The Daily Teaser and the Friday Question Set

Well, that’s a relief!

It seems that the Pastor of the small US church, who’s been threatening an International Qur’an Burning Day has decided to put the event on hold.

Phew!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I was alway’s brought to be if not reverential about other people’s beliefs*, then at least polite about them: so something like this … ? Struck me as not only mildly offensive, to say the least, but positively inflammatory.

Metaphorically, as well as literally … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Before I ruin everyone’s day … !

‹‹‹~›››

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Trevor putting in his answers: bagging 5 out of 5 in the process and putting in some quotes from Count Leo Tolstoy in the process.

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

Q1) 10th September, 2007, saw the death of British businesswoman, Anita Roddick, DBE: which business was she the founder of … ?

Q2) More to the point, Anita Roddick died on the same day — 10th September, 2007 — as actress Jane Wyman: Jane Wyman was the first wife of which former US President … ?

Q3) 10th September, 1963, saw which company open a credit card service in the UK … ?

Q4) 10th September, 1988, saw two British TV presenters seriously injured in a helicopter crash: name either of the presenters concerned.

Q5) And finally … 10th September, 2001, saw Major Charles Ingram — allegedly — cheat his way to a £1, 000, 000 prize: on which game show … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 9th September, 1940, saw George Stibitz pioneer the remote operation of what?


A1) A computer.

Q2) 9th September, 1968, saw the birth of actress, Julia Sawalha: in which children’s TV show did she play Lynda Day … ?

A2) Press Gang.

Q3) Which state was admitted as the USA’s 31st state, on 9th September, 1850?

A3) California.

Q4) 9th September, 1993, saw the state of Israel recognised … by whom … ?

A4) The Palestine Liberation Organisation.

Q5) And finally … 9th September, 1999, saw the Police Review Commission recommend sweeping reforms of which British police force … ?

A5) The Royal Ulster Constabulary, or RUC.

And here’s the Friday Questions set for struggling pub quiz-masters: covered, of course, by the same Creative Commons License as always …

Online 70:

ROUND ONE. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) What guerilla fighter had a biscuit named after him?

A1) Giuseppe Garibaldi.

Q2) Which fraction is used to express Pi?

A2) 22/7

Q3) Which Kenny Rogers song spawned a series of TV movies?

A3) The Gambler.

Q4) Which animal was once known as a Cameleopard?

A4) The Giraffe.

Q5) How many legs did Enid Blyton’s Famous five have?

A5) 12. (Two on Dick, Anne, George and Julian, and four on Timmy the Dog.)

Q6) What's the literal meaning of the word ‘Guru’?

A6) Teacher.

Q7) Harlean Carpenter was better known as which Hollywood movie star?

A7) Jean Harlow.

Q8) Which Turkish city was once known as Constantinoplis?

A8) Istanbul.

Q9) Which Russian revolutionary was killed with an ice-pick, Lenin, Trotsky, or Stalin?

A9) Trotsky.

Q10) How are members’ of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint's better known?

A10) Mormons.

ROUND TWO. FOOD AND DRINK.

Q11) What, in the Disney film, was Snow White poisoned with?

A11) An apple.

Q12) Ad’s for which product featured laughing Martians?

A12) Smash.

Q13) If it’s heavy in Scotland, what is it in England?

A13) Bitter.

Q14) Parmesan cheese comes from which Italian town?

A14) Parma.

Q15) Where would an American put a weenie?

A15) In a hot-dog bun. (It's a hot-dog sausage.)

Q16) What vegetable is the main ingredient in Palestine soup.

A16) Jerusalem Artichokes.

Q17) During the 1970s, which drink taught the world to sing?

A17) Coca Cola.

Q18) What type of pastry product did Sweeney Todd’s victims end up in?

A18) Meat Pies.

Q19) Americans call them eggplants; what do we call them?

A19) Aubergines.

Q20) What famous British writer died making mayonnaise?

A20) Robert Louis Stevenson.

ROUND THREE. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

Q21) Which company has recently announced it’s to produce security software, Microsoft, Apple, or Electronic Arts?

A21) Microsoft.

Q22) A major file-sharing site has recently been raided, in which European country?

A22) Sweden.

Q23) The new type of road has recently been made out of what, rubber, or tiles?

A23) Rubber.

Q24) Which hurricane hit US city has recently been found to be sinking?

A24) New Orleans.

Q25) Five new species of micro-organism have found in which Middle Eastern country?

A25) Israel.

Q26) How many spokes has a snowflake got?

A26) Six.

Q27) True or False: - If Force is measured in Newtons, the force of an apple dropping to the ground is approximately equal to 1 Newton.

A27) True.

Q28) In what decade of the 19th Century were photographs first taken?

A28) The 1820’s.

Q29) What’s planet's orbit take it nearest to the Earth?

A29) Venus.

Q30) Toxicology is the study of what?

A30) Poisons.

ROUND FOUR. SPORTING CHANCES.

Q31) Which Scottish snooker player is known as the Wizard of Wishart?

A31) John Higgins.

Q32) Women gymnast compete in four disciplines; - name one of them. (Two points for two.)

A32) Asymmetric Bars, Beam, Horse-vault, & Floor Exercises.

Q33) Torville & Dean won Olympic god for what, Figure Skating, or Ice Dance?

Q33) Ice Dance.

Q34) Karate translates as ‘Way of the Empty…’ what: hand, foot, or shoe?

A34) Hand.

Q35) What footballed first did Sir Stanley Matthews achieve, in 1965?

A35) A knighthood.

Q36) What was unusual about the 1912 Boat Race?

A36) Both boats sank.

Q37) Which player claimed to have been helped by the Hand of God in the 1986 World Cup?

A37) Diego Maradona.

Q38) In a game of Baseball, how many players are in each team?

A38) Nine.

Q39) Malibu boards are used in what ocean-based sport?

A39) Surfing.

Q40) Which German footballer was nicknamed ‘The Kaiser’?

A40) Franz Beckenbauer.

ROUND FIVE. THE WRITTEN WORD.

Q41) Which comic-book character is older, Batman or Superman?

A41) Superman. (Pre-dates Batman by about 6 months.)

Q42) What was George Orwell’s real name?

A42) Eric Blair.

Q43) Which English writer turned down a peerage, but accepted a Nobel Prize for Literature?

A43) George Bernard Shaw.

Q44) In which comic-book street would you find Smiffy, Wilfred, Danny & Plug?

A44) Bash Street.

Q45) Which Ulster born writer wrote The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe?

A45) C. S. Lewis

Q46) Which mythological English figure was known as The Once & Future King?

A46) King Arthur.

Q47) What’s the name of Andy Capp’s long-suffering wife?

A47) Flo.

Q48) Writer, Yukio Mishima did what, after attempting a coup, in his native Japan?

A48) Committed suicide. (Two points for putting down Seppuku.)

Q49) Which cartoon strip was created by Charles Addams and inspired both a TV show and a series of movies?

A49) The Addams Family.

Q50) Which war was recently described by an Argentinian writer, as being like ‘two bald men fighting over a comb’?

A50) The Falklands War.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q51) Which Argentinian doctor Headed Cuba’s national Bank, before trying to start a revolution in Bolivia?

A51) Che Guevara.

Q52) Bashed Neeps and Tatties are the traditional accompaniments to which Scottish dish?

A52) Haggis.

Q53) If you suffered from Hypotension, would your blood pressure be low or high?

A53) Low.

Q54) What’s the collective name of the 14 books that appear in the Catholic, but not the Protestant version, of the Bible?

A54) The Apocrypha.

Q55) Who lived longest, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, or Attila the Hun?

A55) Genghis Khan.

Q56) How deep — in yards — is a fathom?

A56) Two yards. (Six feet, in other words.)

Q57) True or False; - Iceland is the nearest country to the North Pole.

A57) False, it’s actually Greenland.

Q58) La Giaconda is better known as which painting?

A58) The Mona Lisa.

Q59) How many Oscars did Rebel Without a Cause, Brief Encounter, and Pyscho collectively win?

A59) None.

Q60) What’s larger, a tennis lawn or a croquet lawn?

A60) A croquet lawn.

Enjoy that lot, folks.

I’ll catch you all later.

* Especially coming — as it has, this year — at the same time of year as Ramadan: the holiest point of the Islamic year, and the time of year — considered by most Muslims — that Allah gave the Qur’an to Mohammed. ‘Badly timed’ and ‘Bloody idiot’ are terms that don’t even start to describe the terms I used, to talk about this guy …