Today’s first question is the only one connected to the date 11 June. The others continue a theme created in the first.
One
Born in 1910, this French author, explorer, inventor, diver, and biologist was awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for espionage work while a member of the French resistance during World War II. Who is this?
Two
This actor, who links Hamlet and Ealing comedies with adaptations of John Le Carré’s novels and Star Wars, commanded a World War II landing craft during the invasions of Sicily and Elba. Who is he?
Three
This actress, who played Delilah in 1949’s Samson and Delilah, was the co-inventor of a 1941 torpedo radio guidance system which utilised pioneering spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to prevent jamming. Who was she?
Four
This actor, who worked in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II, links all of these: Count Dracula; a 1970s Bond villain; baddies in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; a High Councillor in The Golden Compass and the voice of Death in animated versions from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Who is he?
Five
An actor who flew US Liberator bombers over Europe during World War II had a starring role in 1939 in which he ‘went to Washington’. The following year, a ‘tale about Philadelphia’ won him a Best Actor Oscar. Who was this actor and pilot whose time in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned 1941 to 1968?
What does the name of the dinosaur Falcarius mean?
Ground scraper
Sickle cutter
Wood driller
Answer: Sickle cutter.
Falcarius, meaning ‘sickle cutter’, is a primitive therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous in North America. Discovered in the Cedar Mountain Formation, it was a 4 m long bipedal herbivore with a small head, elongated neck, and tail. It is considered a transitional form between theropods and Therizinosauridae.
Three
Spectrophobia, catoptrophobia and eisoptrophobia can all relate to what household item?
Kettle
Linoleum
Mirror
Answer: Mirror.
Catoptrophobia, eisoptrophobia and spectrophobia are terms related to fear of mirrors, but they have distinct meanings. Catoptrophobia is the fear of mirrors themselves, eisoptrophobia is the fear of seeing one’s reflection, and spectrophobia can mean fear of mirrors or ghosts. Etymologically, catoptro– and eisoptron– mean ‘mirror’, whereas spectrum means ‘apparition’, explaining spectrophobia’s dual association.
Four
What word can be added to crow to complete this plants name: crow …?
Foot
Quill
Steps
Answer:
Crowfoot is a herbaceous plant of the genus Ranunculus, related to the buttercups, typically having lobed or divided leaves and white or yellow flowers.
Many kinds are aquatic with flowers held above the water. Crow quill is a quill pen made from a large feather of a crow’s wing and used in fine writing. Crow steps are projections resembling steps on the sloping part of a gable, common in Flemish architecture and in 16th- and 17th-century Scottish buildings. Also called corbie steps. — all three definitions from Oxford English Dictionary.
Five
Which of these words means the 1938 annexation of Austria by Hitler’s Nazi Germany?
Anschluss
Rindereintopf
Schlafwandeln
Answer: Anschluss.
Anschluss /ˈanʃlʊs / ▸ the annexation of Austria by Germany in 1938. Hitler had forced the resignation of the Austrian Chancellor by demanding that he admit Nazis into his cabinet. The new Chancellor, a pro-Nazi, invited German troops to enter the country on the pretext of restoring law and order. – ORIGIN German, from anschliessen ‘to join’. — Oxford English Dictionary
Rindereintopf is a beef stew, and Schlafwandeln is sleepwalking.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President. Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Image Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Five questions which in some way are connected to today, May 19th.
One
The world’s first national park service was established in 1911 in which country?
Answer: Canada.
In 1911, Canada established the first national parks service in the world. What began as a cluster of parks in the Rocky Mountains gradually became a national system, fostering tourism and economic growth while upholding conservation ideals. In 1914, the definition of a “Dominion Park” was expanded to include significant historic places, laying the groundwork for a modern system of iconic national parks and national historic sites, which welcome millions of visitors annually, and initiating a tradition of national and international leadership in the management of protected places that continues to this day. — Parks Canada
Two
Colin Chapman, an English engineer born in 1928, founded which sports car company, and Formula One team?
Answer: Lotus Cars; Team Lotus.
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars, was an English design engineer known for his lightweight, high-handling sports cars. Under his direction, Team Lotus achieved significant success in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500.
Three
In 1959, the North Vietnamese Army’s Group 559 was established to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam. The supply route to fulfil this brief became known as what? And what countries, other than North and South Vietnam, did the route traverse?
Answer: Ho Chi Minh trail; Laos and Cambodia.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a logistical network of roads and trails, ran from North to South Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia, supporting the Viet Cong and People’s Army of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Despite being heavily targeted by air interdiction, the trail effectively supplied troops in the south.
Four
Charlotte, the future queen consort of George III, was born in 1744 in the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was part of what empire?
Answer: Holy Roman Empire.
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1761 to 1818, was the longest-serving queen consort. She was a patron of the arts, introduced the Christmas tree to Britain, and was deeply affected by her husband’s illness and the French Revolution.
Five
On this day Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a gala to mark John F. Kennedy’s birthday. The gala, a Democratic Party fundraiser, was held ten days before the president’s birthday. What age would the president become on that birthday, and where was the gala held?
Answers: 45 years of age; Madison Square Gardens, NYC.
Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy at a 1962 gala, inserting ‘Mr. President‘ for his name and adding a snippet of Thanks for the Memory with new lyrics.
Happy Birthday, Mr. President
[Chorus] Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday, Mr President Happy birthday to you
[Verse] Thanks, Mr President, for all the things you’ve done The battles that you’ve won The way you deal with U.S. Steel and our problems by the ton We thank you so much
[Outro] Everybody, happy birthday
[Chorus] Happy birthday to you Happy birthday to you Happy birthday, Mr President Happy birthday to you
[Verse] Thanks, Mr President, for all the things you’ve done The battles that you’ve won The way you deal with U.S. Steel and our problems by the ton We thank you so much
[Outro] Everybody, happy birthday — Lyrics from Genius.com
Happy Birthday, Mr. President. Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Image Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Five questions which in some way are connected to today, May 19th.
One
The world’s first national park service was established in 1911 in which country?
Two
Colin Chapman, an English engineer born in 1928, founded which sports car company, and Formula One team?
Three
In 1959, the North Vietnamese Army’s Group 559 was established to determine how to maintain supply lines to South Vietnam. The supply route to fulfil this brief became known as what? And what countries, other than North and South Vietnam, did the route traverse?
Four
Charlotte, the future queen consort of George III, was born in 1744 in the small duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This duchy was part of what empire?
Five
On this day Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday, Mr. President at a gala to mark John F. Kennedy’s birthday. The gala, a Democratic Party fundraiser, was held ten days before the president’s birthday. What age would the president become on that birthday, and where was the gala held?
Today’s questions are related to the date, April 29th..
See question two. Prince William and his bride, Catherine, leaving Westminster Abbey after their wedding, April 29, 2011. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
One
In a 1943 British deception plan, a corpse was given the identity of ‘Major William Martin’. The idea for the above operation, which was partly inspired by a plot device in a 1939 novel by Basil Thomson, The …’s Hat Mystery, had first been suggested in a memo.
What was the codename of this operation?
What word for a hat maker is missing from the book’s title?
A future spy novelist—later the creator of a fictional spy which spawned a massive media franchise—worked in British Naval Intelligence during the war where he circulated the memo outlining the above deception tactics. Who was he?
Answers
Operation Mincemeat
Milliner
Ian Fleming
The body was released from the submarine HMS Seraph off Spain, where authorities were known to share intelligence with Germany. The Milliner’s Hat Mystery (a milliner is someone who makes or sells hats) is by Basil Thomson who had himself worked in intelligence and blurred the line between fiction and real espionage long before the war. Ian Fleming’s memo was nicknamed the ’Trout Memo’, comparing deception to fly-fishing—luring the enemy with carefully chosen bait. He went on to create James Bond.
Two
In 2011, Prince William married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine, whom he had met at university.
What is Catherine’s maiden name?
At what university did they meet?
In what church did they marry?
Answers
Middleton
University of St. Andrews
Westminster Abbey
Prince William, heir to the British throne, married Catherine Middleton in 2011. They have three children: George, Charlotte, and Louis.
Three
In 2004, after 107 years of vehicle production, the final … was built in Lansing, Michigan. What make of vehicle is missing from the previous sentence?
Answer: Oldsmobile.
Oldsmobile, an American automobile brand, was established by Ransom Eli Olds in 1897 as Olds Motor Vehicle Company and produced over 35 million vehicles. Despite peaking sales in the 1980s, the brand faced declining sales in the 1990s and was discontinued in 2004.
Four
On this day in 2018, a U.S. TV series became the longest-running scripted prime-time show, overtaking a Western that had aired from 1955 to 1975. Name both these shows.
Answer: The Simpsons; Gunsmoke.
The record-breaking episode was the show’s 636th, surpassing Gunsmoke’s long-standing total.
Five
Also on this day, in 1770, which British explorer made his first recorded landing on the east coast of Australia, at Botany Bay?
Answer: James Cook.
Cook’s voyage aboard the HMS Endeavour was originally intended to observe the transit of Venus before turning to exploration.
The Man Who Never Was
The Man Who Never Was (1956) is a British espionage thriller directed by Ronald Neame, starring Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame. Based on Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu’s book, it depicts Operation Mincemeat, a 1943 British intelligence operation to mislead the Axis about the Allied invasion of Sicily. It was featured at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Nigel Balchin’s screenplay received the BAFTA award for that year.
Today’s questions are related to the date, April 29th..
See question two. Prince William and his bride after their wedding, April 29, 2011. Image Encyclopædia Britannica
One
In a 1943 British deception plan, a corpse was given the identity of ‘Major William Martin’. The idea for the above operation, which was partly inspired by a plot device in a 1939 novel by Basil Thomson, The …’s Hat Mystery, had first been suggested in a memo.
What was the codename of this operation?
What word for a hat maker is missing from the book’s title?
A future spy novelist—later the creator of a fictional spy which spawned a massive media franchise—worked in British Naval Intelligence during the war where he circulated the memo outlining the above deception tactics. Who was he?
Two
In 2011, Prince William married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine, whom he had met at university.
What is Catherine’s maiden name?
At what university did they meet?
In what church did they marry?
Three
In 2004, after 107 years of vehicle production, the final … was built in Lansing, Michigan. What make of vehicle is missing from the previous sentence?
Four
On this day in 2018, a U.S. TV series became the longest-running scripted prime-time show, overtaking a Western that had aired from 1955 to 1975. Name both these shows.
Answer: The Simpsons; Gunsmoke.
The record-breaking episode was the show’s 636th, surpassing Gunsmoke’s long-standing total.
Five
Also on this day, in 1770, which British explorer made his first recorded landing on the east coast of Australia, at Botany Bay?
All of today’s questions are date-specific, relating in one way or another to April 26th.
One
Akira Kurosawa‘s 1954 film is set in a village plagued by bandits, and a 1960 American western is a remake of this story.
What was the title of Kurosawa’s 1954 film?
What was the 1960 American film?
What actors played the title characters in the American film?
Answers
Seven Samurai
The Magnificent Seven
Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and James Coburn.
Seven Samurai, a 1954 Japanese action film by Akira Kurosawa, is hailed as one of the greatest films ever. Set in the 16th century, it depicts a village hiring samurai to fend off bandits, overcoming cultural tensions. Despite being Japan’s longest and costliest film at the time, it achieved global success, elevating Japanese cinema and influencing cinematography. Starring Mifune Toshirō, it inspired The Magnificent Seven.
The country represented by the above flag was founded in 1964.
What is the full, official name of the new country founded?
This new country was formed by the union of a sovereign state with a semi-autonomous region, what were this state and region?
Answers
United Republic of Tanzania
Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is an East African nation with a 2024 population of 67.5 million. Formed in 1964 from the Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, it features Mount Kilimanjaro, three Great Lakes, and is a popular safari destination. Swahili is the national language, with Dodoma as its capital.
Three
In 1933, Hermann Göring established the Geheime Staatspolizei. What was it commonly known as?
Answer: Gestapo.
The Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police, was established in 1933 by Hermann Göring and later controlled by Heinrich Himmler. It targeted political opponents, dissenters, and minorities, committing numerous atrocities. Despite its small size, it was effective due to citizen reporting and played a crucial role in the Holocaust. Post-WWII, it was declared a criminal organisation.
Four
American artist and ornithologist James Audubon was born in 1785. In what present day country was he born?
Answer: Haiti.
Born in Les Cayes, Saint-Domingue, West Indies, now Haiti, John James Audubon, a French-American artist and ornithologist, is known for his paintings and illustrations of North American bird species. However, he has been accused of fraud and misconduct, such as plagiarising data and trafficking Native American remains.
Five
On 26 April 1986, a nuclear disaster occurred in which Soviet Socialist Republic?
Answer: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
On 26 April 1986, reactor no. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Pripyat, exploded, causing one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. The explosion, due to a design flaw during a test, led to a power surge, steam explosions, and a reactor core fire, spreading radioactive contamination across Europe. Immediate evacuations affected 117,000 people. The disaster resulted in radiation-related fatalities and thousands of cancer cases, with varying death toll predictions. The city of Pripyat was abandoned and replaced by the purpose-built Slavutych. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus, completed in December 1986, limited radioactive contamination and protected undamaged reactors’ crews. Between 2016 and 2018, the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement was built around the old sarcophagus to facilitate reactor debris removal. The clean-up is expected to be completed by 2065. It has been described as the most expensive disaster in history costing an estimated US$700 billion.
I’d Hate to Die on That Dung Heap
The post title is a quote from the Seven Samurai said by Kikuchiyo, as he and the six Samurai arrive at the village.
The first question relates to today’s date, April 11th, and the answer begins with the letter ‘S’. The remaining questions are not date-related but follow the ‘S’ theme.
One
Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away at the age of 84 on this day in 2007, published a novel in 1969. It follows the life and psychological traumas of Billy Pilgrim. What ‘S’ is the title of this novel?
Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five.
Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1969 anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut. It follows Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who experiences time travel and psychological trauma after surviving the Allied firebombing of Dresden whilst he was being held as a prisoner of war, like Vonnegut himself.
Two
What ‘S’ is an acoustic sensing method first used by Leonardo da Vinci in the 15th century but more associated with the Cold War?
Answer: Sonar.
Sonar, a technique using sound propagation, is employed for navigation, distance measurement, communication, and object detection underwater. It can operate passively by listening for sounds or actively by emitting sound pulses and listening for echoes. Initially used by Leonardo da Vinci in 1490, who employed a tube inserted into the water to detect vessels by ear, sonar was further developed during WWI with a passive sonar system to counter submarines developed by 1918. Modern active sonar utilises acoustic transducers to detect objects.
Three
What ’S’ can this description apply to?
A republic with two heads of state
Official language: Italian
Currency: Euro
Answer: San Marino.
San Marino, a landlocked country in Southern Europe. It claims to be the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic, being founded in AD 301. It has a unique political structure with two heads of state, the Captains Regent, elected every six months. San Marino is a member of the Council of Europe, uses the euro, and has a strong economy based on finance, industry, services, retail and tourism.
Four
What ‘S’ was the traditional garment worn by Roman women and the equivalent of the toga worn by men?
Answer: Stola.
The stola was the traditional garment of Roman women, akin to the men’s toga, and was also referred to as vestis longa due to its length. A well-known depiction of the stola is on the Statue of Liberty in New York City, which represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty. Libertas, known to the ancient Greeks as Eleutheria, is portrayed wearing the stola, a crown, and sandals.
Five
What ‘S’ connects the Moby-Dick to coffee (at least to 88.889%)?
Answer: Starbuck(s).
Starbuck, the young chief mate, is a thoughtful Quaker who opposes Ahab’s quest for revenge against Moby Dick, believing it to be madness and blasphemous. Despite his objections and desire to return home, he feels bound to obey Ahab.
Moby-Dick didn’t have anything to do with Starbucks directly; it was only coincidental that the sound seemed to make sense.
