See question two. Napoleon III at the decisive moment of the Battle of Solferino, 1859. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question centres around the date 6th June, and the subsequent questions build on a theme established by the first.
One
The YMCA was founded on this day. Which decade and major city was it established in?
Two
The aftermath of the Battle of Solferino on 24 June 1859, during the Second War of Italian Independence, resulted in the 1863 formation of what organisation?
Three
By what name were the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon commonly known by; in what century were they founded and where were their headquarters?
Four
What organisation founded in 1945 has major offices in New York City, Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague; and, to the nearest ten, how many of the world’s states are members of it?
Five
The British branch of an international organisation founded in 1961 began running charity fundraising shows in 1976 to support the organisation’s wider mission. These shows gained popularity and became known as The Secret Policeman’s Balls. What is the name of the international organisation founded in 1961?
On 5 June 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot? Who shot him, and in what building and in what city was he shot?
Answer: Sirhan Sirhan; Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.
In March 1968, Robert F Kennedy announced his presidential candidacy. By June 4th he had secured five out of six primaries including a victory in California that day. Shortly after midnight on June 5th he addressed his supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As he exited through a kitchen corridor he was fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. Kennedy was interred near his brother John at Arlington National Cemetery.
Two
AIDS was reported for the first time after a rare form of pneumonia was found in five homosexual men. In what year was this, and in what city was the pneumonia detected?
Answer: 1981; Los Angeles, U.S.A.
HIV is a retrovirus attacking the immune system, potentially leading to AIDS without treatment. It is preventable and manageable with antiretroviral therapy, extending life expectancy to nearly normal levels. Early testing and treatment prevent progression and transmission. HIV spreads through unprotected sex, contaminated needles, and mother-to-child transmission. Recognised in the 1980s, HIV/AIDS has significant societal, economic, and political impacts. Originating from primates in west-central Africa, AIDS was first identified in 1981. By 2024, AIDS caused at least 42.3 million deaths globally, with 630,000 deaths in 2023 and 39.9 million living with HIV, 65% in the WHO African Region.
Three
Born this day in 1939, this man would become Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister 40 years later. Who is he?
Answer: Joe Clark.
Joe Clark, Canada’s youngest Prime Minister, led the Progressive Conservative Party from 1976 to 1983 and again from 1998 to 2003. His brief tenure as Prime Minister saw the introduction of freedom of information legislation and the ‘Canadian Caper’ rescue. After losing the 1980 election, he served in Brian Mulroney’s cabinet and later as a UN Special Representative for Cyprus.
Four
This author was born in Wales in 1949, and had a breakthrough with his 1978 novel Eye of the Needle. His successful Kingsbridge series began with The Pillars of the Earth (1989). Who is this author?
Answer: Ken Follett.
Welsh author Ken Follett, born in 1949, is known for his thrillers and historical novels, selling nearly 200 million copies. His breakthrough came with Eye of the Needle (1978), and he later achieved success with The Pillars of the Earth (1989).
Five
This actor turned politician had his first screen credit in a starring role in 1937 as Andy McCaine in Love Is on the Air and 20 years later he was Cdr. Casey Abbott in Hellcats of the Navy. Who is he?
Answer: Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, was a former movie actor known for his conservative Republicanism and anticommunism. He served as president from 1981 to 1989 and was nicknamed ‘the Great Communicator’ for his oratory skills. Reagan’s policies are credited with contributing to the downfall of Soviet communism. Ronald Reagan died on 5 June 2004.
On 5 June 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot? Who shot him, and in what building and in what city was he shot?
Two
AIDS was reported for the first time after a rare form of pneumonia was found in five homosexual men. In what year was this, and in what city was the pneumonia detected?
Three
Born this day in 1939, this man would become Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister 40 years later. Who is he?
Four
This author was born in Wales in 1949, and had a breakthrough with his 1978 novel Eye of the Needle. His successful Kingsbridge series began with The Pillars of the Earth (1989). Who is this author?
Five
This actor turned politician had his first screen credit in a starring role in 1937 as Andy McCaine in Love Is on the Air and 20 years later he was Cdr. Casey Abbott in Hellcats of the Navy. Who is he?
What does the name of the dinosaur Falcarius mean?
Ground scraper
Sickle cutter
Wood driller
Answer: Sickle cutter.
Falcarius, meaning ‘sickle cutter’, is a primitive therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous in North America. Discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation, it was a 4 m long bipedal herbivore with a small head, elongated neck, and tail. It is considered a transitional form between theropods and Therizinosauridae.
Three
Spectrophobia, catoptrophobia and eisoptrophobia can all relate to what household item?
Kettle
Linoleum
Mirror
Answer: Mirror.
Catoptrophobia, eisoptrophobia and spectrophobia are terms related to fear of mirrors, but they have distinct meanings. Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors themselves, eisoptrophobia is the fear of seeing one’s reflection, and spectrophobia can mean fear of mirrors or ghosts. Etymologically, catoptro– and eisoptron– mean ‘mirror’, whereas spectrum means ‘apparition’, explaining spectrophobia’s dual association.
Four
What word can be added to crow to complete this plants name: crow …?
Foot
Quill
Steps
Answer:
Crowfoot is a herbaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus, related to the buttercups, typically having lobed or divided leaves and white or yellow flowers.
Many kinds are aquatic with flowers held above the water. Crow quill is a quill pen made from a large feather of a crow’s wing and used in fine writing. Crow steps are projections resembling steps on the sloping part of a gable, common in Flemish architecture and in 16th- and 17th-century Scottish buildings. Also called corbie steps. — all three definitions from Oxford English Dictionary.
Five
Which of these words means the 1938 annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Nazi Germany?
Anschluss
Rindereintopf
Schlafwandeln
Answer: Anschluss.
Anschluss /ˈanʃlʊs / ▸ the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. Hitler had forced the resignation of the Austrian Chancellor by demanding that he admit Nazis into his cabinet. The new Chancellor, a pro-Nazi, invited German troops to enter the country on the pretext of restoring law and order. – ORIGIN German, from anschliessen ‘to join’. — Oxford English Dictionary
Rindereintopf is a beef stew, and Schlafwandeln is sleepwalking.
All of today’s questions relate to the date, 3rd June.
One
Which country’s national flag is shown? From which state union did it gain independence in 2006?
Answer: Montenegro; Serbia and Montenegro** (or the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro).
Montenegro, located in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, has a population of 633,158 across 25 municipalities. It borders Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea, with Podgorica as its capital and Cetinje as its cultural centre. Historically inhabited by Illyrians, it became a semi-independent principality under the rule of the Prince-Bishops beginning in 1696 and gained independence in 2006. Montenegro has an upper-middle-income, service-based economy and is a member of several international organisations, pursuing EU membership since 2012.
Two
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Who was the first man and the first woman to walk in space? (Individually, not together.)
Answer: Alexei Leonov; Svetlana Savitskaya.
Extravehicular activity (EVA) involves astronauts performing tasks outside spacecraft, including spacewalks and moonwalks. Conducted by nations like Russia, the U.S., and China, EVAs require space suits for life support. Notable milestones include Alexei Leonov’s first spacewalk in March 1965, Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk in July 1969, and Svetlana Savitskaya’s first female spacewalk in July 1984. EVAs can be tethered or untethered, with untethered walks using the Manned Manoeuvring Unit in 1984 and SAFER in 1994.
Three
The United Kingdom had three kings in 1936, one of whom had been born on this day in 1865. Who was he?
Answer: George V.
George V reigned as King of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936. The second son of Prince Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, he unexpectedly became heir to the throne after the death of his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor. Upon George V’s death in January 1936, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII, who abdicated later that year to marry Wallis Simpson. Edward was then succeeded by his younger brother Albert, who became King George VI.
Four
In 1844, the last pair of Great auks were killed by fishermen on Eldey Island. In what nation is Eldey Island?
The great auk (Pinguinus impennis), also known as the garefowl or penguin, is an extinct species of flightless alcid that first appeared around 400,000 years ago and was driven to extinction by human exploitation in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus. It was not closely related to the penguins of the Southern Hemisphere, which were named for their resemblance to this species. — Wikipedia
Five
In 1973. the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft happened in France with the loss of fourteen lives. What aircraft crashed?
Answer: Tupolev Tu-144.
Nicknamed ‘Concordski’ by the press, the Tupolev Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev that operated commercially from 1975 to 1983, including a passenger service between 1977–1978. It was the first commercial supersonic transport, first flew on 31 December 1968, ahead of Concorde. Produced by Tupolev, 16 units were made, conducting 102 commercial flights, with only 55 carrying passengers. It reached Mach 2 on 26 May 1970. Reliability issues, a 1973 crash, and high costs led to its withdrawal from passenger service in 1978. It served as a cargo aircraft until 1983 and was later used for space and research programs, making its final flight in 1999.
Flag of ? See question one. Image Wikimedia Commons
All of today’s questions relate to the date, 3rd June.
One
Which country’s national flag is shown? From which state union did it gain independence in 2006?
Two
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Who was the first man and the first woman to walk in space? (Individually, not together.)
Three
The United Kingdom had three kings in 1936, one of whom had been born on this day in 1865. Who was he?
Four
In 1844, the last pair of Great auks were killed by fishermen on Eldey Island. In what nation is Eldey Island?
Five
In 1973. the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft happened in France with the loss of fourteen lives. What aircraft crashed?
Question two. Just Room Enough Island, Thousand Islands archipelago. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question concerns the date 2nd June. The other questions are random and unrelated.
One
In 1953, ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’ covered the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at London’s Westminster Abbey for the Washington Times-Herald. Shortly to become very famous herself, who was ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’?
Answer: Jackie Bouvier (Kennedy).
Jackie Bouvier, a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald and writer of the paper’s Inquiring Camera Girl column, was in the crowd outside the Abbey for the coronation. Three months later, she would marry John F. Kennedy, and in under eight years, she would be First Lady.
Two
In what body of water are North America’s Thousand Islands found, and to the nearest fifty, approximately how many islands are in the archipelago?
Answer: Saint Lawrence River; 1,850.
The Thousand Islands, an archipelago of 1,864 islands, straddles the Canada-US border in the Saint Lawrence River. The islands range in size and must have at least one square foot of land above water year-round, and have one or two living trees* to be considered part of the Thousand Islands. (*Number of trees varies depending on source.)
Three
The Olympic Rings are a symbol consisting of five interlocking coloured rings. What colours are the rings on top?
Answer: Blue, black and red.
The rings are interlaced from the left and are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The founder of the modern Olympics stated the following in 1913:
… the six colours (including the flag’s white background) combined in this way reproduce the colours of every country without exception. The blue and yellow of Sweden, the blue and white of Greece, the tricolour flags of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Hungary, and the yellow and red of Spain are included, as are the innovative flags of Brazil and Australia, and those of ancient Japan and modern China. This, truly, is an international emblem. —Baron Pierre Coubertin, Olympique, August 1913.
Four
The forum currently known as the Group of Seven (G7) has, since its founding, been variously the G6, G7, and the G8. Angela Merkel was the second woman to chair this forum; who was the first?
Answer: Margaret Thatcher.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental forum of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU, focusing on pluralism and liberal democracy. Established in 1973, it addresses global issues like trade and climate change. Despite criticism for limited representation, the G7 has influenced initiatives like the Paris Agreement. Members, with a population of 780 million, contribute over 44% to the world’s nominal GDP and 30% by purchasing power parity.
Five
What colour are white rhinoceros?
Answer: Grey.
White rhinos, the second-largest land mammals, are named for their wide mouths, not their colour and there is no difference in the skin colour of white and black rhinos. There are two subspecies of white rhino: northern and southern. As of March 2018, only two female northern white rhinos remain, critically endangered due to poaching. Southern white rhinos, once thought extinct, now number around 18,000, classified as Near Threatened. They inhabit South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. White rhinos have complex social structures, with females forming groups and males defending territories.
Question two. Just Room Enough Island, Thousand Islands archipelago. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question concerns the date 2nd June. The other questions are random and unrelated.
One
In 1953, ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’ covered the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at London’s Westminster Abbey for the Washington Times-Herald. Shortly to become very famous herself, who was ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’?
Two
In what body of water are North America’s Thousand Islands found, and to the nearest fifty, approximately how many islands are in the archipelago?
Three
The Olympic Rings are a symbol consisting of five interlocking coloured rings. What colours are the rings on top?
Four
The forum currently known as the Group of Seven (G7) has, since its founding, been variously the G6, G7, and the G8. Angela Merkel was the second woman to chair this forum; who was the first?
Today’s first question relates to the date 1st June. The subsequent questions follow on, but I won’t reveal how.
One
The roles shown are from each decade between the 1980s and the present. Which actor born today links them? Hoke Colburn, Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir, Eddie Dupris, Sheikh Ilderim, and Thurmond Fowler.
Answer: Morgan Freeman.
Morgan Freeman was born in 1937. The roles referred to were 1989 Driving Miss Daisy Hoke Colburn 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir 2004 Million Dollar Baby Eddie ’Scrap Iron’ Dupris 2016 Ben-Hur Sheikh Ilderim 2022 The Minute You Wake Up Dead Sheriff Thurmond Fowler
Two
I love the smell of … in the morning.
What word is missing from this quote from a 1979 film?
Answer: Napalm.
The quote is from Apocalypse Now and is said by Robert Duvall‘a character Lieutenant Colonel William ‘Bill‘ Kilgore, who was a composite character based on several real-life officers. Duvall requested changes to the character, finding the original portrayal too over-the-top, and sought advice from military personnel to portray the character authentically.
Three
Singer Jack Jones had a top forty hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 with The Impossible Dream. What Broadway musical had the song been written for?
Answer: Man of La Mancha.
Man of La Mancha based on Cervantes’s Don Quixote, is a 1965 musical adapted as a play within a play. The original Broadway production ran for 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards. The Impossible Dream, a song from this musical, was composed by Mitch Leigh with lyrics by Joe Darion. It was later recorded by Jack Jones, reaching number one on the Easy Listening chart.
Four
In the United States, the state dog of the 49th state to be admitted to the Union is what?
Answer: Alaskan Malamute.
The Alaskan Malamute is a large dog breed originally bred for its strength and endurance. This made it ideal for hauling heavy freight as a sled dog. It shares similarities with other Arctic breeds like the Siberian Husky, Greenland Dog, Canadian Eskimo Dog and Samoyed.
Five
Which composer won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for the 2015 film The Hateful Eight?
Answer: Ennio Morricone.
Ennio Morricone (1928–2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist. He wrote music for over 400 films and television shows, including Sergio Leone’s films and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards. Morricone also composed music for artists like Paul Anka and Andrea Bocelli.
Last to First
The post title refers to the fact that the last letter of the first answer, N, is the first letter of the second, and so on.
