From Paris to Kashyyyk | Answers

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

First distribution of the Legion of Honor crosses at the church of Les Invalides on July 14, 1804.
Jean-Baptiste Debret, Ca. 1812
Image Wikipedia
  1. The Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour), France’s highest order of merit, was established on May 19. Who was responsible for its establishment?
    • Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802—The National Order of the Legion of Honour, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is France’s highest national order of merit, applicable to both military and civil achievements. It is open to all citizens and foreigners, regardless of birth, religion, or rank, and has been maintained by all French governments with minor changes. The order consists of five classes and is led by the President of France as Grand Master. Its insignia includes the head of the Republic and the motto Honour and Country.
      Sam Smith, 2015.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Born on 19 May 1992, the singer-songwriter of the theme for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre is…
    • Sam Smith—Samuel Smith, an English singer and songwriter, rose to prominence in 2012 with a feature on Disclosure’s Latch. Smith’s song Writing’s on the Wall became the theme for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, earning Smith a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
      Map of North America.
      Guillaume Sanson, Rome, 1687.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. On 19 May 1845, British explorer John Franklin set out in command of two ships, the Erebus and Terror, on an ill-fated expedition to find what?
    • Northwest Passage—The Northwest Passage (NWP) is a sea lane connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Ocean. It passes near the northern coast of North America, traversing waterways within the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. Franklin’s search for the Northwest Passage began on May 19, 1845, with two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, carrying 128 men. Last seen in July 1845, their fate remained unknown until 1859 when a search found skeletons and a written account on King William Island. The ships wintered at Beechey Island in 1845-46 and became trapped in ice in Victoria Strait in September 1846. By April 1848, Franklin and 23 others had died, and the remaining 105 survivors deserted the ships, resorting to cannibalism. Postmortems suggested botulism, scurvy and lead poisoning contributed to their decline. In 2014, the Erebus was discovered off King William Island, and in 2016, the Terror was found in Terror Bay, well-preserved and suggesting the crew had prepared for winter before leaving.
      St George’s Chapel, Windsor. St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
      The Nave is dominated by this Great West Window, often claimed to be the third largest in the UK. The chapel dates from 1475 and is built in the richest Perpendicular Gothic style. The whole building is Cathedral size, at over 315ft (96m) in length.
      Image Jack Pease/Wikipedia
  4. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding took place on May 19, 2018, in the UK. Where did they get married?
    • St George’s Chapel—Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married on 19 May 2018 in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. The ceremony, officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, included elements of African-American culture.
      Peter Mayhew, 2015.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Born on 19 May 1944, this actor was chosen by George Lucas to play a being from the planet Kashyyyk. Who is he?
    • Peter Mayhew—Peter Mayhew, a British-American actor, is best known for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars film series from 1977 to 2015. Born on 19 May 1944 in Barnes, Surrey, Mayhew was diagnosed with gigantism at the age of eight and later developed Marfan syndrome. This genetic tissue disorder caused his peak height to reach 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m). He was cast as Chewbacca by director George Lucas, who sought a tall actor for the role. He modelled his performance on observing animals at London Zoo and continued working as a hospital orderly during filming.
Chewbacca.
Image Star Wars Universe

From Paris to Kashyyyk

Here are a few questions related to today’s date, May 19th.

Legion of Honour (Légion d’honneur).
Image Wikipedia
  1. The Légion d’honneur (Legion of Honour), France’s highest order of merit, was established on May 19. Who was responsible for its establishment?
    • Louis XV in 1745
    • Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802
    • Charles de Gaulle in 1945
  2. Born on 19 May 1992, the singer-songwriter of the theme for the 2015 James Bond film Spectre is…
    • Adele
    • Billie Eilish
    • Sam Smith
  3. On 19 May 1845, British explorer John Franklin set out in command of two ships, the Erebus and Terror, on an ill-fated expedition to find what?
    • Northeast Passage
    • Northwest Passage
    • Southeast Passage
  4. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding took place on May 19, 2018, in the UK. Where did they get married?
    • St George’s Chapel
    • St Paul’s Cathedral
    • Westminster Abbey
  5. Born on 19 May 1944, this actor was chosen by George Lucas to play a character from the planet Kashyyyk. Who is he?
    • Anthony Daniels
    • David Prowse
    • Peter Mayhew

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Double Firsts—Answer

Firstly: A. 1938

Secondly: C. Robot

On February 11, 1938, BBC Television broadcast a 35-minute adaptation of a section of Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R.—thus becoming the first science fiction piece ever aired on television. Although some low-quality still photographs survive, no recordings of the production are known to exist.

R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti—(English: Rossum’s Universal Robots)) is a 1920 science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. It introduced the word ‘robot’ to the English language and popularised science fiction as a genre. R.U.R. quickly gained influence and was translated into thirty languages by 1923. It was a commercial success in Europe and North America during its time.

In 1948, the BBC aired another adaptation, this time the entire play, running for 90 minutes but unfortunately, no audio or visual recordings of this version survive either. Patrick Troughton who played the robot Radius in this latter production played another sci-fi character when he became the Second Doctor in the BBC’s Doctor Who in 1966. 

Double Firsts

Firstly, on 11 February in which year did the first science fiction piece ever aired on television make its debut?

A. 1938

B. 1945

C. 1950

Secondly, the play that was adapted for this television programme had, when originally published in 1920, introduced a new word to the English language. What was that word?

A. Cyborg

B. Droid

C. Robot

The answer will be posted later today.