The Daily Teaser — 19-5-2012

You know, I think we can safely say THAT piece of news is going to run, and run, and run … !

Well, of course it will.

It’s the start of the Olympic Torch Relay … !

Quite what that means for the like of you and me, I’m not to sure.

Although I do know two things.

My kid sister, Anna — Jude’s aunty, in other words — will be quite pleased to see it: she’s a volunteer at the Paralympics, this year, and still waiting to hear about volunteering for the main event.

The second is a simple statistic.   Apparently, that torch passes within ten miles of 95% of the population of the UK.

I have to ask … what happens to the other 5% … !

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Let’s move on, shall we … ?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: and along with bagging 6 out of 6, she also admitted to putting a lot of work into a recent post*.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To’, License and video … 

Q1) 19th May, 1988, saw the birth of actress and model, Lily Cole: in which episode of Dr Who did she make an appearance … ?

Q2) The North Vietnamese Army established Group 559 on 19th March, 1959: what did this group set up, during the Vietnam War … ?

Q3) 19th May, 1897, saw the release of Oscar Wilde from Reading Gaol.   In which years did he publish the poem, The Ballad Of Reading Gaol … ?

Q4) 19th May, 1910, saw the birth of cricketer, Alan Melville: Wisden’s Cricket Almanack named him as Cricket of the Year for which year … ?

Q5) And FINALLY … !   19th May, 1870, saw the birth of which notorious US serial killer … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 18th May, 1152, saw Henry 2nd marry his queen: who was she … ?

A1) Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Q2) More to the point, was Henry the queen in question’s first, second or third husband.

A2) Second.   Her first husband was Louis 7th of France.

Q3) Nearer today … 18th May, 2009, saw the end of which country’s civil war … ?

A3) Sri Lanka’s.

Q4) 18th May, 1756, saw the formal start of the Seven Years’ War, when Great Britain declared war … on which country … ?

A4) France.

Q5) 18th May, 1991, saw who become the first Briton into space … ?

A5) Dr Helen Sharman.

Q6) And finally … 18th May, 1804, saw which Corsican named as Emperor of the French … ?

A6) Napoléon Bonaparte.   (The Code Napoléon, instituted under his rule,  is still considered one of the most influential documents ever written.)

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

After honouring Pete Townsend’sº birthday with this tune … 

*        Oh, I so know what you mean, Debbi: I’m ALWAY’S uncertain about how any given post will read, or be taken … !   (Oh … And I’ll be starting on a Certain Novel, later today … !)

º        There’s a story doing the rounds that basically says The Who’s whole instrument smashing thing was unintentional.   Seemingly, Pete and the gang were playing a gig at the Town and Country Club; which had a suspended ceiling, at the time.   Pete, of course, was waving his guitar around like a mad thing.   And, at one point, it went through the ceiling.   Townsend pulled the guitar out, breaking the neck, in the process.   He wandered off-stage with the mangled results, picked up the spare he kept in the wings, and got on with the gig.   The next night … ?   The audience had doubled.   And the band’s managers had to drop a lot of hints to Pete that wrecking another guitar might be a good idea.