Tower of Hercules, an ancient Roman lighthouse in A Coruña, Spain Image Wikipedia
Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 5 May.
On 5 May 1927, the novel To the Lighthouse was published. Who was the English author?
Hazel Adair
Margaret Jepson
Virginia Woolf
On this day in 1945, six people picnicking in Oregon were killed in an attack by the Japanese. These were the only deaths by enemy action in the continental United States during World War II. How was the attack launched?
Carrier_launched Aichi D3A dive-bomber
Gunfire from a surfaced I-15 submarine‘s deck gun
Japan launched Fu-Go high-explosive balloon bomb
Born today in 1988, this singer-songwriter has won 16 Grammy Awards, 12 Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Who is she?
Adele
Shura
Rhianna (Kenny)
Napoleon Bonaparte died on 5 May 1821, while in exile on the island of Saint Helena. Which is where?
Mediterranean Sea
North Atlantic Ocean
South Atlantic Ocean
On 5th May, rebel barons in England renounced their allegiance to King John, a pivotal event leading to the Magna Carta. In which year did this occur?
True or false MCMXCIX is the Roman numeral for 1999.
True—MCMXCIX is 1999. M=1,000; C=100; X=10; I=1. M + (M – C) + (C – X) + (X – I) = MCMXCIX. There are various online resources explaining this, but here is well-explained one.
True or false, Morecambe and Wise reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.
False—Laurel and Hardy reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with The Trail of the Lonesome Pine. The song was from Laurel and Hardy’s 1937 film Way Out West and was performed by Laurel and Hardy with The Avalon Boys.
The first page of the edition of the Domenica del Corriere, an Italian paper, with a drawing by Achille Beltrame depicting Gavrilo Princip killing Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo. Image Wikipedia
True or false, Gavrilo Princip assassinated US President William McKinley.
False—It was Leon Czolgosz who assassinated President McKinley in 1901. On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie, Duchess von Hohenberg, in Sarajevo. Their deaths led to the outbreak of World War I.
Margay in Costa Rica. Image Wikipedia
True or false, a margay is a small monkey native to Madagascar.
False—a margay is a small wild cat native to the Americas, ranging from Mexico to Uruguay and northern Argentina.
Procol Harum, 1967. Image Wikipedia
True or false, “Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor” is a line from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
False—it is the second line of the first verse, from Procol Harum’s 1967 number 1 A Whiter Shade of Pale. See quote below.
A Whiter Shade of Pale
Procol Harum
(1967)
We skipped the light fandango Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor I was feeling kind of seasick But the crowd called out for more The room was humming harder As the ceiling flew away When we called out for another drink The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later As the miller told his tale That her face, at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, “There is no reason And the truth is plain to see” But I wandered through my playing cards And would not let her be One of sixteen vestal virgins Who were leaving for the coast And although my eyes were open They might just as well have been closed
And so it was that later As the miller told his tale That her face, at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale
And so it was that later As the miller told his tale…
(Left to right, per Getty Image crediting): Ed Pollack, Albert Wynn, Thomas A. Dorsey, Ma Rainey, Dave Nelson and Gabriel Washington in 1923. Image Wikipedia
Who, born 26 April 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, US; performed as Ma Rainey and was known as the “Mother of the blues”?
Gertrude Pridgett—Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, the “Mother of the Blues”, was a pioneering blues singer who began her career in vaudeville. Her powerful voice and flamboyant performances helped popularise the blues, influencing generations of singers.
Mount Ventoux. Image Wikipedia
What best describes Petrarch who climbed Mount Ventoux today in 1336 and, at some point, wrote about it?
Poet—Francis Petrarch, a prominent scholar and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, climbed Mont Ventoux in 1336. Inspired by the climb and a reading of Saint Augustine’s “Confessions,” Petrarch reflected on the true nature of wonder, shifting his focus from the external world to the inner soul.
The seal of the London Company, also known as the Charter of the Virginia Company of London. Image Wikipedia
When did the Virginia Company colonists make landfall at Cape Henry?
1607—The Virginia Company, chartered by [Britain’s] King James I in 1606, aimed to colonise America’s eastern coast and established the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. Despite initial challenges, John Rolfe’s introduction of sweeter tobacco strains from the Caribbean improved the company’s prospects. The company also founded America’s first legislature, the General Assembly, in 1619. However, it was dissolved in 1624 after the Great Massacre, leading to Virginia becoming a royal colony.
Wreckage of Messerschmitt Bf 110D flown by Rudolf Hess, Bonnyton Moor, Scotland. Image Wikipedia
Where, during World War II, was senior Nazi Rudolf Hess—born today in 1894—captured?
Scotland—Rudolf Hess, a German National Socialist and Adolf Hitler’s deputy, flew to Scotland in 1941 to negotiate a peace between Britain and Germany. His proposals were rejected by both the British government and Hitler, who accused him of “pacifist delusions”. After the war, Hess was tried at the Nuremberg trials, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He served his sentence at Spandau prison in Berlin, where he was the sole inmate from 1966 onwards.
The Hull-Ottawa fire, 26 April 1900. Image Wikipedia
Why were thousands of people in Canada left without a home on this date in 1900?
Fire—In 1900, a fire caused by a defective chimney in Hull, Quebec, spread to Ottawa, Ontario, destroying two-thirds of Hull and one-fifth of Ottawa. The fire, fuelled by wind and lumber, caused significant property damage and loss of life, with seven people being killed in the conflagration which displaced 15,000 people.
How did John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, die?
Gunshot—Following Lincoln’s assassination, John Wilkes Booth fled to southern Maryland, seeking refuge with Confederate sympathisers. After a failed attempt to cross the Potomac, Booth was shot and killed in a tobacco barn by Sergeant Boston Corbett.
“The killing of Booth, the assassin—the dying murderer drawn from the barn where he had taken refuge, on Garrett’s farm, near Port Royal, Va., April 26, 1865.” (Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News) Image Wikipedia
Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.
See #2. Aerial view of the Suez Canal at Suez. Image Wikipedia
On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
France—France introduced registration plates in 1893, followed by Germany and the Netherlands. The US began requiring plates in 1903, with New York being the first state (this was after NY first requiring in 1901 that the owner’s initials be clearly visible on the back of the vehicle).
Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
One—Egypt. The Suez Canal, a 120-mile (193 km) artificial waterway in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas, providing a direct trade route between Europe and Asia. Constructed between 1859 and 1869, it is operated by the Suez Canal Authority and offers a significant shortcut for vessels, reducing travel time between the Arabian Sea and Europe. Utilising several lakes, it is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The canal’s strategic importance has led to historical events like its nationalisation in 1956 and closure during the Six-Day War.
The Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway. Image Wikipedia
Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
2,340 miles/3,766 km—The Saint Lawrence Seaway, a joint Canada-US project, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It opened North America’s industrial and agricultural heartlands to deep-draft ocean vessels and forged the final link in a 2,340 miles/3,766 km long waterway from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic by clearing a throughway in an 186-mile/299 km stretch of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Lake Ontario.
Guglielmo Marconi. Image Wikipedia
On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
Guglielmo Marconi—an Italian electrical engineer and physicist, invented the wireless telegraph, or radio, in 1896, and received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. He later worked on shortwave wireless communication, the foundation of modern long-distance radio. Marconi’s early experiments in Italy led him to London, where he received support and filed his first radio patent in 1896. He founded the Marconi Company in the UK and was ennobled as a marquess in 1929.
On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
Nicaragua—Violeta Chamorro, became Central America’s first female president in 1990, serving until 1997. After her husband, Pedro Chamorro, was assassinated by the Somoza dictatorship in 1978, she took over his newspaper, La Prensa, and became a symbol of opposition against the Sandinista government that overthrew the Somozas. As president, Chamorro reversed Sandinista policies, privatised state industries and promoted national reconciliation. Her presidency was marked by economic strife and social unrest, but she successfully ended hyperinflation and re-established international banking relationships.
Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.
See #1. The first automobile license plate issued in the State of Minnesota, 1903. Image Wikipedia
On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
Belgium
France
United Kingdom
Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
One
Two
Three
Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
1,230 miles/1,979 km
1,785 miles/2,873 km
2,340 miles/3,766 km
On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
Alessandro Volta
Enrico Fermi
Guglielmo Marconi
On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
The flag shown above is from a country where voting began on 23 April 1993, in a UN-monitored referendum to make its independence official. The country is…
Eritrea—Eritrea, located in the Horn of Africa on the Red Sea, gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a nearly 30-year war. It is a multi-ethnic nation with nine recognised ethnic groups, primarily Tigrinya and Tigre, and is one of the least developed countries globally. Eritrea is a unitary one-party presidential republic, and its capital and largest city is Asmara.
Lorraine Motel, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Image Wikipedia
On this day in 1998, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin who had killed Martin Luther King, Jr., died in prison in the United States. Where had he assassinated King?
Memphis, Tennessee—Martin Luther King Jr., a leading civil rights figure, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4 April 1968, leading to widespread riots. James Earl Ray, a career criminal, initially pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison but later recanted, alleging a conspiracy. The King family also believes the assassination was part of a government conspiracy.
Battle of Clontarf [1014] by Hugh Frazer, 1826. Image Wikipedia
Today in 1014, the Battle of Clontarf took place, where the High King Brian Boru defeated Viking invaders but was killed in battle. Brian Boru was the king of…
Ireland—The Battle of Clontarf, fought on 23 April 1014 near Dublin, was a significant conflict between Brian Boru’s Irish forces and a coalition of Leinster, Dublin, and Vikings. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, including the deaths of Brian, his son, and grandson, as well as the opposing leaders, the battle marked a turning point in the decline of Viking power in Ireland and solidified Brian’s legacy as a prominent figure in Irish history.
Drink Coca-Cola 5¢”, an 1890s advertising poster. Image Wikipedia
On this day in 1985, a company replaced its tried-and-tested product with a new version. However, in the face of public backlash, they were forced to revert to the original within months. What company?
Coca-Cola—In April 1985, Coca-Cola introduced a new flavour, New Coke, to combat declining market share, following a formula developed through taste tests. Despite initial taste tests showing most consumers preferred New Coke over both the original Coke and Pepsi, the company faced significant public backlash due to nostalgia for the original taste. Consequently, Coca-Cola reverted to the original formula on 10 July 1985, marketing it as Coca-Cola Classic. New Coke continued to be available, was renamed Coke II in 1992, and was eventually discontinued in 2002.
Ethelred the Unready, circa 968-1016. Illuminated manuscript, The Chronicle of Abindon, c.1220. MS Cott. Claude B.VI folio 87, verso, The British Library. Image Wikipedia
On 23 April 1016, King Ethelred II of England passed away. What was his epithet?
Ethelred the Unready—Ethelred II, known as Ethelred the Unready— was King of the English from 978 to 1013 and again from 1014 until his death in 1016. His 37-year reign, the longest of any Anglo-Saxon English king, was marked by conflict with the Danes, including the St Brice’s Day massacre and the Danegeld tribute. As an ineffectual ruler, he failed to prevent Danish invasions, leading to distrust, disloyalty, and failed attempts to buy peace, ultimately resulting in his exile in 1013.
The flag shown above is from a country where voting began on 23 April 1993, in a UN-monitored referendum to make its independence official. The country is…
Eritrea
South Sudan
Eswatini
On this day in 1998, James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin who had killed Martin Luther King, Jr., died in prison in the United States. Where had he assassinated King?
Montgomery, Alabama
Memphis, Tennessee
Macon, Georgia
Today in 1014, the Battle of Clontarf took place, where the High King Brian Boru defeated Viking invaders but was killed in battle. Brian Boru was the king of…
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
On this day in 1985, a company replaced its tried-and-tested product with a new version. However, in the face of public backlash, they were forced to revert to the original within months. What company?
Budweiser
Coca-Cola
McDonald’s
On 23 April 1016, King Ethelred II of England passed away. What was his epithet?
On 22 April 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral, a Portuguese navigator, is credited as the first European to reach…
Brazil—Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral sighted the mainland of South America near the present-day city of Pôrto Seguro, Brazil.
Blue Marble photograph taken by the crew of Apollo 17. Image NASA/Wikipedia
Earth Day was first celebrated today in…
1970—Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April, is a global event that honours environmental achievements and promotes sustainability. It originated in the US in 1970, organised by Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, involving 20 million Americans and leading to significant environmental legislation. Today, it is observed worldwide with various activities addressing environmental concerns like climate change, involving a billion people in over 193 countries, with notable milestones such as the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2016.
The First German Gas Attack at Ypres by William Roberts. Image Wikipedia
Where was modern chemical warfare initiated on 22 April 1915?
Belgium—Chemical weapons have a long history, dating back to ancient times when warring forces poisoned water supplies. However, they became true weapons of mass destruction during World War I with the introduction of modern chemical warfare by the German army by launching a chlorine attack at Ypres, Belgium, on 22 April 1915, killing 5,000 French and Algerian troops.
Vladimir Nabokov. Image Wikipedia
All of these Americans were born on 22 April, but who was born first?
Vladimir Nabokov, author—was born in 1899; Oppenheimer, 1904, and Nicholson, 1937. Vladimir Nabokov, a Russian-born American novelist and critic, wrote in both Russian and English, achieving international acclaim for his English-language works such as Lolita and Pale Fire.
Hernán Cortés. Image Wikipedia
On this day in 1519, a Spanish conquistador established a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. Who was he?
Hernán Cortés—a Spanish conquistador, led an expedition from 1519 to 1521 that overthrew the Aztec Empire in Mexico, bringing much of mainland Mexico under Spanish rule. He strategically allied with local tribes, particularly the Tlaxcaltecs, who resented Aztec dominance, and used a native interpreter to aid his efforts. Despite defying orders from the governor of Cuba, Cortés’s leadership and the Aztecs’ internal conflicts resulted in the conquest of Tenochtitlán in 1521. For his achievements, he was awarded the title of marqués del Valle de Oaxaca.
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