My blog will be somewhat different over the next few days. I will pose five questions each day for six days across various subjects, and each answer will begin with a distinct letter of the alphabet. As you likely deduced, five questions per day across six days yields thirty answers, each starting with a unique letter, leaving four unaccounted for. Consequently, four duplicates exist; in their order of appearance, they spell the name of a villainous figure from the eighth volume of a comic originally serialised in the first half of the 20th century. Although this character is not widely known, the aim is to correctly identify the second, duplicate iteration of these initial letters to reveal the name. The answers will not be given on the same day as the questions but at the end.
One
Moloko Plus, a barbiturate-spiked milk drink, features in which Anthony Burgess novel?
Two
What is the only planet in our solar system named after a Greek god rather than a Roman one?
Three
Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria in the deftly named 5–10 June 1967 war?
Four
What English archaeologist, army officer, diplomat and writer had the forenames Thomas Edward?
Five
Which letter represents tungsten within the periodic table of elements?
Good Luck! The answers will be posted after day six questions. More questions tomorrow.
The first question is connected to today, 16 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but continue a Superlative’s theme which moves on from first, to furthest, heaviest, furthest (again) and finally shortest.
One
In 1858, Queen Victoria sent the U.S. President the first message via the Transatlantic telegraph. How long did the transmission of the message take:
7 minutes
9 hours
16 hours
Answer: 3. 16 hours
On this day in 1858, the first successful transatlantic telegraph exchange between heads of state took place. Queen Victoria sent the initial message to U.S. President James Buchanan. Although nearly instantaneous by 19th-century standards, the transmission required more than 16 hours. Unfortunately, the cable failed on 1 September, and a functioning line was not restored until 1866.
Two
The summit of what stratovolcano is the furthest point from the centre of the Earth?
Chimborazo, Ecuador
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Kogajajima, Japan
Answer: 1. Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador.
Chimborazo, an inactive volcano which sits between Guayaquil and Quito, wins due to Earth’s oblate spheroid shape, placing Whymper — the tallest of its four summits — 7,096 feet (2,163 m) farther from the centre of the Earth than Everest.
Three
Which species is the heaviest living monkey?
Mandrill
Nepal Grey Langur
Olive Baboon
Answer: 1. Mandrill
Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), is a colourful, sexually dimorphic Old World monkey from west central Africa, closely related to the drill and white-eyelid mangabeys. Active by day on the ground, it eats fruit, seeds and animals in large female-centred hordes; dominant males are solitary outside breeding.
Four
On 15 August 2026, how far was Voyager 1 from Earth?
8.7 billion miles (14.0 billion km)
11.3 billion miles (18.2 billion km)
15.9 billion miles (25.6 billion km)
Answer: 3. 15.9 billion miles.
Voyager 1 was launched on the 5 September 1977 16 days after Voyager 2.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, at 2:16:07 a.m. PST, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft will be 16,094,799,096 miles (25,902,068,356 kilometers) away from Earth — or, the distance light travels in 24 hours, also known as one light-day. Voyager 1 will be the first human-made object to reach this distance from Earth, adding to a long list of historic firsts for the mission. Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, are the only spacecraft to ever operate outside the heliosphere, or the protective bubble of particles and magnetic fields generated by the Sun. — NASA
Five
What is the fastest time taken to complete the world’s shortest domestic scheduled flight?
53 seconds
97 seconds
131 seconds
Answer: 1. 53 seconds.
The shortest domestic scheduled flight is 2.74 km (1.7 miles) between the Orkney islands of Westray and Papa Westray. The flight takes two minutes (including taxiing) and is operated by Loganair which has been flown with Britten-Norman Islander eight-seat aircraft since September 1967. The total distance is less than either of the runways at Heathrow Airport, London, UK. Stuart Linklater announced his retirement as airplane pilot on the record route and between Stronsay, Sanday, North Ronaldsay and Eday in May 2013. He flew the routes 12,000 time over more than 24 years, clocking up 1.3 million miles. Loganair reported that he had set the fastest time for the Westray and Papa Westray route, with 53 seconds. — Guinness World Records
The first question is connected to today, 16 August. The subsequent questions are not date-related but continue a Superlative’s theme which moves on from first, to furthest, heaviest, furthest (again) and finally shortest.
One
In 1858, Queen Victoria sent the U.S. President the first message via the Transatlantic telegraph. How long did the transmission of the message take:
7 minutes
9 hours
16 hours
Two
The summit of what stratovolcano is the furthest point from the centre of the Earth?
Chimborazo, Ecuador
Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Kogajajima, Japan
Three
Which species is the heaviest living monkey?
Mandrill
Nepal Grey Langur
Olive Baboon
Four
On 15 August 2026, how far was Voyager 1 from Earth?
8.7 billion miles (14.0 billion km)
11.3 billion miles (18.2 billion km)
15.9 billion miles (25.6 billion km)
Five
What is the fastest time taken to complete the world’s shortest domestic scheduled flight?
As with yesterday’s questions these are not date-related but follow a theme mentioned in the title.
One
Who, in 1965, became the second cricket player to hit six sixes in an over, and whose record did he equal?
Answers: Ravi Shastri; Gary Sobers.
On 31 August 1968, Sobers became the first man to hit six sixes off a single six-ball over in first-class cricket, off the bowling of Malcolm Nash in Nottinghamshire’s first innings against Glamorgan at St Helen’s in Swansea. Nash, a seam bowler, decided to try his arm at spin bowling, and this achievement was caught on film. On 10 January 1985, Shastri equalled Sobers’ record by hitting six sixes in an over, off the bowling of Baroda’s Tilak Raj.
Two
Which planet in our solar system is an ice giant and the second farthest from the Sun?
Answer: Uranus.
Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, is one of the two ice giants in our solar system, the other being Neptune. Its interior is thought to consist largely of high-pressure water, ammonia and methane. Uranus has the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System, with minimum temperatures of about −224 °C (−371 °F), and an axial tilt of about 97.8°, causing retrograde rotation. It has a dark ring system, 29 known moons and unusually low internal heat. Discovered by William Herschel in 1781, it was visited by Voyager 2 in 1986, and a dedicated Uranus mission remains a major priority for future planetary exploration.
Three
The active volcano Popocatépetl is which country’s second-highest peak?
Answer: Mexico.
Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano on the borders of the Mexican states of Puebla, Morelos and the State of Mexico, reaching 5,393 m (17,694 ft) and linked to Iztaccíhuatl by the Paso de Cortés. It is Mexico’s second-highest mountain after Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba) at 5,636 m (18,491 ft). Its summit glaciers largely disappeared by 2001 owing to a combination of volcanic activity and climatic warming, and its eruptions primarily produce magnesium-rich andesite and dacite.
Four
No Need to Argue (1994) was what band’s second album?
Answer: The Cranberries.
No Need to Argue, released on 3 October 1994 via Island Records, is the Cranberries’ best-selling album with over 17 million copies sold by 2014. It includes “Zombie” and is darker than their debut.
Five
Jacqueline Roque was the muse and second wife, from 1961, of which artist?
Answer: Pablo Picasso.
Jacqueline Picasso, also known as Jacqueline Roque, Pablo Picasso’s muse and second wife. Their marriage spanned 12 years until his death, during which he produced more than 400 portraits of her—a greater number than for any other partner.
See question three. Brünnhilde pleads with her sisters to rescue Sieglinde: (Arthur Rackham, 1910). Image Wikimedia Commons
These questions are not date-related but do follow a theme mentioned in the title.
One
What is the title of the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel?
Answer: The Two Towers.
Published in 1954, The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Its title remains ambiguous, as five towers appear in the text. The narrative creates suspense through interwoven storylines. Critics have praised its epic and romantic qualities, and it became the basis for Peter Jackson’s 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Two
When it is visible, it is the most brilliant planet in the sky.
The above sentence is from an Encyclopædia Britannica article about a planet. What planet?
Answer: Venus.
Venus, second from the Sun and closest large body to Earth, appears near sunrise or sunset as the brightest planet. Although today named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, ancient records, which include Babylonian, Chinese, Central American, Egyptian, and Greek, show it was studied by multiple civilisations.
Three
The third drama conceived and written, yet the second opera in Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Which mythic creatures does this drama take its name from?
Answer: Valkyries.
Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), premiered in Munich in June 1870 and as part of the cycle in 1876. Based on Norse mythology, it follows Volsung twins Sieglinde and Siegmund, whose love angers the gods. Brünnhilde defies them, saving Sieglinde and her unborn child.
Four
The … Revolution created the second independent country in the Americas after the United States became independent in 1783.
An adjective has been omitted from the preceding quote; which nation does the term describe?
Answer: Haiti.
Haitian was removed from the quote. The Haitian Revolution established the second independent American nation after the U.S. in 1783. Haiti, formerly St. Domingue, was a profitable French colony reliant on slave labour. The French Revolution sparked a slave revolt in 1791, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture. U.S. leaders, many of whom were slaveowners, were ambivalent about the revolt. Initially, they aided its suppression but later supported L’Ouverture. Due to policy shifts and domestic issues, the U.S. didn’t recognise Haiti’s independence until 1862. Jefferson initially aided L’Ouverture but later isolated Haiti.
Five
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s second Sherlock Holmes novel involves the theft of the Agra treasure. What is the title of the novel?
Answer: The Sign of the Four (aka The Sign of Four).
The Sign of the Four is Arthur Conan Doyle’s second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. In it, he investigates Mary Morstan’s case involving her missing father. Dr Watson, Holmes’ companion, marries Mary Morstan. Published in February 1890 it followed the first novel, A Study in Scarlet.
See question three. Brünnhilde pleads with her sisters to rescue Sieglinde: (Arthur Rackham, 1910). Image Wikimedia Commons
These questions are not date-related but do follow a theme mentioned in the title.
One
What is the title of the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novel?
Two
When it is visible, it is the most brilliant planet in the sky.
The above sentence is from an Encyclopædia Britannica article about a planet. What planet?
Three
The third drama conceived and written, yet the second opera in Wagner’s tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen. Which mythic creatures does this drama take its name from?
Four
The … Revolution created the second independent country in the Americas after the United States became independent in 1783.
An adjective has been omitted from the preceding quote; which nation does the term describe?
Five
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s second Sherlock Holmes novel involves the theft of the Agra treasure. What is the title of the novel?
Statue of Yuri Gagarin, outside the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, UK. Image Wikimedia Commons
The opening question concerns today’s date, 12 August. The following questions do not relate to the date but continue a theme introduced in the first.
One
British surgeon and scientist Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery on this date. In what decade and in what city did this take place?
Answer: 1860s; Glasgow, Scotland.
On 12 August 1865, Joseph Lister, who was the Regius Chair of Surgery, at the University of Glasgow, used carbolic acid to treat James Greenlees’s compound fracture.
In 1867, Joseph Lister published a series of articles in The Lancet that were to be the first examples of antisepsis in action. Each of the cases occurred during his time working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. His first case was a young boy by the name of James Greenlees, who had an open fracture of his leg. Lister set the fracture and dressed the wound in carbolic acid to prevent infection. James made a full recovery. This was the birth of antisepsis. — The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Two
In 1960, which US submarine became the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the world?
Answer: USS Triton.
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), a unique nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, was the largest, most powerful, and expensive submarine at commissioning in 1959. She completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the Earth in 1960. Obsolete by 1962, she became an attack submarine, flagship, and was decommissioned in 1969.
Three
In sport, who won his first men’s grand slam doubles title with Peter Fleming at Wimbledon in 1979?
Answer: John McEnroe.
John McEnroe is an American tennis player, ranked world No. 1 in singles for 170 weeks and doubles for 269 weeks. He won 155 titles, including seven singles majors. Known for his skill and rivalries, McEnroe also contributed to five Davis Cup titles and remains active as a television commentator during the majors.
Four
Who was the first astronaut to orbit the Earth, and what was the name and number assigned to his spacecraft for the flight?
Answer: Yuri Gagarin; Vostok 1.
Launched on 12 April 1961 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Vostok 1 marked the first human orbital flight when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit Earth, completing one circuit in 108 minutes before parachuting to the ground apart from his capsule. As a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, Gagarin, the first person in space died in 1968 in a MiG-15 crash.
Five
Clint Eastwood won his first Best Director Oscar for which film?
Answer: Unforgiven.
Unforgiven (1992), directed by Clint Eastwood, stars him as an aging outlaw. Co-starring Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris, it grossed over $159 million. Praised for acting, directing, and cinematography, it won four Oscars, including Best Picture. Eastwood dedicated it to Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. In 2004, Unforgiven was chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. It was recognised for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance, highlighting its enduring impact and importance in American cinema.
An ichthyologist is a scientist who studies fish, while ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. The word ichthyology comes from the Greek ichthys, meaning ‘fish’, and –logia, meaning ‘study of’. An ichthyologist may study the anatomy, behaviour, evolution, classification, ecology, distribution, or conservation of all major groups of fish, including bony fish (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (such as sharks and rays), and jawless fish (such as lampreys and hagfish). Because fish make up more than half of all known vertebrate species, ichthyology is one of the largest and most diverse fields within zoology.
Three
Nosology is the scientific study of which of these?
Diseases
Nasal biology
Negativity
Answer: Diseases.
nosology /nɒˈsɒlədʒi / ▸ noun [mass noun] the branch of medical science dealing with the classification of diseases.
– ORIGIN early 18th century: from Greek nosos ‘disease’ + –logy. – DERIVATIVES nosological /ˌnɒsəˈlɒdʒɪkl / ▸ adjective nosologist /nɒˈsɒlədʒɪst / ▸ noun — Oxford English Dictionary
Four
What is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the ‘science or technique of dating events, environmental change, and archaeological artefacts by using the characteristic patterns of annual growth rings in timber and tree trunks’?
Answer: Dendrochronology.
Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, is the scientific method of dating tree rings to the exact year they formed. Because trees produce one growth ring per year, the technique can precisely determine the age of wood and the timing of environmental changes, particularly past climate conditions. It is widely used in archaeology, art history, architecture, and to calibrate radiocarbon dating. Continuous tree-ring records in some regions extend back nearly 14,000 years, while newer isotope-based methods can date samples unsuitable for traditional ring analysis.
Five
Selenology is the scientific study of what?
Answer: The moon.
Selenology is derived from the Greek words Selēnē, meaning “Moon”, and –logia, meaning ‘the study of’ or ‘discourse concerning’. Literally, selenology means ‘the study of the Moon’. Selene was the ancient Greek goddess of the Moon, and her name became the root for several lunar-related scientific terms, including selenography (mapping or describing the Moon’s surface) and selenophysics (the physical study of the Moon). The term selenology came into scientific use in the 19th century, when lunar observation and mapping were becoming increasingly systematic. Today it refers to the branch of planetary science that studies the Moon’s geology, surface features, internal structure, origin, and evolution.
