Truth or Consequence—Answers

Truth and Consequence City Hall.
Wikipedia

Here, in bold, are the answers to my earlier post.

  1. False—It changed name to Truth or Consequence (not Tacos or Chocolate) in 1950 after the radio show of the same name ran a competition for a town or city to do so; the prize being that the show would be broadcast from the winner—the first settlement to change their town’s name. 
  2. False—Nothing to do with First Lady’s. It was chosen because it sounded like the French for help me, m’aider and was picked in 1920 by the head of radio in air traffic control at Croydon Aerodrome (then the world’s busiest) as most of their flights were from France.
  3. False—No, not Martin Luther King. It was about the assassination of JFK.
  4. False—Not the Inca Empire. Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire in what is now central Mexico in 1521 not the Inca’s in what is now Peru.
    Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
    Wikipedia
  5. True—Lucy was named after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
  6. False—Pete Conrad, Apollo 12 was the third person to walk on the Moon. Michael Collins was the command module pilot of Apollo 11 and did not land on the Moon but remained in orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the lunar surface.
    Goldeneye Estate
    Wikipedia
  7. False—Not Skyfall. Fleming’s house and estate were both named GoldenEye and are now a hotel complex.
  8. True—It is a neighbourhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan.
  9. False—Not Coprophagia which is dung-eating. Lalochezia is the release of stress etc by swearing.
  10. False—It wasn’t Please Mister Postman. The third number one, I Want to Hold Your Hand, was released in November 1963 with the B-side This Boy.
Pete Conrad
Conrad descends the Lunar Module ladder, moments before becoming the third human to walk on the Moon.
Wikipedia

Truth or Consequence

For some variety a selection of true or false questions unconnected to today.

Hot Springs, New Mexico.
Wikipedia
  1. True or false: the American city of Hot Springs, New Mexico is now known as ‘T or C’ after changing its name to Tacos or Chocolate in 1950.
  2. True or false: Mayday, the international distress signal, was chosen in honour of the then US First Lady.
  3. True or false: in 2020, Murder Most Foul was released as a single by Bob Dylan. The murder referred to in the title was the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1967.
  4. True or false: Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in the Americas in 1521.
  5. True or false: Lucy the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton found in Ethiopia was named after a Beatles song.
  6. True or false: the Apollo astronaut Michael Collins was the third person to walk on the Moon.
  7. True or false: Ian Fleming, the author who created James Bond, had a home on Jamaica’s north coast named Skyfall.
  8. True or false: there is a neighbourhood of New York City called Hell’s Kitchen.
  9. True or false: relief of stress, pain and frustration by swearing is known as coprophagia.
  10. True or false: The Beatles third UK No. 1 hit I Want to Hold Your Hand was released with the B-side Please Mister Postman.

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.

From House Demolition to Dining Out—Answers

Douglas Hydro.
Wikipedia

Below, in bold, are the answers to my earlier post.

  1. Douglas Adams—The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a renowned science fiction comedy series created by British writer Douglas Adams.
  2. Paranoid Android—Marvin the Paranoid Android. A robot endowed with a “brain the size of a planet” but cursed with chronic depression. Often providing dry, sardonic humour, Marvin’s character contrasts sharply with the other characters’ antics.
  3. Agrajag—A tragic figure who is continually reincarnated and inadvertently killed by Arthur Dent in various lifetimes, harbouring a grudge that adds a darkly comedic layer to the narrative.
  4. Eaten—The concept of an Ameglian Major Cow is that it genuinely desires to be consumed and satirises ethical debates around eating meat.
  5. Mattress—An inhabitant of the planet Squornshellous Zeta, Zem is a sentient, albeit somewhat dim-witted, swamp-dwelling mattress, showcasing Adams’ flair for the absurd.
  6. Ford Prefect-—Arthur’s eccentric friend who masquerades as an out-of-work actor but is actually an alien researcher for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who is here to write an entry for Earth for inclusion in the next edition of the guide. His quick wit and knowledge of the intergalactic landscape often prove invaluable.
  7. Infinite Improbability Drive—A revolutionary propulsion system aboard the Heart of Gold spaceship. It allows the craft to traverse vast interstellar distances instantaneously by passing through every conceivable point in the universe simultaneously. Its unpredictability leads to many of the series’ most absurd and humorous moments.
  8. Slartibartfast—A Magrathean planet designer passionate about crafting coastlines, notably Norway’s fjords. His calm, methodical approach adds depth to the exploration of cosmic mysteries.
  9. Arthur Dent—The quintessential everyman protagonist whose mundane life is upended when Earth is destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Arthur’s bewildered journey through space forms the heart of the narrative.
  10. Radio series—Initially debuting as a radio series on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it gained immense popularity, subsequently evolving into a series of novels, a television adaptation, stage shows, a text adventure game, and a feature film released in 2005.

From House Demolition to Dining Out

Zaphod Beeblebrox.
Wikipedia

As the writer and creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was born on 12 March 1952, here are some questions on that subject; so from Agrajag to Zem, if you like.

  1. The creator and writer of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was…
    • Douglas Adams
    • Terry Pratchett
    • Isaac Asimov
  2. The character Marvin is known as the…
    • Fraught Robot
    • Paranoid Android
    • Clot Bot
  3. Who, described as “a tragic and piteous creature”, is continually reincarnated and subsequently killed?
    • Agrajag
    • Annie
    • Almighty Bob
  4. The Ameglian Major Cow, which the main characters meet, has a desire to be…
    • Loved
    • Read poetry
    • Eaten
  5. Zem is an affable, yet stupid, swamp-dwelling…
    • Magician
    • Mattress
    • Mannequin
  6. Who, with an automobile-like name, is a main character?
    • Ford Prefect
    • Nissan Micra
    • Vauxhall Viva
  7. What is a type of drive powered the spacecraft Heart of Gold?
    • Infantile Tantrum Drive
    • Infinite Improbability Drive
    • Impractical Inability Drive
  8. This person is a Magrathean who is a designer of planets, his name is…
    • Vroomfondel
    • Slartibartfast
    • Majikthise
  9. The story opens on Earth in the home of…
    • Arthur Dent
    • Brian Bash
    • Charlie Scrape
  10. As what did The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy start out?
    • Novel
    • Radio series
    • Film

Good luck! The answers will appear later today.

Interments to Independence: Navigating Anarchy’s Introduction—Answers


The body of former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft lies in repose in the United States Capitol rotunda.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Taft_funeral_LCCN2016820348.jpg
  1. William Howard Taft—Taft lay in state at the United States Capitol rotunda. On 11 March, he became the first president and first member of the Supreme Court to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. James Earle Fraser sculpted his grave marker out of Stony Creek granite.
    Ned Ludd
    Wikipedia
  2. Someone’s name—Ned Ludd, allegedly a weaver from near Leicester in England, is famously linked to the destruction of knitting frames in 1779. This act, reportedly due to being whipped or taunted, is first mentioned in The Nottingham Review on 20 December 1811, though its truth is unverified. John Blackner’s 1811 book offers a different account of a lad named “Ludlam,” who, instructed by his father to “square his needles,” destroyed them with a hammer. The story spread, and whenever frames were sabotaged, people humorously attributed it to “Ned Ludd,” contributing to the legend of the Luddites.
  3. 1959—In the 1950s, Hawaiʻi’s political landscape shifted as descendants of immigrant labourers, U.S. citizens, broke the plantation owners’ power by voting against the Hawaiʻi Republican Party, supported by plantation owners, and for the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. This shift led to Democratic dominance in territorial and state politics for over 40 years. Residents campaigned for statehood to gain full congressional and Electoral College representation. Initially, Hawaiʻi was expected to be a Republican stronghold, prompting its admission alongside Alaska, a Democratic stronghold. However, by 2017, Hawaiʻi generally voted Democratic, while Alaska typically voted Republican, contrary to initial predictions.
  4. Penicillin—Penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming from the Penicillium mold, was found to inhibit bacterial growth, specifically Staphylococcus aureus. Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain later isolated and purified it, making it therapeutically available by 1941. Naturally occurring penicillins, like penicillin G and V, differ in acid stability and administration methods. Semisynthetic versions offer enhanced properties. Penicillins operate by disrupting bacterial cell wall synthesis, targeting actively replicating bacteria without harming human cells. Bacterial resistance led to penicillinase-resistant variants, though challenges like MRSA persist. Side effects include hypersensitivity reactions, ranging from mild rashes to rare, severe anaphylactic shock.
    Flag of Lithuania.
    Wikipedia
  5. Lithuania—On 11 March 1990, Lithuania’s Supreme Council declared independence, becoming the first Soviet-occupied state to do so. In response, the Soviets imposed a 74-day economic blockade on 20 April 1990, causing shortages of essential goods. Despite the blockade, Lithuania maintained its independence declaration. Tensions escalated in January 1991 when a coup attempt was made using Soviet forces, but it failed due to strong public resistance, resulting in 14 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The Medininkai Massacre occurred on 31 July 1991, with 7 border guards killed. Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations on 17 September 1991.

Interments to Independence: Navigating Anarchy’s Introduction

Arlington National Cemetery east entrance
Wikipedia

Sorry that this is a few hours later today, hope you enjoy.

  1. Who, on 11 March, became the first US president to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia?
    • Ulysses S. Grant
    • William Howard Taft
    • John F. Kennedy
  2. Today in 1811, in Nottingham, England textile workers broke machinery that was taking their jobs in what was the first major Luddite riot. The term “Luddite” derives from…
    • Someone’s name
    • The riot’s location
    • The machinery’s manufacturer
  3. Hawaii was admitted into the union as the 50th US state, on 11 March in…
    • 1941
    • 1950
    • 1959
  4. In 1928, Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist who died today in 1955, discovered…
    • Penicillin
    • Aspirin
    • Codeine
  5. The first Soviet republic to declare its independence from the USSR did so today in 1990. Which of these was it?
    • Latvia
    • Estonia
    • Lithuania

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today or tomorrow.

Prime Ministers, Vampires and Assassins—Answers

The answers to the questions from earlier are in bold below.

The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, PC, CC, OBC, QC, served as Canada’s 19th and first female Prime Minister in 1993
Wikipedia
  1. Kim Campbell—Kim Campbell, born on 10 March 1947, in Port Alberni, British Columbia, became Canada’s first female prime minister in June 1993, serving until November. Educated at the University of British Columbia and the London School of Economics, she taught political science and practiced law before entering politics. Campbell served on Vancouver’s school board and in the British Columbia provincial legislature before joining federal politics. She held several ministerial roles, including justice minister and defence minister, before becoming prime minister. Her tenure ended with a significant electoral defeat. Post-politics, she was active in academia and international organisations. Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark  were consecutive prime ministers in New Zealand from 1997-1999 and 1999-2008 respectively. 
    Welcome to Sunnydale
    Wikipedia
  2. Sunnydale—Buffy Summers, portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar, is the “Slayer” destined to battle evil forces with enhanced powers like strength, agility, and precognition. Initially reluctant, she embraces her role with guidance from her Watcher, Rupert Giles, who provides supernatural insights and training. Buffy’s friends at Sunnydale High, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris, support her. Willow, an academic prodigy, evolves into a powerful witch and identifies as a lesbian. Xander, lacking supernatural abilities, offers comic relief. Buffy and Willow appear in all 144 episodes, while Xander is in 143.
    FBI wanted poster fugitive poster of James Earl Ray; the later convicted murderer of civil rights leader and anti-war activist, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
    Wikipedia
  3. James Earl Ray—James Earl Ray, born on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, was an American criminal who assassinated civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. Ray had a history of petty crimes and prison sentences, including escapes. After the assassination, he fled to Toronto, obtained a Canadian passport, and traveled to London and Lisbon. He was apprehended on June 8, 1968, at Heathrow Airport and extradited to the U.S. Ray pleaded guilty on his 41st birthday to King’s murder, receiving a 99-year sentence, but later recanted his confession, which was not accepted. He died on April 23, 1998, in Nashville, Tennessee. Lee Harvey Oswald, John F. Kennedy’s assassin, was born in New Orleans. Leon F. Czolgosz, who killed William McKinlay in 1901 was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Wikipedia

Prime Ministers, Vampires and Assassins

Flag of Canada.
Wikipedia

All these relate one way or another to 10 March. 

  1. Born on 10 March 1947 who, in June 1993, became the first woman to serve as Canadian prime minister?
    • Kim Campbell
    • Helen Clark
    • Jenny Shipley
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer logo
    Wikipedia
  2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer debuted on television on the 10 March 1997. What high school do Buffy, Willow and Xander attend
    • Sunnydale
    • Sunnyside
    • Sunnyvale
  3. Which 20th century assassin was born 10 March 1928 in Alton, Illinois?
    • Leon F. Czolgosz
    • Lee Harvey Oswald
    • James Earl Ray

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.

From Barbie’s Big Break to Sputnik’s Canine Crew—Answers

Kanmon Roadway Tunnel Moji side entrance, Route 2, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan
Wikipedia

This is the correct order 1. Kanmon tunnel 1958, 2. Barbie in 1959 and 3. Sputnik 9 in 1961.

  1. The Kanmon tunnels, connecting Honshu and Kyushu. The first (railway tunnel) was the world’s first under-ocean tunnel. A highway and pedestrian tunnel was built in the 1950s using improved equipment with the roadway tunnel opening 9 March 1958.
    Ruth Handler, executive of Mattel Toy company, posing with collection of Barbie dolls, 1961
    Wikipedia
  2. Barbie, introduced by Mattel on 9 March 1959, is an iconic 11-inch doll modelled after the German Bild Lilli doll. Despite initial controversy over her figure, Barbie was marketed to children, becoming a symbol of financial independence with diverse careers. Over the years, Mattel expanded the Barbie line to include friends, siblings, and diverse versions, addressing criticisms of materialism and unrealistic body proportions. Barbie has inspired art and literature and remains a global brand, though not accepted in some Muslim countries. In 2023, a film directed by Greta Gerwig was released. Barbie continues to be a popular collectible, with annual sales exceeding a billion dollars.
    This test flight mannequin named “Ivan Ivanovich” orbited the Earth in 1961.
    Now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
    Wikipedia
  3. Sputnik 9 (its western name), officially Korabl-Sputnik 4, launched on 9 March 1961 at 06:29:00 UTC from Baikonur Cosmodrome using a Vostok-K rocket. It reached low Earth orbit but was deorbited after one orbit, reentering on its first pass over the Soviet Union. The spacecraft landed at 08:09:54 UTC and was successfully recovered. A mannequin was ejected during descent to test the ejection seat, descending separately under a parachute. The dog, Chernushka, was recovered unharmed inside the capsule.

From Barbie’s Big Break to Sputnik’s Canine Crew

Barbie.
Wikipedia

Put these three events from 9 March in chronological order by year with the earliest first.

  1. Kanmon roadway tunnel opened to traffic. When it was built, it held the title of the longest undersea highway in the world. 
  2. The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.
  3. Sputnik 9 successfully launches—carrying a dog and a human dummy—demonstrating that the Soviet Union was ready to begin human spaceflight.

Good luck! The answers will be posted later.