On this day in 1956, an American film premiered and became particularly notable as the final film featuring James Dean, who died in a car crash shortly after filming concluded. Which film was it?
Two
In 1969, the album In the Court of the … was released by a band which included Greg Lake. What words complete the album title and what was the band called?
Three
In 1846, English astronomer William Lassell discovered Triton, a moon of which planet?
Four
In 1963, the second film in the official James Bond franchise, From Russia with Love, premiered. Which Englishman sang the title song in the film?
Five
In 1935, Porgy and Bess opened on Broadway. Who composed this opera?
The Raising of Lazarus and the Adoration of the Shepherds Regional Museum of Messina, Sicily, Italy Image Wikipedia
One
Which Italian artist born this day in 1571, painted the works above which are displayed in Sicily?
Answer: Caravaggio
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, (known mononymously as Caravaggio) an Italian painter from the late 16th and early 17th centuries, gained fame for his realistic religious works.
Two
In 1829 the Metropolitan Police was founded, by what name (two words the first contains eight letters) is the force, especially the Criminal Investigation Department, colloquially known?
Answer: Scotland Yard
Through the efforts of Robert Peel, England’s first professional police force, London’s Metropolitan Police (often called Scotland Yard), was founded; it became a model for future police departments in various other countries, including the United States.
Born in Rome in 1901, who became an associate director of Manhattan Project in 1944?
Answer: Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi, an Italian-born American scientist, was a pivotal figure in the nuclear age. He developed mathematical statistics for subatomic phenomena, explored neutron-induced nuclear transformations, and directed the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction, earning the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics. Fermi is best known for creating the first artificial nuclear reactor, Chicago Pile-1, and for his contributions to the Manhattan Project. His work spanned statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and nuclear and particle physics.
Julia Gillard, Prime Minister of Australia. Image Wikipedia
Four
Who was the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister of Australia?
Answer: Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard, born in Wales, served as Australia’s 27th prime minister. She was the first and, as of September 2025, the only woman to hold the position.
Five
Following the Challenger disaster in January 1986 and the suspension of NASA’s space shuttle programme, it resumed on this day. In which year and with which shuttle did this happen?
Answer: 1988 and Discovery
On January 28, 1986, the Challenger shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, killing all seven astronauts including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. A presidential commission discovered a joint seal in a solid rocket booster had failed due to mechanical design flaws exacerbated by cold weather. Hot gases leaking from the joint ignited the shuttle’s external tank fuel leading to the devastating explosion. As a result, the shuttle fleet was grounded for necessary design corrections and administrative changes. On 29 September 1988, Discovery was the first shuttle to resume flights. Endeavour, a replacement orbiter, finally flew its first mission in 1992.
Here are five questions related to today, September 29th.
The Raising of Lazarus and the Adoration of the Shepherds Regional Museum of Messina, Sicily, Italy. Image Wikipedia
One
Which Italian artist born this day in 1571, painted the works above which are displayed in Sicily?
Two
In 1829 the Metropolitan Police was founded, by what name (two words the first contains eight letters) is the force, especially the Criminal Investigation Department, colloquially known?
Three
Born in Rome in 1901, who became an associate director of Manhattan Project in 1944?
Four
Who was the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister of Australia?
Five
Following the Challenger disaster in January 1986 and the suspension of NASA’s space shuttle programme, it resumed on this day. In which year and with which shuttle did this happen?
On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom. Is it true or false that in a list of the longest reigning monarchs within the UK, Queen Victoria would be placed second and George III, third?
Answer: True
Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, 214 days, while Victoria reigned for 63 years, 216 days, and George III for 59 years, 96 days.
Is this true or false that The Great Herding was a historical event in medieval Scotland which began on 8 September annually?
Answer: False
The Great Herding, or El Gran Arreo, began in 1888 when five settlers, led by Henry Jamieson, moved thousands of sheep hundreds of kilometres to Santa Cruz, Argentina, to establish large sheep farms.
Three
Is it true or false that on 8 September 1941, German and Finnish troops began a siege that would last 872 days?
Answer: True
The siege of Leningrad, lasting two years, four months, and nineteen days from 1941 to 1944, was a devastating blockade by Germany and Finland. It is renowned as the most destructive siege in history. Although Leningrad was never captured, the intentional starvation of its civilians resulted in an estimated 1.5 million deaths.
Is this true or false that on this day in 1644, Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria, in Milan.
Answer: False
1644 and Milan are incorrect. Michelangelo’s 5.17-metre marble statue, David, was created between 1501 and 1504. On 8 September 1504, it was unveiled in Piazza della Signoria, Florence. Originally intended for Florence Cathedral, David became a symbol of civil liberties and was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia in 1873.
The Man Trap (1966), Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner in Star Trek. Image IMDB
Five
Is it true or false that the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television on 8 September 1970?
Answer: False
The Man Trap, the first episode of Star Trek had premiered on NBC some four years earlier on 8 September 1966. The Man Trap follows Captain Kirk and his crew as they visit an outpost and encounter a shapeshifting alien.
On 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. Her reign was the longest of any monarch in the United Kingdom. Is it true or false that in a list of the longest reigning monarchs within the UK, Queen Victoria would be placed second and George III, third?
Two
Is it true or false that The Great Herding was a historical event in medieval Scotland which began on 8 September annually?
Three
Is it true or false that on 8 September 1941, German and Finnish troops began a siege that would last 872 days?
Four
Is it true or false that on this day in 1644, Michelangelo’s David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria, in Milan?
Five
Is it true or false that the first episode of Star Trek premiered on American television on 8 September 1970?
Edward VI by William Scrots. Image WikipediaMary by Hans Eworth, 1554. Image Wikipedia
One
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Answers: Edward VI and Mary I
Elizabeth I’s shrewdness, courage, and self-display inspired loyalty and unified England against foreign enemies. Her carefully crafted image as a symbol of the nation’s destiny, coupled with her authority to make critical decisions, defined the Elizabethan Age.
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Answer: Seventies (1970s)
ESPN, founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott, revolutionised sports broadcasting. With backing from Getty Oil and later ABC, ESPN secured major sports contracts, including the NFL and NCAA football, establishing itself as a dominant force in the industry. Despite facing challenges in the 2010s, ESPN continues to evolve, launching streaming services and expanding its reach through partnerships and acquisitions.
Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by Vasily Vereshchagin (1897). Image Wikipedia
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Answer: France and Russia
The Battle of Borodino, fought on 7 September 1812, was the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite a French victory, the Imperial Russian army retreated, leading to the French occupation of Moscow and the eventual failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: Greenwich, New York
Grandma Moses, an American folk artist, gained fame in her 70s for her paintings of rural life. Her work, characterised by simple realism and nostalgic atmosphere, has been widely exhibited and merchandised. Greenwich, New York, is a town in Washington County with a population of 4,868. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and has historical significance as part of the Underground Railroad.
RMS Lusitania, possibly New York, c.1907. Image Wikipedia
Five
Launched on this day in 1907, what Cunard liner was named after an ancient Roman province on the Iberian Peninsula?
Answer: Lusitania (RMS Lusitania)
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Four
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: RMS Lusitania
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
On 22 August 1953, the maximum-security penal colony on Devil’s Island, which had operated for 100 years, was permanently closed. The subject of the front page article from L’Aurore (13 January 1898) was imprisoned on Devil’s Island. Who was the subject of Émile Zola’s J’Accuse and in which country is Devil’s Island located?
Answer: Captain Alfred Dreyfus and French Guiana
The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal in France from 1894 to 1906, centred around the wrongful conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus for treason. Despite evidence of his innocence, Dreyfus was convicted and imprisoned, sparking a national debate between Dreyfusards, who supported him, and anti-Dreyfusards, who condemned him. The affair highlighted issues of injustice and antisemitism in France.
Two
Edvard Munch, 1893, The Scream, oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard, 91 x 73 cm, National Gallery of Norway. Image Wikipedia
On this date in 2004, a painting was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. What painting?
Answer: The Scream
Edvard Munch’s 1893 painting The Scream depicts an agonised face and is considered an iconic representation of existential dread. Munch created multiple versions, including two paintings and two pastels, with one pastel version selling for a record price in 2012. The Scream has been stolen twice, in 1994 and 2004. In both cases, the perpetrators were eventually apprehended. The painting was recovered after a few months in 1994 and two years after the 2004 theft.
On 22 August, a U.S. President named Henry A. Kissinger as Secretary of State. Which president?
Answer: Richard Nixon
Henry Kissinger, national security adviser and secretary of state (from 1973) under Nixon and Ford, significantly shaped US foreign policy from 1969-1976. He advanced détente with the Soviet Union, initiated SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks), opened relations with China, and played a crucial role in Vietnam War peace negotiations.
In 1851, the yacht America (US) won what is considered the first America’s Cup. Around which island did the race take place?
Answer: Isle of Wight
The America’s Cup, originally the R.Y.S. £100 Cup, was donated to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) in 1857 and renamed after the winning yacht, America. The NYYC held the trophy for 132 years until 1983. The class of yachts used in the competition has evolved over time, from large yachts to smaller, more affordable classes, and currently features high-tech foiling catamarans.
Richard III, Battle of Bosworth Field. From A Chronicle of England, B.C. 55-A.D. 1485 by James E. Doyle, 1864. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Five
A battle on 22 August 1485 was the last significant battle of England’s Wars of the Roses. What was the battle, and what king died during it?
Answer: Battle of Bosworth Field and King Richard III
The Battle of Bosworth, fought on 22 August 1485, was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses. Henry Tudor’s victory over Richard III marked the end of the Plantagenet dynasty and the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. The exact location of the battle is disputed, with memorials erected at different sites.
On 22 August 1953, the maximum-security penal colony on Devil’s Island, which had operated for 100 years, was permanently closed. The subject of the front page article from L’Aurore (13 January 1898) was imprisoned on Devil’s Island. Who was the subject of Émile Zola’s J’Accuse and in which country is Devil’s Island located?
Two
On this date in 2004, a painting was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. What painting?
Three
On 22 August, a U.S. President named Henry A. Kissinger as Secretary of State. Which president?
Four
In 1851, the yacht America (US) won what is considered the first America’s Cup. Around which island did the race take place?
Five
A battle on 22 August 1485 was the last significant battle of England’s Wars of the Roses. What was the battle, and what king died during it?
Official portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959. Image Wikipedia
One
On August 21st, Hawaii was officially proclaimed the 50th US state. Can you name the president who made this proclamation?
Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hawaii was officially proclaimed the 50th US state by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 21 August 1959. Hawaii is an island state in the Pacific Ocean, consisting of 137 volcanic islands. It is the only US state not on the North American mainland and is known for its diverse culture, influenced by North American, East Asia and indigenous Hawaiian heritage. Hawaii’s economy, historically based on agriculture, has diversified to include tourism and military defence.
Where was the Mona Lisa stolen from on this day in 1911?
Answer: The Louvre
The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre in 1911 by Vincenzo Peruggia, who believed it should be returned to Italy. After keeping it for two years, Peruggia attempted to sell it and was caught, leading to the painting’s return to the Louvre in 1914.
Born 21 August 1904, an American musician who will, 70 years later, feature in a desert scene from Blazing Saddles. Who is he?
Answer: Count Basie
Count Basie plays himself in Mel Brooks 1974 film Blazing Saddles. He and his orchestra play April in Paris in the middle of the desert as Bart (Cleavon Little) rides towards Rock Ridge to assume the post of sheriff.
Born on this day in 1930 at Glamis Castle, Scotland, this princess’s 1960 marriage would be the first royal wedding to be televised. Who is she?
Answer: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
Princess Margaret, born in 1930, was the second daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, who, following the abdication of Edward VIII, became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Known for her independent spirit, she famously renounced her engagement to Peter Townsend due to his divorce. A celebrated socialite, she was the Countess of Snowdon and had a glamorous lifestyle with notable romances. Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1978, marking the first royal divorce in 400 years.
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference, opening on 21 August 1944, was instrumental in the founding of what?
Answer: United Nations
The ‘Allied Big Four’ (UK, US, USSR, Republic of China) formulated the new international organisation at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. The Yalta Conference in 1945 and further negotiations with the Soviet Union resolved all issues.
Quizology Online 