Tag: Europe

Answers to the questions in the earlier post are shown in bold below.

1. West Point military academy—Edgar Allan Poe attended the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1830. His time there was marked by academic success in subjects like mathematics, but he struggled with the strict military discipline. Poe deliberately sought dismissal by neglecting his duties and violating academy regulations. His tenure at West Point was brief, lasting less than a year, but it significantly influenced his literary career, as he turned his focus entirely to writing after leaving the academy.
   

   

2. 1475—Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (1475–1564), known simply as Michelangelo, was an influential Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in Florence, his work drew inspiration from classical antiquity, leaving a profound impact on Western art. Renowned for masterpieces like the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David, Michelangelo epitomised the Renaissance man alongside Leonardo da Vinci. His exceptional talents spanned multiple disciplines, and extensive surviving records highlight his artistic journey. Celebrated by contemporaries, Michelangelo remains one of the most documented and revered artists of the 16th century.
   

   

3. Victoria, queen of Great Britain —The Penny Black, introduced in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 and valid from 6 May, was the world’s first adhesive postage stamp for public postal use. Featuring Queen Victoria’s profile, it revolutionised postal services based on Sir Rowland Hill’s proposal to simplify complex, costly rates. Prior to this, recipients paid postage based on distance and sheet count. The Penny Black marked a shift to sender-paid postage, enabling letters up to ½ ounce (14 grams) to be delivered nationwide for a uniform rate of one penny, streamlining and democratising communication across distances.
   

   

4. Valentina Tereshkova—Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian engineer and former Soviet cosmonaut, was the first woman in space, completing a solo mission on Vostok 6 in 1963. It was her only space flight.
   

   

5. 13 days—The Siege of the Alamo took place from 23 February to 6 March 1836 during the Texas Revolution. Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna besieged the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, defended by Texian rebels including James Bowie, William B. Travis and Davy Crockett. Despite fierce resistance, the Texians were vastly outnumbered. After 13 days of relentless bombardment and attacks, the Mexican army overran the mission, killing nearly all defenders. The defeat became a rallying cry, “Remember the Alamo!”, inspiring Texian forces to eventual victory in the revolution.
   

   

6. Aspirin—Aspirin, a genericized trademark for acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to alleviate pain, fever, and inflammation and as an antithrombotic. It treats specific inflammatory conditions like Kawasaki disease, pericarditis, and rheumatic fever. Long-term use helps prevent heart attacks, ischaemic strokes and blood clots in high-risk individuals. Effects for pain or fever usually start within 30 minutes. Aspirin functions like other NSAIDs but uniquely suppresses platelet function.
   

   

7. Cassius Clay—In 1964, Cassius Clay stunned the world by defeating Sonny Liston to win the heavyweight championship, defying the odds as an underdog. Just two days after his historic victory, Clay made headlines again by announcing his conversion to the Nation of Islam. This pivotal decision marked a profound personal transformation, as he embraced the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. On 6 March 1964, he adopted the name Muhammad Ali, symbolising his new identity and faith. Ali’s name change reflected not just a religious shift but a declaration of self-determination, which resonated throughout his illustrious boxing career and beyond.
   

   

8. Fiasco—La traviata premiered at La Fenice, Venice, in March 1853, amidst Verdi’s lingering apprehensions. The production faced hurdles from the start: Verdi disagreed with the casting of 38-year-old Fanny Salvini-Donatelli as Violetta, feeling she was ill-suited for the role of a youthful, consumptive heroine. Despite Verdi’s protests, no changes were made. The opening act received applause, but enthusiasm waned in the second act, where performances by baritone Felice Varesi and tenor Lodovico Graziani met with disapproval. Verdi later lamented in a letter, “La traviata last night a failure. Was the fault mine or the singers’? Time will tell.” He further said, “It was a fiasco!”
   

   

9. Eleanor Roosevelt—Eleanor Roosevelt recounted to journalist Lorena Hickok that the first White House press conference for women reporters, held on 6 March 1933—two days after FDR’s inauguration—was held in the Red Room. Thirty-five women attended, but there weren’t enough chairs, so some sat on the floor. These weekly conferences, open only to women, helped preserve their jobs and ensured news access. As Mrs Roosevelt noted without fresh stories, women reporters risked losing their jobs. The conferences focused on topics of interest to women, avoiding politics. Over twelve years, 348 conferences provided the First Lady with a national audience and significant publicity.
   

   

10. 1869—On 6 March 1869, a scientist presented to the Russian Chemical Society about how elements’ properties relate to their atomic weights. He found that elements arranged by atomic weight show a pattern in their properties. Similar elements often have similar atomic weights or a regular increase in weight. Elements in groups based on atomic weight also match their valencies and chemical properties. He noted that widely spread elements have small atomic weights and that atomic weight influences an element’s nature. He predicted the discovery of new elements and suggested that atomic weights could help predict element properties.
    

1. On this day in 1831, American writer Edgar Allan Poe was court-martialled for disobedience and expelled from…
   • Annapolis naval academy
   • Marine Corps Base Quantico
   • West Point military academy
2. Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo was born on 6 March in…
   • 1375
   • 1475
   • 1575
3. On 6 March 1840, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, went into use featuring an image of…
   • Jonas Furrer, president of Switzerland
   • Victoria, queen of Great Britain
   • Martin Van Buren, president of the US
4. The first female to travel in space was born on this day in 1937, she was…
   • Valentina Ponomaryova
   • Svetlana Savitskaya
   • Valentina Tereshkova 
5. The Alamo, San Antonio fell and was captured today in 1836 following a siege which had lasted…
   • 3 days
   • 13 days
   • 31 days
6. On 6 March 1899, acetylsalicylic acid is patented by Felix Hoffmann at the German company Bayer under the genericized trademark…
   • Aspirin
   • Ibuprofen
   • Paracetamol 
7. This day in 1964 a boxer changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He had had changed his name from…
   • Augustus Amber
   • Balbinus Beryl
   • Cassius Clay
8. Today in 1853, La traviata, by Giuseppe Verdi, was premiered at La Fenice opera house in Venice. The composer later described it as…
   • Fabulous
   • Fantastic
   • Fiasco
9. The first First Lady to hold an official press conference in the White House did so on 6 March. She was…
   • Eleanor Roosevelt
   • Jackie Kennedy
   • Pat Nixon
10. At a meeting of the Russian Chemical Society, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first periodic table on this day in …
    • 1869
    • 1895
    • 1921

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.