Where on Earth—Answers

Ross’s Antarctic expedition.
HMS Erebus and Terror in the Antarctic by John Wilson Carmichael.
Image Wikipedia

One

On 16 August 1923, the UK named the Ross Dependency. On what continent is the Ross Dependency?

— Answer: Antarctica

The Ross Dependency, claimed by New Zealand, is a region of Antarctica defined by specific longitudes and latitude. While New Zealand’s claim is recognised by a few countries, the 1961 Antarctic Treaty holds all claims in abeyance. The Dependency, named after Sir James Clark Ross, includes the Ross Sea, Ross Ice Shelf, and several islands.


Two

Born in 1888, a military strategist and archaeological scholar also authored Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Who is he, and what by-name is he commonly known?

— Answer: T.E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia

T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British Army officer, archaeologist, and writer. He gained fame for his role in the Arab Revolt during the First World War and his subsequent work with Emir Faisal. Lawrence published his autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and later served in the Army and RAF before his death in a motorcycle accident in 1935. His life was dramatised in the 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia.


1834 portrait of James Buchanan at age 42–43 by Jacob Eichholtz.
Image Wikipedia

Three

On 16 August 1858, a new transatlantic telegraph cable was inaugurated. The inaugural event involved an exchange of greetings between the Heads of State of the United Kingdom and the United States. Who were these two Heads of State?

— Answer: Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan

The Atlantic Telegraph Company, led by Cyrus West Field, constructed the first transatlantic telegraph cable. On that day, the first official telegram to cross two continents was a congratulatory letter from Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom to President James Buchanan of the United States. Despite initial success, the cable’s poor signal quality and subsequent destruction after three weeks undermined confidence and delayed restoration efforts.


Madonna, 2020.
Image Wikipedia

Four

Madonna, the singer and actress, celebrates her birthday on August 16th. In which city and state was she born?

— Answer: Bay City, Michigan

Madonna, the ‘Queen of Pop’, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She is the best-selling female recording artist of all time, with numerous accolades including seven Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Madonna is also a successful businesswoman, philanthropist and advocate for gender equality and LGBT rights.


Richard Wagner, 1871.
Image Wikipedia

Five

On this day in 1876, Richard Wagner’s penultimate opera in his Ring cycle premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. What was the name of the opera?

— Answer: Siegfried

Siegfried is the third of Richard Wagner’s four epic music dramas, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). It premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 16 August 1876, marking the first complete performance of the cycle.

Written over twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874. The Ring cycle comprises:

  • Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)
  • Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
  • Siegfried
  • Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)

Where on Earth

One

On 16 August 1923, the UK named the Ross Dependency. On what continent is the Ross Dependency?

Two

Born in 1888, a military strategist and archaeological scholar also authored Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Who is he, and what by-name is he commonly known?

Three

On 16 August 1858, a new transatlantic telegraph cable was inaugurated. The inaugural event involved an exchange of greetings between the Heads of State of the United Kingdom and the United States. Who were these two Heads of State?

Four

Madonna, the singer and actress, celebrates her birthday on August 16th. In which city and state was she born?

Five

On this day in 1876, Richard Wagner’s penultimate opera in his Ring cycle premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. What was the name of the opera?

Q | Answers

Quagga (Equus quagga quagga), 1870. Now extinct.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

One

A quagga died in Amsterdam Zoo on 12 August 1883. Native to South Africa, the quagga was a type of…

Answer: Zebra

The quagga, a subspecies of plains zebra, was native to South Africa, where it was found in vast herds on the great plains, but is now extinct. It had a reddish-brown body with dark stripes and a white underside.


Two

What ‘Q’ links the novelist Herman Melville with Special Agent Dana Scully?

Answer: Queequeg

Queequeg, a Polynesian royal with facial tattoos, befriends Ishmael in Moby-Dick and becomes a harpooner on the Pequod. In The X-Files Scully names her dog Queequeg after the Moby-Dick character and used the name as her email handle and home alarm password.


Three

In which fictional series does Max Quordlepleen, a comedian and host, appear hosting a show at Milliways?

Answer: The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ he said, ‘the Universe as we know it has been in existence for over one hundred and seventy thousand million billion years and will be ending in a little over half an hour. So, welcome to Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe!’

With a gesture he deftly conjured another round of spontaneous applause. With another gesture he cut it.
“I am your host for tonight,” he said, “my name is Max Quordlepleen.”
— The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Pan Books).


Four

What ‘Q’ is a capital city which sits on the equator and is officially known as San Francisco de …

Answer: Quito

Officially known as San Francisco de Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is the highest national capital city in the world. It is the political and cultural centre of Ecuador, with a rich history dating back to its incorporation into the Inca Empire in the late 15th century.


Five 

Quirinus Quirrell is a character in the works of which novelist?

Answer: J.K. Rowling

In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter stories, Quirinus Quirrell, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, is possessed by Voldemort during Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. Harry defeats Quirrell, allowing Dumbledore to arrive and Voldemort to flee, resulting in Quirrell’s death.

Professor Quirinus Quirrell.
Image Pinterest

Q

The first question relates to today’s date, August 12th, and contains a word beginning with a ‘Q’. The rest of the questions follow a ‘Q’ theme, either with a ‘Q’ in the question or answer.

One

A quagga died in Amsterdam Zoo on 12 August 1883. Native to South Africa, the quagga was a type of…

Two

What ‘Q’ links the novelist Herman Melville with Special Agent Dana Scully?

Three

In which fictional series does Max Quordlepleen, a comedian, appear hosting a show at Milliways?

Four

What ‘Q’ is a capital city which sits on the equator and is officially known as San Francisco de …

Five 

Quirinus Quirrell is a character in the works of which novelist?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

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

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

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

Encyclopædia Britannica

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

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

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

Earthrise.
Image NASA

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

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?

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.

F0F1F2F3F4F5F6F7
011235813
F8F9F10F11F12F13F14F15
21345589144233377610

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.