My blog will be somewhat different over the next few days. I will pose five questions each day for six days across various subjects, and each answer will begin with a distinct letter of the alphabet. As you likely deduced, five questions per day across six days yields thirty answers, each starting with a unique letter, leaving four unaccounted for. Consequently, four duplicates exist; in their order of appearance, they spell the name of a villainous figure from the eighth volume of a comic originally serialised in the first half of the 20th century. Although this character is not widely known, the aim is to correctly identify the second, duplicate iteration of these initial letters to reveal the name. The answers will not be given on the same day as the questions but at the end.
One
Moloko Plus, a barbiturate-spiked milk drink, features in which Anthony Burgess novel?
Two
What is the only planet in our solar system named after a Greek god rather than a Roman one?
Three
Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria in the deftly named 5–10 June 1967 war?
Four
What English archaeologist, army officer, diplomat and writer had the forenames Thomas Edward?
Five
Which letter represents tungsten within the periodic table of elements?
Good Luck! The answers will be posted after day six questions. More questions tomorrow.
Today’s first question relates to August 21. The subsequent ones follow on from there.
One
In 1942, the classic animated film Bambi was released in cinemas in the United States. The film was adapted from the novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods: who wrote this novel?
Answer: Felix Salten.
Bambi, a 1942 Disney classic, follows a fawn’s journey from birth to becoming the Great Prince of the Forest. Guided by his mother and friends, Bambi faces loss, love, and danger. Adapted from Felix Salten’s Bambi, a Life in the Woods (1923), its realistic animation and emotional depth earned acclaim despite initial financial struggles.
Two
What 1986 film was an adaptation of Basil of Baker Street (1958) by Eve Titus?
Answer: The Great Mouse Detective.
The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 Disney animated film based on Basil of Baker Street. Directed by John Musker and others, it features Vincent Price’s voice. The plot follows a mouse detective saving a young mouse’s father from Professor Ratigan, drawing heavily on Sherlock Holmes’ traditions.
Three
What 2001 Ridley Scott film is based on a non-fiction book by Mark Bowden?
Answer: Black Hawk Down.
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden (1999) chronicles the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, where U.S. forces, including Rangers, Delta Force, and SEALs, attempted to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The title refers to the downing of two Black Hawk helicopters and the ensuing rescue efforts. Officially named Operation Gothic Serpent, the raid became the most intense U.S. close combat since Vietnam. Known as the Battle of Mogadishu or the Battle of the Black Sea, the mission aimed to apprehend Aidid but resulted in significant media coverage and public attention. Black Hawk Down (2001), directed by Ridley Scott, is an epic war film based on Mark Bowden’s book. Featuring a large ensemble cast it was released on January 18, 2002. It received positive reviews despite inaccuracies, grossed $173 million worldwide, and won two Academy Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.
Four
John Carter (aka John Carter on Mars) is a 2012 science fiction film based on the first book in the Barsoom series of novels, published in 1912. Who was the author of these novels?
Answer: Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who is perhaps best known for Tarzan, Barsoom is a fictional Mars setting. The series began with Under the Moons of Mars and A Princess of Mars, featuring John Carter, a Confederate veteran transported to Mars. Ten sequels followed, influencing early science fiction.
Five
What 2009 young-adult novel, which was the first in a series by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, was turned into a 2013 film?
Answer: Beautiful Creatures.
Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl’s Beautiful Creatures series is a global success with a Warner Bros. film opening. According to the series Wiki (fandom) the story came about as follows…
Although, the original story of the origin of Beautiful Creatures started as a bet between the two women and one of their daughters who bet that the two women could not finish a story within a month while joking around together. Kami and Margaret, both wanting to win the bet, accepted the dare.
The post title refers to books as do all the questions but it is also alliterative and that has a ‘Bearing’ on each question/answer pairing where an initial ‘B’ is found in them:
Today’s first question relates to August 21. The subsequent ones follow on from there.
One
In 1942, the classic animated film Bambi was released in cinemas in the United States. The film was adapted from the novel Bambi, a Life in the Woods: who wrote this novel?
Two
What 1986 film was an adaptation of Basil of Baker Street (1958) by Eve Titus?
Three
What 2001 Ridley Scott film is based on a non-fiction book by Mark Bowden?
Four
John Carter (aka John Carter on Mars) is a 2012 science fiction film based on the first book in the Barsoom series of novels, published in 1912. Who was the author of these novels?
Five
What 2009 young-adult novel, which was the first in a series by authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, was turned into a 2013 film?
The first question is related to today, 20 August. The subsequent ones relate to each other.
One
On 20 August 1968, the Soviet Union led the other member nations of the Warsaw Pact, with the exception of Albania and Romania, in an invasion of Czechoslovakia to end Alexander Dubček’s liberalisation, known as the Prague Spring.
What country and city respectively are missing from the above statement?
Answers: Czechoslovakia; Prague.
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia from January to August 1968, led by Alexander Dubček. It ended with a Soviet-led invasion. Dubček’s reforms included media freedom and decentralisation. Czechoslovakia remained under Soviet control until 1989 and, in 1993, split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Two
When the Warsaw Pact was established in 1955, how many nations were members, and what were they?
Answers: Eight; Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Soviet Union.
The Warsaw Pact, established in 1955, served as a Soviet-led military alliance opposing NATO during the Cold War. It encompassed the Eastern Bloc states listed above; Albania was removed in 1961 and officially left in 1968, while East Germany exited in 1990 and Romania remained an independent, non-Soviet member. Following the Revolutions of 1989 and German reunification, the pact ended in 1991. Former members such as East Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia later joined NATO.
Three
The Soviet Union was also known as the USSR; what did this abbreviation stand for in English; and for how many years did it exist?
Answer: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; 69 years.
Established in 1922 and ending in 1991, the Soviet Union was a transcontinental communist state directed by the Communist Party from Moscow. Stalin’s leadership produced industrialisation and purges, while World War II resulted in 27 million deaths. Cold War tensions emerged, and reforms under Gorbachev prompted secession and dissolution. As a superpower, it possessed the largest nuclear arsenal and served on the UN Security Council.
Four
Name the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council?
Answer: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States.
The UN Charter grants China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States permanent Security Council seats with veto power. Ten elected members complete the 15-state body. The permanent members of the UN Security Council, known as the P5, are China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US. They were WWII Allies and possess nuclear weapons and veto power. The Council has 15 members, with 10 elected. Reform proposals face opposition from the Uniting for Consensus movement.
Five
The picture above shows the United Nations Building. What body of water is in the foreground of this picture?
Answer: East River.
The United Nations headquarters is located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, completed in 1952. It includes the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buildings. Designed by Wallace Harrison, it is extraterritorial under a U.S. treaty. The UN has regional headquarters in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi, but not its specialised agencies. The East River is not a river but a saltwater tidal estuary and strait in New York City linking Upper New York Bay to Long Island Sound. It separates Brooklyn and Queens from Manhattan and the Bronx.
The first question is related to today, 20 August. The subsequent ones relate to each other.
One
On 20 August 1968, the Soviet Union led the other member nations of the Warsaw Pact, with the exception of Albania and Romania, in an invasion of … to end Alexander Dubček’s liberalisation, known as the … Spring.
What country and city respectively are missing from the above statement?
Two
When the Warsaw Pact was established in 1955, how many nations were members, and what were they?
Three
The Soviet Union was also known as the USSR; what did this abbreviation stand for in English; and for how many years did it exist?
Four
Name the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council?
Five
The picture above shows the United Nations Building. What body of water is in the foreground of this picture?
See question one. Although this is not the Olympics it is Victorian-era cricket. W.G. Grace (right), batting in an 1890s cricket match. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Today’s first question relates to 19 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on (continuing the cricketing sayings).
One
Cricket first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1900. How many national teams competed in that tournament, and in how many Olympic events has the sport featured?
Answers: Two; One.
Cricket at the 1900 Paris Olympics featured only Great Britain and France, with the latter being a mixed team of English expatriates. The match, played over two days with 12-a-side, was won by Great Britain by 158 runs. John Symes preserved the game’s details with a handwritten scorecard. A cricket tournament was planned for the 1904 Summer Olympics in St Louis but was cancelled because there were insufficient entries. Cricket will return to the Olympics in 2028 at Los Angeles.
Two
The modern Olympics are numbered in Roman Numerals, for example the second and fifth would be referred to as the II Olympiad and the V Olympiad. What officially were the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China known as?
Answer: XXIX Olympiad.
Held in Beijing, China, the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China, were officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. Inspired by Ancient Greece and led by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the modern Olympic Games began with the Games of the I Olympiad being held in Athens in 1896. The IOC governs the Olympic Movement, adapting to changes like professional athletes, media influence, and global events. The Games include various competitions, rituals, and symbols, fostering international representation and showcasing host cities. The Olympic Games promote global cooperation and cultural exchange. Hosting them offers economic benefits but also presents challenges, impacting infrastructure, tourism, and local communities.
Three
What is the IATA code for Beijing Capital International Airport?
Answer: PEK.
Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is the busier of Beijing’s two international airports, located 32 km northeast of the city centre. Owned by a state-controlled company, it covers 1,480 hectares and opened in 1958. The IATA code PEK derives from the city’s former romanised name, Peking.
Four
In 2025 Beijing Capital (question two above) was the 15th busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic. What city’s airport was the world’s busiest that year with 106,302,208 passengers?
Answer: Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been the world’s busiest since 1998 except in 2020 (Covid), regaining the position in 2021; London has the busiest city airport system.
Five
This Province was established as a proprietary colony in 1732 and a royal colony from 1752. One of thirteen, it was named after a reigning British monarch: what monarch?
Answer: George II.
The corporate charter for the colony was issued to General James Oglethorpe on 21 April 1732 by George II, the monarch for whom the territory was named. The King’s privy council completed the document on 9 June 1732. George II ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1727 to 1760, the last monarch born abroad.
It’s Just Not Cricket
The post title means that something is contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude, but here it is actually used to mean there are other things as well as cricket in these questions. The questions also link to each other:
See question one. Although this is not the Olympics it is still Victorian-era cricket. W.G. Grace (right), batting in an 1890s cricket match. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Today’s first question relates to 19 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but follow on (continuing the cricketing sayings).
One
Cricket first appeared at the Olympic Games in 1900. How many national teams competed in that tournament, and in how many Olympic events has the sport featured?
Two
The modern Olympics are numbered in Roman Numerals, for example the second and fifth would be referred to as the II Olympiad and the V Olympiad. What officially were the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China known as?
Three
What is the IATA code for Beijing Capital International Airport?
Four
In 2025 Beijing Capital (question two above) was the 15th busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic. What city’s airport was the world’s busiest that year with 106,302,208 passengers?
Five
This Province was established as a proprietary colony in 1732 and a royal colony from 1752. One of thirteen, it was named after a reigning British monarch: what monarch?
The Midnight Star, Deadwood, South Dakota close in 2017. Image Trip Advisor
Today’s questions follow a theme.
One
The narrator and protagonist of the Booker Prize-winning novel in 1981 is Saleem Sinai, who is born in 1947 at midnight as India becomes independent. Saleem and children born in India between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on that date are found to have special powers. What is the novel and who wrote it?
Answer: Midnight’s Children; Salman Rushdie.
Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie’s second novel, narrates India’s transition from British rule to independence and partition through Saleem Sinai’s magical realist tale. Blending history with fiction, it echoes The Tin Drum and preserves history via fictional accounts. The novel sold over one million copies in the UK, winning the Booker Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1981. It later received the Booker of Bookers (1993), Best of the Booker (2008), and ranked 100th in the BBC’s The Big Read (2003).
Two
The song Everybody’s Talkin’ won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Who was the singer awarded, and in what 1969 film did the song feature?
Answer: Harry Nilsson: Midnight Cowboy.
Fred Neil’s 1966 song Everybody’s Talkin’ was re-recorded by Harry Nilsson in 1969 for Midnight Cowboy, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning a Grammy. The original, recorded in 1967, was re-released by RCA, achieving similar Billboard success.
Three
It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.
The above quote is from which of the Harry Potter novels?
Answer: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
It is the opening sentence of ‘The Other Minister’, the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which is the sixth book in the series. Harry Potter enters his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Voldemort’s dark forces gather and a mood of dread spreads across the country, Harry recognises that he must soon face his destiny. Can he prevail in the perilous trials ahead?
Four
Come On Eileen was a hit single for which English band?
Answer: Dexy’s Midnight Runners.
Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners, released in June 1982, topped charts in the UK and the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, it won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. Ranked No. 18 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ‘80s, it was Britain’s best-selling single of 1982.
Five
The Midnight Star was a casino owned by Kevin Costner. It opened in the spring of 1991, after Costner had, the previous year, directed and starred in an Academy Award-winning film which was filmed nearby. In what city and state was the casino sited, and what was the 1990 Oscar-winning film?
Answer: Deadwood, South Dakota; Dances With Wolves.
The Midnight Star was a casino in Deadwood owned by American film actor Kevin Costner. After directing and starring in the Academy Award-winning film Dances With Wolves (1990), which was filmed largely in South Dakota, Costner opened the venue in spring 1991. The casino operated as a saloon that had appeared prominently in Silverado (1985), one of his early major roles. International posters from many of his films lined the walls. The casino closed in 2017.
We’re Going To Shake Your Tambourine
The post title is taken from Eric Clapton’s After Midnight, and midnight was the theme running through today’s quiz, with it being in either the question or the answer.
The Midnight Star, Deadwood, South Dakota close in 2017. Image Trip Advisor
Today’s questions follow a theme.
One
The narrator and protagonist of the Booker Prize-winning novel in 1981 is Saleem Sinai, who is born in 1947 at midnight as India becomes independent. Saleem and children born in India between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. on that date are found to have special powers. What is the novel and who wrote it?
Two
The song Everybody’s Talkin’ won the 1970 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Who was the singer awarded, and in what 1969 film did the song feature?
Three
It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind.
The above quote is from which of the Harry Potter novels?
Four
Come On Eileen was a hit single for which English band?
Five
The Midnight Star was a casino owned by Kevin Costner. It opened in the spring of 1991, after Costner had, the previous year, directed and starred in an Academy Award-winning film which was filmed nearby. In what city and state was the casino sited, and what was the 1990 Oscar-winning film?
Today’s first question relates to 17 August and the subsequent ones follow on from the first.
One
Set during the Klondike Gold Rush, complete the title of British-Canadian poet Robert Service’s The Shooting of …?
Answer: Dan McGrew.
Gold found in 1896 launched the Klondike Gold Rush. Robert William Service, an English-born Canadian writer, became well known for his Klondike poems, including The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. Commercial success from collections such as Songs of a Sourdough allowed for travel and a leisurely life.
Two
Which nesosilicate mineral derives its name from the Persian word for ‘gold-hued’?
Answer: Zircon.
Zircon is a tetragonal nesosilicate (ZrSiO₄) yielding zirconium and containing hafnium at 1–4%. It precipitates from silicate melts and occurs in varied colours. The name comes from Persian zargun (“gold-hued”), becoming jargoon for light zircons; English zircon derives from German Zirkon.
Three
Which Persian king, ruler of the Achaemenid Empire, was assassinated in 465BC by Artabanus, the commander of the royal guard?
Answer: Xerxes I or Xerxes the Great.
Founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC, the Achaemenid Empire became the largest of its time, spanning from the Balkans to the Indus Valley. Alexander the Great conquered it in 330 BC; later, the Parthian Empire emerged. Its bureaucracy, tolerance and infrastructure influenced later empires.
Four
Alexander the Great extended the Macedonian kingdom as far east as what modern country?
Answer: India.
The Beas River, in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northwestern India, marked Alexander the Great’s eastern limit in 326 BC after his troops mutinied at Mukerian. Alexander yielded after three days and raised twelve altars; their fate is unknown.
Five
What novel by Herman Wouk, which is about a mutiny, was turned into a 1954 film starring Humphrey Bogart?
Answer: The Caine Mutiny.
Herman Wouk’s 1951 novel The Caine Mutiny draws on Pacific Theater service to explore officers’ moral choices. A legalistic mutiny during Typhoon Cobra leads to a court-martial climax.
One Thing Leads to Another
The post title points to a trail through the questions. One is set during the Klondike Gold Rush; Two derives from Persian for ‘gold-hued’; Three is about a Persian king of the Achaemenid Empire; Four is about the conqueror of the Achaemenid Empire facing a mutiny; and Five is about a fictional mutiny.
