Fly Me to the Moon | Answers

Jim Lovell, Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
(March 25, 1928—August 7, 2025).
Image Wikipedia

One

Answer: Apollo 8

Apollo 8, launched on 21 December 1968, became the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. During its mission, the crew orbited the Moon ten times, conducting various tasks such as photography and navigation, while also transmitting telecasts worldwide. The spacecraft safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 27 December, 147 hours after launch.
This question was prompted by the death of Jim Lovell, aged 97, on 7 August 2025. He flew to the Moon and back twice but never landed.


Two

Answer: Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie

Jean Van de Velde, ranked 152nd, nearly won the 1999 Open Championship but famously collapsed on the 18th hole. His triple-bogey seven led to a playoff, which he lost to Paul Lawrie.


Three

Encyclopædia Britannica

Answer: Christianity

Nietzsche’s quote suggests that he viewed both Christianity and alcohol as ‘narcotics’, substances or influences that dull the senses and provide an escape from reality.


Four

Answer: Alberta

Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the wife of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. The name was originally given to the District of Alberta in 1882. The Princess also gave her name to Mount Alberta and Lake Louise.


Five 

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

— Wilfred Owen

Answer: Anthem for Doomed Youth

Wilfred Owen’s poem Anthem for Doomed Youth, written in 1917, vividly captures the horrors of war. Enlisting in the British army in 1915, Owen was sent to France with the Lancashire Fusiliers to fight in the trenches during World War I. In 1917, during his first six months of battle, his troop was gassed and forced to sleep in an open field of snow. One incident involved Owen spending several days huddled in a foxhole near the body of a fallen soldier. These experiences profoundly impacted Owen as a poet, leading to rapid maturity. The poems written after January 1917 are characterised by anger at war’s brutality, and pity for those who ‘die as cattle’.


Anthem for Doomed Youth

BY WILFRED OWEN

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

      — Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

      Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.

No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; 

      Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—

The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

      And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?

      Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

      The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

— Wilfred Owen

Poetry Foundation

Fly Me to the Moon

Earthrise.
Image NASA

One

In 1968, what became the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon, orbit it and return?

Two

The 1999 Open Championship was decided in a play-off between Jean Van de Velde and which two other players?

Three

The two great European narcotics, alcohol and…

— Friedrich Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols

What word is missing from the end of the above quote?

Four

Which Canadian province is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, born 1848?

Five 

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

— Wilfred Owen

The above quote is the opening line of which poem?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Heads or Tails | Answers

Velociraptor.
Image Wikipedia

One

Is it true or false that velociraptors were only about the size of turkeys?

Answer: True

Velociraptor, commonly known as “raptor,” is one of the dinosaur genera most familiar to the general public. This is largely due to its prominent role in the Jurassic Park films. However, in reality, Velociraptor was roughly the size of a turkey, considerably smaller than the approximately 2 metres (6.6 feet) tall and 90 kilograms (200 pounds) reptiles depicted in the novels and films. These depictions were based on members of the related genus Deinonychus

Wikipedia

Two

Is it true or false that P.T. Barnum started his career as a showman by publicly displaying an elderly African slave he claimed was George Washington’s 161-year-old former nursemaid?  

Answer: True

In 1834 he moved to New York City, where he found his vocation as a showman one year later when he successfully presented Joice Heth, a wizened Black woman whom he advertised as the 161-year-old nurse to Gen. George Washington. On her death, however, the story was exposed as a hoax.

Encyclopædia Britannica  

Three

Is it true or false that if broccoli is left unharvested, each green bud usually produces a flower with four yellow petals?   

Answer: True

Broccoli, a nutritious vegetable from the mustard family, is high in fibre and vitamins. It can be eaten fresh or cooked and should be dark green with firm stalks. If left unharvested, those buds produce yellow flowers with four petals and dry capsule fruits called siliques. 

Four

Is it true or false that elephants can communicate with each other using ambisonic calls?  

Answer: False

Elephants can communicate with each other using infrasonic calls that are below the range of human hearing. They also stomp messages on the ground that can be felt and understood by other elephants miles away.

Five 

Is it true or false that on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east? 

Answer: True

Venus is unusual because it spins the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets…

…And because Venus rotates backwards, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

NASA

Heads or Tails

A simple choice of either true or false today.

Velociraptor skeleton. Image Wikipedia

One

Is it true or false that velociraptors were about the size of turkeys?

Two

Is it true or false that P.T. Barnum started his career as a showman by publicly displaying an elderly African slave he claimed was George Washington’s 161-year-old former nursemaid?  

Three

Is it true or false that if broccoli is left unharvested, each green bud usually produces a flower with four yellow petals?  

Four

Is it true or false that elephants can communicate with each other using ambisonic calls? 

Five 

Is it true or false that on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east? 

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Candle in the Wind | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

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

One

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

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

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

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

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.

Find the Money | Answers

As usual the answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below and additionally I have underlined the monetary connection in the relevant answers.

Ha’penny Bridge, River Liffey, Dublin.
Image Wikipedia

One

Answer: Ha’penny Bridge

Ha’penny Bridge. The common name of the bridge derives from the ha’penny toll the bridge’s buider was allowed to charge anyone crossing it for a period of 100 years. Originally named the Wellington Bridge and after the Irish War of Independence renamed as the Liffey Bridge, Droichead na Life, its official name to this day.


For a Few Dollars More
Image IMDB/Amazon

Two

Answer: For a Few Dollars More

For a Few Dollars More is a 1965 Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters. It was the second instalment of the Dollars trilogy.


Euros showing Croatian Croatian national sides. Image Wikipedia https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Croatian_euro_coins_%2810%29.jpg

Three

Answer: Europe

The euro, the currency of the European Union, was introduced in 1999 and became the sole currency of 12 EU member states in 2002. The European Central Bank manages the euro, which is used by 20 EU countries and several non-EU countries. Euro banknotes feature Europa and European symbols, while coins have common and country-specific designs. The euro is the official currency of 20 European Union member states, collectively known as the eurozone. It is also used by several non-EU states and territories, making it the second-largest reserve currency and the second-most traded currency globally. The euro replaced the former European Currency Unit and became the day-to-day currency in 2002.


Popcorn machine.
Image Wikipedia

Four

Answer: Popcorn

This is the red herring with no monetary connection. Ben Elton’s novel is titled Popcorn.

Popcorn, a variety of corn kernel that expands when heated, is one of the oldest snacks. It is commonly eaten salted, buttered, sweetened, or with artificial flavourings.


Mark Spitz, 2012.
Image Wikipedia

Five

Answer: Mark Spitz


The mark was most notabally a currency used in Germany until 1999 although Bosnia and Herzegovina currently use the convertible mark as their currency.

Mark Spitz, a retired American competitive swimmer, achieved remarkable success by winning nine Olympic gold medals between 1968 and 1972. Notably, he secured seven Olympic gold medals in Munich, all of which were achieved in world-record times. This remarkable feat stood as a record for an impressive 36 years. 

Find the Money

There is a theme related to money today. Four of the answers will contain a coin, a currency etc but there is one red herring which has nothing to do with the theme and is not related to money.

River Liffey, Dublin.
Image Wikipedia

One

Which pedestrian bridge crossing Dublin’s River Liffey, as shown in the image above, bears a name derived from an old Irish coin?

Two

Can you name a 1965 Western film by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef as bounty hunters?

Three

There is continent with a name which might derive from words meaning ‘wide-gazing’ or ‘sunset’. Another theory suggests the name is from a Goddess, who was a Phoenician princess. What is this continent?

Four

A 1996 novel by the British writer Ben Elton shares its name with a variety of corn kernel?

Five

The remarkable achievement of a swimmer, the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, established a record that stood for 36 years. Can you identify the athlete in question?

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Take your Pick | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) in the Bushveld, Limpopo, South Africa.
Image Wikipedia

One

Answer: Aardvark

Aardvarks are medium-sized, nocturnal mammals native to Africa, using their long proboscis to sniff out ants and termites. They are the only living species of the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata, and are not closely related to pigs or anteaters despite superficial similarities.


Aerial view of Pelham Bay Park (pictured centre left).
Image Wikipedia

Two

Answer: Pelham Bay Park

Pelham Bay Park, the largest public park in New York City, spans 2,765 acres in the Bronx. It features peninsulas, a lagoon, and recreational areas such as Orchard Beach and golf courses. The park has a rich history, having been part of Anne Hutchinson’s colony and later playing a role in the Revolutionary War.

In contrast, Brooklyn’s Marine Park covers 798 acres, while Central Park is an impressive 843 acres.


Billy the Kid, ballet by Aaron Copland (Premiere 1938).
Image aaroncopland.com

Three

Answer: Billy the Kid

Aaron Copland’s 1938 ballet Billy the Kid, commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein and choreographed by Eugene Loring, is a popular and widely performed piece. It incorporates cowboy tunes and American folk songs, portraying the ‘Wild West’ through the figure of Billy the Kid.


Four

Answer: 1931, Kenya

The virus was first identified in 1931 during an investigation into an epidemic among sheep in the Rift Valley of Kenya. It is a viral disease transmitted through contact with infected animal blood, raw milk, or mosquito bites. Symptoms range from mild fever and muscle pain to severe complications like blindness, brain infections, and bleeding, with a 50% fatality rate for those with bleeding. Outbreaks occur in Africa and Arabia, typically during rainy periods.


City of London within London (in centre of image).
Image Maproom

Five

Answer: 1 square mile

The City of London, or “the City,” is the historic centre of London, containing historic sites like St Paul’s Cathedral and the London Stock Exchange. It is the smallest ceremonial county and local government district in England, with an area of 1.12 sq mi, earning it the nickname the Square Mile.

Take your Pick

Five multiple choice questions on a mixture of topics.

Image Wikipedia

One

What animal is pictured above?

  • Aardvark
  • Bonito
  • Coypu

Two

According to NYC Parks, the largest public park in New York City is…

  • Central Park, Manhattan
  • Marine Park, Brooklyn
  • Pelham Bay Park, Bronx

Three

Aaron Copland composed which 1938 ballet?

  • Billy the Kid
  • The Gunfight at the OK Corral
  • Wild Bill

Four

In what year, and where, was Rift Valley fever first isolated?

  • 1851, Japan
  • 1931, Kenya
  • 2011, Laos

Five

What is the approximate area of the City of London?

  • 1 square mile
  • 11 square miles
  • 111 square miles

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.