On 5 June 1968, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot? Who shot him, and in what building and in what city was he shot?
Two
AIDS was reported for the first time after a rare form of pneumonia was found in five homosexual men. In what year was this, and in what city was the pneumonia detected?
Three
Born this day in 1939, this man would become Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister 40 years later. Who is he?
Four
This author was born in Wales in 1949, and had a breakthrough with his 1978 novel Eye of the Needle. His successful Kingsbridge series began with The Pillars of the Earth (1989). Who is this author?
Five
This actor turned politician had his first screen credit in a starring role in 1937 as Andy McCaine in Love Is on the Air and 20 years later he was Cdr. Casey Abbott in Hellcats of the Navy. Who is he?
Woodcut representing the waterfront of Memphis, Tennessee, published 1879. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s five questions form a theme, and that is all I am alluding to.
One
The Perry Index sorts fables attributed to which ancient Greek writer?
Answer: Aesop.
The Perry Index is a comprehensive index of Aesop’s Fables, attributed to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop (620-560 BC). Created by Ben Edwin Perry, a University of Illinois classics professor, it categorises and references the fables. Modern scholarship suggests Aesop didn’t compose all of the fables attributed to him; some predate him, others appear over a millennium after him.
Two
What singer’s debut album was Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number?
Answer: Aaliyah.
Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number is Aaliyah’s debut album, released on 24 May 1994. Produced by R. Kelly, it blends R&B with new jack swing, peaking at number 18 on the US Billboard 200. It sold over three million copies in the US and six million worldwide, featuring two gold-certified singles.
Three
In 1938, which national leader was named Time magazine’s Man of the Year?
Answer: Adolf Hitler.
TIME explained what was perhaps the most controversial of its choices thus: “Hitler became in 1938 the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today” (1/2/39).
Hitler’s rise began in 1919, when he joined the German Workers Party, which was renamed the Nazi party. Within two years he was the party’s leader. In 1933, Hitler became chancellor of Germany and soon consolidated his power, banning other parties and establishing totalitarian rule. He put the unemployed to work in public programs, rebuilt the army and sent Jews, communists and others to concentration camps. On September 1, 1939, Hitler began World War II by invading Poland. By 1941, German troops had become bogged down in Russia, and in 1944 the Allies began their advance on Germany. Hitler lived his final months in a Berlin bunker, committing suicide on April 29, 1945.
Big River, a 1984 musical, is based on which Mark Twain novel?
Answer: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Roger Miller’s Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a musical based on Mark Twain’s novel, featuring bluegrass and country music. The 1985 Broadway production ran for over 1,000 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Five
What word describes the repetition of the same sound at the start of each word?
Answer: Alliteration.
alliteration | əˌlɪtəˈreɪʃn | noun [mass noun] the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words: the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’ | [count noun] : alliterations are clustered in the last few lines. – ORIGIN early 17th century: from medieval Latin alliteratio(n-), from Latin ad– (expressing addition) + littera ‘letter’. Oxford English Dictionary
In the Beginning
The post title refers to all the answers beginning with ‘A’.
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, theatrical poster. Image Wikimedia Commons
All of these questions are related to today’s date, May 25th.
One
What was the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture?
Midnight Cowboy.
Released on this day in 1969, Midnight Cowboy, directed by John Schlesinger, stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight as New York hustlers. It won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and is the only X-rated film to do so. Ranked 36th and 43rd on AFI’s lists, it was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry in 1994. X-certification has been renamed in some domains; for example, in the U.K., it is now an 18 certificate, which is suitable only for persons aged 18 years and over, and in the U.S., NC-17, No one 17 and under admitted.
Two
He did not wear his scarlet coat, For blood and wine are red, And blood and wine were on his hands When they found him with the dead, The poor dead woman whom he loved, And murdered in her bed.
The above lines are the opening verse of an 1897 poem which was published under the pseudonym C.3.3. What is the poem, and who wrote it?
Answer: The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.
On 25 May 1895, Wilde had been convicted of ‘committing acts of gross indecency with certain male persons’, sentenced to two years’ hard labour; he served the majority of his sentence in Reading Gaol. His poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which was written after his release from prison, narrates the execution of Charles Thomas Wooldridge. It highlights the brutalisation of punishment and Wilde’s identification with prisoners. Published in 1898, under the pseudonym C.3.3. — his prison identification by which he was addressed — it remained anonymous until Wilde’s identity as author was revealed in 1899. The poem, which sold well, provided Wilde with an income for life.
Three
The author who created the character Jason Bourne in a 1980 novel was born in 1927. Who was this author?
Answer: Robert Ludlum.
Robert Ludlum, an American author known for his spy thrillers, wrote best-sellers like The Bourne Identity and The Scarlatti Inheritance. Despite criticism of his plots and prose, his fast-paced espionage novels were immensely popular. He authored 27 thriller novels, including the Jason Bourne series, which have been published in 33 languages and sold an estimated 300-500 million copies.
Four
An actor, born in 1939, links the roles of John Profumo in 1989, Mithrandir (2001), and Leigh Teabing (2006). What actor?
Answer: Ian McKellen.
Ian McKellen, who was born in England on this day in 1939, played John Profumo in Scandal (1989). In 2001, he took on the role of Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring — Mithrandir is how Gandalf is known by the Elves in their Sindarin language. He portrayed Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code (2006).
Five
…; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera, debuted in London in 1878. What has been omitted from the beginning of the opera’s title?
Answer: H.M.S. Pinafore.
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered in 1878, running for 571 performances. Set on a Royal Navy ship, it humorously critiques the British class system and authority. Its success led to other popular works, influencing modern musical theatre.
…; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, theatrical poster (cropped). See question five. Image Wikimedia Commons
All of these questions are related to today’s date, May 25th.
One
What was the first X-rated film to win the Academy Award for best picture?
Two
He did not wear his scarlet coat, For blood and wine are red, And blood and wine were on his hands When they found him with the dead, The poor dead woman whom he loved, And murdered in her bed.
The above lines are the opening verse of an 1897 poem which was published under the pseudonym C.3.3. What is the poem, and who wrote it?
Three
The author who created the character Jason Bourne in a 1980 novel was born in 1927. Who was this author?
Four
An actor, born in 1939, links the roles of John Profumo in 1989, Mithrandir (2001), and Leigh Teabing (2006). What actor?
Five
…; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor, a comic opera, debuted in London in 1878. What has been omitted from the beginning of the opera’s title?
Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here.
Theme
The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions.
Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order.
Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?
Answers: Lhasa; Tibet and China.
The Potala Palace, pictured, in Lhasa, Tibet, served as the winter residence of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959. Built in the dzong style, it’s named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical dwelling of Avalokiteśvara. Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, stands at 11,995 feet (3,656 m), making it one of the world’s highest cities. The incorporation of Tibet into China in 1950 remains a contentious issue. While China considers it a rightful part of its territory, many Tibetans and the international community view it as an occupation.
Two
In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?
Independence Day.
Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich. The film, which focuses on a worldwide attack by extraterrestrials, was a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster and grossed over $817.4 million worldwide.
Three
What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?
Answer: Erik the Red.
While exiled, Erik the Red explored a land later known as Greenland, which he named to attract settlers. He returned to Iceland, successfully recruiting colonists, and in c.986 CE, established two settlements on Greenland’s southwest coast, the Eastern and Western Settlements.
Four
Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?
Answer: Treebeard.
Treebeard, an Ent, recounts to Merry and Pippin how the Ents were created to protect trees and how he remembers the vast forests of Middle-earth. He learns of Saruman’s treachery and, realising the danger he poses, rallies the Ents to attack Isengard, destroying it and trapping Saruman in his tower. After the war, Treebeard remains at Isengard, now called the Treegarth of Orthanc, and is entrusted with its care by the king, Elessar (Aragorn).
Five
The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. — Wikipedia
What body of water is missing from this quote?
Answer: Beagle Channel.
The channel was named after HMS Beagle, which surveyed South America’s coasts from 1826 to 1830. During a second voyage, captain FitzRoy took Charles Darwin, who saw glaciers for the first time in the channel, and noted
It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more beautiful than the beryl-like blue of these glaciers, and especially as contrasted with the dead white of the upper expanse of snow. — Charles Darwin, Voyage of the Beagle
Today the first question relates to today’s date, May 23rd. The following questions follow a theme which is explained here.
Theme
The gist of today’s quiz is that the first question results in you having three five-letter words in the answer.
One of those words supplies the initial letters for the remaining questions.
Firstly, discount the initial letter as it has already been used. The remaining four letters supply the initial letters to the answers to the remaining questions but they will not necessarily be in the correct order.
Once you have answered all the questions you should be able to take the initial letters of the five answers, rearrange and have one of the words from the answer to question one.
Image Encyclopædia Britannica
One
The country that is home to the building in the image above was annexed by a neighbour on this day in 1951. In what city is the building, and what two neighbouring countries are referred to?
Two
In what film from the 1990s is El Toro air base destroyed?
Three
What explorer, in c.986 CE, was the founder of the first European settlement on Greenland?
Four
Who in The Lord of the Rings is described by Gandalf as ‘the oldest living thing that still walks beneath the Sun upon this Middle-earth’?
Five
The … …, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open-ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. — Wikipedia
The first of today’s questions relates to the date, May 22nd. The remainder follow on a theme.
One
The writer who created Sherlock Holmes was born on this day in 1859. Who was he, and in what city was he born?
Answers: Arthur Conan Doyle; Edinburgh, Scotland.
Arthur Conan Doyle, a Scottish writer, is best known for creating the detective Sherlock Holmes, inspired by his medical professor, Dr. Joseph Bell. Conan Doyle’s medical background influenced his writing, evident in both his Sherlock Holmes stories and his semi-autobiographical novels. Despite the popularity of Holmes, Conan Doyle believed his other works, particularly historical fiction, deserved more recognition.
Two
In the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, who played the role of Dr. Watson, and who directed the film?
Answers: Jude Law; Guy Ritchie.
Sherlock Holmes (2009), directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as Watson. Set in 1890, they investigate Lord Blackwood, played by Mark Strong, who seems resurrected. The screenplay, by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, and Simon Kinberg, is based on a story by Wigram and Johnson. Released by Warner Bros. on 25—26 December 2009, it grossed $525 million, earning Downey a Golden Globe and two Academy Award nominations.
Three
Who was Sherlock Holmes’ elder brother, and by how many years is he older? (FYI, the answer to the age gap part of the question is one of the first five prime numbers.)
Answers: Mycroft Holmes; Seven years.
Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother, is a government official with a unique role, described as a ‘central exchange’ for information across departments. He appears in several stories, including The Greek Interpreter and The Bruce-Partington Plans, where his superior deductive abilities are noted. Mycroft’s exact position is not named, but it is implied to be highly influential and essential to the British government.
Four
The day that Sherlockians celebrate as Sherlock Holmes’s ‘birthday’ has both a Shakespearean and religious festival connection. What is that date?
Answer: 6 January.
Sherlock Holmes’s birth date is celebrated on 6 January, a date chosen by readers and scholars, known as Sherlockians, as it aligns with the character’s symbolic nature of revealing hidden truths. Although Arthur Conan Doyle never explicitly stated Holmes’s birth date, clues in the canon suggest he was born around 1854. The connection is that Twelfth Night is the only Shakespeare play Holmes quotes twice, and Twelfth Night, the religious feast of the Epiphany, is on 6 January.
Five
In the world of Sherlock Holmes, which street urchin gang is led by a boy named Wiggins?
Answer: Baker Street Irregulars.
The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of street boys employed by Sherlock Holmes as intelligence agents. Led by Wiggins, they run errands and gather information for Holmes, who values their sharp minds and ability to gather information. The group appears in three Sherlock Holmes stories, including the novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four, and the short story The Adventure of the Crooked Man.
The Game is Afoot
The post title is a quote by Sherlock Holmes from the short story Adventure of the Abbey Grange by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally used in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.
The writer who created Sherlock Holmes was born on this day in 1859. Who was he, and in what city was he born?
Two
In the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, who played the role of Dr. Watson, and who directed the film?
Three
Who was Sherlock Holmes’ elder brother, and by how many years is he older? (FYI, the answer to the age gap part of the question is one of the first five prime numbers.)
Four
The day that Sherlockians celebrate as Sherlock Holmes’s ‘birthday’ has both a Shakespearean and religious festival connection. What is that date?
Five
In the world of Sherlock Holmes, which street urchin gang is led by a boy named Wiggins?
Quizology.Online 