Quizology.Online

Tag: americas

  • Sheelah’s Day

    Shamrock
    Wikipedia

    Sheelah’s Day is celebrated on 18 March the day after Saint Patrick’s Day and is observed in the Irish diaspora in Australia and Canada. No Sheelah’s included here today but all of the following are about people born on 18 March.

    1. Born 1980. Actress who links the following roles: Penelope (in 2004), Isolde (2006), Erika (2003 and 2006), Darcy (2014) and Freya (2008). Who is she?
      • Rose Keegan
      • Sophia Myles
      • Lucy Russell
      Grover Cleveland
      Wikipedia
    2. Born 1837, Grover Cleveland, served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Where was he born?
      • Amherst, New Hampshire
      • Brighton, New York
      • Caldwell, New Jersey
    3. Anthem for Doomed Youth was written by a war poet born this day in 1893. Who was he?
      • Rupert Brook
      • Wilfred Owen
      • Siegfried Sassoon
    4. Who is Dana Elaine Owens, born 18 March 1970, a musician and actress, better known as?
      • Lauryn Hill
      • Missy Elliott
      • Queen Latifah
    5. Born today in 1869, this British prime minister returned from Germany with a “piece of paper” promising to “have brought you back peace — but a peace I hope with honour.” Who was he?
      • Stanley Baldwin
      • Neville Chamberlain
      • Winston Churchill

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Fabulous Fantastic Fiascoes—Answers

    Answers to the questions in the earlier post are shown in bold below.

    US Military Academy, West Point, Coat of Arms
    Image Wikipedia
    1. West Point military academy—Edgar Allan Poe attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1830. His time there was marked by academic success in subjects like mathematics, but he struggled with the strict military discipline. Poe deliberately sought dismissal by neglecting his duties and violating academy regulations. His tenure at West Point was brief, lasting less than a year, but it significantly influenced his literary career, as he turned his focus entirely to writing after leaving the academy.
      Pietà (1498–1499), by Michaelangelo. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
      Image Wikipedia
    2. 1475—Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475–1564), known simply as Michelangelo, was an influential Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in Florence, his work drew inspiration from classical antiquity, leaving a profound impact on Western art. Renowned for masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David, Michelangelo epitomised the Renaissance man alongside Leonardo da Vinci. His exceptional talents spanned multiple disciplines, and extensive surviving records highlight his artistic journey. Celebrated by contemporaries, Michelangelo remains one of the most documented and revered artists of the 16th century.
      Penny Black with Queen Victoria profile.
      Image Wikipedia
    3. Victoria, queen of Great Britain —The Penny Black, introduced in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 and valid from 6 May, was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp for public postal use. Featuring Queen Victoria’s profile, it revolutionised postal services based on Sir Rowland Hill’s proposal to simplify complex, costly rates. Prior to this, recipients paid postage based on distance and sheet count. The Penny Black marked a shift to sender-paid postage, enabling letters up to ½ ounce (14 grams) to be delivered nationwide for a uniform rate of one penny, streamlining and democratising communication across distances.
      Valentina Tereshkova.
      Image Wikipedia
    4. Valentina Tereshkova—Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian engineer and former Soviet cosmonaut, was the first woman in space, completing a solo mission on Vostok 6 in 1963. It was her only space flight.
      This is a drawing of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. It was first printed in 1854 in Gleason’s Pictorial Drawing Room Companion and was reprinted in Frank Thompson’s 2005 “The Alamo”, p 106.
      Image Wikipedia
    5. 13 days—The Siege of the Alamo took place from 23 February to 6 March 1836 during the Texas Revolution. Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna besieged the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, defended by Texian rebels including James Bowie, William B. Travis and Davy Crockett. Despite fierce resistance, the Texians were vastly outnumbered. After 13 days of relentless bombardment and attacks, the Mexican army overran the mission, killing nearly all defenders. The defeat became a rallying cry, “Remember the Alamo!”, inspiring Texian forces to eventual victory in the revolution.
      Old Package of Aspirin, 20 tabs 0.5 g
      Image Wikipedia
    6. Aspirin—Aspirin, a genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to alleviate pain, fever, and inflammation and as an antithrombotic. It treats specific inflammatory conditions like Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever. Long-term use helps prevent heart attacks, ischaemic strokes and blood clots in high-risk individuals. Effects for pain or fever usually start within 30 minutes. Aspirin functions like other NSAIDs but uniquely suppresses platelet function.
      Muhammad Ali.
      Image Wikipedia
    7. Cassius Clay—In 1964, Cassius Clay stunned the world by defeating Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship, defying the odds as an underdog. Just two days after his historic victory, Clay made headlines again by announcing his conversion to the Nation of Islam. This pivotal decision marked a profound personal transformation, as he embraced the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. On 6 March 1964, he adopted the name Muhammad Ali, symbolising his new identity and faith. Ali’s name change reflected not just a religious shift but a declaration of self-determination, which resonated throughout his illustrious boxing career and beyond.
      World Premiere Poster, 1853
      Image Wikipedia
    8. Fiasco—La traviata premiered at La Fenice, Venice, in March 1853, amidst Verdi’s lingering apprehensions. The production faced hurdles from the start: Verdi disagreed with the casting of 38-year-old Fanny Salvini-Donatelli as Violetta, feeling she was ill-suited for the role of a youthful, consumptive heroine. Despite Verdi’s protests, no changes were made. The opening act received applause, but enthusiasm waned in the second act, where performances by baritone Felice Varesi and tenor Lodovico Graziani met with disapproval. Verdi later lamented in a letter, “La traviata last night a failure. Was the fault mine or the singers’? Time will tell.” He further said, “It was a fiasco!”
      Eleanor Roosevelt with female reporters at her first White House press conference on March 6, 1933.
      Credit: FDR Presidential Library & Museum
      Image via National Woman’s History Museum
    9. Eleanor Roosevelt—Eleanor Roosevelt recounted to journalist Lorena Hickok that the first White House press conference for women reporters, held on 6 March 1933—two days after FDR’s inauguration—was held in the Red Room. Thirty-five women attended, but there weren’t enough chairs, so some sat on the floor. These weekly conferences, open only to women, helped preserve their jobs and ensured news access. As Mrs Roosevelt noted without fresh stories, women reporters risked losing their jobs. The conferences focused on topics of interest to women, avoiding politics. Over twelve years, 348 conferences provided the First Lady with a national audience and significant publicity.
      Dmitri Mendeleev.
      Image Wikipedia
    10. 1869—On 6 March 1869, a scientist presented to the Russian Chemical Society about how elements’ properties relate to their atomic weights. He found that elements arranged by atomic weight show a pattern in their properties. Similar elements often have similar atomic weights or a regular increase in weight. Elements in groups based on atomic weight also match their valencies and chemical properties. He noted that widely spread elements have small atomic weights and that atomic weight influences an element’s nature. He predicted the discovery of new elements and suggested that atomic weights could help predict element properties.
    Coloured periodic table showing the most common sets of elements (2023)
    Image Wikipedia
    Pietà (1498–1499), by Michaelangelo. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
    Image Wikipedia

  • Fabulous Fantastic Fiascoes

    Michelangelo.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On this day in 1831, American writer Edgar Allan Poe was court-martialled for disobedience and expelled from…
      • Annapolis naval academy
      • Marine Corps Base Quantico
      • West Point military academy
    2. Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo was born on 6 March in…
      • 1375
      • 1475
      • 1575
    3. On 6 March 1840, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, went into use featuring an image of…
      • Jonas Furrer, president of Switzerland
      • Victoria, queen of Great Britain
      • Martin Van Buren, president of the US
    4. The first female to travel in space was born on this day in 1937, she was…
      • Valentina Ponomaryova
      • Svetlana Savitskaya
      • Valentina Tereshkova 
    5. The Alamo, San Antonio fell and was captured today in 1836 following a siege which had lasted…
      • 3 days
      • 13 days
      • 31 days
    6. On 6 March 1899, acetylsalicylic acid is patented by Felix Hoffmann at the German company Bayer under the genericized trademark…
      • Aspirin
      • Ibuprofen
      • Paracetamol 
    7. This day in 1964 a boxer changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He had had changed his name from…
      • Augustus Amber
      • Balbinus Beryl
      • Cassius Clay
    8. Today in 1853, La traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, was premiered at La Fenice opera house in Venice. The composer later described it as…
      • Fabulous
      • Fantastic
      • Fiasco
    9. The first First Lady to hold an official press conference in the White House did so on 6 March. She was…
      • Eleanor Roosevelt
      • Jackie Kennedy
      • Pat Nixon
    10. At a meeting of the Russian Chemical Society, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first periodic table on this day in …
      • 1869
      • 1895
      • 1921

    Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.

  • History’s Greatest Hits: From Napoleon’s Invasion to Elvis’s Chart-Topping Curtain Call—Answers

    Map of the Old Swiss Confederacy, 1789
    Image Wikipedia

    The answers to the four questions posted earlier are in bold below.

    1. Switzerland—The period of the thirteen cantons in Swiss history, from 1513 to 1798, involved the Old Swiss Confederacy, a loose union of thirteen sovereign cantons united for mutual defence and foreign policy. These cantons were diverse in religion and culture, with some Catholic and others Protestant post-Reformation. The confederacy expanded in the 16th century due to its mercenary strength, gaining autonomy from the Holy Roman Empire while maintaining cantonal independence through treaties. Internal conflicts like the Wars of Kappel highlighted religious divisions, yet peace and neutrality prevailed. The era ended with the French invasion in 1798, leading to the Helvetic Republic and centralised governance.
      Georgy Malenkov
      Image Wikipedia
    2. Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov—Georgy Malenkov served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1955, succeeding Joseph Stalin. He aimed to improve the economy by focusing on consumer goods and agriculture, but faced opposition within the Communist Party. Malenkov also sought to decentralise the administration and reduce secret police power, but his reforms were resisted. In 1955, he resigned after a power struggle with Nikita Khrushchev, being replaced by Nikolai Bulganin. His tenure marked a brief shift towards economic reforms and a more open political atmosphere, which was reversed after his departure.
      Winston Churchill, 1941
      Image Wikipedia
    3. Winston Churchill—Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech, delivered  on March 5, 1946, at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, highlighted the need for the US and Britain to counter Soviet communism, which had created a political and ideological barrier across Europe. The term “iron curtain” described the USSR’s post-World War II isolation of eastern and central Europe from the West. Post-war, Western leaders were divided on how to engage with the Soviet Union, with some fearing Stalin’s expansionism and others believing in potential peace. Churchill and American diplomat George Kennan advocated for a containment policy, opposing Soviet expansion and advocating for Western military counterpressure. The relevant paragraph from his speech reads…
      “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia, all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in some cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.”
      (The National Archives, full text.)
      Heartbreak Hotel.
      Image Wikipedia
    4. Heartbreak Hotel—Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley, released on January 27, 1956, was his first single with RCA Victor. Written by Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, and Presley, it was inspired by a newspaper article about a man’s suicide. Recorded on January 10, 1956, with the Blue Moon Boys, Chet Atkins, and Floyd Cramer, it features an eight-bar blues progression and heavy reverberation. The song topped multiple charts, became Presley’s first million-seller, and was certified double platinum. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995 and named one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004.