An A to Z Cornucopia of Trivia. Part I

Some trivia related to the letters A to E.

Seven Wonders of the World. Wikipedia
  1. (A) An animated television series which began in the 1980s featured Cyril Sneer. Which of these best describes Cyril?
    • Aardvark
    • Ass
    • Anaconda
  2. (B) The following works of literature won what award in the year indicated. 1993: Melvyn Bragg, A Time to Dance; 2007: Norman Mailer, The Castle in the Forest and 2019: Didier Decoin, The Office of Gardens and Ponds and John Harvey, Pax?
    • Bad Sex in Fiction award
    • Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award
    • Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year
  3. (C) Complete this: the ___ of Rhodes was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
    • Colosseum
    • Colossus
    • Colostrum
  4. (D) Which poet wrote the line: “Do not go gentle into that good night”?
    • DH Lawrence
    • Dorothy Parker
    • Dylan Thomas
  5. (E) The smallest of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter is named what?
    • Eirene
    • Epimetheus
    • Europa
Jupiter. Wikipedia

Good luck! The answers will be posted later

Silence is Golden | Answers

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

SS Great Western. Wikipedia
  1. Mary Pickford—Mary Pickford, born Gladys Louise Smith, was a Canadian-American actress and producer who became a pioneer in the American film industry. Known as “America’s Sweetheart” and “The Queen of the Movies,” she gained fame through silent films such as The Poor Little Rich Girl and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Pickford co-founded United Artists alongside D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. After retiring from acting in 1933, she focused on her work with United Artists and engaged in various charitable activities.
    Venus de Milo. Wikipedia
  2. Aphrodite—The Venus de Milo, a larger-than-life marble statue of Aphrodite carved by Alexandros around 150 BCE, was discovered on Melos in 1820. Inspired by a 4th-century Corinthian statue, it exemplifies Hellenistic sculptural tradition. Missing both arms and with an uncertain original position, the Parian marble sculpture has been displayed at the Louvre since 1821 and has inspired many artistic works and cultural references.
  3. Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE— Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, established Buddhism in South Asia during the 6th or 4th century BCE. He advocated for a Middle Way between excessive indulgence and strict asceticism to achieve liberation from suffering. Buddhism developed into Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, expanding from India to Southeast and East Asia. Born in Lumbini, Nepal, and passing away in Kusinara, India, the Buddha’s teachings were spread by his followers, who commemorate significant events in his life, such as his birth, enlightenment and nirvana.
    Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who designed the SS Great Western, pictured with launching chains of the SS Great Eastern. Wikipedia
  4. SS Great Western—The SS Great Western, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was the first steamship built for transatlantic crossings. Wooden-hulled, it was the largest passenger ship from 1837 to 1839 and served as a model for future paddle-steamers.
  5. P. RuizEncyclopædia Britannica states that Picasso’s baptismal names are “Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María de los Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso”; Ruiz and Picasso being respectively his father’s and mother’s surnames. It further states in regard to his signing his works, “As a youth, Picasso was known as Pablo Ruiz, and he signed his earliest paintings P. Ruiz. By the turn of the 20th century he was using P.R. Picasso for paintings and drawings, but in late 1901 he finally settled on simply Picasso as his signature.”
Picasso’s later signature. Wikipedia

Silence is Golden

Gladys Louise Smith, aka ? (See question 1)
  1. Gladys Louise Smith was born on 8 April 1892 in Toronto, Canada, and later, as an actress in the silent era, became known as “Queen of the Movies” and “America’s Sweetheart“. What name did she use professionally?
    • Marion Davies
    • Lillian Gish
    • Mary Pickford
  2. Fragments of the ancient statue Venus de Milo were found in pieces on the island of Melos in the Aegean Sea on 8 April 1920. Who is the statue believed to represent?
    • Aphrodite
    • Artemis
    • Athena.
  3. A majority of Japanese Buddhists celebrate the birth of Buddha on 8 April, when is he believed to have lived?
    • Between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE
    • Between the 2nd century BCE and 2nd century CE
    • Between the 4th and 6th centuries CE
    SS Great ? (See question 4)
  4. On 8 April 1838, the first purpose-built and regular transatlantic steamer embarked on its maiden voyage. The ship, a wooden-hulled paddle steamer, was named what?
    • SS Great Britain
    • SS Great Eastern
    • SS Great Western
  5. The artist Pablo Picasso died on 8 April 1973. Which of these was how he signed his earliest works?
    • P.R.P.
    • P. Ruiz
    • P. Picasso
Pablo Picasso, 1904. Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Masters to Mars | Answers

This note was issued on 14 July 2005, the opening day of the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, and celebrated the remarkable career of Jack Nicklaus, who won the Open three times, including twice at St Andrews. It was the first British banknote to feature a living non-royal person. Wikipedia
  1. Six—Nicklaus won six Masters, the last being in 1986. Nicknamed “the Golden Bear”, he won 117 professional tournaments, including a record 18 major championships, and is considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. This note was issued on 14 July 2005, the opening day of the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, and celebrated the remarkable career of Jack Nicklaus, who won the Open three times, including twice at St Andrews. It was the first British banknote to feature a living non-royal person.
    Mars Odyssey Patch. Wikipedia
  2. 24 October 2001—The Mars Odyssey orbiter, launched in 2001, studies water, ice, geology, and radiation on Mars and acts as a communication relay. The mission was planned to last 32 months but has been expanded by more than 20 years and is expected to end later in 2025.
  3. Geneva, Switzerland—The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that coordinates international public health responses. Established in 1948, the WHO promotes health and safety, provides technical assistance, sets international health standards, and advocates for universal health care coverage. The organisation is governed by the World Health Assembly and funded primarily by member states and private donors.
    Francis Ford Coppola. Wikipedia
  4. Francis Ford Coppola—an American filmmaker known for his work in the New Hollywood movement. He is celebrated for directing films like The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now and The Conversation, which have earned him numerous awards and accolades.
  5. Albania—Italy invaded Albania in 1939, leading to the creation of an Italian protectorate and the exile of King Zog. During World War II, Italy’s ambitions for Greater Albania, encompassing Albanian-majority regions, were realised until Nazi Germany took control in 1943. Albanian partisans liberated it from Nazi occupation in 1944.
King Zog. Wikipedia

Masters to Mars

All of the events below happened today, 7 April, in various years.

Artist’s rendering, from NASA, of the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, in mission configuration. Wikipedia
  1. Jack Nicklaus won his first Masters tournament on 7 April 1963 at the age of 23; how many Masters titles did he win during his career?
    • Four
    • Five
    • Six
  2. The Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched today in 2001. When did it reach Mars orbit?
    • 15 July 2001
    • 24 October 2001
    • 1 February 2002
  3. On this day in 1948, the World Health Organization, a specialised agency of the UN, was formally established. Where is it based?
    • Geneva, Switzerland
    • New York, US
    • Vienna, Austria
  4. Born today in 1939, who directed the 1979 film Apocalypse Now?
    • Francis Ford Coppola
    • Wolfgang Petersen
    • Martin Scorsese
  5. On 7 April 1939, Benito Mussolini made ___ a protectorate, forcing King Zog I into exile and replacing him with King Victor Emmanuel II. What missing country completes this sentence?
    • Abyssinia
    • Albania
    • Armenia
WHO Logo. Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Odd One Out | Answers

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

Moon. Wikipedia
  1. Moon—The Moon, Earth’s satellite, is different from planets like Mercury and Mars. While the Moon orbits the Earth, Mercury and Mars, like Earth, orbit the Sun.
    Lotus Cars logo. Wikipedia
  2. Emira—it has a petrol engine and is not electric, unlike the Eletre and Emeya. Lotus Group is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars and electric vehicles. It comprises Lotus Cars, Lotus Tech and Lotus Engineering. Currently majority-owned by Geely, Lotus has a history of Formula One racing and producing iconic cars like the Lotus Seven and Elise.
    Sargasso Sea.
    1891 Krummel Petermanns lores/Wikipedia
  3. Sargasso—aka Sargasso Sea is a marine ecosystem whereas the others are both land-based. The Sargasso Sea, a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents, is distinguished by its brown Sargassum seaweed and calm blue water. The Gobi Desert, the sixth largest desert globally, is a vast cold desert and grassland area located in northern China and southern Mongolia. In contrast, the Atacama Desert in Chile is renowned as the driest nonpolar desert, characterised by its extreme aridity due to a temperature inversion, the rain shadow effect created by two mountain ranges, and the influence of the Humboldt ocean current.
    Poster for the 1935 film A Night at the Opera. Wikipedia
  4. A Kind of MagicA Day at the Races, like Queen’s previous album, A Night at the Opera, takes its name from Marx Brothers films. On the other hand, although A Kind of Magic has a film connection, it is not to a film title; it takes its name from a Connor MacLeod quote from the film Highlander: “Hey, it’s a kind of magic!”
  5. The Devil’s Alternative—was written by British novelist Frederick Forsyth. Deception Point and Digital Fortress are two stand-alone novels by Dan Brown which, unlike The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons etc, do not feature Robert Langdon.
  6. Botswana—Botswana is in Southern Africa while the others are in Asia—Brunei is in Southeast Asia and Bhutan in South Asia. They are all small countries and both Botswana and Bhutan are landlocked while Brunei has a coastline.
Sub-regional map of the World.
The UN geoscheme/Wikipedia

Odd One Out

Solar System. Wikipedia
  1. Which of these is the odd one out when it comes to the solar system?
    • Mercury
    • Mars
    • Moon
  2. These are all models of Lotus cars, but which is the odd one out?
    • Eletre
    • Emeva
    • Emira
  3. Of these three large ecosystems, one is fundamentally different from the others. Which is the odd one out?
    • Atacama
    • Gobi
    • Sargasso
  4. One of these was NOT a Marx Brothers film while two were; which is the odd one out?
    • A Day at the Races
    • A Kind of Magic
    • A Night at the Opera
  5. One of these novels was NOT written by Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, whereas the others were; which one is the odd one out?
    • Deception Point
    • The Devil’s Alternative
    • Digital Fortress
  6. In continental terms, which of these countries is the odd one out?
    • Bhutan
    • Botswana
    • Brunei

Good Luck! I will post the answers later today.

Marx Brothers from top to bottom: Chico, Harpo, Groucho and Zeppo. Wikipedia

April Showers of Knowledge: A Quiz | Answers

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

Juan Ponce de León. Wikipedia
  1. Juan Ponce de León—a Spanish explorer, founded the first European settlement on Puerto Rico and is credited with being the first European to reach Florida in 1513. He named the region Florida due to its lush vegetation and discovery during Easter.
    A photographic portrait of Hans Christian Andersen by Thora Hallager, 1869. Wikipedia
  2. Hans Christian Andersen—Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish author, is best known for his fairy tales, including The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Little Mermaid. His stories, translated into over 125 languages, have inspired numerous adaptations.
    Richard Strauss, 1894. Wikipedia
  3. Richard Strauss—Strauss’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra is used for the dramatic opening scene of the film depicting an alignment of the Sun, the Earth and the Moon and which has been called the greatest movie opening ever. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 film by Stanley Kubrick, based on Arthur C. Clarke’s stories. It explores human evolution, technology and artificial intelligence through a journey to Jupiter involving a malfunctioning computer, HAL 9000, and a mysterious monolith.
  4. Alec Guinness—Kwai: played Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957); Hejaz: Prince Faisal in Lawrence of Arabia (1962); London: George Smiley in both Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982); Tatooine: in the original three Star Wars films, Ben Kenobi—aka Obi-Wan Kenobi. A British actor, he was known for his diverse and acclaimed stage and screen performances. He won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and a Tony Award; he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.
  5. Quaker—William Penn, seeking a haven for Quakers, secured a charter from King Charles II granting him over 45,000 square miles of land in North America. This land, named Pennsylvania, became a haven for Quakers, guaranteeing religious freedom and other liberties.
William Penn. Wikipedia

April Showers of Knowledge: A Quiz

2001: A Space Odyssey. Wikipedia

All of the following relate to today, 2 April.

  1. On 2 April 1513, an explorer landed on the coast of what is now Florida, he is believed to be the first European to land in Florida. Who was this explorer?
    • Sebastian Cabot
    • Hermenegildo de Brito Capelo
    • Juan Ponce de León
  2. Born this day in 1805, an author who is probably best known for works such as The Red Shoes, The Ugly Duckling and Thumbelina. Who is he?
    • Hans Christian Andersen
    • Jacob Grimm
    • George MacDonald
  3. Today in 1968, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere. The film was noted for its use of classical music such as the dramatic Thus Spoke Zarathustra for the opening scene of the film. Who composed this piece of music?
    • Camille Saint-Saëns
    • Richard Strauss
    • Igor Stravinsky
  4. Born today in 1914, what actor links these film and television locations: River Kwai, Hejaz, London and Tatooine?
    • Peter Cushing
    • Alec Guinness
    • James Earl Ray
  5. On 2 April 1681, England’s King Charles II proclaimed the charter he had granted in March to William Penn for his colony of Pennsylvania in North America. What word best describes this colony?
    • Baptist
    • Puritan
    • Quaker

Good Luck! I will post the answers later today.

Spaghetti Tree | Answers

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

Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), Scottsdale, TAS, Australia. Wikipedia
  1. True—Male platypuses have spurs on their hind feet that deliver painful venom making them one of only a few species of venomous mammals.
    Harriet Beecher Stowe by Alanson Fisher (1807 – 1884).
    Google Art Project/Wikipedia
  2. False—Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. Stowe, an American writer and philanthropist, is best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which significantly impacted public opinion against slavery and is considered a contributing factor to the American Civil War. Growing up in a family of intellectuals and abolitionists, Stowe’s experiences in Cincinnati, Ohio, and her interactions with fugitive slaves deeply influenced her writing.
    Yogi Bear. Hanna-Barbera Productions/Wikipedia
  3. False—Yogi first appeared on Hanna-Barbera’s The Huckleberry Hound Show in 1958.
    Jewish girls during Bat Mitzva in Alexandria, Egypt (before 1967).
    Nebi Daniel Association/Wikipedia
  4. True—a bat mitzvah is a solemn ceremony held in some synagogues where a girl of 12 to 13 years of age is formally accepted as an adult member of the Jewish community. It is equivalent to a boy’s bar mitzvah.
    Roadrunner. Wikipedia
  5. True—Roadrunners, or chaparral birds, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos found in deserts across the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico and Central America. The roadrunner, popularised by Warner Bros. cartoons, is depicted as faster than coyotes, but in reality, coyotes are twice as fast. The cartoons also perpetuate the misconception that roadrunners say “meep, meep”.

    The Simpson-Reed Grove of coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on US Route 199, California, USA. Wikipedia
  6. FalseSequoia is a genus of redwood coniferous trees. Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, is a large, hairy mythical creature said to inhabit forests in North America. It holds significant cultural importance in American and Canadian folklore.

Spaghetti tree

Why Spaghetti Tree? The BBC’s 1957 April Fools’ Day hoax, broadcast on the current-affairs programme Panorama, featured a convincing three-minute segment showcasing a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from “spaghetti trees”. The report, which claimed the eradication of the dreaded spaghetti weevil had resulted in a bumper crop, was given credibility by being voiced by respected journalist Richard Dimbleby. At the time, spaghetti was relatively unfamiliar to the British public, prompting many viewers to contact the BBC for tips on cultivating their own spaghetti trees. This cleverly executed prank has since been hailed by CNN as

“undoubtedly the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled.”

—CNN.

The Spaghetti tree hoax on BBC’s Panorama current-affairs programme was voiced by respected journalist Richard Dimbleby. Wikipedia