Quizology.Online

Tag: space

  • The Smoke That Thunders—Answers

    Here are the answers to the earlier posed questions.

    All of these questions are related to today, November 16th.

    José Saramago, 2001.
    Image Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images via Encyclopædia Britannica

    One

    José Saramago, the novelist pictured above, won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his extensive body of work including O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ). What nationality was he?

    Answer: Portuguese

    Born in 1922, Portuguese novelist José Saramago, a Nobel Prize winner, grew up in poverty. He worked various jobs including mechanic journalist and translator before achieving international fame with novels like Memorial do convento (English title Baltasar and Blimunda) and O evangelho segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ). His subversive perspectives on historic events and critique of institutions like the Catholic Church, often set against historical backdrops, earned him both acclaim and controversy. This led to his self-imposed exile in the Canary Islands after the Portuguese government censored his work.

    Two

    On this day, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act was signed authorising the construction of a pipeline across Alaska. Which US President signed it and what communities are at either end?

    Answer: Richard Nixon; Prudhoe Bay and Valdez

    The Trans-Alaska Pipeline, built to transport oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, was constructed in response to the 1968 oil discovery on Alaska’s North Slope. Environmental concerns led to design modifications, including elevated sections to prevent permafrost thawing and wildlife crossings. Construction, completed between 1975 and 1977, faced challenges due to extreme cold and permafrost. Despite initial mechanical issues, subsequent oil spills, and incidents of oil leakage, the pipeline remains operational and has shipped over 17 billion barrels of oil since 1977.

    Diana Krall, 2010.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    Who is this Canadian singer, born on 16 November 1964, as pictured in 2010?

    Answer: Diana Krall

    Diana Krall, a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, is renowned for her contralto vocals and has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. She holds the record for the most albums debuting at number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and has won numerous awards, including two Grammys and eight Junos.

    Four

    With NASA’s ___ campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.

    — NASA

    The above is taken from a NASA website and describes a program which is named after the twin sister of Apollo. What is this name which has been omitted from the above quote?

    Answer: Artemis

    Artemis, the Greek goddess of wild animals, the hunt, vegetation, chastity, and childbirth, was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. Apollo and Artemis were respectively personifications of the Sun and the Moon Her worship varied across regions, reflecting her diverse roles as a huntress, protector of young animals, and goddess of nature and fertility. While poets emphasised her chastity and love for the hunt, Greek sculpture often depicted her in a more gentle and graceful manner. She was also a protector of young children and a patron of healing, particularly among women and children. Widely venerated, her worship spread throughout ancient Greece, with her great temple at Ephesus being one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

    Five

    On this day in 1855, an explorer became the first European to witness Mosi-oa-Tunya, a now-renowned World Heritage Site. What name did he give it?

    Answer: Victoria Falls

    The Zambezi River does not gather speed as it nears the drop, the approach being signaled only by the mighty roar and characteristic veil of mist for which the Kalolo-Lozi people named the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya (“The Smoke That Thunders”).

    — Encyclopædia Britannica

    Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls, located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is a spectacular waterfall twice as wide and deep as Niagara Falls. The falls plunge over a sheer precipice into a chasm, creating a dramatic gorge and the Boiling Pot pool. In 1855, British explorer David Livingstone was the first European to see the falls which he named after Great Britain’s Queen Victoria. The surrounding national parks offer diverse wildlife and recreational facilities, and the area was designated a World Heritage site in 1989.

    The Smoke That Thunders.
    Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls.
    Image Wikipedia

  • The Smoke That Thunders

    All of these questions are related to today, November 16th.

    José Saramago, 2001.
    Image Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images via Encyclopædia Britannica

    One

    José Saramago, the novelist pictured above, won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his extensive body of work including O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ). What nationality was he?

    Two

    On this day, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act was signed authorising the construction of a pipeline across Alaska. Which US President signed it and what communities are at either end?

    Diana Krall, 2010.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    Who is this Canadian singer, born on 16 November 1964, as pictured in 2010?

    Four

    With NASA’s ___ campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.

    — NASA

    The above is taken from a NASA website and describes a program which is named after the twin sister of Apollo. What is this name which has been omitted from the above quote?

    Five

    On this day in 1855, an explorer became the first European to witness Mosi-oa-Tunya, a now-renowned World Heritage Site. What name did he give it?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • My great-grandmother was your great-great grandfather’s mistress—Answers

    Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    Today’s questions are simply a random mix.

    Two-colour gold, guilloché enamel, brilliant and rose-cut diamonds. It was given to King Edward VII by his favourite mistress, Mrs George Keppel, in 1908.
    Image Royal Collection Trust

    One

    ‘My great-grandmother was your great-great grandfather’s mistress,’ she is said to have joked. ‘So how about it?’

    — Tatler, 11 December 2024

    This quote was reportedly made in the second half of the twentieth century by one Briton speaking to another. Who is the person speaking, and who is listening?

    Answer: Camilla Shand (later Parker Bowles) and Charles, Prince of Wales (now Queen Camilla and King Charles III)

    Alice Keppel, a mistress of King Edward VII, gifted him a Fabergé cigarette case symbolising her love. History has somewhat repeated itself: Alice Keppel’s great-granddaughter is none other than Queen Camilla, who was, of course, in a relationship with Prince Charles when he was married to Princess Diana. Queen Camilla, is married to King Charles III.

    Two

    Stay With Me ___ was a 1979 single by Judie Tzuke. What two words complete the title?

    Answer: Till Dawn (Stay With Me Till Dawn)

    Her debut album Welcome to the Cruise included the single that peaked at number 8 in Australia and 16 in the UK. It also reached number 47 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

    Three

    The rings of ___, comprising 13 planetary rings, were discovered in 1977. Which body in the Solar System has been omitted from the previous sentence?

    Answer: Uranus

    Uranus has 13 planetary rings, discovered in 1977. Their complexity is between Saturn’s extensive rings and Jupiter and Neptune’s simpler systems. In 1789, William Herschel reported observing rings. However modern astronomers are divided on whether he could have seen them as they are very dark and faint.

    Four

    This wall, which began construction in AD 142, served as the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire while garrisoned. What wall is this and in which modern country is this wall located?

    Answer: Antonine Wall

    The Antonine Wall, a turf fortification built by the Romans in Scotland, spanned 63 kilometres and was the northernmost frontier barrier of the Roman Empire. Constructed under Emperor Antoninus Pius, it was abandoned after eight years and its remains are less evident than Hadrian’s Wall due to weathering. It is now under the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Five

    The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event is the most recent mass extinction and the only one definitively connected to a major asteroid impact. Some ___ percent of all species on the planet, including all nonavian dinosaurs, went extinct.

    — National Geographic, September 26, 2019

    Complete the quote by selecting one of these percentages: 43, 61 or 76.

    Answer: 76

    The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, 66 million years ago, wiped out 76% of species, including all non-avian dinosaurs, due to an asteroid impact near Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

  • My great-grandmother was your great-great grandfather’s mistress

    Today’s questions are simply a random mix.

    Two-colour gold, guilloché enamel, brilliant and rose-cut diamonds. It was given to King Edward VII by his favourite mistress, Mrs George Keppel, in 1908.
    Image Royal Collection Trust

    One

    ‘My great-grandmother was your great-great grandfather’s mistress,’ she is said to have joked. ‘So how about it?’

    — Tatler, 11 December 2024

    This quote was reportedly made in the second half of the twentieth century by one Briton speaking to another. Who is the person speaking, and who is listening?

    Two

    Stay With Me ___ was a 1979 single by Judie Tzuke. What two words complete the title?

    Three

    The rings of ___, comprising 13 planetary rings, were discovered in 1977. Which body in the Solar System has been omitted from the previous sentence?

    Antonine Wall near Bar Hill showing ditch.
    Image Wikipedia

    Four

    This wall, which began construction in AD 142, served as the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire while garrisoned. What wall is this and in which modern country is this wall located?

    Five

    The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event is the most recent mass extinction and the only one definitively connected to a major asteroid impact. Some ___ percent of all species on the planet, including all nonavian dinosaurs, went extinct.

    — National Geographic, September 26, 2019

    Complete the quote by selecting one of these percentages: 43, 61 or 76.

  • Walking on the Moon—Answers

    Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier.

    The questions all relate to today, November 14th.

    Alan L Bean prepares to step onto the lunar surface.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    Apollo 12, launched on 14 November 1969, became the second mission to land on the Moon. Among the three-man crew, who landed and walked on the lunar surface, was which of these: Mr Bean, Mr Hyde or Mr Spock?

    Answer: Mr. Bean

    Alan L Bean. Apollo 12’s crew consisted of Charles Conrad Jr., Richard F Gordon Jr and Alan L Bean. Alan Bean, an American astronaut, piloted the lunar module during the mission. He made two walks on the lunar surface, totalling eight hours, and later commanded the Skylab 3 mission. After retiring from NASA, Bean became a painter specialising in spaceflight themes.

    Two

    Is it true or false that Hannibal the Great was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE?

    Answer: False

    It was Alexander the Great who was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE. In Egypt, Alexander was portrayed as the son of Nectanebo II, the final pharaoh before Persian conquest. His victory over Darius was celebrated as Egypt’s salvation, demonstrating that Egypt remained under Egyptian rule.

    Three

    In Moby-Dick—which was published in the US today in 1851—Captain Ahab offers a gold coin as a reward for spotting the white whale. What real-world coin does he nail to the mast — and from which country does it come?

    Answer: A Spanish gold doubloon from Ecuador.

    The coin is a gold Spanish doubloon, specifically a sixteen-dollar piece from Ecuador. Its design includes symbols of the sun, zodiac signs, and the Andean mountains, which the crew interprets differently—each seeing their own meaning in it. The coin thus mirrors Ahab’s monomania and the novel’s larger theme of how individuals project their own beliefs and destinies onto the same object or event.

    Eugene B. Ely flies his Curtiss pusher airplane from USS Birmingham (Scout Cruiser # 2), in Hampton Roads, Virginia, during the afternoon of Nov. 14 1910.
    Image General Aviation News

    Four

    On this date, Eugene Burton Ely achieved the first aircraft takeoff from a ship. In which decade did this happen?

    Answer: 1910s

    In 1910, Ely took off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss Pusher aircraft and safely made landfall. A year later he made the first shipboard landing, complete with hooks attached to his Pusher to catch sandbagged ropes to abbreviate the landing roll.

    Five

    In the television series MASH*, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was discharged and sent home in the final episode of Season 3. What shocking event was revealed at the end of that episode?

    Answer: His plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan, with no survivors.

    McLean Stevenson was born on this day in 1927. The twist ending of the episode ‘Abyssinia, Henry’ (1975) was kept secret from most of the cast until filming; their shocked reactions during Radar’s announcement were genuine. It marked one of the most memorable and emotional moments in television history.

  • Walking on the Moon

    The questions all relate to today, November 14th.

    Apollo 12 launch, November 14, 1969.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    Apollo 12, launched on 14 November 1969, became the second mission to land on the Moon. Among the three-man crew, who landed and walked on the lunar surface, was which of these: Mr Bean, Mr Hyde or Mr Spock?

    Two

    Is it true or false that Hannibal the Great was crowned pharaoh of Egypt today in 332 BCE?

    Three

    In Moby-Dick—which was published in the US today in 1851—Captain Ahab offers a gold coin as a reward for spotting the white whale. What real-world coin does he nail to the mast — and from which country does it come?

    Four

    On this date, Eugene Burton Ely achieved the first aircraft takeoff from a ship. In which decade did this happen?

    Five

    In the television series MASH*, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was discharged and sent home in the final episode of Season 3. What shocking event was revealed at the end of that episode?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Remember, remember, the fifth of November—Answers

    Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.

    King James VI of Scotland and James I of England.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    What event is commemorated in the United Kingdom on November 5th, when effigies of Guy Fawkes are traditionally burned on bonfires? Also, in what year did it occur?

    Answer: The Gunpowder Plot of 1605

    The failed plot was an attempt by Catholic conspirators to blow up the English Parliament and assassinate King James VI (of Scotland) & I (of England). ‘Remember, remember, the fifth of November’ became a famous rhyme, see below, recording the event.

    Two

    Which spacecraft, launched on 5 November 2013, was India’s first interplanetary mission?

    Answer: The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)

    Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Mangalyaan made India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit and the first country in the world to do so successfully on its maiden attempt — all on a remarkably low budget.

    Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    On 5 November 1981, a small Caribbean nation achieved independence from the United Kingdom. Its capital is St. John’s. Can you name the country?

    Answer: Antigua and Barbuda

    The twin-island nation remains a member of the Commonwealth, recognizing the British monarch as its head of state, but governs itself independently.

    Four

    November 5th is a central date in the storyline of what 2005 film which opens with the line, ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November’?

    Answer: V for Vendetta

    The film, based on a graphic novel, turned the Guy Fawkes mask into a global symbol of resistance — later adopted by protest movements such as Anonymous and Occupy Wall Street.

    Five

    On November 5th, Google introduced its first Android-based mobile operating system, signalling the start of a new era in smartphones. In what year did this occur?

    Answer: 2007

    The Android OS announcement reshaped the mobile landscape — today, Android powers over 70% of the world’s smartphones.

    Remember, remember, the 5th of November

    Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
    Gunpowder, treason and plot.
    I see no reason
    Why gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot.
    Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
    To blow up the King and the Parliament
    Three score barrels of powder below
    Poor old England to overthrow
    By God’s providence he was catch’d
    With a dark lantern and burning match
    Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring
    Holler boys, holler boys
    God save the King!

    The undercroft beneath the House of Lords.
    Image Wikipedia

  • Remember, remember, the fifth of November

    Today’s five questions all relate to the date, November 5th.

    Fireworks display.
    Image msn.com

    One

    What event is commemorated in the United Kingdom on November 5th, when effigies of Guy Fawkes are traditionally burned on bonfires? Also, in what year did it occur?

    Two

    Which spacecraft, launched on 5 November 2013, was India’s first interplanetary mission?

    See question 3.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    On 5 November 1981, a small Caribbean nation achieved independence from the United Kingdom. Its capital is St. John’s. Can you name the country?

    Four

    November 5th is a central date in the storyline of what 2005 film which opens with the line, ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November’?

    Five

    On November 5th, Google introduced its first Android-based mobile operating system, signalling the start of a new era in smartphones. In what year did this occur?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Capital Gain—Answers

    Here are the answers to my earlier post.

    National Mall, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument,
    Washington D.C.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    What decade saw the first time that residents of Washington, D.C. could vote in a U.S. presidential election

    Answer: 1960s (1964)

    Twenty-Third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961, granted D.C. three electoral votes—the same number as the least-populous state. Before this, its residents had no say in electing the president or vice-president.

    Two

    Today Henry VIII of England became the first Supreme Head of the Church of England. In which century was this?

    Answer: 16th century (1534)

    The Act of Supremacy officially severed England’s ties with the Roman Catholic Church and papal authority, paving the way for the English Reformation. Henry’s motivations were both political and personal; he desired an annulment from Catherine of Aragon.

    Laika in a mock cockpit.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    A dog named Laika went into space on this day in 1957. Which of these craft carried her: Soyuz 1, Sputnik 2 or Salyut 3?

    Answer: Sputnik 2

    Laika, a stray from Moscow’s streets, became a global icon of the Space Race. Sadly, she died within hours due to overheating, although the Soviets initially claimed she survived for several days.

    ⸻

    Four

    On this date, the Caribbean island nation of Dominica was first sighted by Europeans. Four hundred and eighty-five years later, it gained independence from a European country. What does the island’s name mean and from which country did it achieve independence?

    Answer: United Kingdom; and Sunday

    On 3 November 1493, Christopher Columbus sighted Dominica and named it Dies Dominica, meaning ‘the Lord’s Day’. Four hundred and eighty-five years later, on 3 November 1978, Dominica achieved independence after being a British colony and briefly a French one.

    ⸻

    Five

    On this day in 1911, a racing driver and engineer, born in 1878, co-founded the American motor car manufacturer Chevrolet, who was he and in what country was he born?

    Answer: Louis Chevrolet; Switzerland

    Louis Chevrolet’s name lives on in one of America’s most famous car brands, but he sold his stake early and never profited from its later success. Ironically, he died while working for a rival carmaker.

  • Capital Gain

    Here are five questions which are all related to today’s date, November 3rd.

    National Mall, Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument,
    Washington D.C.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    What decade saw the first time that residents of Washington, D.C. could vote in a U.S. presidential election

    Two

    Today Henry VIII of England became the first Supreme Head of the Church of England. In which century was this?

    Laika in a mock cockpit.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    A dog named Laika went into space on this day in 1957. Which of these craft carried her: Soyuz 1, Sputnik 2 or Salyut 3?

    ⸻

    Four

    On this date, the Caribbean island nation of Dominica was first sighted by Europeans. Four hundred and eighty-five years later, it gained independence from a European country. What does the island’s name mean and from which country did it achieve independence?

    ⸻

    Five

    On this day in 1911, a racing driver and engineer, born in 1878, co-founded the American motor car manufacturer Chevrolet, who was he and in what country was he born?