The questions are all related to today’s date, September 20th.
The Queen Elizabeth 2 is now a hotel in Dubai. Image Wikipedia
One
On 20 September 1967, the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched from which company’s shipyard?
John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland, UK
Harland & Wolff, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Swan Hunter, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England, UK
Two
The ‘Battle of the Sexes’ tennis match took place at Houston Astrodome on 20 September 1973. Who were the two players who competed in the match?
Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs
Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors
Evonne Goolagong and Marlon Brando
Three
On 20 September 1870, Rome was occupied, leading to the unification of Italy. Who was the ruler of the Kingdom of Italy at this time?
Victor Emmanuel I
Victor Emmanuel II
Victor Emmanuel III
Four
Which explorer set out from Spain on 20 September 1519, embarking on a quest to circumnavigate the globe?
Bartolomeu Dias
Ferdinand Magellan
Vasco da Gama
Five
On 20 September 1881, a US Vice President was sworn in as president following the death of his predecessor who had died the previous day two months after being shot. Who was the vice president who was sworn in as president on this day?
Here are the answers to the questions from my earlier post.
Enable and Frankie Dettori at the 2018 Breeders’ Cup. Image Wikipedia
One
In 2018, which jockey won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second year in a row riding Enable?
Frankie Dettori
Italian jockey Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, based in England for over 35 years, achieved significant success, including riding all seven winners at Ascot on 28 September 1996. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey three times and rode 287 Group 1 race winners. After a long career with Godolphin Racing and Al Shaqab Racing, he announced his retirement from professional riding in 2023.
Two
What ‘I’ are animals that have no backbones?
Answer: Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals that lack a backbone, or spine. They include arthropods (such as insects and spiders), molluscs (like snails and clams), annelids (e.g. earthworms), echinoderms (like starfish and sea urchins), flatworms, cnidarians (such as jellyfish and corals), and sponges.
Which Hogarth Press co-founder published their third novel, Jacob’s Room, in 1922?
Answer: Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf’s third novel, Jacob’s Room, centres on the life of Jacob Flanders, presented through the impressions of other characters. The novel explores themes of emptiness and absence, portraying Jacob as a series of perceptions rather than a concrete reality.
Four
The writer of the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is described by Wikipedia as a ‘actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright’. Who is he?
Answer: Eric Idle
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is a comedy song by Eric Idle, featured in Monty Python’s Life of Brian. It became a popular singalong and reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart in 1991. In 2014, it was shown to be the most popular song choice for Britons to have played at their funerals.
Scapa Flow during World War II, 1942. Image Wikipedia
Five
The Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet was based at which anchorage in the Orkney Islands during the First World War?
Answer: Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow, a sheltered body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, has been significant for travel, trade and conflict throughout history. It served as the UK’s chief naval base during both World Wars before closing in 1956. On 21 June 1919, the interned Imperial German Navy’s High Seas Fleet was scuttled by its sailors in Scapa Flow with 52 of the 74 vessels sank.
FIVES
The post-title FIVES provided the initial letters F-I-V-E-S for each answer in order, with a prompt at number 2—What ‘I’—to hopefully help you on the road.
In 2018, which jockey won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the second year in a row riding Enable?
Two
What ‘I’ are animals that have no backbones?
Three
Which Hogarth Press co-founder published a third novel, Jacob’s Room, in 1922?
Four
The writer of the song Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is described by Wikipedia as an ‘actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright’. Who is he?
Five
The Royal Navy’s Grand Fleet was based at which anchorage in the Orkney Islands during the First World War?
Here are the answers to the questions from my earlier post about events related to 12 September.
John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on their wedding day. Image Wikipedia
One
On 12 September 1953, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier married at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island. Who did she marry?
Answer: John F. Kennedy
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, known as Jackie O, was the First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963. She was a popular figure, admired for her dedication to historic preservation, arts and culture, and her unique fashion sense. After her husband’s assassination, she married Aristotle Onassis and later became a book editor in New York City.
Two
On 12 September 1885, Arbroath achieved a world record scoreline in professional football (soccer) by defeating Bon Accord in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Was the margin of Arbroath’s win 26, 31, or 36 goals?
Answer: 36 goals
The final scoreboard read Aberdeen 36-0 Bon Accord. Arbroath led 15-0 at halftime and scored 21 more goals in the second half. The match was so one-sided that Arbroath’s goalkeeper didn’t touch the ball.
It holds the largest margin of victory in an unrigged first-class football match. A match between AS Adema and SO l’Emyrne, a thrown game where SO l’Emyrne scored deliberate own goals in a protest against prior officiating decisions, took the title of most goals in a professional football match in 2002. — Wikipedia
Three
The estimated age range of the wall paintings in the Lascaux Cave, France, and the year in which Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List are 17,000 to 22,000 years and 1979; 87,000 to 92,000 years old and 1954; or 147,000 to 220,000 years old and 2000?
Answer: 17,000 to 22,000 years and 1979
Lascaux, a network of caves in southwestern France, were discovered on this day in 1940 and features over 600 prehistoric wall paintings dating back 17,000 to 22,000 years. The site, recognised for its outstanding art, was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
Four
Salisbury, Rhodesia, was founded on 12 September 1890. What are the current names of the city and country?
Answer: Harare, Zimbabwe
Founded in 1890 as Fort Salisbury, the city served as the capital of Southern Rhodesia and later Rhodesia. Upon independence, Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, and Salisbury was renamed Harare in 1982. It remained the capital until the national parliament relocated to Mount Hampden in 2022.
Five
The Battle of Marathon, fought on this day in 490 BCE, was a victory for the Athenians against which empire?
Answer: Persian Empire (aka Achaemenid Empire)
The Battle of Marathon, usually accepted as occurring in 490 BCE, saw the Athenians and their Plataean allies defeat the first Persian invasion force of Greece.
These questions are related to events connected to today’s date, 12 September?
St. Mary’s Church, Newport, Rhode Island. Image Wikipedia
One
On 12 September 1953, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier married at St. Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island. Who did she marry?
Two
On 12 September 1885, Arbroath achieved a world record scoreline in professional football (soccer) by defeating Bon Accord in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Was the margin of Arbroath’s win 26, 31, or 36 goals?
Three
The estimated age range of the wall paintings in the Lascaux Cave, France, and the year in which Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage List are 17,000 to 22,000 years and 1979; 87,000 to 92,000 years old and 1954; or 147,000 to 220,000 years old and 2000?
Four
Salisbury, Rhodesia, was founded on 12 September 1890. What are the current names of the city and country?
Five
The Battle of Marathon, fought on this day in 490 BCE, was a victory for the Athenians against which empire?
Edward VI by William Scrots. Image WikipediaMary by Hans Eworth, 1554. Image Wikipedia
One
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Answers: Edward VI and Mary I
Elizabeth I’s shrewdness, courage, and self-display inspired loyalty and unified England against foreign enemies. Her carefully crafted image as a symbol of the nation’s destiny, coupled with her authority to make critical decisions, defined the Elizabethan Age.
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Answer: Seventies (1970s)
ESPN, founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen and his son Scott, revolutionised sports broadcasting. With backing from Getty Oil and later ABC, ESPN secured major sports contracts, including the NFL and NCAA football, establishing itself as a dominant force in the industry. Despite facing challenges in the 2010s, ESPN continues to evolve, launching streaming services and expanding its reach through partnerships and acquisitions.
Napoleon I on the Borodino Heights, by Vasily Vereshchagin (1897). Image Wikipedia
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Answer: France and Russia
The Battle of Borodino, fought on 7 September 1812, was the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. Despite a French victory, the Imperial Russian army retreated, leading to the French occupation of Moscow and the eventual failure of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia.
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: Greenwich, New York
Grandma Moses, an American folk artist, gained fame in her 70s for her paintings of rural life. Her work, characterised by simple realism and nostalgic atmosphere, has been widely exhibited and merchandised. Greenwich, New York, is a town in Washington County with a population of 4,868. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area and has historical significance as part of the Underground Railroad.
RMS Lusitania, possibly New York, c.1907. Image Wikipedia
Five
Launched on this day in 1907, what Cunard liner was named after an ancient Roman province on the Iberian Peninsula?
Answer: Lusitania (RMS Lusitania)
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
England’s Elizabeth I was born on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When she ascended the throne in 1558, she followed two siblings, whose regnal names were?
Two
Today marks the anniversary of ESPN’s debut on American television. In which decade did this event occur?
Three
The armies of what two nations fought at the Battle of Borodino on 7 September 1812?
Four
Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), born on this day in 1860, became internationally renowned as a painter of naïve folk art depicting rural life in the United States. Where was born: Greenwich, New York; Greenwich, Ohio; or Greenwich, Pennsylvania?
Answer: RMS Lusitania
The ship’s name was inspired by Lusitania, an ancient Roman province located on the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This region is now known as southern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain. Lusitania was targeted by a German submarine, torpedoed and sunk with the loss of 1,193 lives in May 1915.
George Mallory (3rd from left), Tibet, 1924. Image Wikipedia
One
People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer is ‘because it’s there.’
— George Mallory
In what decade of the twentieth century did mountaineers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine go missing near the summit of Mount Everest?
Answer: Twenties
English mountaineer George Mallory participated in the first three British Mount Everest expeditions. In 1924, he and fellow Englishman Sandy Irvine were last seen near Everest’s summit, sparking debate about whether they reached the summit.
What British motor racing commentator (1923-2021) said…
The lead car is unique, except for the one behind it which is identical.
Answer: Murray Walker
Murray Walker (1923-2021) did his first broadcast commentary in 1948 and became a full-time commentator in the mid-seventies. He was known for making comical blunders which became known as ‘Murrayisms’ Wikipedia has supplied the following examples:
We’ve had cars going off left, right and centre Do my eyes deceive me, or is Senna’s Lotus sounding rough? With half of the race gone, there is half of the race still to go There is nothing wrong with the car, apart from that it is on fire, and The gap between them is now nine-tenths of a second; that’s less than a second! — Wikipedia
Yogi Berra, an American professional baseball catcher, manager and coach, played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball, winning 10 World Series championships with the New York Yankees. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Berra was known for his malapropisms and paradoxical statements, some examples below courtesy of Wikipedia It’s déjà vu all over again. You can observe a lot by watching On why he no longer went to Ruggeri’s, a St. Louis restaurant: ‘Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded’ When complimented by a woman in the grandstands on how he seemed to be enduring the heat well on a hot summer’s day: ‘Thanks, ma’am. You don’t look so hot yourself’ Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours The future ain’t what it used to be A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him I really didn’t say everything I said — Wikipedia
Chuck Yeager next to experimental aircraft Bell X-1 Glamorous Glennis. Image Wikipedia
Five
If you can walk away from a landing, it’s a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it’s an outstanding landing.
The above quote was from a pilot who, on 14 October 1947, while piloting Glamorous Glennis broke the sound barrier. Who was the pilot?
Answer: Chuck Yeagar
Yeagar became the first person to break the sound barrier on that flight. Piloting Glamorous Glennis, a Bell X-1 named after his wife, he reached Mach 1.05 st 45,000 feet (13,700. metres) over the Mojave Desert, California.
Henry Hudson’s voyages to North America. Image Wikipedia
One
On 3 September 1609, an English navigator and explorer sailed into what is now known as New York Harbour. He made four expeditions to find a route from Europe to Asia, and a bay, river and strait are named after him. What are his first and second names?
Answer: Henry Hudson
In 1606, Henry Hudson sailed up the river that now bears his name. In Canada, the Hudson Strait links the North Atlantic Ocean (Labrador Sea) to Hudson Bay.
On 3 September 1935, who became the first person to drive an automobile at over 300 miles per hour?
Answer: Sir Malcolm Campbell
On September 3, 1935, at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, his automobile was timed at 301.1292 miles (484.62 km) per hour, the first officially clocked land-vehicle performance exceeding 300 miles (483 km) per hour. — Encyclopædia Britannica
Three
On 3 September 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Britain, France, and which two of these countries – Australia, Canada, or New Zealand – declared war on Germany?
Answer: Australia and New Zealand
On 3 September 1939, Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King announced the recommendation for a declaration of war in a radio broadcast. On 10 September 1939, a declaration of war by Canada against Germany was made by order-in-council signed by King George VI, King of Canada.
NASA’s Viking 2 on the surface of Mars. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Four
On this day in 1976, Viking 2, a NASA spacecraft, completed its journey, landed at its destination, and began sending information back to Earth. What planet had it landed on?
Answer: Mars
The Viking 2 mission, part of the American Viking programme, included an orbiter and a lander. The lander operated for 1,316 days, while the orbiter functioned for 706 orbits until July 25, 1978.
James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Frank Capra on the set of Mr Smith Goes to Washington. Image Wikipedia
Five
The director of 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life died on 3 September 1991. Who was he?
Answer: Frank Capra
Italian-American film director Frank Capra, known for his influence in the 1930s and 1940s, won three Academy Awards for Best Director. Despite a career decline after World War II, his films, including It’s a Wonderful Life, were later critically acclaimed.
Another five questions which are related to today, September 3rd.
Set of Mr Smith Goes to Washington. See question 5. Image Wikipedia
One
On 3 September 1609, an English navigator and explorer sailed into what is now known as New York Harbour. He made four expeditions to find a route from Europe to Asia, and a bay, river and strait are named after him. What are his first and second names?
Two
On 3 September 1935, who became the first person to drive an automobile at over 300 miles per hour?
Three
On 3 September 1939, after the invasion of Poland, Britain, France, and which two of these countries – Australia, Canada, or New Zealand – declared war on Germany?
Four
On this day in 1976, Viking 2, a NASA spacecraft, completed its journey, landed at its destination, and began sending information back to Earth. What planet had it landed on?
Five
The director of 1939’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life died on 3 September 1991. Who was he?
Quizology.Online 
