The Daily Teaser …

I’ve got to confess, right at the moment … ?

I’m tired: I really couldn’t sleep, last night.

But with a day off … ?

I can always get some sleep, later.

And I’ve also got one of the last episodes of I, Claudius: the first in which Claudius, himself, takes the throne …

Or get given it, by 4, 000 Prætorian Guards.

And I’ve got to admit, Jacobi’s is still riveting, after all this time.

Lets leave that there, shall we …

And get moving on …

«•»

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Trevor and Kaiju — a welcomely returned one, who’d managed to belated manage 5 out of 5, the divine yesterday — putting in their answers: and saw both bagging 5 out of 5.

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

Q1) 23rd December is the by-now-traditional date of the fictional Festivus holiday: which US TV show popularized it … ?

Q2) 23rd December, 1938, saw an example of what type of apparently extinct fish being discovered … ?

Q3) More to the point, the fish in question was found off the coast of which African nation … ?

Q4) 23rd December, 1947, saw Bell Laboratories demonstrate which piece of electronic kit … ?

Q5) 23rd December, 1986, saw the first plane to make a non-stop, round-the-world trip finish its journey: in which US state?

Q6) More to the point, what was the name of that plane … ?

Q7) And Finally … 23rd December, 1823, saw the anonymous publication of which well known American poem … ?

A7) A Visit From Saint Nicholas: otherwise known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 22nd December, 2002, saw the death of singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Joe Strummer: which 70s era band was he the co-founder of … ?

A1) The Clash.

Q2) 22nd December, 1849, saw whose execution called off at the last minute … ?

Q2) Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Q3) 22nd December, 1944, saw German troops demand the surrender of troops lead by General Anthony Clement McAuliffe: what was his notoriously — or possibly famously — blunt reply … ?

A3) “Nuts.” (The impression I get — possibly from too many films set in WW2 — is that he was possibly smoking a seriously large cigar … )

Q4) 22nd December, 1858, saw the birth of Italian composer, Giacomo Puccini: which of his operas is the only one to have a preserved recording, by the original conductor … ?

A4) La bohème: (A recording was made in 1946, some fifty years after its debut, by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, complete with the aging Arturo Toscanini waving the baton.)

Q5) And finally … 22nd December, 2005, saw the discovery of two additional rings around which planet of the solar system … ?

A5) Uranus.

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