The Daily Teaser …

Morning, everyone!

That’s a bit of a bland start, isn’t it?

Isn’t it?

I’m thinking to myself that I’d LIKE to look like a quirkily strange, mildly surreal, and hopefully readable blogger.

Or person, actually, now I come to think of it.

And I come up with ‘Good Morning’?

…

…

You know, maybe I should start writing after I’ve had me first cuppa …

Let’s move on, shall we ?

Yes …

Yesterday’s Teaser was a damn good one to read.

It saw Andy, Trevor and Andrea all get 5 out of 5.

But Andy, in particular put in some fantastic quotes.

All that, and he bagged the Official First-In-Clap!

What can I tell you?

Apart from ‘Here’s Today’s questions, along with the “How To” and License’ …

Q1) 26th March, 1999, saw the first example of which virus?

Q2) 26th March, 1971, saw East Pakistan declare independence. From where?

Q3) More to the point, how is East Pakistan now known?

Q4) 26th March, 1953, saw Dr Jonas Salk announce a vaccine for which disease?

Q5) 26th March, 1981, saw four former Labour Party member’s announce the formation of the Social Democratic Party: what was the collective nickname for those four people?

Q6) More to the point, name one of them.

Q7) 26th March, 1976, saw the Queen send the first Royal what, from the Royal Signals and Rader Establishment?

Q8) And finally … 26th March, 2006, saw a ban on what in enclosed public places go into force in Scotland?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 25th March, 1306, saw who become King of Scotland?

A1) Robert 1st. Otherwise known as Robert the Bruce.

Q2) 663 years later, 25th March, 1969, saw which honeymooning couple hold a Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton?

A2) John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Q3) 12 years earlier, 25th March, 1957 saw the signing of the Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community: also known, of course, as the Common Market. Name any two of the original signatory nations.

A3) Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

Q4) 22 years after that, 25th March, 1979, saw the first fully functioning space shuttle being delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center, to be prepared for launch: which shuttle was it?

A4) The Columbia.

Q5) And finally … 25th March, 1969, saw the death of band leader, Billy Cotton. Which musical instrument did he start his musical career playing?

A5) The Drums. (Pick a drummer joke, any drummer joke. Here’s the important part: don’t tell me which one you pick … !)

And — as it’s Friday — here’s the 60-question set, for struggling pub-quizmasters: covered — as ever — by the same Creative Commons License as the rest of the blog. (Paul, I hope that mean’s I get a mention, when you’re on Leith FM … !)

Online 47.

Round One. General Knowledge.

Q1) Which part of France does a Breton come from?

A1) Brittany.

Q2) Huey Lewis hit, The Power of Love was featured in which Michael J. Fox film?

A2) Back to the Future.

Q3) Which Latin American country has a name that translates as ‘Rich Coast’?

A3) Costa Rica.

Q4) According to the rules of Cricket, how wide — in inches — should a wicket be?

A4) Nine inches.

Q5) What was the first UK hit for Eartha Kitt?

A5) Under the Bridges of Paris.

Q6) Which musical featured the Family Von Trapp?

A6) The Sound of Music.

Q7) Claret comes from which European country?

A7) France.

Q8) What is the largest moon of Saturn?

A8) Titan.

Q9) A drey is a squirrel’s home, but is also the name of a female what?

A9) Yak

Q10) Captain Henry Webb was the first man to swim what?

A10) The English Channel.

Round Two. True or False.

Q11) The cylinder lock was invented by Mr Yale?

A11) True.

Q12) Aldous Huxley taught George Orwell, while the latter was at Eton?

A12) True.

Q13) In the southern hemisphere, water drains anti-clockwise, down the plughole?

A13) False. (It goes clock-wise.)

Q14) A dodecagon was an Jurassic era dinosaur?

A14) False, it’s a twelve-sided shape.

Q15) Kr is the chemical symbol for Krypton?

A15) True.

Q16) The lawn mower was first invented by a Mr Budding?

A16) True.

Q17) New York contains the world’s first skyscraper?

A17) False; - its in Chicago.

Q18) Gorillas are more closely related to humans than chimpanzees?

A18) False, the chimp’s a nearer relative.

Q19) Lord Baden-Powell started the Girl Guides, as well as the Boy Scouts.

A19) True.

Q20) Frequent gallery visitors often contract Stendhal’s Syndrome, a form of Art fatigue?

A20) False.

Round Three. Food and Drink.

Q21) Which British PM’s last words were “I think I could eat one of Bellamy’s veal pies”?

A21) William Pitt the Younger.

Q22) Dr William Oliver gave his name to what kind of biscuit?

A22) A Bath Oliver.

Q23) Sliced bread first appeared in which decade?

A23) The 1930’s.

Q24) Until the BSE scare, what was Desperate Dan’s favourite food?

A24) Cow Pies. (Obviously, he’d never had one of Mr Bellamy’s famous veal pies …)

Q25) According to Dr Johnson, what was eaten by horses in England, & people in Scotland?

A25) Oats.

Q26) What’s the main ingredient of Laver Bread?

A26) Seaweed.

Q27) Chilli con Carne originates in which US state?

A27) Texas.

Q28) What dish is known as a ‘London Particular’?

A28) Pea soup.

Q29) If you’re being served Steak tartare, is the steak raw or well done?

A29) Raw.

Q30) Is Manx whisky clear, or brown?

A30) Clear.

Round Four. Music & Lights.

Q31) Name both acts to have had a UK hit with La Bamba.

A31) Richey Valens, and Los Lobos.

Q32) Which opera company were Gilbert & Sullivan most associated with?

A32) D’Oyley Carte.

Q33) Which London pub is mentioned in Pop Goes The Weasel?

A33) The Eagle.

Q34) What sort of music is often heard at the Grand Ole’ Opry?

A34) Country, & Country and Western.

Q35) Two singers have had a hit with I Will Always Love You; - name one of them.

A35) Whitney Houston, recently, and Dolly Parton.

Q36) Which American rock star is also known as ‘The Boss’?

A36) Bruce Springsteen.

Q37) Which punk icons appeared in The Great Rock & Roll Swindle?

A37) The Sex Pistols.

Q38) In the song, Waltzin’ Matilda, what tree does the Jolly Swagman camp out under?

A38) A colabah tree. (Rather than a second hand school bus, before anyone mentions Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.)

Q39) In the Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction, what record do the characters Vincent and Mia dance to?

A39) You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry.

Q40) Who wrote the 1812 Overture?

A40) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Round Five. Culture & Belief.

Q41) Advent is the period leading up to which Christian holiday?

A41) Christmas.

Q42) Which two months of the calendar are named after Roman emperors?

A42) July and August. (Named after Julius Cæser and his successor, Augustus, respectively.)

Q43) Which Jewish prophet was prepared to sacrifice his eldest son to God?

A43) Abraham.

Q44) If you were born of the 2nd of September, what would your star sign be?

A44) Virgo.

Q45) In the Bible, who rode the Pale Horse?

A45) Death.

Q46) The Greek and Roman gods of the sun had the same name; - what was it?

A46) Apollo.

Q47) What German word describes the spirit of an age?

A47) Zeitgeist.

Q48) What is Sianel Pedwar Cymru also known as?

A48) S4C. (The welsh TV station.)

Q49) What’s the collective name of the 14 books that appear in the Catholic version of the Bible, but not the protestant?

A49) The Apocrypha.

Q50) ‘The Sweeney’ is cockney rhyming slang for what, the Flying Squad, the Vice Squad or the Fraud Squad?

A50) The Flying Squad.

Round Six. The Written Word.

Q51) In which of Ian Fleming’s novels was James Bonds preference for ‘shaken, not stirred’ vodka martini’s first noted?

A51) Diamonds are Forever, in 1956. (The phrase isn't actually used, until the release of Dr No, two years later. There’s also a lot of debate about this one …)

Q52) The Highway Code was first published when: 1927, 1929, or 1931?

A52) 1931.

Q53) Which US writer coined the term ‘the beat generation’, Jack Keroac or Truman Capote?

A53) Jack Keroac.

Q54) What, According to the Arabian Nights, are the magic words that open the cave of the Forty Thieves?

A54) ‘Open Sesame.’

Q55) Who wrote the Foundation series of sci-fi novels?

A55) Isaac Asimov.

Q56) Which of the Bronte sister’s wrote Wuthering Heights?

A56) Emily Bronte.

Q57) Scarlett O’Hara & Rhett Butler’s daughter died how?

A57) In a horse riding accident.

Q58) How many letters are there, in the Greek alphabet?

A58) 24.

Q59) Which Harper Lee novel features the character Boo Radley?

A59) To Kill A Mockingbird.

Q60) Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet became Tony and Maria: in which musical?

A60) West Side Story.

Enjoy those, folks …

I’ll catch you when I’ve had some more sleep!