The Daily Teaser - 17-11-2011

Oh, now wait a minute, hang on … !

I am seriously getting a high class of weird dream, I really am.

Possibly one of those ones that we could only get at 5:30 in the morning, I fairly convinced.

Weird old dream, I know that.

From what I can remember of it? From what I can remember of it, I seemed to have joined some of sword-fighting school, complete with fellow members from all sorts of ethnicities.

And all of us either trained — or being trained — to use something that looked a heck of a lot like a kirpan, the Sikh ritual sword.

Two of them, I should add!

With loads of sword waving and dreadlock wearing, as well.

The dream only actually finished, when I actually put the swords away.

In something that vaguely resembled the kind of storage box I’ve seen used for saxophones.

Let’s get moving on, shall we … ? Before I start telling you about the dream where I was juggling elephants*.

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Yesterday’s Teaser saw both Debbiª and Nina — who’s been doing her Christmas elf impersonation, just recently — putting they answers: with both bagging 6 out of 6!

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) 17th November, 1970, saw Douglas Engelbart receive the patent for what: the computer mouse, the barcode or the floppy drive … ?

Q2) While we’re computing, 17th November, 1951, saw the activation of LEO 1, the world’s first business computer: by which British company?

Q3) 17th November, 1903, saw the founding of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party: name either of the two factions it famously split in to.

Q4) 17th November is — in Japan — Shogi Day: how many pieces does each player start a game of Shogi with … ?

Q5) Name any of those pieces ….

Q6) And finally … 17th November, 2005, saw the K-mart Corp announce it was buying what … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 16th November, 1938, saw Swiss chemist, Dr Albert Hofman, synthesise … what … ?

A1) Lysergic acid diethylamide: LSD, in other words. (Apparently, a Dr Humphrey Osmond used it to treat — in one 1950s study — to successfully treat a group of alcoholics. No one else has managed to repeat the success he reported. Yeah … I’d not be volunteering for that one, either …!)

Q2) 16th November, 2000, saw whom become the first US president to visit Vietnam, since the Vietnam war …?

A2) Bill Clinton.

Q3) 16th November, 1857, saw the Second Relief of Lucknow, the battle that saw the most VC’s handed out in a single day: what does VC stand for … ?

A3) Victoria Cross.

Q4) More to the point, how many were handed out … ?

A4) Twenty-four. (24.)

Q5) 16th November, 1979, saw the first line opened on the Bucharest Metro: how many stations are on the Bucharest Metro network … ?

A5) 51.

Q6) And finally … 16th November, 1914, saw the opening of the US Federal Reserve Bank: how many Federal Reserve districts does it operate?

A6) Twelve. (12.)

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

* Just two elephants. THREE elephants would be silly …

ª Yeah, the cross promoting’s one thought, Debbi … but I was also thinking some form of collective bargaining thing … ?