Tag: sport

A trivial pursuit | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Alfred Deakin.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Alfred Deakin became prime minister for the third time on the 2 June 1909. In what country was he premier?
    • Australia—Alfred Deakin, Australia’s second Prime Minister, was a key figure in Federation and early Australian politics. He served three terms, leading the Protectionist Party and later the Liberal Party, and is remembered for his influence on the “Australian settlement” and the establishment of a two-party system.
      Coronation portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, June 1953.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, today in 1953, took place at…
    • Westminster Abbey—The coronation of Elizabeth II as Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony, televised for the first time, included an oath, anointing, and crowning.
  3. On this day in 1962, during the FIFA World Cup, police had to intervene multiple times in a match to stop violence between Italian players and those from…
    • Chile—The Battle of Santiago, a 1962 FIFA World Cup match between Chile and Italy, was known for its violence, including two red cards, numerous punches, and four police interventions.
      Painting of two alleged witches being tried in Salem, Massachusetts as part of the infamous witchhunts.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Today in 1692, the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem went on trial and was found guilty. Who was she?
    • Bridget Bishop—Bridget Bishop was accused of witchcraft by five young women and tried in the first case of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Multiple witnesses testified against her, claiming she harmed them through apparitions and physical attacks. Despite a jury finding a third nipple on her, Bishop was ultimately convicted of witchcraft based on the sheer number of accusations and her perceived dishonesty in court. She was sentenced to death and hanged.
      Surveyor 1.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. On 2 June 1966, Surveyor 1 became the first US spacecraft to soft-land on another world when it touched down in Oceanus Procellarum on…
    • Moon—Surveyor 1, the first US lunar soft-lander, successfully landed on the Ocean of Storms (Oceanus Procellarum) on 2 June 1966. It transmitted 11,237 photos of the lunar surface to Earth, providing valuable data for the Apollo Moon landings.

A trivial pursuit

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 2nd.

Queen Elizabeth II, 1959.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Alfred Deakin became prime minister for the third time on the 2 June 1909. In what country was he premier?
    • Australia
    • Barbados
    • Canada
  2. Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, today in 1953, took place at…
    • St Paul’s Cathedral
    • Westminster Abbey
    • Windsor Castle
  3. On this day in 1962, during the FIFA World Cup, police had to intervene multiple times in a match to stop violence between Italian players and those from…
    • Australia
    • Belgium
    • Chile
  4. Today in 1692, the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem went on trial and was found guilty. Who was she?
    • Abigail Abbott
    • Bridget Bishop
    • Catherine Chaplain
  5. On 2 June 1966, Surveyor 1 became the first US spacecraft to soft-land on another world when it touched down in Oceanus Procellarum on…
    • Mars
    • Mercury
    • Moon

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Odd one out II | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Image Pinterest
  1. Two of these were written by the same author and one was not. Which is the odd one out?
    • George’s Marvellous Medicine—was written by Ronald Dahl. Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car and the James Bond novel From Russia with Love were both written by Ian Fleming
      Harpy eagle.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Two of these creatures are semi-aquatic reptiles, while the third is a completely different kind of animal. Which one is the odd one out?
    • Harpy—is one of two species of eagle: the American harpy and the Papuan harpy. Nile and saltwater are both species of crocodile.
      Crew of Apollo 12.
      Left to right they are: Commander, Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr.; Command Module pilot, Richard F. Gordon Jr.; and Lunar Module pilot, Alan L. Bean.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. The three men listed comprised the crew of Apollo 12. With regard to the Moon which of them was the odd one out?
    • Richard Gordon—was the command pilot who stayed in Lunar orbit while Conrad and Bean landed on the Moon and carried out surface activity for about 31 hours.
      The Salvation Army crest.
      Image The Salvation Army.
  4. Two of these are mottos of military organisations. Which one is the odd one out?
    • Blood and Fire—is the ‘War Cry’ of the Salvation Army; it refers to the blood of Christ and fire of the Holy Spirit. Semper fidelis (“Always faithful”) is the motto of the US Marine Corps while Who Dares Wins is the motto of the UK’s SAS (Special Air Service)
      Aryna Sabalenka, 2024.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. In sporting terms, which of these women is the odd one out?
    • Aryna Sabalenka—currently ranked world No. 1 in women’s tennis, has won three major championships: the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open. Additionally, she has won doubles titles at two majors, partnering with Elise Mertens, at the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open. Catriona Matthew (Europe) and Stacy Lewis (USA) are both golfers who captained their respective teams to victory in the Solheim Cup.

Odd one out II

Moon.
Image Wikipedia

A few questions where you have to identify the odd one out.

  1. Two of these were written by the same author and one was not. Which is the odd one out?
    • Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car
    • George’s Marvellous Medicine
    • From Russia with Love
  2. Two of these creatures are semi-aquatic reptiles, while the third is a completely different kind of animal. Which one is the odd one out?
    • Harpy
    • Nile
    • Saltwater
  3. The three men listed comprised the crew of Apollo 12. With regard to the Moon which of them was the odd one out?
    • Alan Bean
    • Pete Conrad
    • Richard Gordon
  4. Two of these are the mottos of military organisations while one is not. Which one is the odd one out?
    • Blood and Fire
    • Semper fidelis (“Always faithful”)
    • Who Dares Wins
  5. In sporting terms, which of these women is the odd one out?
    • Aryna Sabalenka
    • Catriona Matthew
    • Stacy Lewis

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How IV | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below. I have included the question simply for your information.

Eric Liddell.
Image Wikipedia
  1. Who was a British Olympic gold medal winner died in a Japanese civilian internment camp during the Second World War and whose story was told in Chariots of Fire?
    • Eric Liddell—a Scottish sprinter, rugby player, and Christian missionary, was born in China to Scottish missionary parents. He won the 400 metres at the 1924 Paris Olympics after refusing to run in the heats for the 100 metres as they were held on a Sunday. These events were recounted in the film Chariots of Fire. He became a Congregational minister in 1932, and served as a missionary teacher in China until his death in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945.
      Flyer for the 1979 stage production at the ICA of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. What author wrote, “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move“?
    • Douglas Adams—The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a comedy science fiction franchise that began as a BBC radio series. The story follows Arthur Dent, the last human who hitched a ride off Earth before its destruction.
      The X-Men, Volume 1
      Image Marvel Fandom
  3. When did the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters make its first appearance In Marvel Comics?
    • 1963—The X-Mansion, located in Westchester County, New York, is the base of operations for the X-Men and houses the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. The mansion has undergone several name changes and relocations, reflecting significant events in the X-Men’s history.
      Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
      Image Harry Potter Fandom
  4. Where did Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire come in the Harry Potter book series?
    • Fourth—Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series, following Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. The book, published simultaneously in the UK and US in 2000, won a Hugo Award and was adapted into a film and video game.
      Eastern glass lizard.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. Why is the glass lizard, such as the eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis), so called?
    • Their tails break off—Anguinae, a subfamily of legless lizards in the Anguidae family, commonly known as glass lizards, glass snakes, or slow worms, are native to North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Their tails easily break or snap off, earning them their first two common names.
      Depiction of Rip Van Winkle by John Quidor.
      Image Wikipedia
  6. How long does Rip Van Winkle sleep in Washington Irving’s short story?
    • 20 years—Rip Van Winkle is a short story by Washington Irving about a Dutch-American villager who falls asleep in the Catskill Mountains and awakens 20 years later to a changed world. The story was inspired by a conversation on nostalgia and published in 1819

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How IV

Image Wikipedia
  1. Who was a British Olympic gold medal winner who died in a Japanese civilian internment camp during the Second World War and whose story was told in Chariots of Fire?
    • Arthur Lumsden
    • Eric Liddell
    • Hector Lynch
  2. What author wrote, “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move“?
    • Douglas Adams
    • Isaac Asimov
    • Terry Pratchett
  3. When did the Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters make its first appearance In Marvel Comics?
    • 1937
    • 1949
    • 1963
  4. Where did Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire come in the Harry Potter book series?
    • Third
    • Fourth
    • Fifth
  5. Why is the glass lizard, such as the eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis), so called?
    • They are diaphanous
    • They are mirror-like
    • Their tails break off
  6. How long does Rip Van Winkle sleep in Washington Irving’s short story?
    • 10 Years
    • 15 years
    • 20 years

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Mike—Quebec | Answers

Below are the questions from earlier today with the answers in bold.

Mike Hailwood (Honda, number 63)…
Image Wikipedia
Mike Hailwood (GB) at the…
Image Wikipedia
(1) Mike Hailwood (Honda, number 63) is ahead of Giacomo Agostini (MV Agusta, number 1)…at the 1969 500 cc race on the Riccione street-circuit, one race in a traditional series of Italian road courses held between 1945 and 1971 in the early part of the calendar year, prior to the start of Grands Prix racing.
(2) Mike Hailwood (GB) at the Simoniz Daily Mail Race of Champions driving for Yardley Team McLaren (GB). The car is a McLaren M23 #M23/1 – Ford Cosworth DFV V8.
  1. M is for Mike. This nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion went on to race cars in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship?
    • Mike Hailwood—Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood, nicknamed “the Bike”, was a British racing driver and motorcycle road racer. He won nine Grand Prix motorcycle World Championships and 14 Isle of Man TT victories before transitioning to Formula One and other car racing classes.
      Natalie Wood.
      Image Wikipedia
  1. N is for Natalie. She married actor Robert Wagner in 1957 and again in 1972?
    • Wood—Natalie Wood, an American actress, began acting at four and starred in films like Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story. She drowned in 1981 at age 43 during a break from filming Brainstorm, with her husband Robert Wagner and co-star Christopher Walken. An ongoing investigation into her death named Wagner as a person of interest in 2018.
      Operation Overlord.
      Image Wikipedia
  2. O is for Operation. That was launched on 6 June 1944?
    • Overlord—Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy, was the Allied operation that liberated German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation, launched on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings, involved nearly 160,000 troops crossing the English Channel. German forces retreated east across the Seine on 30 August 1944, marking the close of Operation Overlord.
      MY Fair Lady, Playbill magazine cover, Broadway, 1952.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. P is for Pygmalion. This musical and a 1960s film were based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion?
    • My Fair Lady—George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion is a comedy about a phonetician who bets he can transform a Cockney flower seller into a duchess. The play, later adapted into My Fair Lady, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, explores love and the English class system.
      Dana Scully and Queequeg
      Image Pinterest
  4. Q if for Queequeg. Queequeg is a character in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, but who had a dog named Queequeg?
    • Dana Scully—In Moby-Dick, Queequeg is a skilled harpooneer from the cannibal tribe of Rokovoko. Scully, in The X-Files, named Queequeg (the dog) because of his cannabalistic behaviour in eating the dead body of his former owner.
Natalie Wood.
Image Wikipedia

Mysteries and Meanings: A Trivial Journey Through Mike—Quebec

Queequeg and his harpoon.
Image: Illustration from 1902 edition of Moby Dick/Wikipedia
  1. M is for Mike. This nine-time Grand Prix motorcycle World Champion went on to race cars in the Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship?
    • Haggar
    • Hailwood
    • Hawthorn
  1. N is for Natalie. She married actor Robert Wagner in 1957 and again in 1972?
    • Walnut
    • Willow
    • Wood
  2. O is for Operation. That was launched on 6 June 1944?
    • Overarch
    • Overlord
    • Overtake
  3. P is for Pygmalion. This musical and a 1960s film were based on George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion?
    • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
    • Half a Sixpence
    • My Fair Lady
  4. Q if for Queequeg. Queequeg is a character in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, but who had a dog named Queequeg?
    • Dana Scully
    • Dr Doug Ross
    • Ross Geller

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

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.