Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 18th August 2026.

18th August, 2026.

OK: it’s Tuesday.

And, bar watching For All Mankind, tonight?

I’m fully expecting the day to be two things.

One?

Quiet.

Two … ?

Not rain: despite being as overcast as it’s possible to be, without being the planet, Venus!

The sooner it does?

The sooner I can complain about it!

~≈🌧️≈~

You possibly aware I’ve worked in the pub trade: so keep an interested eye on the industry.

I’m as aware as anyone, that pubs are closing at a worrying rate.

And that many of what had been pubs are being converted into flats or offices.

The Castle, on Ongar Road, is the most recent example in Brentwood that I know of: but there’s probably others.

So … ?

Seeing this piece, recently — a piece that tells me how the government are planning to modify planning permission regulations, to make it harder to turn unused pubs into homes or offices — caught my attention.

I like it: I think it’s a good idea, a good idea to aim for.

But … ?

I also think it’s a good idea: if the business is there to support the pub staying open.

It’s useless to keep a pub open: if no-one’s there to use it.

~≈🍺≈~

Let’s move on.


Yesterday’s Teaser saw Mum* and Debbi† putting in their answers: with Debbi scoring five out of five, and Mum on one.

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

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

Q1)        18th August is National Science Day.   Where: Thailand, Taiwan or Transylvania?

Q2)        18th August is the feast day of Saint Alberto Hurtado.   He’s a patron saint of who: nurses, social workers or cheese-wrights?

Q3)        Which football club was sold on 18th August, 1989: Liverpool, Manchester United or Accrington Stanley FC?

Q4)        Meteors flew over the East coast of Great Britain, on 18th August.   18th August of which year: 1783, 1785 or 1787?

Q5)        Finally … ?   Franz Joseph was born on 18th August, 1830.   The dual monarch died in which year: 1915, 1916 or 1917?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        A strike started at the Hormel meatpacking plant: on 17th August, 1985.   Hormel, famously, make what: McDonalds burgers, spam or chicken nuggets?

A1)        Spam.   There’s more about the strike, here.

Q2)        17th August is the feast day of Beatrice of Silva.   She was canonised in which year of the 1970s?

A2)        1976.

Q3)        Terence Stamp died on 17th August, 2025.   He played which villain in the Superman movies: Brainiac, General Zod or Lex Luthor?

A3)        General Zod.

Q4)        Gazzy Fabio Garcia was born on 17th August, 2000.   He’s better known as which rapper: Lil Pump, Lil Naz X or Lil’ Fame?

A4)        Lil Pump.

Q5)        Finally … ?   Writer, Herta Müller was born on 17th August, 1953.   She won the Nobel Prize for Literature in which year: 2008, 2009 or 2010?

A5)        2009.

Here’s a thought …

“The day of the android has dawned.”

Brian Aldiss, 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017.

And a Lucienne Boyer song …

The next 10 question sets are on 26th August, and 5th, 7th and 11th September: they’re about International Dog Day, the Muppet Show, Boston and the Nine-Eleven attacks.

There’s a twelve question set on 8th September: about Star Trek.

Your comments, and today’s answers, will be published in tomorrow’s Teaser.

AI is avoided when writing these questions.

Answers are as accurate as possible: at the time of writing.

Decisions about scores are final.

Thank you for coming: have a good day.

*        Hello, Mum!   (It was Spam, 1976, Lil’ Pump and 2009, Mum, rather than burgers, ’71, Lil’ Naz and 2010.)

†        Isn’t it just, Debbi?   (Whatever happened to the cast of Dif’rent Strokes?)