Today’s first question relates to the date December 21st and the subsequent questions follow a theme established by the initial one.
One
In what year did Walt Disney’s classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiere?
Two
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was loosely based on a story from whose collection of fairy tales?
Three
Which one of the seven dwarfs connects a Barbra Streisand film and Bugs Bunny?
Four
Continuing with the theme of dwarf names, the film Happy Feet featured Mumble, a tap-dancing penguin, and his friends ‘the Amigos’. What species of penguin is Mumble, and what species are ‘the Amigos’?
Five
The 1993 film Grumpy Old Men who starred as the title characters John Gustafson Jr. and Max Goldman?
All of these questions are connected to today, December 20th, and all contain the word ‘first’.
See question 3. Abraham Lincoln, 1863. Image Wikipedia
One
((First voice) I owe everything to George Bailey. Help him, dear Father.
(Second voice) Joseph, Jesus and Mary. Help my friend Mr. Bailey.
(Third voice) Help my son George tonight.
(Fourth voice) He never thinks about himself, God; that’s why he’s in trouble.
(Fifth voice) George is a good guy. Give him a break, God.
(Sixth voice) I love him, dear Lord. Watch over him tonight.
(Seventh voice) Please, God. Something’s the matter with Daddy.
(Eighth voice) Please bring Daddy back.
The individuals quoted praying above form the first lines in a classic film which premiered today in 1946. What was the film?
Answer: It’s a Wonderful Life
It’s a Wonderful Life, a 1946 Christmas film directed by Frank Capra, stars James Stewart as George Bailey. Initially a box office disappointment, the film later became a Christmas classic and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time.
Two
The first tale in an 1812 collection of fairy tales was The Golden Bird. Who published this collection?
Answer: Brothers Grimm
German folklorists Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, known for Grimm’s Fairy Tales, significantly contributed to folklore study and popularised classic tales. Jacob also made notable contributions to historical linguistics and Germanic philology.
Three
On this date in 1860, following Abraham Lincoln’s election as US president, which state became the first to secede from the Union?
Answer: South Carolina
South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, joining the Confederacy and sparking the Civil War. After the war, Reconstruction brought military occupation and disenfranchisement, leading to the rise of Wade Hampton and the ‘Bourbon era’. The conflict between the Up Country and Low Country culminated in the election of Benjamin R. Tillman, who championed agrarian reform, white supremacy, and the disenfranchisement of African Americans.
Four
In what decade was Ethiopia first declared a socialist state under the leadership of Mengistu Haile Mariam?
Answer: 1970s
On 20 December 1974, Mengistu Haile Mariam, an Ethiopian army officer, overthrew the monarchy and established a communist regime. He ruled with an iron fist, implementing the ‘Red Terror Campaign’ and facing armed rebellions, droughts and famines. Facing mounting challenges and dwindling support, Mengistu fled to Zimbabwe in 1991.
Five
In 1996, the horror classic Scream was first released in the United States. Who was the director, and who played the role of Sidney Prescott?
Answers: Wes Craven; Neve Campbell
Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. The film, which satirises slasher genre clichés, was a critical and commercial success, grossing approximately $173 million worldwide. It revitalised Craven’s and Drew Barrymore’s careers and spawned a successful franchise.
See question 5. Artist pression of ESA’s Gaia satellite observing the Milky Way, with a background image of the sky compiled from data from more than 1.8 billion stars. Image ESA via Wikipedia
One
… was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that.
Published for the first time on this date in 1843, what begins with the quote above and whose surname is missing from the start?
Answer: A Christmas Carol; Marley
A Christmas Carol, a novella by Charles Dickens, recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation after visits from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella, published in 1843, was inspired by Dickens’s experiences and the Victorian revival of Christmas traditions. It has never been out of print and has been widely adapted.
Two
Born on this day in 1906, what Soviet leader, along with US President Jimmy Carter, signed the unsuccessful SALT II treaty in Vienna in 1979?
Answer: Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev, a Soviet statesman, led the Soviet Union for 18 years. He prioritised foreign and military affairs, implementing the Brezhnev Doctrine to justify Soviet intervention in Czechoslovakia and expanding the Soviet military-industrial complex. While achieving parity with the US in nuclear weapons and space programmes, Brezhnev’s focus on defence led to economic decline, impacting agriculture, consumer goods and healthcare.
Three
A singer born in Paris, France, on 19 December 1915, came to be known as ‘little sparrow’. Who was she?
Answer: Edith Piaf
Edith Piaf, a French singer and actress, gained international fame for her interpretation of the chanson. Her life, marked by tragedy and hardship, deeply influenced her music, which often reflected themes of loss and love. Despite her struggles with health and addiction, Piaf’s powerful voice and dramatic style captivated audiences, leaving a lasting legacy.
Four
On this day in 1606, Christopher Newport, in command of the Discovery, the Godspeed, and the Susan Constant, sailed from London, England. The following April, they entered a bay—the largest estuary in the United States—and went on to set up the first permanent English settlement in North America. What was the name of the bay and the colony?
Answer: Chesapeake Bay; Jamestown
Newport, a member of the colony’s governing body, led a total five voyages between Virginia and England, bringing supplies and settlers to the Jamestown colony between 1606 and 1611.
Five
In 2013, the European Space Agency launched a spacecraft that could be described as a space telescope or astronomical observatory. Named after the personification of Earth in Greek mythology, what was its name?
Answer: Gaia
Gaia, the Greek personification of Earth, is the mother of Uranus, Pontus, the Titans, Cyclopes and Giants.
From 27 July 2014 to 15 January 2025, Gaia has made more than three trillion observations of two billion stars and other objects throughout our Milky Way galaxy and beyond, mapping their motions, luminosity, temperature and composition. Gaia’s extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map will provide the data needed to tackle an enormous range of important questions related to the origin, structure and evolutionary history of our galaxy.
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. 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?
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Quizology Online 