Jaws film poster, 1975 (cropped). See question one. Image Wikimedia Commons
Today’s questions are not date-related but the answers are consistant with the title.
One
Who wrote the book Jaws, which gave great white sharks such a bad reputation?
Two
In the human body, what is produced from the sudoriferous (or sudoriparous) glands?
Three
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, 70% of a species of big cat live in Amazonia. This cat’s binomial name fits into today’s theme: what is that binomial name and what is its normal English name?
Four
Erle Stanley Gardner wrote more than 80 novels based on what character?
Five
Who was ‘the Gardener’s Daughter’ on Elvis Presley’s album Frankie and Johnny?
Five random questions today, neither date-related nor themed.
One
In the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, who are said to be the inhabitants of Bree?
Answer: Big Folk and Hobbits.
Bree, east of the Shire, is the only Hobbit and Man settlement in Bree-land, inspired by the English village of Brill and Tolkien’s linguistics. The Prancing Pony in Bree is where Frodo’s use of the ring brings him to the attention of Aragorn and the Black Riders.
Two
What is the world’s longest snake?
Answer: Reticulated Python.
The reticulated python is the only snake with verified human consumption, prompting a 2015 US import ban later partially rescinded. Documented fatalities and consumption of humans are recorded from 1638 to 2026, these are mainly in Indonesia.
Three
What is the nearest star to our Sun?
Answer: Proxima Centauri.
Proxima Centauri, discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, is the nearest star to Earth after the Sun, located 4.25 light-years away in Centaurus. A red dwarf which will remain a main-sequence star for four trillion years. Proxima Centauri has two confirmed exoplanets: Proxima Centauri b and Proxima Centauri d.
Four
In Neil Gaiman’s American Gods, Wednesday is revealed to be an incarnation of what God?
Answer: Odin.
Neil Gaiman’s 2001 fantasy novel American Gods centres on Shadow and won Hugo and Nebula awards. A 2011 expanded edition, audio versions and a 2017 Folio Society edition followed. It was adapted for television in 2017 with Gaiman as executive producer.
Five
Which character from television’s Friends is also a moon of the planet Saturn?
Answer: Phoebe.
Phoebe Buffay is a main character in Friends, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and played by Lisa Kudrow. Phoebe, Saturn’s largest irregular satellite, was discovered photographically by William Henry Pickering in 1899. Cassini’s 2004 flyby enabled detailed study. Its retrograde orbit places it in the Norse group.
Today’s first question is about the date 11 July. The other questions aren’t date-related but share a theme beginning with the first question.
One
At dawn on 11 July 1804, the U.S. vice president took part in a duel which resulted in Alexander Hamilton being fatally wounded.
Who was the vice president involved in this duel
What was Hamilton’s senior role in the U.S. government of George Washington between September 1789 and January 1795?
Answers
Aaron Burr
1st United States Secretary of the Treasury The Burr–Hamilton duel occurred on July 11, 1804, in Weehawken, New Jersey, between U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr and former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Burr fatally shot Hamilton, weakening the Federalist Party and ending Burr’s career. The duel followed a long-standing political rivalry and was near Hamilton’s son’s duel site. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical Hamilton, based on Ron Chernow’s biography, debuted in 2015 and received critical acclaim, winning numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 11 Tony Awards. The musical’s popularity even influenced the decision to keep Alexander Hamilton on the ten-dollar bill.
Two
The US vice-president referred to in question one was in that role during which president’s first term?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson
Aaron Burr Jr. (1756-1836) was the third US vice president (1801-1805) and a Democratic-Republican. He is remembered for the above duel and his conspiracy to form an independent country.
Three
Who was Richard Nixon’s first Vice President?
Answer: Spiro Agnew.
Spiro Agnew, the 39th U.S. vice president, served from 1969 to 1973 under Nixon. A Republican, he was Maryland’s governor and Baltimore County executive. Agnew resigned amid a tax evasion investigation, unrelated to Watergate. He later wrote a memoir and novel, blaming Zionists for his downfall, and died in 1996.
Four
Which TV crime drama’s theme tune was a Billboard Hot 100 number one for Jan Hammer in 1985?
Answer: Miami Vice, aka Miami Vice Theme.
Miami Vice Theme by Jan Hammer, the theme song for the TV series, topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985 and won Grammy Awards in 1986. The music video features Hammer as a fugitive, performing the theme while being chased by the show’s main characters.
Five
What former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister became Facebook’s vice-president of global affairs and communications in 2018?
Answer: Nick Clegg.
Sir Nicholas Clegg, born in 1967, was UK Deputy Prime Minister (2010-2015) and Liberal Democrat leader (2007-2015). Educated at Cambridge, he served as an MEP and MP. Clegg’s coalition with Conservatives led to controversy over tuition fees. Post-politics, he joined Facebook, becoming vice-president for global affairs and communications, a post he left in 2025. In 2026, Clegg joined the board of British AI startup NScale.
Vice Versa
The title originates from Latin and translates to ‘in-turned position’. It doesn’t have any direct relevance to today’s question aside from the word “vice” which appears in each question and answer groupings.
Aerial photo taken over Lake Cote, Costa Rica, by Sergio Loaiza (1971) Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question is related to today’s date, while the remainder are not alienated from question one..
One
On 8 July 1947, U.S. Army Air Force personnel issued a press release regarding a flying disc which had landed on a ranch. The ranch was near what city, and in what state is that city?
Answer: Roswell, New Mexico.
On 8 July, Roswell Army Air Field’s public information officer, Walter Haut, issued a press release.
The many rumors regarding the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence office of the 509th Bomb group of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff’s office of Chaves County. The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disc until such time as he was able to contact the sheriff’s office, who in turn notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office. — Associated Press (July 8, 1947)
The press release was refuted within a day. The official position changed to the debris coming from a weather balloon.
Two
In The X-Files, FBI agent Fox Mulder had a poster featuring a UFO above trees on the wall of his office. What four words were written on the lower part of the poster?
Answer: I Want to Believe.
Mulder acquired multiple versions of the ‘I Want to Believe’ poster, starting with a flat UFO design and evolving to a fatter UFO. The poster, a constant in his office, survived a fire and was swapped out for newer versions over the years. In 2016, a fifth version appeared in his Virginia office, and a similar one was seen in the FBI office, with Scully claiming it as hers.
Three
What fictional spacecraft shares its name with a 1904 Joseph Conrad novel, and in what did this spacecraft first appear?
Answer: Nostromo; Alien.
Joseph Conrad’s 1904 novel, Nostromo, is set in the fictional South American republic of Costaguana. It is considered Conrad’s best work and was ranked 47th on the Modern Library 100 Best Novels list. Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, is a seminal sci-fi horror film about the Nostromo, named after Conrad’s novel, crew encountering a deadly alien. It won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and its iconic design, suspense, and Sigourney Weaver’s performance made it a classic, spawning a successful franchise.
Four
Elvis Presley found working as a bar singer on an alien planet in a novel which is part of a comedy science fiction franchise. What is the title of both the novel and the comedy science fiction franchise?
Answer: Mostly Harmless; The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
In the novel Mostly Harmless, Elvis is discovered by Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent working as a bar singer on an alien planet, and owning a large pink spaceship. Ford, having become a huge fan of Elvis while he was stranded on Earth, watched the performance intently for its entire duration. Presley is not actually named, but his identity is easy to determine from the facts that the bar is called ‘The Domain of The King’, the ‘EP’ initials in the pink spaceship which Ford and Arthur buy from him, and the accent in which he sings. He tells Ford that, contrary to popular belief, he was not abducted by aliens; he went with them of his own free will.
Five
‘Na-Nu Na-Nu’ was an alien greeting used in a sitcom which was a Happy Days spin-off. What alien character said ‘Na-Nu Na-Nu’, what planet was he from, and who played him in the sitcom?
Answer: Mork; Ork; Robin Williams.
Mork, played by Robin Williams, first appeared in Happy Days in 1978. The character’s popularity led to the spin-off Mork & Mindy, set in Boulder, Colorado. Mork, an alien from the planet Ork, arrives on Earth to observe human behaviour and befriends Mindy, who helps him adjust to life on Earth, resulting in humorous situations as Mork struggles to understand human customs. The show, which was Robin Williams’s first major acting role, was extremely popular in its first season but later faced declining ratings after being moved to a less favourable time slot.
The Truth is Out There
Was the tagline for the majority of the episode of The X-Files.
Aerial photo taken over Lake Cote, Costa Rica, by Sergio Loaiza (1971) Image Wikimedia Commons
The first question is related to today’s date, while the remainder are not alienated from question one..
One
On 8 July 1947, U.S. Army Air Force personnel issued a press release regarding a flying disc which had landed on a ranch. The ranch was near what city, and in what state is that city?
Two
In The X-Files, FBI agent Fox Mulder had a poster featuring a UFO above trees on the wall of his office. What four words were written on the lower part of the poster?
Three
What fictional spacecraft shares its name with a 1904 Joseph Conrad novel, and in what did this spacecraft first appear?
Four
Elvis Presley found working as a bar singer on an alien planet in a novel which is part of a comedy science fiction franchise. What is the title of both the novel and the comedy science fiction franchise?
Five
‘Na-Nu Na-Nu’ was an alien greeting used in a sitcom which was a Happy Days spin-off. What alien character said ‘Na-Nu Na-Nu’, what planet was he from, and who played him in the sitcom?
Today’s question continue the sausages theme with more links for you to digest.
One
Two events in a sport link Prestwick, Scotland, in 1860 with Newport, Rhode Island, in 1895. What sport, and what notable events?
Answer: Golf; the inaugural Open Championship and the inaugural U.S. Open.
The Open Championship, founded in Scotland at Prestwick Golf Club, Prestwick, Ayrshire, in 1860, where it was originally played annually on its links course, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious golf tournaments. It is organised by the R&A. The U.S. Open, first played at the Newport Country Club in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1895, was initially dominated by British players until John J. McDermott became the first American winner in 1911. It is organised by the USGA.
Two
The Hudson Strait links what bay to what sea?
Answer: Hudson Bay to Labrador Sea.
The Hudson Strait is a 750-kilometre-long waterway linking Hudson Bay with the Atlantic Ocean and Labrador Sea, separating Baffin Island from northern Quebec. First entered by Europeans in 1578 by Sir Martin Frobisher, it was later explored and named after Henry Hudson. The strait remains an important maritime route connecting central Canadian ports to the Atlantic, though Arctic ice limits its use as a Northwest Passage route.
Three
According to Wikipedia what character in a long-running film series ‘has been portrayed by Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik Van Nutter, Norman Burton, David Hedison, John Terry, and Jeffrey Wright’?
Answer: Felix Leiter.
Felix Leiter, James Bond’s CIA ally, is introduced in Casino Royale as a former U.S. Marine and NATO intelligence officer. He is described as a cool, no-nonsense character who understands Bond’s strengths and weaknesses.
Four
What three words link a Neil Young song from 1972 with a fictional spacecraft?
Answer: Heart of Gold.
Heart of Gold was a 1972 single from Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young taken from his fourth album Harvest. Heart of Gold was also the name of a spaceship in Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Five
What British TV quiz programme, first broadcast on 9 and 10 September 2001, links these real-life people: Charles and Diana Ingram and Tecwen Whittock?
Answer: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.
Charles Ingram, a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, raised suspicions during his run on the show. Despite using two lifelines early on, he progressed to the £1 million question, which he answered correctly, leading to further scrutiny from the production team.
Sausages II
As explained yesterday, sausages in a chain are links, and today’s questions are all about links.
Today’s question continue the sausages theme with more links for you to digest.
One
Two events in a sport link Prestwick, Scotland, in 1860 with Newport, Rhode Island, in 1895. What sport, and what notable events?
Two
The Hudson Strait links what bay to what sea?
Three
According to Wikipedia what character in a long-running film series ‘has been portrayed by Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik Van Nutter, Norman Burton, David Hedison, John Terry, and Jeffrey Wright’?
Four
What three words link a Neil Young song from 1972 with a fictional spacecraft?
Five
What British TV quiz programme, first broadcast on 9 and 10 September 2001, links these real-life people: Charles and Diana Ingram and Tecwen Whittock?
There is a simple theme running through today’s questions, which I’m sure you will work out very quickly.
One
What five-letter word means sausages and an area of, for example, St. Andrew’s, Scotland?
Answer: Links.
Sausages in a chain are links, as is a seaside golf course on ‘linksland’. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of the golf variety is shown below.
links /lɪŋks / ▸ plural noun [treated as singular or plural] (also golf links) a golf course, especially one on grass-covered sandy ground near the sea: a couple of days’ golf on a sunny Spanish links. ▪ another term for linksland
– ORIGIN Old English hlinc ‘rising ground’, perhaps related to lean1.
— Oxford English Dictionary
Two
What eight-letter word relates to all of these: Joe Gilmore, a barman at the Savoy Hotel, London in 1969; Apollo 11, 1969; Mr Bean, 1969; Michael Jackson, 1983?
Answer: Moonwalk.
Joe Gilmore created the Moonwalk cocktail to celebrate Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s landing on the Moon in Apollo 11 and their moonwalks. Mr. Bean was Apollo 12’s Alan Bean who, along with his colleague Pete Conrad, also walked on the Moon a few months later. Michael Jackson’s famous Moonwalk was first publicly performed in 1983.
Three
What connects Fort Providence to the Beaufort Sea?
Answer: Mackenzie River.
The Mackenzie River, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, is, with the Slave, Peace and Finlay Rivers, the longest river system in Canada, with the second-largest drainage basin of any North American river after the Mississippi. The Mackenzie’s main stem flows 1,738 km (1,079 miles) from Great Slave Lake at Fort Providence to the Arctic Ocean at the Beaufort Sea, in the Inuvik Region. Historically significant, it supports limited economic development, including oil, minerals, and agriculture.
Four
Dr. John Watson; Bilbo Baggins; Lester Nygaard; Chris Carson. Who is the connection?
Answer: Martin Freeman.
English actor Martin Freeman has won two Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He portrayed Dr. John Watson in Sherlock (2010–2017); a young Bilbo Baggins in the The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014); Lester Nygaard in Fargo (2014), and Chris Carson in The Responder (from 2022).
Five
What one title is shared by these: a 1956 film about Vincent van Gogh; an Iggy Pop album from 1977; a 2017 Lana Del Rey album?
Answer: Lust for Life.
Lust for Life is a 1956 biographical film about Vincent van Gogh, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Kirk Douglas. Lust for Life was also the title of Iggy Pop’s second solo album, released in 1977. Finally, Lust for Life is Lana Del Rey’s fifth studio album, released in 2017.
Sausages
As explained in the first answer sausages in a chain are links and today’s questions are all about links.
Quizology.Online 