These questions are all related to today’s date, March 23rd.
Suez Canal 2021. Image Wikimedia Commons
One
The Suez Canal was blocked for six days in 2021, when a container ship ran aground, see picture above. What was the name of the container ship?
Two
What animals were retired from the U.S. Army in 1957 when it was decided that they were obsolete?
Three
In 1998, James Cameron’s Titanic won eleven Academy Awards. Which of these did it not win:
Best Actress
Best Director
Best Picture
Four
In 1956, the world’s first Islamic republic came into being. Currently the term is used in the names of three states: name those three countries?
Five
In 1806, Lewis and Clark began their return journey to St. Louis, Missouri. Their return journey began from a position near to the mouth of what river?
Today’s questions revolve around March 21st and follow the 5W1H format: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. This results in six questions instead of the usual five.
Who
In a 1980 television series finale, who shot J.R.?
Answer: Kristin Shepard.
’Who shot J.R.?’ is a catchphrase from the 1980 season finale of Dallas, referring to the fictional murder attempt on J.R. Ewing. The mystery, resolved eight months later, became a pop culture phenomenon and increased the popularity of cliffhanger endings. Kristin Shepard, played by Mary Crosby, was J.R.’s sister-in-law and mistress.
What
What did Jack Dorsey use to end the first public tweet in 2006: ‘just setting up my ——’?
Answer: twttr.
Twitter (originally Twttr), launched in 2006, quickly grew to over 100 million users by 2012. Initially limited to 140 characters per post, the limit was increased to 280 in 2017 and removed for subscribed accounts in 2023.
Represented by this flag, where, in 1990, gained independence after a combined period of 106 years German and then South African rule?
Answer: Namibia.
Namibia, a sparsely populated country in Southern Africa, gained independence from South Africa in 1990. Despite significant GDP growth, poverty and inequality remain high, with a Gini coefficient of 59 in 2015. The economy is based on agriculture, tourism, and mining, with a small manufacturing sector.
When
When was Gary Oldman’s year of birth?
Answer: 1958.
Gary Oldman, an English actor and filmmaker, is known for his versatility and intense acting style. He has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, and his films have grossed over $11 billion worldwide. Oldman began his career in theatre and rose to prominence in British film, later achieving greater recognition in American films and franchise roles.
Why
Why, in 1980, did U.S. President Jimmy Carter announce that the United States was boycotting that year’s Summer Olympics in Moscow?
Answer: Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The 1980 Moscow Olympics, boycotted by the U.S. and 60 other countries due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, saw 5,000 athletes from 81 countries compete amidst ongoing protests and security concerns.
How
How many visitors, according to the U.S. National Park Service, visit Alcatraz annually (to the nearest 100,000)?
Answer: 1.2 million.
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, established in 1972, includes Alcatraz Island, attracting 1.2 million visitors annually. The island offers a unique opportunity to explore its layered history and contemplate crime and punishment.
Today’s questions revolve around March 21st and follow the 5W1H format: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How. This results in six questions instead of the usual five.
Who
In a 1980 television series finale, who shot J.R.?
What
What did Jack Dorsey use to end the first public tweet in 2006: ‘just setting up my ——’?
Image Wikimedia Commons
Where
Represented by this flag, where, in 1990, gained independence after a combined period of 106 years German and then South African rule?
When
When was Gary Oldman’s year of birth?
Why
Why, in 1980, did U.S. President Jimmy Carter announce that the United States was boycotting that year’s Summer Olympics in Moscow?
How
How many visitors, according to the U.S. National Park Service, visit Alcatraz annually (to the nearest 100,000)?
People, places, and events from today’s date, March 19th, feature in these questions.
One
On this date, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. In what decade did this occur?
Answer: 1930s
Opened in 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, a steel through arch bridge, connects Sydney’s CBD to the North Shore. An iconic image of Sydney, nicknamed the ‘Coathanger’, it carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
Two
A writer who had been born in 1917 died in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 19 March 2008. His best-known works include the script he wrote with director Stanley Kubrick for 2001: A Space Odyssey and his novel of that film. Who is this writer?
Answer: Arthur C. Clarke.
Arthur C. Clarke was an English writer known for his science fiction and non-fiction works. He co-wrote the script for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey and its novelisation. Clarke’s notable works include Childhood’s End, Rendezvous with Rama, and The Fountains of Paradise. He was knighted in 2000.
Three
This American actor, who was born in West Germany in 1955, earned a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination in 1990 for his role as Emmett Smith in the film In Country. Who is he?
Answer: Bruce Willis
In Country (1989) follows Samantha Hughes, a recent high school graduate, as she becomes fixated on learning about her deceased father a Vietnam veteran. Staying with her Uncle Emmett (Bruce Willis) another veteran she embarks on a journey to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. seeking closure. Bruce Willis, a retired American actor, is renowned for his action roles, particularly his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise. He starred in over 100 films including Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense, earning numerous accolades throughout his career. Willis retired in 2022 due to aphasia and was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023.
Four
This 20th-century national leader issued his ‘Nero Decree’, ordering that all of the nation’s ‘industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities be destroyed’? Who was he, and what was the country?
Answers: Adolf Hitler; Germany.
The Nero Decree, issued by Hitler in March 1945, ordered the destruction of German infrastructure to prevent its use by the Allies. It was disobeyed by Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments and War Production, before the Nazi regime’s fall.
Five
American actress Glenn Close, born on 19 March 1947 in Greenwich, Connecticut, received her first Academy Award nomination for her debut film. This was for her role as Jenny Fields in a 1982 film with a five-word title: The World ——. What film?
Answer: The World According to Garp.
Glenn Close is an American actress with a career spanning five decades. She has won numerous awards, including three Emmys, three Tonys, and three Golden Globes, as well as having been nominated for eight Academy Awards. Her debut film role earned her a Best Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for The World According to Garp. Close, who is known for her work in film, television, and theatre, is a vocal advocate for women’s rights, same-sex marriage, and mental health.
People, places, and events from today’s date, March 19th, feature in these questions.
One
On this date, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. In what decade did this occur?
Two
A writer who had been born in 1917 died in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 19 March 2008. His best-known works include the script he wrote with director Stanley Kubrick for 2001: A Space Odyssey and his novel of that film. Who is this writer?
Three
This American actor, who was born in West Germany in 1955, earned a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe nomination in 1990 for his role as Emmett Smith in the film In Country. Who is he?
Four
This 20th-century national leader issued his ‘Nero Decree’, ordering that all of the nation’s ‘industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities be destroyed’? Who was he, and what was the country?
Five
American actress Glenn Close, born on 19 March 1947 in Greenwich, Connecticut, received her first Academy Award nomination for her debut film. This was for her role as Jenny Fields in a 1982 film with a five-word title: The World ——. What film?
Born 1980. Actress who links the following roles: Penelope (in 2004), Isolde (2006), Erika (2003 and 2006), Darcy (2014) and Freya (2008). Who is she?
Rose Keegan
Sophia Myles
Lucy Russell
Answer: 2. Sophia Myles.
Sophia Myles, an English actress, who portrayed the following characters in the associated film. Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds(2004), Isolde in Tristan & Isolde(2006), Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Erika in Underworld(2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006), and Freya in Outlander (2008)”
Two
Born 1837, Grover Cleveland, served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Where was he born?
Amherst, New Hampshire
Brighton, New York
Caldwell, New Jersey
Answer: 3. Caldwell, New Jersey.
Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, was the first Democrat elected after the Civil War and the first president to serve non-consecutive terms. A Bourbon Democrat, he championed political reform, fiscal conservatism and classical liberalism. His presidency was marked by significant legislation like the Interstate Commerce Act and the Dawes Act, as well as challenges like the Panic of 1893 and the Pullman Strike.
Three
Anthem for Doomed Youth was written by a war poet born this day in 1893. Who was he?
Rupert Brook
Wilfred Owen
Siegfried Sassoon
Answer: 2. Wilfred Owen.
Wilfred Owen, an English poet and soldier, expressed anger at war’s cruelty and waste through his poetry. Based on his World War I experiences, his war poetry was about the horrors of trenches and gas warfare. At only 25 years of age, he was killed in action at the Battle of the Sambre on 4 November 1918, exactly a week before the war’s end. His best-known works— most of which were published posthumously— are Anthem for Doomed Youth, Dulce et Decorum est, Futility, and Spring Offensive.
Four
Who is Dana Elaine Owens, born 18 March 1970, a musician and actress, better known as?
Lauryn Hill
Missy Elliott
Queen Latifah
Answer: 3. Queen Latifah.
An American musician and actress, Queen Latifah rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album, All Hail the Queen, which blended diverse styles and feminist themes. The name Latifah is Arabic for ‘delicate’ or ‘sensitive’.
Five
Born today in 1869, this British prime minister returned from Germany with a ‘piece of paper’ promising to ‘have brought you back peace — but a peace I hope with honour’. Who was he?
Stanley Baldwin
Neville Chamberlain
Winston Churchill
Answer: 2. Neville Chamberlain.
Prime Minister of the UK from 1937 to 1940 Neville Chamberlain is known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler’s Germany. He served in various government positions, including Chancellor of the Exchequer, before becoming Prime Minister. Despite signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler in 1938, Chamberlain declared war on Germany less than a year later following the Nazi invasion of Poland.
Born 1980. Actress who links the following roles: Penelope (in 2004), Isolde (2006), Erika (2003 and 2006), Darcy (2014) and Freya (2008). Who is she?
Rose Keegan
Sophia Myles
Lucy Russell
Two
Born 1837, Grover Cleveland, served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Where was he born?
Amherst, New Hampshire
Brighton, New York
Caldwell, New Jersey
Three
Anthem for Doomed Youth was written by a war poet born this day in 1893. Who was he?
Rupert Brook
Wilfred Owen
Siegfried Sassoon
Four
Who is Dana Elaine Owens, born 18 March 1970, a musician and actress, better known as?
Lauryn Hill
Missy Elliott
Queen Latifah
Five
Born today in 1869, this British prime minister returned from Germany with a ‘piece of paper’ promising to ‘have brought you back peace — but a peace I hope with honour’. Who was he?
Here are the answers to my questions from earlier.
Today five pieces of miscellany.
See question five. Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States. Image Wikimedia Commons
One
What two words appear with ‘Band’, ’Heart’, and ’Fields’ in the titles of three songs from 1970, 1972 and 1993 respectively?
Answer: of Gold.
Band of Gold by Freda Payne, a 1970 hit, was written by Holland-Dozier-Holland and Ron Dunbar. Heart of Gold by Neil Young, from his album Harvest, is his only US No. 1 single and reached No. 1 in Canada twice. Fields of Gold is a 1993 song by Sting from his album Ten Summoner’s Tales. It reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Two
This modern city was mentioned in the Icelandic sagas when it was known as Mikligarðr — from the Old Norse mikill ‘big’ and garðr ‘wall’ or ‘stronghold’. What city?
Answer: Istanbul.
Pliny the Elder called it Lygos, Augusta Antonina and New Rome were other names for Istanbul. Originally called Byzantium, it evolved into Constantinople and is now known by its Turkish name reflecting its rich history. The Turkish government advocated for “Istanbul” in English which the US State Department adopted in 1930.
Three
The Catahoula Leopard Dog became the State Dog of which U.S. state in 1979?
Answer: Louisiana.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog, named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, is a herding breed recognised by the United Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service. Despite it having a herding designation it has traditionally been used in hunting feral boars It was officially named the state dog of Louisiana in 1979.
Four
What creatures home world is the planet Kashyyyk?
Answer: Wookies.
Wookiees are fictional humanoid aliens from the Star Wars franchise, originating from the planet Kashyyyk. They are known for their large size, furry appearance, and intelligence, with Chewbacca being a prominent character.
Five
Three questions rolled into one. Hi-Catoctin was a retreat in Frederick County, Maryland for U.S. Federal Agents and their families from the mid-1930s. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt converted it to a presidential retreat and renamed it. In 1953, the then incumbent president gave it its present name in honour of two people.
What did President Roosevelt name it in 1942?
Which president renamed it in 1953?
By what current name has it been known since?
Answers
Shangri-La
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Camp David The origin of the name Camp David seems to be agreed but Shangri-La raises different opinions. Both extracts below sourced 9 March 2026.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt took it over in a few years and named it “Shangri-La,” for the mountain kingdom in Lost Horizon, the 1933 novel by James Hilton.
It was renamed in 1953 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in honor of his then-five-year-old grandson, Dwight David Eisenhower II. — United States National Archives
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s grandson David Eisenhower posed beneath his name on the sign at Camp David in 1960. According to Press Secretary Jim Haggerty, President Eisenhower renamed the retreat after his grandson and father, both named David, and David was his own middle name. President Franklin Roosevelt’s name “Shangri-La, was just a little fancy for a Kansas farm boy,” according to the president. — The White House Historical Association
See question five. Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States. Image Wikimedia Commons
One
What two words appear with ‘Band’, ’Heart’, and ’Fields’ in the titles of three songs from 1970, 1972 and 1993 respectively?
Two
This modern city was mentioned in the Icelandic sagas when it was known as Mikligarðr — from the Old Norse mikill ‘big’ and garðr ‘wall’ or ‘stronghold’. What city?
Three
The Catahoula Leopard Dog became the State Dog of which U.S. state in 1979?
Four
What creatures home world is the planet Kashyyyk?
Five
Three questions rolled into one. Hi-Catoctin was a retreat in Frederick County, Maryland for U.S. Federal Agents and their families from the mid-1930s. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt converted it to a presidential retreat and renamed it. In 1953, the then incumbent president gave it its present name in honour of two people.
Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
These are five questions which are related to today, February 5th.
Section of the border between East and West Germany. Image Wikimedia Commons
One
The term ‘Iron Curtain’ described the political and physical boundary dividing Europe from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War. Who popularised its use in a speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946?
Answer: Winston Churchill.
…an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. — Winston Churchill, Former British prime minister, 5 March 1946, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri
The Iron Curtain was a political and physical boundary dividing Europe from 1945 to 1990/1991, symbolising the ideological divide between the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc and the Western nations. Popularised by Winston Churchill in 1946, the term originally described physical barriers but later encompassed broader cultural and ideological differences. The Iron Curtain largely dissolved in 1989-90 with the fall of communism.
Two
A 31-year-old American country singer, who was born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Virginia, died in a 1963 plane crash in Tennessee. She had enjoyed an eight-year recording career, which included two number ones as well as other major chart hits. By what name was she known professionally?
Answer: Patsy Cline.
Patsy Cline, born Virginia Patterson Hensley, was an American singer known for her crossover success from country to pop music. She achieved major hits like Walkin’ After Midnight and I Fall to Pieces, becoming a trailblazer for women in country music. Although, she died in a plane crash in 1963, her legacy endures through her influential music and posthumous recognition.
Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray
The post title, Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray, was the title of a Patsy Cline single from 1957.
Three
In 1616, 73 years after publication, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) was added to the Index of Forbidden Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) by the Sacred Congregation of the Index. Which astronomer had written On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres?
Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus’s book placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the centre, meaning the Earth and other planets orbited the Sun. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum, active from 1560 to 1966, was a list of publications deemed heretical or immoral by the Catholic Church. It banned thousands of books, including works by theologians, astronomers, philosophers, and unapproved Bible editions, to protect church members from potentially disruptive ideas.
Four
In 1942 Japanese forces captured what is now Jakarta, Indonesia. At that time, what was the city called and of where was it the capital?
Answers: Batavia; Dutch East Indies.
Batavia, now known as Jakarta, was founded in 1619 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a strategic trading post in the Dutch colonial empire. It became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and was pivotal for their trade routes, especially in spices and other commodities. Following Indonesia’s declaration of independence in 1945, Batavia was renamed Jakarta. The city evolved from a colonial outpost to a major urban centre reflecting Indonesia’s diversity and is a bustling metropolis and the capital of Indonesia. It is a hub for culture, economy, and politics in Southeast Asia.
Five
In 1496, England’s Henry VII issued letters patent authorising a navigator and his sons to explore unknown lands. This led to what is the earliest known exploration of the North American Atlantic coast since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. Who was Henry VII’s explorer?
Answer: John Cabot.
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to North America, commissioned by Henry VII, King of England, is the earliest known European exploration of the region’s coast since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Cabot’s expedition, both Canadian and British governments declared Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as his first landing site. However, alternative locations have also been suggested.
Quizology.Online 