Tag: politics

Legs 11 | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Statue of Constantine the Great in the Capitoline museums.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Where, on 11 May 330, was dedicated as the “New Rome”? Byzantium—Constantine the Great renamed Byzantium as “New Rome” in 330 CE, later changing it to Constantinople. The city, founded in 657 BCE, was officially renamed Istanbul in the 20th century.
    Rhinoceros. Salvador Dali.
    Image Wikipedia
  2. Which Spanish artist born today in 1904, at Figueras, Spain, also died there in 1989? Salvador Dali—Salvador Dalí was a Spanish surrealist artist known for his technical skill and striking, bizarre images. He joined the Surrealist group in 1929 and achieved commercial success in the United States in the 1940s. Dalí’s work influenced Surrealism, pop art and contemporary artists.
    Entrance to the German death camp Auschwitz I in Poland. The sign “Arbeit macht frei” translates as “Work makes you free”.
    Image Wikipedia
  3. Former senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was captured by Israeli intelligence agents on 11 May 1960. Near what capital city was he captured? Buenos Aires, Argentina—Otto Adolf Eichmann, a German-Austrian Nazi official, was a key organiser of the Holocaust. He participated in the Wannsee Conference, where the Final Solution was planned, and oversaw the mass deportation of Jews to extermination camps. After the war, he escaped to Argentina but was captured by Mossad in 1960 and tried in Israel, where he was convicted and executed.
    Gary Kasparov vs Deep Blue, IBM Computer
    Encyclopædia Britannica
  4. On this day in 1997, Garry Kasparov was defeated in the final game of a six-game chess match. Which computer defeated him? Deep Blue—Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, was the first to defeat a reigning world champion under regular time controls. It first played Garry Kasparov in 1996, losing the match, but won a rematch in 1997.
    Gordon Brown.
    Image Wikipedia
  5. 11 May 2010, saw the resignation of which British prime minister? Gordon Brown—James Gordon Brown, a British politician, served as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Prior to this, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair, overseeing significant economic reforms and the longest period of economic growth in British history. After leaving office, Brown continued to serve as an MP and later became a UN Special Envoy and WHO Ambassador.

Legs 11

Here are some questions related to today, 11 May.

Adolf Eichmann.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Where, on 11 May 330, was dedicated as the “New Rome”?
    • Avignon
    • Byzantium
    • Cordoba
  1. Which Spanish artist born today in 1904, at Figueras, Spain, also died there in 1989?
    • Salvador Dali
    • Francisco Goya
    • Pablo Picasso
  2. Former senior Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was captured by Israeli intelligence agents on 11 May 1960. Near what capital city was he captured?
    • Buenos Aires, Argentina
    • Brasilia, Brazil
    • Santiago, Chile
  3. On this day in 1997, Garry Kasparov was defeated in the final game of a six-game chess match. Which computer defeated him?
    • Deep Blue
    • Deep Mind
    • Deep Thought
  4. 11 May 2010, saw the resignation of which British prime minister?
    • Gordon Brown
    • David Cameron
    • Tony Blair

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Here, there and everywhere | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

View SE from the top level of the Eiffel Tower: the Champ de Mars, with Montparnasse Tower in the distance. The École Militaire is one third down from the top of the picture.
Image Wikipedia (Mattgirling)
  1. On 6 May 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition, on the…
    • Champs de Mars, Paris—The Champ de Mars, a large public park in Paris, was originally a military parade ground. It hosted significant events during the French Revolution and later became a site for national expositions and world’s fairs.
      Coat of arms of Moravia.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Sigmund Freud, a neurologist and psychoanalyst, was born in Freiberg in Mähren (now Příbor) on this day in 1856. His birthplace was in …
    • Moravia—Moravia, a historical region in the Czech Republic, was the centre of the medieval Great Moravian kingdom before becoming part of Bohemia in the 11th century. It later was part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and then became part of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.
      Puente Nuevo de Ronda.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Actor Orson Welles was born today in 1915. He passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1985, and two years later his ashes were interred at the home of his long-time friend, bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez, in Ronda…
    • Spain—Ronda, a municipality in Málaga, Andalusia, is known for its cliffside location and deep canyon. It has a population of about 35,000 and is part of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.
      The Grand Palace, Bangkok.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Today in 1782, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, construction began on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam. The palace was built in…
    • Bangkok—The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, is a complex of buildings built in 1782 as the official residence of the Thai kings. It covers 2.4 million square feet and includes over 100 buildings, the most notable being the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
      Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Tony Blair, British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was born 6 May 1953, in the city of …
    • Edinburgh, Scotland—Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a city known for its historic Old Town and Neoclassical New Town, both designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city’s complex character, blending reserved exterior with warmth and gaiety, is reflected in its rich history, including religious conflicts, riots and the influence of its intellectual elite during the Neoclassical period of the 18th and 19th centuries. Edinburgh remains a major centre for finance, law, tourism, education and cultural affairs.

Here, there and everywhere

Eiffel Tower
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, 6 May.

  1. On 6 May 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition, on the…
    • Champs de Mars, Paris
    • Champs de Neptune, Paris
    • Champs de Venus, Paris
  2. Sigmund Freud, a neurologist and psychoanalyst, was born in Freiberg in Mähren (now Příbor) on this day in 1856. His birthplace was in …
    • Carinthia
    • Galicia
    • Moravia
  3. Actor Orson Welles was born today in 1915. He passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1985, and two years later his ashes were interred at the home of his long-time friend, bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez, in Ronda…
    • Ecuador
    • Mexico
    • Spain
  4. Today in 1782, at the command of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, construction began on the Grand Palace, the royal residence of the King of Siam. The palace was built in…
    • Amman
    • Bangkok
    • Colombo
  5. Tony Blair, British prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was born 6 May 1953, in the city of …
    • Cardiff, Wales
    • Edinburgh, Scotland
    • London, England

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Commonwealth of trivia | Answers

The answers to today’s questions are shown in bold below.

Flag of Sierra Leone
Image Wikipedia
  1. The country represented by the flag pictured obtained its independence from Great Britain on 27 April 1961, when Milton Margai became the first Prime Minister and the country became a member of the British Commonwealth. What country?
    • Sierra Leone—Sierra Leone, a presidential republic in West Africa, gained independence from the UK in 1961. After a decade-long civil war ending in 2002, the country has experienced relative stability. Sierra Leone is culturally diverse, with English as the official language and Krio as the lingua franca.
      Ferdinand Magellan.
      Image Wikipedia
  1. Where was Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan when he was killed in battle on April 27, 1521?
    • Mactan Island (Philippines)—Magellan secured an alliance with the King of Cebu, Rajah Humabon, who converted to Christianity. However, Magellan was killed in a battle on Mactan Island when his men attempted to Christianise the local population. Although he was killed in the Philippines, one of his ships continued westward to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth. The Basque navigator Juan Sebastián del Cano successfully finished the voyage. The Philippines did not exist as a nation at the time of Magellan’s death.
      Mstislav Rostropovich at the White House, 1978.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian conductor and musician, died today in 2007. He was an acclaimed player of what instrument?
    • Cello—Mstislav Rostropovich, a Russian cellist and conductor, inspired and premiered over 100 pieces, expanding the cello repertoire. He was a human rights advocate and received numerous accolades, including a Polar Music Prize.
      Grainy image of the Sultana shortly before the explosion.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. On this day in 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded, becoming the worst maritime disaster in US history and claiming 1,864 lives. Where did this catastrophic event occur?
    • Mississippi River—The Sultana, a commercial steamboat, met a tragic end in 1865 when it exploded and sank on the Mississippi River. The disaster, the worst in US maritime history, claimed the lives of 1,864 people. Tragically, the Sultana was carrying 2,127 passengers, far exceeding its capacity of 376. Among them were 1,950 repatriated Union soldiers, who had been prisoners of war, that the captain had accepted in a deal.
      Betty Boothroyd.
      Official portrait of Baroness Boothroyd, 2018.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In British politics, Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons on 27 April 1992. What was her occupation before entering politics?
    • Dancer—Betty Boothroyd was a dancer with The Tiller Girls from 1946 to 1952. A Member of Parliament (Labour), she served as the first and only female Speaker of the House of Commons from 1992 to 2000. She later sat in the House of Lords.
The Tiller Girls (late 1950s).
Image Pinterest/Wikipedia

Commonwealth of trivia

All of the following relate to today, 27 April.

Image Wikipedia
  1. The country represented by the flag pictured obtained its independence from Great Britain on 27 April 1961, when Milton Margai became the first Prime Minister and the country became a member of the British Commonwealth. What country?
    • Senegal
    • Sierra Leone
    • Suriname
  2. Where was Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan when he was killed in battle on April 27, 1521?
    • Mactan Island (Philippines)
    • Malendok Island (Papua New Guinea)
    • Mecherchar Island (Palau)
  3. Mstislav Rostropovich, Russian conductor and musician, died today in 2007. He was an acclaimed player of what instrument?
    • Cello
    • Oboe
    • Piano
  4. On this day in 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded, becoming the worst maritime disaster in US history and claiming 1,864 lives. Where did this catastrophic event occur?
    • Chesapeake Bay
    • Lake Superior
    • Mississippi River
  5. In British politics, Betty Boothroyd became the first woman to be elected speaker of the House of Commons on 27 April 1992. What was her occupation before entering politics?
    • Dancer
    • Nanny
    • Teacher

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Cars, boats and telegraphy | Answers

Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.

See #2. Aerial view of the Suez Canal at Suez.
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
    • France—France introduced registration plates in 1893, followed by Germany and the Netherlands. The US began requiring plates in 1903, with New York being the first state (this was after NY first requiring in 1901 that the owner’s initials be clearly visible on the back of the vehicle).
  2. Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
    • One—Egypt. The Suez Canal, a 120-mile (193 km) artificial waterway in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas, providing a direct trade route between Europe and Asia. Constructed between 1859 and 1869, it is operated by the Suez Canal Authority and offers a significant shortcut for vessels, reducing travel time between the Arabian Sea and Europe. Utilising several lakes, it is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The canal’s strategic importance has led to historical events like its nationalisation in 1956 and closure during the Six-Day War.
      The Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
    • 2,340 miles/3,766 km—The Saint Lawrence Seaway, a joint Canada-US project, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It opened North America’s industrial and agricultural heartlands to deep-draft ocean vessels and forged the final link in a 2,340 miles/3,766 km long waterway from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic by clearing a throughway in an 186-mile/299 km stretch of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Lake Ontario.
      Guglielmo Marconi.
      Image Wikipedia
  • On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
    • Guglielmo Marconi—an Italian electrical engineer and physicist, invented the wireless telegraph, or radio, in 1896, and received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. He later worked on shortwave wireless communication, the foundation of modern long-distance radio. Marconi’s early experiments in Italy led him to London, where he received support and filed his first radio patent in 1896. He founded the Marconi Company in the UK and was ennobled as a marquess in 1929.
  • On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
    • Nicaragua—Violeta Chamorro, became Central America’s first female president in 1990, serving until 1997. After her husband, Pedro Chamorro, was assassinated by the Somoza dictatorship in 1978, she took over his newspaper, La Prensa, and became a symbol of opposition against the Sandinista government that overthrew the Somozas. As president, Chamorro reversed Sandinista policies, privatised state industries and promoted national reconciliation. Her presidency was marked by economic strife and social unrest, but she successfully ended hyperinflation and re-established international banking relationships.
    • Flag of Nicaragua.
    Image Wikipedia

    Cars, boats and telegraphy

    Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.

    See #1. The first automobile license plate issued in the State of Minnesota, 1903.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
      • Belgium
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    2. Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
      • One
      • Two
      • Three
    3. Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
      • 1,230 miles/1,979 km
      • 1,785 miles/2,873 km
      • 2,340 miles/3,766 km
    4. On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
      • Alessandro Volta
      • Enrico Fermi
      • Guglielmo Marconi
    5. On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

    Spin, trials and unlucky 13 | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown, in bold, below.

    Martin Luther. Wikipedia
    1. The trial of Martin Luther over his teachings and efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church began on 17 April 1521 during the…
      • Diet of Worms—At an Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Emperor in the Imperial Free City of Worms, Martin Luther refused to recant his writings unless proven wrong by Scripture or reason, famously stating, “Here I stand; I can do no other.” The Diet declared Luther a heretic and banned his writings.
      Muttiah Muralitharan. Wikipedia
    2. On this day in 1972, Muttiah Muralitharan, cricketer, was born in…
      • Kandy—(Sri Lanka)—Muttiah Muralitharan, a Sri Lankan cricketer, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He is the only bowler to take 800 Test wickets and over 530 One Day International (ODI) wickets. Muralitharan was a part of the Sri Lankan team that won the 1996 Cricket World Cup.
      Henry Ian Cusick. Wikipedia
    3. Henry Ian Cusick, born today in 1967, who is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in Lost, is described in Wikipedia as…
      • Peruvian-Scottish—Henry Ian Cusick is a Peruvian-Scottish actor known for roles in Lost, The Gospel of John, Scandal, The 100, The Passage, and MacGyver.
      Apollo 13 crew: Commander, James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module pilot, John L. Swigert Jr., and Lunar Module pilot, Fred W. Haise Jr. Wikipedia
    4. The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returned to Earth safely today in 1970; the commander was…
      • James A. Lovell Jr.—Jim Lovell, a US astronaut, participated in the Gemini and Apollo space programmes. He commanded the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon in 1970, which faced a critical oxygen tank explosion but successfully returned to Earth. Apollo 13 was his fourth and final spaceflight.
    5. Anneli Jäätteenmäki took office on 17 April 2003 as the first female prime minister of…
      • Finland—
    Anneli Jäätteenmäki. Wikipedia

    Spin, trials and unlucky 13

    Apollo 13 mission insignia. Wikipedia
    1. The trial of Martin Luther over his teachings and efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church began on 17 April 1521 during the…
      • Diet of Weeds
      • Diet of Woods
      • Diet of Worms
    2. On this day in 1972, Muttiah Muralitharan, cricketer, was born in…
      • Bonbon
      • Kandy
      • Toffey
    3. Henry Ian Cusick, born today in 1967, who is best known for his role as Desmond Hume in Lost, is described in Wikipedia as…
      • Argentinian-Welsh
      • Chilean-Irish
      • Peruvian-Scottish
    4. The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returned to Earth safely today in 1970; the commander was…
      • Fred W. Haise Jr.
      • John “Jack” L. Swigert Jr.
      • James A. Lovell Jr.
    5. Anneli Jäätteenmäki took office on 17 April 2003 as the first female prime minister of…
      • Fiji
      • Finland
      • France

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today