In July 1985, Live Aid was held simultaneously at two venues on either side of the Atlantic. What were the venues?
Two
Dobby, the house-elf from Harry Potter, was in the news a couple of years ago when the National Trust asked fans not to leave memorabilia at the site of his grave at Freshwater West Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales. What one item associated with Dobby and Harry Potter have fans been leaving?
Three
What creature, from Greek mythology, is being described here: ‘a creature with the head, arms, and torso of a man and the body and legs of a horse’?
Four
What song opens ‘We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out’?
Five
An African dictator who was in office as the President between January 1971 and April 1979 declared himself the uncrowned King of Scotland. Who was this dictator, and what country did he rule?
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 for the questions I posted earlier.
Sylvia’s Mother, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Image CD and LP
One
Mrs Avery is the title character in which 1972 song by Dr. Hook; and what was the full name of the band at the time of the original release?
Answer: Sylvia’s Mother and Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show
Sylvia’s Mother, written by Shel Silverstein and originally performed by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, was their first hit. It reached number five on the Billboard singles chart and topped charts in several countries. The band kept this name until 1975 when they shortened it to Dr. Hook.
Thetis Dipping the Infant Achilles into the River Styx by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1625); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam. Image Wikipedia
Two
Achilles was dipped into which river by his mother to make him invulnerable?
Answer: Styx
Legend claims Achilles was invulnerable except for his heel, which his mother held while dipping him in the River Styx. Achilles heel, a term derived from this, signifies a vulnerable point despite overall strength. The Achilles tendon is also named after this legend.
Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall by Spike Milligan. Image Libris
Three
September 3rd, 1939. The last minutes of peace ticking away. Father and I were watching Mother digging our air-raid shelter.
The opening lines of a novel first published in 1971 are quoted above. Can you name the novel and its author?
Answer: Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall by Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan’s war memoir, Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall, recounts his experiences from Britain’s declaration of war to the Allied liberation of Africa. The book, the first of seven volumes, blends anecdotes, photographs and sketches.
Who plays Lily on television’s How I Met Your Mother?
Answer: Alyson Hannigan
Lily Aldrin, portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, is a fictional character in How I Met Your Mother. She is a kindergarten teacher, amateur painter, and later becomes an art consultant.
Statue of Helena in the Musei Capitolini, Rome. Image Wikipedia
Five
Evelyn Waugh’s 1950 novel Helena is about the mother of which 4th-century Roman emperor?
Answer: Constantine I or Constantine the Great
Flavia Julia Helena, also known as Saint Helena, was a Roman Augusta and mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. Revered as a saint, she is believed to have discovered the True Cross during a religious tour.
Statue of Constantine I in York, England. Near the spot where he was proclaimed Augustus in 306 CE. Image Wikipedia
The Avro Vulcan, a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing bomber, was operated by the RAF from 1956 to 1984. It served as the backbone of the UK’s airborne nuclear deterrent during the Cold War and was later adapted for maritime reconnaissance and aerial refuelling. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes, deserts, metalworking and the forge, is often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer. His Greek counterpart is Hephaestus, and his Etruscan counterpart is Sethlans.
Two
King Neptune, SpongeBob SquarePants. Image Pinterest
Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?
Answer: King Neptune
In SpongeBob SquarePants King Neptune, a powerful merman god, rules the sea from Atlantis with his wife and son. He is portrayed as arrogant and selfish, but is a fan of Patrick Star, releasing the Star family from trespassing charges and moving his ball to their house. In mythology, Neptune, the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. He is associated with horses and horse-racing, and his festival, Neptunalia, is celebrated on July 23rd.
Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned: —Introibo ad altare Dei.
The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, the 16 June 1904?
Answer: Ulysses
Ulysses, a modernist novel by James Joyce, chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners on 16 June 1904. The novel, published in 1922, parallels the Odyssey and explores themes of antisemitism, sexuality, British rule, Catholicism and Irish nationalism. Bloomsday, celebrated annually on 16 June, commemorates the life of Irish writer James Joyce. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, the protagonist Ulysses, and the events of the novel take place on this date. Odysseus (Roman Ulysses), the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, is the hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. He is known for his cunning and intelligence, and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.
Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…
Answer: (Project) Mercury
Quicksilver is defined as ‘the liquid metal mercury’. Project Mercury, the first US human spaceflight programme, ran from 1958 to 1963. It conducted 26 flights, six with astronauts, and cost $2.76 billion. Mercury is a major Roman god, associated with commerce, communication, travellers and thieves. He is the son of Maia and Jupiter, and is often depicted holding the caduceus, a staff with intertwined snakes.
Five
Archaeological Museum in Herakleion. Statue of Isis-Persephone holding a sistrum. Temple of the Egyptian gods, Gortyn. Roman period (180-190 C.E.). Image Wikipedia
PRONE SHEEP
…can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?
Answer: Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, became the queen of the underworld after being abducted by her uncle Hades. Her myth symbolises spring and vegetation, representing the eternal cycle of life and death.
Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?
Three
Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned: —Introibo ad altare Dei.
The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, June 16th, 1904?
Four
Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…
Five
PRONE SHEEP
…can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?
What is the first name of Professor McGonagall, a staff member at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?
Answer: Minerva
Maggie Smith portrayed Minerva McGonagall in seven Harry Potter films, enjoying the franchise for bonding with her grandchildren.
Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory and the arts. She is often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, and is revered as a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.
In the 2007 film, The Golden Compass, Lyra Belacqua has a short pet name for her dæmon. What is it?
Answer: Pan
Lyra’s dæmon is named Pantalaimon but she generally shortens this to Pan.
Pan, the Greek god of shepherds and goatherds, originated in Arcadia and was worshipped in caves. He is depicted as a lecherous figure who roams the mountains and plays the syrinx.
Released on 12 December 1972, this disaster film featured Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Jack Albertson, Shelley Winters and Red Buttons. What was its title?
Answer: The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is a disaster film about a luxury liner capsized by a tsunami. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $125 million worldwide and winning two Academy Awards.
Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, earthquakes and horses, was worshipped in coastal and inland areas. He is the son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Hades and husband of Amphitrite.
In Ridley Scott’s 2015 film, Dr. Mark Watney becomes stranded. But where is he stranded?
Answer: Mars
In The Martian, Matt Damon plays Dr. Mark Watney, an astronaut stranded on Mars after being presumed dead.
Mars is the Roman god of war and agriculture, embodying the dual role of protecting the Roman people and securing peace through military power. He is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and father of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
What was Samuel L. Jackson’s character name in Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)?
Answer: Zeus Carver
Zeus Carver, a resourceful shopkeeper, reluctantly assists John McClane, forming a love-hate relationshipship as his ingenuity helps solve Gruber’s puzzles.
Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, is the most powerful deity and the only one of Indo-European origin. He overthrew his father Cronus and the Titans in the Titanomachy, becoming the father of many heroes and progenitors of prominent family lines.
Quizology.Online 
