Quizology.Online

Tag: science

  • Where – Who – Where – Who (& When) – Where—Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier questions.

    All of today’s questions are connected to the date, March 20th. There are three places and two people to find in these multiple-choice questions.

    The Gypsy Theatre, Moscow, c.1931. Image New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The first Romani language operetta, Children of the Forests, premiered on 20 March 1888. Where was it staged?

    1. Bucharest, Romania
    2. Kyiv, Ukraine
    3. Moscow, Russia

    Answer: 3. Moscow, Russia.

    The premiere of the very first Romani language operetta Children of the Forests was staged in the Maly Theatre, Moscow, Russia on 20 March 1888. It was performed solely by the Romani troupe. The production ran for 18 years and was a great success. The first Romani theatre troupe, founded by Nikolai Shishkin, performed in Moscow and Saint Petersburg in the late 19th century. The troupe’s success led to the establishment of the Romen Theatre in Moscow in 1931.

    Two

    In 1923, the Arts Club of Chicago hosted the United States’ first showing of Original Drawings by… This event signalled the club’s early embrace of modern art in America. There is an artist’s name missing from the show’s title: who is the artist?

    1. Salvador Dali
    2. Pablo Picasso
    3. Jackson Pollock

    Answer: 2. Pablo Picasso

    The Arts Club of Chicago, founded in 1916, is a private club and public exhibition space dedicated to showcasing international contemporary art. The club, known for its pro-Modernist stance, has presented groundbreaking exhibitions by artists like Pablo Picasso and Jean Dubuffet. It curates its own exhibits, emphasising cutting-edge and avant-garde art.

    Three

    Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published on this date in 1852. Between 1832 and 1850 she lived in a city where her personal observations and research informed the basis of her story. Where was this city?

    1. Alexandria, Virginia
    2. Baltimore, Maryland
    3. Cincinnati, Ohio

    Answers: 3. Cincinatti, Ohio.

    On this day in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin as a novel. The book, which had previously been serialised, played a crucial role in shifting public opinion towards abolitionism and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War.

    Four

    Who became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and when did she achieve this?

    1. Kelly Quinault in 1973
    2. Libby Riddles in 1985
    3. Molly Semyonova in 1997

    Answers: 2. Libby Riddles in 1985

    The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race in Alaska, covering the distance from Anchorage to Nome in eight to fifteen days. The race, which began in 1973, is a symbolic link to Alaska’s history and a popular sporting event, attracting competitors from around the world. The race is known for its challenging conditions, including blizzards, gale-force winds, and sub-zero temperatures, which with wind chill can reach −100 °F (−73 °C).

    Five

    Albert Einstein submitted his paper The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity in 1916. Where was he working at that time?

    1. Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
    2. Prussian Academy of Sciences, Berlin
    3. Charles University, Prague

    Answer: Prussian Academy of Sciences, Berlin.

    Albert Einstein was working at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin when he published The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity in 1916. He had accepted a position at the Prussian Academy in 1914, specifically to work on his new theory of gravity. The paper was submitted on March 20, 1916, and published later that year in the journal Annalen der Physik. This period marked a significant time in Einstein’s career, as he was developing groundbreaking theories that would change our understanding of gravity and the universe.

  • Where – Who – Where – Who (& When) – Where

    All of today’s questions are connected to the date, March 20th. There are three places, two people and a year to find in these multiple-choice questions.

    The Gypsy Theatre, c.1931. Image New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The first Romani language operetta, Children of the Forests, premiered on 20 March 1888. Where was it staged?

    1. Bucharest, Romania
    2. Kyiv, Ukraine
    3. Moscow, Russia

    Two

    In 1923, the Arts Club of Chicago hosted the United States’ first showing of Original Drawings by… This event signalled the club’s early embrace of modern art in America. There is an artist’s name missing from the show’s title: who is the artist?

    1. Salvador Dali
    2. Pablo Picasso
    3. Jackson Pollock

    Three

    Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin was first published on this date in 1852. Between 1832 and 1850 she lived in a city where her personal observations and research informed the basis of her story. Where was this city?

    1. Alexandria, Virginia
    2. Baltimore, Maryland
    3. Cincinnati, Ohio

    Four

    Who became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and when did she achieve this?

    1. Kelly Quinault in 1973
    2. Libby Riddles in 1985
    3. Molly Semyonova in 1997

    Five

    Albert Einstein submitted his paper The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity in 1916. Where was he working at that time?

    1. Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
    2. Prussian Academy of Sciences, Berlin
    3. Charles University, Prague

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Sailing to Philadelphia—Answers

    The answers to my questions from earlier are posted below.

    A boat load of stray cargo to amuse you today.

    Blue whale mother and young.
    Image Whale Expeditions.

    One

    What is the young of a whale called?

    Answer: Calf

    The term ’calf’, when referring to a young whale, is derived from the same root as the word for a young cow, which comes from Old English cealf and Proto-Germanic kalbam. This usage has been extended to marine mammals, where the adults are called bulls and cows, and the young are referred to as calves/calves.

    Two

    What were the first names of Mason and Dixon, after whom the Mason-Dixon Line is named?

    Answer: Charles and Jeremiah.

    The Mason-Dixon Line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon from 1763 to 1767, initially served to resolve a land dispute between the Penn and Calvert families by marking the boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania. It later became a symbolic boundary between slave and free states in the United States before the Civil War.

    Three

    What eight letter word means ‘the study of Chinese language, history, customs, and politics’, and from what does the first three letters of the word ultimately derive?

    Answers: Sinology; Qin.

    The terms sinology and sinologist were coined around 1838, Sinae, in turn from the Greek Sinae, from the Arabic Sin—which ultimately derive from Qin, i.e. the Qin dynasty.
    — Wikipedia ultimately the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 3rd edition 1992): 1686.

    The astronomical seasons are based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun. The equivalent meteorological seasons are also shown. This image is for the northern hemisphere.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Four

    In the northern hemisphere, what astronomical season ends at the vernal equinox and what three months form the equivalent meteorological season?

    Answers: Astronomical winter; December, January and February.

    Astronomical winter starts with the Winter Solstice about December 21st in the northern hemisphere and ends with the Vernal Equinox about March 20th. Meteorological winter covers the months of December, January and February.

    Five

    Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.

    The opening words of which English novel, first published in Florence Italy in 1928, are quoted above. What is the novel’s title and who is the author?

    Answer: Lady Chatterley’s Lover; D.H. Lawrence.

    Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D. H. Lawrence’s final novel, explores the relationship between a working-class man and an upper-class woman. The novel, influenced by Lawrence’s life and the story of Lady Ottoline Morrell, faced obscenity trials in the UK and US before becoming a bestseller. It was not published fully and openly in the UK until 1960.

    Sailing to Philadelphia – The Post Title

    The title refers to Mark Knopfler’s album from 2000, and its title track which was inspired by Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon, a novel about Mason and Dixon. The track features American singer-songwriter James Taylor.

    Sailing to Philadelphia

    Mark Knopfler

    I am Jeremiah Dixon
    I am a Geordie Boy
    A glass of wine with you, sir
    And the ladies I’ll enjoy 

    All Durham and Northumberland
    Is measured up by my own hand
    It was my fate from birth
    To make my mark upon the earth… 

    He calls me Charlie Mason
    A stargazer am I
    It seems that I was born
    To chart the evening sky 

    They’d cut me out for baking bread
    But I had other dreams instead
    This baker’s boy from the west country
    Would join the Royal Society… 

    We are sailing to Philadelphia
    A world away from the coaly Tyne
    Sailing to Philadelphia
    To draw the line
    The Mason-Dixon line 

    Now you’re a good surveyor, Dixon
    But I swear you’ll make me mad
    The West will kill us both
    You gullible Geordie lad 

    You talk of liberty
    How can America be free
    A Geordie and a baker’s boy
    In the forest of the Iroquois… 

    Now hold your head up, Mason
    See America lies there
    The morning tide has raised
    The capes of Delaware 

    Come up and feel the sun
    A new morning is begun
    Another day will make it clear
    Why your stars should guide us here… 

    We are sailing to Philadelphia
    A world away from the coaly Tyne
    Sailing to Philadelphia
    To draw the line
    The Mason-Dixon Line

    AZLyrics

  • Sailing to Philadelphia

    A boat load of stray cargo to amuse you today.

    Blue whale mother and young.
    Image Whale Expeditions.

    One

    What is the young of a whale called?

    Two

    What were the first names of Mason and Dixon, after whom the Mason-Dixon Line is named?

    Three

    What eight letter word means ‘the study of Chinese language, history, customs, and politics’, and from what does the first three letters of the word ultimately derive?

    Four

    In the northern hemisphere, what astronomical season ends at the vernal equinox and what three months form the equivalent meteorological season?

    Five

    Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.

    The opening words of which English novel, first published in Florence Italy in 1928, are quoted above. What is the novel’s title and who is the author?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • The Wind in the Wires Made a Tattle-tale Sound—Answers

    Five random questions for you to ponder today. 

    Edmund Fitzgerald.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    On which of the Great Lakes did the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sink with the loss of her entire crew in 1975?

    1. Lake Michigan
    2. Lake Ontario
    3. Lake Superior

    Answer: 3. Lake Superior.

    The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes, sank during a storm on November 10, 1975, with all 29 crew members lost. The cause of the sinking remains unknown, though it is believed to have been due to a combination of factors such as structural failure and high waves. The disaster led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices. The Edmund Fitzgerald disaster, immortalised in Gordon Lightfoot’s ballad, led to significant changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations, including mandatory survival suits and increased inspections.

    Two

    This Eurasian woodland plant, Allium uranium, with broad shiny leaves and round heads of flowers, producing a strong aroma of garlic is also called wild garlic. What is it?

    1. Larsons
    2. Ramsons
    3. Tamsons 

    Answer: 2. Ramsoms.

    Allium ursinum, or wild garlic, is a bulbous perennial flowering plant native to Eurasia. It is a wild relative of onion and garlic. It has several names including ramsons; it is also known as buckrams, broad-leaved garlic, cowleekes, cows’s leek, cowleek, wood garlic, Eurasian wild garlic, onion grass, bear leek and bear’s garlic. 

    Three

    What letter(s) is the symbol which represents the element tungsten?

    1. T
    2. Gs
    3. W

    Answer: 3. W.

    Tungsten, also known as wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a metal found naturally in compounds and was first isolated as a metal in 1783.

    Four

    Who, on a sixties album, released a version of the Christmas carol Silent Night with a simulated 7 O’clock News, which featured real events from the preceding summer, being read over it? 

    1. Crosby, Stills and Nash
    2. Joni Mitchell
    3. Simon & Garfunkel

    Answer: 3. Simon & Garfunkel.

    7 O’Clock News/Silent Night by Simon & Garfunkel is a sound collage from their 1966 album, combining Silent Nightwith a simulated news bulletin. A sound collage juxtaposes Silent Night with a news report, highlighting social issues like civil rights, Lenny Bruce’s death, and the Vietnam War. The track’s mix emphasises the contrast between the news and the Christmas song.

    Five

    In which Scottish body of water was the German High Seas Fleet scuttled in June 1919?

    1. Loch Ness
    2. Scapa Flow
    3. Firth of Lorn

    Andwer: 2. Scapa Flow.

    Scapa Flow is a strait in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It was an important British naval base, especially in the First World War. The German High Seas Fleet was interned there after its surrender, and was scuttled in 1919 as an act of defiance against the terms of the Versailles peace settlement.

    The Wind in the Wires Made a Tattle-tale Sound — Post Title

    The post title is a line from The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. Full lyrics below from AZ Lyrics.

    The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

    By Gordon Lightfoot.

    The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
    Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
    The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
    When the skies of November turn gloomy
    With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
    Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
    [Former version:] That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
    [Latter version:] That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed
    When the gales of November came early 

    The ship was the pride of the American side
    Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
    As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
    With a crew and good captain well seasoned
    Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
    When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
    Then later that night when the ship’s bell rang
    Could it be the north wind they’d been feelin’? 

    The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
    When the wave broke over the railing
    And every man knew, as the captain did too
    ‘Twas the witch of November come stealin’
    The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
    When the gales of November came slashin’
    When afternoon came it was freezing rain
    In the face of a hurricane west wind 

    When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
    Saying, “Fellas, it’s too rough to feed ya.”
    [Former version:] At seven PM a main hatchway caved in
    [Latter version:] At seven PM it grew dark, it was then
    He said, “Fellas, it’s been good to know ya.”
    The captain wired in he had water comin’ in
    And the good ship and crew was in peril
    And later that night when his lights went out of sight
    Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald 

    Does anyone know where the love of God goes
    When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
    The searchers all say they’d have made Whitefish Bay
    If they’d put fifteen more miles behind her
    They might have split up or they might have capsized
    They may have broke deep and took water
    And all that remains is the faces and the names
    Of the wives and the sons and the daughters 

    Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
    In the rooms of her ice-water mansion
    Old Michigan steams like a young man’s dreams
    The islands and bays are for sportsmen
    And farther below, Lake Ontario
    Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
    And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
    With the gales of November remembered 

    [Former version:] In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
    [Latter version:] In a rustic old hall in Detroit they prayed
    In the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral
    The church bell chimed ’til it rang twenty-nine times
    For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
    The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
    Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
    Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
    When the gales of November come early.
    AZ Lyrics.

  • The Wind in the Wires Made a Tattle-tale Sound

    Five random questions for you to ponder today. 

    Edmund Fitzgerald.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    On which of the Great Lakes did the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sink with the loss of her entire crew in 1975?

    1. Lake Michigan
    2. Lake Ontario
    3. Lake Superior

    Two

    This Eurasian woodland plant, Allium uranium, with broad shiny leaves and round heads of flowers, producing a strong aroma of garlic is also called wild garlic. What is it?

    1. Larsons
    2. Ramsons
    3. Tamsons 

    Three

    What letter(s) is the symbol which represents the element tungsten?

    1. T
    2. Gs
    3. W

    Four

    Who, on a sixties album, released a version of the Christmas carol Silent Night with a simulated 7 O’clock News, which featured events from the preceding summer, being read over it? 

    1. Crosby, Stills and Nash
    2. Joni Mitchell
    3. Simon & Garfunkel

    Five

    In which Scottish body of water was the German High Seas Fleet scuttled in June 1919?

    1. Loch Ness
    2. Scapa Flow
    3. Firth of Lorn

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray—Answers

    Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    These are five questions which are related to today, February 5th.

    Section of the border between East and West Germany.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The term ‘Iron Curtain’ described the political and physical boundary dividing Europe from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War. Who popularised its use in a speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946?

    Answer: Winston Churchill.

    …an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe.
    — Winston Churchill, Former British prime minister, 5 March 1946, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri

    The Iron Curtain was a political and physical boundary dividing Europe from 1945 to 1990/1991, symbolising the ideological divide between the Soviet-controlled Eastern Bloc and the Western nations. Popularised by Winston Churchill in 1946, the term originally described physical barriers but later encompassed broader cultural and ideological differences. The Iron Curtain largely dissolved in 1989-90 with the fall of communism.

    Two

    A 31-year-old American country singer, who was born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Virginia, died in a 1963 plane crash in Tennessee. She had enjoyed an eight-year recording career, which included two number ones as well as other major chart hits. By what name was she known professionally?

    Answer: Patsy Cline.

    Patsy Cline, born Virginia Patterson Hensley, was an American singer known for her crossover success from country to pop music. She achieved major hits like Walkin’ After Midnight and I Fall to Pieces, becoming a trailblazer for women in country music. Although, she died in a plane crash in 1963, her legacy endures through her influential music and posthumous recognition.

    Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray

    The post title, Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray, was the title of a Patsy Cline single from 1957.

    Three

    In 1616, 73 years after publication, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) was added to the Index of Forbidden Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) by the Sacred Congregation of the Index. Which astronomer had written On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres?

    Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus

    Copernicus’s book placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the centre, meaning the Earth and other planets orbited the Sun. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum, active from 1560 to 1966, was a list of publications deemed heretical or immoral by the Catholic Church. It banned thousands of books, including works by theologians, astronomers, philosophers, and unapproved Bible editions, to protect church members from potentially disruptive ideas.

    Four

    In 1942 Japanese forces captured what is now Jakarta, Indonesia. At that time, what was the city called and of where was it the capital?

    Answers: Batavia; Dutch East Indies.

    Batavia, now known as Jakarta, was founded in 1619 by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a strategic trading post in the Dutch colonial empire. It became the capital of the Dutch East Indies and was pivotal for their trade routes, especially in spices and other commodities. Following Indonesia’s declaration of independence in 1945, Batavia was renamed Jakarta. The city evolved from a colonial outpost to a major urban centre reflecting Indonesia’s diversity and is a bustling metropolis and the capital of Indonesia. It is a hub for culture, economy, and politics in Southeast Asia.

    Five

    In 1496, England’s Henry VII issued letters patent authorising a navigator and his sons to explore unknown lands. This led to what is the earliest known exploration of the North American Atlantic coast since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. Who was Henry VII’s explorer?

    Answer: John Cabot.

    John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer.  His 1497 voyage to North America, commissioned by Henry VII, King of England, is the earliest known European exploration of the region’s coast since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century.  To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Cabot’s expedition, both Canadian and British governments declared Cape Bonavista, Newfoundland, as his first landing site. However, alternative locations have also been suggested.

  • Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray

    These are five questions which are related to today, February 5th.

    Section of the border between East and West Germany.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    The term ‘Iron Curtain’ described the political and physical boundary dividing Europe from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War. Who popularised its use in a speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, on 5 March 1946?

    Two

    A 31-year-old American country singer, who was born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Virginia, died in a 1963 plane crash in Tennessee. She had enjoyed an eight-year recording career, which included two number ones as well as other major chart hits. By what name was she known professionally?

    Three

    In 1616, 73 years after publication, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (De revolutionibus orbium coelestium) was added to the Index of Forbidden Books (Index Librorum Prohibitorum) by the Sacred Congregation of the Index. Which astronomer had written On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres?

    Four

    In 1942 Japanese forces captured what is now Jakarta, Indonesia. At that time, what was the city called and of where was it the capital?

    Five

    In 1496, England’s Henry VII issued letters patent authorising a navigator and his sons to explore unknown lands. This led to what is the earliest known exploration of the North American Atlantic coast since the Norse visits to Vinland in the eleventh century. Who was Henry VII’s explorer?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • What Goes Around Comes Around—Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Today’s questions are all related to March 3rd.

    Virgin Atlantic Airways GlobalFlyer.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    2005, a pilot became the first person to complete a solo, nonstop circumnavigation of the globe without refuelling. The pilot took off from and landed back at one of the several Salinas in the United States. Who was the pilot and specifically from which Salina did he depart and return?

    Answers: Steve Fossett; Salina, Kansas.

    In 2005, pilot Steve Fossett became the first person to fly solo around the world without stopping or refuelling. He piloted the specially designed GlobalFlyer, equipped with 13 fuel tanks and a 7-foot cockpit. Taking off from Salina, Kansas, on February 28, he successfully completed the journey and returned to Salina approximately 67 hours later on March 3.

    Two

    Born in Navsari, Gujarat, India in 1839, an Indian industrialist who founded Jamshedpur, established the Taj Mahal Hotel and developed businesses in cotton, steel and hydroelectric power amongst others. Who was he?

    Answer: Jamsetji Tata.

    Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, an Indian industrialist and philanthropist, founded the Tata Group and the city of Jamshedpur. He established key institutions such as the Taj Mahal Hotel, Tata Steel, and Tata Power, significantly impacting India’s industrial and social landscape. Tata was also a prominent philanthropist, establishing the J.N. Tata Endowment and supporting the Indian Institute of Science.

    Three

    Born in 1962, which athlete set a world record of 7,148 points in the heptathlon?

    Answer: Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

    Jackie Joyner-Kersee, born in 1962, is a retired American athlete who excelled in the heptathlon and long jump. She won three Olympic gold medals in the heptathlon and one in the long jump, setting world records in both events. In July 1986, she set a world record of 7,148 points in the heptathlon. Beyond her athletic achievements, Joyner-Kersee is known for her philanthropic work, including founding the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation and co-founding Athletes for Hope.

    Four

    Born in 1968, this physicist and television science presenter who is known for his work on the ATLAS experiment at CERN, played keyboards in live appearances with D:Ream. Who is This?

    Answer: Brian Cox.

    Brian Cox is an English physicist and musician, known for his work on the ATLAS experiment at CERN and his role as a presenter of science programmes for the BBC. He has co-authored several popular science books and continues to perform music sporadically. Cox’s career spans from being a keyboard player for bands like Dare and D:Ream to becoming a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester.

    Five

    Decommissioned on this day in 1980, a U.S. nuclear submarine made history by sailing under the Arctic ice pack and the North Pole in 1958. 

    1. What was the name of the submarine?
    2. What was the operational name for the submerged Arctic transit?
    3. The submarine had a namesake from an 1870s novel; what was the novel’s English title? 
    4. Who was the author of the novel?

    Answers

    1. USS Nautilus
    2. Operations Sunshine
    3. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
    4. Jules Verne

    A Greek derivative meaning sailor or ship; a tropical mollusk having a many chambered, spiral shell with a pearly interior; and the namesake of Jules Verne’s submersible in his novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
    — Navy History and Heritage Command

  • What Goes Around Comes Around

    Today’s questions are all related to March 3rd.

    Image Wikimedia Commons

    One

    2005, a pilot became the first person to complete a solo, nonstop circumnavigation of the globe without refuelling. The pilot took off from and landed back at one of the several Salinas in the United States. Who was the pilot and specifically from which Salina did he depart and return?

    Two

    Born in Navsari, Gujarat, India in 1839, an Indian industrialist who founded Jamshedpur, established the Taj Mahal Hotel and developed businesses in cotton, steel and hydroelectric power amongst others. Who was he?

    Three

    Born in 1962, which athlete set a world record of 7,148 points in the heptathlon?

    Four

    Born in 1968, this physicist and television science presenter who is known for his work on the ATLAS experiment at CERN, played keyboards in live appearances with D:Ream. Who is This?

    Five

    Decommissioned on this day in 1980, a U.S. nuclear submarine made history by sailing under the Arctic ice pack and the North Pole in 1958. 

    1. What was the name of the submarine?
    2. What was the operational name for the submerged Arctic transit?
    3. The submarine had a namesake from an 1870s novel; what was the novel’s English title? 
    4. Who was the author of the novel?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.