Quizology.Online

Tag: medicine

  • Candle in the Wind | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

    Joseph Merrick, c 1889. See #2 below.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    Marilyn Monroe was found dead on the morning of 5 August 1962 in her Los Angeles home. Where was she born?

    Answer: Los Angeles, California

    Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson, was an American actress and model who became a popular sex symbol in the 1950s and early 1960s. Known for her ‘blonde bombshell’ characters, she starred in numerous successful films, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Some Like It Hot. Despite her success, Monroe’s personal life was troubled, and she died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 36.

    Two

    Joseph Merrick, born on 5 August 1862, was renowned for his severe physical deformities and was exhibited in freak shows for a period. A film about Merrick’s life was made by David Lynch in 1980. In this film, who portrayed Joseph Merrick?

    Answer: John Hurt

    Joseph Carey Merrick, known as ‘The Elephant Man’ was an English man born in 1862 who suffered from a rare disorder causing severe physical deformities, possibly Proteus syndrome. After being exhibited in freak shows, he lived at the London Hospital under the care of Sir Frederick Treves. There he became well-known in London society and received visits from prominent individuals. Merrick died at age 27 from accidental suffocation. A film The Elephant Man starring John Hurt as Merrick was made about his life.

    Three

    On 5 August 2010, thirty-three miners became trapped in a mine collapse for a prolonged period of time, attracting international attention. In what desert area was the mine situated?

    Answer: Atacama Desert

    In 2010, a collapse at the San José copper-gold mine in Chile‘s Atacama Desert trapped 33 miners underground for 69 days. Despite the mine’s history of safety violations and geological instability, the miners were successfully rescued after a global effort involving multiple organisations and governments.

    Four

    On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon released subpoenaed tapes after being ordered to do so by the US Supreme Court. One tape, recorded on 23 June 1972, clearly showed the president’s connection to the Watergate burglaries from shortly after they occurred. This tape is known by what two-word term?

    Answer: Smoking Gun (tape)

    The US Supreme Court ordered President Nixon to release tapes of conversations, including the ‘Smoking Gun’ tape, which revealed his involvement in the Watergate coverup. This led to the loss of his political support and imminent impeachment, prompting his resignation on August 8, 1974.

    Five

    Vitus Bering, born on 5 August 1681, led two Russian expeditions to explore the northeast Russian coast and the western coast of North America. Despite being an officer in the Russian Navy, in what country was he born?

    Answer: Denmark

    Vitus Bering, a Danish-born Russian explorer, led two expeditions exploring the north-eastern coast of Russia and the western coast of North America. He discovered the Bering Strait, proving that Asia and America were not connected by land. Bering died of scurvy on Bering Island in 1741, along with 28 of his men.

  • Candle in the Wind

    Marilyn Monroe.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    Marilyn Monroe was found dead on the morning of 5 August 1962 in her Los Angeles home. Where was she born?

    Two

    Joseph Merrick, born on 5 August 1862, was renowned for his severe physical deformities and was exhibited in freak shows for a period. A film about Merrick’s life was made by David Lynch in 1980. In this film, who portrayed Joseph Merrick?

    Three

    On 5 August 2010, thirty-three miners became trapped in a mine collapse for a prolonged period of time, attracting international attention. In what desert area was the mine situated?

    Four

    On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon released subpoenaed tapes after being ordered to do so by the US Supreme Court. One tape, recorded on 23 June 1972, clearly showed the president’s connection to the Watergate burglaries from shortly after they occurred. This tape is known by what two-word term?

    Five

    Vitus Bering, born on 5 August 1681, led two Russian expeditions to explore the northeast Russian coast and the western coast of North America. Despite being an officer in the Russian Navy, in what country was he born?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Today’s Firsts | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    One

    Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya.
    Encyclopædia Britannica

    On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya (pictured) made history as the first woman to walk in space. Is this statement true or false?

    Answer: True

    Svetlana Savitskaya, a Russian former aviator and Soviet cosmonaut, made history as the second woman in space in 1982 when she flew aboard Soyuz T-7. She further broke barriers in 1984, becoming the first woman to fly twice and perform a spacewalk on Soyuz T-12.

    Two

    General Grant, 1861.
    Image Wikipedia

    Is it true or false that today, in 1866, in the United States, Brigadier General Bel Riose was the first person to be promoted to General of the Army?

    Answer: False

    On this day, future president Ulysses S. Grant became the first person to be promoted to this rank after the United States Congress passed the necessary legislation authorising it.
    General Bel Riose, a fictional character in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, is the last great general of the declining Galactic Empire. In the 1945 novella Dead Hand, Riose targets the Foundation, but is outmanoeuvred by its agents.

    Three

    Cooke and Wheatstone’s five-needle telegraph from 1837.
    Image Wikipedia

    Today in 1837, Abraham Samson and Stewart Cuthbertson successfully demonstrated the first commercial use of an electrical telegraph; this demonstration took place in New York, US. Is this statement true or false?

    Answer: False

    The William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone telegraph, invented in the 1830s, was the first commercial telegraph system. It employed electromagnetic coils to move needles that indicated letters on a board, catering to users who preferred a visual representation over codes. On 25 July 1837, Cooke and Wheatstone demonstrated their telegraph system, with Cooke stationed at Camden Town and Wheatstone at Euston, both London, UK. Wheatstone transmitted the inaugural message, to which Cooke responded.

    Four

    Robert Edwards and Louise Brown celebrating 25 years of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    Is it true that Louise Joy Brown, the first human born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), was born in Greater Manchester, UK, on this day in 1978?

    Answer: True

    Louise Joy Brown, born in 1978, was the first human conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after her parents struggled with infertility. Her sister, Natalie, also conceived through IVF, was the first IVF baby to give birth naturally. In 2010, Robert Edwards, surviving member of the development team, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

    Five

    On this date in 1909, Louis Blériot embarked on a historic flight from Le Touquet, France. This marked the inaugural crossing of the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, with the landing occurring near Hastings, England. Is this true or false?

    Answer: False

    It was correct in a lot of detail, the date, pilot and the English Channel but he did not fly from Le Touquet to Hastings. On 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel by aeroplane, winning a £1,000 prize from Lord Northcliffe. Despite poor navigation and challenging weather conditions, Blériot successfully completed the 24-mile journey from Les Baraques, near Calais, France, to near Dover Castle, above the cliffs of Dover, England, in just over 30 minutes.

  • Today’s Firsts

    Today’s questions are all about firsts which happened on July 25th. You have simply to decide if each statement is either true or false.

    One

    Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica, 24 July 2025.

    On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya (pictured) made history as the first woman to walk in space. Is this statement true or false?

    Two

    Is it true or false that today, in 1866, in the United States, Brigadier General Bel Riose was promoted to General of the Army?

    Three

    Today in 1837, Walter Samson and Stewart Cuthbertson successfully demonstrated the first commercial use of an electrical telegraph; this demonstration took place in New York, US. Is this statement true or false?

    Four

    Is it true that Louise Joy Brown, the first human born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), was born in Greater Manchester, UK, on this day in 1978?

    Five

    On this date in 1909, Louis Blériot embarked on a historic flight from Le Touquet, France. This marked the inaugural crossing of the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, with the landing occurring near Hastings, England. Is this true or false?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • A year in the day | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

    Let It Be
    Image Pinterest
    1. Almost a month after Paul McCartney’s announcement that he had left the band, The Beatles released their last original studio album, Let It Be on 8 May…
      • 1970—the Beatles’ final studio album, Let It Be, was released in 1970 after the band’s disbandment. The album, originally titled Get Back, was recorded in 1969 and included the iconic title track and popular songs like Across the Universe and I’ve Got a Feeling.
        Alex Van Halen.
        Image Wikipedia
    2. Drummer Alex Van Halen was born today in…
      • 1953—Alex Van Halen, drummer and co-founder of Van Halen, is known for his technical prowess and speed And widely regarded as one of the greatest drummers of all time. Van Halen, the band, formed in 1972 andsigned with Warner Brothers Records in 1977.
        Smallpox Immunization, Niger, Africa.
        Image: CDC/ Dr. J. D. Millar/Wikipedia
    3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it had eradicated smallpox, the announcement was made on 8 May…
      • 1980—The global eradication of smallpox was certified, based on intense verification activities, by a commission of eminent scientists on 9 December 1979 and subsequently endorsed by the World Health Assembly on 8 May 1980. The first two sentences of their resolution read:

        “Having considered the development and results of the global program on smallpox eradication initiated by WHO in 1958 and intensified since 1967 … Declares solemnly that the world and its peoples have won freedom from smallpox, which was a most devastating disease sweeping in epidemic form through many countries since earliest time, leaving death, blindness and disfigurement in its wake and which only a decade ago was rampant in Africa, Asia and South America.”

        Jaws, first edition cover.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Peter Benchley, American author and screenwriter, was born on 8 May…
      • 1940—Peter Bradford Benchley was an American author best known for his novel Jaws. Later in life, he became an advocate for marine conservation, expressing regret for his writing about sharks.
        John S. Pemberton.
        Image Wikipedia
    5. Pharmacist John S. Pemberton sold a carbonated beverage for the first time as a patent medicine, naming it Coca-Cola, on 8 May…
      • 1886—Confederate Colonel John Pemberton, wounded in the Civil War and addicted to morphine, created Pemberton’s French Wine Coca nerve tonic in 1885. After prohibition legislation in Atlanta, he developed Coca-Cola, a non-alcoholic version, in 1886, marketing it as a cure for various ailments including morphine addiction.
    “Drink Coca-Cola 5¢“, an 1890s advertising poster.
    Image Wikipedia

  • A year in the day

    Coca-cola.
    Image Wikipedia

    Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 8 May. All the answers are a year.

    1. Almost a month after Paul McCartney’s announcement that he had left the band, The Beatles released their last original studio album, Let It Be on 8 May…
      • 1969
      • 1970
      • 1971
    2. Drummer Alex Van Halen was born on 8 May…
      • 1949
      • 1951
      • 1953
    3. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it had eradicated smallpox, the announcement was made on 8 May…
      • 1960
      • 1970—
      • 1980
    4. American author and screenwriter Peter Benchley was born on 8 May…
      • 1940—
      • 1950
      • 1960
    5. Pharmacist John S. Pemberton sold a carbonated beverage for the first time as a patent medicine, naming it Coca-Cola, on 8 May…
      • 1886
      • 1899
      • 1912

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • McDonald’s Medicines and medals | Answers

    McDonald’s logo. Wikipedia
    1. On 15 April 1955, Ray Kroc launched McDonald’s Systems, Inc., later known as McDonald’s Corporation, in…
      • Des Plaines, Illinois—McDonald’s, founded in 1940, is an American multinational fast food chain. It serves over 69 million customers daily in more than 100 countries.
        “Teapot Rock-Famous Teapot Dome”
        “[Salt Creek] Oil District-In Wyoming,”
        Historical postcard, c. 1922. Wikipedia
    2. On this day in 1922, US Senator John B. Kendrick (Wyoming) introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into a secret land deal. This led to the discovery of the…
      • Teapot Dome scandal—The Teapot Dome scandal involved the secret leasing of federal oil reserves by Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall to Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny. Fall received bribes from Sinclair and Doheny, leading to his conviction for bribery and imprisonment.
      George Cross granted to the Island of Malta in 1942.
      National War Museum, Malta. Wikipedia
    3. On this day in 1942, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of…
      • Malta—see quote from handwritten message of King George VI.

        “To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.“

    4. Today in 1923, ___ became generally available for use by people with diabetes. The missing word is…
      • Insulin—a pancreatic hormone, regulates blood sugar levels by facilitating glucose uptake into cells. Insulin deficiency leads to diabetes mellitus, requiring insulin injections
    5. On 15 April 2019, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France was seriously damaged by a large fire. This Paris cathedral is located on the…
      • Île de la Cité—a 22.5-hectare (55.5 acres) island in the Seine, is the historical heart of Paris. It features iconic landmarks like Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle and the Pont Neuf, and underwent significant transformations in the 19th century under Haussmann’s urban renewal project.
    Île de la Cité, Paris. Wikipedia

  • McDonald’s, Medicines and medals

    Notre Dame De Paris. Wikipedia
    1. On 15 April 1955, Ray Kroc launched McDonald’s Systems, Inc., later known as McDonald’s Corporation, in…
      • Des Lacs, North Dakota
      • Des Moines, Iowa
      • Des Plaines, Illinois
    2. On this day in 1922, US Senator John B. Kendrick (Wyoming) introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into a secret land deal. This led to the discovery of the…
      • Milk Jug scandal
      • Sugar Bowl scandal
      • Teapot Dome scandal
    3. On this day in 1942, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of…
      • Jersey
      • Malta
      • St Helena.
    4. Today in 1923, ___ became generally available for use by people with diabetes. The missing word is…
      • Formalin
      • Insulin
      • Mandolin.
    5. On 15 April 2019, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France was seriously damaged by a large fire. This Paris cathedral is located on the…
      • Île de la Cité
      • Île-Saint-Denis
      • Île Saint-Louis.

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Truth or Consequence—Answers

    Truth and Consequence City Hall.
    Wikipedia

    Here, in bold, are the answers to my earlier post.

    1. False—It changed name to Truth or Consequence (not Tacos or Chocolate) in 1950 after the radio show of the same name ran a competition for a town or city to do so; the prize being that the show would be broadcast from the winner—the first settlement to change their town’s name. 
    2. False—Nothing to do with First Lady’s. It was chosen because it sounded like the French for help me, m’aider and was picked in 1920 by the head of radio in air traffic control at Croydon Aerodrome (then the world’s busiest) as most of their flights were from France.
    3. False—No, not Martin Luther King. It was about the assassination of JFK.
    4. False—Not the Inca Empire. Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire in what is now central Mexico in 1521 not the Inca’s in what is now Peru.
      Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
      Wikipedia
    5. True—Lucy was named after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
    6. False—Pete Conrad, Apollo 12 was the third person to walk on the Moon. Michael Collins was the command module pilot of Apollo 11 and did not land on the Moon but remained in orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the lunar surface.
      Goldeneye Estate
      Wikipedia
    7. False—Not Skyfall. Fleming’s house and estate were both named GoldenEye and are now a hotel complex.
    8. True—It is a neighbourhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan.
    9. False—Not Coprophagia which is dung-eating. Lalochezia is the release of stress etc by swearing.
    10. False—It wasn’t Please Mister Postman. The third number one, I Want to Hold Your Hand, was released in November 1963 with the B-side This Boy.
    Pete Conrad
    Conrad descends the Lunar Module ladder, moments before becoming the third human to walk on the Moon.
    Wikipedia

  • Truth or Consequence

    For some variety a selection of true or false questions unconnected to today.

    Hot Springs, New Mexico.
    Wikipedia
    1. True or false: the American city of Hot Springs, New Mexico is now known as ‘T or C’ after changing its name to Tacos or Chocolate in 1950.
    2. True or false: Mayday, the international distress signal, was chosen in honour of the then US First Lady.
    3. True or false: in 2020, Murder Most Foul was released as a single by Bob Dylan. The murder referred to in the title was the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1967.
    4. True or false: Hernán Cortés was a Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in the Americas in 1521.
    5. True or false: Lucy the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton found in Ethiopia was named after a Beatles song.
    6. True or false: the Apollo astronaut Michael Collins was the third person to walk on the Moon.
    7. True or false: Ian Fleming, the author who created James Bond, had a home on Jamaica’s north coast named Skyfall.
    8. True or false: there is a neighbourhood of New York City called Hell’s Kitchen.
    9. True or false: relief of stress, pain and frustration by swearing is known as coprophagia.
    10. True or false: The Beatles third UK No. 1 hit I Want to Hold Your Hand was released with the B-side Please Mister Postman.

    Good luck! The answers will be posted later today.