Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 14th March, 2018.

14th March, 2018.

It’s true: a scientific icon has died.

Professor Stephen Hawking has died: this morning.

Which, as John Humphrys has just pointed out? Is extraordinary, in and of itself.   When he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease back in the 1960s, he was given just two years to live.

The fact he then lived until today, doing valid scientific work?   Says a lot about a man who believed a hideous condition wasn’t going to stop him making contributions.

All the way from working out Hawking radiation — the radiation emitted by black holes — would show black holes exist, to writing A Brief History of Time, that explained arcane scientific ideas, all the way to the seriously silly stuff*.

Frankly?

The world’s lost an icon, today.

We’re richer for his time with us, baffled until he explained things …

And poorer for his death.

~≈§≈~

The world moves on, with sadness: and so must we.

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga† and Debbi‡ putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

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

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

Q1) 14th March, 1943, saw Nazi Germany destroy what: The Warsaw Ghetto, Krakow Ghetto or Stanislawów Ghetto?

Q2) Prince Albert 2nd of Monaco was born: on 14th March, 1958.   Who … was his mother?

Q3) Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado saw it’s debut: on 14th March, 1885.   The Mikado’s set in a fictional town in which country?

Q4) Jodrell Bank Observatory set a record on 14th March, 1960: in contact a satellite at the then huge distance of 407, 000 miles.   WHICH satellite?

Q5) Finally … Director, Wolfgang Peterson was born: on 14th March, 1941.   In which of his films does Jürgen Prochnow play the captain of the U-96?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1) 13th March is the Kasuga Matsuri: in the Grand Shrine in Tokyo, Japan.   The festival is marked in which Japanese religion?

A1) Shinto.

Q2) Uranus was discovered on 13th March, 1781.   By which astronomer and composer?

A2) William Herschel.

Q3) More to the point, Uranus is a what: gas giant, terrestrial planet or dwarf planet?

A3) Gas giant: a type also called a ice giant.

Q4) Three men and two women went on trial: on 13th March, 1961.   Who were they accursed of spying for: the USA, USSR or the People’s Republic of China?

A4) The USSR.

Q5) 13th March, 1970, saw a by-election won by the Conservatives: in the constituency of Bridgewater.   It was the first time whom could vote: 18 year olds, women or EU residents?

A5) 18 year olds.

Here’s a thought …

“As a comedian, you have everything working against you.”

Billy Crystal, born 14th March, 1948.

And a tune … 

Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

Have a good day!

*        Just as a point?   The professor got a tour of the set, when he filmed his episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.   Apparently?   The tour got to the engine room … where the Professor eyeballed the warp engine and said “Actually, I’m working on this …”.  The production crew didn’t know whether to take him seriously …

†        I THINK I’ve managed to get it seen to, Olga.   But given the hash of things Amazon are capable of?   I’ll probably only relax about it, once it’s here … !   (I’m kind of cynical about Amazon’s delivery service: ever since a large capacity hard drive I order went ‘missing in transit’.   Make of that what you will.)

‡        Remind me not to show you the shower scene, then, Debbi: you get a BIT more Sting than’s needed.   (I’ve contacted Amazon: I kind of lost faith in their delivery service when a hard drive I ordered went astray.   A hundred quid’s worth of hard drive … you tell me what’s happening… !)