‘There’s a trial, tomorrow,’ said Vimes sharply.
‘Ah, yes. Of course. And it will be a fair one,’ said the Patrician.
‘It better be,’ said Vimes. ‘I want this bastard to hang, after all.’
p.364, Night Watch, Terry Pratchett.
Q1) 5th September, 1960 saw Muhammed Ali — Cassius Clay, as he was then — win an Olympic boxing Gold medal. Who played Ali in the 2001 film of the same name … ?
Q2) 5th September, 1941, saw Nazi Germany occupy all of which Baltic state … ?
Q3) 5th September, 1959, saw Britain’s first trunk call made from a call box: from which English city … ?
Q4) 5th September, 1927, saw the release of Trolley Troubles: which cartoon rabbit did this feature … ?
Q5) And finally … 5th September, 1836, saw Sam Houston elected as President of Texas. In which year did Texas join the USA?
Q1) 4th September saw the founding of the city of Los Angeles: in which year … ?A1) 1781.
Q2) More to the point, by how many Spanish settlers … ?A2) 44.
Q3) 4th September, 1972, saw who become the first man to win seven medals at a Summer Olympics?A3) Mark Spitz.
Q4) 4th September, 1998, saw Sergey Brin and Larry Page found which website?A4) Google.
Q5) More to the point, whilst at which American university … ?A5) Stanford.
Q6) 4th September, 1949, saw the start of the Peerskill Riots: after a concert by who … ?A6) Paul Robeson.
Q7) And finally … 4th September, 1985, saw the first photos released: of which wreck … ?A7) The RMS Titanic.
“When it was over, it was not really over, and that was the trouble.”Frank Yerby September 5, 1916 – November 29, 1991
Q1) 4th September saw the founding of the city of Los Angeles: in which year … ?
Q2) More to the point, by how many Spanish settlers … ?
Q3) 4th September, 1972, saw who become the first man to win seven medals at a Summer Olympics?
Q4) 4th September, 1998, saw Sergey Brin and Larry Page found which website?
Q5) More to the point, whilst at which American university … ?
Q6) 4th September, 1949, saw the start of the Peerskill Riots: after a concert by who … ?
Q7) And finally … 4th September, 1985, saw the first photos released: of which wreck … ?
Q1) 3rd September is the national day of the Republic of San Marino, the world’s oldest republic. Which year doe the republic claim to have been founded … ? A1) 301.
Q2) More to the point, in which year was San Marino’s constitution first enacted … ? A2) 1600.
Q3) Even more to the point, what name is given to San Marino’s two heads of state … ? A3) Captains Regent.
Q4) Moving on … 3rd September, 1939, saw Britain and France declare war on Germany: after Germany invaded which country … ? A4) Poland.
Q5) More to the point, who was Britain’s Prime Minister, on that date … ? A5) Neville Chamberlain.
Q6) Which Arab state became independent on 3rd September, 1971 … ? A6) Qatar.
Q7) And finally … 3rd September, 1935, saw who become the first person to drive a car over 300 MPH … ? A7) Sir Malcolm Campbell.
“Piper insisted she had to be out of breath when we played this one scene, so she ran around the block. Thank God she wasn't doing a crucifixion scene; we would have had to nail her to the wall.”Dick York September 4, 1928 – February 20, 1992
Q1) Oslo 31st August is a 2011 film set in Oslo: in which country is Oslo … ?
Q2) More to the point, what’s the name of the main character … ?
Q3) Moving on … 31st August, 1896, saw Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patent his famed aircraft: what was it … ?
Q4) Which former Soviet republic declared independence, on 31st August, 1991 … ?
Q5) And finally … 31st August, 1962, saw the independence of two islands: name either …
Q1) 30th August, 1982, saw the leader of the PLO forced out of Beirut: what was his name … ?A1) Yasser Arafat.
Q2) More to the point, what does PLO stand for … ?A2) The Palestine Liberation Organisation.
Q3) 30th August, 2001, saw Slobodan Milosovic informed he was to be charged with genocide: Milosovic was the former president of where … ?A3) Yugoslavia.
Q4) 30th August, 1963, saw the hotline between Washington and Moscow: 2008 saw a similar hotline established between Washington and which capital city … ?A4) Beijing.
Q5) And finally … 30th August, 1984, saw the Space Shuttle Discovery launched on its maiden voyage: how many communications satellites did it put into orbit … ?A5) 3.
“Utinam populus Romanus unam cervicem haberet!”Translated as “Would that the Roman people had but one neck!”Words attributed to Caligula (Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus 31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41
Q1) 30th August, 1982, saw the leader of the PLO forced out of Beirut: what was his name … ?
Q2) More to the point, what does PLO stand for … ?
Q3) 30th August, 2001, saw Slobodan Milosovic informed he was to be charged with genocide: Milosovic was the former president of where … ?
Q4) 30th August, 1963, saw the hotline between Washington and Moscow: 2008 saw a similar hotline established between Washington and which capital city … ?
Q5) And finally … 30th August, 1984, saw the Space Shuttle Discovery launched on its maiden voyage: how many communications satellites did it put into orbit … ?
Q1) 29th August, 2012, sees London play host to which sporting event … ?A1) The Paralympic Games.
Q2) More to the point, how many sports feature in the event … ?A2) 20: or 21, depending on how you count the cycling events.
Q3) 29th August, 1786 saw the start of Shay’s Rebellion: in which US state … ?A3) Massachusetts.
Q4) 29th August, 2003, saw the assassination of Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim: a Shia muslim leader in which Middle Eastern country … ?A4) Iraq.
Q5) 29th August, 2005, saw New Orleans — and other parts of the US Gulf Coast — hit by Hurricane Katrina: in which state is New Orleans?A5) Louisiana.
Q6) And finally … 29th August, 1949, saw the Soviet Union test its first atomic bomb: at their test site near which Kazakh town … ?A6) Semipalatinsk: or Semey, as it now is.
“My greatest pleasure was the enjoyment of a serene sky amidst these verdant woods: yet I loved all the changes of Nature; and rain, and storm, and the beautiful clouds of heaven brought their delights with them.”Mary Shelley 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851
Q1) 28th August, 1917, saw ten suffragettes arrested for picketing which US landmark … ?
Q2) 28th August, 1789, saw William Herschel discover a second moon orbiting which planet of the Solar System … ?
Q3) 28th August, 1985, saw a couple charged with spying, at Horseferry Road Magistrates: which country was that couple from … ?
Q4) 28th August, 1531, saw an Ottoman Turk army occupy which European city … ?
Q5) And finally … 28th August, 1609, saw Henry Hudson discover Delaware Bay: name either of the US states that border it.And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …
Q1) 27th August, 1883, saw which volcano begin erupting … ?A1) Krakatoa.
Q2) More to the point, what was the name of the 1969 film about this eruption … ?A2) Krakatoa, East of Java. (Krakatoa’s actually west of Java … )
Q3) 27th August, 1928, saw the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact: what did this outlaw: the illegal drug trade, war or arms dealing?A3) War.
Q4) 27th August, 1962, saw the launch of the Mariner 2 probe: by which space agency … ?A4) NASA.
Q5) More to the point, where was that probe heading … ?A5) To Venus.
Q6) And finally … 27th August, 1967, saw the death of Beatles manager, Brian Epstein: who was the only female artist he managed … ?A6) Cilla Black.
“The less a writer discusses his work—and himself—the better. The master chef slaughters no chickens in the dining room; the doctor writes prescriptions in Latin; the magician hides his hinges, mirrors, and trapdoors with the utmost care.”Jack Vance born August 28, 1916
Q1) 25th August, 1944, saw the liberation of Paris, during World War 2. Who led the Free French Forces, during that war … ?
Q2) 25th August, 1916, saw the creation of the US National Park Service: what was the first US National Park … ?
Q3) 25th August, 1609, saw Galileo Galilei, demonstrate his telescope for the first time. In which city … ?
Q4) 25th August, 1939, saw the UK form a military alliance with which east European country … ?
Q5) And finally … 25th August, 2003, saw which city hit by twin car bombs … ?
Q1) 24th August, 1812, saw a coalition of British, Spanish and Portuguese forces lift the Siege of where … ?A1) Cádiz.
Q2) More to the point, during which war was this … ?A2) The Peninsular War.
Q3) 24th August, 1989, saw Columbian drugs barons declare war on whom … ?A3) The Columbian government.
Q4) 24th August, 2006, saw the International Astronomical Union redefine what word … ?A4) Planet.
Q5) More to the point, this meant that what got redefined as a Dwarf planet … ?A5) Pluto.
Q6) And finally … 24th August, 1456, saw the printing completed of the Gutenburg Bible: in which German city … ?A6) Mainz.
“I suppose more than anything else I'd like to be an old man with a good face, like Hitchcock or Picasso. They know that life is not just a popularity contest.”Sean Connery, born 25 August 1930
Q1) 4th August, 70 AD, saw the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Roman army that did this was lead by which future Roman Emperor?
Q2) More to the point, which Jewish king built the original First temple … ?
Q3) Which James Bond movie saw its UK debut on 4th August, 1989 … ?
Q4) 4th August, 1972, saw the man who shot Governor George Wallace sentenced to 63 years in gaol: what was the name of the assassin … ?
Q5) More to the point, which state had George Wallace been governor of … ?
Q6) And finally … 4th August, 2005, saw Michaëlle Jean announced as the 27th Governor General of where … ?
Q1) 3rd August, 1492, saw who set sail from Palos de la Frontera … ?A1) Christopher Columbus.
Q2) 3rd August, 2003, saw the American branch of the Anglican Church name it’s first, openly gay, archbishop: what was his name … ?A2) Gene Robinson.
Q3) 3rd August, 1977, saw the US Senate begin its hearings into the CIA’s MKULTRA project: which English band recorded a song called MK Ultra … ?A3) Muse.
Q4) 3rd August, 1957, saw Prince Tunku Abdul Rahman become the first elected head of state of which country … ?A4) Malaya.
Q5) And finally … 3rd August, 1990, saw the founding of which tyre company … ?A5) Firestone: or Firestone Tire and Rubber. (Originally founded in Akron, Ohio, which means we can either join AA … Or start singing Devo tunes …)
“Aye, I'm tellin' ye, happiness is one of the few things in this world that doubles every time you share it with someone else.”Harry Lauder, 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950
