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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft was launched today in 2001. When did it reach Mars orbit?
15 July 2001
24 October 2001
1 February 2002
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
Born today in 1939, who directed the 1979 film Apocalypse Now?
Francis Ford Coppola
Wolfgang Petersen
Martin Scorsese
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?
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
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
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
A Kind of Magic—A 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!” The Devil’s Alternative by Frederick Forsyth WikipediaDeception Point by Dan Brown WikipediaDigital Fortress by Dan Brown Wikipedia
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.
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
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
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
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. Col. Nicholson, The Bridge on the River Kwai, 1957. WikipediaPrince Faisal, 3rd from left, in Lawrence of Arabia, 1962. WikipediaObi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars, 1977. Wikipedia
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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?
E.V. Haughwout Building, 488-492 Broadway, New York City. Wikipedia
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.
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.
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.
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)
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
Otis free-fall safety demonstration in 1853. Wikipedia
All of the following relate to today, 23 March.
On 23 March 1857 the first commercial elevator was installed in a New York City department store, it was powered by…
Steam
Electricity
Water
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
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
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)
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
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)”.
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
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. WikipediaHonoree 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
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”.
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 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.
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?
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
Anthem for Doomed Youth was written by a war poet born this day in 1893. Who was he?
Rupert Brook
Wilfred Owen
Siegfried Sassoon
Who is Dana Elaine Owens, born 18 March 1970, a musician and actress, better known as?
Lauryn Hill
Missy Elliott
Queen Latifah
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?
Quizology.Online 