Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar: The Daily Teaser

Tuesday, 18 August 2015

The Daily Teaser — 18-8-2015

Right … That’s the new TV settling in …

Remember I told you that my old TV set had given out?

Seemingly, the transformer had blown.

And frankly … ? It was going to be as cheap to buy a new TV, as it was to replace the transformer.

But, frankly, I’d need help to do either.

I got that from my family, god bless ’em.

I’m now the proud owner of a cheap Bush, from my local Argos.

It won’t let me record radio stations. The recordings are in an odd form of .ts transport stream. But both sound and picture are very good quality.

And frankly … ?

I can’t moan too much: after all, I’d rather have something … !

~≈†≈~

But let’s get moving on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: and scoring six out of six.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and license …

Q1) 18th August, 1877, saw Asaph Hall discover Phobos: a moon of Mars. What’s the other moon of Mars, called?

Q2) 18th August, 1977, saw the arrest of which South African activist?

Q3) 18th August is Long Tan Day: marking the day a small force from the Australian Army faced a much larger Vietnamese force, during the Vietnam War. The Battle of Long Tan was in which year?

Q4) 18th August, 1227, saw the death of Genghis Khan, Emperor of the Mongols. Who succeeded him, as Khan?

Q5) Finally … 18th August, 1958, saw the original publication of Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. What’s the name of the main, male, character?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) The first pedestrian to be hit by a car, was hit on 17th August, 1896: when Bridget Driscoll was hit by a Benz. Where did this take place: the Natural History Museum, Battersea Park or the Crystal Palace?

A1) The Crystal Palace.

Q2) The British government revealed the Radcliffe Line: on the 17th August, 1947. The line was the Government’s proposed border between what’s now two countries. Name one of them.

A2) India and Pakistan.

Q3) 17th August, 1893, saw the birth of actress, Mae West. What was the name of her autobiography?

A3) Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It.

Q4) 17th August, 1943, saw the birth of journalist and presenter, John Humphrys. Which Radio 4 show does he co-present?

A4) The Today Program.

Q5) More to the point, he’s hosted which BBC 2 quiz show?

A5) Mastermind. (He’s originally from Splott. I always thought it was fictional … )

Q6) Finally … 17th August, 1585, saw English colonists land at the Roanoke Colony, on Roanoke Island. Had it not vanished, the colony would be in what’a now which US state?

A6) North Carolina.

I’ll leave you with this thought …

“If you live through the initial stage of fame and get past it, and remember thats not who you are. If you live past that, then you have a hope of maybe learning how to spell the word artist.”

Patrick Swayze, August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009.

And this tune …