Tag: literature

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

Today, five different questions with a wee bit of a theme running through some of them, though not all.

Hogwarts Express at Glenfinnan Viaduct. Image HarryPotter.com

One

Which turquoise-blue Ford motor car model is depicted as the flying car in the Harry Potter books and films?

Two

Tristan da Cunha, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, has only one settlement. What is its name?

Three

What tourist attraction in Verona, Italy, is a fake as the person allegedly connected to it never existed?

Four

What building is the official residence of the British Monarch in Scotland?

Five

On 10 December 1768, the first edition of which reference work was first published in Edinburgh, Scotland?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Mr ? Goes to Washington

All are connected to today’s date, August 27th. Two of the questions are multiple choice the other three are not.

Image Wikipedia

One

Born on 27 August 1908 in Texas, this boy, pictured above in 1915, went on to become the president of the United States. Who is he?

Two

On this date, Ernst Heinkel’s He178 turbojet-powered aircraft achieved the historic first jet flight. In which decade did this event occur?

Three

The Anglo-Zanzibar War, the shortest war in history, took place on 27 August 1896. How long did the war last?
1. Between 30 minutes and 60 minutes
2. Between 510 minutes and 540 minutes
3. Between 960 and 990 minutes

Four

The world premiere of a film adaptation of a book by PL Travers took place on 27 August 1964 in Los Angeles. Which film?

Five

On 27 August 1938, at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, Captain George E.T. Eyston set a new land speed record. What speed did he achieve?
1. 199.96 mph
2. 273.48 mph
3. 345.49 mph

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Mr Standfast—Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, meets HM King Charles III
at Buckingham Palace. LONDON- UK- 5th May 2023.
Photo by Ian Jones via Wikipedia

One

Who, born 25 August 1875, connects these: the 15th Governor General of Canada; Richard Hannay; and the 1st Baron Tweedsmuir?

Answer: John Buchan

John Buchan, a Scottish novelist and politician, served as Governor General of Canada from 1935 until his death in 1940. He promoted Canadian unity and strengthened the country’s sovereignty. Buchan, who was the 1st Baron Tweedsmuir, created the character Richard Hannay.

Two

The title of this post, Mr Standfast, is the name of a novel featuring Richard Hannay, as mentioned in question 1. Can you name another novel by the same author that features Hannay as a major character?

Answer: (Any of) – The Thirty-Nine Steps, Greenmantle, The Three Hostages, The Island of Sheep

Hannay appears in several novels as a major character, including:

He also appears as a minor character in:

— Wikipedia

Note, Richard Hannay also appears in some works by other authors.

Three

The 15th Governor General of Canada is mentioned above, but who is the current and 30th Governor General of Canada? Notably, this is the first Indigenous person to hold the office.

Answer: Mary Simon

Mary Simon, the first Indigenous Governor General of Canada, was born in Quebec and previously worked as a broadcaster and diplomat. Her appointment was criticised due to her limited French fluency.

Four

The international boundary between Canada and the United States is the world’s longest. Two answers to this question: (1) how many Canadian provinces and territories are on the border, and (2) how many US states are on the border.

Answer: (1) 8 Canadian provinces or territories and (2) 13 US states

Canadian Province or Territory

Ontario 2,727 km (1,682 mi)
British Columbia 2,168 km (1,347 mi)
Yukon 1,244 km (786 mi)
Quebec 813 km (505 mi)
Saskatchewan 632 km (393 mi)
New Brunswick 513 km (318 mi)
Manitoba 497 km (309 mi)
Alberta 298 km (185 mi)

US State

Alaska 2,475 km (1,538 mi)
Michigan 1,160 km (721 mi)
Maine 983 km (611 mi)
Minnesota 880 km (547 mi)
Montana 877 km (545 mi)
New York 716 km (445 mi)
Washington 687 km (427 mi)
North Dakota 499 km (310 mi)
Ohio 499 km (310 mi)
Vermont 145 km (90 mi)
New Hampshire 93 km (58 mi)
Idaho 72 km (45 mi)
Pennsylvania 68 km (42 mi)

— Wikipedia

Alaska, US–Yukon, Canada border.
Image Fine Art America

Five

The northern end of the Yukon, Canada/Alaska, US border at 69°39′N 141°00′W is on the shore of what sea?

Answer: Beaufort Sea

The Canadian territory of Yukon shares its entire western border with the U.S. state of Alaska, beginning at the Beaufort Sea at 69°39′N 141°00′Wand proceeding southwards along the 141st meridian west. At 60°18′N, the border proceeds away from the 141st meridian west in a southeastward direction, following the Saint Elias Mountains. South of the 60th parallel north, the border continues into British Columbia
— Wikipedia

Mr Standfast

Firstly, a question about someone born on August 26th. The rest of the questions are follow-ups to this one.

One

Who, born 25 August 1875, connects these: the 15th Governor General of Canada; Richard Hannay; and the 1st Baron Tweedsmuir?

Two

The title of this post is the name of a novel featuring Richard Hannay, as mentioned in question 1. Can you name another novel by the same author that features Hannay as a major character?

Three

The 15th Governor General of Canada is mentioned above, but who is the current and 30th Governor General of Canada? Notably, this is the first Indigenous person to hold the office.

Four

The international boundary between Canada and the United States is the world’s longest. Two answers to this question: (1) how many Canadian provinces and territories are on the border, and (2) how many US states are on the border.

Five

The northern end of the Yukon, Canada/Alaska, US border at 69°39′N 141°00′W is on the shore of what sea?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

A Mars a Day—Answers

The Martian.
Image Disney

One

The 2015 Ridley Scott film The Martian starring Matt Damon was based on a novel of the same name by what American author?

— Answer: Andy Weir

The Martian, a 2015 sci-fi film directed by Ridley Scott, stars Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars.

First Martian emerging from the cylinder that had fallen from the sky. Illustration by Henrique Alvim Corrêa for the 1906 edition.
Image Wikipedia

Two

What novel, and who was the author, featuring Mars or Martians also features Horsell Common, near Woking, Surrey?

— Answer: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, depicts an attempted Martian invasion of Earth. In 1938, Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of the novel caused widespread panic by presenting a Martian invasion as real news. The broadcast’s format and timing led to confusion among the public and outrage among the media.

Gulliver discovers Laputa, the flying island (illustration by J. J. Grandville). Image Wikipedia

Three

On Mars’s largest moon, Phobos, there is a regio, Laputa Regio, which is named after Swift’s Laputa because of his ‘prediction’ of the two then undiscovered Martian moons, which his Laputan astronomers had discovered
— Wikipedia

The above quote from Wikipedia refers to an area on Phobos, the largest Moon of Mars, which is named after the fictional ’Laputa’. From what literary work, first published in 1726, does ‘Laputa’ originate and who was the author of it?

— Answer: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Laputa, a flying island from Gulliver’s Travels, is controlled by the king of Balnibarbi using magnetic levitation.

Michael Rennie as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).
Image Wikipedia

Four

In the 2008 remake of the 1951 film, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu. Name the actor who portrayed Klaatu in the original 1951 version and the title of both films?

— Answer: Michael Rennie and The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi film with two versions: the 1951 original about an alien and his robot delivering a message during the Cold War, and the 2008 remake starring Keanu Reeves as an alien tasked with saving Earth from environmental harm. Despite negative reviews, the 2008 film was financially successful, grossing over $233 million worldwide.

Five

Who wrote The Martian Chronicles (1950)?

— Answer: Ray Bradbury

The Martian Chronicles explores the consequences of technological advancement and militarism in a future America, addressing concerns about values and direction. It highlights issues like nuclear war, depopulation, racial oppression, and censorship.

Mars
Image NASA

A Mars a Day

This is the first photograph ever taken on the surface of Mars. It was obtained by NASA’s Viking 1 minutes after the spacecraft landed July 20, 1976.
Image NASA/JPL-Caltech

Viking 1, a robotic US spacecraft, was launched on 20 August 1975 and successfully landed on Mars in 1976, where it operated for over six years. Today, the questions are all related to Mars in fiction.

One

The 2015 Ridley Scott film The Martian starring Matt Damon was based on a novel of the same name by what American author?

Two

What novel, and who was the author, featuring Mars or Martians also features Horsell Common, near Woking, Surrey?

Three

On Mars’s largest moon, Phobos, there is a regio, Laputa Regio, which is named after …’s Laputa because of his ‘prediction’ of the two then undiscovered Martian moons, which his Laputan astronomers had discovered
— Wikipedia

The above quote from Wikipedia refers to an area on Phobos, the largest Moon of Mars, which is named after the fictional ’Laputa’. From what literary work, first published in 1726, does ‘Laputa’ originate and who was the author of it?

Four

In the 2008 remake of a 1951 film, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu. Name the actor who portrayed Klaatu in the original 1951 version and the title of both films?

Five

Who wrote The Martian Chronicles (1950)?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.

Googly—Answers

One

A search engine launched in 1996 was named after a fictional character created by English author PG Wodehouse. This character first appeared in print in 1915 and made his last appearance in Wodehouse’s last novel in 1974. Who is this character?

— Answer: Jeeves

Jeeves, a fictional valet created by PG Wodehouse, is renowned for his competence and has become synonymous with the role of a manservant. He serves the wealthy Bertie Wooster and occasionally fills in as a butler.

AskJeeves, a search engine founded in 1996, has since evolved into ask.com.

Two

A company based in Quebec City, Canada own desktop search software which runs on Microsoft Windows. Its name, when only one word is used, is almost that of an astronomer who was born in East Prussia in 1473. What is the one word name of the search software?

— Answer: Copernic

Copernic, founded in 1996, is a leading desktop and enterprise search provider. Acquired by Harris Computer Corporation in 2010, Copernic continues to develop innovative search solutions. The astronomer mentioned was Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543).

Three

A fictional character with the middle name Muriel was one of the lead characters in an American sitcom which ran from 1994 until 2004. This characters surname is what a search engine lainched in 2014 is commonly known as. What is the search engine?

— Answer: Bing

Chandler Muriel Bing, played by Matthew Perry, was a character in the TV show Friends. Bing, Microsoft’s search engine, offers web, video, image, and map search services. Launched in 2009, it introduced features like search suggestions and related searches. As of April 2024, Bing holds a 3.64% global market share, ranking second behind Google.

Four

Founded in 1994, a web portal and search engine has a name that means ‘rude, unsophisticated, uncouth’. A 1726 satire, written by an Anglo-Irish clergyman, is the origin of this meaning of the company name. What is the common two-word title of the satire, and who was the clergyman-novelist?

— Answer: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

The web portal etc is Yahoo. The word ‘yahoo’ is a backronym for ‘Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle’ or ‘Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle’. Founders Filo and Yang chose the name because they liked the slang definition of a ‘yahoo’ as ‘rude, unsophisticated, uncouth’.
Yahoos, in Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, are filthy, unpleasant creatures representing materialism and ignorant elitism. The term ‘yahoo’, which was coined by Swift, can now be defined as ‘a crude, brutish person’. By the way, the full name of Gulliver’s Travels is Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.

Five

… Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the … Foundation and its subsidiary, the … Corporation.
— Wikipedia

The above description of the web browser Firefox is from Wikipedia. What one name has been omitted three times from the quote?

— Answer: Mozilla

Firefox, originally named Phoenix, was created as a standalone browser to replace the Mozilla Suite. After several name changes due to trademark issues, it was officially released as Mozilla Firefox in 2004. The browser gained popularity for its features like tabbed browsing and an extension mechanism, and underwent significant improvements with the Quantum project in 2017 to enhance performance and modernise its architecture.

Googly

19 August 2004…
The search engine company Google Inc. raised $1.66 billion in its initial public offering; in an unusual move, the shares were sold in a public auction intended to put the average investor on an equal footing with financial industry professionals. 
— Encyclopædia Britannica

As you’ll see above on 19 August 2004, Google had its initial public offering. Today’s questions are about other tech entities.

One

A search engine launched in 1996 was named after a fictional character created by English author PG Wodehouse. This character first appeared in print in 1915 and made his last appearance in Wodehouse’s last novel in 1974. Who is this character?

Two

A company based in Quebec City, Canada own desktop search software which runs on Microsoft Windows. Its name, when only one word is used, is almost that of an astronomer who was born in East Prussia in 1473. What is the one word name of the search software?

Three

A fictional character with the middle name Muriel was one of the lead characters in an American sitcom which ran from 1994 until 2004. This characters surname is what a search engine lainched in 2014 is commonly known as. What is the search engine?

Four

Founded in 1994, a web portal and search engine has a name that means ‘rude, unsophisticated, uncouth’. A 1726 satire, written by an Anglo-Irish clergyman, is the origin of this meaning of the company name. What is the common two-word title of the satire, and who was the clergyman-novelist?

Five

… Firefox, or simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the … Foundation and its subsidiary, the … Corporation.
— Wikipedia

The above description of the web browser Firefox is from Wikipedia. What one name has been omitted three times from the quote?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later today.

Smorgasbord—Answers

The Hoof and Horn flag described in Animal Farm has painted on it a ‘hoof and a horn in white’, which resembles the communist hammer and sickle
Image Wikipedia

One

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes.

The above quote is the opening line of a classic satire published on 17 August 1945. What was the title of this novella?

— Answer: Animal Farm

Animal Farm is a satirical allegorical novella by George Orwell, published in 1945. It reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist era, criticising Stalin’s dictatorship. The book was initially rejected by several publishers but became a commercial success after World War II.

Two

The official name of an Asian capital city is

krungthepmahanakhonamonrattanakosinmahintharaayuthayamahadilokphopnoppharatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasathanamonpimanawatansathitsakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit

What is this city commonly known as in English?

— Answer: Bangkok

The 168-letter official name for Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, translates as

The city of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the Nine Gems, seat of the King, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra’s behest.

Rufus the Harris Hawk.
Image The Telegraph

Three

Rufus took over from Hamish in 2000 to perform a specific duty at The Championships on Wimbledon’s famous grass tennis courts. His social media manager reveals that Rufus has undergone an intensive training process for this role, which includes starting work each day at 5 am. What is Rufus’s two-word job title?

— Answer: Bird scarer

Rufus the Harris Hawk, Wimbledon’s official bird scarer, prevents pigeons from disrupting play. Trained to scare birds away, Rufus works from 5am before the gates open, ensuring a bird-free environment for the tournament. His handler, Imogen Davis, manages his training and monitors his weight to ensure optimal performance. Imogen also manages his social media where he has more than 11,000 followers on X (Twitter).

Don Juan Pond, Wright Valley, Victoria Land, Antarctica.
Image NASA/Wikipedia

Four

The Don Juan Pond, located in Wright Valley, Victoria Land, is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. It is situated on which continent?

—Answer: Antarctica

Don Juan Pond, located in Victoria Land, Antarctica, is the saltiest lake in the continent with a salinity level of 45.8%. Discovered in 1961, it remains liquid even at temperatures as low as −50 °C (−58 °F).

School of trumpetfishes (Macroramphosus scolopax), Faial-Pico Channel, Azores Islands, Portugal
Image Wikipedia

Five

Is it true or false that there are more species of mammals than there are amphibians, birds, fish and reptiles combined?

— Answer: False

There are over 33,000 extant species of fish, surpassing the combined total of all amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Most fish belong to the class Actinopterygii, which represents about half of all living vertebrates, making fish the largest group of vertebrates by species count.

Smorgasbord

The first question relates to today’s date, August 17th. The rest of the post, apart from being posted today, has no connection to this date.

One

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes.

The above quote is the opening line of a classic satire published on 17 August 1945. What was the title of this novella?

Two

The official name of an Asian capital city is

krungthepmahanakhonamonrattanakosinmahintharaayuthayamahadilokphopnoppharatratchathaniburiromudomratchaniwetmahasathanamonpimanawatansathitsakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit

What is this city commonly known as in English?

Three

Rufus took over from Hamish in 2000 to perform a specific duty at The Championships on Wimbledon’s famous grass tennis courts. His social media manager reveals that Rufus has undergone an intensive training process for this role, which includes starting work each day at 5 am. What is Rufus’s two-word job title?

Four

The Don Juan Pond, located in Wright Valley, Victoria Land, is one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth. It is situated on which continent?

Five

Is it true or false that there are more species of mammals than there are amphibians, birds, fish and reptiles combined?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.