Quizology.Online

Tag: entertainment

  • 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. False—Sequoia 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

  • Spaghetti Tree

    Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner in Zoom and Bored, 1957. Wikipedia

    April 1. Some of these may be true, indeed they may all be, but on the other hand they may, some or all, be false. Don’t be fooled!

    1. True or false: a platypus, aka a duck-billed platypus, is a venomous mammal.
    2. True or false: novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
    3. True or false: Yogi Bear made his television debut in The Bugs Bunny Show.
    4. True or False: A bat mitzvah is a coming-of-age ritual in Judaism.
    5. True or false: The roadrunner is one of two species of fast-running ground cuckoos.
    6. True or false: Sequoia is another name for Bigfoot, the legendary creature from the forests of North America’s Pacific Northwest.

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Cream of the Crop | Answers

    The Dirty Mac.
    Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards performing in the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968.
    (Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg in the foreground.)
    Wikipedia

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

    1. The Dirty Mac—The Dirty Mac, a supergroup featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell, performed Yer Blues and Whole Lotta Yoko on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968. The special, featuring other notable acts, was not released until 1996.
      Secret Service agents cover Press Secretary James Brady and the police officer Thomas Delahanty during the assassination attempt of Reagan.
      Wikipedia
      John Hinckley Jr. Wikipedia
      Jodie Foster, 1989. Wikipedia
    2. Jodie Foster—On 30 March 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded US President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. Reagan underwent emergency surgery and recovered, while White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty were also injured. Driven by erotomania and an obsession with Jodie Foster, Hinckley attempted to assassinate the President to impress her. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent time in a psychiatric hospital until 2016, when he was released to the care of his mother and under supervision. He was granted an unconditional release in 2022.
      Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
      Wikipedia
    3. Alexander II—In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase, negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward, was ratified by the Senate in May and became effective in October. Despite initial scepticism, Alaska became a state in 1959.
      Glamis Castle.
      Wikipedia
    4. Glamis Castle—Glamis Castle, in Angus, Scotland, is the ancestral home of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It has been the Lyon family residence since the 14th century, and it holds significant historical importance as the childhood home of Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, better known as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Notably, it was also the birthplace of her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret in 1930.
    5. Berwick-upon-Tweed—a border town between England and Scotland, changed hands 13 times before being surrendered to England in 1482. Its ramparts, originally built by Edward I and rebuilt by Elizabeth I, are in good repair.
    19th-century engraving of Berwick Castle by William Miller after J. M. W. Turner, with Berwick Old Bridge from 1624 in the background.
    Wikipedia

  • Cream of the Crop

    Eric Clapton.
    Wikipedia

    All of the following have a connection to today, 30 March.

    1. On this day in 1945, British rock musician Eric Clapton was born. In 1968, Clapton appeared in a temporary supergroup with John Lennon. Which of the following was the name of the supergroup?
      • The Dirty Mac
      • The Dirty Look
      • The Dirty Laundry
    2. On this day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan was the victim of a failed assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. An obsession with whom was the motivation behind Hinckley’s attack on the President?
      • Carrie Fisher
      • Jane Fonda
      • Jodie Foster
    3. William H. Seward, the Secretary of State under U.S. President Andrew Johnson, signed the Alaska Purchase on 30th March. This treaty ceded Russian North America to the United States. Who was the Russian Tsar at the time of the purchase?
      • Alexander II
      • Catherine II
      • Nicholas II
    4. Today in 2025, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, passed away in her sleep at Windsor at the age of 101. She was the queen consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1936 to 1952 and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Where was her childhood home and the birthplace of her second daughter, Princess Margaret?
      • Edinburgh Castle
      • Glamis Castle
      • Eilean Donan Castle
    5. On this day in 1296, England’s King Edward I sacked a town that had changed hands over a dozen times from the 12th to the 15th century. Which town was it?
      • Carlisle
      • Kelso
      • Berwick-upon-Tweed
    Edward I of England.
    Wikipedia

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • 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.