Europe – Page 5 – Quizology Online

Historical Highlights

Historical Highlights connected with today’s date, June 15th.

On 15 June 1808, Joseph Bonaparte became King of…
- Italy
- Spain
- The Two Sicilies
Today in 1215, King John of England placed his seal on a charter of liberty and political rights. What is this charter known as?
- Domesday Charter
- Magna Carta
- Reculver Charter
On 15 June 1864, the creation of a national cemetery on the former Arlington Estate was authorised by the US Quartermaster General Montgomery Meigs. Who previously owned this estate?
- Jefferson Davies, President of the Confederate States
- Robert E. Lee, Confederate General-in-Chief
- Thomas Jonathan ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, Confederate General
Henry Fitzroy, born on this day in 1519, was the illegitimate son of which English king?
- Edward V
- Henry VII
- Henry VIII
On 15 June 1888, a crown prince became emperor, making 1888 the Year of the Three Emperors. Which empire had its Year of the Three Emperors in 1888?
- Austro-Hungarian Empire
- German Empire
- Russian Empire

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Six of one half a dozen of the other | Answers

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

Portrait of Henry VIII, c1540-1547.

Portrait of Henry VIII, c1540-1547.

Henry VIII of England married for the first time on 11 June 1509, his bride, Catherine of Aragon, was his…
- Sister-in-law—Catherine of Aragon, who was married to Arthur, Prince of Wales, became a widow at 16 when Arthur died of sweating sickness. After her father-in-law, Henry VII’s, death, Catherine married his second son, now King Henry VIII, in a private ceremony in 1509, becoming Queen of England.
  
  Memorial at Le Mans.
  Image Wikipedia
The deadliest ever accident in motor sport occurred on this day in 1955. It happened during…
- 24 Hours of Le Mans—The 1955 Le Mans disaster, the most catastrophic event in motorsport history, occurred when a Mercedes-Benz crashed into the spectator area, killing at least 82 people. The official inquiry blamed the track layout rather than the drivers.
In 173, the Roman army was encircled by the Quadi, who had broken a peace treaty. Emperor Marcus Aurelius defeated them in a thunderstorm. This ‘miracle in the rain’ is depicted at the start of the film Gladiator (2000). During what war or wars had the actual battle taken place?
- Marcomannic Wars—Gladiator (2000) depicts Marcus Aurelius seizing victory in the Marcomannic Wars. In reality, the war was ongoing when he died. Commodus secured peace with the two Germanic tribes allied against Rome, the Marcomanni and the Quadi, immediately after his father’s death.
  
  Hugh Laurie and House executive producers Katie Jacobs and David Shore, 2009.
  Image Wikipedia
Which actor born 11 June 1959, links these: Prince Regent to House to Roper. Who is he?
- Hugh Laurie—An English actor, comedian, singer, musician, and writer. He gained recognition as part of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie, and later starred as Dr. Gregory House in the medical drama series House (2004-2012). He has also appeared in films, released blues albums and written a novel. Pertinent to the question, as well as House his roles include George, Prince Regent in Blackadder III (1987) and Richard Onslow Roper in The Night Manager (2016).
  
  Millicent Fawcett.
  Image Wikipedia
Born this day in 1847, who became the first woman honoured by a statue in Parliament Square, London, UK?
- Millicent Fawcett—The statue of Dame Millicent Fawcett, a prominent leader in the women’s suffrage movement, was erected in Parliament Square to commemorate the centenary of women’s suffrage in the UK. The statue, created by Gillian Wearing, depicts Dame Millicent at age 50, holding a banner with a quote from a speech she made after Emily Davison’s death. The statue creates another first: the sculptor, Gillian Wearing, being the first woman to create a statue that stands in Parliament Square.

Six of one half a dozen of the other

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 11th.

Catherine of Aragon.
Image Wikipedia

Henry VIII of England married for the first time on 11 June 1509, his bride, Catherine of Aragon, was his…
- Half-sister
- Sister-in-law
- Stepsister
The deadliest ever accident in motor sport occurred on this day in 1955. It happened during…
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- Indianapolis 500
- Mille Miglia
In 173, the Roman army was encircled by the Quadi, who had broken a peace treaty. Emperor Marcus Aurelius defeated them in a thunderstorm. This ‘miracle in the rain’ is depicted at the start of the film Gladiator (2000). During what war or wars had the actual battle taken place?
- Alemannic Wars
- Marcomannic Wars
- War of Radagaisus
Which actor born 11 June 1959, links these: Prince Regent to House to Roper. Who is he?
- Hugh Laurie
- John Laurie
- Mike Laurie
Born this day in 1847, who became the first woman honoured by a statue in Parliament Square, London, UK?
- Millicent Fawcett
- Millicent Fenwick
- Millicent S. Ficken

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Number soup | Answers

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

Aerial view of Iwo Jima, 2014.
Image Wikipedia

What number is represented by these Roman numerals: MCMLXXV?
- 75—
The name of the Japanese Island Iwo Jima literally means …
- Sulfur Island—Iwo Jima, a volcanic island in the Ogasawara Archipelago, is administered by Tokyo despite its 1,200 km distance. The island, known for its strategic importance during World War II, was the site of a pivotal battle and is now home to a Self-Defence Force base. Its area has increased due to ongoing volcanic activity.
  
  Cate Blanchett, 2024.
  Image Wikipedia
Who is the only actress in Oscar history to be nominated twice for playing the same role in two films?
- Cate Blanchett—was nominated twice for playing the same role in two films, namely Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007).
  
  Khnum.
  Image Wikipedia
The deity Khnum was originally associated with the…
- Cataracts of the Nile—Khnum, an ancient Egyptian deity, was revered as the creator of human bodies and the life force. He was believed to shape them from clay on a potter’s wheel. Khnum’s worship spanned from the First Dynasty to the Greco-Roman period. He was typically depicted with ram horns, representing fertility and rebirth, and later evolved to feature the down-turned horns of Ammon.
  
  Gerhard Schroeder, 2005.
  Image Wikipedia
In 2000, Angela Merkel succeeded who as Chancellor of of Germany?
- Gerhard Schröder—
  Angela Merkel won the CDU/CSU nomination to challenge Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the 2005 federal elections. After a close election, Merkel formed a grand coalition with the SPD, becoming Chancellor on 22 November 2005, with a focus on reducing unemployment.

Number soup

A five course cornucopia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 2019.
Image Wikipedia

What number is represented by these Roman numerals: MCMLXXV?
- 1565
- 1975
- 1885
The name of the Japanese Island Iwo Jima literally means …
- Seaweed Island
- Spirit Island
- Sulfur Island
Who is the only actress in Oscar history to be nominated twice for playing the same role in two films?
- Annette Bening
- Anne Hathaway
- Cate Blanchett
The deity Khnum was originally associated with the…
- Cataracts of the Nile
- Confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates
- Source of the Rhine
In 2000, Angela Merkel succeeded who as Chancellor of of Germany?
- Christian Wulff
- Helmut Kohl
- Gerhard Schröder

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

An assassin, an invader, mutineers, mountaineers and religious revolutionaries walk into a bar | Answer

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

London Heathrow.
Image Wikipedia

On 8 June 1968, James Earl Ray, who was later convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, was arrested at…
- London Heathrow Airport, UK—James Earl Ray, convicted of assassinating Martin Luther King Jr., fled to London after the murder and was captured there. In 1999, after a civil trial in Memphis, a jury found Loyd Jowers liable for the assassination, concluding it was a conspiracy involving US government agencies.
Today in 452, an invasion heading towards Rome, devastated the northern provinces of Italy. The invasion was lead by…
- Attila the Hun—ruler of the Huns from 434 to 453, led an empire in Central and Eastern Europe. He invaded the Eastern and Western Roman Empires, attempting to conquer Constantinople and Gaul, but died before conquering Rome. Ivan the Terrible and Vlad the Impaler lived a millennium after Attila.
  
  Maximilien Robespierre.
  Image Wikipedia
On 8 June 1794, during the French Revolution, a new religion was inaugurated, which was celebrated with festivals across France. It was called the Cult of the…
- Supreme Being—a deistic religion established by Maximilien Robespierre during the French Revolution, was intended to replace Catholicism and the Cult of Reason. It was banned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.
  
  Mount Everest.
  Image Wikipedia
On this date in 1924, British mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory went missing. Which expedition were they on?
- British Mount Everest Expedition—The 1924 expedition, the second attempt to reach the summit, saw two summit attempts by Edward Norton and the disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on the third attempt. Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but Irvine’s remains were only discovered in 2024.
  
  Descendants of Matthew Quintal and John Adams, the mutineers on Bounty, 1862.
  Image Wikipedia
On 8 June 1856, a group of people arrived on Norfolk Island to be resettled from Pitcairn Island. These were descendants of the mutineers from the…
- Bounty—In 1856, 193 Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian partners, resettled on Norfolk Island due to Pitcairn’s overpopulation. They established farming and whaling industries, and the island’s population continued to grow despite some families returning to Pitcairn.

An assassin, an invader, mutineers, mountaineers and religious revolutionaries walk into a bar

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 8th.

On 8 June 1968, James Earl Ray, who was later convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, was arrested at…
- London Heathrow Airport, UK
- Mexico City International Airport
- Salisbury Airport, Rhodesia (now Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Zimbabwe)
Today in 452, an invasion heading towards Rome, devastated the northern provinces of Italy. The invasion was lead by…
- Attila the Hun
- Ivan the Terrible
- Vlad the Impaler
On 8 June 1794, during the French Revolution, a new religion was inaugurated which was celebrated with festivals across France. It was called the Cult of the…
- Cathars
- Huguenots
- Supreme Being
On this date in 1924, British mountaineers Andrew Irvine and George Mallory went missing. Which expedition were they on?
- British Mount Everest Expedition
- International Expedition to Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica
- Lost World Expedition to Mount Roraima, Guyana
On 8 June 1856, a group of people arrived on Norfolk Island to be resettled from Pitcairn Island. These were descendants of the mutineers from the…
- Amistad
- Bounty—
- Caine

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Through the looking glass

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

First public demonstration in Annonay, 4 June 1783.
Image Wikipedia

On 4 June 1783, an uncrewed hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay in southeastern France. This marked the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large, lightweight bag rises. Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon? Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon?
- Montgolfier Brothers—Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, invented the hot air balloon and conducted the first untethered flights in 1783.
  
  Transcontinental Express.
  Image Pinterest
On this day in 1876, the first Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco after travelling from New York. How long did the journey take?
- 83 hours and 39 minutes—On 4 June 1876, the Transcontinental Express, an express train, arrived in San Francisco, California, via the first transcontinental railroad. This remarkable feat was achieved in just 83 hours and 39 minutes, leaving New York City behind. The news of the Transcontinental Express’s arrival spread rapidly across the United States, captivating newspapers and sparking widespread excitement.
  
  Ariane 5 flight VA-256 on the launch pad with the James Webb Space Telescope
  Image Wikipedia
Today in 1996, the maiden flight of the European Space Agencies Ariane 5 rocket ended in an explosion after 37 seconds. What was the cause of this incident?
- Software bug—Ariane flight V88, the maiden flight of Ariane 5, failed due to software errors causing the rocket to veer off course and self-destruct. The failure, costing over US$370 million, is known as one of the most infamous software bugs in history.
  
  Henry Ford sits in his first automobile, the Ford Quadricycle, in 1896.
  Image Wikipedia
In 1896, Henry Ford completed a successful test on his first gasoline-powered automobile. What did he call it?
- Ford Quadricycle—in 1896, Henry Ford completed his first experimental automobile, the Quadricycle, in Detroit. This success led to his founding of the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and become one of the world’s richest men. The original Quadricycle is in The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
  
  Illustration of Humpty Dumpty by John Tenniel, from Through the Looking Glass, 1871.
  Image Wikipedia
On 4 June 1937, an American supermarket chain introduced one of the world’s first shopping carts. What was the supermarket chain?
- Humpty Dumpty—Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma. Inspired by a night of contemplation in his office in 1936, Goldman wondered how customers could move more groceries.

Through the looking glass

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 4th.

Illustration from Through the Looking Glass.
Image Wikipedia

On 4 June 1783, an uncrewed hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay in southeastern France. This marked the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large, lightweight bag rises. Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon? Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon?
- Leclerc Bothers
- Meirovitz Brothers
- Montgolfier Brothers
On this day in 1876, the first Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco after travelling from New York. How long did the journey take?
- 67 hours and 54 minutes
- 75 hours and 22 minutes
- 83 hours and 39 minutes
Today in 1996, the maiden flight of the European Space Agencies Ariane 5 rocket ended in an explosion after 37 seconds. What was the cause of this incident?
- Fuel leak
- Lightning strike
- Software bug
In 1896, Henry Ford completed a successful test on his first gasoline-powered automobile. What did he call it?
- Ford Gasoline-Carriage
- Ford Model A
- Ford Quadricycle
On 4 June 1937, an American supermarket chain introduced one of the world’s first shopping carts. What was the supermarket chain?
- Humpty Dumpty
- Daisy
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Hatches, matches and despatches | Answers

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

Josephine Baker, 1940.
Image Wikipedia

Born in St Louis, Missouri, on 3 June 1926, this singer and dancer was a resistance member and spy in occupied France during World War II. Who was she?
- Josephine Baker—born in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. She renounced her US citizenship and became a French national in 1937. Baker aided the French Resistance during World War II, working with the British and US Secret Services. After the war, she received French honours. Baker was inducted into the Panthéon in Paris in 2021, the first black woman to receive this honour.
  
  Rafael Nadal, 2009.
  Image Wikipedia
Tennis player Rafael Nadal was born on this day in 1986. He won his first Grand Slam singles title in 2005 at the …
- French Open—Rafael Nadal, a former Spanish professional tennis player, won 92 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including 22 major titles and an Olympic gold medal. He holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.
  
  Château de Candé, Monts, Indre-et-Loire, France, 2007.
  Image Wikipedia
On this day in 1937, the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, married Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom he had abdicated the British throne. Where were they married?
- Château de Candé, Tours, France—The Dukedom of Windsor was created in 1937 for Edward VIII after his abdication to marry Wallis Simpson. The title, derived from Windsor Castle, became extinct upon Edward’s death in 1972 as he died without issue. They were married in France where he lived in exile, no members of his family attended the wedding.
  
  Anthony Quinn in Barabbas (1961)
  Image Wikipedia
An actor who died today in 2001 had played the following roles during a long career. In 1961, he was Andrea Stavros in The Guns of Navarone; the same year, he took the title role in Barrabas and the following year, he was the Bedouin sheikh Auda Abu Tayi in Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Who was he?
- Anthony Quinn—Anthony Quinn, born in Mexico and raised in the US, was a two-time Academy Award-winning actor known for his passionate roles in over 100 films, television shows and stage productions. He was also a civil rights activist, painter and author.
  
  Frank Kafka, 1923.
  Image Wikipedia
An author and lawyer who died on this day in 1924 has an adjective named after him. The adjective is defined as ‘characteristic or reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of …’s fictional world’. What name is omitted from this definition?
- Frank Kafka—the adjective is kafkaesque. Kafka was a Jewish, Austrian and Czech writer from Prague, known for exploring alienation and absurdity. His best-known works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle. Despite being prolific, he burned much of his work due to self-doubt and was relatively unknown until his influence spread globally after World War II, two decades after his death.