Tag: royalty

Main St. to Westminster Abbey via the North Pole

George VI and Elizabeth, coronation portrait.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Exile on Main Street, a double album, was released on 12 May 1972 by…
    • Bob Dylan
    • Chicago
    • Rolling Stones
  1. The first verified flight over the North Pole took place on this date in 1926. The flight was made in a…
    • Fokker bi-plane
    • Hot air Balloon
    • Semirigid airship
  2. On 12 May 1937, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were crowned. George had been king since December 1936, following his brother Edward VIII’s abdication. Prior to Edward’s abdication, the new king and queen were known by what titles?
    • Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh
    • Duke and Duchess of Sussex
    • Duke and Duchess of York
  3. On this day in 1949, the Soviet Union lifted its blockade of…
    • Baghdad
    • Baku
    • Berlin
  4. Of the three English people listed one was born while their parents were on an extended honeymoon in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Can you identify which one?
    • Edward Lear, poet and illustrator
    • Florence Nightingale, nurse and social reformer
    • Dante Gabriel Rossetti, poet and painter

Miscellany | Answers

Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier today. The answers are shown in bold below.

Bikini Atoll.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands—Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States for atomic bomb testing from 1946 to 1958, contaminating the atoll and forcing the relocation of its 166 native inhabitants. Despite cleanup efforts, radiation levels remain too high for resettlement, though tourism is permitted.
      Bluetooth logo
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Bluetooth—ruled Denmark from c. 958 to c. 986, during which time he unified the various tribes, introduced Christianity and consolidated his power. His rule in Norway was brief, likely lasting only a few years in the 970s. The Bluetooth wireless specification would unite devices and so was named after Harald, who united the tribes of Denmark. The Bluetooth logo incorporates his initials, H and B, in Younger Futhark bind runes.
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Sanskrit—A pundit is an expert who offers authoritative opinions on a particular subject area, typically through the mass media. The term originates from the Sanskrit word “pandit,” meaning “learned man,” and has historical roots in India, referring to scholars and advisors to the king.
      One of Princess Anne’s Reliant Scimitar GTE’s— she had eight apparently!
      Classicyorkshire.co.uk
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer launched this model in 1968?
    • Reliant—a British company commonly known for their three-wheeled Robin produced this sports car from 1964 to 1986, during which time it evolved from a coupe to a sports estate and convertible. It featured a fibreglass body on a steel chassis and Ford engines. The Reliant Scimitar SE5, a sports estate hatchback, was designed in under a year and featured a new chassis, suspension, and fuel system. It was powered by a 3.0-litre Ford Essex engine and could reach over 120 mph. The SE5 was a success, with 4,311 units produced, and Princess Anne received one as a birthday present and reportedly owned eight or nine in total.
      Pipe-weed.
      Image lots.fandom.com
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed—is a fictional strain of tobacco from JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with varieties such as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star and Southlinch. In contrast, Polecat weed, also known as Symplocarpus foetidus or skunk cabbage, is a real low-growing plant found in eastern North American wetlands, characterised by its bruised leaves that emit a skunk-like odour. Additionally, Colic weed encompasses species like Aletris, Corydalis flavula and Dicentra.
Merry and Pippin smoking pipe-weed.
Image Pinterest

Miscellany

Here are some questions with no link to anything other than general miscellany.

Scimitar GTE.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
    • Marshall Islands
    • Solomon Islands
    • Wallis and Futuna Islands
  2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
    • Harald Greycloak
    • Harald Bluetooth
    • Sweyn Forkbeard
  3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
    • Mesopotamian
    • Egyptian
    • Sanskrit
  4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer had launched this model in 1968 ?
    • Jaguar
    • Lotus
    • Reliant
  5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
    • Pipe-weed
    • Colic weed
    • Polecat weed

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.

Game of thrones

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

Queen Juliana.
4 September 1948 — 30 April 1980.
Image Wikipedia
Queen Beatrix.
30 April 1980 — 30 April 2013.
Image Wikipedia
King Willem-Alexander.
30 April 2013 — incumbent.
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 30 April 2013, Willem-Alexander became king of the Netherlands after his mother’s abdication. Who was his mother?
    • Beatrix—see #2 below.
  2. Willem—Alexander’s mother (see question 1) had became queen on 30 April 1980, on the abdication of her mother. Who was the Dutch queen who abdicated in 1980?
    • Juliana—Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 to 1980, managed the decolonisation of the Dutch East Indies and Suriname before abdicating in favour of her daughter Beatrix in 1980. Juliana passed away in 2004 at the age of 94. Beatrix, born in 1938, reigned from 1980 to 2013, during which time the Netherlands experienced significant changes in its Caribbean territories, including Aruba’s secession and the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. She abdicated in favour of her son, Willem-Alexander, in 2013.
      King Carl XVI Gustaf.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, who was born on 30 April 1946, has been king of where since 1973?
    • Sweden—Carl XVI Gustaf, born in 1946, is the longest-reigning King of Sweden, having ascended to the throne in 1973. He married Silvia Sommerlath in 1976 and has three children: Victoria, Carl Philip and Madeleine
      King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Today in 1492, Christopher Columbus was given his commission of exploration. Which monarchs issued this commission?
    • King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile—After Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada they initially believed Columbus’s proposal to sail westwards to the Indies implausible but Ferdinand convinced Isabella to support Columbus’s voyage, promising him titles, revenues and commercial interests in the new lands he might discover.
      Wives of Henry VIII.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Nothing to do with the date. England’s Henry VIII and how many of his wives were related by a single common ancestor?
    • Henry VIII plus six of his wives—were descended from Edward I of England. Henry VIII, born on 28 June 1491, reigned as King of England from 1509 to 1547. Known for his six marriages, he sought to annul his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon, leading to the English Reformation. Declaring himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, he dissolved convents and monasteries, resulting in excommunication. Legal attempts failed, with Cardinal Campeggio thwarting a trial in 1529, leading to Wolsey’s downfall. Thomas More, opposing the divorce, succeeded Wolsey but couldn’t resolve the issue. Thomas Cromwell emerged in 1532, orchestrating the church’s separation from Rome, allowing Henry to marry Anne Boleyn and have his first marriage annulled.

Game of thrones

Here are a few questions (most of) which are related to today’s date, 30 April.

Willem-Alexander
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 30 April 2013, Willem-Alexander became king of the Netherlands after his mother’s abdication. Who was his mother? Annie—Beatrix—Catharina
  2. Willem-Alexander’s mother (see question 1) had became queen on 30 April 1980, on the abdication of her mother. Who was the Dutch queen who abdicated in 1980? Jasmijn—Jolanda—Juliana
  3. Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus, who was born on 30 April 1946, has been king of where since 1973? Denmark—Belgium—Sweden
  4. Today in 1492, Christopher Columbus was given his commission of exploration. Which monarchs issued this commission? King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile—Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Empress Eleanor of Portugal—King Manuel I the fortunate and Queen Isabella of Aragon
    Henry VIII.
    Image Wikipedia
  5. Nothing to do with the date. England’s Henry VIII and how many of his wives were related by a single common ancestor? Henry VIII plus two of his wives—Henry VIII plus four of his wives—Henry VIII plus six of his wives

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Cream of the Crop | Answers

The Dirty Mac.
Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell and Keith Richards performing in the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968.
(Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg in the foreground.)
Wikipedia

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

  1. The Dirty Mac—The Dirty Mac, a supergroup featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell, performed Yer Blues and Whole Lotta Yoko on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in 1968. The special, featuring other notable acts, was not released until 1996.
    Secret Service agents cover Press Secretary James Brady and the police officer Thomas Delahanty during the assassination attempt of Reagan.
    Wikipedia
    John Hinckley Jr. Wikipedia
    Jodie Foster, 1989. Wikipedia
  2. Jodie Foster—On 30 March 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot and wounded US President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. Reagan underwent emergency surgery and recovered, while White House press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty were also injured. Driven by erotomania and an obsession with Jodie Foster, Hinckley attempted to assassinate the President to impress her. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent time in a psychiatric hospital until 2016, when he was released to the care of his mother and under supervision. He was granted an unconditional release in 2022.
    Alexander II, Emperor of All Russia.
    Wikipedia
  3. Alexander II—In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase, negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward, was ratified by the Senate in May and became effective in October. Despite initial scepticism, Alaska became a state in 1959.
    Glamis Castle.
    Wikipedia
  4. Glamis Castle—Glamis Castle, in Angus, Scotland, is the ancestral home of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It has been the Lyon family residence since the 14th century, and it holds significant historical importance as the childhood home of Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, better known as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Notably, it was also the birthplace of her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret in 1930.
  5. Berwick-upon-Tweed—a border town between England and Scotland, changed hands 13 times before being surrendered to England in 1482. Its ramparts, originally built by Edward I and rebuilt by Elizabeth I, are in good repair.
19th-century engraving of Berwick Castle by William Miller after J. M. W. Turner, with Berwick Old Bridge from 1624 in the background.
Wikipedia

Cream of the Crop

Eric Clapton.
Wikipedia

All of the following have a connection to today, 30 March.

  1. On this day in 1945, British rock musician Eric Clapton was born. In 1968, Clapton appeared in a temporary supergroup with John Lennon. Which of the following was the name of the supergroup?
    • The Dirty Mac
    • The Dirty Look
    • The Dirty Laundry
  2. On this day in 1981, President Ronald Reagan was the victim of a failed assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. An obsession with whom was the motivation behind Hinckley’s attack on the President?
    • Carrie Fisher
    • Jane Fonda
    • Jodie Foster
  3. William H. Seward, the Secretary of State under U.S. President Andrew Johnson, signed the Alaska Purchase on 30th March. This treaty ceded Russian North America to the United States. Who was the Russian Tsar at the time of the purchase?
    • Alexander II
    • Catherine II
    • Nicholas II
  4. Today in 2025, Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, passed away in her sleep at Windsor at the age of 101. She was the queen consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1936 to 1952 and the mother of Queen Elizabeth II. Where was her childhood home and the birthplace of her second daughter, Princess Margaret?
    • Edinburgh Castle
    • Glamis Castle
    • Eilean Donan Castle
  5. On this day in 1296, England’s King Edward I sacked a town that had changed hands over a dozen times from the 12th to the 15th century. Which town was it?
    • Carlisle
    • Kelso
    • Berwick-upon-Tweed
Edward I of England.
Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

From Monarch Mishaps to Cosmic Capers! (with some grave robbing in between.)—Answers

Queen Victoria receiving the news of her accession to the throne, 1837.
[Image Wikipedia]

The answers to today’s earlier post about a few events from 2 March are shown in bold below.

  1. Eight—On March 2, 1882, Roderick Maclean, a poet who had apparently been offended by Queen Victoria’s rejection of one of his poems, attempted to assassinate her as her carriage departed Windsor railway station. Gordon Chesney Wilson and another Eton College student struck him with their umbrellas until a policeman intervened and escorted him away. Notably, there were eight attempts to assassinate Victoria, with two separate attempts by the same person. In 1842, while riding in a carriage along The Mall in London, Queen Victoria was shot at by John Francis, but the gun failed to discharge. Francis managed to escape, but the following day, Victoria deliberately drove the same route, albeit faster and with a larger escort, in an attempt to lure Francis into a second attempt and capture him in the act. As anticipated, Francis fired at her, but he was apprehended by plainclothes policemen and subsequently convicted of high treason. His death sentence was commuted to transportation for life.
    Publicity poster for King Kong, 1933.
    [Image Wikipedia]
  2. King Kong—The landmark monster movie King Kong had its world premiere. In addition to pioneering special effects by Willis O’Brien, it was the first significant feature film to star an animated character. The film’s final lines were Police Lieutenant: “Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.” Carl Denham responded: “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty that killed the beast.”
    British Airways Concorde G-BOAC, 1986.
    [Image Wikipedia]
  3. Toulouse, France—Concorde was a supersonic airliner developed by the United Kingdom and France, first flying on 2 March 1969. Known for its sleek design and ability to fly at twice the speed of sound, it significantly reduced transatlantic flight times. However, high development costs, environmental concerns like sonic booms, and high operating costs limited its use to transoceanic flights. Only 20 aircraft were built, operated by Air France and British Airways, with service starting in 1976. Despite initial routes to destinations like Bahrain, Rio de Janeiro, Washington, D.C., and New York City, financial losses and competition from subsonic airliners led to route cuts, with New York City becoming the only regular destination. A fatal crash on 25 July 2000, resulting in 113 deaths, led to a temporary grounding. Concorde was retired in 2003, with most aircraft preserved in museums. The program was a significant European cooperative venture but never achieved financial profitability.
    Charlie Chaplin’s grave in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland.
    [Image Wikipedia]
  4. Vaud, Switzerland—In March 1978, Oona Chaplin was informed by police that her husband Charlie Chaplin’s grave in Switzerland had been disturbed and his body stolen. The film star, who had died just months earlier, was taken by two thieves, Roman Wardas and Gantscho Ganev, who demanded a ransom of $600,000, threatening the Chaplins’ children. Oona dismissed the ransom as absurd. The police effectively tracked the thieves, leading to their capture in May. Wardas and Ganev, driven by desperation, had hidden Chaplin’s body in a cornfield. They expressed regret for their crime, which Oona forgave, even exchanging letters with them. Wardas was imprisoned for four years, while Ganev received an 18-month suspended sentence. Charlie Chaplin was reburied with a concrete vault to deter further theft. Though a 2014 film revived interest in the odd incident, his grave has remained undisturbed since.
  5. Czech—Vladimír Remek, the first Czechoslovak in space, is also considered the first EU astronaut. He served in the European Parliament and as Czech Ambassador to Russia.
Charlie Chaplin, The Tramp, 1915.
[Image Wikipedia]