Jaws film poster, 1975 (cropped). See question one. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions are not date-related but the answers are consistant with the title.
One
Who wrote the book Jaws, which gave great white sharks such a bad reputation?
Two
In the human body, what is produced from the sudoriferous (or sudoriparous) glands?
Three
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 70% of a species of big cat live in Amazonia. This cat’s binomial name fits into today’s theme: what is that binomial name and what is its normal English name?
Four
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote more than 80 novels based on what character?
Five
Who was ‘the Gardener’s Daughter’ on Elvis Presley’s album Frankie and Johnny?
Five random questions today, neither date-related nor themed.
One
In the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, who are said to be the inhabitants of Bree?
Answer: Big Folk and Hobbits.
Bree, east of the Shire, is the only Hobbit and Man settlement in Bree-land, inspired by the English village of Brill and Tolkien’s linguistics. The Prancing Pony in Bree is where Frodo’s use of the ring brings him to the attention of Aragorn and the Black Riders.
Two
What is the world’s longest snake?
Answer: Reticulated Python.
The reticulated python is the only snake with verified human consumption, prompting a 2015 US import ban later partially rescinded. Documented fatalities and consumption of humans are recorded from 1638 to 2026, these are mainly in Indonesia.
Three
What is the nearest star to our Sun?
Answer: Proxima Centauri.
Proxima Centauri, discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, is the nearest star to Earth after the Sun, located 4.25 light-years away in Centaurus. A red dwarf which will remain a main-sequence star for four trillion years. Proxima Centauri has two confirmed exoplanets: Proxima Centauri b and Proxima Centauri d.
Four
In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Wednesday is revealed to be an incarnation of what God?
Answer: Odin.
Neil Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel American Gods centres on Shadow and won Hugo and Nebula awards. A 2011 expanded edition, audio versions and a 2017 Folio Society edition followed. It was adapted for television in 2017 with Gaiman as executive producer.
Five
Which character from television’s Friends is also a moon of the planet Saturn?
Answer: Phoebe.
Phoebe Buffay is a main character in Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and played by Lisa Kudrow. Phoebe, Saturn’s largest irregular satellite, was discovered photographically by William Henry Pickering in 1899. Cassini’s 2004 flyby enabled detailed study. Its retrograde orbit places it in the Norse group.
The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.
One
The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?
Answer: The theory of evolution by natural selection.
The Scopes Trial took place in Dayton, Tennessee, after teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act, which prohibited teaching human evolution in public schools. Although Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a conviction later overturned on ##a technicality), the trial became an international symbol of the clash between modern science and religious fundamentalism. It also featured a celebrated courtroom confrontation between prosecutor William Jennings Bryan and defence attorney Clarence Darrow.
Two
What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?
Answer: Luna 2; 1959.
The Soviet Union’s Luna 2 launched on 12 September 1959 became the following day the first spacecraft to impact the Moon, depositing Soviet emblems and detecting no magnetic field or radiation belts. Nikita S. Khrushchev gave a replica pennant to Dwight D. Eisenhower; it is held in his Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.
Three
A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?
Answer: Coelacanth.
Coelacanths are an ancient group of lobe-finned fish (Sarcopterygii) in the class Actinistia. As sarcopterygians, they are more closely related to lungfish and tetrapods (the terrestrial vertebrates including living amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) than to ray-finned fish. There is only a single living genus, Latimeria, with two described species. The name coelacanth originates from the Permian genus Coelacanthus. Thought extinct 66 million years ago, Latimeria chalumnae was found in 1938, and Latimeria menadoensis in the late 1990s. Despite being called ‘living fossils’, fossil studies show diverse ancient forms, challenging this status.
Four
Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?
Answer: Mad Max.
In a near-future Australia, oil shortages and ecocide undermine order. Nightrider kills a Main Force Patrol officer and escapes in a Pursuit Special until Max Rockatansky forces a fatal crash, killing Nightrider and his girlfriend.
Five
What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?
Answer: Point Barrow.
Point Barrow, or Nuvuk, is Alaska and the U.S.’S northernmost point. It is at 71°23′20″N 156°28′45″W and is 9 miles northeast of Utqiagvik and 1,122 nautical miles south of the North Pole. It separates the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
The first question relates to today’s date, 21 July. The remainder are neither date-related nor themed.
One
The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’, which came to a conclusion on 21 July 1925 centred on whether a high school teacher had violated a state law by teaching what scientific theory?
Two
What was the first man-made object to reach the surface of the Moon, and in what year did it do so?
Three
A fish found off East Africa in 1938 was of a species which had existed from more than 410 million years ago until it was believed to have become extinct around 66 million years ago. What is this fish?
Four
Mel Gibson’s title character fights a motorcycle gang led by Toecutter in which 1979 film?
Five
What is the northernmost geographic location in the United States?
Here’s the answers to the questions posted earlier.
Despite a heart condition and arthritis that forced him to use a cane, Brigadier General Roosevelt led the assault on Utah Beach. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions are a mixed bag and are not date-related. There is a bit of an alphabetical theme going on, though..
One
New York International Airport, which opened in 1948, was also commonly known by what other name?
Answer: Idlewild.
Now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), it is a major international airport serving the New York metropolitan area. Located in Queens, New York City, it is the busiest airport in the New York airport system and the busiest international commercial airport in North America. JFK features five passenger terminals and four runways, and serves as a hub for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Two
Supported by a walking stick, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr led the assault on which D-Day beach?
Answer: Utah Beach.
At 56, Roosevelt was the oldest general to land by sea with the first wave on D-Day, alongside his son, Captain Quentin Roosevelt II, who also landed with the first wave at Omaha Beach, making them the only father-son pair to participate in the invasion that day. Brigadier General Roosevelt, with Captain Leonard T. Schroeder Jr., led the 8th Infantry Regiment and 70th Tank Battalion at Utah Beach. Despite drifting off course, Roosevelt personally reconnoitred the area, coordinated with battalion commanders, and decided to attack from their landing point, famously declaring, ‘We’ll start the war from right here!’.
Three
What two word term is commonly used in the west to refer to the mythical humanoid creature which is said to inhabit parts of the Himalayas?
Answer: Abominable Snowman.
The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman, is a mythical humanoid creature believed to inhabit the Himalayas. Its existence is debated, with evidence such as sightings, videos, photos, and footprints, many of which are hoaxes or disputed. Despite numerous claims, the Yeti remains a subject of folklore and speculation. Folklorists trace the Yeti’s origin to Sherpa folklore and misidentified animals like bears or yaks, and it is often compared to North America’s Bigfoot due to similar physical descriptions.
Four
What flower with an eight-letter common name is the official flower of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, being the first to bloom there after the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945?
Answer: Oleander.
As the very first flower to bloom on the scorched earth of Hiroshima, where it was said that nothing would grow for 75 years, the oleander flower was a source of strength and hope for the residents of the city as they worked hard on recovery efforts. Blooming in the summertime, the oleander flowers reach their peak around the August 6 Peace Memorial Day, their beautiful blossoms reminding our citizens of a great many and profound feelings. — The City of Hiroshima
Five
In Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox steals the spaceship Heart of Gold. What’s the name of the ship’s computer?
Answer: Eddie.
Eddie, the Heart of Gold’s shipboard computer, is annoyingly cheerful with a Genuine People Personality, irritating the crew, especially Zaphod. He has a backup motherly personality but remains disliked. Eddie controls all ship systems and records conversations. In And Another Thing…, Zaphod’s Left Brain replaces him, being more competent
Theme
The answers started with one of English’s five vowels, although not in the correct order.
Despite a heart condition and arthritis that forced him to use a cane, Brigadier General Roosevelt led the assault on Utah Beach. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions are a mixed bag and are not date-related. There is a bit of an alphabetical theme going on, though..
One
New York International Airport, which opened in 1948, was also commonly known by what other name?
Two
Supported by a walking stick, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr led the assault on which D-Day beach?
Three
What two word term is commonly used in the west to refer to the mythical humanoid creature which is said to inhabit parts of the Himalayas?
Four
What flower with an eight-letter common name is the official flower of the Japanese city of Hiroshima, being the first to bloom there after the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945?
Five
In Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox steals the spaceship Heart of Gold. What’s the name of the ship’s computer?
The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.
One
On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security. Four questions:
What was the name of the ship?
For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?
Answers
Rainbow Warrior
Greenpeace
Auckland, New Zealand
French
The sinking of Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985, codenamed Opération Satanique, was a French state-terrorism act. The Rainbow Warrior was docked in Auckland prior to sailing to lead planned protests against French nuclear testing at Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia in the South Pacific. Two French operatives sank the Greenpeace ship in Auckland, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. France initially denied involvement but later apologised, paid reparations, and the agents served two years in French Polynesia.
Two
This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?
Answer: Finian’s Rainbow.
Finian’s Rainbow follows Irishman Finian and daughter Sharon in Missitucky (a concoction of Missi-ssippi and Ken-tucky), where he buries a stolen leprechaun’s gold, believing wealth will follow. Leprechaun Og pursues the gold, turning increasingly human. A wish leads to chaos: transforming a bigoted senator, while love blossoms, and moral lessons unfold about dreams, humanity, prejudice, and the folly of greed.
Three
Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?
Answer: Iridium
iridium /ɪˈrɪdiəm, ʌɪˈrɪdiəm/ ♫ ▶ noun [mass noun] (Symbol: Ir) the chemical element of atomic number 77, a hard, dense silvery-white metal. Iridium is a member of the transition series and is one of the densest metals. Iridium–platinum alloys are hard and corrosion-resistant and are used in jewellery and for electrical contacts – ORIGIN early 19th century: modern Latin, from Latin iris, irid– ‘rainbow’ (so named because it forms compounds of various colours). — Oxford English Dictionary
Four
What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?
Answer: Rainbow lorikeet.
Rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), a parrot species native to Australia, inhabit rainforests, coastal bush, and woodlands along the eastern seaboard. Rainbow lorikeets are medium-sized parrots with bright, colourful plumage. Males and females are visually indistinguishable, requiring surgical sexing or DNA analysis to determine sex.
Five
A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds.
What is the song?
What is the full name of ‘Gale’?
What is the film?
Answers
Over the Rainbow
Dorothy Gale
The Wizard of Oz
Over the Rainbow, a ballad by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, was sung by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939). It won an Academy Award, became Garland’s signature song, and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2017 for its cultural significance.
Over the Rainbow
Somewhere over the rainbow way up high There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true
Someday I’ll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far Behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That’s where you’ll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly Birds fly over the rainbow Why then, oh, why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow Why, oh, why can’t I? — AZ Lyrics
ROYGBIV
The mnemonic ROYGBIV helps remember the colours of the rainbow: Richard of York gave battle in vain.
(mnemonic) A mnemonic phrase to help remember the order of the seven colours of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Wiktionary
See question four. …? (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question concerns today’s date, 10th July. The others aren’t date-related but connect to the first.
One
On 10 July 1985, the flagship of a campaigning organisation sank after explosions caused by two bombs planted by agents of the Directorate General for External Security. Four questions:
What was the name of the ship?
For what campaigning organisation was it the flagship?
At a harbour in what city did the sinking occur?
What nationality was the organisation which planted the bombs?
Two
This 1947 musical is set in ‘Missitucky’, U.S. and features a newly arrived Irishman, his daughter and a leprechaun named Og. What is this musical?
Three
Which metallic element derives its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow?
Four
What is the common name for the bird pictured at the top of this post?
Five
A ballad by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Yip Harburg was written for a 1939 film where it would be sung by a character whose name in part is ‘Gale’. The song contains a reference to bluebirds.
Today’s first question relates to July 6th. The remainder are not date-related but follow a theme originating with the first.
One
On this day in 1964, the country represented by the flag above gained independence. Which country is it, and what nine-letter name was it known by immediately before independence?
Answer: Nyasaland.
The British established the Nyasaland Districts Protectorate in 1891, later renamed Nyasaland. Colonial rule prioritised European settlers, neglecting African welfare and agriculture, leading to migration and opposition to the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. This fuelled nationalism, culminating in independence on 6 July 1964 when it was renamed Malawi.
Two
Rockjumpers are native to southern Africa. What best describes them: bird, mammal, or reptile?
Answer: Birds.
Rockjumpers are medium-sized birds endemic to southern Africa, with two species: the Cape rockjumper and the Drakensberg rockjumper. They differ in size and plumage, with non-overlapping ranges. They run and jump among rocks and grass while hunting insects.
Three
Which African percussion instrument was the original default ringtone for the iPhone?
Answer: Marimba.
The original iPhone Marimba ringtone is a clean line-out recording that is iconic and often used for incoming calls. It is a short sound, lasting about 7 seconds.
Four
Who was the Scottish explorer who introduced Europeans to West Africa through his book Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa: James Bruce, David Livingstone or Mungo Park?
Answer: Mungo Park.
Mungo Park (1771–1806) was a Scottish explorer who pioneered African exploration. He theorised the Niger and Congo rivers merged, though later proven incorrect. Park’s influential book, Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa, introduced Europeans to West Africa, setting a standard for future explorers and colonial ambitions. Park died on the Niger River during his second expedition. The Royal Scottish Geographical Society award the Mungo Park medal annually in his honour.
Five
The African monkey gets its name from its crescent-shaped browband, which resembles the bow of a Roman goddess. What is it known as?
Answer: Diana monkey (Cercopithecus Diana).
The Diana monkey’s crescent-shaped broadband is said to resemble the the shape of the bow carried by the Roman goddess Diana. It is endangered due to habitat destruction and hunting as bushmeat. It can be found in West Africa, from Sierra Leone to Côte d’Ivoire.
