Tag: literature

Walking on the Moon—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier.

The questions all relate to today, November 14th.

Alan L Bean prepares to step onto the lunar surface.
Image Wikipedia

One

Apollo 12, launched on 14 November 1969, became the second mission to land on the Moon. Among the three-man crew, who landed and walked on the lunar surface, was which of these: Mr Bean, Mr Hyde or Mr Spock?

Answer: Mr. Bean

Alan L Bean. Apollo 12’s crew consisted of Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F Gordon Jr and Alan L Bean. Alan Bean, an American astronaut, piloted the lunar module during the mission. He made two walks on the lunar surface, totalling eight hours, and later commanded the Skylab 3 mission. After retiring from NASA, Bean became a painter specialising in spaceflight themes.

Two

Is it true or false that Hannibal the Great was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE?

Answer: False

It was Alexander the Great who was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE. In Egypt, Alexander was portrayed as the son of Nectanebo II, the final pharaoh before Persian conquest. His victory over Darius was celebrated as Egypt’s salvation, demonstrating that Egypt remained under Egyptian rule.

Three

In Moby-Dick—which was published in the US today in 1851—Captain Ahab offers a gold coin as a reward for spotting the white whale. What real-world coin does he nail to the mast — and from which country does it come?

Answer: A Spanish gold doubloon from Ecuador.

The coin is a gold Spanish doubloon, specifically a sixteen-dollar piece from Ecuador. Its design includes symbols of the sun, zodiac signs, and the Andean mountains, which the crew interprets differently—each seeing their own meaning in it. The coin thus mirrors Ahab’s monomania and the novel’s larger theme of how individuals project their own beliefs and destinies onto the same object or event.

Eugene B. Ely flies his Curtiss pusher airplane from USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2), in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the afternoon of Nov. 14 1910.
Image General Aviation News

Four

On this date, Eugene Burton Ely achieved the first aircraft takeoff from a ship. In which decade did this happen?

Answer: 1910s

In 1910, Ely took off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss Pusher aircraft and safely made landfall. A year later he made the first shipboard landing, complete with hooks attached to his Pusher to catch sandbagged ropes to abbreviate the landing roll.

Five

In the television series MASH*, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was discharged and sent home in the final episode of Season 3. What shocking event was revealed at the end of that episode?

Answer: His plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan, with no survivors.

McLean Stevenson was born on this day in 1927. The twist ending of the episode ‘Abyssinia, Henry’ (1975) was kept secret from most of the cast until filming; their shocked reactions during Radar’s announcement were genuine. It marked one of the most memorable and emotional moments in television history.

Walking on the Moon

The questions all relate to today, November 14th.

Apollo 12 launch, November 14, 1969.
Image Wikipedia

One

Apollo 12, launched on 14 November 1969, became the second mission to land on the Moon. Among the three-man crew, who landed and walked on the lunar surface, was which of these: Mr Bean, Mr Hyde or Mr Spock?

Two

Is it true or false that Hannibal the Great was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE?

Three

In Moby-Dick—which was published in the US today in 1851—Captain Ahab offers a gold coin as a reward for spotting the white whale. What real-world coin does he nail to the mast — and from which country does it come?

Four

On this date, Eugene Burton Ely achieved the first aircraft takeoff from a ship. In which decade did this happen?

Five

In the television series MASH*, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was discharged and sent home in the final episode of Season 3. What shocking event was revealed at the end of that episode?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

University Blues

Here are the answers to the questions about universities which were posed earlier.

Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University, Fez, Morocco.
Image Wikipedia

One

The world’s oldest continuously operating university is the University of al-Qarawiyyin. In what city and country is it located?

Answer: Fez, Morocco.

Founded by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman who used her inheritance to establish a centre for education and religion, Al-Qarawiyyin began as a madrasa. It later became a leading spiritual and educational hub in the Muslim world. UNESCO and the Guinness World Records both recognise it as the oldest continuously operating higher education institution globally.

Two

The second-oldest university in the United States is what, and who is it named after?

Answer: College of William & Mary; (named after England’s) King William III and Queen Mary II

Founded in 1693 in Williamsburg, Virginia, William & Mary was established by royal charter from King William III and Queen Mary II of England. It educated several key figures in early US history including Thomas Jefferson James Monroe and John Tyler all of whom became presidents. Notably it was also the first US college to implement an honour code and establish a Greek-letter fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1776.

Three

What’s the third book (2009) in the series featuring a fictional professor of religious iconology and symbology? Who is this professor? The character first appeared in a book published in 2000.

Answer: The Lost Symbol; Robert Langdon

Dan Brown’s book series centres on Robert Langdon, a fictional Harvard professor of Religious Iconology and Symbology. This latter subject is a fictional field studying historic symbols distinct from the real discipline of semiotics.

Four Weddings and a Funeral
Image Film Affinity

Four

In the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Charles (Hugh Grant), Tom (James Fleet), and Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) have known each other since university. What university?

Answer: Cambridge University

Charles, Tom and Scarlett are shown to have attended Cambridge University in Four Weddings and a Funeral and their friendship began there.

Five

What are the five ancient universities of Britain and Ireland which were founded in the 15th and 16th centuries and are NOT located in England?

Answer: University of St Andrews (founded 1413), University of Glasgow (1451), University of Aberdeen (1495), University of Edinburgh (1583) and University of Dublin (Trinity College Dublin) (1592)

Although located in Ireland, Trinity College is historically linked with the British ancient universities. The other two ancient universities of Britain are Oxford (1096) and Cambridge (1209).

University Blues

Today’s questions are all about university.

Coat of Arms, Unseen University,
Motto: Nunc id Vides, Nunc ne Vides (“Now you see it, Now you don’t.”).
Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.
Image Wikipedia

One

The world’s oldest continuously operating university is the University of al-Qarawiyyin. In what city and country is it located?

Two

The second-oldest university in the United States is what, and who is it named after?

Three

What’s the third book (2009) in the series featuring a fictional professor of religious iconology and symbology? Who is this professor? The character first appeared in a book published in 2000.

Four

In the 1994 film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Charles (Hugh Grant), Tom (James Fleet), and Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman) have known each other since university. What university?

Five

What are five of the ancient universities of Britain and Ireland which were founded in the 15th and 16th centuries and are NOT located in England?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

Swimming with Sharks—Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier questions..

Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier). 
Image Wikipedia

One

Which shark is pictured? 

Answer: Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

The tiger shark, the largest member of the Galeocerdo genus, is a solitary, nocturnal predator found in tropical and temperate waters. It has a diverse diet and is considered near-threatened due to human activities. 

Two

What 1964 film starring Stanley Baker and Michael Cain depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift?

Answer: Zulu

Zulu is a 1964 British historical drama film about the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War. Directed by Cy Endfield, it stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine, and received critical acclaim for its sets, soundtrack, cinematography, and performances.

Three

Complete the title of this short story by Alan Sillitoe which was published in 1959: The Loneliness of the…?

Answer: Long-Distance Runner (The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner)

Alan Sillitoe’s 1959 short story The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner follows Smith, a Nottingham teenager who finds solace in running.

Four

Which state or territorial capital of mainland Australia is the only one north of the Tropic of Capricorn?

Answer: Darwin (Northern Territory)

Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly capital city. It has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season, and its proximity to Southeast Asia makes it a key link between Australia and countries like Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The city has been rebuilt four times due to cyclones and WWII air raids.

Chumbawamba’s The Boy Bands Have Won
Image The Independent

Five

Chumbawamba’s 2008 album The Boy Bands Have Won holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title.  Can you tell me how many words are in the full title?  A decade (a group of ten) is acceptable. For example, if the answer is 104 then 101-110 is fine.

Answer: 156 (151-160 acceptable)

Its full title contains 156 words, or 865 characters, and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title. In full, it is…

The boy bands have won, and all the copyists and the tribute bands and the TV talent show producers have won, if we allow our culture to be shaped by mimicry, whether from lack of ideas or from exaggerated respect. You should never try to freeze culture. What you can do is recycle that culture. Take your older brother’s hand-me-down jacket and re-style it, re-fashion it to the point where it becomes your own. But don’t just regurgitate creative history, or hold art and music and literature as fixed, untouchable and kept under glass. The people who try to ‘guard’ any particular form of music are, like the copyists and manufactured bands, doing it the worst disservice, because the only thing that you can do to music that will damage it is not change it, not make it your own. Because then it dies, then it’s over, then it’s done, and the boy bands have won.

Swimming with Sharks

Today’s five questions are random with no connection.

Image Wikipedia

One

Which shark is pictured? 

Two

What 1964 film starring Stanley Baker and Michael Cain depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift?

Three

Complete the title of this short story by Alan Sillitoe which was published in 1959: The Loneliness of the…?

Four

Which state or territorial capital of mainland Australia is the only one north of the Tropic of Capricorn?

Five

Chumbawamba’s 2008 album The Boy Bands Have Won holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title.  Can you tell me how many words are in the full title?  A decade (a group of ten) is acceptable. For example, if the answer is 104 then 101-110 is fine.

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

There’s a Theme Running Through It—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

Swallowtail.
Image Wildlife Trusts

One

What is the largest butterfly in the UK? It has a ten-letter name and lives in the Norfolk Broads. 

Answer: Swallowtail

The swallowtail is the largest and most localised butterfly in the UK. Adults emerge from winter chrysalises, drying their wings in reedbeds before displaying their bright colours. Their swallow-like tails and false eye spots confuse predators. Even as caterpillars, they are striking, with bulging horns for defence and orange scent glands that release a pineapple-like odor when threatened.

Two

In what 1975 novel does IRA member Liam Devlin take part in a wartime plot to kidnap Winston Churchill?

Answer: The Eagle Has Landed

Irish Republican Liam Devlin and Joanna Grey, an Afrikaner woman and seasoned Abwehr agent residing in England, team up with German paratroopers to plan and execute the kidnapping of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Three

In the 1955 film, To Catch a Thief (1955), who is seen sitting beside Cary Grant and a pair of caged birds on a bus? 

Answer: Alfred Hitchcock

Producer and director Alfred Hitchcock makes his signature cameo, approximately ten minutes into the film, as a bus passenger sitting next to Cary Grant and a caged pair of birds.

Four

What single answer satisfies all of the following: the title of Fleetwood Mac’s only number one hit on the UK Singles Chart; a significant being in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; and in golf, refers to a score of three strokes under par for a hole?

Answer: Albatross

Albatross is a guitar-based instrumental by Fleetwood Mac, composed by Peter Green. It was released as a single in 1968 and became their only number one single on the UK charts. The albatross that saves the ship by leading the way from the ice in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and is then shot; and the word used as an alternative to double eagle meaning a score of three strokes under par for a hole.

A nesting pair of Macaroni penguins, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands.
Image Wikipedia

Five

Eudyptes chrysolophus: part of this bird’s name is also a type of pasta. What pasta? 

Answer: Macaroni 

The macaroni penguin—Eudyptes chrysolophus—is a crested penguin with a distinctive yellow crest, it is the most numerous penguin species, with an estimated 18 million individuals. Despite its abundance, the species is vulnerable due to widespread population declines since the mid-1970s.

Theme

The theme was of course Birds. Question 1. swallow (from swallowtail); 2. Eagle; 3. Caged birds mentioned in the question plus Hitchcock was the director of The Birds; 4. Albatross and 5. penguin.

There’s a Theme Running Through It

Today, a common thread weaves through five seemingly unrelated questions.

Image Wildlife Trusts.

One

What is the largest butterfly in the UK? It has a ten-letter name and lives in the Norfolk Broads. 

Two

In what 1975 novel does IRA member Liam Devlin take part in a wartime plot to kidnap Winston Churchill?

Three

In the 1955 film, To Catch a Thief (1955), who is seen sitting beside Cary Grant and a pair of caged birds on a bus? 

Four

What single answer satisfies all of the following: the title of Fleetwood Mac’s only number one hit on the UK Singles Chart; a significant being in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; and in golf, refers to a score of three strokes under par for a hole?

Five

Eudyptes chrysolophus: part of this bird’s name is also a type of pasta. What pasta? 

Good luck! The answers will be posted later.

The Rumble in the Jungle—Answers

Here are the answers to the questions I asked earlier.

The Rumble in the Jungle.
Muhammad Ali (standing) and George Foreman (on canvas).
Image USA Today

One

On October 30, 1974, the legendary boxing event The Rumble in the Jungle took place. In which city and country did this event take place? Who were the two boxers involved? And which fighter emerged victorious, reclaiming the world heavyweight title that day?

Answer: Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo); Muhammad Ali and George Foreman; and Muhammad Ali (recovered title)

This fight took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). It drew a massive crowd of 60,000 and was one of the most-watched televised events at the time. Ali emerged victorious by knockout in the eighth round.

Orson Welles at the press conference after The War of the Worlds broadcast, 1938.
Image Wikipedia

Two

The 1938 broadcast of a radio drama adaptation caused panic among listeners who thought it was real. What was the title of this drama and who wrote the original novel?

Answer: The War of the Worlds; (written by) H.G. Wells

The broadcast presented H.G. Wells’s story in a live news style format and reportedly caused panic by convincing some listeners that Martians were invading.

Three

In 1817, who became president of the newly formed Third Republic of Venezuela?

Answer: Simón Bolívar

Bolívar played a crucial role in Latin American independence, significantly shaping Venezuela’s early republican era.

Comparison of Nuclear Explosions.
Image World of Engineering via Reddit

Four

In 1961, the Tsar Bomba test — the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated — was detonated in what archipelago and by which country?

Answer: Novaya Zemlya (archipelago); Soviet Union (USSR)

The Tsar Bomba, or AN602, was the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created and tested, designed by Soviet physicists under Andrei Sakharov’s oversight. The bomb’s yield was around 50 megatonnes, and the test took place over the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

Five

In 1905, to quell revolutionary pressure in Russia, a significant concession was made: the establishment of an elected parliament, the Duma, and the guarantee of civil liberties. Who made this concession?

Answer: Tsar Nicholas II

This was part of the aftermath of the 1905 Russian Revolution and marked the beginning of attempts at constitutional government in Russia, with Tsar Nicholas II issuing the October Manifesto in 1905, promising civil rights and an elected parliament, the Duma, after being pressured by Sergei Witte and Grand Duke Nicholas.

The Rumble in the Jungle

Here are five questions related to today, October 30th.

Orson Welles, 1937. See question 2.
Image Wikipedia

One

On October 30, 1974, the legendary boxing event The Rumble in the Jungle took place. In which city and country did this event take place? Who were the two boxers involved? And which fighter emerged victorious, reclaiming the world heavyweight title that day?

Two

The 1938 broadcast of a radio drama adaptation by Orson Welles caused panic among listeners who thought it was real. What was the title of this drama and who wrote the original novel?

Three

In 1817, who became president of the newly formed Third Republic of Venezuela?

Tsar Bomba

Four

In 1961, the Tsar Bomba test — the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated — was detonated in what archipelago and by which country?

Five

In 1905, to quell revolutionary pressure in Russia, a significant concession was made: the establishment of an elected parliament, the Duma, and the guarantee of civil liberties. Who made this concession?

Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.