The Daily Teaser and the Friday Question Set — 14-10-2011

Wha … ?

Wait a minute, hang on … ?

Oh …

Hmmm …

Well, it was going to happen at SOME point … !

You possibly don’t know this, but here in the UK, we’ve slowly been switching from analogue TV signals, to digital ones.

Which is nice and shiny and wonderfully technological.

And Dear Ol’ Aunty Beeb — the BBC, in case you’re wondering — has just issued a news piece about the last areas to see their analogue signal switched off.

Next April.

According to this site, anyway, although the last area to change, Northern Ireland, will switch in October.

Hmmm …

Oh will …

I’ll have to hope I’ve a way to afford a new telly, by then!

»»Î««

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi — all on her ownsome, still — put in her answers: and, along with giving a certain someone’s coverage of The Fades* a mention, also managed to bag 6 out of 6.

Lets see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we? Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, Creative Commons License and video …

Q1) 14th October, 1066, saw the Battle Of Hastings, the key battle in the Norman conquest of England: what nickname did his fellow Frenchmen give William The Conqueror?

Q2) More to the point, is the Bayeux Tapestry, that commemorates the event, a tapestry … ?

Q3) 14th October, 1920, saw the USSR cede part of Petsamo Province … to which country … ?

Q4) 14th October, 1994, saw three people win the Nobel Peace Prize: name any of them …

Q5) And finally … 14th October, 1969, saw the introduction of which piece of English coinage … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 13th October, 1988, saw the British government lose its court battle to prevent the publication of Spycatcher: who wrote Spycatcher?

A1) Former MI5 officer, Peter Wright.

Q2) 13th October, 1943, saw Italy declare war … on who … ?

A2) Germany.

Q3) 13th October, 1923, saw which city named as the new capital of Turkey?

A3) Ankara.

Q4) Following on … 13th October, 1923, saw which city replaced as the capital of Turkey … ?

A4) Istanbul. (Rather than, say, Constantinopolis. Or Byzantium. Or Lygos, Augusta Antonina, Rūmiyyat al-kubra, Tsarigrad or Miklagard … yeah, you get me gist … )

Q5) 13th October, 1884, saw the Greenwich Meridian named as the base-line for Universal time: is that meridian a line of longitude, or latitude … ?

A5) Longitude.

Q6) And finally … 13th October, 1301, saw agents of Phillippe Le Bel of France arrest hundreds of members of which order … ?

A6) The Knights Templar.

And … ? As it’s Friday — again — here’s the 60-Question-set, for struggling pub quiz-masters: covered, as ever, by the same Creative Commons License as ever.

Online 125

ROUND ONE. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) Which European country is a car from, if it has the international registration letter, P?

A1) Portugal.

Q2) Which Ben played the part of Fagin, in the Roman Polanski version of Oliver Twist?

Q2) Ben Kinsgley.

Q3) What sort of mammal is a flying fox?

A3) A bat.

Q4) What type of canoe is a palindrome?

A4) A kayak. (It’s spelt the same backwards, as forwards.)

Q5) How many miles in eight kilometers?

A5) 5 miles

Q6) Which US rocker’s recorded the album, America’s Least Wanted, back in the 1990s?

A6) Ugly Kid Joe. (Which featured I Hate Everything About You.)

Q7) Which woodland area of Hampshire is noted for its ponies?

A7) The New Forest.

Q8) Who co-wrote The Communist Manifesto? (1 point for one answer, two for both.)

A8) Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels.

Q9) What did a fletcher traditionally make?

A9) Arrows.

Q10) What is the opposite of alkali?

A10) Acid.

ROUND TWO. NAME THAT TUNE

Q11) ‘Wella, wella, wella, Uh!’

A11) Summer Lovin’. (John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and the cast of Grease.)

Q12) ‘No pop, no style, us strictly roots.’

A12) Uptown Top Ranking. (Anthea & Donna.)

Q13) ‘Camp is very entertaining, and they say we’ll have some fun, when it stops raining.’

A13) Hello Mother, Hello Father. (Alan Sherman.)

Q14) ‘Das ist gut, Ich lieber dich.’

A14) Hit me With Your Rhythm Stick. (Ian Dury & the Blockheads.)

Q15) ‘It was a kind of so-so love, and I’m gonna make sure it never happens again.’

A15) Say Hello, Wave Goodbye. (Soft Cell)

Q16) ‘I’ve got a funny feeling, if we remove the ceiling.’

A16) Right, Said Fred. (Bernard Cribbins.)

Q17) ‘And when he died, all that he left us was alone.’

A17) Papa was A Rolling Stone. (The Temptations, Was Not Was)

Q18) ‘If you can’t find a partner, use a wooden chair?’

A18) Jailhouse Rock. (Elvis Presley.)

Q19) ‘My name is Sue, how do you do?’

A19) A Boy Named Sue. (Johnny Cash.)

Q20) ‘They call her Natasha, when she looks like Elsie?’

A20) I don’t Want Go To Chelsea. (Elvis Costello.)

ROUND THREE. SCIENCE AND NATURE.

Q21) What is D2O?

A21) Heavy water. (It use’s an isotope of hydrogen.)

Q22) What was the third planet to be visited by a human spacecraft?

A22) Mars.

Q23) Which country was the third to have a man in space?

A23) Czechoslovakia.

Q24) What’s the longest bone in the arm?

A24) The humorous. (Accept Funny Bone.)

Q25) The water in rivers is provided from either melted snow, springs and what else?

A25) Rain.

Q26) What’s the world’s largest desert?

A26) The Sahara.

Q27) What type of astronomical object is V4641 Sgr?

A27) A Black Hole.

Q28) What is our solar system’s nearest stellar neighbour?

A28) Proxima Centauri

Q29) Iowa, Texas and Nebraska form what?

A29) Tornado Alley.

Q30) Which Asian sea is the deepest?

A30) The South China Sea.

ROUND FOUR. WORLD LEADERS.

Q31) Spiro T. Agnew was Vice President to which notorious US President?

A31) Richard Millhouse Nixon

Q32) Who did Idi Amin oust from power?

A32) Milton Obote.

Q33) Who succeeded President Nasser, as Egyptian President?

A33) Anwar Sadat.

Q34) Bill Clinton was Governor of which US State?

A34) Arkansas.

Q35) Mary Robinson was the first female president of which European country?

A35) The Republic of Ireland. (Accept Eiré.)

Q36) Which Archbishop became the first president of an independent Cyprus?

A36) Archbishop Makarios.

Q37) Italian PM Aldo Moro was killed by which terrorist group, the Red Brigade, the Red Army Faction or the IRA?

A37) The Red Brigade.

Q38) Who was the first PM to give birth, in office?

A38) Benazir Bhutto.

Q39) Who ousted Nikita Khrushchev from office?

A39) Leonid Brezhnev.

Q40) Canaan Banana was the first president of which African nation: Zimbabwe, Zambia or Ethiopia?

A40) Zimbabwe.

ROUND FIVE. MOVIE COMEDIES.

Q41) In which 2002 movie did Nia Vardalos play a frumpy waitress, in her family’s Greek restaurant?

A41) My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Q42) In Bridget Jones Diary, what’s Bridget’s bosses’ name?

A42) Daniel.

Q43) In the 2001 hit movie directed by Gurinder Chadha, which former England captain gets a name check?

A43) David Beckham. (In the film, Bend it like Beckham)

Q44) Who voiced Mikey, in the film, Look Who’s Talking?

A44) Bruce Willis.

Q45) Which tough film star — and former Governor of California — was the star of Kindergarten Cop?

A45) Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Q46) Which film was about the activities of a small group of unemployed New York based parapsychologists?

A46) Ghostbusters.

Q47) Crocodile Dundee is set in which area of New York?

A47) Manhattan.

Q48) Who was Richard Gere’s co-star, in the film, Pretty Woman?

A48) Julia Roberts.

Q49) Two actors were the stars of When Harry Met Sally: name either. (Two points for both.)

A49) Meg Ryan, & Billy Crystal.

Q50) Who won a Best Actress Oscar for their role in Tootsie?

A50) Jessica Lange.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL IGNORANCE.

Q51) In which European city is Orly Airport?

A51) Paris.

Q52) Prior to the introduction of the Euro, what was the currency of Spain?

A52) The Peseta.

Q53) The musical, Scrooge was based on which Charles Dickens short story?

A53) A Christmas Carol.

Q54) A cuboid has how many sides?

A54) Six.

Q55) What do the initials COD mean?

A55) Cash On Delivery.

Q56) Slivovitz, the famed liqueur, is made from which fruit?

A56) Plums.

Q57) What was held in the UK, in 1908, & 1948?

A57) The Olympic Games.

Q58) What is Elizabeth Fry mainly remember for: prison reform, chocolate making or inventing vegetable oil?

A58) Prison Reform

Q59) In which of these games would you use dice: Ludo, Whist, Hopscotch or Snakes and Ladders?

A59) Ludo and Snakes & Ladders.

Q60) In which month is Michælmas Day?

A60) September. (The 29th, to be exact)

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll catch you later … !

* Dead and drinking blood though he does, the villain of the piece has to be one of the most sympathetic I’ve seen on TV. And if the theme tune doesn’t spook you slightly … ?