Quizology.Online

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

— Bertrand Russell

Tag: transport

  • Today’s miscellany

    Queen Victoria.
    Image Wikipedia

    Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, May 24th.

    1. 24 May 1840, saw the maiden journey of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb locomotive. On which of these did this take place?
      • Albany and Pennsylvania Railroad
      • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
      • Cambridge and Connecticut Railroad
    2. Today in 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest took place. Which of these cities hosted it?
      • London, UK
      • Lugano, Switzerland
      • Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
    3. Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819, when did she become Queen?
      • 20 June 1837
      • 21 May 1838
      • 22 July 1839
    4. Born this day in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota, which singer-songwriter penned the lines “You don’t need a weatherman / To know which way the wind blows”?
      • Bob Dylan
      • James Taylor
      • Neil Young
    5. Aldersgate Day, May 24th, is observed by which of these faith groups?
      • Baptists
      • Methodists
      • Quakers

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Flying solo | Answers

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

    Icon from the Mégalo Metéoron Monastery in Greece, representing the First Ecumenical Council of Nikea 325 A.D., with the condemned Arius in the bottom of the icon.
    Image Wikipedia

    Image

    1. On 20th May 325, the first council in the history of the Christian church took place. Where did they meet?
      • Nicaea—The First Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine I in 325, addressed the Christological issue of the divine nature of God the Son and his relationship to God the Father. The council also constructed the first part of the Nicene Creed, mandated uniform Easter observance, and promulgated early canon law.
        Portrait of Tomás Estrada Palma
        Image Wikipedia
    2. Tomás Estrada Palma became his country’s first President when it gained independence from the United States. Of what country was he president?
      • Cuba—Tomás Estrada Palma was a Cuban politician, serving as the first President of Cuba from 1902 to 1906. He improved Cuba’s infrastructure, communication, and public health during his presidency.
        Vasco da Gama.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. On this day in 1498, an explorer’s fleet arrived in India, marking the discovery of a sea route to India from Europe. Who was the explorer?
      • Vasco de Gama—Vasco da Gama led a fleet from Lisbon in 1497, successfully sailing to Calicut, India, and returning two years later. This voyage, the first direct European route to India, opened up new trade opportunities and is celebrated in Luís de Camões’ epic poem, Os Lusíadas.

        Two questions with a theme next.

        Charles Lindbergh with Spirit of St. Louis
        Image Wikipedia
    4. On this day in 1927 Charles Lindbergh took to the skies in the Spirit of St. Louis on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Where did he take off from?
      • Long Island, New York—On 20 May 1927, Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, in his Spirit of St. Louis aeroplane. After a 33.5-hour flight across the Atlantic, facing challenges like icing and fog, he landed at Le Bourget Aerodrome near Paris, France, on 21 May 1927. His transatlantic flight made him the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic.
        Amelia Earhart, 1928.
        Image Wikipedia https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Amelia_Earhart_1928.jpg
    5. Five years after Charles Lindbergh’s historic solo flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart also made history on 20th May 1932. She embarked on the world’s first solo nonstop flight by a female pilot, taking off from Newfoundland, Canada. Where did she land?
      • Derry, Northern Ireland—On 20 May 1932, Amelia Earhart flew solo from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland in a Lockheed Vega 5B, facing strong winds, icy conditions, and mechanical problems. After 14 hours and 56 minutes, she landed in a pasture near Derry.

  • Flying solo

    Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, May 20th.

    Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane, circa late 1920s.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 20th May 325, the first council in the history of the Christian church took place. Where did they meet?
      • Constantinople
      • Ephesus
      • Nicaea
    2. Today in 1902, Tomás Estrada Palma became his country’s first President when it gained independence from the United States. Of what country was he president?
      • Aruba
      • Barbados
      • Cuba
    3. On this day in 1498, an explorer’s fleet arrived in India, marking the discovery of a sea route to India from Europe. Who was the explorer?
      • Ferdinand Magellan
      • Fernão do Pó
      • Vasco de Gama

        Two questions with a theme next.

    4. On this day in 1927 Charles Lindbergh took to the skies in the Spirit of St. Loius on the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Where did he take off from?
      • Bar Harbor, Maine
      • Cape Cod, Massachusetts
      • Long Island, New York
    5. Five years after Charles Lindbergh’s historic solo flight across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart also made history on 20th May 1932. She embarked on the world’s first solo nonstop flight by a female pilot, taking off from Newfoundland, Canada. Where did she land?
      • Derry, Northern Ireland
      • Dumbarton, Scotland
      • Dieppe, France

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Miscellany | Answers

    Here are the answers to the questions posted earlier today. The answers are shown in bold below.

    Bikini Atoll.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
      • Marshall Islands—Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was used by the United States for atomic bomb testing from 1946 to 1958, contaminating the atoll and forcing the relocation of its 166 native inhabitants. Despite cleanup efforts, radiation levels remain too high for resettlement, though tourism is permitted.
        Bluetooth logo
        Image Wikipedia
    2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
      • Harald Bluetooth—ruled Denmark from c. 958 to c. 986, during which time he unified the various tribes, introduced Christianity and consolidated his power. His rule in Norway was brief, likely lasting only a few years in the 970s. The Bluetooth wireless specification would unite devices and so was named after Harald, who united the tribes of Denmark. The Bluetooth logo incorporates his initials, H and B, in Younger Futhark bind runes.
    3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
      • Sanskrit—A pundit is an expert who offers authoritative opinions on a particular subject area, typically through the mass media. The term originates from the Sanskrit word “pandit,” meaning “learned man,” and has historical roots in India, referring to scholars and advisors to the king.
        One of Princess Anne’s Reliant Scimitar GTE’s— she had eight apparently!
        Classicyorkshire.co.uk
    4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer launched this model in 1968?
      • Reliant—a British company commonly known for their three-wheeled Robin produced this sports car from 1964 to 1986, during which time it evolved from a coupe to a sports estate and convertible. It featured a fibreglass body on a steel chassis and Ford engines. The Reliant Scimitar SE5, a sports estate hatchback, was designed in under a year and featured a new chassis, suspension, and fuel system. It was powered by a 3.0-litre Ford Essex engine and could reach over 120 mph. The SE5 was a success, with 4,311 units produced, and Princess Anne received one as a birthday present and reportedly owned eight or nine in total.
        Pipe-weed.
        Image lots.fandom.com
    5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
      • Pipe-weed—is a fictional strain of tobacco from JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with varieties such as Longbottom Leaf, Old Toby, Southern Star and Southlinch. In contrast, Polecat weed, also known as Symplocarpus foetidus or skunk cabbage, is a real low-growing plant found in eastern North American wetlands, characterised by its bruised leaves that emit a skunk-like odour. Additionally, Colic weed encompasses species like Aletris, Corydalis flavula and Dicentra.
    Merry and Pippin smoking pipe-weed.
    Image Pinterest

  • Miscellany

    Here are some questions with no link to anything other than general miscellany.

    Scimitar GTE.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. Bikini Atoll is in which island group?
      • Marshall Islands
      • Solomon Islands
      • Wallis and Futuna Islands
    2. Which king is credited with the unification of Denmark?
      • Harald Greycloak
      • Harald Bluetooth
      • Sweyn Forkbeard
    3. The word “Pundit” comes from which language where it means “learned man”?
      • Mesopotamian
      • Egyptian
      • Sanskrit
    4. A Scimitar GTE sports car was given to Princess Anne by her parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as a 20th birthday present in 1970. Which British car manufacturer had launched this model in 1968 ?
      • Jaguar
      • Lotus
      • Reliant
    5. Two of these are real plants and one fictional, what is the fictional one?
      • Pipe-weed
      • Colic weed
      • Polecat weed

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • True or false | Answers

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

    Anne Boleyn.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. Anne Boleyn was arrested and imprisoned on 2 May 1536. True or false, one of the charges she faced was witchcraft.
      • TRUE—Anne Boleyn was arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
        Baron Manfred von Richthofen. Image Wikipedia
        Oberleutnant Hermann Göring, the final Kommandeur of Jagdgeschwader I. Image Wikipedia
    2. Manfred, Baron von Richthofen, born on 2 May 1892, became Germany’s top fighter ace in World War I until he was killed in action. True or false, he was eventually succeeded as commander of his fighter group by future Nazi leader Hermann Göring.
      • TRUE—Manfred von Richthofen, aka Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war and officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Hermann Göring, himself a veteran World War I fighter pilot ace, served as the last commander of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG I), the fighter wing—Flying Circus—once led by Manfred von Richthofen. In the above photo Göring is holding a walking stick (the Geschwader-Stock) passed down from von Richthofen.
        A BOAC de Havilland Comet jet airliner, en route to Johannesburg from London, breaks its journey at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. 1952
        Image Wikipedia https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/BOAC_Comet_1952_Entebbe.jpg
    3. On this day in 1952, the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers took place. True or false, this flight was from Seattle, Washington to Washington DC.
      • FALSE—The de Havilland DH.106 Comet, the world’s first commercial jet airliner, entered service in 1952 with a flight from London, England to Johannesburg, South Africa. However, within a year, three Comets were lost in catastrophic mid-flight accidents.
        Catherine the Great.
        Image Wikipedia
    4. Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was born today in 1729. True or false, she was born in the Kingdom of Prussia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
      • TRUE—Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796, was born in Prussia in the Holy Roman Empire. She oversaw a cultural and scientific renaissance, expanding the empire through conquest and diplomacy. Her reign, marked by Enlightenment ideals, saw the founding of new cities, universities, and theatres, as well as the colonisation of Alaska and the annexation of the Crimean Khanate. Despite her modernising efforts, serfdom persisted, leading to rebellions.
        James VI and I.
        (James VI of Scotland and I of England)
        Image Wikipedia
    5. The King James Version of the Bible was first published on 2 May; True or false, the year of this first publication was1661.
      • FALSE—The King James Version, commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, is an Early Modern English translation of the Christian Bible. It is considered one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in shaping the English-speaking world.

  • True of false

    Jadstaffel 11: The Red Barons Squadron
    Image Wikipedia

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

    1. Anne Boleyn was arrested and imprisoned on 2 May 1536. True or false, one of the charges she faced was witchcraft.
    2. Manfred, Baron von Richthofen, born on 2 May 1892, became Germany’s top fighter ace in World War I until he was killed in action. True or false, he was eventually succeeded as commander of his fighter group by future Nazi leader Hermann Göring.
    3. On this day in 1952, the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers took place. True or false, this flight was from Seattle, Washington to Washington DC.
    4. Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, was born today in 1729. True or false, she was born in the Kingdom of Prussia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire.
    5. The King James Version of the Bible was first published on 2 May; True or false, the year of this first publication was 1661.

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Cars, boats and telegraphy | Answers

    Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.

    See #2. Aerial view of the Suez Canal at Suez.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
      • France—France introduced registration plates in 1893, followed by Germany and the Netherlands. The US began requiring plates in 1903, with New York being the first state (this was after NY first requiring in 1901 that the owner’s initials be clearly visible on the back of the vehicle).
    2. Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
      • One—Egypt. The Suez Canal, a 120-mile (193 km) artificial waterway in Egypt, connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas, providing a direct trade route between Europe and Asia. Constructed between 1859 and 1869, it is operated by the Suez Canal Authority and offers a significant shortcut for vessels, reducing travel time between the Arabian Sea and Europe. Utilising several lakes, it is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The canal’s strategic importance has led to historical events like its nationalisation in 1956 and closure during the Six-Day War.
        The Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway.
        Image Wikipedia
    3. Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
      • 2,340 miles/3,766 km—The Saint Lawrence Seaway, a joint Canada-US project, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. It opened North America’s industrial and agricultural heartlands to deep-draft ocean vessels and forged the final link in a 2,340 miles/3,766 km long waterway from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Atlantic by clearing a throughway in an 186-mile/299 km stretch of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Lake Ontario.
        Guglielmo Marconi.
        Image Wikipedia
  • On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
    • Guglielmo Marconi—an Italian electrical engineer and physicist, invented the wireless telegraph, or radio, in 1896, and received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1909. He later worked on shortwave wireless communication, the foundation of modern long-distance radio. Marconi’s early experiments in Italy led him to London, where he received support and filed his first radio patent in 1896. He founded the Marconi Company in the UK and was ennobled as a marquess in 1929.
  • On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
    • Nicaragua—Violeta Chamorro, became Central America’s first female president in 1990, serving until 1997. After her husband, Pedro Chamorro, was assassinated by the Somoza dictatorship in 1978, she took over his newspaper, La Prensa, and became a symbol of opposition against the Sandinista government that overthrew the Somozas. As president, Chamorro reversed Sandinista policies, privatised state industries and promoted national reconciliation. Her presidency was marked by economic strife and social unrest, but she successfully ended hyperinflation and re-established international banking relationships.
    • Flag of Nicaragua.
    Image Wikipedia

  • Cars, boats and telegraphy

    Here are some questions relating to today, 25 April.

    See #1. The first automobile license plate issued in the State of Minnesota, 1903.
    Image Wikipedia
    1. On 25 April 1901, New York became the first US state to mandate license plates with a law ordering automobiles and motorcycles to display “the separate initials of the owner’s name placed upon the back thereof in a conspicuous place.” But where was the first place to legally require a registration or licence plate?
      • Belgium
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    2. Today in 1859, construction of the Suez Canal officially began. How many countries does it pass through?
      • One
      • Two
      • Three
    3. Today in 1959, exactly 100 years after work began on the Suez Canal (see #2 above), the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened, completing the link from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and allowing ocean-going ships to reach the westernmost point of Lake Superior. What distance is the westernmost point of Lake Superior from the Atlantic Ocean?
      • 1,230 miles/1,979 km
      • 1,785 miles/2,873 km
      • 2,340 miles/3,766 km
    4. On this day in 1874, a physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (Physics, 1909) was born. He invented a successful system of radio telegraphy. Who was he?
      • Alessandro Volta
      • Enrico Fermi
      • Guglielmo Marconi
    5. On 25 April 1990, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro became Central America’s first female president. What country was she president of?
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua

    Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

  • Number Crunching

    See #2 below. RMS Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912. Wikipedia

    Today’s post is all about today’s date, 14 April, and all the answers are numbers.

    1. What two words are missing from this text regarding an April 14, 1881 gunfight: The ___ Dead in ___ Seconds Gunfight?
      • Four and five
      • Five and ten
      • Six and fifteen.
    2. In 1912, the British passenger liner RMS Titanic struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic, causing it to begin sinking. Where was it when it struck the iceberg?
      • 220 miles (350 km) south of Iceland
      • 370 miles (600 km) southeast of Newfoundland
      • 590 miles (950 km) northwest of the Azores.
        William Grover-Williams at the 1929 Monaco Grand Prix. Wikipedia
    3. In motor racing, the inaugural Monaco Grand Prix took place on this date when a number of invited participants started the race. In what year did this inaugural race take place and how many drivers participated?
      • 1923 and 10 drivers
      • 1929 and 16 drivers
      • 1934 and 12 drivers.
    4. On 14 April 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. What number President was Lincoln and how many days later was his assassin killed?
      • 14th President and 17 days
      • 15th President and 9 days
      • 16th President and 12 days.
    5. Today in 1986, the heaviest hailstones ever recorded fell on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, resulting in fatalities. How heavy were the individual hailstones and how many people died?
      • 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) and 47 persons
      • 0.75 kg (1.65 lb) and 64 persons
      • 1 kg (2.2 lb) and 92 persons.
    6. On this day, Mark Antony was defeated at the Battle of Forum Gallorum. This was some 13 years before his death, so when was the battle?
      • 43 BCE
      • 3CE
      • 43 CE

    Good luck! As usual, I will post answers later today.