All of the questions relate to today’s date, November 23rd.
One
At Coal Hill School, teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright have concerns about pupil Susan Foreman, who has an alien outlook on England.
The above quote from the Wikipedia article’s ‘Plot’ section describes the opening episode of which contemporary television series first aired on 23 November 1963?
Two
What 2009 hit single by Miley Cyrus includes the lyric ‘And a Jay-Z song was on’?
Three
In 1935, an American explorer landed at about 79° S, 102° W. He raised the U.S. flag and ‘claimed’ the land between roughly 80° W and 120° W for the United States. On what continent did this occur, and what is this area of land known as today?
Four
Which 1982 novel features characters called The Maidmasher, The Manhugger and The Meatdripper? Secondly, who wrote it?
Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi. Image Wikipedia
Five
The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, the largest religious building in its country, was consecrated in 2004. It is the main cathedral of which autonomous church?
Good luck! As usual the answers will be posted later.
Here are the answers to the questions I posed in my earlier post.
All of these questions relate to today’s date, November 21st.
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Brooklyn at night, 2012. Image Wikipedia
One
Which two boroughs of New York City were linked by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, pictured above, upon its opening on 21 November 1964?
Answer: Brooklyn and Staten Island
The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, a suspension bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn, spans the Narrows and carries 13 lanes of Interstate 278. Designed by Othmar Ammann and others, it opened in 1964 with a central span, 4,260 feet (1,298 m), that was the longest in the world until 1981. The bridge, named after explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, collects tolls in both directions.
Two
The first crewed hot air balloon flight took place on this day in 1783 in a balloon constructed by the Montgolfier brothers. Which of contemporary Paris’s over 400 public parks was the site of this historic flight?
Answer: Bois de Boulogne
The first untethered manned balloon ascent occurred on 21 November 1783, when two Frenchmen Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, marquis d’Arlandes, travelling from the Château de la Muette across the Bois de Boulogne, Paris. The flight lasted 20 minutes in a hot air balloon designed and built by brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier. This historic event was witnessed by Louis XVI, the French Academy of Sciences, and the public, including Benjamin Franklin.
Three
On this date, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer presented the first quantitative measurements of the speed of light. Which century was this?
Answer: 17th century
In 1676, Danish astronomer Ole Rømer announced that an eclipse of Jupiter’s moon would occur ten minutes later than expected, a prediction based on his calculations of the speed of light. Despite this occurring as he predicted, there was initial scepticism from the Paris Académie des Sciences, including his patron, Cassini. Rømer’s claim was eventually confirmed by James Bradley’s discovery of the aberration of light in 1729.
René Magritte shown with one of his works featuring his recurring motif, a bowler hat. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Four
Who is this Belgian artist, born on 21 November 1898 and pictured above with one of his works?
Answer: René Magritte
René Magritte (1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist renowned for his bizarre and enigmatic paintings that depicted ordinary objects in unsettling, unexpected contexts, challenging perceptions of reality and representation. Influenced by Giorgio de Chirico, Magritte developed a unique style characterised by carefully rendered objects in dreamlike juxtapositions. His work gained international popularity in the 1930s and influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art, continuing until his death in 1967.
Five
Frankenstein, the classic horror film, was released in the US today in 1931. Who played the monster in this film?
Answer: Boris Karloff
Frankenstein is a 1931 American horror film directed by James Whale, based on Peggy Webling’s 1927 stage play adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. Starring Colin Clive and Boris Karloff, the film follows Dr. Frankenstein’s experiment to create life, resulting in tragic consequences. It was a commercial success, significantly impacting popular culture and spawning sequels and remakes, with its influence still felt today.
Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
Today’s first question draws on a real-life event from November 20th, which was later adapted into a work of fiction. The rest of the questions also blend fact and fiction to varying degrees.
The 20 November 1820 ramming and sinking of the American ship Essex inspired a climatic scene in what 1851 epic maritime novel?
Answer: Moby Dick
The Essex, an American whaling ship, was rammed by a sperm whale on November 20, 1820, and subsequently sank. Despite initial survival for all 20 crewmen only eight were rescued after a difficult journey that ultimately led to cannibalism. This sinking inspired the climactic scene in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick (1851).
Two
The series of novels first published in 1980, written by Robert, and the subsequent films first released in 2002 starring Matthew, may have taken their title character’s surname from a 19th-century psychology case involving a patient named Ansel who likely suffered from reversible amnesia.
Answer: Bourne
Robert Ludlum’s character Jason Bourne who first appeared in The Bourne Identity which was published in 1980 may have been named after Ansel Bourne. A.J. Brown, a resident of Norristown, Pennsylvania, woke up in 1887 with no memory of his identity. Physicians diagnosed him with amnesia, but it was later revealed that he was actually Ansel Bourne, a carpenter and pastor from Coventry, Rhode Island, who had no recollection of the past two months. During further study of him he was put under hypnosis where he could be induced to assume the personality of either Bourne or Brown, and neither personality had any knowledge of the other.
Three
The Terror, a 2007 novel by Dan Simmons is a fictionalised account of what failed 1845 expedition of Arctic exploration?
Answer: Franklin Expedition
Franklin’s lost expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, aimed to traverse the Northwest Passage and record magnetic data. The expedition ended in disaster when both ships—HMS Erebus and HMS Terror—became icebound, leading to the abandonment of the vessels and the disappearance of the crew.
James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic depicts the real-life disaster that occurred in what year? Secondly, Titanic sank approximately 370 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of where?
Answer: 1912; Newfoundland, Canada
Cameron’s film is a mix of fictional and historical fact about the RMS Titanic, a British luxury passenger liner, which sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. See RMS Titanic below for further information.
Five
Every Man for Himself, a 1996 novel which is also set on the Titanic, was a Booker Prize nominee. Who wrote this novel?
Secondly, although not explained in this book or indeed in the film mentioned at question four above, what does the term RMS mean in the name, RMS Titanic?
Answer: Beryl Bainbridge; Royal Mail Ship (RMS)
Like the film above, Every Man for Himself is a combination of fiction and history. It is narrated by Morgan over a period of four days up to the sinking.
RMS Titanic
The RMS Titanic, a British luxury passenger liner, which sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. About two-and-a-half hours after hitting an iceberg, the ship sank approximately 370 miles (600 km) southeast of Newfoundland in approximately 12,500 feet (3,800 m) of water, tragically resulting in the loss of around 1,500 lives. Despite its advanced safety features and luxurious first-class accommodations, the Titanic only carried enough lifeboats for half its passengers. This catastrophe prompted changes in maritime safety regulations and left an enduring legacy in popular culture.
Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier.
The first question relates to today, November 17th. The others follow a theme connected to it.
Richard Nixon, President of the United States. Image Wikipedia
One
On November 17th, sometime in the 20th century, which US President declared, “I am not a crook”?
Answer: Richard Nixon
On 17 November 1973, during a televised press conference at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World, Florida, Richard Nixon famously declared ‘I am not a crook’. This response came amid questions about his personal finances as the Watergate scandal unfolded.
Two
In Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, what physical feature of the wooden puppet famously grows longer whenever he tells a lie?
Answer: His nose
In Collodi’s original 1883 novel, Pinocchio is far more mischievous than in the later Disney adaptation, and his nose grows several times—not just once—making it a recurring symbol of the moral consequences of dishonesty.
The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf. An illustration of The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf (also known as The Boy Who Cried Wolf) by Milo Winter, from The Aesop for Children, published by Rand McNally & Company, Chicago, 1919. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
Three
Which ancient Greek is traditionally credited with moral tales such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a story warning of the consequences of repeated lying?
Answer: Aesop
Although Aesop is believed to have lived in ancient Greece around the 6th century BC, there is no firm historical record of his life; many scholars think ‘Aesop’ may represent a tradition of oral storytelling rather than a single individual.
Four
In which Shakespeare play does the villain Iago manipulate Othello through lies and insinuations, ultimately leading to tragedy?
Answer: Othello
Iago actually speaks more lines than Othello, making him one of Shakespeare’s most verbally dominant villains—a fitting trait for a character whose destructive power lies almost entirely in persuasion and deceit.
Five
What 18th-century literary character, created by Rudolf Erich Raspe, is famous for outrageous tall tales such as riding on a cannonball and escaping a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair?
Answer: Baron Munchausen
The fictional Baron was loosely inspired by a real nobleman, Hieronymus Karl Friedrich von Münchhausen, who entertained guests with wildly exaggerated stories about his life—though nowhere near as fantastical as those in the book.
The first question relates to today, November 17th. The others follow a theme connected to it.
See question 3. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
One
On November 17th, sometime in the 20th century, which US President declared, “I am not a crook”?
Two
In Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, what physical feature of the wooden puppet famously grows longer whenever he tells a lie?
Three
Which ancient Greek is traditionally credited with moral tales such as The Boy Who Cried Wolf, a story warning of the consequences of repeated lying?
Four
In which Shakespeare play does the villain Iago manipulate Othello through lies and insinuations, ultimately leading to tragedy?
Five
What 18th-century literary character, created by Rudolf Erich Raspe, is famous for outrageous tall tales such as riding on a cannonball and escaping a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair?
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.
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?
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.
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).
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?
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 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.
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