All of these questions relate to today’s date, 7 August.
One
In what sport could a ‘Salchow’ be performed?
Two
The six-month-long Battle of Guadalcanal, which began on 7 August 1942, unfolded in which country?
Three
In 1960, the country represented by the flag shown above gained independence from France. What country is it?
Four
How many persons were onboard Thor Heyerdahl’s balsa wood raft, Kon-Tiki when it reached Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after sailing 4,300 mile (7,000 km) in 101-days?
Five
In 1926, in motor racing the first British Grand Prix was held. Where was the race held?
Bonus Question
The post title is two lines taken from a popular song, what song?
All of today’s questions are related to the date, 1 August.
One
In 1980, for the first time anywhere in the world, a woman was elected head of state in a national election. This election was the first of four terms in this role. Who is she, and of what country was she president?
Answer: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir; Iceland.
Vigdís Finnbogadóttir served as Iceland’s president from 1980 to 1996 and was the first woman globally elected head of state. After retiring from office Finnbogadóttir chaired the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology from 1997 to 2001 and became UNESCO’s goodwill ambassador for languages in 1998.
Two
In 1996, George R.R. Martin published the first volume of a book series. What is the book series called?
Answer: A Song of Ice and Fire.
George R.R. Martin, born in 1948, is an American fantasy writer known for his A Song of Ice and Fire series, adapted into Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. He began his career with short fiction and television writing before returning to novels.
Three
What Formula 1 driver, who suffered extensive burns in a severe accident in the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, returned to racing still heavily bandaged, having only missed two races?
Answer: Niki Lauda
Niki Lauda, after a near-fatal crash in 1976, won his second championship with Ferrari in 1977. He took a two-year hiatus before returning with McLaren, winning his third championship in 1984, and retiring in 1985.
Four
On this date, the Guam Organic Act was signed, officially establishing Guam as an organised unincorporated territory of the United States. Who was the U.S. president at the time?
Answer: Harry S. Truman.
Guam, a territory since 1899, was acquired at the end of the Spanish-American War. It’s home to Naval Base Guam and Andersen Air Force Base. Organised under the Guam Organic Act of 1950, it granted U.S. citizenship to Guamanians and established a local government. The act was amended in 1968 to allow for the election of a governor.
Five
In 1620, Myles Standish, his wife Rose and others sailed from Delfshaven, Netherlands to England where they would join with the Mayflower to sail to America. What is the name of the ship on which Standish and his wife sailed from Delfshaven, and in what modern country is Delfshaven?
Answer: Speedwell; Netherlands.
On 1 August 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers left Delfshaven on the Speedwell. After delays due to leaks, they departed Southampton on 5 August with the Mayflower. The Speedwell was abandoned, and its passengers, including the Standishes, joined the Mayflower for the voyage to the New World.
All of today’s questions are related to the date, 1 August.
One
In 1980, for the first time anywhere in the world, a woman was elected head of state in a national election. This election was the first of four terms in this role. Who is she, and of what country was she president?
Two
In 1996, George R.R. Martin published the first volume of a book series. What is the book series called?
Three
What Formula 1 driver, who suffered extensive burns in a severe accident in the 1976 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, returned to racing still heavily bandaged, having only missed two races?
Four
On this date, the Guam Organic Act was signed, officially establishing Guam as an organised unincorporated territory of the United States. Who was the U.S. president at the time?
Five
In 1620, Myles Standish, his wife Rose and others sailed from Delfshaven, Netherlands to England where they would join with the Mayflower to sail to America. What is the name of the ship on which Standish and his wife sailed from Delfshaven, and in what modern country is Delfshaven?
The St Leger, the oldest of Britain’s five Classic races, is the last of the five to be run each year, and its distance is longer than any of the other four. In what decade was it first ran?
Answer: 1770s (1776).
The St Leger Stakes, established in 1776, is Great Britain’s oldest Group 1 flat horse race, held annually in September at Doncaster. It concludes the English and Fillies Triple Crowns. The race spans 2,921 metres and is the longest of Britain’s five Classic races, with Camelot being a recent notable contender.
Two
What J.K. Rowling book was first published in the U.K. in June 1997, and under what title was the same book published the following year in the U.S.?
Answers: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling’s debut, follows young wizard Harry Potter discovering his magical heritage. Published in 1997, it became a bestseller, translated into 85 languages, and adapted into a film. Praised for imagination and plot, it sold over 120 million copies, influencing education and marketing.
Three
What geometric shape is also the path of the Earth around the Sun, and how far approximately, in miles or km, does the Earth travel on that path in a year?
Answer: Ellipse; 584 million miles or 940 million km.
Earth orbits the Sun every 365.256 days in a counterclockwise, elliptical path at an average distance of 149.6 million km. Travelling at 29.78 km/s, it appears to move 1° eastward daily relative to the stars. This orbit’s near-circular eccentricity keeps the Sun close to its centre.
The cover of which debut studio album from 1969 depicts the Hindenburg exploding?
Answer: Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin, the debut album by the English rock band of the same name, was released in January 1969 in the US and March 1969 in the UK. Recorded in 36 hours at Olympic Studios, London, it features a mix of original and rearranged blues and folk songs. The album achieved top 10 success in the UK and US.
Five
What tennis Grand Slam takes place in a stadium which is named after a World War 1 fighter pilot who was killed in action?
Answer: French Open.
Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros, a French aviation pioneer, first crossed the Mediterranean by airplane in 1913. A self-taught pilot, he joined the French Army in World War I and helped to developed a forward-firing machine gun. He was killed in action in 1918. The Roland Garros tennis stadium in Paris, opened in 1928, honours him and the French Open is alternatively called Roland-Garros.
Off the Shelf
Today’s answers were straight off the ‘shelf’ in that the letters from that word provided the initial letter of each answer.
The St Leger, the oldest of Britain’s five Classic races, is the last of the five to be run each year, and its distance is longer than any of the other four. In what decade was it first ran?
Two
What J.K. Rowling book was first published in the U.K. in June 1997, and under what title was the same book published the following year in the U.S.?
Three
What geometric shape is also the path of the Earth around the Sun, and how far approximately, in miles or km, does the Earth travel on that path in a year?
Four
The cover of which debut studio album from 1969 depicts the Hindenburg exploding?
Five
What tennis Grand Slam takes place in a stadium which is named after a World War 1 fighter pilot who was killed in action?
Tomb of the unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, Paris. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions are not date-related. Hopefully, you’ll be saying ‘aargh’ before it is finished.
One
An eternal flame burns in Paris to honour unidentified casualties from both world wars. Where is it located?
Answer: Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (aka Arc de Triomphe).
Beneath the Arc lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. Buried on Armistice Day 1920, an eternal flame honours the unidentified dead (now from both world wars). In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy honoured the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside President Charles de Gaulle. Following the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy recalled the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe and asked for a similar flame beside her husband’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Two
Jesus and the Apostles are believed to have spoken … — Encyclopædia Britannica
What language completes the above sentence from Encyclopædia Britannica?
Answer: Aramaic.
Aramaic, a Semitic language linked to Hebrew, Syriac and Phoenician, spread from the Aramaeans via Assyrians and Babylonians, becoming the Achaemenian official language before Greek replaced it. It replaced Hebrew among Jews, appears in Daniel, Ezra and the Talmuds, was spoken by Jesus and the Apostles, and lasted until Arabic displaced it around 650 CE.
Three
A US group released Blitzkrieg Bop as their first single in 1976, while Baby, I Love You became their most successful UK track. What is the band’s name?
Answer: Ramones.
Released in February 1976, Blitzkrieg Bop is the Ramones’ debut single and opening track on their first album. Written by Tommy and Dee Dee Ramone, its chant became a global rallying cry. Baby, I Love You was first recorded by the Ronettes in 1963. Phil Spector produced the Ramones cover version of the song which appeared on their album, End of the Century (1980). The single reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart in 1980, their biggest UK top-ten hit.
Four
What 1992 film starring Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon depicts two days in the lives of four real-estate salesmen?
Answer: Glengarry Glen Ross.
Directed by James Foley and written by David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross follows four salesmen facing dismissal threats from Blake. Critically acclaimed, Jack Lemmon won the Volpi Cup and Al Pacino received award nominations, but the film grossed $10.7 million against a $12.5 million budget.
Five
Before the 1947 partition created India and Pakistan, what historic Persian-derived name was commonly used for the Indian subcontinent—especially its northern regions—and is still sometimes used as a poetic or cultural name for India today?
Answer: Hindustan.
The name Hindustan comes from the Persian word Hind (India) combined with the suffix -stan, meaning “land.” Although it once referred broadly to much of northern India or the Indian subcontinent, today it is mainly used in historical, literary, and cultural contexts rather than as India’s official name.
Aargh
The post title is an exclamation ‘used as an expression of anguish, horror, rage, or other strong emotion, often with humorous intent’. It is used here to provide the initial letters of the answers
Today’s questions are not date-related. Hopefully, you’ll be saying ‘aargh’ before it is finished.
One
An eternal flame burns in Paris to honour unidentified casualties from both world wars. Where is it located?
Two
Jesus and the Apostles are believed to have spoken … — Encyclopædia Britannica
What language completes the above sentence from Encyclopædia Britannica?
Three
A US group released Blitzkrieg Bop as their first single in 1976, while Baby, I Love You became their most successful UK track. What is the band’s name?
Four
What 1992 film starring Al Pacino and Jack Lemmon depicts two days in the lives of four real-estate salesmen?
Five
Before the 1947 partition created India and Pakistan, what historic Persian-derived name was commonly used for the Indian subcontinent—especially its northern regions—and is still sometimes used as a poetic or cultural name for India today?
The Mary Rose as depicted in the Anthony Roll of the 1540s. Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question relates to today’s date. The others aren’t date-related but build on the theme established in the first.
One
This English carrack-type warship, built for the king’s navy and involved in a battle with the French that resulted in its sinking in the Solent on 19 July 1545, had its wreck rediscovered by salvagers in 1971, ultimately leading to the opening of a museum dedicated to its history at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2013. What is the warship’s name and for what king’s navy was it built?
Answers: Mary Rose; Henry VIII.
On this day in 1545, Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, sank during the Battle of the Solent. A sudden gust of wind flooded seawater through its open gunports, tragically resulting in the loss of over 400 crew members. Centuries later, the remarkably preserved wreck was rediscovered in the English Channel. It has since become one of the world’s most significant underwater archaeological finds.
Two
Although not the first such instance the action of soldiers and sailors during the 1852 sinking of HMS Birkenhead made which maritime protocol more prominent?
Answer: Women and children first.
‘Women and children first’ is an unofficial code prioritising their safety in life-threatening situations, like shipwrecks, due to limited resources. Celebrated as a chivalric ideal in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was notably invoked during the HMS Birkenhead evacuation, SS Central America sinking, and Titanic disaster, though unevenly applied. The protocol is sometimes described as ‘Birkenhead Drill’.
Three
What 1960 musical and 1964 musical film told the story of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic?
Answer: The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
The Unsinkable Molly Brown is a fictionalized account of the life of Margaret Brown, who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It originated as a 1960 musical with music and lyrics by Meredith Willson and a book by Richard Morris. In 1964, it was adapted into an American Western musical comedy film directed by Charles Walters and starring Debbie Reynolds, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay by Helen Deutsch is based on the musical’s book, and the song score was composed by Meredith Willson. Reynolds received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Brown.
Four
What ship did Ernest Shackleton and his Trans-Antarctic Expedition lose in 1915 when it was crushed by ice and sank?
Answer: Endurance.
Endurance, originally Polaris, was a three-masted barquentine used by Ernest Shackleton for the 1914–1917 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Built in 1912, it sank in 1915 after being trapped in ice. All crew survived. The wreck was found in 2022 at a depth of 3,008 metres and is a protected historic site.
Five
Which US state’s name completes this: the 1864 Battle of Cherbourg is also known as the Sinking of CSS…?
Answer: Alabama.
The CSS Alabama, a Confederate sloop-of-war built in 1862, was a successful commerce raider under Captain Raphael Semmes. It captured or sank 68 Union ships in just 22 months across the Atlantic, West Indies, and East Indies. On June 19, 1864, the USS Kearsarge sank the Alabama during the Battle of Cherbourg, France.
That Sinking Feeling.
The post title is an idiom meaning a feeling that something bad is going to happen. In today’s post, it is simply a play on words regarding the ‘sinking’ theme of the questions.
The ? as depicted in the Anthony Roll of the 1540s. See question one. Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question relates to today’s date. The others aren’t date-related but build on the theme established in the first.
One
This English carrack-type warship, built for the king’s navy and involved in a battle with the French that resulted in its sinking in the Solent on 19 July 1545, had its wreck rediscovered by salvagers in 1971, ultimately leading to the opening of a museum dedicated to its history at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard in 2013. What is the warship’s name and for what king’s navy was it built?
Two
Although not the first such instance the action of soldiers and sailors during the 1852 sinking of HMS Birkenhead made which maritime protocol more prominent?
Three
What 1960 musical and 1964 musical film told the story of a woman who survived the sinking of the Titanic?
Four
What ship did Ernest Shackleton and his Trans-Antarctic Expedition lose in 1915 when it was crushed by ice and sank?
Five
Which US state’s name completes this: the 1864 Battle of Cherbourg is also known as the Sinking of CSS…?
A picture of the band Les Horribles Cernettes taken on 18 July 1992 later led to what technological first?
Answer: The first non-technical picture uploaded to the web.
In 1992, Silvano de Gennaro started the Cern Hardronic Festival, leading to the first non-technical photo uploaded to the web: the Cernettes. The image, 120×50 pixels, took a minute to load. Now scattered globally, the Cernettes reunited in 2012, celebrating their iconic status and historical significance. It is recognised by Guinness World Records as the ‘First photo posted to the World Wide Web’ but it is more spcifically the ‘the first non-technical photo uploaded to the web’.
Two
Who is the first, and to date only, First Lady of the United States to have won an award at the Emmys?
Answer: Jacqueline Kennedy.
Jacqueline Kennedy received a Trustees Award at the 1962 Emmys, accepted by Lady Bird Johnson, for her television special A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy, which aired on 14 February 1962. The broadcast, watched by over 100 million globally, highlighted a restoration. Kennedy’s award is housed at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Three
In 1958, Billboard‘s Hot 100 premiered as an all-genre singles chart with Poor Little Fool being the first number one. Two questions:
What act achieved that first number one?
By 18 July 2026, to the nearest hundred, how many different number one entries has there been?
Answers
Ricky Nelson
≈ 1,200 (1,194 exactly)
The Billboard Hot 100 is a U.S. music chart ranking songs based on sales, streaming, and radio airplay. Released weekly on Tuesdays, it reflects data from Friday to Thursday. Since July 2015, sales and streaming are tracked weekly, with radio airplay following the same cycle since July 2021. Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson was the first Billboard Hot 100 number-one song on August 4, 1958. By July 18, 2026, the chart had 1,194 different number-one entries. The current top song is Choosin’ Texas by Ella Langley.
Astronomers announced in 2026 that they’d detected an atmosphere around an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone of another star for the first time. This planet, named LHS 1140 b, is how far away from Earth:
49 light years
76 light years
127 light years
Answer: 49 light years.
Astronomers discovered an atmosphere on LHS 1140 b, an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone, marking a milestone in the search for alien life. The planet, 1.7 times Earth’s width and 5.6 times its mass, retains helium, suggesting potential water presence. Findings published in Science, based on 2024 observations, highlight atmospheric stability.
Five
Who was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Answer: Aretha Franklin.
Lady Soul. The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Franklin was an artist of passion, sophistication and command, whose recordings remain anthems that defined soul music. Long live the Queen. — Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena
The post title, which was brought to mind by question four, is a quote by American scientist Carl Sagan –
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena Carl Sagan — James Webb discovery
