Quizology.Online

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”

— Bertrand Russell

Tag: military

  • Final Few What ‘*’ — Answers

    See question two. Vin Fiz Flyer, a Wright Model EX takes off from Sheepshead Bay, NY.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s Answers

    Today there are six questions to get us to the end of the alphabet.

    One

    Now. . . those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the … Curses.

    — Professor Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14.

    What ‘U’ is the word removed from before the word ‘Curses’ in the above quote from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Secondly, what subject is being taught to the class when the quote is used?

    Answers: Unforgivable; Defence Against the Dark Arts.

    The Unforgivable Curses—Killing, Cruciatus and Imperius—carried life sentences in Azkaban from 1717, with exceptions such as Auror use or Imperius influence. They were permitted during the First Wizarding War and legalised under Lord Voldemort before repeal.

    Two

    What ‘V’, the first aeroplane to fly coast to coast across the United States, was named after a sponsor’s soft drink? What company made the aircraft, and in what cities were the starting point and official destination of the flight?

    Answers: Vin Fiz Flyer. Wright Company (or Wright Brothers); New York and Pasadena, California (or Long Beach).

    Starting point: Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic coast.
    Official finishing point: Pasadena, California.
    Final destination: Long Beach, California, on the Pacific coast.

    The first crossing of the United States by airplane was achieved by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911. In 1910, famed publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst announced his offer of a $50,000-prize for a U.S. transcontinental flight in thirty days or less. Rodgers’ Wright EX biplane was named the Vin Fiz after his sponsor’s grape soda product. He left Sheepshead Bay, New York, on September 17, 1911. A “hangar” car, a rolling workshop filled with spare parts to repair and maintain the airplane, followed along. The flight was punctuated by numerous stops, delays, and accidents. When Hearst’s 30-day time limit expired, Rodgers had only reached Kansas City, Missouri. Undaunted, he continued on, determined to make the first transcontinental airplane flight whether he received the money or not. He arrived in Pasadena, California, to a hero’s welcome, 49 days after setting out. Although Pasadena was the official end of the coast-to-coast journey, Rodgers flew on to Long Beach to complete the flight at the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The total distance covered was 6,914 km (4,321 mi) in 82 hours, 4 minutes, total flying time at an average speed of 82.4 kph (51.5 mph).

    — National Air and Space Museum

    Rodgers was killed in a crash shortly after his coast to coast flight.

    Three

    What ‘W’, a 19th-century battle, was known at the time as both the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean and La Belle Alliance? In what present-day country was it fought?

    Answers: Waterloo; Belgium.

    The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Imperial Army, led by Napoleon, was defeated by the combined forces of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led army under the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

    Four

    What ‘X’ was a film directed by Matthew Vaughn that was released in 2011, and who in this film plays a character with a surname also beginning with ‘X’?

    Answers: X-Men: First Class; James McAvoy.

    The 2011 superhero film X-Men: First Class, directed by Matthew Vaughn. Serving as a prequel to the original X-Men movie, it is set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis and explores the early relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) as they confront the Hellfire Club.

    Five

    What ‘Y’, a present-day city, did the Roman Empire know as Eboracum? How many Roman emperors died at Eboracum?

    Answers: York. Two.

    The name Eboracum derives from the Common Brittonic Eburākon, which carries a debated meaning. It might signify “yew tree place” or “rowan tree place”, or perhaps stem from the Latin for ivory, suggesting boar’s tusks. Latinisation altered the ending to -um, and the term shares origins with several modern French place names. Two Roman emperors died in Eboracum: Septimius Severus in 211 AD and Constantius Chlorus in ‘Y306 AD.

    Six

    What ‘Z’ was the regal name of the last king of Albania and in what two decades did he reign?

    Answer: Zog I; 1920s and ‘30s.

    After serving as prime minister and president with dictatorial powers, Ahmed Muhtar Bey Zogolli declared himself King Zog I of Albania in 1928. His reign was marked by an alliance with Fascist Italy, which eventually led to the Italian invasion of Albania in 1939. Zog was forced into exile, living in England during World War II and later in France, as the post-war Communist government barred his return. He died in 1961, and his remains were transferred to Tirana in 2012.

    Keep the current Quizology end-of-post separator exactly as it is, including the Quizology branding, quote, attribution, typography, layout, and proportions. Remove only the solid black background and make it transparent. Do not alter, rewrite, crop, resize, or redesign any lettering or artwork.

  • Final Few What ‘*’

    See question two. A Wright Model EX takes off from Sheepshead Bay, NY.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today there are six questions to get us to the end of the alphabet.

    One

    Now. . . those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the … Curses.

    — Professor Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14.

    What ‘U’ is the word removed from before the word ‘Curses’ in the above quote from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Secondly, what subject is being taught to the class when the quote is used?

    Two

    What ‘V’, the first aeroplane to fly coast to coast across the United States, was named after a sponsor’s soft drink? What company made the aircraft, and in what cities were the starting point and official destination of the flight?

    Three

    What ‘W’, a 19th-century battle, was known at the time as both the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean and La Belle Alliance? In what present-day country was it fought?

    Four

    What ‘X’ was a film directed by Matthew Vaughn that was released in 2011, and who in this film plays a character with a surname also beginning with ‘X’?

    Five

    What ‘Y’, a present-day city, did the Roman Empire know as Eboracum? How many Roman emperors died at Eboracum?

    Six

    What ‘Z’ was the regal name of the last king of Albania and in what two decades did he reign?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

    Keep the current Quizology end-of-post separator exactly as it is, including the Quizology branding, quote, attribution, typography, layout, and proportions. Remove only the solid black background and make it transparent. Do not alter, rewrite, crop, resize, or redesign any lettering or artwork.

  • For the Birds II — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Cast and model of dodo.
    Oxford University Natural History Museum.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions have no date connection, but there is a theme.

    One

    This Sebastian Faulks novel published in 1993 is partly set during a major conflict. What is the novel and in what conflict is it partly set?

    Answer: Birdsong; First World War.

    Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong follows Stephen Wraysford in the First World War and Elizabeth Benson in the 1970s. It explores trauma and historical recovery, earning acclaim and ranking 13th in the Big Read. Adaptations include radio, television and stage versions.

    Two

    Columbine, pertaining to the family Columbidae, refers to what?

    Answer: Doves (and/or) Pigeons.

    Columbine, pertaining to birds of the family Columbidae (doves and pigeons) from French Colombine, from Italian Colombina, feminine of colombino ‘dove-like’, from colombo ‘dove’.

    Three

    The dodo is an extinct flightless bird. To where was it native, and in what century was one last seen alive?

    Answer: Mauritius; 17th century.

    The dodo, native to Mauritius, was a flightless bird linked to the Rodrigues solitaire and the Nicobar pigeon. After 1598, hunting and habitat loss occurred, and the bird was last seen in 1662; the species has become a symbol of extinction. Although people often blame human hunting, the main cause was the introduction of cats, dogs, macaques, pigs, and rats, which raided nests and competed for scarce food.

    Four

    The UK’s Hawker Siddeley Harrier evolved from the Hawker P.1127 prototype and which evaluation aircraft? Which branch of the US military also took delivery of more than 100 of these V/STOL aircraft?

    Answer: Kestrel; US Marine Corps.

    The Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.1/GR.3 and AV-8A were the first V/STOL close-support and reconnaissance aircraft, derived from the P.1127 and Kestrel. The GR.1 entered RAF service on 18 April 1969 at RAF Wittering; the USMC acquired 102 AV-8A and 8 TAV-8A between 1971 and 1976.

    Five

    Three birds feature on the Australian coat of arms; how many can you name?

    Answer: Emu, shrike & black swan.

    The Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms features six animal figures representing five different types of animals: a kangaroo, an emu, two lions (representing New South Wales and Tasmania), an Australian piping shrike (South Australia), and a black swan (Western Australia).

  • Spider Murphy Played The Tenor Saxophone — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Konstantin Chernenko, 1984.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions relate to 24 September.

    One

    Who, on this day, became the first player to win a Grand Slam title in tennis; and in what decade did this take place?

    Answers: Don Budge; 1930s.

    The year was 1938. The term ‘Grand Slam’ originally comes from the card game contract bridge, and was first used in tennis by New York Times columnist John Kieran in 1933 when describing Jack Crawford’s attempt to win all four major tournaments in a single calendar year.

    Two

    The Battle of Shiroyama saw the Imperial Japanese Army decisively defeat what revolution; and in what decade did this occur?

    Answers: Satsuma Rebellion; 1870s.

    The Battle of Shiroyama on 24 September 1877, marked the final stand of the Satsuma Rebellion, where Saigō Takamori and a few hundred remaining samurai fought against 30,000 Imperial Japanese Army troops, effectively ending the samurai era in Japan.

    Three

    A single released this day by Elvis Presley became the Billboard Song of the Year in 1957. What song?

    Answer: Jailhouse Rock.

    Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Elvis Presley recorded Jailhouse Rock for the film of the same name. RCA Victor released it in 1957; it topped US charts and gained recognition from the Grammy Hall of Fame and American Film Institute.

    Four

    Born on this day, this General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union succeeded Yuri Andropov and preceded Mikhail Gorbachev. Who was he?

    Answer: Konstantin Chernenko.

    Konstantin Chernenko, a Siberian-born Soviet politician, led the Soviet Union from February 1984 until his death on 10 March 1985. Elected General Secretary and Chairman, his rule relied on an unofficial triumvirate due to poor health and was succeeded by Mikhail Gorbachev.

    Five

    Operation On Wings of Eagles ended on this day after transporting 45,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel. What Biblical book inspired the operation’s name; and by what nickname was it commonly known?

    Answers: Book of Exodus; Operation Magic Carpet.

    Operation On Wings of Eagles, known as Operation Magic Carpet, brought approximately 49,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel between 1948 and 1950. Supported by the United Kingdom and United States, flights from Aden Colony included Alaska Airlines.

    Spider Murphy Played The Tenor Saxophone

    The post title, ‘ Spider Murphy played the tenor saxophone’, is the opening line of the second verse of Jailhouse Rock.

  • Spider Murphy Played The Tenor Saxophone

    Konstantin Chernenko, 1984.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of today’s questions relate to 24 September.

    One

    Who, on this day, became the first player to win a Grand Slam title in tennis; and in what decade did this take place?

    Two

    The Battle of Shiroyama saw the Imperial Japanese Army decisively defeat what revolution; and in what decade did this occur?

    Three

    A single released this day by Elvis Presley became the Billboard Song of the Year in 1957. What song?

    Four

    Born on this day, this General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union succeeded Yuri Andropov and preceded Mikhail Gorbachev. Who was he?

    Five

    Operation On Wings of Eagles ended on this day after transporting 45,000 Yemenite Jews to Israel. What Biblical book inspired the operation’s name; and by what nickname was it commonly known?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Far Flung Fortifications Fit IX

    See question Forty-one. Image Wikimedia Commons

    Over the next nine days, 46 questions will be posed, one for each letter of the alphabet plus 20 others (There will be six one day). The 20 others appear as duplicate letters, and these duplicates spell out the name of the Roman Fortification which in CE 150 to 160 was the furthest boundary from the city of Rome, and the country that it was situated in. It is a three-word answer with eight letters in the first part of the name and four in the second part; the country has eight letters in its name. 
BTWFit, as used in the post title, is an archaic term meaning ‘a division of a song, ballad, or story’.

    Forty-one

    Bos grunniens, pictured, is commonly known as what?

    Forty-two

    The sixth Arrondissement of Paris is what?

    Forty-three

    The Battle of Otumba (1520) was fought between Spain and forces of which empire?

    Forty-four

    Losing a war to forces of the British Empire in 38 minutes, Sayyid Khalid bin Barghash was sultan of where?

    Forty-five

    What type of bird is a scaup?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers tomorrow.

  • Far Flung Fortifications Fit VII

    Workers at the Troy Dam & Lock, New York, c.1915.

    Over the next nine days, 46 questions will be posed, one for each letter of the alphabet plus 20 others (There will be six one day). The 20 others appear as duplicate letters, and these duplicates spell out the name of the Roman Fortification which in CE 150 to 160 was the furthest boundary from the city of Rome, and the country that it was situated in. It is a three-word answer with eight letters in the first part of the name and four in the second part; the country has eight letters in its name. 
BTW Fit, as used in the post title, is an archaic term meaning ‘a division of a song, ballad, or story’.

    Thirty-one

    If reading a 32-point compass rose from north in a clockwise direction what point follows S?

    Thirty-two

    What word is defined as a ‘facility on a watch for measuring speed’?

    Thirty-three

    What is the Chinese province whose capital city is Chengdu?

    Thirty-four

    The Troy Dam and Lock, on the Hudson River at Troy, New York, are operated by (the) …

    Thirty-five

    During what war is the 1854 poem The Charge of the Light Brigade set?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers at a later date.

  • Far Flung Fortifications Fit I

    Duran Duran, 1983. See question 2.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Over the next nine days, 46 questions will be posed, one for each letter of the alphabet plus 20 others (There will be six one day). The 20 others appear as duplicate letters, and these duplicates spell out the name of the Roman Fortification which in CE 150 to 160 was the furthest boundary from the city of Rome, and the country that it was situated in. It is a three-word answer with eight letters in the first part of the name and four in the second part; the country has eight letters in its name.
    BTW Fit, as used in the post title, is an archaic term meaning ‘a division of a song, ballad, or story’.

    One

    To whom was R. Kelly married from 1994 to 1995?

    Two

    What 1968 film influenced the band Duran Duran’s choice of name?

    Three

    The Chinese Exclusion Act was signed into law by the 21st president of the US in 1882 who incidentally gave his name to an elementary school in a 1995 film. Who was this president?

    Four

    In what month and year was the world’s first atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima?

    Five

    What word can be defined as: the number below the line in a vulgar fraction; a divisor?

    Good luck! I’ll post all of the answers after the questions have all been asked.

  • Decade Decisions — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Elizabeth I of England, c.1575.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are all related to today, 7th September.

    One

    The first Miss America pageant took place on this day. In what decade, and at what location did this occur?

    Answer: 1920s; Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.

    The inaugural Miss America pageant began on 7 September 1921, when the two-day Inter-City Beauty event opened in Atlantic City during the Fall Frolic. Margaret Gorman, representing Washington, D.C., secured victory on the first day and again in the Bathers’ Revue the following day. She was named ‘the most beautiful bathing girl in America’.

    Two

    England’s future Queen Elizabeth I was born on this day. In what decade, and at what palace was she born?

    Answers: 1530s; Greenwich Palace.

    Elizabeth I, born on this day in 1533, ruled England from 1558 to 1603. Her reign, known as the Elizabethan Age, saw the country emerge strongly as a leading European force in politics, trade, and the arts.

    Three

    The earliest recorded submarine attack occurred when an attempt was made by the Turtle to fix an explosive device with a timer to the British ship HMS Eagle in a harbour. In what decade, and in what harbour, did this occur?

    Answers: 1770s; New York Harbor.

    American colonial accounts describe how on 7 September 1776, Ezra Lee launched the first submarine strike in the Turtle, aiming to fix a timed explosive to HMS Eagle in New York Harbor, though British records do not confirm the event.

    Four

    A songwriter achieved a record-setting milestone while working at EMI by having written seven simultaneous hits by different artists on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In what decade did she achieve this, and who was she?

    Answers: 1980’s; Diane Eve Warren.

    Her success drew praise from EMI’s UK Chairman, Peter Reichardt, who famously described her as ‘the most important songwriter in the world’. Although Warren is recognised for her extensive catalogue of hits with some of the most popular artists, she is strongly committed to safeguarding her creative rights; she founded Realsongs to retain ownership of her masters, a step that grants her full control over how her music is used and how revenue is generated.

    Five

    Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident, was assassinated while walking across Waterloo Bridge in London, U.K. by Bulgarian secret police. In what decade did this happen, and what was the weapon speculated to have been used?

    Answers: 1970s; Umbrella.

    On 7 September 1978, Markov felt a sharp pain on his right thigh at a bus stop on Waterloo Bridge and reported seeing a man pick up an umbrella behind him. A post mortem examination later found a tiny pellet measuring 0.067 in (1.70 mm) in diameter in his leg. The assumption is that Francesco Gullino, a Bulgarian secret police agent, killed him using a ricin pellet launched from a purpose-built umbrella.

  • Decade Decisions

    Elizabeth I of England.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s questions are all related to today, 7th September.

    One

    The first Miss America pageant took place on this day. In what decade, and at what location did this occur?

    Two

    England’s future Queen Elizabeth I was born on this day. In what decade, and at what palace was she born?

    Three

    The earliest recorded submarine attack occurred when an attempt was made by the Turtle to fix an explosive device with a timer to the British ship HMS Eagle in a harbour. In what decade, and in what harbour, did this occur?

    Four

    A songwriter achieved a record-setting milestone while working at EMI by having written seven simultaneous hits by different artists on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In what decade did she achieve this, and who was she?

    Five

    Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian dissident, was assassinated while walking across Waterloo Bridge in London, U.K. by Bulgarian secret police. In what decade did this happen, and what was the weapon speculated to have been used?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.