Quizology.Online

Tag: space

  • Ancient Myths continued | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown below.

    One

    Avro Vulcan.
    Image Wikipedia

    What former Royal Air Force aircraft is pictured?

    Answer: Vulcan (Avro Vulcan)

    The Avro Vulcan, a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing bomber, was operated by the RAF from 1956 to 1984. It served as the backbone of the UK’s airborne nuclear deterrent during the Cold War and was later adapted for maritime reconnaissance and aerial refuelling.
    Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes, deserts, metalworking and the forge, is often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer. His Greek counterpart is Hephaestus, and his Etruscan counterpart is Sethlans.

    Two

    King Neptune, SpongeBob SquarePants.
    Image Pinterest

    Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?

    Answer: King Neptune

    In SpongeBob SquarePants King Neptune, a powerful merman god, rules the sea from Atlantis with his wife and son. He is portrayed as arrogant and selfish, but is a fan of Patrick Star, releasing the Star family from trespassing charges and moving his ball to their house.
    In mythology, Neptune, the Roman god of freshwater and the sea, is the counterpart of the Greek god Poseidon. He is associated with horses and horse-racing, and his festival, Neptunalia, is celebrated on July 23rd.

    Three

    Ulysses/Bloomsday Map of Dublin.
    Image Pinterest

    Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:
    —Introibo ad altare Dei.

    The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, the 16 June 1904?

    Answer: Ulysses

    Ulysses, a modernist novel by James Joyce, chronicles the experiences of three Dubliners on 16 June 1904. The novel, published in 1922, parallels the Odyssey and explores themes of antisemitism, sexuality, British rule, Catholicism and Irish nationalism. Bloomsday, celebrated annually on 16 June, commemorates the life of Irish writer James Joyce. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, the protagonist Ulysses, and the events of the novel take place on this date.
    Odysseus (Roman Ulysses), the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, is the hero of Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. He is known for his cunning and intelligence, and his ten-year journey home after the Trojan War.

    Four

    Pouring liquid mercury (Hg).
    Image Wikipedia


    Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…

    Answer: (Project) Mercury

    Quicksilver is defined as ‘the liquid metal mercury’.
    Project Mercury, the first US human spaceflight programme, ran from 1958 to 1963. It conducted 26 flights, six with astronauts, and cost $2.76 billion.
    Mercury is a major Roman god, associated with commerce, communication, travellers and thieves. He is the son of Maia and Jupiter, and is often depicted holding the caduceus, a staff with intertwined snakes.

    Five

    Archaeological Museum in Herakleion. Statue of Isis-Persephone holding a sistrum. Temple of the Egyptian gods, Gortyn. Roman period (180-190 C.E.).
    Image Wikipedia

    PRONE SHEEP

    …can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?

    Answer: Persephone

    In Greek mythology, Persephone, the daughter of Zeus and Demeter, became the queen of the underworld after being abducted by her uncle Hades. Her myth symbolises spring and vegetation, representing the eternal cycle of life and death.

  • Ancient Myths continued

    Today, we’ll have a few more questions about ancient Greek and Roman myth, with each answer featuring an ancient mythical figure.

    One

    Image Wikipedia

    What former Royal Air Force aircraft is pictured?

    Two

    Can you name a powerful, trident-wielding merman from SpongeBob SquarePants?

    Three

    Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:
    —Introibo ad altare Dei.

    The opening words of a novel are quoted above. What is this work that chronicles the events of a single day, June 16th, 1904?

    Four

    Quicksilver is connected to this United States human spaceflight programme (1958–1963): Project…

    Five

    PRONE SHEEP

    …can be rearranged to give the name of a daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by Hades and became the queen of the underworld. Who is she?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Last to First | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    Space shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) touches down at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, completing the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program.
    July 21, 2011, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
    Image (NASA/Bill Ingalls)/Wikipedia

    One

    On July 21, 2011, the Space Shuttle program concluded with the landing of a shuttle at NASA’s Cape Canaveral. Which shuttle made this landing, marking the end of the Space Shuttle program?

    Answer: Atlantis

    From the first launch on April 12, 1981 to the final landing on July 21, 2011, NASA’s space shuttle fleet flew 135 missions, helped construct the International Space Station and inspired generations. 
    NASA’s space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on April 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted cutting-edge research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station. The final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
    – NASA

    Lyndon B. Johnson at the LBJ ranch, 1972.
    Image LBJ Library

    Two

    On this date in 2024, President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the presidential election. Prior to this announcement, who was the most recent sitting United States president to decline to seek reelection?

    Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

    On March 31, 1968, President Johnson delivered a national address that made three significant announcements: he had recently ordered substantial reductions in the bombing campaign against North Vietnam, he was requesting peace negotiations, and he would neither seek nor accept his party’s nomination for re-election.

    JK Rowling, 2010.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    What was the title of the final book in the Harry Potter series, released on July 21, 2007?

    Answer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

    Harry Potter, a fictional boy wizard created by British author J.K. Rowling, is the subject of seven immensely popular novels (1997–2007) and eight films (2001–11). His coming-of-age exploits were further adapted into a play and a book of its script in 2016.

    Four

    Today in 1954, the Geneva Accords divided what country along the 17th parallel?

    Answer: Vietnam

    The Geneva Accords, signed in 1954, divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel, establishing a cease-fire and calling for troop withdrawals. The Accords also stipulated all-Vietnamese elections by 1956 to reunify the country, though the U.S. and South Vietnam withheld approval.

    Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
    Image Wikipedia

    Five

    On 21 July 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike made history as the world’s first female prime minister in which country?

    Answer: Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

    Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world’s first female prime minister, served three terms in Sri Lanka. She carried on her assassinated husband’s socialist policies, promoting Buddhism and Sinhalese culture. However, she encountered economic crisis and defeat in 1965. She subsequently returned to serve two more terms as prime minister (1970–77, 1994–2000).

  • Last to First

    Five questions today, each requiring a single answer without multiple choices or additional hints.

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

    One

    On July 21, 2011, the Space Shuttle program concluded with the landing of a shuttle at NASA’s Cape Canaveral. Which shuttle made this landing, marking the end of the Space Shuttle program?

    Two

    On this date in 2024, President Joe Biden announced his decision to withdraw from the presidential election. Prior to this announcement, who was the most recent sitting United States president to decline to seek reelection?

    Three

    What was the title of the final book in the Harry Potter series, released on July 21, 2007?

    Four

    Today in 1954 the Geneva Accords divided what country along the 17th parallel?

    Five

    On 21 July 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike made history as the world’s first female prime minister in which country?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Mrs Bond | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    Diana Rigg and George Lazenby. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    The actress who played Countess Teresa ‘Tracy’ di Vicenzo in the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) was born 20 July 1938. Who was she?

    • Diana Rigg
    • Jill St. John
    • Shirley Eaton

    Answer: Diana Rigg

    Dame Enid Rigg was an English actress known for roles in The Avengers, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Game of Thrones. She won a Tony Award for her role in Medea and received numerous accolades for her contributions to drama.

    All three were Bond Girls with Jill St John appearing as Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever and Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson in Goldfinger.

    Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
    Image Wikipedia

    Two

    Edmund Hillary, one of the first two men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, was born 20 July 1919. In what city was he born?

    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
    • Canberra, Australia

    Answer: Auckland, New Zealand

    In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest using the South Col route. The news of their success reached London on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.

    Claus von Stauffenberg.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    Claus von Stauffenberg, a German army officer, is most renowned for his unsuccessful attempt on 20 July 1944, to assassinate Adolf Hitler. At which of Hitler’s headquarters was this attempt executed?

    • Felsennest, (Rocky Eyrie), Bad Münstereifel
    • Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest), above Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria
    • Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair), East Prussia

    Answer: Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair), East Prussia

    On 20 July 1944, German resistance members, led by Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler and overthrow the Nazi regime. The assassination attempt failed, and the subsequent coup d’état, codenamed ‘Operation Valkyrie’, was quickly suppressed by the Nazi regime, resulting in the execution of many conspirators including von Stauffenberg.

    Václav Havel.
    Image Wikipedia

    Four

    On 20 July 1992, Václav Havel resigned as president of…

    • Albania
    • Bulgaria
    • Czechoslovakia

    Answer: Czechoslovakia

    In 1990, Czechoslovakia held its first free elections in 44 years, resulting in a victory for Civic Forum and Public Against Violence. Despite increasing tensions and the Slovak Declaration of Independence, Václav Havel supported the retention of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic and resigned as president in 1992. When the Czech Republic was created as one of two successor states, Havel successfully stood for election as its first president on 26 January 1993.

    Aldrin next to the Passive Seismic Experiment Package with the Lunar Module Eagle in the background. Image Wikipedia

    Five

    On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin (Buzz Aldrin) landed on the Moon in the Lunar Module Eagle. How long did they remain on the Moon between the Eagle’s landing and the ascent stage’s departure for their return journey?

    • 21 hours and 36 minutes
    • 24 hours and 3 minutes
    • 32 hours and 28 minutes

    Answer: 21 hours and 36 minutes

    On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the Moon’s surface in the Eagle lunar module. During the descent, they encountered programme alarms and navigated through a boulder-strewn area. Armstrong successfully landed Eagle with only 216 pounds of fuel remaining, signalling to Mission Control, ‘Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed’.

    After a longer-than-expected preparation period, Armstrong became the first human to step onto the Moon’s surface, famously declaring, ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’.

    Armstrong and Aldrin deployed scientific instruments, collected rock samples, and planted a flag on the Moon and left behind memorial items, including a message disk with goodwill statements from world leaders. After a 21 hours and 36 minutes, they safely lifted off in the LM ascent stage to rejoin Michael Collins in lunar orbit.

  • Mrs Bond

    Today, we have another selection of multiple-choice questions.

    Image Wikipedia

    One

    The actress who played Countess Teresa ‘Tracy’ di Vicenzo in the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) was born 20 July 1938. Who was she?

    • Diana Rigg
    • Jill St. John
    • Shirley Eaton

    Two

    Edmund Hillary, one of the first two men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, was born 20 July 1919. In what city was he born?

    • Auckland, New Zealand
    • Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
    • Canberra, Australia

    Three

    Claus von Stauffenberg, a German army officer, is most renowned for his unsuccessful attempt on 20 July 1944, to assassinate Adolf Hitler. At which of Hitler’s headquarters was this attempt executed?

    • Felsennest, (Rocky Eyrie), Bad Münstereifel
    • Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle’s Nest), above Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria
    • Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair), East Prussia

    Four

    On 20 July 1992, Václav Havel resigned as president of…

    • Albania
    • Bulgaria
    • Czechoslovakia

    Five

    On July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin (Buzz) landed on the Moon in the Lunar Module Eagle. How long did they remain on the Moon between the Eagle’s landing and the ascent stage’s departure for their return journey?

    • 21 hours and 36 minutes
    • 24 hours and 3 minutes
    • 32 hours and 28 minutes

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Flight of Fancy | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    Boeing 737-900. ‘Boeing 100 years strong’, Alaska Airlines.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    On 15 July 1916, in Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporated…

    • BoWes Aviation Company
    • Northwest Airplane Corporation
    • Pacific Aero Products Company

    Answer: Pacific Aero Products Company

    William E. Boeing, fascinated by airplanes after seeing one in 1909, bought a shipyard in 1910 and built his first airplane factory. After a crash damaged his Martin seaplane, he built his own, the ‘B&W’, with the help of George Conrad Westervelt and later Wong Tsu. Boeing incorporated his business as Pacific Aero Products Company in 1916 and changed the name to Boeing Airplane Company in 1917.

    Rosetta Stone.
    Image Wikipedia

    Two

    The Rosetta Stone was discovered on 15 July 1799. Where was it found?

    • Egypt
    • Greece
    • Rome

    Answer: Egypt

    In 1799, French soldiers in Napoleon’s army in Egypt discovered a stone with three inscriptions, including hieroglyphs and Greek, at Fort Julien near Rosetta. The Rosetta Stone, a granodiorite stele, contains a 196 BC decree in hieroglyphic, Demotic and Ancient Greek, aiding in deciphering Egyptian scripts.

    Drawing of the Mount Bandai eruption by Yamamoto Hōsui, 1888.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    On 15 July 1888, Mount Bandai, a stratovolcano, erupted, resulting in an estimated 500 fatalities. Mount Bandai is located in which country?

    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Philippines

    Answer: Japan

    On 15 July 1888, Mount Bandai in the Iwashiro Province (now part of Fukushima Prefecture) in the Empire of Japan erupted. The eruption, preceded by earthquakes, caused pyroclastic flows that buried villages and devastated the eastern part of the Bandai region. The tragedy resulted in at least 477 fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

    Mariner 4: Image No. 11, Mariner Crater.
    Image NASA

    Four

    On this day in 1964, a NASA space probe took the first close-up pictures of another planet and began transmitting them back to Earth the following day. What planet was photographed?

    • Mercury
    • Venus
    • Mars

    Answer: Mars

    Picture No. 11 of the Mariner sequence must surely rank as one of the most remarkable scientific photographs of this age.
    – ROBERT B. LEIGHTON. Mariner 4 Principal Investigator, Caltech, speaking at the White House. July 29, 1965

    Mariner 4: Image No. 11, Mariner Crater (shown above)
    This photo clearly showed craters upon craters — and nothing else — a “scientifically startling fact,” according to the Mariner imaging team. They saw a desolate landscape that had scarcely changed in 2 to 5 billion years, an environment more like the lifeless Moon than any place on Earth.
    They called the revelation “profound,” not just for what it suggested about Mars’ past and present, but because it “further enhances the uniqueness of Earth within the solar system.” NASA

    Monty Python members Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and Terry Jones performing The Spanish Inquisition sketch during the 2014 Python reunion. Image Wikipedia

    Five

    The Spanish Inquisition was officially disbanded on 15 July 1834. How many years had it been in operation?

    • 241
    • 298
    • 356

    Answer:

    The Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, aimed to maintain Catholic orthodoxy and replace the Medieval Inquisition. It targeted heretics, particularly those who converted from Judaism and Islam, leading to forced conversions, torture, executions, and mass expulsions. The Inquisition, which lasted until 1834, expanded to other Spanish territories and targeted various offences, resulting in around 150,000 prosecutions and 3,000 to 5,000 executions.

  • Flight of Fancy

    Today’s questions cover a range of topics, all related to July 15th.

    William E Boeing, 1929.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    On 15 July 1916, in Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporated…

    • BoWes Aviation Company
    • Northwest Airplane Corporation
    • Pacific Aero Products Company

    Two

    The Rosetta Stone was discovered on 15 July 1799. Where was it found?

    • Egypt
    • Greece
    • Rome

    Three

    On 15 July 1888, Mount Bandai, a stratovolcano, erupted, resulting in an estimated 500 fatalities. Mount Bandai is located in which country?

    • Indonesia
    • Japan
    • Philippines

    Four

    On this day in 1964, a NASA space probe took the first close-up pictures of another planet and began transmitting them back to Earth the following day. What planet was photographed?

    • Mercury
    • Venus
    • Mars

    Five

    The Spanish Inquisition was officially disbanded on 15 July 1834. How many years had it been in operation?

    • 241
    • 298
    • 356

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • V is for… | Answers

    The answers to my earlier post are shown highlighted below.

    Valentina Tereshkova, 1963.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    The first female to travel in space was…

    Answer: Valentina Tereshkova

    Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian engineer and former Soviet cosmonaut, was the first woman in space, completing a solo mission on Vostok 6 in 1963. She later became a prominent member of the Communist Party and a State Duma member.

    Valentina Tereshkova, 2024.
    Image Wikipedia
    Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone.
    Image Screenrant.com

    Two

    A fictional patriarch who founded the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company was…

    Answer: Vito Corleone

    Vito Corleone, a fictional character in Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather and the subsequent film trilogy by Francis Ford Coppola, is an Italian immigrant to America who builds a Mafia empire. He is known for his strict moral code of loyalty and respect, and is succeeded by his son Michael as Don of the Corleone crime family.

    Venus de Milo in the Louvre.
    Image Wikipedia

    Three

    What sculpture in the Louvre Museum was discovered on the Greek island of Milos in 1820?

    Answer: Venus de Milo

    The Venus de Milo, a Parian marble statue of a Greek goddess, is likely Aphrodite. It stands over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall and is missing both arms, the left foot and earlobes. Discovered in 1820 by a Greek farmer on the island of Milos, the discovery was witnessed by a French sailor, Olivier Voutier, who encouraged further excavation. It has been in the Louvre since 1821.

    Amerigo Vespucci upon his arrival on his first voyage to the New World, 1497.
    Vespucci is offered native women, notice hammocks in the background. As described in Vespucci’s Letter to Soderini. description (uncertain location, prob. Central America, around Honduras or Yucatan; alternatively poss. Gulf of Paria in Venezuela).
    Engraving from c.1592 by Theodor de Bry (Flemish, 1528-1598).
    Image Wikipedia

    Four

    America is named after Amerigo who?

    Answer: Vespucci (Amerigo Vespucci)

    Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer and navigator, participated in voyages between 1497 and 1504, claiming to have discovered the New World in 1501. His accounts, though disputed, popularised the discoveries and led to the continent being named ‘America’ in his honour.

    A Vogon guard, as seen in the 1981 TV series of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
    Image Hitchhikers Fandom

    Five

    At the start of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy a ____ Constructor Fleet arrives to destroy Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass? What word is missing?

    Answer: Vogon (Constructor Fleet)

    The ships of the Vogon Constructor Fleet were described as ‘impossibly huge yellow somethings,’ resembling the bulldozers that demolish Arthur’s house. They appeared to have been congealed rather than constructed and hung in the air in a peculiar manner, similar to bricks. Radar was said to be unable to detect them, and they were capable of travelling through hyperspace.

  • V is for…

    Continuing the alphabet theme and all today’s answers begin with the letter ‘V’.

    Vostok 6.
    Image Wikipedia

    One

    The first female to travel in space was…

    Two

    A fictional patriarch who founded the Genco Pura Olive Oil Company was…

    Three

    What sculpture in the Louvre Museum was discovered on the Greek island of Milos in 1820?

    Four

    America is named after Amerigo who?

    Five

    At the start of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy a ___ Constructor Fleet arrives to destroy Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass? What word is missing?

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.