¢“, an 1890s advertising poster.
Image Wikipedia

A year in the day

Coca-cola.
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 8 May. All the answers are a year.

  1. Almost a month after Paul McCartney’s announcement that he had left the band, The Beatles released their last original studio album, Let It Be on 8 May…
    • 1969
    • 1970
    • 1971
  2. Drummer Alex Van Halen was born on 8 May…
    • 1949
    • 1951
    • 1953
  3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it had eradicated smallpox, the announcement was made on 8 May…
    • 1960
    • 1970—
    • 1980
  4. American author and screenwriter Peter Benchley was born on 8 May…
    • 1940—
    • 1950
    • 1960
  5. Pharmacist John S. Pemberton sold a carbonated beverage for the first time as a patent medicine, naming it Coca-Cola, on 8 May…
    • 1886
    • 1899
    • 1912

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

The Cult of… What? | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the text of each question simply for your information.

Portrait of Maximilien de Robespierre, c. 1790.
Anonymous, Musée Carnavalet, Paris.
Image Wikipedia
  1. 1. On 7 May 1794, the Cult of the Supreme Being was introduced by …
    • Maximilien Robespierre—a French lawyer and statesman, was a prominent figure in the French Revolution. He advocated for universal male suffrage, abolition of the slave trade, and other progressive policies. Robespierre, a Deist, disapproved of the anti-Christian movement and advocated for a civic religion centred around the Supreme Being.
      Mary, Queen of Scots.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. The burning of Edinburgh by an English army on this day in 1544, was the first action in the…
    • Rough wooing—Henry VIII’s final years saw wars in France and Scotland, including the Rough Wooing, a brutal conflict aimed at breaking the Auld Alliance and forcing a marriage alliance between Mary, Queen of Scots, and Edward, Prince of Wales.
      Honda Ishirō at the National Museum of Nature and Science, in Tokyo, during the filming of Frankenstein Conquers the World.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. The Japanese film director best known for his Godzilla movies was born 7 May 1911, in Asahi, Yamagata, Japan. He was…
    • Honda Ishirō—a Japanese filmmaker, directed Godzilla and its sequels, sparking Japan’s kaijū eiga craze. After directing over 40 films, he returned to assisting Akira Kurosawa.
      Official portrait of President Juan Domingo Perón accompanied with the First Lady, María Eva Duarte de Perón, ”Evita”, 1948.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. María Eva Duarte was born today in 1919, who did she become better known as…
    • Evita—Eva Perón, or Evita, was an Argentine politician, activist, actress and philanthropist who served as First Lady from 1946 until her death in 1952. She championed women’s suffrage, founded the Female Peronist Party, and ran the Ministries of Labour and Health.
      “Our submarine boats in the harbour”
      (German caption), 1914.
      U-20, which sank RMS Lusitania, is second from left in front row.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. On 7 May 1915, a German submarine sank a British ocean liner. The sinking resulted in the loss of 1,198 lives and played a part in the entry of the United States into World War I. The ocean liner was the…
    • Lusitania—The sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania by a German U-boat in 1915, killing 1,198 people including 128 Americans, increased American support for entering World War I.
RMS Lusitania, New York.
Image Wikipedia

The Cult of… What?

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 7 May.

Godzilla in Godzilla, 1954
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 7 May 1794, the Cult of the Supreme Being was introduced by …
    • Cardinal Richelieu
    • Maximilien Robespierre
    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  2. The burning of Edinburgh by an English army on this day in 1544, was the first action in the…
    • Harsh courting
    • Rough wooing
    • Tough pursuing
  3. The Japanese film director best known for his Godzilla movies was born 7 May 1911, in Asahi, Yamagata, Japan. He was…
    • Honda Ishirō
    • Nissán Kenji
    • Toyota Masaki
  4. María Eva Duarte was born today in 1919, who did she become better known as…
    • Annie
    • Evita
    • May
  5. On 7 May 1915, a German submarine sank a British ocean liner. The sinking resulted in the loss of 1,198 lives and played a part in the entry of the United States into World War I. The ocean liner was the …
    • Aquitania
    • Lusitania
    • Mauretania

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Here, there and everywhere | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

View SE from the top level of the Eiffel Tower: the Champ de Mars, with Montparnasse Tower in the distance. The École Militaire is one third down from the top of the picture.
Image Wikipedia (Mattgirling)
  1. On 6 May 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition, on the…
    • Champs de Mars, Paris—The Champ de Mars, a large public park in Paris, was originally a military parade ground. It hosted significant events during the French Revolution and later became a site for national expositions and world’s fairs.
      Coat of arms of Moravia.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Sigmund Freud, a neurologist and psychoanalyst, was born in Freiberg in Mähren (now Příbor) on this day in 1856. His birthplace was in …
    • Moravia—Moravia, a historical region in the Czech Republic, was the centre of the medieval Great Moravian kingdom before becoming part of Bohemia in the 11th century. It later was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and then became part of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.
      Puente Nuevo de Ronda.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Actor Orson Welles was born today in 1915. He passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1985, and two years later his ashes were interred at the home of his long-time friend, bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez, in Ronda…
    • Spain—Ronda, a municipality in Málaga, Andalusia, is known for its cliffside location and deep canyon. It has a population of about 35,000 and is part of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.
      The Grand Palace, Bangkok.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Today in 1782, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, construction began on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam. The palace was built in…
    • Bangkok—The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, is a complex of buildings built in 1782 as the official residence of the Thai kings. It covers 2.4 million square feet and includes over 100 buildings, the most notable being the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
      Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Tony Blair, British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was born 6 May 1953, in the city of …
    • Edinburgh, Scotland—Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a city known for its historic Old Town and Neoclassical New Town, both designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city’s complex character, blending reserved exterior with warmth and gaiety, is reflected in its rich history, including religious conflicts, riots and the influence of its intellectual elite during the Neoclassical period of the 18th and 19th centuries. Edinburgh remains a major centre for finance, law, tourism, education and cultural affairs.