1 Greek mythology a priestess of Hera who was loved by Zeus. Trying to protect her from the jealousy of Hera, Zeus turned [her] into a heifer. Hera sent a gadfly to torture the heifer, which then fled across the world and finally reached Egypt, where Zeus turned her back into human form. 2 Astronomy one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, the fifth-closest satellite to the planet, being actively volcanic and coloured red and yellow with sulphur compounds (diameter 3,630 km. — Oxford English Dictionary
The above entry in the Oxford English Dictionary defines what word?
Two
Cato Fong is the manservant of which fictional inspector?
Three
Which Swedish actress played Ilsa Lund in the classic film Casablanca?
Four
Which 2013 Dan Brown novel begins with Robert Langdon waking in a Florence hospital?
Five
What was the title of Carrie Underwood’s debut single?
Elvis at Prestwick Airport, 3 March 1960. See question four. Image Daily Record.
No date-related theme today, just five very random questions for you to ponder.
One
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s best-known examples of rock-cut architecture in Jordan in 1812 and Egypt the following year. What are these examples of rock-cut architecture?
Answers: Petra and Abu Simbel.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784 – 1817) was a Swiss traveller, geographer and Orientalist. During his travels in Arabia, he adopted the alias Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah and wrote his letters in French, signing them Louis. He is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s most famous examples of rock-cut architecture: the ruins of Petra, an ancient Nabataean city in Jordan, and the temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt. Petra remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when Burckhardt rediscovered it. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel remained unknown to Europeans until March 1813, when Burckhardt found the small temple and top frieze of the main temple.
Two
‘I can resist everything except temptation’ is a line from what play and who wrote it?
Answer: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play About a Good Woman by Oscar Wilde.
Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, debuting on 20 February 1892 at London’s St James’s Theatre. Lady Windermere suspects her husband of infidelity and plans to leave him for Lord Darlington. Mrs. Erlynne, the other woman, intervenes, revealing herself as Lady Windermere’s mother. She sacrifices her reputation to save the marriage, allowing Lady Windermere to return to her husband unnoticed.
Three
What religious organisation was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Alba?
Answer: Opus Dei.
Opus Dei, founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá, is a Catholic Church personal prelature promoting holiness through daily life. Approved by the Holy See in 1950 and affirmed in 1982, it faces controversy over abuse allegations. Members, mostly laypeople, engage in secular careers and spiritual training globally.
Four
Elvis Presley and the beginnings of Open Golf are both linked to what town?
Answer: Prestwick.
Prestwick, a town in South Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast, is approximately 30 miles (50 kilometres) southwest of Glasgow. The Prestwick Old Course hosted the inaugural Open Golf Championship in 1860 and was the venue for the first twelve Open Championships from 1860 to 1872, although the event did not take place in 1871. During World War II, the US Army Air Corps set up and maintained a base at the airport. Elvis Presley made his only visit to the UK on 3 March 1960 when his US Army transport aircraft stopped at the airport for refuelling en route from Germany.
Five
Who in 1762 succeeded Peter III, Emperor of Russia, and what relationship was the successor to Peter?
Answers: Catherine II (the Great); his wife.
Peter III, Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762, was overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great. Despite implementing notable reforms, he is criticised for his alliance with Prussia. On 28 June 1762, Catherine was proclaimed heir to the Russian throne. Peter attempted to flee to Kronstadt but was repelled by the fleet’s cannons. The people of St. Petersburg armed themselves against him. After losing support from the Senate, army, and fleet, Peter was arrested and abdicated on 9 July. He was transported to Ropsha, where he died under mysterious circumstances. Officially, he died from haemorrhoidal colic and a stroke, but assassination is suspected. Some accounts suggest suffocation attempts followed by strangulation. He was buried on 3 August 1762 in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Saint Petersburg.
No date-related theme today, just five very random questions for you to ponder.
One
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s best-known examples of rock-cut architecture in Jordan in 1812 and Egypt the following year. What are these examples of rock-cut architecture?
Two
‘I can resist everything except temptation’ is a line from what play and who wrote it?
Three
What religious organisation was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Alba?
Four
Elvis Presley and the beginnings of Open Golf are both linked to what town?
Five
Who in 1762 succeeded Peter III, Emperor of Russia, and what relationship was the successor to Peter?
On 19 April 1999, in politics, what returned to Berlin for the first time in almost fifty years, and where had it returned from?
Answers: Bundestag; Bonn.
The first German Bundestag, the West German parliament, convened in Bonn on 7 September 1949. The Bundestag remained in Bonn until after reunification of Germany, when it returned to Berlin on 19 April 1999.
Two
In 1775, during the opening stages of a revolutionary war, a city was besieged for eleven months from April 19th. What city?
Answer: Boston.
The Siege of Boston (1775-1776) marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. American forces, led by George Washington, besieged the British Army in Boston, ultimately forcing their retreat to Nova Scotia after eleven months.
Three
Observed on April 19th, a celebratory day remembering an experiment where a chemist intentionally ingested LSD, documented it and then went home. What is the day called?
Answer: Bicycle Day.
On 19 April 1943, a few days after accidentally discovering LSD’s effects, which he believed had potential in psychiatry and neurology, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann intentionally ingested it and documented the first acid trip. After this experiment, he cycled home, leading to the observance of Bicycle Day, as Encyclopædia Britannica comments, ‘And now April 19 is observed as Bicycle Day—mostly by LSD enthusiasts, not cyclists’.
Four
A poet and playwright who died this day in 1824, first became a celebrity with the publication of the first two cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812. Who is this poet?
Answer: Byron.
George Gordon Byron, a prominent British Romantic poet, is renowned for works like Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. He lived in Italy for seven years, befriending Percy Bysshe Shelley, and later joined the Greek War of Independence, becoming a folk hero before his death at 36. Byron, along with Shelley and Keats, was a major figure in the second generation of English Romantic writers and was a literary celebrity known for both his poetry and personality.
Five
IIn 2011, Fidel Castro resigned from Cuba’s Communist Party central committee. The following March, in his role as an elder statesman, Castro briefly met a visiting dignitary, the sixteenth of the name. Who was this dignitary?
Answer: (Pope) Benedict XVI.
On 19 April 2011, Castro resigned from the Communist Party central committee, thus stepping down as First Secretary. Raúl was selected as his successor. Now without any official role in the country’s government, he took on the role of an elder statesman. In late March 2012, Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba for three days, during which time he briefly met with Castro despite the Pope’s vocal opposition to Cuba’s government.
Bits and Bobs
The title is simply another way of saying bits and pieces, an assortment. It was chosen as the title as all the answers begin with the letter B.
On 19 April 1999, in politics, what returned to Berlin for the first time in almost fifty years, and where had it returned from?
Two
In 1775, during the opening stages of a revolutionary war, a city was besieged for eleven months from April 19th. What city?
Three
Observed on April 19th, a celebratory day remembering an experiment where a chemist intentionally ingested LSD, documented it and then went home. What is the day called?
Four
A poet and playwright who died this day in 1824, first became a celebrity with the publication of the first two cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812. Who is this poet?
Five
IIn 2011, Fidel Castro resigned from Cuba’s Communist Party central committee. The following March, in his role as an elder statesman, Castro briefly met a visiting dignitary, the sixteenth of the name. Who was this dignitary?
The Fairy Tale, a painting by James Sant in 1845. Image Wikimedia Commons
Once upon a time, on today’s date, a wedding which was described as a fairy tale was celebrated. The first question is about that wedding, while the remainder are about opening lines which could be considered modern versions of ‘Once Upon A Time’.
One
This actress, who had starred in High Noon in 1952 and won the Best Actress Academy Award for The Country Girl in 1954, retired from acting in 1956 to marry in Europe. Who is she, and who did she marry?
Answer: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
Grace Kelly made her film debut in Fourteen Hours (1951) and quickly rose to stardom with roles in High Noon (1952) and Mogambo (1953). Her performance in The Country Girl (1954) earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress. In Monaco on 18 April 1956, she married Prince Rainier III in a civil ceremony, with a second religious ceremony taking place the next day. Now known as Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco, she and her husband had three children. Grace focused on children’s rights and the arts, founding the Princess Grace Foundation and AMADE Mondiale. She died in a car crash in 1982, aged 52. Her son, Prince Albert established the Princess Grace Awards in 1984.
The remaining questions are about opening words, which could be considered a modern equivalent of ‘Once Upon a Time’.
Two
What work of historical fiction published in the mid-nineteenth century opens with the line ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’, and who wrote it?
Answers: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, is a historical novel set in London and Paris during the French Revolution. It follows Doctor Manette’s 18-year imprisonment in the Bastille and his reunion with his daughter Lucie in London. The novel explores the conditions leading to the Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Renowned as Dickens’s best-known historical fiction, it ranks 63rd on the BBC’s The Big Read poll and has inspired numerous adaptations.
Three
This Lego product, which debuted in 2001 in an online game, has appeared in comics, books, movies, and animations where it is associated with the opening words ‘In the time before time …’. What product is this?
Answer: Bionicle.
Bionicle, a discontinued Lego line launched in 2001, featured biomechanical heroes called Toa. The theme, which included books, comics, games and films, was a major success and influenced later Lego themes.
Four
In the Star Wars universe what ten words open the nine ‘Skywalker saga’ films?
Answer: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Each Star Wars film, from the original episodes IV, V, and VI; the prequels, I, II, and III; and the sequels, VII, VIII, and XI, opens with the same text, logo, episode number, subtitle, and a three-paragraph summary beginning with ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…’
Five
In music, which 1971 chart-topper begins with the phrase ‘A long, long time ago…’, and what singer-songwriter wrote and recorded it?
Answer: American Pie by Don McLean.
American Pie by Don McLean, released in 1971, became a number-one hit in the US in 1972 and topped charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. It reached number 2 in the UK. The song, at 8 minutes and 42 seconds, was the longest to reach number one until 2021. Its lyrics, including the phrase ‘the day the music died’, reflect cultural changes and loss of innocence after the 1959 plane crash in which Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper all died. McLean’s original recording was preserved in the US National Recording Registry in 2017. He celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 2022 European tour.
The Fairy Tale, a painting by James Sant in 1845. Image Wikimedia Commons
Once upon a time, on today’s date, a wedding which was described as a fairy tale was celebrated. The first question is about that wedding, while the remainder are about opening lines which could be considered modern versions of ‘Once Upon A Time’.
One
This actress, who had starred in High Noon in 1952 and won the Best Actress Academy Award for The Country Girl in 1954, retired from acting in 1956 to marry in Europe. Who is she, and who did she marry?
The remaining questions are about opening words, which could be considered a modern equivalent of ‘Once Upon a Time’.
Two
What work of historical fiction published in the mid-nineteenth century opens with the line ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’, and who wrote it?
Three
This Lego product, which debuted in 2001 in an online game, has appeared in comics, books, movies, and animations where it is associated with the opening words ‘In the time before time …’. What product is this?
Four
In the Star Wars universe what ten words open the nine ‘Skywalker saga’ films?
Five
In music, which 1971 chart-topper begins with the phrase ‘A long, long time ago…’, and what singer-songwriter wrote and recorded it?
Here’s the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
The first question relates to today’s date, April 12th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘V. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘V’ theme.
What ‘V’ was the spaceflight that carried the first human into space on this day in 1961?
Answer: Vostok 1.
Vostok 1, launched on 12 April 1961 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, was the first human orbital spaceflight. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth, completing a single orbit at 169 km altitude in 108 minutes and parachuting to the ground separately from his capsule. Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, made history as the first person in space aboard Vostok 1. Tragically, he died in a MiG-15 crash in 1968.
The following questions are not date-related but continue with the ‘V’ theme.
Two
What ‘V’, an island country in Melanesia, is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,090 miles (1,750 km) east of northern Australia?
Answer: Vanuatu.
Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation in Melanesia, South Pacific Ocean, consisting of volcanic islands. Located 1,090 miles east of Australia and 340 miles northeast of New Caledonia, it was first visited by Europeans in 1606 by Spanish navigator Fernandes de Queirós. France and the UK claimed parts in the 1880s, managing them as the New Hebrides from 1906. Vanuatu gained independence in 1980 and joined the UN and Commonwealth.
Three
What ‘V’ is missing from the following statement about a relative and mentor of Britain’s King Charles III?
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten was a British statesman, naval leader, and the last … of India.
— Encyclopædia Britannica
Answer: Viceroy.
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten, was a British statesman and naval leader, born on June 25, 1900. He served as the last viceroy of India, overseeing its independence and partition into India and Pakistan in 1947. Mountbatten held significant naval commands during World War II and was supreme allied commander for Southeast Asia. He later served as chief of the UK Defence Staff. Mountbatten was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in August 1979.
Four
What ‘V’ was the Russian-born author of the 1955 novel Lolita, which relates Humbert Humbert’s obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze?
Answer: Vladimir Nabokov.
Lolita, a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov, follows Humbert Humbert, a French literature professor, and his obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze, whom he calls ‘Lolita’. Published in Paris due to censorship fears, the novel explores controversial themes. Despite public backlash, it has received critical acclaim and is featured on numerous best book lists. It was adapted into films by Stanley Kubrick in 1962 and Adrian Lyne in 1997, and several times for the stage.
Five
What ’V’, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is an alien race who arrive at the Earth to destroy it to make way for an intergalactic bypass?
Answer: Vogon.
The Vogons, from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, are a fictional alien race from Vogsphere. They destroy Earth for an intergalactic highway. Slug-like and humanoid, they are bulkier than humans with green skin. Known for their unpleasant, bad-tempered, and bureaucratic nature, they lack empathy and write the third-worst poetry in the universe. As galactic bureaucrats and poor marksmen, their strict rule adherence makes them a formidable presence in the galaxy.
The first question relates to today’s date, April 12th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘V. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘V’ theme.
The first question relates to today’s date, April 11th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘S’. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘S’ theme.
One
Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away at the age of 84 on this day in 2007, published a novel in 1969. It follows the life and psychological traumas of Billy Pilgrim. What ‘S’ is the title of this novel?
Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five.
Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1969 anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who experiences time travel and psychological trauma after surviving the Allied firebombing of Dresden whilst he was being held as a prisoner of war, like Vonnegut himself.
Two
What ‘S’ is an acoustic sensing method first used by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century but more associated with the Cold War?
Answer: Sonar.
Sonar, a technique using sound propagation, is employed for navigation, distance measurement, communication, and object detection underwater. It can operate passively by listening for sounds or actively by emitting sound pulses and listening for echoes. Initially used by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490, who employed a tube inserted into the water to detect vessels by ear, sonar was further developed during WWI with a passive sonar system to counter submarines developed by 1918. Modern active sonar utilises acoustic transducers to detect objects.
Three
What ’S’ can this description apply to?
A republic with two heads of state
Official language: Italian
Currency: Euro
Answer: San Marino.
San Marino, a landlocked country in Southern Europe. It claims to be the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic, being founded in AD 301. It has a unique political structure with two heads of state, the Captains Regent, elected every six months. San Marino is a member of the Council of Europe, uses the euro, and has a strong economy based on finance, industry, services, retail and tourism.
Four
What ‘S’ was the traditional garment worn by Roman women and the equivalent of the toga worn by men?
Answer: Stola.
The stola was the traditional garment of Roman women, akin to the men’s toga, and was also referred to as vestis longa due to its length. A well-known depiction of the stola is on the Statue of Liberty in New York City, which represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. Libertas, known to the ancient Greeks as Eleutheria, is portrayed wearing the stola, a crown, and sandals.
Five
What ‘S’ connects the Moby-Dick to coffee (at least to 88.889%)?
Answer: Starbuck(s).
Starbuck, the young chief mate, is a thoughtful Quaker who opposes Ahab’s quest for revenge against Moby Dick, believing it to be madness and blasphemous. Despite his objections and desire to return home, he feels bound to obey Ahab.
Moby-Dick didn’t have anything to do with Starbucks directly; it was only coincidental that the sound seemed to make sense.
