The Daily Teaser: 23-6-11

Blimey … !

Looks like I’ve just caught the end of the episode of Who Do You Think You Are that Yesterday’s showing!

I’m glad they’ll be repeating it!

Today’s episode … ?

Features David Suchet. Seemingly, the star of Poirot and Going Postal has a family who managed to escape the Pale — the ghetto area of Tsarist Russia — by managing to wangle Turkish citizenship.

Good for them … !

Just going by the little I know of history … ?

The Pale definitely sounds like it was — in it’s time — on a par with the Holocaust!

Lets get moving on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets … !

»»·««

Yesterday’s Teaser saw a heartily welcomed back Debbi putting in her answers: on top of bagging 5 out of 5, she also managed to tell us that the UK branch of Amazon is selling copies of Shaken!

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

Q1) 23rd June, 1912, saw the birth of mathematician, Alan Turing*, the man who invented the concept of computers: what did he originally term them … ?

Q2) On a related theme: 23rd June, 1868, saw Christopher Latham Sholes receive the patent for what … ?

Q3) 23rd June, 1992, saw Mafia boss, John Gotti gaoled: which New York mafia family was he the head of … ?

Q4) 23rd June, 1964, saw the birth of TV producer, Joss Whedon: what was his most successful series, to date … ?

Q5) Finally, and talking of TV producers … 23rd June, 2006, saw the death of which TV producer … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 22nd June, 1911, saw the coronation of which UK king … ?

A1) George 5th.

Q2) 22nd June, 2003, saw the fall of the world’s largest hailstone: but in which US state … ?

Q2) Nebraska.

Q3) 22nd June, 1990, saw the final dismantling of which Berlin landmark … ?

A3) Checkpoint Charlie.

Q4) 22nd June, 1976, saw the Canadian House of Commons abolish what: capital punishment, feudalism or trial by combat … ?

A4) Capital Punishment.

Q5) And finally: 22nd June, 1969, saw the death of Frances Gumm: how was she better known … ?

A5) Judy Garland.

Enjoy those, everyone: I’ll leave you with a tune from birthday girl, Duffy.

* Alan Turing’s death, in the 1950s, after being arrested for being gay was — in my mind — no way to treat the man who contributed so much to Britain’s war effort and was an unhonoured war-hero: he came up with a concept that literally changed the world: Bletchley Park, where he and many othersº worked during the war, helping to crack the German Enigma and Lorenz codes, was just the START. The fact I’m writing this — and you’re reading this via — a whole series of interlinked Turing-style machines should tell you that.

º Including Tommy Flowers, the man who built those early machines.