Quizology.Online

A Serious Pursuit of the Trivial

  • B is for…

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘B’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

    Amantaní viewed from Taquile on Lake Titicaca.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. What two words link these: a Bette Davis role from 1962 film, a 1977 single from Dr Feelgood and a 1983 single by Rod Stewart?
    2. Pogonophobia is an extreme dislike of what?
    3. Charles Dickens only wrote one book with a female narrator. What was the title?
    4. Two countries share shores on Lake Titicaca, but only one fits the theme of today’s questions. Which country is it?
    5. The following word origin from the Oxford English Dictionary relates to a natural world name. What is the name that has been removed below?

    – ORIGIN Old English bēce, of Germanic origin; related to Latin fagus ‘…’, Greek phagos ‘edible oak’.

    – Oxford English Dictionary

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

  • A is for… | Answers

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

    The Admiral Benbow in Penzance, reportedly an inspiration for Stevenson’s Inn.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
      • Admiral Benbow—The narrator recounts the arrival of a mysterious seaman, the Captain, at the Admiral Benbow inn. The Captain, a silent and brooding figure, pays for a long stay and requests the narrator to keep watch for a one-legged seafarer. The narrator, haunted by dreams of this ominous figure, becomes entangled in the Captain’s web of secrecy and fear.
        The view of destroyed interior of briefing room in Hitler’s headquatter Wolfsschanze near Rastenburg (Ketrzyn) in East Prussia.
        (from left to right Heinz Linge, Martin Bormann, Julius Schaub, Hermann Göring, Bruno Loerzer, unknown.)
        Image Wikipedia
    2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
      • Adolf Hitler—During World War II, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), disillusioned with Nazi Germany, joins the German Resistance. He proposes using Operation Valkyrie to seize power after assassinating Hitler, but the plan fails when Hitler survives the bomb attack. The plotters are arrested, and Stauffenberg, along with other leaders, is executed.
        Alain Prost, 1990, US Grand Prix, Phoenix.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
      • Alain Prost—nicknamed “the Professor”, is a French former racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1980 to 1993. He won four Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles and held records for most wins, fastest laps and podium finishes at the time of his retirement. After retiring from Formula One, Prost competed in various racing series, including the FFSA GT Championship and the Andros Trophy, and was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1999.
        Uluru/Ayers Rock.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
      • Ayers Rock—Uluru, a landmark in the Northern Territory, is known as Uluṟu by the local Aṉangu people. It was named Ayers Rock in 1873 after Sir Henry Ayers, but officially became Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993 and Uluru/Ayers Rock in 2002.
        Theseus slaying the Minotaur by Bayre.
        Image Wikipedia
    5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?
      • Ariadne—Ariadne, a Cretan princess, helped Theseus escape the Minotaur but was abandoned on Naxos. There, Dionysus fell in love with her, married her, and created the Corona Borealis constellation.

  • A is for…

    Robert Louis Stevenson.
    Image Wikipedia

    A few questions where all the answers begin with ‘A’. As you know the starting letter there are no multiple-choice options.

    1. An inn featuring in the first chapter of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island is the…
    2. In the film Valkyrie (2008) who do the German army officers plot to assassinate?
    3. Who is missing from this chronological list of motor racing’s Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champions from the 1990s: Ayrton Senna, Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, …, Michael Schumacher, Michael Schumacher?
    4. In 1873, William Gosse became the first European to visit Uluru. What did he name it?
    5. In Greek myth, which daughter of King Minos helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Historical Highlights | Answers

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

    Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain, in coronation robes, 1808.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 15 June 1808 Joseph Bonaparte became King of…
      • Spain—Bonapartist Spain, established in 1808 by Napoleon, was a Napoleonic client state. Napoleon forced the ruling Spanish Bourbons to abdicate and installed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte, on the Spanish throne.
        Magna Carta, 1215.
        Image British Library/Encyclopædia Britannica
    2. Today in 1215, King John of England placed his seal on a charter of liberty and political rights. What is this charter known as?
      • Magna Carta—a royal charter of rights, was agreed to by King John of England in 1215 to make peace with rebel barons. It promised protection of church rights, baronial rights and limitations on feudal payments.
        The Civil War Unknowns Monument, c. 1866.
        Designed by Montgomery Meigs. Arlington National Cemetery.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. On 15 June 1864, the creation of a national cemetery on the former Arlington Estate was authorised by the US Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs. This estate had previously belonged to whom?
      • Robert E. Lee, Confederate General-in-Chief—Arlington National Cemetery, the largest in the United States National Cemetery System, is one of two maintained by the United States Army. Spanning 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia, it holds the remains of over 400,000 people. Arlington National Cemetery was built on land confiscated from the private ownership of Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee’s family by the US federal government. This land was the Arlington Estate. The confiscation occurred due to a tax dispute over the property.
        Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519-36).
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Henry Fitzroy, born on this day in 1519, was the illegitimate son of which English king?
      • Henry VIII—the Fitzroy surname is Norman French for ‘son of the king’. He was the son of Henry VIII’s mistress Elizabeth Blount, younger half-brother to Mary I and elder half-brother to Elizabeth I and Edward VI.
    5. On 15 June 1888 a crown prince became emperor. Due to the death of his predecessors 1888 is the Year of the Three Emperors. What empire had its Year of the Three emperors in 1888?
      • German Empire—The Year of the Three Emperors, 1888, saw the rapid succession of three German Emperors: Wilhelm I, Friedrich III, and Wilhelm II. The mnemonic drei Achten, drei Kaiser (three eights, three emperors) is still used to remember this year.
    Wilhelm I
    Friedrich III
    Wilhelm II

    The Year of the Three Emperors, 1888. Left to right
    Wilhelm I (reign 18 January 1871 – 9 March 1888) Image Wikipedia
    Friedrich III (reign 9 March – 15 June 1888) Image Wikipedia
    Wilhelm II (reign 15 June 1888 – 9 November 1918) Image Wikipedia

  • Historical Highlights

    Historical Highlights connected with today’s date, June 15th.

    1. On 15 June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte became King of…
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • The Two Sicilies
    2. Today in 1215, King John of England placed his seal on a charter of liberty and political rights. What is this charter known as?
      • Domesday Charter
      • Magna Carta
      • Reculver Charter
    3. On 15 June 1864, the creation of a national cemetery on the former Arlington Estate was authorised by the US Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs. Who previously owned this estate?
      • Jefferson Davies, President of the Confederate States
      • Robert E. Lee, Confederate General-in-Chief
      • Thomas Jonathan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, Confederate General
    4. Henry Fitzroy, born on this day in 1519, was the illegitimate son of which English king?
      • Edward V
      • Henry VII
      • Henry VIII
    5. On 15 June 1888, a crown prince became emperor, making 1888 the Year of the Three Emperors. Which empire had its Year of the Three Emperors in 1888?
      • Austro-Hungarian Empire
      • German Empire
      • Russian Empire

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Hotchpotch II | Answers

    Detail of Zephyrus with Aura
    from
    Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus.
    Image Wikipedia

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

    1. In which of these national parks are zebra a native breed?
      • Kruger National Park—in South Africa spans 19,623 km2 across Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Established in 1926, it is South Africa’s first national park and part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. It is home to 25,000 to 35,000 plains zebra (Equus quagga). Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK was established in 2003. It is the largest national park in the UK and covers the Cairngorms mountain range and surrounding hills. Goonengerry NP, New South Wales, Australia is within the Nightcap Range Important Bird Area, home to the largest population of Albert’s lyrebirds.
    2. A light or westerly wind which was also a large car (Ford of Britain) replaced by the Granada in 1972 is a…
      • Zephyr—In ancient Greek mythology and religion, the god Zephyrus was the personification of the west wind and the bringer of light spring and early summer breezes.
        Googol.
        Image
    3. How many zeroes follow the digit ‘1’ (one) when writing the number known as a googol?
      • 100—10100 or ten to the power of one hundred or ten duotrigintillion. The largest ‘named’ number, the term ‘Googol’ was coined in 1920 by 9-year-old Milton Sirotta, the nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. It’s possible that Sirotta was inspired by the contemporary comic strip character Barney Google.
        Romeo and Juliet.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet how old is Juliet?
      • Thirteren—her mother indicates that she is not fourteen until Lammastide, which is two weeks away.
        1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Barker Sedanca de Ville
        Image Wikipedia
    5. A 1964 film staring Rex Harrison and Jeanne Moreau was…
      • The Yellow Rolls-Royce—the film follows the story of three very different owners of a yellow 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. The owners include an English aristocrat, a Miami gangster and a wealthy American widow. The film is set in the years leading up to and including the start of World War II.

  • Hotchpotch II

    A mixture of questions for you to peruse.

    Plains zebra (Equus quagga).
    Image Wikipedia
    1. In which of these national parks are zebra a native breed?
      • Cairngorm National Park
      • Goonengerry National Park
      • Kruger National Park
    2. A light or westerly wind which was also a large car (Ford of Britain) replaced by the Granada in 1972, is a…
      • Chinook
      • Sirocco
      • Zephyr
    3. How many zeroes follow the digit ‘1’ (one) when writing the number known as a googol?
      • 10
      • 100
      • 1,000
    4. In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet how old is Juliet?
      • Thirteen
      • Sixteen
      • Nineteen
    5. A 1964 film staring Rex Harrison and Jeanne Moreau was…
      • My Little Red Corvette
      • Ozzy, the Orange VW Camper
      • The Yellow Rolls-Royce

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Hotchpotch | Answers

    The Carpenters.
    Image Wikipedia

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

    1. Since 2011, Algeria has been the largest country in Africa by area. What is the second largest?
      • Democratic Republic of Congo—is a Central African country, the second largest in Africa and the most populous Francophone country in the world. It is bordered by several countries and the South Atlantic Ocean, with terrain ranging from dense rainforests to mountains.
    2. Which Carpenters song begins by asking: “Why do birds suddenly appear/Every time you are near?”?
      • (They Long to Be) Close to You—The Carpenters, an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter, achieved major success with hit singles like (They Long to Be) Close to You and We’ve Only Just Begun. Their melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts. Karen’s death from heart failure in 1983, due to complications from anorexia, ended the duo.
        A page from Thomas Blount’s Glossographia (publ. 1661)
        Image Wikipedia
    3. Thomas Blount’s Glossographia, published in 1656, was what?
      • English Dictionary—Blount’s Glossographia, published in 1656, was the largest English dictionary of its time, defining 11,000 hard words. It was the first dictionary to include illustrations, etymologies, and source citations, and many of its words were not included in later dictionaries.
    4. Prior to colliding with the ice berg, where had been RMS Titanic’s last port of call?
      • Queenstown, Ireland—Titanic’s maiden voyage began on 10 April 1912, with passengers boarding in Southampton, Cherbourg and Queenstown, Ireland from where the ship set sail for New York City. It was carrying a total of 2,224 passengers and crew of which some 1,500 died.
        Dan Brown.
        Image Wikipedia
    5. What 1998 thriller was the first to carry Dan Brown’s name?
      • Digital Fortress—was published in 1998. (Angels & Demons, 2000 and Deception Point, 2001) and is a techno-thriller novel by Dan Brown, exploring government surveillance and its ethical implications. The story follows the NSA’s struggle to crack a revolutionary code, Digital Fortress, created by Ensei Tankado, who died mysteriously. Amidst a web of deceit and murder, the NSA’s head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, uncovers the truth behind Tankado’s death and the code’s creator, ultimately preventing a catastrophic data breach.

  • Hotchpotch

    Today’s questions are a hotchpotch.

    RMS Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. Since 2011, Algeria has been the largest country in Africa by area. What is the second largest?
      • Democratic Republic of Congo
      • State of Libya
      • Republic of the Sudan
    2. Which Carpenters song begins by asking: “Why do birds suddenly appear/Every time you are near?”?
      • Bless the Beasts and Children
      • The Rainbow Connection—
      • (They Long to Be) Close to You
    3. Thomas Blount’s Glossographia, published in 1656, was what?
      • Atlas in colour
      • Bible in English
      • English Dictionary
    4. Prior to colliding with the ice berg, where had been RMS Titanic’s last port of call?
      • Cherbourg, France
      • Queenstown, Ireland
      • Southampton, England
    5. What 1998 thriller was the first to carry Dan Brown’s name?
      • Angels & Demons
      • Deception Point
      • Digital Fortress

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! | Answers

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

    Ronald Reagan speaking at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987. (Ronald Reagan Library).
    US National Archives
    1. In a speech made on 12 June 1987, US President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, with the words quoted above. Where was the speech made?
      • Brandenburg Gate—On 12 June 1987, US President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech at the Brandenburg Gate, famously calling for Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall”. The speech, written by Peter Robinson, became a defining moment of the Cold War.
        Photo of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra.
        Image Wikipedia
    2. On this day in 1963, a film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was released in the US. It was the most expensive film made at the time. What was it?
      • Cleopatra—is a 1963 American epic historical drama film about the struggles of Cleopatra VII of Egypt against Roman ambitions. The film, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, faced production delays, budget overruns, as well as an affair between the leads. Despite mixed reviews and initial financial losses, it became the highest-grossing film of 1963 and won four Academy Awards.
        Last known photo of Anne Frank, May 1942.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. On 12 June 1942, a now-famous diarist received a diary for their thirteenth birthday. Where did they live?
      • Amsterdam—Anne Frank, a German-born Jewish girl, documented her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in a diary. The diary detailed her family’s life in an Amsterdam attic from 1942 until their arrest in 1944. Anne and her sister, Margot, were transferred from Auschwitz to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in November 1944, where they died of typhus a few months later.
        John Rhys-Davies as Sallah in the Indiana Jones franchise.
        Image
    4. Today in 1981, the first Indiana Jones film was released. Who played Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark and was also a main character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy?
      • John Rhys-Davies—Rhys-Davies, standing at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), played the dwarf Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
        John Rhys-Davies as Gimli in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
        Image Pinterest
    5. The Chaco War, which ended on 12 June 1935 with the signing of a ceasefire, involved which two nations? Bolivia and Paraguay—The Gran Chaco region, known in Spanish as Chaco Boreal, was the site of this conflict between Bolivia and Paraguay from 1932 to 1935. The dispute centred on control of the northern part of the region, which was believed to be rich in oil.