Image Wikipedia
One
In 1956, Martina Navratilova, who went on to dominate women’s tennis, was born? In what city was she born and how many Grand Slam singles titles did she win?
Answer: 18 (Grand Slam singles titles)
Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former tennis player, dominated women’s tennis in the 1980s. She holds numerous records, including nine Wimbledon singles titles and a career Grand Slam in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Navratilova became a US citizen in 1981 and later reacquired Czech citizenship in 2008.
Two
In 1939, the man who would later be accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy — and who himself would be fatally shot two days afterward — was born in New ….
What was his name and his place of birth?
Answer: Lee Harvey Oswald and New Orleans
Lee Harvey Oswald, a former U.S. Marine, assassinated President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963 and was himself killed by Jack Ruby two days later. The Warren Commission concluded Oswald, who had a troubled past and at one time defected to the Soviet Union, acted alone, a finding supported by multiple investigations, though many Americans remain sceptical.
Three
The BBC, a national broadcasting service, was founded in London on this day. Which decade saw this happen?
Answer: 1920s
The British Broadcasting Corporation—established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company—is headquartered in London and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the UK. Funded primarily by a television licence fee, it provides radio, TV, and online services, including the BBC World Service.
Four
On this day in 1867, following the US’s approval of the purchase of Alaska from Russia, the American flag was unfurled over the capital for the first time. Where was that capital and how far apart are Alaska and Russia at their closest point, measured in miles?
Answer: Sitka and 2.4 miles or 3.8 km
The Alaska Purchase, negotiated by William H. Seward in 1867, was finalised on October 18th with a flag-raising ceremony at Fort Sitka, now celebrated as Alaska Day.
Anything between 2 and 3 miles or 3 and 4 km is acceptable.
The Diomede Islands, Little Diomede (Alaska, U.S.) and Big Diomede (Chukotka, Russia), are located in the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Siberia.
- The distance between the islands is about 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometres).
- The International Date Line runs between them, making Big Diomede almost one day ahead of Little Diomede; consequently, they are sometimes called ‘Tomorrow Island’ (Big Diomede) and ‘Yesterday Island’ (Little Diomede).
Five
The Whale, first published in London on this day in 1851, was written by whom?
Answer: Herman Melville
The British edition of The Whale was published on October 18th with only 500 copies printed, a small print run due to slow sales of previous books. The American editions—titled Moby Dick or The Whale was released on November 14th.
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