Miscellany II | Answers

  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Peanut—Jimmy Carter, the first US president born in a hospital, grew up in Plains, Georgia, and later Archery. He attended the US Naval Academy, graduating in 1946, and served in the Navy until 1953, including a stint in the nuclear submarine programme. After his father’s death, Carter returned to Georgia to take over the family peanut business, facing challenges but eventually becoming successful.
      Amazon, which has the greatest discharge of any river, discharging into the Atlantic Ocean.
      Image NASA/Wikipedia
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges—is second at 43,950 m$^3$/s following the Amazon’s 224,000| m$^3$/s. The Yangtze comes fifth with 31,900 m$^3$/s and the Mississippi tenth at 21,300 m$^3$/s.
      Tomb of Merlin, Forest of Paimpont (Brocéliande).
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Merlin—The forest of Brocéliande, first mentioned in Chrétien de Troyes’s Arthurian romance, is associated with Merlin and Morgan le Fay in later works. Its exact location is debated, with theories placing it in Brittany, specifically near Quintin or in Paimpont forest, with the latter being considered most likely.
      Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, on Lunar Surface wearing an Omega Speedmaster.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Omega—Buzz Aldrin became the first person to wear a watch on the Moon, wearing the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph. Although Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the Moon, he left his 105.012 Speedmaster inside the Lunar Module Eagle as a backup because the LM’s electronic timer had malfunctioned. Aldrin wore his Speedmaster, making it the first watch ever worn on the Moon.
      Marionette, is a puppet worked by strings.
      Image Pinterest.
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quockerwodger—which is best described as follows:

      The term quockerwodger, although referring to a wooden toy figure which jerks its limbs about when pulled by a string, has been supplemented with a political meaning. A pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else, is now often termed a quockerwodger.
      — John Camden Hotten. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words (1859)

Miscellany II

Full Moon
Image Wikipedia

Here are a few questions which have no connections they are simply miscellany.

  1. US President Jimmy Carter was a farmer, what type of farming was he involved in?
    • Avocado
    • Peanut
    • Zucchini
  2. What the second-largest river on earth by discharge?
    • Ganges
    • Mississippi
    • Yangtze
  3. Brittany’s Brocéliande Forest (aka Paimpont Forest) is the site of the tomb of which legendary magical figure?
    • Circe
    • Merlin
    • Witch of Endor
  4. In 1969, the first wrist watch to be worn on the Moon was manufactured by…
    • Bulova
    • Omega
    • Rolex
  5. A person who’s actions are controlled by another could be described as a …
    • Quaalude
    • Quillaja
    • Quockerwodger
Ancient Greek Terracotta dolls.
National Archaeological Museum in Athens/Wikipedia

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Milestones and Inventions | Answers

The answers to my earlier post are shown in bold below.

Pony Express map, by William Henry. Wikipedia
  1. 18 months—The Pony Express, a horse-and-rider relay system, operated for 18 months between Missouri and California, delivering mail in 10 days. Despite its short lifespan and financial failure, it demonstrated the feasibility of a transcontinental communication system.
    Osborne 1 portable computer. Wikipedia
  2. Osborne 1—The Osborne 1, released in 1981, was the first commercially successful portable computer. It weighed 24.5 lb (11.1 kg) and cost US$1,795 (equivalent to $6,273 in April 2025).
    Westland PV.3 at Martlesham in December 1931 before Everest expedition modifications. Wikipedia
  3. 1933—In April 1933, two Westland aircraft piloted by Douglas Douglas-Hamilton and David McIntyre flew over Mount Everest, financed by Lucy, Lady Houston. The expedition, led by Peregrine Fellowes, aimed to promote British aviation and was made possible by technological advancements in aircraft engines during World War I.
    National Palace of Culture, Sofia. Wikipedia
  4. Sofia—Sofia, liberated from Ottoman rule by Russian troops in 1878, became Bulgaria’s capital in 1879. Its population was 11,649 at the time of liberation.
  5. 1973—Motorola produced the first handheld mobile phone, weighing 2 kilograms and offering 30 minutes of talk time. It was commercially launched in the US in October 1983.
Dr. Martin Cooper, the inventor of the cell phone, with DynaTAC prototype from 1973, in 2007. Wikipedia

Milestones and Inventions

Pony Express postmark, 1860, westbound. Wikipedia

All of the following happened on today’s date, 3 April.

  1. On this day in 1860, the Pony Express mail delivery system was launched in the US. How long did the service operate?
    • 18 months
    • 32 months
    • 53 months
  2. On 3 April 1981, the first successful handheld portable computer was sold. By what name was it known?
    • Osborne 1
    • Page 1
    • Cooper 1
  3. In aviation, in what year did the first flight over Mount Everest take place?
    • 1927
    • 1933
    • 1939
  4. What city which had been liberated from the Ottoman Empire by Russian troops was named the capital of Bulgaria on 3 April 1879?
    • Bucharest
    • Sofia
    • Zagreb
  5. On this date in what year was the first handheld mobile telephone call made?
    • 1973
    • 1981
    • 1988

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.