Who currently (April 2026) is the principal occupant of the Quirinal Palace (pictured), and what is that person’s office?
Answer: Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic.
The Quirinal Palace, the main official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, is located on the Quirinal Hill in Rome. It has served as a residence for popes, kings and presidents. Mattarella was elected on 31 January 2015, and re-elected on 29 January 2022.
What
What song gave Tom Jones his first UK number one single and his debut US hit, where it peaked at number ten.
Answer: It’s Not Unusual.
Released in 1965, It’s Not Unusual became a chart-topper in the UK, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart. It also marked his first US hit, peaking at number ten; it further climbed to number three on Billboard’s easy listening chart. Initially rejected by the BBC in the UK due to Jones’ image, the song gained popularity on pirate radio. In the US, Jones performed it three times on The Ed Sullivan Show.
When
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.
The above sentence opens what English classic children’s story and who wrote it?
Answers: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
The Secret Garden, a classic English children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was first published in 1911. It has been adapted for stage and film.
Where
Where are lemurs endemic?
Answer: Madagascar.
Lemurs are a diverse group of primates endemic to Madagascar, with around 100 extant species. They are social, nocturnal, and primarily arboreal, exhibiting a range of sizes and diets. Despite their importance for research and conservation efforts, many lemur species are endangered due to habitat loss and hunting.
Why
Why was Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, extensively rebuilt twice during the twentieth century? (NB Two answers as it was rebuilt on two separate occasions.)
Answers: (First rebuild) World War II Japanese air raids; (Second rebuild) Cyclone Tracy.
On 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese warplanes attacked Darwin, killing at least 243 people and causing significant damage. This was the first of many air raids on Darwin and was the most serious attack on Australia during wartime. Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin on 25 December 1974, killing 71 people and destroying over 70% of the city. The Darwin Reconstruction Commission oversaw the city’s rebuilding with modern materials and techniques.
How
How old, according to television’s Smallville, was Lex Luther when he became bald?
Answer: Nine.
I’ve been bald since I was nine. I’m used to people judging me before they get to know me. — Lex Luther, Pilot episode Smallville
Lex Luthor, introduced in the pilot as the son of billionaire Lionel Luthor, is sent to Smallville by his father to manage the local fertiliser plant. As a child, he’s caught in the first meteor shower, which leaves him completely bald but also grants him perfect health.
Six questions on random topics, each beginning with one of these words: Who, What, When (When is the first word of a quote), Where, Why and How.
Court of the Quirinal Palace. Image Wikimedia Commons
Who
Who currently (April 2026) is the principal occupant of the Quirinal Palace (pictured), and what is that person’s office?
What
What song gave Tom Jones his first UK number one single and his debut US hit, where it peaked at number ten.
When
When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen.
The above sentence opens what English classic children’s story and who wrote it?
Where
Where are lemurs endemic?
Why
Why was Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory, extensively rebuilt twice during the twentieth century? (NB Two answers as it was rebuilt on two separate occasions.)
How
How old, according to television’s Smallville, was Lex Luther when he became bald?
1 Greek mythology a priestess of Hera who was loved by Zeus. Trying to protect her from the jealousy of Hera, Zeus turned [her] into a heifer. Hera sent a gadfly to torture the heifer, which then fled across the world and finally reached Egypt, where Zeus turned her back into human form. 2 Astronomy one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, the fifth-closest satellite to the planet, being actively volcanic and coloured red and yellow with sulphur compounds (diameter 3,630 km. — Oxford English Dictionary
The above entry in the Oxford English Dictionary defines what word?
Answer: Io.
Io, a mortal lover of Zeus, was a princess whose descendants included Perseus and Heracles. Named after this princess, Io, the innermost Galilean moon of Jupiter, is the most geologically active object in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes.
Two
Cato Fong is the manservant of which fictional inspector?
Answer: Inspector Clouseau.
Cato, Clouseau’s manservant and martial arts expert, is known for unexpectedly attacking Clouseau to keep his skills sharp. Despite Clouseau’s frequent humiliation, he always gets revenge. In later films, Cato helps Clouseau on cases and even runs a covert brothel in Clouseau’s apartment.
Three
Which Swedish actress played Ilsa Lund in the classic film Casablanca?
Answer: Ingrid Bergman.
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress with a career spanning five decades. She is regarded as one of the most influential actresses in cinema history, winning numerous accolades including three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. Bergman, who spoke five languages, starred in notable films like Casablanca, Gaslight, and Murder on the Orient Express.
Four
Which 2013 Dan Brown novel begins with Robert Langdon waking in a Florence hospital?
Answer: Inferno.
Harvard professor Robert Langdon, suffering from amnesia, escapes an assassin with the help of Dr. Sienna Brooks. He discovers he mumbled ‘Very sorry’ but later learns it was ‘Vasari’ and refers to the artist Giorgio Vasari.
Five
What was the title of Carrie Underwood’s debut single?
Answer: Inside Your Heaven.
Inside Your Heaven, written by Andreas Carlsson, Pelle Nylén, and Savan Kotecha, was released as a single by both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice in June 2005. Underwood’s version debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart, while Bice’s peaked at number two.
The Eyes Have It
The title is a pun on the word ’eyes’, with each of the answers beginning with the letter ‘I’.
1 Greek mythology a priestess of Hera who was loved by Zeus. Trying to protect her from the jealousy of Hera, Zeus turned [her] into a heifer. Hera sent a gadfly to torture the heifer, which then fled across the world and finally reached Egypt, where Zeus turned her back into human form. 2 Astronomy one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, the fifth-closest satellite to the planet, being actively volcanic and coloured red and yellow with sulphur compounds (diameter 3,630 km. — Oxford English Dictionary
The above entry in the Oxford English Dictionary defines what word?
Two
Cato Fong is the manservant of which fictional inspector?
Three
Which Swedish actress played Ilsa Lund in the classic film Casablanca?
Four
Which 2013 Dan Brown novel begins with Robert Langdon waking in a Florence hospital?
Five
What was the title of Carrie Underwood’s debut single?
Elvis at Prestwick Airport, 3 March 1960. See question four. Image Daily Record.
No date-related theme today, just five very random questions for you to ponder.
One
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s best-known examples of rock-cut architecture in Jordan in 1812 and Egypt the following year. What are these examples of rock-cut architecture?
Answers: Petra and Abu Simbel.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784 – 1817) was a Swiss traveller, geographer and Orientalist. During his travels in Arabia, he adopted the alias Sheikh Ibrahim Ibn Abdallah and wrote his letters in French, signing them Louis. He is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s most famous examples of rock-cut architecture: the ruins of Petra, an ancient Nabataean city in Jordan, and the temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt. Petra remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when Burckhardt rediscovered it. The Great Temple at Abu Simbel remained unknown to Europeans until March 1813, when Burckhardt found the small temple and top frieze of the main temple.
Two
‘I can resist everything except temptation’ is a line from what play and who wrote it?
Answer: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play About a Good Woman by Oscar Wilde.
Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, debuting on 20 February 1892 at London’s St James’s Theatre. Lady Windermere suspects her husband of infidelity and plans to leave him for Lord Darlington. Mrs. Erlynne, the other woman, intervenes, revealing herself as Lady Windermere’s mother. She sacrifices her reputation to save the marriage, allowing Lady Windermere to return to her husband unnoticed.
Three
What religious organisation was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Alba?
Answer: Opus Dei.
Opus Dei, founded in 1928 by Josemaría Escrivá, is a Catholic Church personal prelature promoting holiness through daily life. Approved by the Holy See in 1950 and affirmed in 1982, it faces controversy over abuse allegations. Members, mostly laypeople, engage in secular careers and spiritual training globally.
Four
Elvis Presley and the beginnings of Open Golf are both linked to what town?
Answer: Prestwick.
Prestwick, a town in South Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast, is approximately 30 miles (50 kilometres) southwest of Glasgow. The Prestwick Old Course hosted the inaugural Open Golf Championship in 1860 and was the venue for the first twelve Open Championships from 1860 to 1872, although the event did not take place in 1871. During World War II, the US Army Air Corps set up and maintained a base at the airport. Elvis Presley made his only visit to the UK on 3 March 1960 when his US Army transport aircraft stopped at the airport for refuelling en route from Germany.
Five
Who in 1762 succeeded Peter III, Emperor of Russia, and what relationship was the successor to Peter?
Answers: Catherine II (the Great); his wife.
Peter III, Emperor of Russia for six months in 1762, was overthrown by his wife, Catherine the Great. Despite implementing notable reforms, he is criticised for his alliance with Prussia. On 28 June 1762, Catherine was proclaimed heir to the Russian throne. Peter attempted to flee to Kronstadt but was repelled by the fleet’s cannons. The people of St. Petersburg armed themselves against him. After losing support from the Senate, army, and fleet, Peter was arrested and abdicated on 9 July. He was transported to Ropsha, where he died under mysterious circumstances. Officially, he died from haemorrhoidal colic and a stroke, but assassination is suspected. Some accounts suggest suffocation attempts followed by strangulation. He was buried on 3 August 1762 in the Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Saint Petersburg.
No date-related theme today, just five very random questions for you to ponder.
One
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is best known for rediscovering two of the world’s best-known examples of rock-cut architecture in Jordan in 1812 and Egypt the following year. What are these examples of rock-cut architecture?
Two
‘I can resist everything except temptation’ is a line from what play and who wrote it?
Three
What religious organisation was founded by Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Alba?
Four
Elvis Presley and the beginnings of Open Golf are both linked to what town?
Five
Who in 1762 succeeded Peter III, Emperor of Russia, and what relationship was the successor to Peter?
Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Where and when did these shootings occur?
Answer: Sarajevo, Bosnia; 28 June 1914.
Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb student, assassinated the heir presumptive of the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, triggering the July Crisis and World War I. Born in 1894, Princip joined Young Bosnia, seeking South Slavic unification. Rejected by the Serbian army, he plotted the assassination with the Black Hand’s help. Arrested and sentenced to 20 years, he died in 1918 from tuberculosis. His legacy is divisive, seen as heroic by some Serbs and a terrorist by others.
Two
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, which female German athlete won gold in the long jump?
Answer: Heike Drechsler
Heike Gabriela Drechsler, born on 16 December 1964, is a renowned German former track and field athlete. Representing East Germany and later Germany, she is one of the greatest long jumpers, holding the third-best legal jump of 7.48 metres in 1988. Her wind-assisted 7.63 metres in 1992 remains the longest jump by a woman. Drechsler won two Olympic golds in long jump (1992, 2000), Olympic medals in 100 and 200 metres (1988), and held the 200 metres world record (21.71 seconds, 1986).
Three
Whose single Try Again was Grammy nominated in 2000?
Answer: Aaliyah
Try Again by Aaliyah, from Romeo Must Die (2000), blends R&B, electro, and dance-pop. Written by Static Major and Timbaland, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay. Critically acclaimed for its futuristic production, it earned a Grammy nomination. The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, won multiple awards.
Four
What words describes each of these: a creature which is active in the daytime; one which is active at night; and a creature which is active at dawn or dusk?
Answer: Diurnal; Nocturnal; Crepuscular.
Animals exhibit different activity patterns based on the time of day. Diurnal animals are active during daylight hours, while nocturnal animals, such as bats, are active at night, taking of advantage conditions like reduced predation, cooler temperatures, and higher humidity. Crepuscular animals, including some caprimulgiform birds like nightjars, are most active during twilight periods at dawn and dusk, though they may also be active at night if there is enough moonlight.
Five
What is the largest public park in New York City, and in which borough is it located?
Answer:Pelham Bay Park; The Bronx.
Pelham Bay Park, located in the Bronx, is New York City’s largest park at 2,772 acres. It features peninsulas, a lagoon, Eastchester Bay, Orchard Beach, golf courses and nature trails. Historical sites include the Bartow-Pell Mansion and Bronx Victory Column. Established in 1888, it was inspired by John Mullaly.
The Shot Heard Around the World
The phrase ‘shot heard around the world’ is associated with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 in that it was one of the precursors to World War I.
Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. Where and when did these shootings occur?
Two
At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, which female German athlete won gold in the long jump?
Three
Whose single Try Again was Grammy nominated in 2000?
Four
What words describes each of these: a creature which is active in the daytime; one which is active at night; and a creature which is active at dawn or dusk?
Five
What is the largest public park in New York City, and in which borough is it located?
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom was born on 21 April 1926. To the nearest year how long did she reign?
Answer: 71 years.
Elizabeth II, born on 21 April 1926, was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death in 2022 — 70 years and 214 days — the longest reign of any British monarch. She was queen regnant of 32 states and monarch of 15 at her death. Educated privately, she served in World War II and married Philip Mountbatten in 1947. Her reign saw significant political changes and historic visits. Despite challenges, her popularity remained high. She died at 96, succeeded by Charles III.
Two
On this day In 1918, the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, Germany’s top World War I flying ace, was shot down and killed near Amiens, France. What act had a novelty song Snoopy vs. The Red Baron in the 1966 charts?
Answer: The Royal Guardsmen.
Snoopy vs. the Red Baron is a 1966 novelty song by The Royal Guardsmen, peaking at No.2 on the Hot 100 and No.1 in Australia and Canada. It sold nearly three million copies. The band released other Snoopy-themed songs, including The Return of the Red Baron and Snoopy’s Christmas.
Three
What was the musical Annie based on, and what type of work was it?
Answer: Little Orphan Annie; Newspaper comic strip.
Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan, based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie. It premiered in 1977, ran for nearly six years, won seven Tony Awards, and features popular songs like ‘Tomorrow‘ and ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life‘.
Four
Whose visit to a Caribbean Island nation in 1966 led to the annual celebration of April 21st as Grounation Day?
Answer: Haile Selassie.
In 1966, the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I, believed by many Rastas to be the Second Coming of Christ, arrived in Jamaica for a visit. This event is now celebrated annually in the Rastafari movement as Grounation Day, specifically on April 21.
Five
According to legend Rome was founded in what century?
Answer: 8th Century BCE
Ancient Rome, spanning from 753 BCE to 476 CE, evolved from a small Italic settlement into a dominant Mediterranean power. It encompassed the Roman Kingdom, Republic, and Empire, controlling vast territories including North Africa, Egypt, and much of Europe. At its peak in CE 117, it covered 5 million square kilometres with 50-90 million people. Rome’s influence on language, law, architecture, and governance persists, inspiring modern republics and achieving remarkable technological feats like aqueducts and roads. In Ancient Rome, its founding by Romulus was celebrated annually on April 21st.
The Royal Guardsmen
The post title had nothing to do with question one, but everything to do with question two.
Quizology.Online 