Tag: literature

The Glimmer Twins—Answers

The Glimmer Twins. See question five.
Image Atlas Obscura

Today’s questions are all related to events that occurred on December 18th.

One

How many US presidents have been impeached, and who are they?

Answer: Three; Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump (twice)

On 18 December 2019 Donald Trump became the third US president to be impeached. He was impeached a second time in January 2021. Impeachment is a congressional check on presidential power, requiring a simple majority vote in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate for conviction and removal from office. Despite being impeached, none of these presidents were convicted or removed from office. In 1974, in a bid to avoid being impeached Richard Nixon, became the first president to resign.

Two

In 1892, Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker was first presented at which theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia

Answer: Mariinsky Theatre

The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s final ballet, premiered in December 1892. Despite initial criticism of the choreography, scenery, and performance, it has become the most frequently performed ballet and a popular introduction to classical music. Though initially not as successful as the earlier Nutcracker Suite, it gained popularity and is now performed by many ballet companies, especially in North America.

Three

Born on this day in 1946, this director directed Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper in a 1975 film and as Roy Neary in a 1977 one. Who is the director and what are the films?

Answer: Steven Spielberg; Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Steven Spielberg, the highest-grossing director of all time, is renowned for pioneering the modern blockbuster with films like Jaws and Schindler’s List. He co-founded Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures, producing numerous successful films and TV series. Spielberg’s filmmaking journey began in childhood, leading to early successes. His breakthrough with Jaws (1975) established him as a leading director and created the summer blockbuster genre. He is also celebrated for diverse works, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Four

The TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! premiered in 1966 and was an adaptation of a 1957 children’s book written under a pen name. Could you tell me what that pen name was and what is the author’s real name?

Answer: Dr. Seuss; Theodor Seuss Geisel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, was an American children’s author and illustrator. He wrote and illustrated over 60 books, including classics like The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, selling over 600 million copies worldwide. His work has been adapted into numerous television specials, films, and a Broadway musical. His birthday, March 2nd, is marked annually as National Read Across America Day

Five

Born on this day in 1943, one half of ‘The Glimmer Twins’. This British musician and guitarist met a singer, his musical and songwriting ‘twin’ at a railway station in 1961. Their chance encounter ultimately led to their becoming key figures in the formation of a legendary rock band. Who was the musician born on this day?

Answer: Keith Richards

Born in Dartford, Kent, in 1943, Keith Richards is a celebrated British musician, guitarist, songwriter and record producer. His innovative chord-heavy playing style, influenced by early blues, has been a key factor in the Rolling Stones’ immense success. He is best known as a founding member and guitarist of the Rolling Stones, with a successful songwriting partnership with Mick Jagger. *Rolling Stones *magazine’s ‘500 Greatest Songs of All Time’ list included fourteen songs written by Richards and Jagger.

The Glimmer Twins

The post title refers to a name used by Keith Richards and Mick Jagger who have produced Stones’ albums under the pseudonym ‘The Glimmer Twins’ starting with It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (1974).

The Glimmer Twins

The Glimmer Twins. See question five.
Image Atlas Obscura

Today’s questions are all related to events that occurred on December 18th.

One

How many US presidents have been impeached, and who are they?

Two

In 1892, Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker was first presented at which theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia

Three

Born on this day in 1946, this director directed Richard Dreyfuss as Matt Hooper in a 1975 film and as Roy Neary in a 1977 one. Who is the director and what are the films?

Four

The TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! premiered in 1966 and was an adaptation of a 1957 children’s book written under a pen name. Could you tell me what that pen name was and what is the author’s real name?

Five

Born on this day in 1943, one half of ‘The Glimmer Twins’. This British musician and guitarist met a singer, his musical and songwriting ‘twin’ at a railway station in 1961. Their chance encounter ultimately led to their becoming key figures in the formation of a legendary rock band. Who was the musician born on this day?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

The Moving Finger Writes—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

All of today’s questions are about writers who were born on December 16th.

Contrary to my previous statement, this is Mark Twain, a writer, but not one born on December 16th.
Image Wikipedia

One

Everytime I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone

To which writer, born this day in 1775, was Mark Twain referring when he said the above?

Answer: Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist known for her six novels that critique the English landed gentry and explore women’s dependence on marriage. Although her novels were moderately successful during her lifetime, they gained widespread acclaim and popularity after her death. Austen’s work has inspired numerous adaptations and critical essays.

Two

What television writer, born in 1943, was a creator of both Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue?

Answer: Steven Bochco

Steven Bochco, an American television writer and producer, developed numerous crime dramas including Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.

Three

Ubik, a 1969 science fiction novel by an American writer born in 1928, was selected by Time magazine in 2009 as one of the 100 greatest novels since 1923. Who was the writer?

Answer: Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick was an American science fiction writer known for exploring philosophical and social questions in his work. He wrote 45 novels and 121 short stories, gaining acclaim with The Man in the High Castle and later works like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Ubik. His posthumous influence extended to Hollywood, inspiring numerous films and TV adaptations.

Four

Born on this day in 1899, this English playwright, actor and composer had a part as a convict in The Italian Job (1969). Who was this?

Answer: Noël Coward

Noël Coward was a prolific English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer known for his wit and flamboyance. He achieved enduring success with over 50 plays, numerous songs and a diverse body of work spanning six decades.

Five

In Arthur C. Clarke’s 1953 short story The Nine Billion Names of God, what unexpected device do Tibetan monks acquire to complete a sacred task that has taken generations?

Answer: Computer

When the story was published, computers were still room-sized, rare machines known mainly to scientists and governments. Clarke’s tale is often cited as one of the earliest and most striking examples of science fiction exploring the uneasy intersection between advanced technology and ancient religious belief—ending with a famously chilling final line as the task is completed.

The Moving Finger Writes

The post title comes from

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
 Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
   Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
 Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
RUBAIYAT OF OMAR KHAYYAM by Omar Khayyam 
(Translated by Edward Fitzgerald)
— Full text at Project Gutenberg

December 6th—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions which were posted earlier.

All of these questions are related to today, December 6th.

One

In 1998, Hugo Chávez was victorious in presidential elections in what country?

Answer: Venezuela

Hugo Chávez was a Venezuelan politician and revolutionary who served as president from 1999 until his death in 2013. He founded the Fifth Republic Movement and later the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, implementing social reforms and nationalising industries as part of the Bolivarian Revolution. While his policies initially improved poverty and social welfare, they also led to economic instability and shortages.

1897 Bersey Electrical Cab, British Motor Museum, Gaydon.
Image Wikipedia

Two

In 1897, which capital city became the first in the world to host licensed self-propelled motorised taxicabs?

Answer: London, United Kingdom

The first of these motorised cabs were electric-powered vehicles, nicknamed ‘Hummingbirds’ due to the quiet sound of their electric motors. A fleet of these cabs, designed by Walter C. Bersey, was introduced on 19 August 1897, and officially licensed by 6 December of the same year. However, London had a system for licensed horse-drawn carriages (known as “hackney carriages”) much earlier, with the first official licences issued in 1662. The 1897 date specifically marks the introduction and licensing of motorised, rather than horse-drawn, cabs. 

Three

In 1969, the ill-fated Altamont festival, a free one-day rock festival, at the Altamont Speedway, Livermore, California, United States, was put on by an act as a thank-you gesture to their fans? The haphazardly organised festival was put on by what act?

Answer: The Rolling Stones

The Altamont Speedway Free Festival in California was a counterculture rock concert intended as a thank-you to fans by The Rolling Stones. However, the event turned deadly when a security guard, a member of the Hell’s Angels, fatally stabbed Meredith Hunter. Marred by violence and three accidental deaths, the festival is often remembered as a dark ending to the 1960s counterculture.  

Nefertiti.
Image Wikipedia

Four

In 1912, a bust of a queen of Egypt was discovered during excavations at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. Who was this queen from the 14th century BCE?

Answer: Nefertiti

Nefertiti, queen of Egypt and wife of King Akhenaton, played a prominent role in the cult of the sun god Aton. She bore six daughters, two of whom became queens, and is depicted in early images accompanying her husband and later usurping kingly privileges in religious rituals. The sculpture later went on display in a Berlin museum, and it became a source of controversy as an alleged plundered artefact.

Five

On this day in 1933, a US Federal judge declared a book featuring Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom not obscene.  Can you name the book and its author?

Answer: Ulysses by James Joyce

Ulysses, a modernist novel by James Joyce, parallels Homer’s Odyssey and chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners—Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and Molly Bloom—on 16 June 1904, representing Telemachus, Odysseus and Penelope. Published in Paris in 1922, the novel is considered a classic of modernist literature, known for its experimental style, rich characterisation, and exploration of themes like antisemitism, human sexuality and Irish nationalism.

December 6th

All of these questions are related to today, December 6th.

One

In 1998, Hugo Chávez was victorious in presidential elections in what country?

1897 Bersey Electrical Cab.

Two

In 1897, which capital city became the first in the world to host licensed self-propelled motorised taxicabs?

Three

In 1969, the ill-fated Altamont festival, a free one-day rock festival, at the Altamont Speedway, Livermore, California, United States, was put on by an act as a thank-you gesture to their fans? The haphazardly organised festival was put on by what act?

Four

In 1912, a bust of a queen of Egypt was discovered during excavations at Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. Who was this queen from the 14th century BCE?

Five

On this day in 1933, a US Federal judge declared a book featuring Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom not obscene.  Can you name the book and its author?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Hatches, Matches and Despatches Part Deux—Answers

Apocalypse Now. See question 3.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

Today’s questions focus on individuals born, married or deceased on December 3rd.

One

Which heavy metal band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 and known for pioneering the genre, featured Ozzy Osbourne as its original lead vocalist?

Answer: Black Sabbath

Ozzy Osbourne was born this day in 1948. Black Sabbath’s 1970 self-titled debut album is often cited as one of the first true heavy-metal records, in part because its tritone-based title track was considered unusually dark and ominous for its time.

Two

Which pioneering psychoanalyst, daughter of Sigmund Freud, became one of the founders of child psychoanalysis?

Answer: Anna Freud

During World War II, Anna Freud co-founded the Hampstead War Nurseries in London, providing care for bomb-displaced children and shaping her influential theories on child development. She was born in Vienna, Austria, on this day in 1895.

Three

Which Polish-born British novelist wrote Heart of Darkness, the novella that later inspired the 1979 film Apocalypse Now?

Answer: Joseph Conrad

Conrad did not speak fluent English until his twenties, yet became one of the language’s most celebrated stylists. He was born on this day in 1857.

Johann Sebastian Bach.
Image Wikipedia

Four

Which Baroque composer, known for works such as the Brandenburg Concertos, married Anna Magdalena Wilcken on 3 December 1721?

Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Anna Magdalena herself was an accomplished singer, and Bach compiled two Notebooks for Anna Magdalena Bach, collections of keyboard pieces for her to study and perform.

Five

Which co-founder of the Jesuit order, famed for missionary work in India, Japan and Southeast Asia, died off the coast of China in 1552?

Answer: St. Francis Xavier

Xavier’s extensive travels—over 60,000 miles by ship—made him one of the most widely travelled religious figures of the 16th century.

Hatches, Matches and Despatches Part Deux

Apocalypse Now. See question 3.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica

Today’s questions focus on individuals born, married or deceased on December 3rd.

One

Which heavy metal band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 and known for pioneering the genre, featured Ozzy Osbourne as its original lead vocalist?

Two

Which pioneering psychoanalyst, daughter of Sigmund Freud, became one of the founders of child psychoanalysis?

Three

Which Polish-born British novelist wrote Heart of Darkness, the novella that later inspired the 1979 film Apocalypse Now?

Four

Which Baroque composer, known for works such as the Brandenburg Concertos, married Anna Magdalena Wilcken on 3 December 1721?

Five

Which co-founder of the Jesuit order, famed for missionary work in India, Japan and Southeast Asia, died off the coast of China in 1552?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Writing is on the Wall—Answers

CS Lewis, 1957.
Image Wikipedia

The first two questions focus on authors born on November 29th, while the remaining three questions maintain a literary theme but avoid that date.

One

Born in Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland) in 1898, an author wrote a classic children’s literature series of seven fantasy novels published between 1950 and 1956. These novels are often referred to as a collective. Here are seven clues to the individual books in the series; each clue points to a single word in the relative title. They are listed in publication order (1 to 7):

  1. Cat
  2. A landlocked sea
  3. Ship
  4. A piece of furniture
  5. Equus
  6. A relative 
  7. An engagement

What is the collective name of the series, and who is the author?

Answer: The Chronicles of Narnia; CS Lewis

For your information the seven clues and the individual books are as follows. NB. The word the clue referred to is in bold in each title.

  1. Cat — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  2. A landlocked sea — Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia 
  3. Ship — The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  4. A piece of furniture — The Silver Chair
  5. Equus — The Horse and His Boy
  6. A relative — The Magician’s Nephew
  7. An engagement — The Last Battle

The author was close friends with JRR Tolkien, and the two belonged to an informal Oxford literary group known as the Inklings, where they often read drafts of their work aloud for critique.

Louisa May Alcott circa 1870.
Image Wikipedia

Two

An American author born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on this day in 1832, moved to Boston, Massachusetts in her infancy. She’s best known for her children’s book first published in 1868. Though its two-word title is widely recognised, it was originally published with the subtitle ‘Or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy’. Who is this author and what is the title of her book?

Answer: Louisa May Alcott; Little Women

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was an American novelist, best known for Little Women and its sequels. Raised in New England, she was influenced by transcendentalist intellectuals and began writing at a young age. Alcott was an abolitionist, feminist, and active in reform movements, and her life and work have been widely celebrated. Little Women, a coming-of-age novel, follows the March sisters’ journey from childhood to womanhood. It is considered autobiographical or at least partially autobiographical.

Three

Which American author and adventurer wrote The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), novels inspired by his experiences in the Klondike Gold Rush?

Answer: Jack London

Jack London (1876–1916) was one of the first American authors to become a worldwide celebrity. A pioneer of commercial magazine fiction, he was also a political activist and an early advocate of animal welfare. His rugged adventure stories drew heavily on his own harsh experiences working as an oyster pirate, sailor, and prospector. The Call of the Wild was an immediate success and remains one of the most widely read American novels.

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Four

What British crime novelist created detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and is often referred to as the ‘Queen of Mystery’?

Answer: Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie (1890–1976) is the best-selling novelist of all time, with her works having sold billions of copies worldwide. Her play The Mousetrap holds the record as the longest-running play in history. Christie also wrote several novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. Her intricate plots and surprise twists have made her a foundational figure in detective fiction, influencing countless writers.

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Five

A poet born in Saint Louis, Missouri, wrote the iconic poem Because I could not stop for Death and is now regarded as one of the most important figures in American literature. Who is she?

Answer: Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) wrote nearly 1,800 poems, though fewer than a dozen were published during her lifetime—and those often heavily edited. Known for her distinctive dashes, unconventional capitalization, and compressed style, Dickinson lived much of her life in reclusion. After her death, her sister Lavinia discovered her vast collection of handwritten poems, leading to the posthumous publications that secured her literary legacy.

Pleading the Belly—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

These questions all relate to today’s date, November 28th.

Anne Bonny and Mary Read, pirates. Life-size bronze statues. Image CN Statue https://www.cnstatue.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Anne-Bonny-and-Mary-Read-statue.jpg

One

Mary Read and Anne Bonny were put on trial in Jamaica in 1720. For what were they tried, convicted, and sentenced to death?

Answer: Piracy

In 1720, Read and her crew commandeered a sloop, leading the Bahamas governor to declare them enemies of the Crown. Captured, they faced trial in Jamaica, where they were found guilty and sentenced to death. All the male crew members were executed by hanging, but Read and Bonny claimed pregnancy—pleading the belly, which granted them a stay of execution. Read eventually died in prison, likely from a fever, and Bonny was eventually freed.

Two

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in a series of movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, had its world premiere in what country?

Answer: New Zealand

The film premiered in Wellington, New Zealand—the capital of Middle-earth—on 28 November 2012. An Unexpected Journey, set in Middle-earth sixty years before The Lord of the Rings, follows Bilbo Baggins on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. The film, released in 2012, received mixed reviews but grossed $1.017 billion and was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Flag of Albania.
Image Wikipedia

Three

The Vlorë proclamation, issued on this day in 1912, declared independence for ____. Which country is missing from this statement?

Answer: Albania

Independent Albania was declared a parliamentary state in Vlorë on 28 November 1912 during the First Balkan War. Despite seeking international recognition based on ethnic rights, the London Conference of 1913 partitioned much of the claimed Albanian lands, leaving only a central region as an independent territory under Great Power protection. This led to the establishment of the Principality of Albania as a constitutional monarchy in August 1913.

Four

In 1582, Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time, married whom in the Diocese of Worcester, England?

Answer: William Shakespeare

Aged 18, William Shakespeare married 26-year-old Anne Hathaway and had three children: Susanna—six months after their marriage—and twins Hamnet and Judith. After the twins’ birth, he disappeared from historical records until 1592, leading to speculation about his ‘lost years’, including deer poaching, horse minding, and school teaching.

Five

In World War II, the first conference of the ‘Big Three’—Winston Churchill (United Kingdom), Franklin Delano Roosevelt (United States), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)—began on this day in 1943. Which of these was the location: Tehran, Iran; or Yalta, Crimea, Soviet Union?

Answer: Tehran, Iran

The Tehran Conference, held from 28 November to 1 December 1943, was the first meeting of the ‘Big Three’ Allied leaders during World War II. The main outcome was a commitment to open a second front against Nazi Germany by 1 June 1944. The conference also addressed relations with Turkey and Iran, operations in Yugoslavia and against Japan, and the envisioned post-war settlement.

Pleading the Belly

These questions all relate to today’s date, November 28th.

One

Mary Read and Anne Bonny were put on trial in Jamaica in 1720. For what were they tried, convicted, and sentenced to death?

Two

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first in a series of movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, had its world premiere in what country?

Flag of ____
Image Wikipedia

Three

The Vlorë proclamation, issued on this day in 1912, declared independence for ____. Which country is missing from this statement?

Four

In 1582, Anne Hathaway, who was pregnant at the time, married whom in the Diocese of Worcester, England?

Five

In World War II, the first conference of the ‘Big Three’—Winston Churchill (United Kingdom), Franklin Delano Roosevelt (United States), and Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union)—began on this day in 1943. Which of these was the location: Tehran, Iran; or Yalta, Crimea, Soviet Union?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.