Quizology.Online

Tag: entertainment

  • Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II | Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier post.

    Calvin Coolidge.
    Wikipedia
    1. Calvin Coolidge—was US President on the 26 March 1925. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th US President, served from 1923 to 1929. He is known for his small-government conservatism, taciturn personality, and support for racial equality. Coolidge oversaw economic growth during the “Roaring Twenties” but is criticised for failing to address economic inequality and for his potential role in the Great Depression.
    2. World War I—The First Battle of Gaza, fought on 26 March 1917, was a British defeat during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The British Desert Column, nearing capture of Gaza, withdrew due to darkness and Ottoman reinforcements.
    3. 2000—Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has served as President of Russia since 2012, with previous terms from 2000 to 2008. His rule has been marked by economic growth, military conflicts, authoritarian tendencies, and human rights violations. Putin’s actions have led to international sanctions and a war crimes warrant.
      Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat with U.S. president Jimmy Carter at Camp David in September 1978.
      Wikipedia
    4. Camp David, Maryland—the Camp David Accord was reached the previous September (1978) when President Carter hosted Egypt’s President Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Begin at his Maryland retreat.
    5. They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place—
    6. 16-years—

  • Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II

    Kremlin, Moscow.
    Wikipedia

    All of the following relate to today’s date, 26 March.

    1. Who was the president of the United States of America 100 years ago today, 26 March 1925?
      • Warren G. Harding
      • Calvin Coolidge
      • Herbert Hoover
    2. What conflict saw the First Battle of Gaza take place on this date?
      • The Six Day War
      • World War I
      • World War II
    3. When was Vladimir Putin, a Russian intelligence officer and politician, elected president of Russia for the first time.
      • 2000
      • 2004
      • 2006
    4. Where did talks, mediated by US President Jimmy Carter, between Menachem Begin, the Israeli Prime Minister, and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt take place? These talks led to an historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that was signed on 26 March 1979.
      • Camp David, Maryland
      • Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
      • Plains, Georgia
    5. Why did these members of Heaven’s Gate kill themselves? On 26 March 1997 the bodies of 39 members of Heaven’s Gate were found after a mass suicide.
      • They believed they alone would be reincarnated as gods in an earthly paradise
      • They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place
      • They believed they had to poison themselves to meet Jesus
    6. How long had this interlude lasted? After a hiatus, the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who made a triumphant return to television with a new episode in which Christopher Eccleston reprised the iconic role of the Doctor.
      • 6-years
      • 10-years
      • 16-years

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

    Tardis
    Wikipedia

  • Ups and Downs! | Answers

    E.V. Haughwout Building, 488-492 Broadway, New York City.
    Wikipedia
    1. Steam—The E.V. Haughwout Building, NYC installed the world’s first successful passenger elevator in 1857. The steam-powered hydraulic lift, designed by Elisha Graves Otis, was a novelty that attracted customers to the five storey department store.
    2. Akira Kurosawa—Akira Kurosawa, a Japanese filmmaker, directed 30 films over seven decades. His bold and dynamic style, influenced by Western cinema, earned him international acclaim. Notable works include Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Red Beard.
    3. President Ronald Reagan—The Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), introduced by President Reagan in 1983, was a missile defence system designed to protect the US from Soviet ICBMs using various platforms. Known as “Star Wars,” it faced criticism for its technical feasibility and potential to destabilise the MAD doctrine and escalate the arms race. Although the programme ended in 1993, some elements were revived in 2019 by the Space Development Agency.
    4. Ben-Hur (1959)—Films with the most awards: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) each earned 11 Academy Awards. (Wikipedia)
    5. 2001—Mir, the first modular space station, was launched in 1986 and operated for 15 years. It served as a microgravity research laboratory for experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and more. Mir held records for the longest continuous human presence in space and the longest single human spaceflight until surpassed by the ISS.
    Mir’s re-entry into the atmosphere over Fiji, 2001.
    Satobs

  • Ups and Downs!

    Otis free-fall safety demonstration in 1853.
    Wikipedia

    All of the following relate to today, 23 March.

    1. On 23 March 1857 the first commercial elevator was installed in a New York City department store, it was powered by…
      • Steam
      • Electricity
      • Water
    2. Born today in 1910, a Japanese film director who according to Encyclopædia Britannica ‘won worldwide acclaim with subtle, brilliantly composed films, such as Rashōmon (1950) and
      Seven Samurai (1954), that combined Japanese historic themes with a Western sense of action and drama”; he was…
      • Yasujirō Ozu
      • Ishirō Honda
      • Akira Kurosawa
    3. On this date a nationwide television address in the US announced a space based defence system against nuclear attacks which came to be known as “Star Wars”; the address was made by…
      • President Jimmy Carter
      • President Ronald Reagan
      • President George HW Bush
    4. On this day in 1998 Titanic won 11 Academy Awards equalling the record set by…
      • All About Eve (1950)
      • Ben-Hur (1959)
      • The Godfather (1972)
    5. The space station Mir returned to Earth on 23 March. It had been launched by the Soviet space agency in 1986 with a design life expectancy of five years. In what year did it re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
      • 1991
      • 1996
      • 2001
    Approach view of the Mir Space Station viewed from Space Shuttle Endeavour during the STS-89 rendezvous. A Progress cargo ship is attached on the left, a Soyuz manned spacecraft attached on the right. Image ID: STS089-340-035
    NASA/Wikipedia

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • To Boldly Go…to a Musical—Answers

    Montreal.
    Wikipedia
    1. Montreal, Quebec – William Shatner, a Canadian actor, is renowned for his prolific output and self-deprecating humour, which have solidified his place in North American pop culture. He is best known for his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk in the science fiction television series Star Trek (1966–69) and several Star Trek films.
    2. Amerigo Vespucci—is best remembered for the place named after him. He believed Brazil was part of a new continent, inspiring Waldseemüller to name it “America”—the Latinised Amerigo—in 1507. This name became standard on maps of the New World.
      Ruins of the Great Dam of Marib, Yemen.
      Wikipedia
    3. Yemen—The Arab League, formed in Cairo in 1945 with seven members, is a regional organisation in the Arab world. It now has 22 members and its main goals are to strengthen relations, safeguard independence, and consider the affairs of Arab countries.
    4. 1934—The 1934 Masters Tournament, the first of its kind, was held at Augusta National Golf Club. Horton Smith won the event with a 284 (−4), one stroke ahead of Craig Wood.
    5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—the following quote is about Lloyd Webber and Rice’s collaboration: “The names of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice are, of course, forever bound together in musical theatre history, like those of Gilbert and Sullivan.”—Theatre critic Mark Shenton on the partnership of Lloyd Webber and Rice.
    Andrew Lloyd Webber.
    Wikipedia

  • To Boldly Go…to a Musical

    All of the following are about today’s date, 22 March, but in a variety of years.

    William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk.
    Wikipedia
    1. William Shatner was born today in 1931 in the Canadian city of…
      • Montreal, Quebec
      • Toronto, Ontario
      • Vancouver, British Columbia
    2. On this day in 1508, Ferdinand II of Aragon commissioned a new chief navigator of the Spanish Empire. Born in the Republic of Florence, he was…
      • Amerigo Vespucci
      • Vasco da Gama
      • Christopher Columbus.
    3. The Arab League was formed this day in Cairo by Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan (now Jordan) and…
      • Tunisia
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Yemen
    4. The first Masters Tournament took place at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia on this date in…
      • 1934
      • 1938
      • 1941
    5. The 22nd March 1948 saw the birth of the English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is well known for his collaboration with Tim Rice. The first of their works to be performed publicly was…
      • Evita
      • Jesus Christ Superstar
      • Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
    Amerigo Vespucci. Wikipedia

    Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.

  • Sheelah’s Day—Answers

    Here, in bold, are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    Sophie Myles, 2007.
    Wikipedia
    1. Sophia Myles—Wikipedia describes her as “an English actress… best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds(2004), Isolde in Tristan & Isolde (2006), Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Erika in Underworld(2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006), and Freya in Outlander (2008)”.
    2. Caldwell, New Jersey—Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th US President, was the first Democrat elected after the Civil War and the first to serve two non-consecutive terms. Known for his honesty and principled approach, he blocked legislative excesses during his first term and championed political reform, fiscal conservatism, and classical liberalism, gaining support from both Democrats and Republicans. His presidency saw significant legislation such as the Interstate Commerce Act and the Dawes Act. However, his stance on government intervention during the economic collapse and the legacy of the Dawes Act have resulted in mixed assessments of his legacy.
      Wilfred Owen
      Wikipedia
    3. Wilfred Owen, an English poet and soldier, expressed anger at war’s cruelty and waste through his poetry. Based on his World War I experiences, his war poetry was about the horrors of trenches and gas warfare. At only 25 years of age, he was killed in action at the Battle of the Sambre on 4 November 1918, exactly a week before the war’s end. His best-known works— most of which were published posthumously— are Anthem for Doomed Youth, Dulce et Decorum est, Futility, and Spring Offensive. 

      Final draft of Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen, penned by the author.
      Wikipedia
      Honoree Queen Latifah speaks at the Kennedy Center Honors dinner at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Saturday, December 2, 2023. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)
      Wikipedia
    4. Queen Latifah—American musician and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album, All Hail the Queen, which blended diverse styles and feminist themes. The name Latifah is Arabic for “delicate” or “sensitive”.
    5. Neville Chamberlain—Prime Minister of the UK from 1937 to 1940—is known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler’s Germany. He served in various government positions, including Chancellor of the Exchequer, before becoming Prime Minister. Despite signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler in 1938, the latter’s invasion of Poland less than a year later compelled Chamberlain to declare war on Germany.
    Chamberlain holding up the paper signed by both Hitler and himself on his return to Great Britain from Munich, Germany.
    Wikipedia

    Sheelah’s Day

    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. Although there are no Sheelahs included in my post today, all of the questions are about people born on 18 March.

  • 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.

  • And Now for Something Completely Different—Answers

    The first Monty Python Live (Mostly) reunion show at the O2 Arena in London, 2014.
    Wikipedia

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

    1. Norwegian Blue and
    2. Graham Chapman—The Dead Parrot Sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a satire on poor customer service, featuring a non-existent parrot species, the “Norwegian Blue”. It was written by John Cleese and Graham Chapman.
      Carol Cleveland and Michael Palin performing the Lumberjack Song during the Monty Python Live (Mostly) show, 2014.
      Wikipedia
    3. Tree to tree—A man, dissatisfied with his job, expresses his desire to be a lumberjack. He then sings, backed by a choir of male singers dressed as Royal Canadian Mounted Police, about the wonders of being a lumberjack in British Columbia and “Leaping from tree to tree”. The lumberjack reveals cross-dressing tendencies to his best girl and the Mounties, who become increasingly uncomfortable and eventually leave in disgust. The girl, shocked, rejects him and runs off.
    4. And Now for Something Completely Different—And Now for Something Completely Different is a 1971 British sketch comedy film featuring sketches from the first two series of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The film, released in the UK in 1971 and the US in 1972, consists of 90 minutes of sketches and animation sequences.
      Graham Chapman, ‘The Colonel’.
      Wikipedia
    5. Graham Chapman—Graham Chapman, a British actor, comedian, and writer, was a member of the surrealist comedy group Monty Python. He was openly homosexual, a supporter of gay rights and an alcoholic until he quit drinking before working on Life of Brian. Chapman died of tonsil cancer in 1989.
      Spike Milligan.
      Wikipedia
    6. Spike Milligan—Spike Milligan, born in British India, was a comedian, writer, and actor known for his work on The Goon Show and Q, a comedy sketch show which ran for six series from 1969 until 1983. He also wrote books, including Puckoon and a seven-volume autobiography, and comical verse, much of it for children. Spike Milligan, visiting Tunisia, was included by the Pythons in a scene of Life of Brian. He had left before being included in close-ups or publicity shots.
      Terry Gilliam, in the Spanish Inquisition sketch during Monty Python Live (Mostly) show, 2014.
      Wikipedia
    7. Terry Gilliam—Terrence Gilliam is an American-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor. He gained stardom as a member of Monty Python, collaborating on sketch series and films. Gilliam transitioned to directing serious films with themes exploring imagination and oppositions to bureaucracy and authoritarianism. He has directed 13 feature films, gaining acclaim for, among others, Time Bandits (1981), The Fisher King (1991) and 12 Monkeys (1995).
      A title card for Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
      Wikipedia
    8. John Philip Sousa—Sousa’s Liberty Bell March performed by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, was used as the opening theme for Monty Python’s Flying Circus as it was in the public domain and would not be associated with the show’s content.
      Knights Who Say “Ni!”
      Wikipedia
    9. Ni—In the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur encounters the Knights Who Say “Ni!”, who demand a shrubbery as a sacrifice. After obtaining a shrubbery, the knights change their name to the Knights Who Say “Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing!” and give Arthur a new test, which he passes by saying the word “it”, incapacitating the knights.
      Spambot poster.
      Wikipedia
    10. Spamalot—Spamalot is a stage musical by John Du Prez and Eric Idle parodying Arthurian legend, based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The original Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, received 14 Tony Award nominations and won three, including Best Musical.
    See question 5. Graham Chapman. Blue plaque erected by The British Comedy Society on 6th September 2012 at The Angel Inn, 37 Highgate High Street, London N6 5JT
    Wikipedia

  • And Now for Something Completely Different

    Michael Palin (left) and John Cleese (right) performing the Dead Parrot sketch during the Monty Python Live (Mostly) show (2014).
    Wikipedia
    1. What features in the sketch pictured above?
      • Danish Turquoise
      • Norwegian Blue
      • Swedish Indigo
    2. Who co-wrote the above sketch with John Cleese?
      • Michael Palin
      • Terry Jones
      • Graham Chapman
    3. In a sketch from the ninth episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus Michael Palin’s character sings that he wants to ‘leap from…’
      • The cliff
      • Tree to tree
      • The tallest building
    4. The first Monty Python offering on film for cinematic release was…
      • Monty Python and the Holy Grail
      • And Now for Something Completely Different
      • Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life
    5. In Monty Python’s Life of Brian which Python is described as “a very naughty boy”
      • Eric Idle
      • Michael Palin
      • Graham Chapman
    6. What veteran from The Goon Show appeared as a prophet in Monty Python’s Life of Brian?
      • Harry Secombe
      • Spike Milligan
      • Peter Sellers
      A title card for Monty Python’s Fling Circus.
      Wikipedia
    7. Which of the Pythons created the animations?
      • Terry Jones
      • Eric Idle
      • Terry Gilliam
    8. The Liberty Bell was the title music for this series, who composed it?
      • William L. Dawson
      • Eleanor Everest Freer
      • John Philip Sousa
    9. Monty Python and the Holy Grail features the Knights Who Say…
      • Eh
      • Ni
      • Yees, pleeze
    10. What is the title of a Monty Python stage musical?
      • Clamalot
      • Edamalot
      • Spamalot