Quizology Online

Good Queen Bess—Answers

Edward VI by William Scrots.
Image Wikipedia

One

England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?

Answers: Edward VI and Mary I

Elizabeth I’s shrewdness, courage, and self-display inspired loyalty and unified England against foreign enemies. Her carefully crafted image as a symbol of the nation’s destiny, coupled with her authority to make critical decisions, defined the Elizabethan Age.

Two

Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?

Answer: Seventies (1970s)

ESPN, founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott, revolutionised sports broadcasting. With backing from Getty Oil and later ABC, ESPN secured major sports contracts, including the NFL and NCAA football, establishing itself as a dominant force in the industry. Despite facing challenges in the 2010s, ESPN continues to evolve, launching streaming services and expanding its reach through partnerships and acquisitions.

Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by Vasily Vereshchagin (1897).
Image Wikipedia

Three

The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?

Answer: France and Russia

The Battle of Borodino, fought on 7 September 1812, was the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite a French victory, the Imperial Russian army retreated, leading to the French occupation of Moscow and the eventual failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.

Four

Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?

Answer: Greenwich, New York

Grandma Moses, an American folk artist, gained fame in her 70s for her paintings of rural life. Her work, characterised by simple realism and nostalgic atmosphere, has been widely exhibited and merchandised.
Greenwich, New York, is a town in Washington County with a population of 4,868. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and has historical significance as part of the Underground Railroad.

RMS *Lusitania*, possibly New York, c.1907.
Image Wikipedia

Five

Launched on this day in 1907, what Cunard liner was named after an ancient Roman province on the Iberian Peninsula?

Answer: Lusitania (RMS Lusitania)

The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.

Good Queen Bess

Elizabeth I of England, c.1575.
Image Wikipedia

One

England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?

Two

Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?

Three

The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?

Four

Answer: RMS Lusitania

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.

Round the World—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions from my earlier post.

V2-Rocket in the Peenemünde Museum.
Image Wikipedia

One

On 6 September 1944, Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 rocket, a precursor to modern long-range missiles. What city was the target of this inaugural launch?

Answer: Paris

[The first] was fired against Paris on September 6, 1944. Two days later the first of more than 1,100 V-2s was fired against Great Britain (the last on March 27, 1945). Belgium was also heavily bombarded. About 5,000 people died in V-2 attacks, and it is estimated that at least 10,000 prisoners from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp died when used as forced labour in building V-2s at the underground Mittelwerk factory. After the war, both the United States and the Soviet Union captured large numbers of V-2s and used them in research that led to the development of their missile and space exploration programs.

— Encyclopædia Britannica

Joseph Kenney, United States Ambassador to the Court of St James’s.
Image Wikipedia

Two

Joseph Kennedy Sr. was born on 6 September 1888. He was the father of the Kennedy dynasty, which included John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. He was appointed as the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom but what is the formal name for that post: US Ambassador to the…?

Answer: US Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s

The Court of St James’s serves as the official royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It formally receives all ambassadors accredited to the UK and, conversely, ambassadors representing the UK are formally accredited from this court. It is named after St James’s Palace, the most senior of Britain’s royal palaces.

Three

On 6 September 957, Liudolf, the Duke of Swabia and son of the Holy Roman emperor Otto I, passed away. Today, the area known as the Duchy of Swabia is located in which modern country?

Answer: Germany

Swabia is a cultural and linguistic region in southwestern Germany, roughly coinciding with the Swabian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire. Swabians, natives of Swabia and speakers of Swabian German, numbered close to 800,000 as of 2006.

William McKinley, President of the United States.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

Four

On 6 September, Leon Czolgosz shot a US president. Who was the president?

Answer: William McKinley

On 6 September 1901, President McKinley was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, when he was shot twice in the chest and abdomen by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. He lingered for a week before succumbing to his injuries on 14 September, when Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

Victoria, the sole ship of Magellan’s fleet to complete the circumnavigation. Detail from a map by Ortelius, 1590.
Image Wikipedia

Five

The Victoria, the first known ship to circumnavigate the world returned to Spain on 6 September. In which decade did this event occur?

Answer: 1520s

On 6 September 1522, the Victoria, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition, completed the circumnavigation of the world and arrived at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. Of the 270 men who had set sail on the expedition on 20 September 1519, only 18 or 19 survived. Magellan had been killed approximately 18 months earlier.

Round the World

One

On 6 September 1944, Nazi Germany launched the first V-2 rocket, a precursor to modern long-range missiles. What city was the target of this inaugural launch?

Two

Three

On 6 September 957, Liudolf, the Duke of Swabia and son of the Holy Roman emperor Otto I, passed away. Today, the area known as the Duchy of Swabia is located in which modern country?

Four

On 6 September, Leon Czolgosz shot a US president. Who was the president?

Five

The Victoria, the first known ship to circumnavigate the world returned to Spain on 6 September. In which decade did this event occur?

Good luck! As usual I will post the answers later today.

Why a Duck?—Answers

One

Freddie Mercury, born on 5 September 1946 in Stone Town, the Sultanate of Zanzibar, is best known as the frontman of Queen. Which two Queen albums from the mid-seventies are named after Marx Brothers films?

Answer: A Night at the Opera (1975) and A Day at the Races (1976)

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, was a British rock singer and songwriter known for his flamboyant showmanship and powerful vocals. He joined the band Smile in 1970, renamed it Queen, and became its lead singer. Queen achieved international fame with albums like A Night at the Opera, and Mercury’s solo career included collaborations with Montserrat Caballé.

Gerald R. Ford, presidential portrait.
Image Wikipedia

Two

On 5 September 1975, Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson, attempted to assassinate the US president. This was one of two assassination attempts in that month, Who was the president who was targeted?

Answer: Gerald R Ford

Twice in September 1975, Ford was the target of assassination attempts. In the first instance, Secret Service agents intervened before shots were fired; in the second, the would-be assassin fired one shot at Ford but missed by several feet.
— Encyclopædia Britannica

Jim Henson with Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in 1979.
Image Wikipedia

Three

The first episode of The Muppet Show aired on 5 September 1976. In which country was it broadcast?

Answer: United Kingdom

The Muppet Show, created by Jim Henson, premiered in the UK on 5 September 1976 and ended on 23 May 1981. Five seasons, totalling 120 episodes, were broadcast on ATV and other ITV franchises in the UK and in syndication in the United States from 1976 to 1981. It featured iconic characters like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, with its success leading to films, merchandise, and other series. The Muppets were acquired by Disney in 2004.

Four

Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas on 5 September. In which decade of the 19th century did this event occur?
Thirties

Answer: Thirties

Houston was elected in 1836.
Samuel Houston was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, a U.S. Senator, and the governor of both Tennessee and Texas. Houston opposed secession and was forced out of office as Texas governor in 1861.

Five

On 5 September 2000, the Pacific island nation whose flag is shown above became the 189th member of the United Nations. Please name that country?

Answer: Tuvala

Tuvalu, a Polynesian island country in the Pacific Ocean, comprises three reef islands and six atolls. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1978 and is a constitutional monarchy. The economy relies on imports, fishing, and remittances, while facing challenges from climate change and sea level rise.

Why Why a Duck?

The title of the post, Why a Duck?, doesn’t directly relate to the content, except for the mention of the Marx Brothers in the first question. However, I’ve always enjoyed the routine it originates from. This routine comes from The Cocoanuts. A bit of an explanation follows.

“Why a Duck?” is a comedy routine featured in the Marx Brothers movie The Cocoanuts (1929). In a scene in which Groucho and Chico are discussing a map, Groucho mentions the presence of a viaduct between the mainland and a peninsula. Chico, who is playing the role of an immigrant with poor English skills, replies “Why a duck?” This leads into a long schtick with Chico responding “Why a no chicken?”, “I catch ona why a horse”, and so forth
— Wikipedia

The routine can be read here at The Marx Brothers.

Why a Duck?

One

Two

Three

The first episode of The Muppet Show aired on 5 September 1976. In which country was it broadcast?

Four

Sam Houston was elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas on 5 September. In which decade of the 19th century did this event occur?

Five

On 5 September 2000, the Pacific island nation whose flag is shown above became the 189th member of the United Nations. Please name that country?

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.

Quotology—Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

George Mallory (3rd from left), Tibet, 1924.
Image Wikipedia

One

People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer is ‘because it’s there.’

— George Mallory

In what decade of the twentieth century did mountaineers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine go missing near the summit of Mount Everest?

Answer: Twenties

English mountaineer George Mallory participated in the first three British Mount Everest expeditions. In 1924, he and fellow Englishman Sandy Irvine were last seen near Everest’s summit, sparking debate about whether they reached the summit.

Two

What British motor racing commentator (1923-2021) said…

The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical.

Answer: Murray Walker

Murray Walker (1923-2021) did his first broadcast commentary in 1948 and became a full-time commentator in the mid-seventies. He was known for making comical blunders which became known as ‘Murrayisms’ Wikipedia has supplied the following examples:

We’ve had cars going off left, right and centre
Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna’s Lotus sounding rough?
With half of the race gone, there is half of the race still to go
There is nothing wrong with the car, apart from that it is on fire, and
The gap between them is now nine-tenths of a second; that’s less than a second!
— Wikipedia

Three

I think it was Shaw who advised young playwrights to gear the length of each act to the endurance of the human…
— Alfred Hitchcock

What human organ completes the above Alfred Hitchcock quote?

Answer: Bladder

Hitchcock believed that a ‘movie should be quick, terse and all of a piece’.

Four

What American sportsman said…

If you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Answer: Yogi Berra

Yogi Berra, an American professional baseball catcher, manager and coach, played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Berra was known for his malapropisms and paradoxical statements, some examples below courtesy of Wikipedia
It’s déjà vu all over again.
You can observe a lot by watching
On why he no longer went to Ruggeri’s, a St. Louis restaurant: ‘Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded’
When complimented by a woman in the grandstands on how he seemed to be enduring the heat well on a hot summer’s day: ‘Thanks, ma’am. You don’t look so hot yourself’
Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours
The future ain’t what it used to be
A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore
If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him
I really didn’t say everything I said
— Wikipedia

Chuck Yeager next to experimental aircraft Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis.
Image Wikipedia

Five

If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.

The above quote was from a pilot who, on 14 October 1947, while piloting Glamorous Glennis broke the sound barrier. Who was the pilot?

Answer: Chuck Yeagar

Yeagar became the first person to break the sound barrier on that flight. Piloting Glamorous Glennis, a Bell X-1 named after his wife, he reached Mach 1.05 st 45,000 feet (13,700. metres) over the Mojave Desert, California.

Quotology

Questions about quotes today

One

People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer is ‘because it’s there.’
— George Mallory

In what decade of the twentieth century did mountaineers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine go missing near the summit of Mount Everest?

Two

What British motor racing commentator (1923-2021) said…

The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical.

Three

I think it was Shaw who advised young playwrights to gear the length of each act to the endurance of the human…
— Alfred Hitchcock

What human organ completes the above Alfred Hitchcock quote?

Four

What American sportsman said…

If you come to a fork in the road, take it.

Five

If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.

The above quote was from a pilot who, on 14 October 1947, while piloting Glamorous Glennis broke the sound barrier. Who was the pilot?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

All in a Day: 1609 to 1939—Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

Henry Hudson’s voyages to North America.
Image Wikipedia

One

On 3 September 1609, an English navigator and explorer sailed into what is now known as New York Harbour. He made four expeditions to find a route from Europe to Asia, and a bay, river and strait are named after him. What are his first and second names?

Answer: Henry Hudson

In 1606, Henry Hudson sailed up the river that now bears his name. In Canada, the Hudson Strait links the North Atlantic Ocean (Labrador Sea) to Hudson Bay.

Sir Malcolm Campbell.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

Two

On 3 September 1935, who became the first person to drive an automobile at over 300 miles per hour?

Answer: Sir Malcolm Campbell

On September 3, 1935, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, his automobile was timed at 301.1292 miles (484.62 km) per hour, the first officially clocked land-vehicle performance exceeding 300 miles (483 km) per hour.
— Encyclopædia Britannica

Three

On 3 September 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Britain, France, and which two of these countries – Australia, Canada, or New Zealand – declared war on Germany?

Answer: Australia and New Zealand

On 3 September 1939, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King announced the recommendation for a declaration of war in a radio broadcast. On 10 September 1939, a declaration of war by Canada against Germany was made by order-in-council signed by King George VI, King of Canada.

NASA’s Viking 2 on the surface of Mars.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Four

On this day in 1976, Viking 2, a NASA spacecraft, completed its journey, landed at its destination, and began sending information back to Earth. What planet had it landed on?

Answer: Mars

The Viking 2 mission, part of the American Viking programme, included an orbiter and a lander. The lander operated for 1,316 days, while the orbiter functioned for 706 orbits until July 25, 1978.

James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Frank Capra on the set of *Mr Smith Goes to Washington*.
Image Wikipedia

Five

The director of 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life died on 3 September 1991. Who was he?

Answer: Frank Capra

Italian-American film director Frank Capra, known for his influence in the 1930s and 1940s, won three Academy Awards for Best Director. Despite a career decline after World War II, his films, including It’s a Wonderful Life, were later critically acclaimed.

All in a Day: 1609 to 1939

Another five questions which are related to today, September 3rd.

Set of *Mr Smith Goes to Washington*. See question 5.
Image Wikipedia

One

Two

On 3 September 1935, who became the first person to drive an automobile at over 300 miles per hour?

Three

On 3 September 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Britain, France, and which two of these countries – Australia, Canada, or New Zealand – declared war on Germany?

Four

On this day in 1976, Viking 2, a NASA spacecraft, completed its journey, landed at its destination, and began sending information back to Earth. What planet had it landed on?

Five

The director of 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life died on 3 September 1991. Who was he?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.