Tag: entertainment

Continuing the theme, some more true or false | Answers

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

Laurel and Hardy.
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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
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  4. 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.
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  5. 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…

Lyrics from AZLyrics.

Continuing the theme, some more true or false

Morecambe and Wise.
Image BBC

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date,

  1. True or false, MCMXCIX is the Roman numeral for 1999.
  2. True or false, Morecambe and Wise reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with The Trail of the Lonesome Pine.
  3. True or false, Gavrilo Princip assassinated US President William McKinley.
  4. True or false, a margay is a small monkey native to Madagascar.
  5. True or false, “Turned cartwheels ‘cross the floor” is a line from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Mike—Quebec | Answers

Below are the questions from earlier today with the answers in bold.

Mike Hailwood (Honda, number 63)…
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Mike Hailwood (GB) at the…
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(1) Mike Hailwood (Honda, number 63) is ahead of Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta, number 1)…at the 1969 500 cc race on the Riccione street-circuit, one race in a traditional series of Italian road courses held between 1945 and 1971 in the early part of the calendar year, prior to the start of Grands Prix racing.
(2) Mike Hailwood (GB) at the Simoniz Daily Mail Race of Champions driving for Yardley Team McLaren (GB). The car is a McLaren M23 #M23/1 – Ford Cosworth DFV V8.
  1. M is for Mike. This nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion went on to race cars in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship?
    • Mike Hailwood—Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, nicknamed “the Bike”, was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer. He won nine Grand Prix motorcycle World Championships and 14 Isle of Man TT victories before transitioning to Formula One and other car racing classes.
      Natalie Wood.
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  1. N is for Natalie. She married actor Robert Wagner in 1957 and again in 1972?
    • Wood—Natalie Wood, an American actress, began acting at four and starred in films like Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story. She drowned in 1981 at age 43 during a break from filming Brainstorm, with her husband Robert Wagner and co-star Christopher Walken. An ongoing investigation into her death named Wagner as a person of interest in 2018.
      Operation Overlord.
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  2. O is for Operation. That was launched on 6 June 1944?
    • Overlord—Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy, was the Allied operation that liberated German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation, launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings, involved nearly 160,000 troops crossing the English Channel. German forces retreated east across the Seine on 30 August 1944, marking the close of Operation Overlord.
      MY Fair Lady, Playbill magazine cover, Broadway, 1952.
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  3. P is for Pygmalion. This musical and a 1960s film were based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion?
    • My Fair Lady—George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is a comedy about a phonetician who bets he can transform a Cockney flower seller into a duchess. The play, later adapted into My Fair Lady, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, explores love and the English class system.
      Dana Scully and Queequeg
      Image Pinterest
  4. Q if for Queequeg. Queequeg is a character in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, but who had a dog named Queequeg?
    • Dana Scully—In Moby-Dick, Queequeg is a skilled harpooneer from the cannibal tribe of Rokovoko. Scully, in The X-Files, named Queequeg (the dog) because of his cannabalistic behaviour in eating the dead body of his former owner.
Natalie Wood.
Image Wikipedia

Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Mike—Quebec

Queequeg and his harpoon.
Image: Illustration from 1902 edition of Moby Dick/Wikipedia
  1. M is for Mike. This nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion went on to race cars in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship?
    • Haggar
    • Hailwood
    • Hawthorn
  1. N is for Natalie. She married actor Robert Wagner in 1957 and again in 1972?
    • Walnut
    • Willow
    • Wood
  2. O is for Operation. That was launched on 6 June 1944?
    • Overarch
    • Overlord
    • Overtake
  3. P is for Pygmalion. This musical and a 1960s film were based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion?
    • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
    • Half a Sixpence
    • My Fair Lady
  4. Q if for Queequeg. Queequeg is a character in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, but who had a dog named Queequeg?
    • Dana Scully
    • Dr Doug Ross
    • Ross Geller

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

From Springfield to the Führerbunker | Answers

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

Marshal Matt Dillon, Gunsmoke.
Image Wikipedia
  1. The Simpsons aired its 636th episode on 29 April 2018, becoming the longest-running scripted prime-time show in the US. What show had held the record until then?
    • Gunsmoke—The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, became the longest-running American scripted primetime television series in 2009–2010 and surpassed Gunsmoke as the show with the most episodes in 2018. It is also the highest-ranking animated series on TV Time’s top 50 most followed shows. The show, which centres on the dysfunctional Simpson family in the fictional town of Springfield, has significantly influenced popular culture by introducing catchphrases and expanding into comic books, video games and a feature film.
      Jeanne d’Arc at the Siege of Orléans by Jules Eugène Lenepveu, painted 1886–
      1890.
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  2. On today’s date in 1429, Joan of Arc and her troops relieved what besieged city?
    • Orléans—The siege of Orléans, a crucial event in the Hundred Years’ War, began with English forces under Thomas de Montacute, earl of Salisbury, attempting to capture the French city. Following Salisbury’s death, William de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, took over the siege. However, the arrival of Joan of Arc in April 1429 forced the English to abandon the siege, marking a turning point that allowed the French to regain momentum and recapture lost territories.
      Obersalzberg- Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun with dogs (German Shepherd Dog “Blondi”?) at the Berghof, 1942
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  3. Who did Adolf Hitler marry on 29 April 1945?
    • Eva Braun—In April 1945, Eva Braun defied Hitler’s orders to join him in Berlin, determined to remain with him until the end. In recognition of her loyalty, Hitler married her in a civil ceremony in the Chancellery bunker on April 29. The following day, as the situation in Berlin worsened, both Hitler and Braun committed suicide. Hitler either poisoned or shot himself, and Braun took poison. Their bodies were subsequently burned.
      Captain James Cook
      Portrait by William Hodges.
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  4. On this date in 1770, which explorer arrived in and named Botany Bay in Australia?
    • James Cook—Endeavour continued northwards along the coastline, keeping the land in sight. As Cook charted and named landmarks, the crew made their first landfall on the continent on 29 April at a beach now known as Silver Beach on Botany Bay (Kamay Botany Bay National Park).
      Jerry Seinfeld, Late Show 2019.
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  5. Jerry Seinfeld, the star of the TV show Seinfeld, was born on April 29, 1954. Where was he born?
    • Brooklyn, New York, NY—Jerry Seinfeld, an American comedian, actor, writer and producer from Brooklyn, New York, is renowned for his observational humour. He rose to fame with the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which he co-created with Larry David and starred in from 1989 to 1998. The show became a landmark in American popular culture and a cultural phenomenon, showcasing Seinfeld’s unique comedic style. Since then, he has created and produced several other series and films.

From Springfield to the Führerbunker

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 29 April.

Joan of Arc
Image Wikipedia
  1. The Simpsons aired its 636th episode on 29 April 2018, becoming the longest-running scripted prime-time show in the US. What show had held the record until then?
    • Family Guy
    • Grey’s Anatomy
    • Gunsmoke
  2. On today’s date in 1429, Joan of Arc and her troops relieved what besieged city?
    • Orléans
    • Reims
    • Tours
  3. Who did Adolf Hitler marry on 29 April 1945?
    • Eva Braun
    • Elke Grün
    • Ella Schwarz
  4. On this date in 1770, which explorer arrived in and named Botany Bay in Australia?
    • James Cook
    • Willem Janszoon
    • Abel Tasman
  5. Jerry Seinfeld, the star of the TV show Seinfeld, was born on April 29, 1954. Where was he born?
    • Bethesda, Maryland
    • Indianapolis, Indiana
    • Brooklyn, New York

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How III | Answers

(Left to right, per Getty Image crediting): Ed Pollack, Albert Wynn, Thomas A. Dorsey, Ma Rainey, Dave Nelson and Gabriel Washington in 1923.
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  1. 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.
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  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
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  4. 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.
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  5. 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.
  6. 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)
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Who, What, When, Where, Why and How III

A “Who, What, When, Where, Why and How” which all relate to today, 26 April.

Ma Rainey.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Who, born 26 April 1886, in Columbus, Georgia, US; performed as Ma Rainey and was known as the “Mother of the blues”?
    • Beatrice Rutledge
    • Gertrude Pridgett
    • Hortense Gwinnett
  2. What best describes Petrarch, who climbed Mount Ventoux today in 1336 and, at some point, wrote about it?
    • Poet
    • Politician
    • Pundit
  3. When did the Virginia Company colonists make landfall at Cape Henry?
    • 1557
    • 1607
    • 1657
  4. Where, during World War II, was senior Nazi Rudolf Hess—born today in 1894—captured?
    • Scotland
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
  5. Why were twelve thousand people in Canada left without a home on this date in 1900?
    • Avalanche
    • Fire
    • Flood
  6. How did John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, die?
    • Hanging
    • Gunshot
    • Drowning
John Wilkes Booth.
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Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

A Star is Born | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

Poster for A Star is Born.
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  1. Barbra Streisand, who was born on 24 April 1942, starred in the 1976 iteration of A Star is Born (1976). How often, up to April 2025, has the film been made?
    • Four times—A Star is Born has been made four times. The original film, released in 1937, starred Janet Gaynor and Fredric March and was directed by William A. Wellman. It was followed by a 1954 remake starring Judy Garland and James Mason, directed by George Cukor. Streisand starred with Kris Kristofferson in the 1976 remake, directed by Frank Pierson. The fourth film, released in 2018, starred Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who also directed it.
      Tuthmosis III basalt statue in Luxor Museum.
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  2. On this day in 1479 BCE, Thutmose III ascended to the throne of…
    • Egypt—Thutmose III, the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty, ruled Egypt from around 1479 to 1425 BC. Known as the “Napoleon of Egypt,” he led many successful military campaigns, expanding Egypt’s empire, creating its navy and conquering all of Syria. He crossed the Euphrates to defeat the Mitannians and penetrated south along the Nile River to Napata in Sudan. Thutmose III was a skilled warrior who brought the Egyptian empire to its zenith and built numerous temples and monuments to commemorate his achievements.
      Pope Benedict XVI.
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  3. Joseph Ratzinger was installed as Pope on 24 April. What papal name did he choose?
    • Benedict XVI—Benedict XVI—born Joseph Ratzinger— served as head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013. During his tenure, he faced challenges such as declining vocations, church attendance and the sexual abuse scandal. A prominent theologian, he advocated for traditional Catholic values and revived several church traditions. Benedict resigned due to age-related health concerns, becoming the first pope to do so since 1415.
      Francis II of France and Mary, Queen of Scots, aged 14 and 15 respectively.
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  4. On April 24, 1558, fifteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, was married. Where did the wedding take place?
    • Notre-Dame de Paris, France—Mary, Queen of Scots, married Francis, Dauphin of France, at Notre-Dame de Paris in 1558 in a political alliance between Scotland and France, orchestrated by her mother, Mary of Guise, to strengthen their bond. Mary was sent to France at the age of five to be raised at the court of King Henry II, where she grew up to be a Frenchwoman, excelling in hunting, dancing and languages. At 15, she married Francis, the eldest son of Henry and Catherine, in a political union between France and Scotland.
      Portrait of Anthony Trollope by Samuel Laurence, c.1864
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  5. Born on 24 April 1815, this English novelist, essayist and short story writer is credited with introducing Britain’s ubiquitous pillar box (mail box). Who is he?
    • Anthony Trollope—The first British wayside letter boxes were introduced in the Channel Islands in 1852 to address mail collection issues due to irregular sailing times. Designed by Anthony Trollope, the cast iron pillar boxes were an instant success, though initially, they faced rainwater ingress problems.

A Star is Born

Barbra Streisand.
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 24 April.

  1. Barbra Streisand, who was born on 24 April 1942, starred in the 1976 iteration of A Star is Born (1976). How often, up to April 2025, has the film been made?
    • Twice
    • Three times
    • Four times
  2. On this day in 1479 BCE, Thutmose III ascended to the throne of…
    • China
    • Egypt
    • Mesopotamia
  3. Joseph Ratzinger was installed as Pope on 24 April. What papal name did he choose?
    • Adrian VI
    • Benedict XVI
    • Clement X
  4. On April 24, 1558, fifteen-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, was married. Where did the wedding take place?
    • Iona Abbey, Isle of Iona, Scotland
    • Notre-Dame de Paris, France
    • St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, Scotland
      British pillar box.
      West Gate, Warwick, Warwickshire, England. (1856 type).
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  5. Born on 24 April 1815, this English novelist, essayist and short story writer is credited with introducing Britain’s ubiquitous pillar box (mail box). Who is he?
    • Charles Dickens
    • Anthony Trollope
    • Rudyard Kipling

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.