Quizology.Online

“There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge.”

— Bertrand Russell

Tag: transport

  • Who, What, When, Where, Why and How IX — Answers

    Canada–US Border: Boundary markers and a 25 foot (7.6 m) swath cut into the forest marking the Alberta–Montana border.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Today’s Answers

    Six questions today, each starting with one of these words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

    One

    Who led the expedition which became the first undisputed to walk to the North Pole, and in what decade was this achieved?

    Answers: Wally Herbert; 1960s.

    In 1969, Wally Herbert led the British Trans-Arctic Expedition, completing a 3,800-mile (6,115 km) overland crossing of the Arctic Ocean from Alaska to Spitsbergen. Accompanied by Allan Gill, Roy Koerner and Kenneth Hedges, he reached the North Pole on 6 April after spending the winter drifting with the ice. His achievement coincided with the 60th anniversary of Robert Peary’s disputed expedition, and Herbert became the first man widely recognised as having reached the pole on foot. Sir Ranulph Fiennes later described him as “the greatest polar explorer of our time.”

    Two

    What Baltic capital, once labelled the ‘Jerusalem of the North’ by Napoleon, launched a campaign calling itself the ‘G-spot of Europe’, and which country does it serve as the capital of?

    Answers: Vilnius, Lithuania.

    The Vilnius tourist commission has launched a new campaign branding the city as ‘the G-spot of Europe’ to attract young British tourists, using the tagline “Nobody knows where it is, but when you find it – it’s amazing.” The campaign, which has gained international attention, plays on the idea that while few people know where Vilnius is, visitors quickly fall in love with it once they arrive.

    Three

    When did Nils Bohlin’s three-point seat belt first appear (year) as standard equipment in production cars, and which Swedish manufacturer employed him to develop and build them?

    Answers: 1959; Volvo.

    The three-point seat belt was invented by Nils Bohlin a mechanical engineer. Bohlin drew on his experience designing ejection seats for SAAB and spent roughly a year developing the seat belt. The seat belt was first fitted to the Volvo PV544 in 1959. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the seat belt saves approximately 15,000 lives annually in the US. Additionally a study of 28,000 accidents in Sweden, which showed that no belted occupants were fatally injured at speeds below 60 mph or as long as the passenger compartment remained intact.

    Four

    Where does ‘Mr. Smith’ go in the title of an early James Stewart movie?

    Answers: Washington

    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was initially controversial in the U.S. for its portrayal of Washington politics but became a major box office success and made James Stewart a star. The film received eleven Academy Award nominations, winning Best Original Story, and was among the first 25 films selected for the U.S. National Film Registry in 1989 for its cultural and historical significance.

    Five

    Why was the Australian city of Darwin rebuilt twice in the 20th century (two answers one for each rebuilding)?

    Answers: Air raids; Cyclone

    On February 19, 1942, Japanese warplanes attacked Darwin, Australia, in two waves, using the same fleet that bombed Pearl Harbor. The attack caused extensive damage and killed at least 243 people, making it the most serious wartime attack on Australia. On December 25, 1974, Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin, killing 71 people and destroying over 70% of the city’s buildings. This led to the evacuation of 30,000 residents in Australia’s largest airlift. The city was rebuilt in the late 1970s using newer materials, and the satellite city of Palmerston was established nearby in the early 1980s.

    Six

    How many Canadian Provinces share an international border with the U.S.A., and how many U.S. states have such a border with Canada?

    Answers: Eight; Thirteen.

    The length of the terrestrial boundary is 8,891 km (5,525 mi), of which 6,416 km (3,987 mi) is between Canada and the contiguous 48 US states, and 2,475 km (1,538 mi) is between Canada and Alaska. Eight out of thirteen provinces and territories of Canada and thirteen out of fifty U.S. states share this international boundary.

    — Wikipedia

  • Who, What, When, Where, Why and How IX

    Canada–US Border: Boundary markers and a 25 foot (7.6 m) swath cut into the forest marking the border.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Six questions today, each starting with one of these words: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

    One

    Who led the expedition which became the first undisputed to walk to the North Pole, and in what decade was this achieved?

    Two

    What Baltic capital, once labelled the ‘Jerusalem of the North’ by Napoleon, launched a campaign calling itself the ‘G-spot of Europe’, and which country does it serve as the capital of?

    Three

    When did Nils Bohlin’s three-point seat belt first appear (year) as standard equipment in production cars, and which Swedish manufacturer employed him to develop and build them?

    Four

    Where does ‘Mr. Smith’ go in the title of an early James Stewart movie?

    Five

    Why was the Australian city of Darwin rebuilt twice in the 20th century (two answers one for each rebuilding)?

    Six

    How many Canadian Provinces share an international border with the U.S.A., and how many U.S. states have such a border with Canada?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Final Few What ‘*’ — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Today there are six questions to get us to the end of the alphabet.

    One

    Now. . . those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the … Curses.

    — Professor Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14.

    What ‘U’ is the word removed from before the word ‘Curses’ in the above quote from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Secondly, what subject is being taught to the class when the quote is used?

    Answers: Unforgivable; Defence Against the Dark Arts.

    The Unforgivable Curses—Killing, Cruciatus and Imperius—carried life sentences in Azkaban from 1717, with exceptions such as Auror use or Imperius influence. They were permitted during the First Wizarding War and legalised under Lord Voldemort before repeal.

    Two

    What ‘V’, the first aeroplane to fly coast to coast across the United States, was named after a sponsor’s soft drink? What company made the aircraft, and in what cities were the starting point and official destination of the flight?

    Answers: Vin Fiz Flyer. Wright Company (or Wright Brothers); New York and Pasadena, California (or Long Beach).

    Starting point: Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York, on the Atlantic coast.
    Official finishing point: Pasadena, California.
    Final destination: Long Beach, California, on the Pacific coast.

    The first crossing of the United States by airplane was achieved by Calbraith Perry Rodgers in 1911. In 1910, famed publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst announced his offer of a $50,000-prize for a U.S. transcontinental flight in thirty days or less. Rodgers’ Wright EX biplane was named the Vin Fiz after his sponsor’s grape soda product. He left Sheepshead Bay, New York, on September 17, 1911. A “hangar” car, a rolling workshop filled with spare parts to repair and maintain the airplane, followed along. The flight was punctuated by numerous stops, delays, and accidents. When Hearst’s 30-day time limit expired, Rodgers had only reached Kansas City, Missouri. Undaunted, he continued on, determined to make the first transcontinental airplane flight whether he received the money or not. He arrived in Pasadena, California, to a hero’s welcome, 49 days after setting out. Although Pasadena was the official end of the coast-to-coast journey, Rodgers flew on to Long Beach to complete the flight at the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The total distance covered was 6,914 km (4,321 mi) in 82 hours, 4 minutes, total flying time at an average speed of 82.4 kph (51.5 mph).

    — National Air and Space Museum

    Rodgers was killed in a crash shortly after his coast to coast flight.

    Three

    What ‘W’, a 19th-century battle, was known at the time as both the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean and La Belle Alliance? In what present-day country was it fought?

    Answers: Waterloo; Belgium.

    The Battle of Waterloo, fought on June 18, 1815, near Waterloo, marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Imperial Army, led by Napoleon, was defeated by the combined forces of the Seventh Coalition: a British-led army under the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher.

    Four

    What ‘X’ was a film directed by Matthew Vaughn that was released in 2011, and who in this film plays a character with a surname also beginning with ‘X’?

    Answers: X-Men: First Class; James McAvoy.

    The 2011 superhero film X-Men: First Class, directed by Matthew Vaughn. Serving as a prequel to the original X-Men movie, it is set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis and explores the early relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) as they confront the Hellfire Club.

    Five

    What ‘Y’, a present-day city, did the Roman Empire know as Eboracum? How many Roman emperors died at Eboracum?

    Answers: York. Two.

    The name Eboracum derives from the Common Brittonic Eburākon, which carries a debated meaning. It might signify “yew tree place” or “rowan tree place”, or perhaps stem from the Latin for ivory, suggesting boar’s tusks. Latinisation altered the ending to -um, and the term shares origins with several modern French place names. Two Roman emperors died in Eboracum: Septimius Severus in 211 AD and Constantius Chlorus in ‘Y306 AD.

    Six

    What ‘Z’ was the regal name of the last king of Albania and in what two decades did he reign?

    Answer: Zog I; 1920s and ‘30s.

    After serving as prime minister and president with dictatorial powers, Ahmed Muhtar Bey Zogolli declared himself King Zog I of Albania in 1928. His reign was marked by an alliance with Fascist Italy, which eventually led to the Italian invasion of Albania in 1939. Zog was forced into exile, living in England during World War II and later in France, as the post-war Communist government barred his return. He died in 1961, and his remains were transferred to Tirana in 2012.

  • Final Few What ‘*’

    Today there are six questions to get us to the end of the alphabet.

    One

    Now. . . those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the … Curses.

    — Professor Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 14.

    What ‘U’ is the word removed from before the word ‘Curses’ in the above quote from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? Secondly, what subject is being taught to the class when the quote is used?

    Two

    What ‘V’, the first aeroplane to fly coast to coast across the United States, was named after a sponsor’s soft drink? What company made the aircraft, and in what cities were the starting point and official destination of the flight?

    Three

    What ‘W’, a 19th-century battle, was known at the time as both the Battle of Mont Saint-Jean and La Belle Alliance? In what present-day country was it fought?

    Four

    What ‘X’ was a film directed by Matthew Vaughn that was released in 2011, and who in this film plays a character with a surname also beginning with ‘X’?

    Five

    What ‘Y’, a present-day city, did the Roman Empire know as Eboracum? How many Roman emperors died at Eboracum?

    Six

    What ‘Z’ was the regal name of the last king of Albania and in what two decades did he reign?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Scene of Crime — Answer

    Today’s Answers

    Flag of Kenya.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Analyse today’s scene of crime.

    One

    Roxane expresses her love for the title character at the end of which 1897 Edmond Rostand play?

    Answer: Cyrano de Bergerac.

    Edmond Rostand’s 1897 French play Cyrano de Bergerac blends the 17th-century Cyrano’s life with invention and myth; his large nose is real but usually exaggerated in performance.

    Two

    The order Lagomorpha contains the pika and two other animals. What one has a six-lettered name?

    Answer: Rabbit.

    Derived from Greek and meaning ‘hare-shaped’ Lagomorphs comprise Leporidae and Ochotonidae, with 109 extant species across twelve genera and one recently extinct genus. Found on all continents except Antarctica, they differ from rodents by having four upper incisors and more cheek teeth. They are almost exclusively herbivores with fur-covered feet. Great Britain alone is estimated to have about 36 million wild European rabbits.

    Three

    The principal activity of which Yokohama-headquartered company is the production, marketing and sale of commercial vehicles and diesel engines?

    Answer: Isuzu.

    Headquartered in Yokohama, Isuzu Motors Ltd. produces and sells commercial diesel vehicles and engines globally. Operations include subsidiaries such as UD Trucks and Jiangxi Isuzu Motors, with plants in Fujisawa, Tochigi and Hokkaido.

    Four

    Wikipedia describes the design of the Flag of Kenya as follows: ‘A horizontal tricolour of black, white-edged red, and green with two crossed white spears behind a red, white, and black … shield.’ What word has been omitted from the description?

    Answer: Maasai.

    The flag’s design draws from the banner of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the movement that guided independence. KANU’s colours were woven into the national flag alongside the traditional Maasai shield and crossed spears to signal cultural heritage and defence. This adjustment ensured the flag captured both political history and the broader identity of the Kenyan people.

    Five

    What is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States?

    Answer: Everglades.

    The Everglades, a flooded grassland from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay, suffered habitat loss through drainage and development. Conservation efforts resulted with Congress approval of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in 2000.

  • Scene of Crime

    Flag of Kenya.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Analyse today’s scene of crime.

    One

    Roxane expresses her love for the title character at the end of which 1897 Edmond Rostand play?

    Two

    The order Lagomorpha contains the pika and two other animals. What one has a six-lettered name?

    Three

    The principal activity of which Yokohama-headquartered company is the production, marketing and sale of commercial vehicles and diesel engines?

    Four

    Wikipedia describes the design of the Flag of Kenya as follows: ‘A horizontal tricolour of black, white-edged red, and green with two crossed white spears behind a red, white, and black … shield.’ What word has been omitted from the description?

    Five

    What is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Chapter and Verse — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    River Bou Regreg at Rabat.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Subverse the verse!

    One

    Camerlengo Patrick McKenna was played by whom in a 2009 film?

    Answer: Ewan McGregor,

    In Angels & Demons (2009), which was based on Dan Brown’s 2000 novel of the same name, Ewan McGregor portrayed Father Patrick McKenna, the Camerlengo. In the Catholic Church, the Camerlengo (Chamberlain) is the official responsible for the temporal and administrative affairs of the Vatican and the Papacy during the period when the office of the Pope is vacant (sede vacante), following a Pope’s death and before a successor has been elected.

    Two

    What make of car has a name which comes from the Latin meaning ‘roll, cause to roll’?

    Answer: Volvo.

    The name Volvo is derived from the Latin verb volvere, which means “to roll” or “to turn.” This root gives the car brand its connection to rolling motion.

    volvo, volvere, volvi, volutus:

    Verb · 3rd conjugation · variant: 1st · Transitive

    roll, cause to roll; travel in circle/circuit; bring around/about; revolve;

    — Oxford Latin Dictionary

    Three

    What eight-letter noun describes any one of these three historic figures: Jacques Cartier, Edward John Eyre and Henry Hudson?

    Answer: Explorer.

    Jacques Cartier became the first European to venture inland across North America, asserting French authority over the territory he surveyed in 1534. Edward John Eyre was an English explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand’s New Munster province, and Governor of Jamaica. Henry Hudson explored what is now New York and northeastern Canada. Today he has both a river and bay named after him.

    Four

    Sitting at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg on the Atlantic Ocean this capital city of an African country is one of that country’s four imperial cities. It was founded in the 12th century by the Almohad dynasty and became the official capital in 1956 after the country gained independence from France. What is this city?

    Answer: Rabat.

    Rabat, founded by the Almohads in the 12th century, is Morocco’s capital and the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region’s centre. On the Atlantic at the Bou Regreg rivermouth, it became the French protectorate’s administrative hub in 1912 and the capital in 1956.

    Five

    If an airport runway is designated 18 in which direction is it orientated?

    Answer: South

    Runway 18 is oriented south, meaning that aircraft taking off or landing on it are heading in a southerly direction. The opposite end of this runway would be designated as Runway 36, which points north. These numbers refer to south being 180º on a compass and north 360º.

    Bonus Question

    The first letter of each answer, assuming you have answered the five questions correctly, will form a word which is the maiden name of a character in Dutch translations of Harry Potter; the first, second and fifth characters are the same as that used in the English language versions. What character?

    Answer: (Any of) Lily Potter, Lily Evans or Lily Evers.

    See below

    Chapter and Verse

    At the start you were told to ‘subverse the verse’, which I hoped you would read as a prompt to scramble the word ‘verse’ and reorder its letters. Those letters would serve as the initial letters of today’s answers. If solved correctly, you would have an anagram of verse as your first letters: E, V, E, R and S. Harry Potter’s mother Lily has the maiden name Evans in the English books, which became Evers in the Dutch version.

  • Chapter and Verse

    River Bou Regreg.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Subverse the verse!

    One

    Camerlengo Patrick McKenna was played by whom in a 2009 film?

    Two

    What make of car has a name which comes from the Latin meaning ‘roll, cause to roll’?

    Three

    What eight-letter noun describes any one of these three historic figures: Jacques Cartier, Edward John Eyre and Henry Hudson?

    Four

    Sitting at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg on the Atlantic Ocean this capital city of an African country is one of that country’s four imperial cities. It was founded in the 12th century by the Almohad dynasty and became the official capital in 1956 after the country gained independence from France. What is this city?

    Five

    If an airport runway is designated 18 in which direction is it orientated?

    Bonus Question

    The first letter of each answer, assuming you have answered the five questions correctly, will form a word which is the maiden name of a character in Dutch translations of Harry Potter; the first, second and fifth characters are the same as that used in the English language versions. What character?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Stop the Pigeon (Before it is too Old) — Answers

    Today’s Answers

    Today’s questions all relate to the title.

    One

    “Just the place for a …!” the Bellman cried,

              As he landed his crew with care;

    Supporting each man on the top of the tide

              By a finger entwined in his hair.

    What word is missing from the first line of the above?

    Answer: Snark

    The Hunting of the Snark, subtitled An Agony, in Eight Fits, by Lewis Carroll, published in 1876, is a nonsense poem with illustrations by Henry Holiday. It follows a crew hunting the Snark, which turns out to be a Boojum. The poem, dedicated to Gertrude Chataway, has been adapted widely and interpreted in various ways.

    Two

    What, in 1912, was the RMS Titanic’s last port of call before setting out across the Atlantic?

    Answer: Queenstown.

    RMS Titanic originally set sail on 10 April 1912 from Southampton, England; she crossed the English Channel to Cherbourg, France before sailing to Queenstown (now Cobh), County Cork, Ireland, picking up additional passengers at both of these ports before heading into the Atlantic Ocean on her fateful voyage. She struck the iceberg shortly before midnight on the 14 April and about two and a half hours later she broke in two and sank. About 1,500 people perished on the night.

    Three

    Whose 2005 hit song was entitled Caught Up?

    Answer: Usher.

    Caught Up by Usher, from Confessions, was released on 3 January 2005 as the final single. Written by Andre Harris, Vidal Davis, Ryan Toby and Jason Boyd, it reached number eight in the United States and number nine in the United Kingdom. Critics praised the performance; the music video premiered on Fox’s New Year’s Eve Live.

    Four

    The …, the Dish of the Day at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, is a speaking quadruped, a ruminant specially bred not only to wish to be eaten but also to express this.

    What three words (a fictional breed) are absent from this statement?

    Answer: Ameglian Major Cow.

    In The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, part of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an Ameglian Major Cow, bred to want consumption, offers itself at Milliways; Zaphod orders steaks and Arthur a salad. The cow departs to shoot itself humanely, which Arthur finds revolting.

    Five

    The … Overland Mail ran from both Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, going via Fort Smith, Arkansas. to San Francisco, California.

    What name is missing from the previous sentence?

    Answer: Butterfield.

    Butterfield Overland Mail operated from 1858 to 1861, carrying passengers and U.S. Mail from Memphis and St Louis to San Francisco via Fort Smith and multiple territories. Congress authorised Aaron V. Brown to contract this service in 1857; the route became a national historic trail in 2023.

    Stop the Pigeon (Before it is too Old)

    The post title is in two parts: ‘Stop the pigeon’ from Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969) and is only relevant for the inclusion of ‘Pigeon’.  A pigeon, before it is too old, is a squab, and today’s answers begin with S, Q, U, A and B: perhaps a bit cryptic!

  • Stop the Pigeon (Before it is too Old)

    Today’s questions all relate to the title.

    One

    “Just the place for a …!” the Bellman cried,

              As he landed his crew with care;

    Supporting each man on the top of the tide

              By a finger entwined in his hair.

    What word is missing from the first line of the above?

    Two

    What, in 1912, was the RMS Titanic’s last port of call before setting out across the Atlantic?

    Three

    Whose 2005 hit song was entitled Caught Up?

    Answer: Usher.

    Four

    The …, the Dish of the Day at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, is a speaking quadruped, a ruminant specially bred not only to wish to be eaten but also to express this.

    What three words (a fictional breed) are absent from this statement?

    Five

    The … Overland Mail ran from both Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, going via Fort Smith, Arkansas. to San Francisco, California.

    What name is missing from the previous sentence?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.