Tag: transport

Crossing the pond

Today a mixture of questions, some of which entail crossing the Atlantic.

Pink Floyd at Live Aid, London.
Image Wikipedia

One

The Live Aid concerts were held on Saturday, 13 July 1985 in the UK and the USA. In which two stadiums were these concerts held?

Two

R.34 became the first aircraft to make a return transatlantic flight. What seven letter word best describes R.34?

Three

Today, in 1930, the inaugural FIFA World Cup began in Uruguay. Thirteen teams participated in the competition. Can you name as many of the four European teams that took part?

Four

On this day, Vice President George HW Bush became the Acting President for the day while the President was undergoing surgery. Who was the President?

Five

The Dartmouth workshop, widely considered as the first conference on artificial intelligence, was held during the summer of…

  • 1956
  • 1961
  • 1965

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Through the looking glass

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

First public demonstration in Annonay, 4 June 1783.
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  1. On 4 June 1783, an uncrewed hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay in southeastern France. This marked the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large, lightweight bag rises. Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon? Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon?
    • Montgolfier Brothers—Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, invented the hot air balloon and conducted the first untethered flights in 1783.
      Transcontinental Express.
      Image Pinterest
  2. On this day in 1876, the first Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco after travelling from New York. How long did the journey take?
    • 83 hours and 39 minutes—On 4 June 1876, the Transcontinental Express, an express train, arrived in San Francisco, California, via the first transcontinental railroad. This remarkable feat was achieved in just 83 hours and 39 minutes, leaving New York City behind. The news of the Transcontinental Express’s arrival spread rapidly across the United States, captivating newspapers and sparking widespread excitement.
      Ariane 5 flight VA-256 on the launch pad with the James Webb Space Telescope
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Today in 1996, the maiden flight of the European Space Agencies Ariane 5 rocket ended in an explosion after 37 seconds. What was the cause of this incident?
    • Software bug—Ariane flight V88, the maiden flight of Ariane 5, failed due to software errors causing the rocket to veer off course and self-destruct. The failure, costing over US$370 million, is known as one of the most infamous software bugs in history.
      Henry Ford sits in his first automobile, the Ford Quadricycle, in 1896.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. In 1896, Henry Ford completed a successful test on his first gasoline-powered automobile. What did he call it?
    • Ford Quadricycle—in 1896, Henry Ford completed his first experimental automobile, the Quadricycle, in Detroit. This success led to his founding of the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and become one of the world’s richest men. The original Quadricycle is in The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
      Illustration of Humpty Dumpty by John Tenniel, from Through the Looking Glass, 1871.
      Image Wikipedia
  5. On 4 June 1937, an American supermarket chain introduced one of the world’s first shopping carts. What was the supermarket chain?
    • Humpty Dumpty—Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma. Inspired by a night of contemplation in his office in 1936, Goldman wondered how customers could move more groceries.

Through the looking glass

Here are a few questions which are related to today’s date, June 4th.

Illustration from Through the Looking Glass.
Image Wikipedia
  1. On 4 June 1783, an uncrewed hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay in southeastern France. This marked the first public demonstration of the discovery that hot air in a large, lightweight bag rises. Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon? Who made this discovery and constructed and launched the balloon?
    • Leclerc Bothers
    • Meirovitz Brothers
    • Montgolfier Brothers
  2. On this day in 1876, the first Transcontinental Express arrived in San Francisco after travelling from New York. How long did the journey take?
    • 67 hours and 54 minutes
    • 75 hours and 22 minutes
    • 83 hours and 39 minutes
  3. Today in 1996, the maiden flight of the European Space Agencies Ariane 5 rocket ended in an explosion after 37 seconds. What was the cause of this incident?
    • Fuel leak
    • Lightning strike
    • Software bug
  4. In 1896, Henry Ford completed a successful test on his first gasoline-powered automobile. What did he call it?
    • Ford Gasoline-Carriage
    • Ford Model A
    • Ford Quadricycle
  5. On 4 June 1937, an American supermarket chain introduced one of the world’s first shopping carts. What was the supermarket chain?
    • Humpty Dumpty
    • Daisy
    • Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

ABC | Answers

Chinchilla (See question 5).
Image Wikipedia

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

  1. Founded in the 1990s, WestJet is the second-largest airline in which Commonwealth country?
    • Canada—WestJet, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, is Canada’s second-largest airline. It operates scheduled, charter and cargo air service to over 100 destinations across North America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Central America. WestJet is not a member of any major airline alliances but utilises codeshare and interline agreements.
  2. The first geological period of the Paleozoic Era has a Latin name connected to Wales. What is it?
    • Cambrian—The term Cambrian is derived from the Latin version of Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, where rocks of this age were first studied. Adam Sedgwick named it in 1835. The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting 51.95 million years. It witnessed the Cambrian explosion, producing the first representatives of most modern animal phyla. The Cambrian is characterised by the assembly of Gondwana and the development of new plate boundaries.
      Frontispiece, 1889 edition A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
      Image Wikipedia
  3. In Mark Twain’s novel, Hank Morgan is the titular Yankee. What word is missing from the title: A … Yankee in King Arthur’s Court?
    • Connecticut—A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court is a satirical novel by Mark Twain. The story follows Hank Morgan, a Yankee engineer transported back in time to King Arthur’s court, where he uses his knowledge to modernise the past and challenge feudalism and monarchy.
      Achilles.
      Image Wikipedia
  4. Which of these was a mythical hero whom Thetis dressed as a girl and hid with King Lycomedes of Skyros?
    • Achilles—To protect Achilles from the war, Thetis hid him disguised as a princess at the court of Lycomedes. Odysseus, disguised as a pedlar, discovered Achilles’ true identity and convinced him to join the Greek campaign against Troy.
  5. What animal is pictured at the top of this post?
    • Chinchilla—native to the Andes mountains in South America, are known for their dense fur and are related to viscachas and chinchilla rats. Historically hunted for their fur, most chinchillas today are farm-raised for the fur industry, while domestic chinchillas are sometimes kept as pets.

ABC

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Today’s questions have answers which begin with A, B or C.

  1. Established in the 1990s, WestJet is the second-largest airline in which Commonwealth country?
    • Australia
    • Barbados
    • Canada
  2. The first geological period of the Paleozoic Era has a Latin name connected to Wales. What is it?
    • Aquitanian
    • Burdigalian
    • Cambrian
  3. In Mark Twain’s novel, Hank Morgan is the titular Yankee. What word is missing from the title: A … Yankee in King Arthur’s Court?
    • Appalachian
    • Baltimore
    • Connecticut
  4. Which of these was a mythical hero whom Thetis dressed as a girl and hid with King Lycomedes of Skyros?
    • Achilles
    • Basilisk
    • Chiron
  5. What animal is pictured at the top of this post?
    • Agouti
    • Bushbaby
    • Chinchilla

Good luck! I will post the answers later today.

Today’s miscellany | Answers

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

Tom Thumb.
Image B&O Railroad Museum
  1. 24 May 1840, saw the maiden journey of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb locomotive. On which of these did this take place?
    • Baltimore and Ohio Railroad—Tom Thumb, the first American-built steam locomotive, was designed by Peter Cooper in 1829 to demonstrate steam power to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Though it lost a race to a horse-drawn carriage, the demonstration convinced the railroad to adopt steam locomotives.
      Lys Assia.
      Winner of the Inaugural Eurovision Song Contest, 1956. (Photo 1957)
      Image Wikipedia
  2. Today in 1956, the first Eurovision Song Contest took place. Which of these cities hosted it?
    • Lugano, Switzerland—The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual international song competition organised by the European Broadcasting Union. Participating countries submit original songs to be performed live and voted on by other countries, with the song receiving the most points declared the winner. The contest, inspired by the Sanremo Music Festival, has been held annually since 1956, making it the longest-running international music competition on television.
      Queen Victoria.
      Image Wikipedia
  3. Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819, when did she become Queen?
    • 20 June 1837—Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901, oversaw significant industrial, political, and scientific changes in the United Kingdom and the expansion of the British Empire. After the death of her husband, Prince Albert, she withdrew from public life but later regained popularity, before dying at the age of 81.
      Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.
      Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C., 28 August 1963.
      Image Wikipedia
  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—These lines are found at the end of the second verse of Bob Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues (see lyrics quoted below), released in 1965 as a single and later on the album Bringing It All Back Home. It was Dylan’s first Top 40 hit in the US and is ranked 187th on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
      John Wesley.
      Portrait by George Romney.
      Image National Portrait Gallery, London/Wikipedia
  5. Aldersgate Day, 24 May, is observed by which of these faith groups?
    • Methodists—Methodism, founded by John Wesley and his brother Charles, originated as a movement within the Church of England in the 18th century, emphasising sanctification and the transformative power of faith. Known for its focus on evangelism, charity, social justice, and a rich musical tradition, Methodism has spread globally through missionary work, with about 80 million adherents. The Wesley brothers began the “Holy Club” at the University of Oxford, where they lived a disciplined religious life, earning the nickname “Methodist” for their systematic approach. In 1735, they traveled to America as ministers but returned to England feeling spiritually unfulfilled. Seeking guidance, John Wesley experienced a pivotal evangelical conversion at a Moravian service in Aldersgate on 24 May 1738, feeling his “heart strangely warmed” and gaining assurance of salvation through Christ. This experience, along with Charles’s similar conversion, marked a monumental moment in the history of Methodism, ensuring its lasting impact on church history.

Subterranean Homesick Blues

WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN 

Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doin’ it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin’ for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
By the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten

Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin’ that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone’s tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D.A.
Look out kid
Don’t matter what you did
Walk on your tiptoes
Don’t try “No-Doz”
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don’t need a weatherman
To know which way the wind blows

Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin’ to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You’re gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin’ for a new fool
Don’t follow leaders
Watch the parkin’ meters

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don’t steal, don’t lift
Twenty years of schoolin’
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don’t wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don’t wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don’t work
’Cause the vandals took the handles

Copyright © 1965 by Warner Bros. Inc.; renewed 1993 by Special Rider Music

bobdylan.com

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
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  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
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  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