Quizology.Online

Tag: space

  • Fly Me to the Moon | Answers

    Jim Lovell, Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13.
    (March 25, 1928—August 7, 2025).
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    In 1968, what became the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon, orbit it and return?

    Answer: Apollo 8

    Apollo 8, launched on 21 December 1968, became the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. During its mission, the crew orbited the Moon ten times, conducting various tasks such as photography and navigation, while also transmitting telecasts worldwide. The spacecraft safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on 27 December, 147 hours after launch.
    This question was prompted by the death of Jim Lovell, aged 97, on 7 August 2025. He flew to the Moon and back twice but never landed.

    Two

    The 1999 Open Championship was decided in a play-off between Jean Van de Velde and which two other players?

    Answer: Justin Leonard and Paul Lawrie

    Jean Van de Velde, ranked 152nd, nearly won the 1999 Open Championship but famously collapsed on the 18th hole. His triple-bogey seven led to a playoff, which he lost to Paul Lawrie.

    Three

    The two great European narcotics, alcohol and…

    — Friedrich Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols

    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    What word is missing from the end of the above quote?

    Answer: Christianity

    Nietzsche’s quote suggests that he viewed both Christianity and alcohol as ‘narcotics’, substances or influences that dull the senses and provide an escape from reality.

    Four

    Which Canadian province is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, born in 1848?

    Answer: Alberta

    Alberta was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the wife of John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1878 to 1883. The name was originally given to the District of Alberta in 1882. The Princess also gave her name to Mount Alberta and Lake Louise.

    Five 

    What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

    — Wilfred Owen

    The above quote is the opening line of which poem?

    Answer: Anthem for Doomed Youth

    Wilfred Owen’s poem Anthem for Doomed Youth, written in 1917, vividly captures the horrors of war. Enlisting in the British army in 1915, Owen was sent to France with the Lancashire Fusiliers to fight in the trenches during World War I. In 1917, during his first six months of battle, his troop was gassed and forced to sleep in an open field of snow. One incident involved Owen spending several days huddled in a foxhole near the body of a fallen soldier. These experiences profoundly impacted Owen as a poet, leading to rapid maturity. The poems written after January 1917 are characterised by anger at war’s brutality, and pity for those who ‘die as cattle’.

    Anthem for Doomed Youth

    BY WILFRED OWEN

    What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

          — Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

          Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle

    Can patter out their hasty orisons.

    No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells; 

          Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,—

    The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

          And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

    What candles may be held to speed them all?

          Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

    Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

          The pallor of girls’ brows shall be their pall;

    Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

    And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

    — Wilfred Owen

    — Poetry Foundation

  • Fly Me to the Moon

    Earthrise.
    Image NASA

    One

    In 1968, what became the first crewed spacecraft to reach the Moon, orbit it and return?

    Two

    The 1999 Open Championship was decided in a play-off between Jean Van de Velde and which two other players?

    Three

    The two great European narcotics, alcohol and…

    — Friedrich Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols

    What word is missing from the end of the above quote?

    Four

    Which Canadian province is named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, born 1848?

    Five 

    What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

    — Wilfred Owen

    The above quote is the opening line of which poem?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Heads or Tails | Answers

    Velociraptor.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    Is it true or false that velociraptors were only about the size of turkeys?

    Answer: True

    Velociraptor, commonly known as “raptor,” is one of the dinosaur genera most familiar to the general public. This is largely due to its prominent role in the Jurassic Park films. However, in reality, Velociraptor was roughly the size of a turkey, considerably smaller than the approximately 2 metres (6.6 feet) tall and 90 kilograms (200 pounds) reptiles depicted in the novels and films. These depictions were based on members of the related genus Deinonychus. 

    – Wikipedia

    Two

    Is it true or false that P.T. Barnum started his career as a showman by publicly displaying an elderly African slave he claimed was George Washington’s 161-year-old former nursemaid?  

    Answer: True

    In 1834 he moved to New York City, where he found his vocation as a showman one year later when he successfully presented Joice Heth, a wizened Black woman whom he advertised as the 161-year-old nurse to Gen. George Washington. On her death, however, the story was exposed as a hoax.

    – Encyclopædia Britannica  

    Three

    Is it true or false that if broccoli is left unharvested, each green bud usually produces a flower with four yellow petals?   

    Answer: True

    Broccoli, a nutritious vegetable from the mustard family, is high in fibre and vitamins. It can be eaten fresh or cooked and should be dark green with firm stalks. If left unharvested, those buds produce yellow flowers with four petals and dry capsule fruits called siliques. 

    Four

    Is it true or false that elephants can communicate with each other using ambisonic calls?  

    Answer: False

    Elephants can communicate with each other using infrasonic calls that are below the range of human hearing. They also stomp messages on the ground that can be felt and understood by other elephants miles away.

    Five 

    Is it true or false that on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east? 

    Answer: True

    Venus is unusual because it spins the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets…

    …And because Venus rotates backwards, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

    – NASA

  • Heads or Tails

    A simple choice of either true or false today.

    Velociraptor skeleton. Image Wikipedia

    One

    Is it true or false that velociraptors were about the size of turkeys?

    Two

    Is it true or false that P.T. Barnum started his career as a showman by publicly displaying an elderly African slave he claimed was George Washington’s 161-year-old former nursemaid?  

    Three

    Is it true or false that if broccoli is left unharvested, each green bud usually produces a flower with four yellow petals?  

    Four

    Is it true or false that elephants can communicate with each other using ambisonic calls? 

    Five 

    Is it true or false that on Venus, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east? 

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • It Goes to Show | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    One

    Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and Clara Bow in Wings (1927).
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    The above picture is a still from the 1927 film Wings, the first to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It features Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and an actress known as the ‘It’ girl. Can you identify who this actress, born 29 July 1905, is?

    Answer: Clara Bow

    Clara Bow, known as ‘The It Girl’, was a prominent American actress during the silent film era and talkies. She retired from acting in 1933 after marrying and having two children.

    Two

    Culzean Castle.
    Image Daily Record

    Beginning the 25 July 2025, United States President Donald Trump stayed at his Turnberry Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Interestingly, another US President was gifted an apartment in Culzean Castle, just a short drive from Turnberry. Who was this other president?

    Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

    In 1945, the Marquess of Ailsa gifted Culzean Castle to the National Trust for Scotland, offering the top floor to General Eisenhower as a token of appreciation for his role in World War II. Eisenhower visited the castle four times, including once as President, and affectionately called it his ‘Scottish White House’.

    Dwight D. Eisenhower played Turnberry in 1959 while still president of the USA. Image BBC

    Three

    Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, beginning STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle program.
    Image NASA.

    On this day in 1958, NASA was established in the United States. What four words are represented by the letters in the NASA abbreviation?

    Answer: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

    In response to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, President Eisenhower signed legislation in 1958 to establish NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), separating the US military and civil spaceflight programmes. NASA, succeeding NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), has led most of America’s space exploration programmes, including the Apollo missions and the Space Shuttle.

    Four

    The track of the Armada around Britain.
    Robert Adams, Augustine Rythe, 1590.
    Image National Maritime Museum, London/Wikipedia

    On July 29, 1588, the Spanish Armada was sighted off the southern coast of England. Which Spanish monarch dispatched the fleet, and the overthrow of what English monarch was the objective of the Spanish invasion?

    Answer: King Philip II (of Spain) and Queen Elizabeth I (of England)

    The Spanish Armada, sent by King Philip II in 1588 to invade England and reinstate Catholicism, was commanded by Alonso de Guzmán and sailed from Lisbon. Despite reaching Calais, the Armada was defeated by the English fleet, which relied on artillery and faster ships. The Armada suffered losses from fire ships and the Battle of Gravelines, forcing it to retreat around Scotland and Ireland. The long and treacherous voyage back to Spain resulted in the loss of most of the Armada, with only 60 ships returning.

    Five

    Gandalf proves that Frodo’s Ring is the One Ring by throwing it into Frodo’s fireplace, revealing the hidden text of the Rhyme of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring.
    Image Wikipedia

    On 29 July, the first part of J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings was published. In which decade did this occur?

    ANSWER: 1950s (1954)

    The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, set in Middle-earth. The story follows the quest to destroy the One Ring and defeat the Dark Lord Sauron, uniting a diverse group of characters including hobbits, a wizard, men, an elf, and a dwarf. The work, initially published in three volumes between 29 July 1954 and 20 October 1955, has become a literary classic, influencing the fantasy genre and inspiring numerous adaptations.

  • It Goes to Show

    Today’s questions have a link to the 29 July.

    One

    Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and ? in Wings (1927).
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    The above picture is a still from the 1927 film Wings, the first to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It features Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and an actress known as the ‘It’ girl. Can you identify who this actress, born 29 July 1905, is?

    Two

    Beginning the 25 July 2025, United States President Donald Trump stayed at his Turnberry Resort in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Interestingly, another US President was gifted an apartment in Culzean Castle, just a short drive from Turnberry. Who was this other president?

    Three

    On this day in 1958, NASA was established in the United States. What four words are represented by the letters in the NASA abbreviation?

    Four

    On July 29, 1588, the Spanish Armada was sighted off the southern coast of England. Which Spanish monarch dispatched the fleet, and the overthrow of what English monarch was the objective of the Spanish invasion?

    Five

    On 29 July, the first part of J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings was published. In which decade did this occur?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • I Hope Someday You’ll Join Us | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    Born in London Bob Hope’s family emigrated to the United States two months before his fifth birthday. Hope was an American comedian, actor and entertainer with a nearly 80-year career spanning vaudeville, radio, television and USO Tours. He starred in over 50 films, including the Road to … series with Bing Crosby, and hosted the Academy Awards a record 19 times. Hope retired in 1999 and died in 2003 at the age of 100.

    One

    Entertainers Bob Hope and Ann Jillian perform for military personnel at the USO Christmas Tour during Operation Desert Shield.
    Image Wikipedia

    In the 1995 Bob Hope Classic pro-am golf tournament, three United States presidents participated in a team with Bob Hope and professional golfer Scott Hoch. Who were the three presidents who were involved in this event?

    Answer: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford

    This event marked the first time a sitting president – Clinton – had played during a PGA Tour event and perhaps the first time three presidents had ever played together.
    The Bob Hope Classic, with its long history and association with golf in the Coachella Valley, has featured celebrities like Frank Sinatra and US presidents Eisenhower, Ford, Bush and Clinton. The tournament’s legacy, including Hope’s name, ensures continued charitable donations.

    Two

    Mars taken by Hope. Image Wikipedia

    Which nation launched the Hope probe, an unmanned space exploration probe, on a mission to Mars in 2020?

    Answer: United Arab Emirates

    The Emirates Mars Mission, led by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, successfully sent the Hope probe to Mars in 2021. The mission, involving 200 Emirati scientists and engineers, studies Mars’ weather cycles and atmospheric loss, contributing to the UAE’s knowledge-based economy. The UAE became the first Arab country and fifth country to reach Mars.

    Three

    Len Deighton.
    Image spyscape.com

    Hope (1995), a novel in the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy, is written by whom?

    Answer: Len Deighton

    Bernard Samson, a middle-aged SIS officer, is the central character in Len Deighton’s three trilogies. The plot revolves around his wife Fiona’s defection to East Germany, leaving Bernard to question her loyalty and his own. The first trilogy comprises the books Berlin Game, Mexico Set and London Match. The second trilogy comprises Spy Hook, Spy Line and Spy Sinker. The third and final trilogy comprises Faith, Hope and Charity.

    Four

    1960 Hopestar SM.
    Image Wikipedia

    In which country was the company that began manufacturing the pictured vehicle in 1952 based?

    Answer: Japan

    In 1952 the Hope Jidosha Company in Tokyo (Japan) built a 3-wheeler that had a 7cwt carrying capacity. The vehicle was powered by a 350cc twin-piston 2 stroke engine that provided power to the rear wheels. The Hope Star came with a number of body variations and the company also produced 4-wheeler trucks up until 1962.

    Five

    John Lennon, 1974.
    Image Wikipedia

    You may say I’m a dreamer
    But I’m not the only one
    I hope someday you’ll join us
    And the world will live as one

    The word ‘hope’ appears in this final verse of a 1971 song. Can you identify the song and the singer-songwriter?

    Answer: Imagine – John Lennon

    Imagine, a song by John Lennon, encourages listeners to imagine a world of peace without materialism, borders or religion. The song, co-produced by Lennon, Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, has been widely praised and covered by over 200 artists. It remains controversial due to its lyrics, particularly the lyric ‘no religion too’.

    Imagine

    (from Imagine: John Lennon soundtrack)

    Imagine there’s no heaven
    It’s easy if you try
    No hell below us
    Above us only sky
    Imagine all the people
    Living for today… Aha-ah…

    Imagine there’s no countries
    It isn’t hard to do
    Nothing to kill or die for
    And no religion, too
    Imagine all the people
    Living life in peace… You…

    You may say I’m a dreamer
    But I’m not the only one
    I hope someday you’ll join us
    And the world will be as one

    Imagine no possessions
    I wonder if you can
    No need for greed or hunger
    A brotherhood of man
    Imagine all the people
    Sharing all the world… You…

    You may say I’m a dreamer
    But I’m not the only one
    I hope someday you’ll join us
    And the world will live as one

    – AZ Lyrics

  • I Hope Someday You’ll Join Us

    British-born comic, actor, and entertainer Bob Hope passed away on July 27, 2003, at the age of 100. All today’s questions relate to the word or name ‘Hope’

    Bob Hope putting in Oval Office watched by US President Richard Nixon.
    Image Die Welt

    One

    In the 1995 Bob Hope Classic pro-am golf tournament, three United States presidents participated in a team with Bob Hope and professional golfer Scott Hoch. Who were the three presidents who were involved in this event?

    Two

    Which nation launched the Hope probe, an unmanned space exploration probe, on a mission to Mars in 2020?

    Three

    Hope (1995), a novel in the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy, is written by whom?

    Four

    1960 Hopestar SM.
    Image Wikipedia

    In which country was the company that began manufacturing the pictured vehicle in 1952 based?

    Five

    You may say I’m a dreamer
    But I’m not the only one
    I hope someday you’ll join us
    And the world will live as one

    The word ‘hope’ appears in this final verse of a 1971 song. Can you identify the song and the singer-songwriter?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Today’s Firsts | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    One

    Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya.
    Encyclopædia Britannica

    On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya (pictured) made history as the first woman to walk in space. Is this statement true or false?

    Answer: True

    Svetlana Savitskaya, a Russian former aviator and Soviet cosmonaut, made history as the second woman in space in 1982 when she flew aboard Soyuz T-7. She further broke barriers in 1984, becoming the first woman to fly twice and perform a spacewalk on Soyuz T-12.

    Two

    General Grant, 1861.
    Image Wikipedia

    Is it true or false that today, in 1866, in the United States, Brigadier General Bel Riose was the first person to be promoted to General of the Army?

    Answer: False

    On this day, future president Ulysses S. Grant became the first person to be promoted to this rank after the United States Congress passed the necessary legislation authorising it.
    General Bel Riose, a fictional character in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, is the last great general of the declining Galactic Empire. In the 1945 novella Dead Hand, Riose targets the Foundation, but is outmanoeuvred by its agents.

    Three

    Cooke and Wheatstone’s five-needle telegraph from 1837.
    Image Wikipedia

    Today in 1837, Abraham Samson and Stewart Cuthbertson successfully demonstrated the first commercial use of an electrical telegraph; this demonstration took place in New York, US. Is this statement true or false?

    Answer: False

    The William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone telegraph, invented in the 1830s, was the first commercial telegraph system. It employed electromagnetic coils to move needles that indicated letters on a board, catering to users who preferred a visual representation over codes. On 25 July 1837, Cooke and Wheatstone demonstrated their telegraph system, with Cooke stationed at Camden Town and Wheatstone at Euston, both London, UK. Wheatstone transmitted the inaugural message, to which Cooke responded.

    Four

    Robert Edwards and Louise Brown celebrating 25 years of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica

    Is it true that Louise Joy Brown, the first human born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), was born in Greater Manchester, UK, on this day in 1978?

    Answer: True

    Louise Joy Brown, born in 1978, was the first human conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) after her parents struggled with infertility. Her sister, Natalie, also conceived through IVF, was the first IVF baby to give birth naturally. In 2010, Robert Edwards, surviving member of the development team, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

    Five

    On this date in 1909, Louis Blériot embarked on a historic flight from Le Touquet, France. This marked the inaugural crossing of the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, with the landing occurring near Hastings, England. Is this true or false?

    Answer: False

    It was correct in a lot of detail, the date, pilot and the English Channel but he did not fly from Le Touquet to Hastings. On 25 July 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to fly across the English Channel by aeroplane, winning a £1,000 prize from Lord Northcliffe. Despite poor navigation and challenging weather conditions, Blériot successfully completed the 24-mile journey from Les Baraques, near Calais, France, to near Dover Castle, above the cliffs of Dover, England, in just over 30 minutes.

  • Today’s Firsts

    Today’s questions are all about firsts which happened on July 25th. You have simply to decide if each statement is either true or false.

    One

    Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya.
    Image Encyclopædia Britannica, 24 July 2025.

    On July 25, 1984, Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya (pictured) made history as the first woman to walk in space. Is this statement true or false?

    Two

    Is it true or false that today, in 1866, in the United States, Brigadier General Bel Riose was promoted to General of the Army?

    Three

    Today in 1837, Walter Samson and Stewart Cuthbertson successfully demonstrated the first commercial use of an electrical telegraph; this demonstration took place in New York, US. Is this statement true or false?

    Four

    Is it true that Louise Joy Brown, the first human born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), was born in Greater Manchester, UK, on this day in 1978?

    Five

    On this date in 1909, Louis Blériot embarked on a historic flight from Le Touquet, France. This marked the inaugural crossing of the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, with the landing occurring near Hastings, England. Is this true or false?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.