Quizology.Online

Tag: politics

  • Bits and Bobs — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    All of these questions are related to today’s date, April 19th. They also all start with the letter ‘B’.

    Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    On 19 April 1999, in politics, what returned to Berlin for the first time in almost fifty years, and where had it returned from?

    Answers: Bundestag; Bonn.

    The first German Bundestag, the West German parliament, convened in Bonn on 7 September 1949. The Bundestag remained in Bonn until after reunification of Germany, when it returned to Berlin on 19 April 1999.

    Two

    In 1775, during the opening stages of a revolutionary war, a city was besieged for eleven months from April 19th. What city?

    Answer: Boston.

    The Siege of Boston (1775-1776) marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. American forces, led by George Washington, besieged the British Army in Boston, ultimately forcing their retreat to Nova Scotia after eleven months.

    Three

    Observed on April 19th, a celebratory day remembering an experiment where a chemist intentionally ingested LSD, documented it and then went home. What is the day called?

    Answer: Bicycle Day.

    On 19 April 1943, a few days after accidentally discovering LSD’s effects, which he believed had potential in psychiatry and neurology, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann intentionally ingested it and documented the first acid trip. After this experiment, he cycled home, leading to the observance of Bicycle Day, as Encyclopædia Britannica comments, ‘And now April 19 is observed as Bicycle Day—mostly by LSD enthusiasts, not cyclists’.

    Four

    A poet and playwright who died this day in 1824, first became a celebrity with the publication of the first two cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812. Who is this poet?

    Answer: Byron.

    George Gordon Byron, a prominent British Romantic poet, is renowned for works like Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. He lived in Italy for seven years, befriending Percy Bysshe Shelley, and later joined the Greek War of Independence, becoming a folk hero before his death at 36. Byron, along with Shelley and Keats, was a major figure in the second generation of English Romantic writers and was a literary celebrity known for both his poetry and personality.

    Five

    IIn 2011, Fidel Castro resigned from Cuba’s Communist Party central committee. The following March, in his role as an elder statesman, Castro briefly met a visiting dignitary, the sixteenth of the name. Who was this dignitary?

    Answer: (Pope) Benedict XVI.

    On 19 April 2011, Castro resigned from the Communist Party central committee, thus stepping down as First Secretary. Raúl was selected as his successor. Now without any official role in the country’s government, he took on the role of an elder statesman. In late March 2012, Pope Benedict XVI visited Cuba for three days, during which time he briefly met with Castro despite the Pope’s vocal opposition to Cuba’s government.

    Bits and Bobs

    The title is simply another way of saying bits and pieces, an assortment. It was chosen as the title as all the answers begin with the letter B.

  • Bits and Bobs

    All of these questions are related to today’s date, April 19th. They also all start with the letter ‘B’.

    Brandenburg Gate, Berlin.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    On 19 April 1999, in politics, what returned to Berlin for the first time in almost fifty years, and where had it returned from?

    Two

    In 1775, during the opening stages of a revolutionary war, a city was besieged for eleven months from April 19th. What city?

    Three

    Observed on April 19th, a celebratory day remembering an experiment where a chemist intentionally ingested LSD, documented it and then went home. What is the day called?

    Four

    A poet and playwright who died this day in 1824, first became a celebrity with the publication of the first two cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812. Who is this poet?

    Five

    IIn 2011, Fidel Castro resigned from Cuba’s Communist Party central committee. The following March, in his role as an elder statesman, Castro briefly met a visiting dignitary, the sixteenth of the name. Who was this dignitary?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Aquarius — Answers

    Here are the answers to the earlier questions.

    The Picnic (1846) by Thomas Cole. See questions five.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s first question is related to the date, April 14th, and the answer is an acronym. The following questions are not date-related but are all in a similar abbreviated vein, be they acronyms, initialisms, or abbreviations.

    One

    Juice is an European Space Agency spacecraft launched in April 2023 to study Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa for potential habitability. What four words does Juice represent?

    Answer: Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer.

    Juice was originally JUICE, a complicated acronym for JUpiter ICy moons Explorer. ESA has since simplified the name to Juice, the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer. (The Planetary Society). Juice was launched in April 2023 to study Jupiter’s icy moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa for potential habitability. It will reach Jupiter in July 2031 and enter orbit around Ganymede in December 2034.

    The remaining questions while not date-related continue the same abbreviated theme.

    Two

    Soweto, an urban complex in Gauteng province, South Africa, has a name that was derived from what? 

    Answer: South-Western Townships.

    Soweto, the largest Black urban complex in South Africa, originated from shantytowns and slums. It became notable for the 1976 Soweto Rebellion, a protest against Afrikaans in schools. Initially designated for Black residents by the apartheid government, Soweto is in Gauteng province, bordering Johannesburg. The name is formed from SOuth-WEstern TOwnships. Post-apartheid, municipal services were decentralised, dividing Soweto between two Greater Johannesburg regions, highlighting its historical and socio-political importance.

    Three

    What does the acronym NATO stand for, and in what decade was it founded? 

    Answer: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; 1940s.

    NATO, founded in 1949 to counter Soviet threats, evolved into a cooperative-security entity with 32 members, focusing on collective defence under Article 5. First invoked after the 9/11 attacks, it expanded by 16 members, including former Warsaw Pact states. Relations with Russia deteriorated post-Crimea and Ukraine invasion, leading to Finland and Sweden’s membership. NATO intervened in conflicts like Bosnia and Afghanistan, with headquarters in Brussels. Members pledge 5% GDP to defence, ensuring readiness.

    Four

    Doctor Who flits about the universe in all its dimensions in the TARDIS. What six words does this name represent?

    Answer: Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.

    The TARDIS — Time And Relative Dimensions In Space — a fictional time machine and spacecraft from the British sci-fi series Doctor Who, debuted in 1963. It typically resembles a police box, a British telephone kiosk from the 1940s and 50s, and is “bigger on the inside.” The police box shape is now more linked to the TARDIS than its original purpose. The TARDIS’s name and design are BBC trademarks, though initially created by the Metropolitan Police Service.

    Five

    In computing, especially in customer support, what six words does the error PICNIC translate to?

    Answer: Problem in chair not in computer.

    Some User Errors are … 

    • PICNIC ‘Problem in chair, not in computer’
    • PEBMAC: ‘Problem exists between monitor and chair’
    • IBM Error ‘Idiot in machine error’

    Aquarius

    The post title is itself an acronym, albeit a rather convoluted one:
    Abbreviations Quiz: Users Adroitness Regarding Initialisms Under Scrutiny.

  • Aquarius

    The Picnic (1846) by Thomas Cole. See questions five.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s first question is related to the date, April 14th, and the answer is an acronym. The following questions are not date-related but are all in a similar abbreviated vein, be they acronyms, initialisms, or abbreviations.

    One

    Juice is an European Space Agency spacecraft launched in April 2023 to study Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa for potential habitability. What four words does Juice represent?

    The remaining questions while not date-related continue the same abbreviated theme.

    Two

    Soweto, an urban complex in Gauteng province, South Africa, has a name that was derived from what? 

    Three

    What does the acronym NATO stand for, and in what decade was it founded? 

    Four

    Doctor Who flits about the universe in all its dimensions in the TARDIS. What six words does this name represent?

    Five

    In computing, especially in customer support, what six words does the error PICNIC translate to?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Rocket Man — Answers

    Here’s the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    The first question relates to today’s date, April 12th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘V. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘V’ theme.

    Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    What ‘V’ was the spaceflight that carried the first human into space on this day in 1961?

    Answer: Vostok 1.

    Vostok 1, launched on 12 April 1961 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, was the first human orbital spaceflight. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth, completing a single orbit at 169 km altitude in 108 minutes and parachuting to the ground separately from his capsule. Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, made history as the first person in space aboard Vostok 1. Tragically, he died in a MiG-15 crash in 1968.

    The following questions are not date-related but continue with the ‘V’ theme.

    Two

    What ‘V’, an island country in Melanesia, is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,090 miles (1,750 km) east of northern Australia?

    Answer: Vanuatu.

    Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island nation in Melanesia, South Pacific Ocean, consisting of volcanic islands. Located 1,090 miles east of Australia and 340 miles northeast of New Caledonia, it was first visited by Europeans in 1606 by Spanish navigator Fernandes de Queirós. France and the UK claimed parts in the 1880s, managing them as the New Hebrides from 1906. Vanuatu gained independence in 1980 and joined the UN and Commonwealth.

    Three

    What ‘V’ is missing from the following statement about a relative and mentor of Britain’s King Charles III?

    Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten was a British statesman, naval leader, and the last … of India.

    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    Answer: Viceroy.

    Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten, was a British statesman and naval leader, born on June 25, 1900. He served as the last viceroy of India, overseeing its independence and partition into India and Pakistan in 1947. Mountbatten held significant naval commands during World War II and was supreme allied commander for Southeast Asia. He later served as chief of the UK Defence Staff. Mountbatten was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in August 1979.

    Four

    What ‘V’ was the Russian-born author of the 1955 novel Lolita, which relates Humbert Humbert’s obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze?

    Answer: Vladimir Nabokov.

    Lolita, a 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov, follows Humbert Humbert, a French literature professor, and his obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze, whom he calls ‘Lolita’. Published in Paris due to censorship fears, the novel explores controversial themes. Despite public backlash, it has received critical acclaim and is featured on numerous best book lists. It was adapted into films by Stanley Kubrick in 1962 and Adrian Lyne in 1997, and several times for the stage.

    Five

    What ’V’, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is an alien race who arrive at the Earth to destroy it to make way for an intergalactic bypass?

    Answer: Vogon.

    The Vogons, from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, are a fictional alien race from Vogsphere. They destroy Earth for an intergalactic highway. Slug-like and humanoid, they are bulkier than humans with green skin. Known for their unpleasant, bad-tempered, and bureaucratic nature, they lack empathy and write the third-worst poetry in the universe. As galactic bureaucrats and poor marksmen, their strict rule adherence makes them a formidable presence in the galaxy.

  • Rocket Man

    The first question relates to today’s date, April 12th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘V. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘V’ theme.

    Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    What ‘V’ was the spaceflight that carried the first human into space on this day in 1961?

    The following questions are not date-related but continue with the ‘V’ theme.

    Two

    What ‘V’, an island country in Melanesia, is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,090 miles (1,750 km) east of northern Australia?

    Three

    What ‘V’ is missing from the following statement about a relative and mentor of Britain’s King Charles III?

    Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten was a British statesman, naval leader, and the last … of India.

    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    Four

    What ‘V’ was the Russian-born author of the 1955 novel Lolita, which relates Humbert Humbert’s obsession with 12-year-old Dolores Haze?

    Five

    What ’V’, in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is an alien race who arrive at the Earth to destroy it to make way for an intergalactic bypass?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • A Maiden Voyage — Answers

    Here’s the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    SS Great Western.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions are all about today, April 8th.

    One

    In 1838, the SS Great Western, the earliest regular and first purpose-built transatlantic steamer, embarked on its first transatlantic voyage. Between what U.K. and U.S. ports did she sail on this voyage?

    Answer: Bristol, U.K. to New York City, U.S.

    SS Great Western, a wooden-hulled paddle-wheel steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was the largest passenger ship in the world from 1837 to 1839. Her maiden transatlantic voyage took 15 days, which was half the time taken by sailing ships. She served as a model for successful wooden Atlantic paddle-steamers and was scrapped in 1856 after serving as a troopship during the Crimean War.

    Two

    Born in 1938, who was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations to be elected from within UN staff?

    Answer: Kofi Annan.

    Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian diplomat and civil servant, served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. He was the first Secretary-General elected from within the UN staff and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. After his tenure, Annan founded the Kofi Annan Foundation, was chairman of the Elders, and served as a UN envoy for various conflicts.

    Three

    On this date in Japan, the birth of Buddha is celebrated. In what century was Buddhism founded?

    Answer: 6th or 5th centuries BCE.

    Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a religious teacher who founded Buddhism in the 6th or 5th century BCE. He taught a Middle Way between indulgence and asceticism, summarised in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Buddhism evolved into various traditions and spread beyond India, becoming prominent in Southeast and East Asia. Buddha, an enlightened being who achieved freedom from suffering, is celebrated by Buddhists for events in his life, including his birth, enlightenment, and nirvana, with festivals like Wesak and Hanamatsuri.

    Four

    In 2014, Windows XP reached its ‘End of Life’ and would not be supported. What product released in 2007 was the successor to Windows XP?

    Answer: Windows Vista.

    Windows XP, released in 2001, was the first consumer edition of Windows not based on the Windows 95 kernel. A successor to both Windows 2000 and Windows Me, it received critical acclaim for its performance, stability, and user interface.

    Five

    Born in 1902, this British mountaineer and his climbing partner vanished near the summit of Mount Everest during the 1924 British expedition.  Who were these two mountaineers?

    Answer: Andrew Irvine and George Mallory.

    Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine was the British mountaineer born on this day. He participated in the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition, the third British attempt to conquer the world’s highest mountain. Irvine and his climbing partner, George Mallory, vanished somewhere high on the mountain’s Northeast Ridge and were last seen alive at an uncertain distance from the summit. Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, while Irvine’s partial remains were found in 2024. To this day, it is not known if they reached the summit or not.

  • A Maiden Voyage

    SS Great Western.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    These questions are all about today, April 8th.

    One

    In 1838, the SS Great Western, the earliest regular and first purpose-built transatlantic steamer, embarked on its first transatlantic voyage. Between what U.K. and U.S. ports did she sail on this voyage?

    Two

    Born in 1938, who was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations to be elected from within UN staff?

    Three

    On this date in Japan, the birth of Buddha is celebrated. In what century was Buddhism founded?

    Four

    In 2014, Windows XP reached its ‘End of Life’ and would not be supported. What product released in 2007 was the successor to Windows XP?

    Five

    Born in 1902, this British mountaineer and his climbing partner vanished near the summit of Mount Everest during the 1924 British expedition.  Who were these two mountaineers?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • His Accidency — Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    These questions all concern today’s date, April 4th.

    Flag of NATO.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    Established in 1949, the organisation represented by this flag originally had twelve members including the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Canada. Name the organisation and four of the remaining eight founding members?

    Answer: (any four from) Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal.

    In 1949, the original twelve members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    Two

    The following quote is from the Encyclopædia Britannica article on the film Ben-Hur, which in 1960 became the first film to win eleven Oscars. A number has been removed from the quote. What, to the nearest thousand, is that number?

    The famed chariot race is considered among cinema’s most-impressive action sequences, not least because it featured up to —— extras.

    Answer: 15,000.

    On this day in 1960, Ben-Hur won eleven Oscars at the 32nd Academy Awards. The referenced quote in its entirety is…

    The famed chariot race is considered among cinema’s most-impressive action sequences, not least because it featured up to 15,000 extras.
    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    Three

    In 1925, the Schutzstaffel was founded by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party in Germany. What is it better known as? 

    Answer: SS.

    The Schutzstaffel, ‘protection squad’, originally a small bodyguard unit of the Nazi Party, evolved into a formidable organisation under Heinrich Himmler. By 1939, it had grown to around 250,000 men, controlling police forces and expanding its role to become a state within a state. As a powerful paramilitary group in Nazi Germany, The SS was responsible for security, mass surveillance, and state terrorism, playing a central role in the Holocaust and committing numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity. It was declared a criminal organisation at the Nuremberg trials.

    Four

    Born in Perth, Australia, in 1979, this actor was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 81st Academy Awards?

    Answer: Heath Ledger.

    At the 81st Academy Awards Heath Ledger won the Oscar for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his part as The Joker in The Dark Knight (2008). In January 2008, Ledger died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

    Five

    When William Henry Harrison died who succeeded him as the President of the United States? 

    Answer: John Tyler.

    Harrison died a month after his inauguration. At 67 he was the oldest man to be elected president (at that time); the last to be born under British rule and the first to die in office. He was succeeded by his vice president John Tyler who became known as ‘His Accidency’ — which gave me a title for this post.

  • His Accidency

    These questions all concern today’s date, April 4th.

    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    Established in 1949, the organisation represented by this flag originally had twelve members including the United Kingdom, France, the United States and Canada. Name the organisation and four of the remaining eight founding members?

    Two

    The following quote is from the Encyclopædia Britannica article on the film Ben-Hur, which in 1960 became the first film to win eleven Oscars. A number has been removed from the quote. What, to the nearest thousand, is that number?

    The famed chariot race is considered among cinema’s most-impressive action sequences, not least because it featured up to — extras.

    Three

    In 1925, the Schutzstaffel was founded by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party in Germany. What is it better known as? 

    Four

    Born in Perth, Australia, in 1979, this actor was posthumously awarded the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 81st Academy Awards?

    Five

    When William Henry Harrison died who succeeded him as the President of the United States? 

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.