Today’s answers are all single numbers — even the one that is a large number can be written as a single digit if you read the question carefully — and form part of a sequence.
One
How many of the eight planets in the solar system have one, and only one, natural satellite, and what are the names of this/these planet(s)?
Two
Maria Sharapova retired from tennis in 2020. Of the five Grand Slam Singles Championships she won, how many were at the French Open, and who, if any, was/were her defeated finalist(s)?
Three
How many siblings does King Charles III of Great Britain have, and what are they known as?
Four
The World Health Organisation estimates that approximately how many millions of people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year?
Five
How many countries share a land border with Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye), and list them in alphabetical order?
Today’s first question is the only one connected to the date 11 June. The others continue a theme created in the first.
One
Born in 1910, this French author, explorer, inventor, diver, and biologist was awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for espionage work while a member of the French resistance during World War II. Who is this?
Answer: Jacques Cousteau.
Jacques Cousteau (1910–1997) was a French naval officer, ocean explorer, filmmaker and co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung, which revolutionised scuba diving. A World War II resistance member and decorated naval officer, he pioneered underwater research, photography, and filmmaking. Using his research vessel Calypso (pictured), he led expeditions worldwide and helped popularise ocean exploration through books, documentaries and television. Cousteau also directed Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum, developed underwater habitats, and founded organisations dedicated to marine conservation and environmental protection.
Two
This actor, who links Hamlet and Ealing comedies with adaptations of John Le Carré’s novels and Star Wars, commanded a World War II landing craft during the invasions of Sicily and Elba. Who is he?
Answer: Alec Guinness.
Sir Alec Guinness, born Alec Guinness de Cuffe, was a renowned English actor, noted for his roles in nine of the BFI’s 100 most important British films. He won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Tony, and Volpi Cup. Knighted in 1959, he starred in films like Great Expectations, Lawrence of Arabia, and was Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. Guinness also excelled in theatre and television, notably as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People.
Three
This actress, who played Delilah in 1949’s Samson and Delilah, was the co-inventor of a 1941 torpedo radio guidance system which utilised pioneering spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to prevent jamming. Who was she?
Answer: Hedy Lamarr.
Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-American actress and inventor, co-invented a radio guidance system during World War II with composer George Antheil. Their invention utilised spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to protect Allied torpedoes from Axis jamming. Lamarr received numerous awards for her contributions to spread-spectrum technology, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award, the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, and the Viktor Kaplan Medal. Its principles are utilised for secure wireless networking, such as Bluetooth and early versions of Wi-Fi, which use variants of spread spectrum to protect data from interception and interference. She was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Four
This actor, who worked in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II, links all of these: Count Dracula; a 1970s Bond villain; baddies in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; a High Councillor in The Golden Compass and the voice of Death in animated versions from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Who is he?
Answer: Christopher Lee.
He was renowned for his portrayal of Count Dracula in Hammer Horror films, starting with Dracula (1958). He also starred as Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Count Dooku in the Star Warsprequel trilogy (2002–2005), and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies (2001–2003 and 2012–2014, respectively). Lee voiced the character Death in two animated fantasy-comedy television series adaptations of the Discworld novels Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters (both 1997).
Five
An actor who flew US Liberator bombers over Europe during World War II had a starring role in 1939 in which he ‘went to Washington’. The following year, a ‘tale about Philadelphia’ won him a Best Actor Oscar. Who was this actor and pilot whose time in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned 1941 to 1968?
Answer: James Stewart.
The two films referenced in the question are Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). James Stewart, initially rejected for being underweight, enlisted in 1941 after gaining weight. An experienced pilot, he served in the Air Corps, becoming a second lieutenant in 1942. His celebrity aided recruitment, leading to 150,000 new troops. Volunteering for combat, he flew a B-24 Liberator in Europe, earning promotions to Major in 1944 and Colonel in 1945. Stewart received the Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, and Air Medal. He served in the Air Force Reserve until 1968, retiring as a brigadier general.
The Best Way to Observe a Fish is to Become a Fish
The post title is a quote from Jacques Cousteau
“The best way to observe fish is to become a fish,” wrote Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1952. “And the best way to become a fish…is to don an underwater breathing device called the Aqua-Lung.” — Time magazine
Today’s first question is the only one connected to the date 11 June. The others continue a theme created in the first.
One
Born in 1910, this French author, explorer, inventor, diver, and biologist was awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for espionage work while a member of the French resistance during World War II. Who is this?
Two
This actor, who links Hamlet and Ealing comedies with adaptations of John Le Carré’s novels and Star Wars, commanded a World War II landing craft during the invasions of Sicily and Elba. Who is he?
Three
This actress, who played Delilah in 1949’s Samson and Delilah, was the co-inventor of a 1941 torpedo radio guidance system which utilised pioneering spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to prevent jamming. Who was she?
Four
This actor, who worked in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II, links all of these: Count Dracula; a 1970s Bond villain; baddies in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; a High Councillor in The Golden Compass and the voice of Death in animated versions from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Who is he?
Five
An actor who flew US Liberator bombers over Europe during World War II had a starring role in 1939 in which he ‘went to Washington’. The following year, a ‘tale about Philadelphia’ won him a Best Actor Oscar. Who was this actor and pilot whose time in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned 1941 to 1968?
What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?
Answer: Emu, (Australian piping) shrike and black swan.
The shield’s centre features symbols representing Australia’s six states and its border symbolises federation. Holding the shield are the native Australian animals, the kangaroo and the emu. These were chosen to represent a nation moving forward as neither animal easily moves backwards. Above the shield sits a seven-point gold Commonwealth Star. Six of the star’s points represent the Australian states while the seventh point represents the territories. South Australia is represented by an Australian piping shrike and Western Australia, a black swan.
Two
A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?
Answer: Wood.
Xylophagy refers to herbivorous animals primarily consuming wood. Most are arthropods, especially insects, which may specialise in certain plant groups or wood characteristics. Many have symbiotic organisms aiding cellulose breakdown. Examples include Cossidae moths, termites, shipworms, and wood-boring beetles, among others.
Three
In the terminology used to describe swans: What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?
Answers: Cygnet; Cob and pen.
Young swans are known as cygnets, from Old French cigne or cisne (diminutive suffix et ‘little’), from the Latin word cygnus, a variant form of cycnus ‘swan’, itself from the Greek κύκνος kýknos, a word of the same meaning. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen. — Wikipedia
Four
What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?
Answer: Sperm whale.
Moby Dick is a fictional white sperm whale and the main antagonist in Herman Melville’s novel. Based on the real-life Mocha Dick, Moby Dick is described as having distinctive white markings and a history of attacking and destroying whaling ships. The novel ends with Moby Dick destroying the Pequod, leaving Ishmael as the sole survivor.
Five
According to the narrative of the Bible’s Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?
Answer: Abel.
Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. — Book of Genesis, The Bible
The Nabi Habeel Mosque, Bilad Ash-Sham, Syria, is believed by Muslims to be the grave of Abel. Abel, murdered by his brother Cain, is the world’s first homicide victim?
What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?
Two
A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?
Three
In the terminology used to describe swans: What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?
Four
What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?
Five
According to the narrative of the Bible’s Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?
What does the name of the dinosaur Falcarius mean?
Ground scraper
Sickle cutter
Wood driller
Answer: Sickle cutter.
Falcarius, meaning ‘sickle cutter’, is a primitive therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous in North America. Discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation, it was a 4 m long bipedal herbivore with a small head, elongated neck, and tail. It is considered a transitional form between theropods and Therizinosauridae.
Three
Spectrophobia, catoptrophobia and eisoptrophobia can all relate to what household item?
Kettle
Linoleum
Mirror
Answer: Mirror.
Catoptrophobia, eisoptrophobia and spectrophobia are terms related to fear of mirrors, but they have distinct meanings. Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors themselves, eisoptrophobia is the fear of seeing one’s reflection, and spectrophobia can mean fear of mirrors or ghosts. Etymologically, catoptro– and eisoptron– mean ‘mirror’, whereas spectrum means ‘apparition’, explaining spectrophobia’s dual association.
Four
What word can be added to crow to complete this plants name: crow …?
Foot
Quill
Steps
Answer:
Crowfoot is a herbaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus, related to the buttercups, typically having lobed or divided leaves and white or yellow flowers.
Many kinds are aquatic with flowers held above the water. Crow quill is a quill pen made from a large feather of a crow’s wing and used in fine writing. Crow steps are projections resembling steps on the sloping part of a gable, common in Flemish architecture and in 16th- and 17th-century Scottish buildings. Also called corbie steps. — all three definitions from Oxford English Dictionary.
Five
Which of these words means the 1938 annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Nazi Germany?
Anschluss
Rindereintopf
Schlafwandeln
Answer: Anschluss.
Anschluss /ˈanʃlʊs / ▸ the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. Hitler had forced the resignation of the Austrian Chancellor by demanding that he admit Nazis into his cabinet. The new Chancellor, a pro-Nazi, invited German troops to enter the country on the pretext of restoring law and order. – ORIGIN German, from anschliessen ‘to join’. — Oxford English Dictionary
Rindereintopf is a beef stew, and Schlafwandeln is sleepwalking.
All of today’s questions relate to the date, 3rd June.
One
Which country’s national flag is shown? From which state union did it gain independence in 2006?
Answer: Montenegro; Serbia and Montenegro** (or the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro).
Montenegro, located in Southeast Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, has a population of 633,158 across 25 municipalities. It borders Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Croatia, and the Adriatic Sea, with Podgorica as its capital and Cetinje as its cultural centre. Historically inhabited by Illyrians, it became a semi-independent principality under the rule of the Prince-Bishops beginning in 1696 and gained independence in 2006. Montenegro has an upper-middle-income, service-based economy and is a member of several international organisations, pursuing EU membership since 2012.
Two
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Who was the first man and the first woman to walk in space? (Individually, not together.)
Answer: Alexei Leonov; Svetlana Savitskaya.
Extravehicular activity (EVA) involves astronauts performing tasks outside spacecraft, including spacewalks and moonwalks. Conducted by nations like Russia, the U.S., and China, EVAs require space suits for life support. Notable milestones include Alexei Leonov’s first spacewalk in March 1965, Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk in July 1969, and Svetlana Savitskaya’s first female spacewalk in July 1984. EVAs can be tethered or untethered, with untethered walks using the Manned Manoeuvring Unit in 1984 and SAFER in 1994.
Three
The United Kingdom had three kings in 1936, one of whom had been born on this day in 1865. Who was he?
Answer: George V.
George V reigned as King of the United Kingdom from 1910 to 1936. The second son of Prince Albert Edward, later King Edward VII, he unexpectedly became heir to the throne after the death of his elder brother, Prince Albert Victor. Upon George V’s death in January 1936, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII, who abdicated later that year to marry Wallis Simpson. Edward was then succeeded by his younger brother Albert, who became King George VI.
Four
In 1844, the last pair of Great auks were killed by fishermen on Eldey Island. In what nation is Eldey Island?
The great auk (Pinguinus impennis), also known as the garefowl or penguin, is an extinct species of flightless alcid that first appeared around 400,000 years ago and was driven to extinction by human exploitation in the mid-19th century. It was the only modern species in the genus Pinguinus. It was not closely related to the penguins of the Southern Hemisphere, which were named for their resemblance to this species. — Wikipedia
Five
In 1973. the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft happened in France with the loss of fourteen lives. What aircraft crashed?
Answer: Tupolev Tu-144.
Nicknamed ‘Concordski’ by the press, the Tupolev Tu-144 is a Soviet supersonic passenger airliner designed by Tupolev that operated commercially from 1975 to 1983, including a passenger service between 1977–1978. It was the first commercial supersonic transport, first flew on 31 December 1968, ahead of Concorde. Produced by Tupolev, 16 units were made, conducting 102 commercial flights, with only 55 carrying passengers. It reached Mach 2 on 26 May 1970. Reliability issues, a 1973 crash, and high costs led to its withdrawal from passenger service in 1978. It served as a cargo aircraft until 1983 and was later used for space and research programs, making its final flight in 1999.
Flag of ? See question one. Image Wikimedia Commons
All of today’s questions relate to the date, 3rd June.
One
Which country’s national flag is shown? From which state union did it gain independence in 2006?
Two
In 1965, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. Who was the first man and the first woman to walk in space? (Individually, not together.)
Three
The United Kingdom had three kings in 1936, one of whom had been born on this day in 1865. Who was he?
Four
In 1844, the last pair of Great auks were killed by fishermen on Eldey Island. In what nation is Eldey Island?
Five
In 1973. the first crash of a supersonic passenger aircraft happened in France with the loss of fourteen lives. What aircraft crashed?
Question two. Just Room Enough Island, Thousand Islands archipelago. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s first question concerns the date 2nd June. The other questions are random and unrelated.
One
In 1953, ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’ covered the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at London’s Westminster Abbey for the Washington Times-Herald. Shortly to become very famous herself, who was ‘Inquiring Camera Girl’?
Answer: Jackie Bouvier (Kennedy).
Jackie Bouvier, a reporter for the Washington Times-Herald and writer of the paper’s Inquiring Camera Girl column, was in the crowd outside the Abbey for the coronation. Three months later, she would marry John F. Kennedy, and in under eight years, she would be First Lady.
Two
In what body of water are North America’s Thousand Islands found, and to the nearest fifty, approximately how many islands are in the archipelago?
Answer: Saint Lawrence River; 1,850.
The Thousand Islands, an archipelago of 1,864 islands, straddles the Canada-US border in the Saint Lawrence River. The islands range in size and must have at least one square foot of land above water year-round, and have one or two living trees* to be considered part of the Thousand Islands. (*Number of trees varies depending on source.)
Three
The Olympic Rings are a symbol consisting of five interlocking coloured rings. What colours are the rings on top?
Answer: Blue, black and red.
The rings are interlaced from the left and are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. The founder of the modern Olympics stated the following in 1913:
… the six colours (including the flag’s white background) combined in this way reproduce the colours of every country without exception. The blue and yellow of Sweden, the blue and white of Greece, the tricolour flags of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and Hungary, and the yellow and red of Spain are included, as are the innovative flags of Brazil and Australia, and those of ancient Japan and modern China. This, truly, is an international emblem. —Baron Pierre Coubertin, Olympique, August 1913.
Four
The forum currently known as the Group of Seven (G7) has, since its founding, been variously the G6, G7, and the G8. Angela Merkel was the second woman to chair this forum; who was the first?
Answer: Margaret Thatcher.
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental forum of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, the US, and the EU, focusing on pluralism and liberal democracy. Established in 1973, it addresses global issues like trade and climate change. Despite criticism for limited representation, the G7 has influenced initiatives like the Paris Agreement. Members, with a population of 780 million, contribute over 44% to the world’s nominal GDP and 30% by purchasing power parity.
Five
What colour are white rhinoceros?
Answer: Grey.
White rhinos, the second-largest land mammals, are named for their wide mouths, not their colour and there is no difference in the skin colour of white and black rhinos. There are two subspecies of white rhino: northern and southern. As of March 2018, only two female northern white rhinos remain, critically endangered due to poaching. Southern white rhinos, once thought extinct, now number around 18,000, classified as Near Threatened. They inhabit South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. White rhinos have complex social structures, with females forming groups and males defending territories.
