Fly Me to the Moon | Answers

Jim Lovell, Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
(March 25, 1928—August 7, 2025).
Image Wikipedia

One

In 1968, what became the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon, orbit it and return?

Answer: Apollo 8

Apollo 8, launched on 21 December 1968, became the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. During its mission, the crew orbited the Moon ten times, conducting various tasks such as photography and navigation, while also transmitting telecasts worldwide. The spacecraft safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 27 December, 147 hours after launch.
This question was prompted by the death of Jim Lovell, aged 97, on 7 August 2025. He flew to the Moon and back twice but never landed.

Two

The 1999 Open Championship was decided in a play-off between Jean Van de Velde and which two other players?

Answer: Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie

Jean Van de Velde, ranked 152nd, nearly won the 1999 Open Championship but famously collapsed on the 18th hole. His triple-bogey seven led to a playoff, which he lost to Paul Lawrie.

Three

The two great European narcotics, alcohol and…

— Friedrich Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols

— Encyclopædia Britannica

What word is missing from the end of the above quote?

Answer: Christianity

Nietzsche’s quote suggests that he viewed both Christianity and alcohol as ‘narcotics’, substances or influences that dull the senses and provide an escape from reality.

Four

Which Canadian province is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, born in 1848?

Answer: Alberta

Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the wife of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. The name was originally given to the District of Alberta in 1882. The Princess also gave her name to Mount Alberta and Lake Louise.

Five

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

— Wilfred Owen

The above quote is the opening line of which poem?

Answer: Anthem for Doomed Youth

Wilfred Owen’s poem Anthem for Doomed Youth, written in 1917, vividly captures the horrors of war. Enlisting in the British army in 1915, Owen was sent to France with the Lancashire Fusiliers to fight in the trenches during World War I. In 1917, during his first six months of battle, his troop was gassed and forced to sleep in an open field of snow. One incident involved Owen spending several days huddled in a foxhole near the body of a fallen soldier. These experiences profoundly impacted Owen as a poet, leading to rapid maturity. The poems written after January 1917 are characterised by anger at war’s brutality, and pity for those who ‘die as cattle’.

Anthem for Doomed Youth

BY WILFRED OWEN

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

      — Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

      Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.

No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;

      Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

      And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?

      Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

      The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

— Wilfred Owen

— Poetry Foundation

Fly Me to the Moon

One

In 1968, what became the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon, orbit it and return?

Two

The 1999 Open Championship was decided in a play-off between Jean Van de Velde and which two other players?

Three

The two great European narcotics, alcohol and…

— Friedrich Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols

What word is missing from the end of the above quote?

Four

Which Canadian province is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, born 1848?

Five

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

— Wilfred Owen

The above quote is the opening line of which poem?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

A Spoonful of Sugar | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

One

On 9 August 1942, Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th symphony premiered in a besieged city. Can you name that city?

Answer: Leningrad

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 was premiered in Leningrad on 9 August 1942 during the Nazi siege. Despite the musicians’ starvation and the orchestra’s limited rehearsal time, the performance was a success, bolstered by a Soviet military offensive and broadcast to German lines.

Two

Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa, also known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, began on this day. In which century did this construction commence, and approximately how long did it take to complete?

Answer: 12th Century and 199 years (two centuries) to complete

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, a freestanding bell tower in Pisa, Italy, is known for its nearly four-degree lean due to an unstable foundation. It is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, receiving over 5 million visitors annually.

Three

Answer: Jesse Owens and long jump

Jesse Owens, an exceptionally gifted athlete, won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, defying Adolf Hitler’s hopes of showcasing Aryan supremacy. Owens’ achievements, which also include setting three world records in one hour in 1935, remain unparalleled.

Four

Born in Maryborough, Queensland, on 9 August 1899, this writer is best known for her Mary Poppins books. Who is she?

Answer: P.L. Travers

P.L. Travers, an Australian-English writer, authored the Mary Poppins books, a series of eight children’s books illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books follow the magical nanny Mary Poppins and her adventures with the Banks children. Walt Disney adapted the books into two musical films: Mary Poppins (1964) and its sequel, Mary Poppins Returns (2018). A stage musical, created by Disney Theatrical and Sir Cameron Mackintosh, ran on Broadway from 2006 to 2013.

Five

On this day in 1945, Bockscar sealed a place in history. Who or what was Bockscar?

Answer: Boeing B-29 Superfortress

Bockscar, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, dropped the second nuclear weapon on Nagasaki during WWII. It was one of 15 Silverplate B-29s used by the 509th Composite Group.

A Spoonful of Sugar

A few questions related to events connected to today, August 9th.

One

On 9 August 1942, Dmitri Shostakovich’s 7th symphony premiered in a besieged city. Can you name that city?

Two

Three

On 9 August 1936, at the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Jesse Owens of the USA won his fourth gold medal of the games in the 4 x 100m sprint relay. He also won gold medals in the 100m dash and 200m sprint. In what other event did he win gold at these games?

Four

Born in Maryborough, Queensland, on 9 August 1899, this writer is best known for her Mary Poppins books. Who is she?

Five

On this day in 1945, Bockscar sealed a place in history. Who or what was Bockscar?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Random Numbers | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

One

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking…

The above quote is from the opening sentence of a dystopian novel published in 1949. Can you identify the missing number?

Answer: Thirteen

Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian novel by George Orwell, examines the effects of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and truth manipulation. Set in a future where Airstrip One is part of Oceania, the story portrays a society under the control of Big Brother and the Party’s Thought Police. Winston Smith, a Party member, attempts to rebel against the oppressive regime but is eventually captured, tortured, and forced to betray Julia, ultimately submitting to Big Brother.

Two

If the Fibonacci sequence starts with F₀ = 0 and F₁ = 1, what is F₁₃ equal to?

Answer: 233

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers in which each number (Fibonacci number) is the sum of the two preceding numbers. The simplest is the series 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. In fiction they had a role to play in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

F₀	F₁	F₂	F₃	F₄	F₅	F₆	F₇
0	1	1	2	3	5	8	13
F₈	F₉	F₁₀	F₁₁	F₁₂	F₁₃	F₁₄	F₁₅
21	34	55	89	144	233	377	610

Three

What birthday does Bilbo celebrate near the beginning of the novel The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) and the 2001 film adaptation?

Answer: 111th

The beginning of the first chapter in the book begins quite lightly, following on from The Hobbit which is more of a children’s story than The Lord of the Rings. It begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his 111th (or eleventy first, as it is called) birthday, on the same day that Frodo celebrates his 33rd birthday. (His ‘coming of age’) At the birthday party, Bilbo disappears after his speech, to the surprise of all. Frodo later learns about the ring which he had used to make himself invisible, and also to some of its darker powers.
— Tolkien Gateway

Four

In what year was Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, born?

Answer: 1946

Donald Trump (born June 14, 1946, New York, New York, U.S.) is the 45th and 47th president of the United States (2017–21; 2025– ). Following his inauguration on January 20, 2025, Trump became only the second president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland (1885–89; 1893–97). In January 2025, upon his sentencing without punishment for a felony conviction in 2024, Trump officially became the first convicted felon to be elected president. At age 78, Trump is the oldest person to win the office.
— Encyclopædia Britannica

Five

Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit…, is missing a number from its title. What is it?

Answer: 451

Fahrenheit 451‘s title.
The title page of the book explains the title as follows: Fahrenheit 451—The temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns…. On inquiring about the temperature at which paper would catch fire, Bradbury had been told that 451 °F (233 °C) was the autoignition temperature of paper. In various studies, scientists have placed the autoignition temperature at a range of temperatures between 424 and 475 °F (218 and 246 °C), depending on the type of paper.

— Wikipedia

Random Numbers

As the title suggests, here are some questions with numerical answers.

One

Leonardo Fibonacci.
(Fibonacci), by Giovanni Paganucci, 1863, Camposanto di Pisa.)
Image Hans-Peter Postel/Wikipedia

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking…

The above quote is from the opening sentence of a dystopian novel published in 1949. Can you identify the missing number?

Two

If the Fibonacci sequence starts with F₀ = 0 and F₁ = 1, what is F₁₃ equal to?

Three

What birthday does Bilbo celebrate near the beginning of both the 1954 novel The Fellowship of the Ring and the 2001 film adaptation?

Four

In what year was Donald J. Trump, the President of the United States, born?

Five

Ray Bradbury’s 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit…, is missing a number from its title. What is it?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die. | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

Colonel Paul Tibbets, in the B-29 he named *Enola Gay,* August 1945.
Image Wikipedia

One

On 6 August 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Firstly, what was the name of the bomb, and secondly, what name did the pilot of the aircraft which dropped the bomb give to that aircraft?

Answer: Little Boy and Enola Gay

On this day in 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing more than 70,000 people and destroying most of the city in an effort to hasten the end of World War II. The blast, caused by the atomic bomb Little Boy dropped by the U.S. B-29 Enola Gay, resulted in around 70,000 instant deaths, with tens of thousands more dying in subsequent years from burns and radiation poisoning.
The B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay was named after Enola Gay Tibbets by the pilot, her son, Colonel Paul Tibbets.

Two

Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, who was born on on the 6 August 1881, revolutionised antibiotics in 1928 with the discovery of…

Answer: Penicillin

Alexander Fleming, who was born on 6 August 1881 at Lochfield Farm, Darvel, Ayrshire, was a Scottish bacteriologist best known for discovering penicillin in 1928, which revolutionised antibiotics and earned him the Nobel Prize in 1945.

Three

This actor, who was born 6 August 1917, portrayed Sheriff J.P. Harrah in the 1966 western El Dorado and was Charles Shaughnessy in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Who is he?

Answer: Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum, an American actor known for his antihero roles and film noir appearances, received numerous accolades including an Academy Award nomination and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He starred in numerous films, including Out of the Past and Cape Fear, and was praised by critics for his deep voice and weary eyes.

Four

The Old Man of Hoy, a 449-foot sea stack, was first climbed by three mountaineers including Chris Bonnington, born on 6 August 1934. This sea stack is located in which British archipelago?

Answer: Orkney

The Old Man of Hoy is a 449-foot sea stack on Hoy, in the Orkney archipelago, Scotland. Formed from Old Red Sandstone, it is popular with climbers and may soon collapse. It was first climbed in 1966 by mountaineers Chris Bonington, Rusty Baillie and Tom Patey.

Five

A poet born on this day in 1809, penned the lines quoted

Someone had blundered.
   Theirs not to make reply,
   Theirs not to reason why,
   Theirs but to do and die.
Who was the poet and what poem are the lines from?

Answer: Alfred, Lord Tennyson and The Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, was an English poet and Poet Laureate during Queen Victoria’s reign. He is known for his short lyrics, classical mythological themes, and blank verse, with many of his phrases becoming commonplace in the English language.
The lines quoted were from The Charge of the Light Brigade which is a narrative poem by Tennyson (The full poem is shown bellow). It describes the Charge of the Light Brigade, a disastrous British cavalry attack against heavily defended Russian troops at the Battle of Balaklava in October 1854 during the Crimean War. The suicidal assault placed the British light horse brigade, commanded by the Earl of Cardigan, against a Russian infantry and cavalry defence supported by heavy artillery batteries that commanded three sides of a narrow valley.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON

I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
   Someone had blundered.
   Theirs not to make reply,
   Theirs not to reason why,
   Theirs but to do and die.
   Into the valley of Death
   Rode the six hundred.

III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
   Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
   Rode the six hundred.

IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
   All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
   Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
   Not the six hundred.

V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

— The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Poetry Foundation

Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die.

One

Two

Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, who was born on on the 6 August 1881, revolutionised antibiotics in 1928 with the discovery of…

Three

This actor, who was born 6 August 1917, portrayed Sheriff J.P. Harrah in the 1966 western El Dorado and was Charles Shaughnessy in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Who is he?

Four

The Old Man of Hoy, a 449-foot sea stack, was first climbed by three mountaineers including Chris Bonnington, born on 6 August 1934. This sea stack is located in which British archipelago?

Five

A poet born on this day in 1809, penned the lines quoted

Someone had blundered.
   Theirs not to make reply,
   Theirs not to reason why,
   Theirs but to do and die.

Who was the poet and what poem are the lines from?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

First of many | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

One

What is the name of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series mentioned above?

Answer: A Song of Ice and Fire

George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is a high fantasy series. The series, originally planned as a trilogy, has five published volumes with two more planned.

Two

The first appearance of the detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is in an 1887 novel. Which one?

Answer: A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, introducing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The novel, the first in the Holmes canon, follows the duo’s investigation of a murder, with Holmes describing the case as his “study in scarlet”.

Three

Killing Floor and Die Trying are books one and two in publication order of what book series?

Answer: Jack Reacher

The Jack Reacher series, written by Lee Child, follows the adventures of a former US Army major turned drifter. The series, which includes 29 books and a short story collection, has been adapted into films and a television series.

Four

What book series was at one point described as ‘a trilogy in five parts’?

Answer: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series is described as a ‘trilogy in five parts’. Some US editions humorously acknowledges the series’ evolving title saying,

…the book that gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘trilogy’.

Five

A seven-book series begins with a novel whose title hints at a cat, a sorcerer, and a closet. What is the series?

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels by C.S. Lewis, set in the fictional realm of Narnia. The first book in the series is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The series follows the adventures of children transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by Aslan, a great, majestic talking lion, to protect the land from evil.

First of many

Questions

August 1986 George RR Martin published A Game of Thrones, the first instalment of a fantasy series. Today’s questions are all about literary series.

One

What is the name of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series mentioned above?

Two

The first appearance of the detective duo Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is in an 1887 novel. Which one?

Three

Killing Floor and Die Trying are books one and two in publication order of what book series?

Four

What book series was at one point described as ‘a trilogy in five parts’?

Five

A seven-book series begins with a novel whose title hints at a cat, a sorcerer, and a closet. What is the series?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.