Tag: Second World War

Birthdays | Answers

Supreme Leader Snoke.
Image Wikipedia
Andy Serkis.
Image Wikipedia
Gollum.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Born 20 April 1964, this actor, who is best known for motion-capture acting, plays and provides the voice for the computer-generated Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars franchise. Who is he?
    • Andy Serkis—is an English actor and filmmaker renowned for his pioneering work in motion capture, portraying iconic characters such as Gollum, King Kong and Caesar. His performances have earned him critical acclaim, including an Empire Award, two Saturn Awards, nominations for a BAFTA and Golden Globe. In addition to acting, Serkis has directed films like Breathe and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. His portrayal of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy not only showcased his talent but also significantly influenced the use of motion capture in future films, impacting productions like King Kong and Planet of the Apes.
      Napoleon III, portrait by Xaver Winterhalter.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Georges-Eugène Haussmann, known as Baron Haussmann, was commissioned in 1853 “to give it air and open space, to connect and unify the different parts of the city into one whole and to make it more beautiful”. Who, born this day in 1808, commissioned Haussmann?
    • Napoleon III—Napoleon III, born Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, was the first president, second emperor and last monarch of France. He seized power in 1851, proclaimed himself Emperor and modernised France through economic reforms, infrastructure development and colonial expansion. His reign ended with his capture by Prussia in 1870.
      Luther Vandross.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Today in 1951, Luther Vandross was born. He was a singer/songwriter who went on to win eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for…
    • Dance With My Father—Luther Vandross, known as the “Velvet Voice”, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He achieved eleven consecutive platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Vandross won eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for Dance With My Father. He died of a heart attack in 2005, aged 54.
      The Hitler birthplace memorial stone, in front of the building where Adolf Hitler was born. The writing on the stone translates as; ” For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism. Millions of Dead remind us.”
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, was born on this day in 1889; where was he born?
    • Braunau am Inn—Adolf Hitler, born in Austria-Hungary, led the Nazi Party in Germany and became Chancellor in 1933. His aggressive expansionist policies, including the invasion of Poland and the Soviet Union, led to World War II. Hitler’s regime was responsible for the Holocaust and millions of other deaths, making it the deadliest conflict in history. Hitler championed territorial expansion and racial supremacy.
  5. Who, born on 20 April 1997, is a professional tennis player, the current world No. 3, and the defeated finalist in the 2025 Australian Open?
    • Alexander Zverev—Alexander Zverev is a German professional tennis player, currently ranked world number 3. He has won 23 ATP Tour titles, including a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and titles at the 2018 and 2021 ATP Finals.
Alexander Zverev.
Image Wikipedia

Birthdays

See #2. Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Image Wikipedia

All of these are about people with a birthday on 20 April, although not Monsieur Haussmann.

  1. Born 20 April 1964, this actor, who is best known for motion-capture acting, plays and provides the voice for the computer-generated Supreme Leader Snoke in the Star Wars franchise. Who is he?
    • Ahmed Best
    • Andy Serkis
    • Joseph Gatt
  2. Georges-Eugène Haussmann, known as Baron Haussmann, was commissioned in 1853 “to give it air and open space, to connect and unify the different parts of the city into one whole and to make it more beautiful”. Who, born this day in 1808, commissioned Haussmann?
    • Napoleon I
    • Napoleon II
    • Napoleon III
  3. Today in 1951, Luther Vandross was born. He was a singer/songwriter who went on to win eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for…
    • Dance with My Father
    • Endless Love
    • The Best Things in Life Are Free
  4. Adolf Hitler (Pictured below), the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, was born on this day in 1889; where was he born?
    • Berchtesgaden
    • Berlin
    • Braunau am Inn
  5. Who, born on 20 April 1997, is a professional tennis player, the current world No. 3, and the defeated finalist in the 2025 Australian Open?
    • Alexander Zverev
    • Jannik Sinner
    • Taylor Fritz
See #4 above. Adolf Hitler. Image Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Sheelah’s Day—Answers

Here, in bold, are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

Sophie Myles, 2007.
Wikipedia
  1. Sophia Myles—Wikipedia describes her as “an English actress… best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds(2004), Isolde in Tristan & Isolde (2006), Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), Erika in Underworld(2003) and Underworld: Evolution (2006), and Freya in Outlander (2008)”.
  2. Caldwell, New Jersey—Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th US President, was the first Democrat elected after the Civil War and the first to serve two non-consecutive terms. Known for his honesty and principled approach, he blocked legislative excesses during his first term and championed political reform, fiscal conservatism, and classical liberalism, gaining support from both Democrats and Republicans. His presidency saw significant legislation such as the Interstate Commerce Act and the Dawes Act. However, his stance on government intervention during the economic collapse and the legacy of the Dawes Act have resulted in mixed assessments of his legacy.
    Wilfred Owen
    Wikipedia
  3. Wilfred Owen, an English poet and soldier, expressed anger at war’s cruelty and waste through his poetry. Based on his World War I experiences, his war poetry was about the horrors of trenches and gas warfare. At only 25 years of age, he was killed in action at the Battle of the Sambre on 4 November 1918, exactly a week before the war’s end. His best-known works— most of which were published posthumously— are Anthem for Doomed Youth, Dulce et Decorum est, Futility, and Spring Offensive. 

    Final draft of Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen, penned by the author.
    Wikipedia
    Honoree Queen Latifah speaks at the Kennedy Center Honors dinner at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Saturday, December 2, 2023. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)
    Wikipedia
  4. Queen Latifah—American musician and actress. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album, All Hail the Queen, which blended diverse styles and feminist themes. The name Latifah is Arabic for “delicate” or “sensitive”.
  5. Neville Chamberlain—Prime Minister of the UK from 1937 to 1940—is known for his policy of appeasement towards Hitler’s Germany. He served in various government positions, including Chancellor of the Exchequer, before becoming Prime Minister. Despite signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler in 1938, the latter’s invasion of Poland less than a year later compelled Chamberlain to declare war on Germany.
Chamberlain holding up the paper signed by both Hitler and himself on his return to Great Britain from Munich, Germany.
Wikipedia

Sheelah’s Day

Sheelah’s Day is celebrated on 18 March, the day after Saint Patrick’s Day, and is observed in the Irish diaspora in Australia and Canada. Although there are no Sheelahs included in my post today, all of the questions are about people born on 18 March.

Sheelah’s Day

Shamrock
Wikipedia

Sheelah’s Day is celebrated on 18 March the day after Saint Patrick’s Day and is observed in the Irish diaspora in Australia and Canada. No Sheelah’s included here today but all of the following are about people born on 18 March.

  1. Born 1980. Actress who links the following roles: Penelope (in 2004), Isolde (2006), Erika (2003 and 2006), Darcy (2014) and Freya (2008). Who is she?
    • Rose Keegan
    • Sophia Myles
    • Lucy Russell
    Grover Cleveland
    Wikipedia
  2. Born 1837, Grover Cleveland, served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Where was he born?
    • Amherst, New Hampshire
    • Brighton, New York
    • Caldwell, New Jersey
  3. Anthem for Doomed Youth was written by a war poet born this day in 1893. Who was he?
    • Rupert Brook
    • Wilfred Owen
    • Siegfried Sassoon
  4. Who is Dana Elaine Owens, born 18 March 1970, a musician and actress, better known as?
    • Lauryn Hill
    • Missy Elliott
    • Queen Latifah
  5. Born today in 1869, this British prime minister returned from Germany with a “piece of paper” promising to “have brought you back peace — but a peace I hope with honour.” Who was he?
    • Stanley Baldwin
    • Neville Chamberlain
    • Winston Churchill

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd—Atebion*

(“Do ye the little things in life”—Answers*)

Saint David
[Image Wikipedia]
  1. Saint David—Today, March 1st, marks Saint David’s Day. David, a prominent Welsh Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Mynyw in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Wales. His exact birthdate remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 462 to 512. Traditionally, he is believed to be the son of Non and grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda. St. David’s profound wisdom is encapsulated in the phrase “Do ye the little things in life.” This timeless advice emphasises the significance of small tasks and details in our daily routines. By cultivating humility, mindfulness, and a present-moment focus, we can unlock the potential for personal growth and spiritual fulfilment. By diligently attending to these minor details, we can pave the way for greater achievements and a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us.
  2. Massachusetts—In 1692, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts. This marked the beginning of the infamous Salem witch trials. Tituba was an enslaved Native American but little is known of her. The Smithsonian Magazine says —

    Tituba may have sailed from Barbados in 1680 with Parris [Samuel Parris, the minister in whose household the witchcraft erupted], then still a bachelor and not yet a minister. Though likely a South American Indian, her origins are unclear.

    The Smithsonian Magazine
    David Niven with Oscar (1959)
    [Image Wikipedia]
  3. David Niven—David Niven, an English actor, soldier, and author, initially served in the British Army but returned during World War II. He gained fame in Hollywood, winning an Academy Award and two Golden Globes for films like ‘Separate Tables’ and ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. After studying at Sandhurst, he left the army in 1933 to pursue acting. Niven returned to military service in WWII and earned the Legion of Merit for his contributions to the BBC Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme. Post-war, he continued acting, notably playing James Bond in ‘Casino Royale’ (1967), and enjoyed renewed popularity with his memoir ‘The Moon’s a Balloon’. He also wrote a second novel, ‘Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly’, and appeared in films like ‘Death on the Nile’. Niven passed away in 1983 from ALS, remembered as a charismatic Hollywood figure.
    1966 Soviet Union 6 kopeks stamp. Venera 3 Pendant and Medal.
    [Image Wikipedia]
  4. Venera 3 and Venus—Venera 3, the first spacecraft to land on another planet, crashed on Venus on 1 March 1966 after a course correction manoeuvre. A Soviet space probe, Venera 3 was launched in 1965 to explore Venus’ surface. It comprised an entry probe and a carrier/flyby spacecraft. Contact was lost on 15 February due to overheating.
  5. 1872—Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park stands as the first national park dedicated to preserving and showcasing the world’s unique hydrothermal and geologic features. Spanning an expansive 2.2 million acres, visitors are afforded unparalleled opportunities to witness wildlife in their natural habitat and explore geothermal wonders. Yellowstone boasts approximately half of the world’s active geysers, as well as awe-inspiring geologic formations like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.
Horace M. Albright, Superintendent of Yellowstone, with some bears at a table in Yellowstone National Park, 1922.
[Image Wikipedia]

*Atebion and Answers. I hope my translation is correct but if not please accept my apologies.

Gwnewch y pethau bychain mewn bywyd

(“Do ye the little things in life”)

Here are some trivia questions which have some connection to 1 March.

  1. The saying in Welsh at the top of this post is attributed to which Holy man who is connected to March?
    • Saint David
    • Saint Joseph
    • Saint Patrick
    Salem Witch Trials
    [Image Wikipedia]
  2. Three women were brought before local magistrates on 1 march 1692 beginning what would become the Salem Witch Trials. In what colony was Salem?
    • Connecticut
    • Massachusetts
    • Rhode Island
  3. An English actor, soldier and author born this day in 1910 who links Phileas Fogg, The Pink Panther and James Bond. As an officer in the British Army he took part in the World War II Normandy invasion. He also wrote the memoir The Moon’s a Balloon. Who is he?
    • Alec Guinness
    • David Niven
    • Richard Burton
    Solar System
    [Image Wikipedia]
  4. What became the first space craft to land on another planet on this day in 1966 and what planet did it land on?
    • Mars 1 and Mars
    • Mariner 2 and Mercury
    • Venera 3 and Venus
  5. The world’s first national park is established at Yellowstone in the US. This establishment took place on 1 March…
    • 1859
    • 1872
    • 1885

Good luck, the answers will be posted later today.