The Daily Teaser …

You know, it isn’t that often the Teaser get’s relevant, it really isn’t.

But yesterday … ?

But the answer to yesterday’s second question was the Dalai Lama.

The weird little coincidence … ?

Saw His Holiness offering to hand over his political power to an elected Tibetan official.

I love it when something like that crops up!

OK, granted, it’s got nothing to do with me: but it does make me feel I’ve a connection with the world … !

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, let’s … !

»»•««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Debbi and Kaiju putting in their answers: with both scoring 5 out of 5, it also saw Kaiju telling us more about both the Dalai Lama incident, and the French Foreign Legion: leaving me mentally imaging him in one of those FFL hats* and striding manfully across an Algerian desert. Additionally, Debbi, bless her, managed to let me know the US release date for Season 6 of Dr Who: looks like it’ll be out — over there — on the 23rd April. Which hopefully means it’ll be out, over here, towards the end of Marchº. On top of that, it also saw both Debbi and Kaiju mutually commiserating — via Twitter — about having to fill in their tax returns.

Lets try and distract them, shall we, and see how they — and you — do with today’s questions: here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video …

Q1) 11th March, 1985, saw Mikhail Gorbechev become General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: who was his immediate predecessor?

Q2) 11th March, 1387, saw the City-state of Padua win a battle against its rival, Verona: what was the name of the English mercenary in charge of Paduan forces … ?

Q3) 11th March, 1983, saw Pakistan conduct a successful test of what: a nuclear weapon, a nuclear reactor or a rocket?

Q4) 11th March, 1955, saw the death of bacteriologist, Sir Alexander Fleming: which antibiotic was one of his discoveries … ?

Q5) And finally … 11th March, 1999, saw which company become the first Indian corporation to be listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 10th March, 1997, saw the début of tv series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: who played Buffy … ?

A1) Sarah Michelle Geller.

Q2) 10th March, 1959, saw 300, 000 protestors surround whose palace … ?

Q2) The Dalai Lama’s: the Tibetan protestors feared that the Chinese government would kidnap him.

Q3) 10th March, 1831, saw the founding of the French Foreign Legion, by King Louis-Phillip: he founded the Legion to help in the French war, where?

A3) Algeria.

Q4) 10th March, 1922, saw the arrest of whom, on Sedition charges … ?

A4) Mohandas K. Gandhi.

Q5) And finally … 10th March, 1977, saw astronomers discover rings around which planet … ?

A5) Uranus. (If I’ve got it right, William Hershal originally wanted to call Uranus, George. Lets try and keep the jokes short …)

And — Friday, again — here’s the Friday question set for struggling pub quiz masters, covered by the same license as ever …

Online 94

ROUND ONE. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) On stringed instruments, what is the chanterelle, the highest string or the lowest string?

A1) The Highest.

Q2) In 1964, Danny Millman became the first World Champion in which sport?

A2) Trampolining.

Q3) Is a Horehound a dog, a plant, or a fish?

A53) A plant.

Q4) Count Cavour was the first Prime Minister of which European country?

A4) Italy. (After its unification, in 1871.)

Q5) Which was the first country to drop bombs from the air? (Extra point for the year.)

A5) Austria, in 1849: from a ballon, so you know …

Q6) Name the original host of Room 101?

A6) Nick Hancock. (He of They Think It’s All Over fame.)

Q7) Who beat Arsenal, in the 1995 European Cup Winners Cup, with a last minute goal from Nayim?

A7) Real Zaragoza.

Q8) Ital is the name given to the food rules of which religion?

A8) Rastafarianism.

Q9) What does widdershins mean, clockwise, or anti-clockwise?

A9) Anti-clockwise.

Q10) Jean LaFitte, Anne Bonney, and William Morgan were all what?

A10) Pirates.

ROUND TWO. AT THE MOVIES.

Q11) In the 2005 film, The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, who provided the voice of Aslan the lion?

A11) Liam Neeson.

Q12) Who played the sheriff, in High Noon?

A12) Gary Cooper.

Q13) Who played Bernardo, in The Magnificent Seven?

A13) Charles Bronson.

Q14) In Cabaret, what was the job of Joel Grey’s character?

A14) Master of Ceremonies. (Accept MC.)

Q15) In which film does Fat Sam fight it out with Dandy Dan?

A15) Bugsy Malone.

Q16) In the Disney classic, Snow White, which of the Dwarves had the longest name?

A16) Bashful.

Q17) Paul Newman played ‘Fast’ Eddie Felson in two movies: name either. (Two points for both).

A17) The Hustler and The Colour of Money.

Q18) Which James Bond actor won an Oscar for playing an Irish cop? (Extra point for naming the movie.)

A18) Sean Connery. (The Untouchables.)

Q19) What movie award did Ian Holm get for his performance, in Chariots of Fire, a BAFTA, an Oscar or a Golden Globe?

A19) A BAFTA.

Q20) In Grand Hotel, Greta Garbo uttered her most famous line: what was that line?

A20) “I want to be Alone.”

ROUND THREE. MUSIC & LIGHTS.

Q21) Which Aqua hit featured the name of a toy?

A21) (I’m a) Barbie Girl.

Q22) Who duetted with Puff Daddy, on I’ll Be Missing You?

A22) Faith Evans

Q23) Which Mariah Carey single was the first to début at No.1 in the USA, back in 1995?

A23) Fantasy.

Q24) How many albums have too be sold in the UK, for it to go platinum?

A24) 300, 000.

Q25) Who was the first rapper to have two solo UK No. 1s?

A25) Eminem.

Q26) S Club 7 hit, Never Had A Dream Come True raised money for which charity?

A26) Children in Need.

Q27) Who was the first band to have seven UK No.1s with their first seven singles?

A27) Westlife.

Q28) Which Welsh band had the UK first Number one of the new millennium?

A28) Manic Street Preachers

Q29) Which member of Oasis sang on the Chemical Brothers hit, Setting Sun?

A29) Noel Gallagher.

Q30) In which decade did soul group, The Chi-Lites, have most of their hits?

A30) The 1970s.

ROUND FOUR. BLINDED WITH SCIENCE!

Q31) Where is the Sea of Tranquility?

A31) On the Moon.

Q32) What force keeps the planets moving around the Sun?

A32) Gravity.

Q33) Tiros, Echo and Sputnik were all what?

A33) Artificial satellites.

Q34) Which John was the first to orbit the Earth?

A34) John Glen.

Q35) Two units are used to measure distance in space: name either.

A35) Light years or parsecs.

Q36) Which Michæl invented the dynamo, and the transformer?

A36) Michæl Faraday.

Q37) What does a Geiger Counter measure?

A37) Radioactivity.

Q38) Coal is made from which chemical element?

A38) Carbon.

Q39) How many zeroes does a UK Quadrillion have after its first digit?

A39) 15. (1, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000. It’s One thousand million million.)

Q40) What would you measure on the Cephalic index?

A40) The human head.

ROUND FIVE. COMMUNICATIONS & THE MEDIA.

Q41) Which newspaper is older, the Express or the Mirror?

A41) The Express.

Q42) Which BBC Channel was founded in 1991?

A42) World Service Television.

Q43) The worlds largest business merger saw AOL joining forces with which Media group?

A43) Time Warner.

Q44) Which English actress posed nude with Scarlet Johansson, on a Vanity Fair cover?

A44) Keira Knightley.

Q45) Which medical magazine is Britain’s oldest weekly?

A45) The Lancet.

Q46) A JPEG is a type of digital photographic file format. What does JPEG stand for?

A46) Joint Photographics Expert Group.

Q47) What name is given to a TV studio’s chief electrician?

A47) Gaffer.

Q48) What was the first British newspaper to issue a colour supplement?

A48) The Sunday Times.

Q49) In comics, what kind of dog was Black Bob?

A49) A sheepdog.

Q50) Boris Johnson was an editor of which magazine?

A50) The Spectator.

ROUND SIX. GENERAL IGNORANCE.

Q51) Saint David’s is the main station for which English city?

A51) Exeter

Q52) In which century was tomato ketchup invented, the 18th, 19th, or 20th?

A52) The 18th.

Q53) Football fans who view this year’s World Cup on the BBC’s web-site have been warned against what?

A53) Computer virus’s.

Q54) In 1990, Mr Frisk set a record time in which race?

A54) The Grand National.

Q55) Who holds the record for most appearances on Jackanory?

A55) Bernard Cribbins

Q56) If ‘A’ is Alpha, and ’B’ is Beta, what is ‘T’?

A56) Tango

Q57) How many pounds in a hundredweight?

A57) 112.

Q58) Which RAF rank is higher, Air Commodore, or Group Captain?

A58) Air Commodore.

Q59) Monophobia is a fear of what?

A59) Being alone.

Q60) ‘U’ is the chemical symbol for what element?

A60) Uranium.

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

* It’s called a ‘kepi’, seemingly: the version I’m thinking of includes a piece of cloth attached to its back, to keep the sun off the back of the neck.

º I’ll quote Dr Song at you, Debbi: “Spoilersª … !”

ª The Doctor, himself, is a hero: there’s things he will do, and things he won’t. I’m thinking that Dr Song is the Moffat era equivalent of Captain Jack. In other words, she’s the metaphorical Hard Squad, prepared to get shooting, if needed.