Tag: politics

McDonald’s Medicines and medals | Answers

McDonald’s logo. Wikipedia
  1. On 15 April 1955, Ray Kroc launched McDonald’s Systems, Inc., later known as McDonald’s Corporation, in…
    • Des Plaines, Illinois—McDonald’s, founded in 1940, is an American multinational fast food chain. It serves over 69 million customers daily in more than 100 countries.
      “Teapot Rock-Famous Teapot Dome”
      “[Salt Creek] Oil District-In Wyoming,”
      Historical postcard, c. 1922. Wikipedia
  2. On this day in 1922, US Senator John B. Kendrick (Wyoming) introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into a secret land deal. This led to the discovery of the…
    • Teapot Dome scandal—The Teapot Dome scandal involved the secret leasing of federal oil reserves by Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall to Harry F. Sinclair and Edward L. Doheny. Fall received bribes from Sinclair and Doheny, leading to his conviction for bribery and imprisonment.
    George Cross granted to the Island of Malta in 1942.
    National War Museum, Malta. Wikipedia
  3. On this day in 1942, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of…
    • Malta—see quote from handwritten message of King George VI.

      “To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.“

  4. Today in 1923, ___ became generally available for use by people with diabetes. The missing word is…
    • Insulin—a pancreatic hormone, regulates blood sugar levels by facilitating glucose uptake into cells. Insulin deficiency leads to diabetes mellitus, requiring insulin injections
  5. On 15 April 2019, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France was seriously damaged by a large fire. This Paris cathedral is located on the…
    • Île de la Cité—a 22.5-hectare (55.5 acres) island in the Seine, is the historical heart of Paris. It features iconic landmarks like Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle and the Pont Neuf, and underwent significant transformations in the 19th century under Haussmann’s urban renewal project.
Île de la Cité, Paris. Wikipedia

McDonald’s, Medicines and medals

Notre Dame De Paris. Wikipedia
  1. On 15 April 1955, Ray Kroc launched McDonald’s Systems, Inc., later known as McDonald’s Corporation, in…
    • Des Lacs, North Dakota
    • Des Moines, Iowa
    • Des Plaines, Illinois
  2. On this day in 1922, US Senator John B. Kendrick (Wyoming) introduced a resolution calling for an investigation into a secret land deal. This led to the discovery of the…
    • Milk Jug scandal
    • Sugar Bowl scandal
    • Teapot Dome scandal
  3. On this day in 1942, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of…
    • Jersey
    • Malta
    • St Helena.
  4. Today in 1923, ___ became generally available for use by people with diabetes. The missing word is…
    • Formalin
    • Insulin
    • Mandolin.
  5. On 15 April 2019, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris in France was seriously damaged by a large fire. This Paris cathedral is located on the…
    • Île de la Cité
    • Île-Saint-Denis
    • Île Saint-Louis.

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

March 29th Mind Benders: Fart Powder to Firsts in the White House! | Answers

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

Jo Nesbø.
Wikipedia
  1. Jo Nesbø—a Norwegian author and musician, is best known for his crime novels featuring Inspector Harry Hole. He has also written children’s books, including Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder and a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
    Map of Newfoundland by Vincenzo Coronelli, 1692.
    Library of Congress/Wikipedia
  2. Newfoundland—The British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada were united as the new Dominion of Canada. At the same time, the Province of Canada was split into Ontario and Quebec. Newfoundland did not become a Canadian province until 31 March 1949.
    John Major, 1993. Wikipedia
  3. John Major—a British politician, served as Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997, leading the Conservative Party and overseeing the UK’s negotiations over the Maastricht Treaty. Despite an economic recovery, his government faced unpopularity and lost the 1997 general election to the Labour Party. His father had been a circus performer and music hall entertainer.
    A terracotta general.
    Wikipedia
  4. 210–209 BCE—The Terracotta Army, a collection of life-size sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, was discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong County, China. The figures, dating from the late 200s BCE, include warriors, chariots, and horses, and are estimated to number over 8,000.
    Letita Tyler.
    Wikipedia
    Julia Gardiner Tyler.
    Wikipedia
  5. John Tyler—Born on 29 March 1790, John Tyler served as President from 1841 to 1845, taking office upon the death of President William Henry Harrison. Tragically, First Lady Letitia Tyler became the first president’s wife to die in the White House. In 1844, Tyler made history by marrying Julia Gardiner, becoming the first president to marry while in office.
John Tyler.
Wikipedia

March 29th Mind Benders: Fart Powder to Firsts in the White House!

Terracotta Army.
Wikipedia

All of the following are connected to today’s date, 29 March.

  1. Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder, originally published in 2007, was the first children’s book by which author whose birthday it is today?
    • Henning Mankell
    • Jo Nesbø
    • Dag Solstad
  2. On this day in 1867, the British North America Act united colonies in a new Dominion of Canada. Which of these was NOT included in this new Dominion?
    • Newfoundland
    • Nova Scotia
    • New Brunswick
  3. A former British prime minister who was born this day, wrote a book about the history of cricket, More Than a Game: The Story of Cricket’s Early Years and another about music hall, My Old Man: A Personal History of Music Hall. Who is this prime minister?
    • John Major
    • Tony Blair
    • Gordon Brown
  4. The Terracotta Army, a collection of life-size sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, was discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong County, China. The figures date from when?
    • 210–209 BCE
    • 406–407 CE
    • 1153–1154 CE
  5. A US President born on this day holds the distinction of being connected to two firsts during his tenure in office. Tragically, his wife became the first First Lady to pass away within the White House walls. A few years later, he made history as the first president to marry while in office. Can you identify this president?
    • John Tyler
    • James Buchanan
    • Millard Fillmore
Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder,
Front cover (cropped).

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II | Answers

Here are the answers to my earlier post.

Calvin Coolidge.
Wikipedia
  1. Calvin Coolidge—was US President on the 26 March 1925. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th US President, served from 1923 to 1929. He is known for his small-government conservatism, taciturn personality, and support for racial equality. Coolidge oversaw economic growth during the “Roaring Twenties” but is criticised for failing to address economic inequality and for his potential role in the Great Depression.
  2. World War I—The First Battle of Gaza, fought on 26 March 1917, was a British defeat during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The British Desert Column, nearing capture of Gaza, withdrew due to darkness and Ottoman reinforcements.
  3. 2000—Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer, has served as President of Russia since 2012, with previous terms from 2000 to 2008. His rule has been marked by economic growth, military conflicts, authoritarian tendencies, and human rights violations. Putin’s actions have led to international sanctions and a war crimes warrant.
    Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat with U.S. president Jimmy Carter at Camp David in September 1978.
    Wikipedia
  4. Camp David, Maryland—the Camp David Accord was reached the previous September (1978) when President Carter hosted Egypt’s President Sadat and Israel’s Prime Minister Begin at his Maryland retreat.
  5. They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place—
  6. 16-years—

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How II

Kremlin, Moscow.
Wikipedia

All of the following relate to today’s date, 26 March.

  1. Who was the president of the United States of America 100 years ago today, 26 March 1925?
    • Warren G. Harding
    • Calvin Coolidge
    • Herbert Hoover
  2. What conflict saw the First Battle of Gaza take place on this date?
    • The Six Day War
    • World War I
    • World War II
  3. When was Vladimir Putin, a Russian intelligence officer and politician, elected president of Russia for the first time.
    • 2000
    • 2004
    • 2006
  4. Where did talks, mediated by US President Jimmy Carter, between Menachem Begin, the Israeli Prime Minister, and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt take place? These talks led to an historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that was signed on 26 March 1979.
    • Camp David, Maryland
    • Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
    • Plains, Georgia
  5. Why did these members of Heaven’s Gate kill themselves? On 26 March 1997 the bodies of 39 members of Heaven’s Gate were found after a mass suicide.
    • They believed they alone would be reincarnated as gods in an earthly paradise
    • They believed a spacecraft was arriving to take them as immortal extraterrestrials to a better place
    • They believed they had to poison themselves to meet Jesus
  6. How long had this interlude lasted? After a hiatus, the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who made a triumphant return to television with a new episode in which Christopher Eccleston reprised the iconic role of the Doctor.
    • 6-years
    • 10-years
    • 16-years

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Tardis
Wikipedia

Historical Milestones and Cultural Icons: From Bach’s Birth to Twitter’s First Tweet—Answers

Field of Battersea.
A print caricaturing the Wellington–Winchilsea duel
by William Heath.
Wikipedia

The answers to my earlier pot are shown in bold below.

  1. 1685—Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer, blended northern and southern German styles in his early compositions. He composed numerous cantatas, including the St. John Passion, and is known for his mastery of counterpoint and harmonic organisation.
    Jack Dorsey, 2014.
    Wikipedia
  2. $2.9m—Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is a social networking service that allows users to share short text messages, images, and videos. It was created in 2006 and quickly grew to over 100 million users by 2012.
  3. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington—The Duke of Wellington and Lord Winchilsea engaged in a duel at Battersea Fields, with Wellington firing first and missing, and Winchilsea firing into the air. This act of deloping cleared Winchilsea of cowardice allegations, allowing him to apologise unconditionally. The duel was the second, and last, fought by a sitting Prime Minister following the 1798 Pitt–Tierney duel on Putney Heath.
  4. San Diego, California—San Diego Comic-Con, founded in 1970, is a multi-genre entertainment event showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy media, and pop culture. It is the largest convention of its kind, attracting over 130,000 attendees annually.
    Stanley, a newspaper reporter and tireless self-promoter, was hired by the New York Herald to find the missing Livingstone in 1871, winning himself wealth and reputation. Kalulu is in the backgound.
    Wikipedia
  5. 700 miles (1,125 km)—Stanley travelled to Zanzibar in March 1871, claiming to have outfitted an expedition with 192 porters, though his diaries suggest a smaller number. After facing challenges including the death of his horse and desertion of porters, he found David Livingstone in Ujiji, Tanzania, famously greeting him with “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”; this phrase was probably made up by Stanley after the event. Stanley joined Livingstone in exploring the region, later recounting his experiences in a book.
Routes of Henry Morton Stanley.
The Red route is the 1871-1872 is the expedition to find Livingstone.
Wikipedia

Historical Milestones and Cultural Icons: From Bach’s Birth to Twitter’s First Tweet

Johann Sebastian Bach
Wikipedia

All questions relate to today, 21 March.

  1. Johann Sebastian Bach, the composer of the Brandenburg Concertos and The Well-Tempered Clavier, was born this day in…
    • 1685
    • 1745
    • 1815
  2. Twitter, now X, was founded today in 2006 and Jack Dorsey, Twitter co-founder, sent the first public tweet, “just setting up my twttr.” Fifteen years later Dorsey auctioned this tweet as a nonfungible token (NFT) with the proceeds going to charity. It was bought using ether cryptocurrency for the equivalent of…
    • $1.4m
    • $2.9m
    • $5.8m
  3. 21 March saw the last time a serving UK Prime Minister fought a duel. Who was the Prime Minister?
    • Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
    • William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne
    • William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland
  4. A Comic-Con held its inaugural event on this date in 1970 and is now described by Forbes magazine as being “the largest pop and culture festival in the world”: it is held in…
    • Red Rock, Arizona
    • San Diego, California
    • Las Vegas, Nevada
  5. Henry Morton Stanley set out to find Dr David Livingstone today in 1871. His expedition was successful, finding Livingstone after trekking through tropical forest for…
    • 300 miles (482 km)
    • 450 miles (725 km)
    • 700 miles (1,125 km)

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”, an illustration from Stanley’s 1872 book How I Found Livingstone. Wikipedia

Interments to Independence: Navigating Anarchy’s Introduction—Answers


The body of former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft lies in repose in the United States Capitol rotunda.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Taft_funeral_LCCN2016820348.jpg
  1. William Howard Taft—Taft lay in state at the United States Capitol rotunda. On 11 March, he became the first president and first member of the Supreme Court to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. James Earle Fraser sculpted his grave marker out of Stony Creek granite.
    Ned Ludd
    Wikipedia
  2. Someone’s name—Ned Ludd, allegedly a weaver from near Leicester in England, is famously linked to the destruction of knitting frames in 1779. This act, reportedly due to being whipped or taunted, is first mentioned in The Nottingham Review on 20 December 1811, though its truth is unverified. John Blackner’s 1811 book offers a different account of a lad named “Ludlam,” who, instructed by his father to “square his needles,” destroyed them with a hammer. The story spread, and whenever frames were sabotaged, people humorously attributed it to “Ned Ludd,” contributing to the legend of the Luddites.
  3. 1959—In the 1950s, Hawaiʻi’s political landscape shifted as descendants of immigrant labourers, U.S. citizens, broke the plantation owners’ power by voting against the Hawaiʻi Republican Party, supported by plantation owners, and for the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi. This shift led to Democratic dominance in territorial and state politics for over 40 years. Residents campaigned for statehood to gain full congressional and Electoral College representation. Initially, Hawaiʻi was expected to be a Republican stronghold, prompting its admission alongside Alaska, a Democratic stronghold. However, by 2017, Hawaiʻi generally voted Democratic, while Alaska typically voted Republican, contrary to initial predictions.
  4. Penicillin—Penicillin, discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming from the Penicillium mold, was found to inhibit bacterial growth, specifically Staphylococcus aureus. Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain later isolated and purified it, making it therapeutically available by 1941. Naturally occurring penicillins, like penicillin G and V, differ in acid stability and administration methods. Semisynthetic versions offer enhanced properties. Penicillins operate by disrupting bacterial cell wall synthesis, targeting actively replicating bacteria without harming human cells. Bacterial resistance led to penicillinase-resistant variants, though challenges like MRSA persist. Side effects include hypersensitivity reactions, ranging from mild rashes to rare, severe anaphylactic shock.
    Flag of Lithuania.
    Wikipedia
  5. Lithuania—On 11 March 1990, Lithuania’s Supreme Council declared independence, becoming the first Soviet-occupied state to do so. In response, the Soviets imposed a 74-day economic blockade on 20 April 1990, causing shortages of essential goods. Despite the blockade, Lithuania maintained its independence declaration. Tensions escalated in January 1991 when a coup attempt was made using Soviet forces, but it failed due to strong public resistance, resulting in 14 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The Medininkai Massacre occurred on 31 July 1991, with 7 border guards killed. Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations on 17 September 1991.

Interments to Independence: Navigating Anarchy’s Introduction

Arlington National Cemetery east entrance
Wikipedia

Sorry that this is a few hours later today, hope you enjoy.

  1. Who, on 11 March, became the first US president to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia?
    • Ulysses S. Grant
    • William Howard Taft
    • John F. Kennedy
  2. Today in 1811, in Nottingham, England textile workers broke machinery that was taking their jobs in what was the first major Luddite riot. The term “Luddite” derives from…
    • Someone’s name
    • The riot’s location
    • The machinery’s manufacturer
  3. Hawaii was admitted into the union as the 50th US state, on 11 March in…
    • 1941
    • 1950
    • 1959
  4. In 1928, Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist who died today in 1955, discovered…
    • Penicillin
    • Aspirin
    • Codeine
  5. The first Soviet republic to declare its independence from the USSR did so today in 1990. Which of these was it?
    • Latvia
    • Estonia
    • Lithuania

Good luck! The answers will be posted later today or tomorrow.