You will get what the title is all about later. Let’s just say for now I’ll still be buying my airplane tickets and enduring the rigors of airport security for a few years longer.
As for now it’s Fact Day so have a look at the current offerings.
Enjoy.
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In cold weather keeping your cell phone
as close to your body as you can,
or in the inside pocket of an insulated base layer
will help keep it warm and prolong battery life.
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In the West women usually start shopping for baby things
as soon as they discover they’re pregnant
but in China a pregnant Chinese woman will avoid
getting a stroller before her baby is born because
according to Chinese tradition it’s considered
bad luck to have an empty stroller in the house
while you’re pregnant.
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The world’s oldest-known formula for toothpaste
was created by the ancient Egyptians
who used crushed rock salt, mint, dried iris flowers,
and pepper and mixed them to create a cleaning powder.
Research suggests this ancient toothpaste was more
effective than formulas used as recently as a century ago,
although it did have the unfortunate side effect
of causing bleeding gums.
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A scientific study has suggested that if you
are stressing over an important test or exam,
writing down your feelings on a piece of paper
before an exam will allow you to achieve higher scores.
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Contrary to many theories,
the tongue does not have specific receptor areas
for bitter, sour, salty, and sweet flavors.
In fact, there is a fifth taste (umami, for savory/meaty flavors)
and all zones of the tongue can sense all flavors.
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After banning the Nobel Prize,
Adolf Hitler developed his own version
– the German National Prize for Art and Science.
Ferdinand Porsche was one of the awardees
for being the man behind the world’s first
hybrid car and for the Volkswagen Beetle.
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In a statement he gave to the New York Times in 1909,
Nikola Tesla predicted that it would soon be possible
to transmit messages via personal devices.
Today, we have wireless communication devices
that we bring with us anywhere we go.
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A month after the USSR sent Sputnik 1 into space,
they sent Sputnik 2, which was the first spacecraft
to carry an animal (a dog named Laika) into space.
However, despite the Soviets initially claiming that
Laika had survived in orbit for a week,
decades later official Russian sources revealed
that Laika lived only a few hours
before dying from overheating.
Brave little doggie though.
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During WWI “Hello Girls,”as American
soldiers called them, were American women
who served as telephone operators for
Pershing’s forces in Europe.
The women were fluent in French and English
and were specially trained by the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company.
In 1979, the U.S. Army finally gave war medals
and veteran benefits to the few Hello Girls who were still alive.
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In its early days YouTube’s founders used
Craigslist to try to popularize the site
by offering $100 to attractive girls who would
post ten or more videos of themselves.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get a single response.
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The phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’
goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century
as found in George Eliot’s ‘The Mill on the Floss’ (1860),
where Mr. Tulliver uses the phrase in discussing
Daniel Defoe’s ‘The History of the Devil’,
saying how it was beautifully bound.
Its general meaning today, of course, is that
we shouldn’t judge or make a decision about
someone or something based on a brief
impression or outward appearance.
Wise advice.
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Just as true champagne must hail from France,
tequila has Denomination of Origin,
meaning that it has to be produced in Mexico,
mainly in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.
The states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit,
and Tamaulipas are also acceptable.
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Located in the city of Taipei in Taiwan, the
D.S. Music Restaurant has nothing to do with music at all.
In fact, it is a bizarre hospital-themed restaurant
where waitresses are all dressed as nurses,
tables are made from metal hospital beds,
drinks are served in IV bottles and
walls are decorated with X-ray scans.
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Remember the teleporter Star Trek?
Well, it’s no longer science fiction because now
matter can be dissolved into particles, transported
and reassembled at another location.
However, it won’t be available for use on humans
in the near future because at the moment,
whilst it is indeed possible to scan every molecule
in the human body and reassemble it in another area,
Yes there are questions about trophies and medals in today’s quiz, but most importantly there are loads of points to be collected – if you get the answers correct, of course.
And remember, if you do get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What is known as ‘The Eternal City’ ?
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Q. 2: In which sport is the ‘Vince Lombardi Trophy’ awarded?
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Q. 3: What acid accumulates in the muscles once the anaerobic threshold is passed when doing exercise?
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Q. 4: Who surrendered to whom, where and when to formally mark the end of the American Civil War? (A point for each correct answer, so a maximum of four points available.)
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Q. 5: In which country are the ‘Angel Falls’, the world’s highest waterfall?
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Q. 6: Who was the ‘sea green incorruptible’ who lead the reign of Terror in the French Revolution?
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Q. 7: What was the name of the first spacecraft was the first to reach the Moon’s immediate orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit?
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Q. 8: Which major spiral galaxy is the closest to the Milky Way?
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Q. 9: What is an ‘ECG’ used to show and in this context what do the letters ‘E-C-G’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
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Q. 10: Which alkane, chemical formula ‘CH4’, occurs naturally in oil wells, marshes and cow farts?
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Q. 11: This Irish-born soldier and diplomat, was also one of the first graduates from Harvard, and had one of London’s most famous streets named after him, what was his name?
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Q. 12: How high is the top of a badminton net above the court?
a) 3 feet b) 4 feet c) 5 feet d) 6 feet
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Q. 13: Which lead character was the budding author in the ‘The Waltons’ ? (And a bonus point for each of the actors who played this character.)
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Q. 14: What is the correct title for someone who shoes horses?
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Q. 15: Who was a searcher, a quiet man and a shootist amongst other things?
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Q. 16: Which garden is considered to be among the ‘Seven Wonders of the Ancient World’ ?
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Q. 17: What is another word for ‘lexicon’ ?
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Q. 18: What American outlaw had a brother called Frank and was killed by a member of his own gang. (Bonus points if you correctly name each of the following, the gang and the man who killed him.)
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Q. 19: Where would you find the abbreviation for the Japanese manufacturing company Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha?
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Q. 20: Which movie actor was the most decorated American soldier in World War Two?
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> ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What is known as ‘The Eternal City’ ?
A. 1: Rome.
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Q. 2: In which sport is the ‘Vince Lombardi Trophy’ awarded?
A. 2: American Football.
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Q. 3: What acid accumulates in the muscles once the anaerobic threshold is passed when doing exercise?
A. 3: Lactic Acid.
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Q. 4: Who surrendered to whom, where and when to formally mark the end of the American Civil War? (A point for each correct answer, so a maximum of four points available.)
A. 4: General Robert E. Lee surrendered of his Confederate Army to Union Army Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, at the Appomattox Court House, Virginia on April 9, 1865.
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Q. 5: In which country are the ‘Angel Falls’, the world’s highest waterfall?
A. 5: Venezuela.
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Q. 6: Who was the ‘sea green incorruptible’ who lead the reign of Terror in the French Revolution?
A. 6: Maximilien Robespierre. (You get the point for correctly giving the surname only.)
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Q. 7: What was the name of the first spacecraft was the first to reach the Moon’s immediate orbit, and the first to be placed in heliocentric orbit?
A. 7: It was the Soviet ‘Luna 1’.
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Q. 8: Which major spiral galaxy is the closest to the Milky Way?
A. 8: The Andromeda galaxy.
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Q. 9: What is an ‘ECG’ used to show and in this context what do the letters ‘E-C-G’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 9: The ECG shows heart activity and rhythm and it stands for electrocardiogram.
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Q. 10: Which alkane, chemical formula ‘CH4’, occurs naturally in oil wells, marshes and cow farts?
A. 10: Methane.
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Q. 11: This Irish-born soldier and diplomat, was also one of the first graduates from Harvard, and had one of London’s most famous streets named after him, what was his name?
A. 11: His name was Sir George Downing, and Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister is named after him. (And, yes, you get the point if you just said ‘Downing’.)
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Q. 12: How high is the top of a badminton net above the court?
a) 3 feet b) 4 feet c) 5 feet d) 6 feet
A. 12: The correct answer is c) 5 feet.
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Q. 13: Which lead character was the budding author in the ‘The Waltons’ ? (And a bonus point for each of the actors who played this character.)
A. 13: Officially ‘John “John-Boy” Walton Jr.’ but you get the point for just ‘John-Boy’. He was played by Richard Thomas in the pilot and series seasons 1–5, as well as guest appearances in season 6 and in the three movie sequels; Robert Wightman played ‘John-Boy’ in seasons 8–9 and one movie sequel.
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Q. 14: What is the correct title for someone who shoes horses?
A. 14: A farrier.
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Q. 15: Who was a searcher, a quiet man and a shootist amongst other things?
A. 15: John Wayne.
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Q. 16: Which garden is considered to be among the ‘Seven Wonders of the Ancient World’ ?
A. 16: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
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Q. 17: What is another word for ‘lexicon’ ?
A. 17: Dictionary.
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Q. 18: What American outlaw had a brother called Frank and was killed by a member of his own gang. (A bonus point if you correctly name each of the following, the gang and the man who killed him.)
A. 18: His name was Jesse James, and for your bonus points the gang was the ‘James-Younger Gang’ and the member who killed him was ‘Robert Ford’, who hoped to collect a reward on James’ head.
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Q. 19: Where would you find the abbreviation for the Japanese manufacturing company Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha?
A. 19: The abbreviation is obviously YKK and it can be found on almost every zipper in the world. Take a look at your zippers if you don’t believe me.
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Q. 20: Which movie actor was the most decorated American soldier in World War Two?
A. 20: Audie Murphy. (For the record some of his decorations were the Bronze Star with “V” Device and Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Service Cross, Presidential Unit Citation and Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart and Bronze and 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Silver Star and Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Medal of Honor, Legion of Merit, American Campaign Medal, European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Army of Occupation Medal, French Legion of Honor – Grade of Chevalier, French Croix de guerre with Silver Star, French Croix de guerre with Palm, French Liberation Medal, French Fourragère in Colors of the Croix de guerre, Belgian Croix de guerre with 1940 Palm.)
The quizzes do March on and we are starting this month with a good mix of questions. Some you should get without too much difficulty and some you will have to think about for a while.
Oh yes, and one that I will be surprised if anyone gets the bonus points for. You’ll know it when you see it.
As usual if you do get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: ‘Solidarity’ was an important Trade Union in which country in the 1980s?
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Q. 2: In lawn bowls (and its indoor version), what is the target ball called?
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Q. 3: Which creature lives on mulberry leaves?
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Q. 4: In the USA what cities are known as the
a) Big D? b) Steel City? c) City of Brotherly Love? d) Emerald City?
(A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if get all four correct.)
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Q. 5: In relation to power what is the equivalent of 746 watts?
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Q. 6: What word denoted the new policy of openness adopted by Mikhail Gorbachev’s government in the Soviet Union?
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Q. 7: What well known pottery form takes its name from the Italian for “baked earth”?
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Q. 8: How long did Rip Van Winkle sleep for?
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Q. 9: What term is given to a piece of rock or metal from space that reaches the surface of the Earth?
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Q. 10: The suffix ‘stan’ is Persian for ‘place of’ or ‘country’. The names of seven countries end in ‘stan’, what are they? (You get a point for each one you can name correctly and five (yes, 5) bonus points if get them all correct.)
a) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
b) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
c) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
d) _ _ _ _ stan
e) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
f) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
g) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
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Q. 11: What color is the most-prized variety of jade?
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Q. 12: Whose theorem uses a 3, 4, 5 triangle?
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Q. 13: Piraeus serves as the port for which major city?
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Q. 14: Which insects communicate with one another by dancing?
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Q. 15: What was the name of Captain Nemo’s submarine?
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Q. 16: What creature is an ophidiophobe afraid of?
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Q. 17: In the US and the UK what is the name given to the government department responsible for formulating and recommending economic, financial, tax, and fiscal policies?
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Q. 18: Which of the 12 Zodiac signs start with the letter ‘L’ ?
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Q. 19: Which English politician, when told by Lady Nancy Astor that if he were her husband she’d put poison in his coffee, replied that if she were his wife he’d drink it?
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Q. 20: What popular song originated as the jingle “Buy the World a Coke” in the groundbreaking 1971 “Hilltop” television commercial for Coca-Cola? (A bonus point is available if you can also correctly name the group.)
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: ‘Solidarity’ was an important Trade Union in which country in the 1980s?
A. 1: Poland.
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Q. 2: In lawn bowls (and its indoor version), what is the target ball called?
A. 2: Jack.
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Q. 3: Which creature lives on mulberry leaves?
A. 3: The Silk worm.
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Q. 4: In the USA what cities are known as the
a) Big D? b) Steel City? c) City of Brotherly Love? d) Emerald City?
(A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if get all four correct.)
A. 4: The correct answers are
a) The Big D = Dallas
b) The Steel City = Pittsburgh
c) The City of Brotherly Love = Philadelphia
d) The Emerald City = Seattle
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Q. 5: In relation to power what is the equivalent of 746 watts?
A. 5: 746 watts is the equivalent of 1 horse power.
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Q. 6: What word denoted the new policy of openness adopted by Mikhail Gorbachev’s government in the Soviet Union?
A. 6: Glasnost.
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Q. 7: What well known pottery form takes its name from the Italian for “baked earth”?
A. 7: Terracotta.
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Q. 8: How long did Rip Van Winkle sleep for?
A. 8: Twenty years.
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Q. 9: What term is given to a piece of rock or metal from space that reaches the surface of the Earth?
A. 9: It is known as a ‘Meteorite’.
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Q. 10: The suffix ‘stan’ is Persian for ‘place of’ or ‘country’. The names of seven countries end in ‘stan’, what are they? (You get a point for each one you can name correctly and seven (yes, 7) bonus points if get them all correct.)
a) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
b) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
c) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
d) _ _ _ _ stan
e) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
f) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
g) _ _ _ _ _ _ stan
A. 10: They are in alphabetical order,
a) Afghanistan
b) Kazakhstan
c) Kyrgyzstan
d) Pakistan
e) Tajikistan
f) Turkmenistan
g) Uzbekistan
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Q. 11: What color is the most-prized variety of jade?
A. 11: Green.
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Q. 12: Whose theorem uses a 3, 4, 5 triangle?
A. 12: Pythagoras.
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Q. 13: Piraeus serves as the port for which major city?
A. 13: Athens.
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Q. 14: Which insects communicate with one another by dancing?
A. 14: Bees.
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Q. 15: What was the name of Captain Nemo’s submarine?
A. 15: It was called the ‘Nautilus’.
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Q. 16: What creature is an ophidiophobe afraid of?
A. 16: Snakes.
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Q. 17: In the US and the UK what is the name given to the government department responsible for formulating and recommending economic, financial, tax, and fiscal policies?
A. 17: Treasury.
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Q. 18: Which of the 12 Zodiac signs start with the letter ‘L’ ?
A. 18: They are Leo and Libra.
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Q. 19: Which English politician, when told by Lady Nancy Astor that if he were her husband she’d put poison in his coffee, replied that if she were his wife he’d drink it?
A. 19: Winston Churchill.
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Q. 20: What popular song originated as the jingle “Buy the World a Coke” in the groundbreaking 1971 “Hilltop” television commercial for Coca-Cola? (A bonus point is available if you can also correctly name the group.)
A. 20: “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony) by The New Seekers.
Last day of this year and time for my recollections of 2014’s main events.
As always this is by no means meant to be a complete coverage of all the events that happened during 2014, just a personal blog post about some of the things I remember, and a few that I had forgotten until I started to compile this list.
I hope you enjoy.
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The Weather
We will start off with the weather since so many of us seem to be obsessed with it.
In the United States there were weather extremes. In California, for example, January was the warmest and driest on record in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles. Only four other Januaries since 1878 had been completely dry in Los Angeles until January 2014. Alaskans experienced their third warmest January in 96 years of record, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.
In many parts of the Midwest, on the other hand, 2014 was the coldest winter since the late 1970s or early 1980s. And some southern states of the US became the victims of, firstly, winter storm Kronos which brought a rare blanket of snow as far south as Louisiana, and sleet as far south as Harlingen, Texas and Pensacola, Fla. in late January, and then, just days later, a second winter storm, Leon, hit many of the same areas causing commuter chaos in both Birmingham, Ala. and Atlanta. Leon also spread ice and sleet to the Gulf Coast, including the Florida Panhandle, and the Low country of South Carolina.
And worse was on the way. Winter Storm Pax deposited an inch or more of ice in a swath from east-central Georgia into South Carolina, including Augusta, Ga. and Aiken, S.C. Pax was the second heaviest ice storm dating to 1947 in Wilmington, N.C. The accumulation of ice from Pax claimed the famed “Eisenhower tree” at the Augusta National Golf Club. Pax marked the first time since January 1940 that Columbia, S.C. saw snowfall for three straight days.
In complete contrast, the week after Pax, Columbia, S.C. tied its all-time February high of 84 degrees. Augusta, Ga. warmed into the 80s two straight days on Feb. 19-20.
Elsewhere in the world, severe Atlantic winter storms took their toll on many parts of England which in 2014 experienced storms and rain not seen since the late 19th century.
In Tokyo, Japan, which usually averages only about 4 inches of snow each year, there were also severe snow storms. In February, snow blanketed the city with 11 inches of snow in less than a week, the heaviest snowfall in 45 years for Tokyo and in 60 years for the city of Kumagaya, northwest of Tokyo. The following weekend, parts of eastern Japan, including parts of the Tokyo metro area, received another round of snow. Some smaller communities were isolated by more than 3 feet of snow.
And in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported that more than 10 percent of Queensland and almost 15 percent of New South Wales experienced their record hottest day on Jan. 3. A second heat wave hit parts of southern Australia in mid-January, with temperatures peaking above 41 degrees Celsius (just under 106 degrees Fahrenheit) for four straight days from Jan. 14-17, and reaching a sizzling 43.9 degrees C (111 degrees F) on both Jan. 16 and 17.
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Business and Technology
In the world of business and technology 2014 was the year the Obama administration decided to stop inversion deals, where US companies bought foreign domiciled businesses and moved their profit centers to a much more tax friendly location.
In technology buys, one of the largest was Facebook’s purchase of smartphone application WhatsApp for $19 Billion.
In other sectors 2014 saw world oil price plunge to around $50 per barrel, good news for consumers, not so good for producers.
Under pressure from the fall in oil and gas prices, along with the economic sanctions imposed by the west because of the ongoing situation in the Ukraine, the Russian Ruble went into free fall in December.
Also in 2014, in March, the United Nations International Court of Justice ruled that Japan’s Antarctic whaling program was not scientific but commercial and refused to grant further permits.
With Quantitative Easing having been ended in the US (for the moment anyway) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced plans for a new $29 billion fresh stimulus, including subsidies and job-creating programs, to help pull the world’s third-largest economy out of recession.
After their embarrassing foul up last Christmas, this year both FedEx and UPS managed to deliver more than 99 percent of express packages as promised on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, according to shipment tracker ShipMatrix.
South Korean prosecutors arrested a government official who allegedly leaked information about an investigation into former Korean Air Lines executive Cho Hyun-ah, who forced a flight to return over a bag of macadamia nuts. Most of the rest of the world tends to think that the idiot executive should suffer the consequences of her stupidity, not the whistleblower.
And finally, after their embarrassing hack attack and cringe-worthy capitulation to what amounted to a terrorist cyber attack which was rightly criticized publicly by President Obama, Sony finally decided to release its movie ‘The Interview’.
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Conflicts, Wars & Terrorism
Unfortunately 2014 saw many conflicts and acts of terrorism.
In April an estimated 276 girls and women were abducted and held hostage from a school in Nigeria. The following month, Boko Haram militants killed approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala and terrorists in Nigeria detonated bombs at Jos, killing 118 people.
June saw the emergence of a Sunni militant group called the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’ (also known as the ‘ISIS’ or ‘ISIL’). It began an offensive throughout northern Iraq, with the aim of eventually capturing the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrowing the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The group has been responsible for beheading of hundreds of people including several from the United States.
In July and August tensions between Israel and Hamas grew following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June and the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in July. Israel launched ‘Operation Protective Edge’ on the Palestinian Gaza Strip starting with numerous missile strikes, followed by a ground invasion a week later. In 7 weeks of fighting, 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis were killed.
Also in July, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 souls on board. There are conflicting claims as to who was responsible, some blaming pro Russian forces for a missile strike and others blaming Ukrainian forces.
In August and September the United States military began an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIS militants and the following month the United States and several Arab partners began an airstrike campaign in Syria.
Expect more on these stories during 2015.
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Departures
During 2014 we said farewell to many well know people from various walks of life. Here is just my selection of those I remember.
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From Literature
Sue Townsend
British novelist and playwright (b. 1946)
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P. D. James
British writer and life peer
(b. 1920)
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From Movies & TV
Roger Lloyd-Pack
British actor
(b. 1944)
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Maximilian Schell
Austrian-Swiss actor
(b. 1930)
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Philip Seymour Hoffman
American actor
(b. 1967)
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Shirley Temple
American actress and diplomat
(b. 1928)
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Sid Caesar
American actor
(b. 1922)
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Harold Ramis
American film director,
writer, and actor
(b. 1944)
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Mickey Rooney
American actor
(b. 1920)
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Bob Hoskins
British actor
(b. 1942)
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Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
American actor
(b. 1918)
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Rik Mayall
British comedian,
writer and actor
(b. 1958)
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Casey Kasem
American radio host
and voice actor
(b. 1932)
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Eli Wallach
American actor
(b. 1915)
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Elaine Stritch
American actress and singer
(b. 1925)
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James Garner
American actor
(b. 1928)
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Menahem Golan
Israeli filmmaker
(b. 1929)
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Robin Williams
American actor and comedian
(b. 1951)
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Lauren Bacall
American actress
(b. 1924)
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Richard Attenborough
British actor and film director
(b. 1923)
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Joan Rivers
American comedian, actress,
and television host
(b. 1933)
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Richard Kiel
American actor (b. 1939)
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Polly Bergen
American actress
(b. 1930)
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Ken Takakura
Japanese actor
(b. 1931)
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Warren Clarke
English actor
(b. 1947)
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Glen A. Larson
American television producer
and writer
(b. 1937)
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Virna Lisi
Italian actress
(b. 1936)
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Billie Whitelaw
English actress
(b. 1932)
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Luise Rainer
Golden Age actress
“The Great Ziegfeld”
(b. 1910)
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From Music
Pete Seeger
American singer, songwriter,
musician, and activist
(b. 1919)
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Johnny Winter
American singer and guitarist
(b. 1944)
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Glenn Cornick
British bass guitarist
(b. 1947)
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Jack Bruce
British rock bassist
(b. 1943)
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Acker Bilk
British jazz clarinetist
(b. 1929)
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Joe Cocker
English singer
(b. 1944)
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From Politics
Zbigniew Messner
9th Prime Minister of the
People’s Republic of Poland
(b. 1929)
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Ariel Sharon
11th Prime Minister of Israel
(b. 1928)
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Tony Benn
British politician and diarist
(b. 1925)
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Adolfo Suárez
138th Prime Minister of Spain
(b. 1932)
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James R. Schlesinger
American economist and politician
(b. 1929)
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A. N. R. Robinson
3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago
(b. 1926)
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Howard Baker
American politician and diplomat
(b. 1925)
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Eduard Shevardnadze
2nd President of Georgia
(b. 1928)
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Albert Reynolds
Irish Taoiseach (prime minister)
(b. 1932)
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Ian Paisley
British politician and
First Minister of Northern Ireland
(b. 1926)
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Nicholas Romanov
Prince of Russia
(b. 1922)
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Jean-Claude Duvalier
41st President of Haiti
(b. 1951)
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John Spencer-Churchill
11th Duke of Marlborough,
British peer and educator
(b. 1926)
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Gough Whitlam
21st Prime Minister of Australia
(b. 1916)
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From Space Exploration
Valeri Kubasov
Soviet cosmonaut
(b. 1935)
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Wubbo Ockels
Dutch astronaut and physicist
(b. 1946)
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Henry Hartsfield
American colonel and astronaut
(b. 1933)
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Anatoly Berezovoy
Soviet cosmonaut
(b. 1942)
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From Sport
Eusébio
Portuguese footballer
(b. 1942)
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Mae Young
American professional wrestler
(b. 1923)
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Louise Brough
American tennis player
(b. 1923)
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Tom Finney
English footballer
(b. 1922)
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Nelson Frazier, Jr.
American professional wrestler
(b. 1971)
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Jimmy Ellis
American boxer
(b. 1940)
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Jack Brabham
Australian race car driver
(b. 1926)
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Malcolm Glazer
American businessman,
owner of Manchester United
(b. 1928)
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Valentin Mankin
Ukrainian sailor, Olympic triple champion
and silver medalist
(b. 1938)
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Fernandão
Brazilian footballer and manager
(b. 1978)
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Alfredo Di Stéfano
Argentine-Spanish footballer
(b. 1926)
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Andriy Bal
Ukrainian football player and coach
(b. 1958)
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Björn Waldegård
Swedish rally driver
(b. 1943)
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Andrea de Cesaris
Italian race car driver
(b. 1959)
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Health
The big health scare of 2014 that dominated the headlines was the of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa in February, that initially infected over 19,000 people and killing at least 7,000, the most severe both in terms of numbers of infections and casualties.
In other news, also in February, Belgium became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.
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Politics
On January 1, Latvia officially adopted the Euro as its currency and became the 18th member of the Eurozone.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, replacing him with Oleksandr Turchynov, after days of civil unrest that left around 100 people dead in Kiev. The pro-Russian unrest lead to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and an insurgency in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In March, Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, severed diplomatic and political ties with Panama, accusing it of being involved in a conspiracy against the Venezuelan government.
Also in March, an emergency meeting, involving the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspended Russia from the G8.
In April, also in response to the Crimean crisis, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution temporarily stripping Russia of its voting rights; its rights to be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, the PACE Presidential Committee, and the PACE Standing Committee; and its right to participate in election-observation missions.
The same month, United States President Barack Obama began new economic sanctions against Russia, targeting companies and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In May the Royal Thai Army overthrew the caretaker government of Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.
Back in Europe, in June, King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated in favor of his son, who ascended the Spanish throne as King Felipe VI.
And the political year ended on a positive note, with U.S. President Barack Obama announcing the resumption of normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba after more than half a century.
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Space
The major space event of 2014 happened in November when the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Philae probe successfully landed on Comet 67P, the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on such an object.
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Sport
The two major world sporting events of 2014 were the XXII Olympic Winter Games, held in Sochi, Russia in February, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, and won by Germany, during June and July.
In American sport the Super Bowl was won by the Seattle Seahawks, the MLB World Series winners were the San Francisco Giants and in basketball the San Antonio Spurs came out on top.
Ice Hockey had three champions in 2014, Canada becoming Olympic champions, Russia world champions and in the NHL the Los Angeles Kings were the victors.
In tennis at the world famous Wimbledon Tournament in England Novak Djokovic became Men’s Singles Champion and Petra Kvitova Ladies Singles Champion, while the men’s and women’s winners of the US Open were Marin Čilić and Serena Williams respectively.
In Soccer, as noted above, Germany won the 2014 World Cup. The European Champions League winners were Real Madrid and the English Premiership was won by Manchester City.
The Formula 1 motor racing champion for 2014 was British driver Lewis Hamilton, who also picked up the award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
In golf’s major championships, the Masters Tournament, held in April, was won by Bubba Watson by three strokes. It was his second Masters championship.
May saw the BMW PGA Championship where young Northern Ireland man Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th hole to win by one stroke over Irishman Shane Lowry, who also birdied the 18th hole.
In June, U.S. Open winner was Martin Kaymer who won by eight strokes to become the first German player to win the U.S. Open, and the first player to win the Players Championship and the U.S. Open in the same year.
In July, the Open Championship Northern Ireland man Rory McIlroy, was on top again winning by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio García. It was his third career major championship, and his first Open Championship. With the win, he became the fourth player ever of 25 years old or under to have won at least three majors.
In August, McIlroy was back, winning the PGA Championship by one stroke over Phil Mickelson. He was having quite a year, it was his fourth career major and his second PGA Championship.
Then in September, in the Ryder Cup, Team Europe (also including McIlroy) defeated Team USA by a score of 16½ – 11½. It was the third consecutive Ryder Cup victory for Europe, and also Europe’s fifth consecutive home victory in the Ryder Cup.
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Tragedies
In March Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 airliner en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, disappears over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. The aircraft is presumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean.
In April Korean ferry MV Sewol capsized and sunk after an unmanageable cargo shift. More than 290 people were killed, mostly high school students.
In May hundreds of workers were killed in mining accident in Turkey.
In July, Air Algérie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.
And just a few days ago AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed, wreckage has been found off the coast of Indonesia’s Kalimantan coast.
The usual mixture of subjects including geography, history, science and nature, so something for everyone perhaps.
And remember, as always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: Which gas is the main element in the air that we breathe?
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Q. 2: What is the link between the females of the following: Antelope, Deer, Hamster, Mouse, and Squirrel?
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Q. 3: Every year around this time the President of the US pardons a turkey and it goes to a public farm called Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA., to live out its days, but which President is believed to have been the first to start this annual tradition?
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Q. 4: What do the terms ‘NASA’ and ‘ESA’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
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Q. 5: What type of creature is a ‘gadwall’?
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Q. 6: Who was the first American President of the United States?
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Q. 7: Which physical property allows a needle to float on water?
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Q. 8: Name the Capitals of the following countries. (A point for each correct answer.)
a) Australia b) Iceland c) Syria d) Uruguay e) Vietnam
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Q. 9: And a related question, which country has three Capital cities? (A point for the correct answer and a bonus point for each one you name correctly.)
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Q. 10: In what year did the first Macy’s Thanksgiving/Christmas parade take place?
a) 1924 b) 1927 c) 1931 d) 1935
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Q. 11: What is represented by the chemical symbol ‘Sn’?
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Q. 12: In Roman Mythology, who was the messenger of the Gods?
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Q. 13: When is the next leap year that will begin on a Friday?
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Q. 14: What does a ‘dendrologist’ study?
a) Hair b) Trees c) Teeth d) Plants
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Q. 15: What two famous Shakespearean characters appear in the phonetic alphabet? (A point for each one you name correctly.)
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Q. 16: Which is the largest planet in the solar system?
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Q. 17: Which English scientist discovered Sodium, Potassium, Barium, Calcium, Magnesium, and designed a famous lamp?
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Q. 18: Where would you find an ‘ISBN’ number?
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Q. 19: Which city was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455?
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Q. 20: Who was going like ‘a bat out of hell’ in the late 1970s?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: Which gas is the main element in the air that we breathe?
A. 1: Nitrogen. (By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.)
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Q. 2: What is the link between the females of the following: Antelope, Deer, Hamster, Mouse, and Squirrel?
A. 2: They are all called ‘Doe’.
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Q. 3: Every year around this time the President of the US pardons a turkey and it goes to a public farm called Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA., to live out its days, but which President is believed to have been the first to start this annual tradition?
A. 3: President Harry Truman in 1947.
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Q. 4: What do the terms ‘NASA’ and ‘ESA’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 4: NASA is the North American Space Agency and ESA is the European Space Agency.
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Q. 5: What type of creature is a ‘gadwall’?
A. 5: A duck.
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Q. 6: Who was the first American President of the United States?
A. 6: The first President of the United States, born in the United States after July 4th, 1776, and therefore American, was Martin Van Buren (born in 1782).
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Q. 7: Which physical property allows a needle to float on water?
A. 7: Surface tension.
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Q. 8: Name the Capitals of the following countries. (A point for each correct answer.)
a) Australia b) Iceland c) Syria d) Uruguay e) Vietnam
A. 8: The correct answers are
a) Canberra b) Reykjavík c) Damascus d) Montevideo e) Hanoi
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Q. 9: And a related question, which country has three Capital cities? (A point for the correct answer and a bonus point for each one you name correctly.)
A. 9: South Africa – Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
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Q. 10: In what year did the first Macy’s Thanksgiving/Christmas parade take place?
a) 1924 b) 1927 c) 1931 d) 1935
A. 10: The correct answer is a) 1924.
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Q. 11: What is represented by the chemical symbol ‘Sn’?
A. 11: ‘Sn’ is the chemical symbol for Tin.
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Q. 12: In Roman Mythology, who was the messenger of the Gods?
A. 12: Mercury.
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Q. 13: When is the next leap year that will begin on a Friday?
A. 13: 2016. (It’s easier than you think, any leap year starting on Friday, January 1, should be divisible by 28, such as 1932, 1960, 1988, or 2044.
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Q. 14: What does a ‘dendrologist’ study?
a) Hair b) Trees c) Teeth d) Plants
A. 14: The correct answer is b) trees.
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Q. 15: What two famous Shakespearean characters appear in the phonetic alphabet? (A point for each one you name correctly.)
A. 15: Romeo and Juliet.
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Q. 16: Which is the largest planet in the solar system?
A. 16: Jupiter.
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Q. 17: Which English scientist discovered Sodium, Potassium, Barium, Calcium, Magnesium, and designed a famous lamp?
A. 17: Sir Humphrey Davy.
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Q. 18: Where would you find an ‘ISBN’ number?
A. 18: On a book.
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Q. 19: Which city was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455?
A. 19: Rome.
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Q. 20: Who was going like ‘a bat out of hell’ in the late 1970s?
Yes, everyone it’s Quiz Day again at the fasab blog.
You will find out about ‘Bruce’ when you do the quiz, which I hope you will.
And remember, as always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: In radio what does ‘FM’ stand for?
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Q. 2: What breed of dog is the tallest in the world?
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Q. 3: And what is the smallest breed of dog?
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Q. 4: The marine mammal, the ‘dugong’, is the supposed original of what?
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Q. 5: Chance to build up a good score here with a possible 7 points available. In the business world what do these well known acronyms stand for? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you get all 6 correct.)
a) IBM b) HP c) CNN d) DHL e) HTC f) CVS
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Q. 6: What common chemical compound is represented by the formula ‘nh3’?
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Q. 7: What is a ‘quadruped’?
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Q. 8: What Italian physicist, mathematician, engineer, and philosopher who played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance, has been called the “father of modern observational astronomy”?
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Q. 9: Still on the subject of space, what recently landed on an asteroid after a ten year journey, bounced twice, ended up in the wrong place and then shut down after its batteries were depleted?
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Q. 10: What is the name of the little naked bow-carrying statue that historically represents ‘intimate love’, and ‘desire’? (You can also earn a bonus point if you can name his ‘brother’.)
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Q. 11: Of what is Bamboo the tallest variety in the world?
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Q. 12: Which bacteria is responsible for typhoid and food poisoning?
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Q. 13: What is the name given to someone who studies plants?
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Q. 14: What is the mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur better known as?
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Q. 15: What is ‘-459.7ºf’ also know as?
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Q. 16: What common medical procedure and what type of drink are included in the standard phonetic alphabet?
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Q. 17: How many cubic inches are there in a cubic foot?
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Q. 18: How many years is it since the start of the ‘Great War’?
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Q. 19: The invention of what in 1867, made Alfred Nobel famous?
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Q. 20: His nickname was ‘Bruce’ and he was the star of what became the highest-grossing film in history at the time of its release in 1975, and the most successful motion picture of all time until Star Wars. What was the name of the movie?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: In radio what does ‘FM’ stand for?
A. 1: Frequency Modulation.
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Q. 2: What breed of dog is the tallest in the world?
A. 2: No, not the Great Dane, the correct answer is Irish Wolfhound.
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Q. 3: And what is the smallest breed of dog?
A. 3: The Chihuahua. (In fact I think it is so small it doesn’t merit the extra ‘hua’.)
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Q. 4: The marine mammal, the ‘dugong’, is the supposed original of what?
A. 4: The Mermaid, the name ‘dugong’ means ‘lady of the sea’.
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Q. 5: Chance to build up a good score here with a possible 7 points available. In the business world what do these well known acronyms stand for? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you get all 6 correct.)
a) IBM b) HP c) CNN d) DHL e) HTC f) CVS
A. 5: a) IBM International Business Machines b ) HP Hewlett Packard.
c) CNN Cable Network News d) DHL Daisey Hillblom Lynn
e) HTC High Tech Computer f) CVS Consumer Value Stores
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Q. 6: What common chemical compound is represented by the formula ‘nh3’?
A. 6: Ammonia.
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Q. 7: What is a ‘quadruped’?
A. 7: Any four footed animal.
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Q. 8: What Italian physicist, mathematician, engineer, and philosopher who played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance, has been called the “father of modern observational astronomy”?
A. 8: His name is Galileo, or more properly Galileo Galilei.
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Q. 9: Still on the subject of space, what recently landed on an asteroid after a ten year journey, bounced twice, ended up in the wrong place and then shut down after its batteries were depleted?
A. 9: The European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta Mission Philae comet lander. (You earn a point if you said either ‘Rosetta’ or ‘Philae’ in your answer.)
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Q. 10: What is the name of the little naked bow-carrying statue that historically represents ‘intimate love’, and ‘desire’? (You can also earn a bonus point if you can name his ‘brother’.)
A. 10: His name is ‘Eros’ and his brother’s name is ‘Anteros’ who supposedly represents reflective or returned mature love.
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Q. 11: Of what is Bamboo the tallest variety in the world?
A. 11: Grass.
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Q. 12: Which bacteria is responsible for typhoid and food poisoning?
A. 12: Salmonella.
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Q. 13: What is the name given to someone who studies plants?
A. 13: A Botanist.
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Q. 14: What is the mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur better known as?
A. 14: Gunpowder.
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Q. 15: What is ‘-459.7ºf’ also know as?
A. 15: Absolute Zero. (So now if anyone asks you what the government has achieved you can answer ‘-459.7ºf’.)
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Q. 16: What common medical procedure and what type of drink are included in the standard phonetic alphabet?
A. 16: X-ray = X and Whiskey = W.
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Q. 17: How many cubic inches are there in a cubic foot?
A. 17: 1728. (12 x 12 x 12)
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Q. 18: How many years is it since the start of the ‘Great War’?
A. 18: 100 years this year. The Great War is also now known as World War I.
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Q. 19: The invention of what in 1867, made Alfred Nobel famous?
A. 19: Dynamite.
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Q. 20: His nickname was ‘Bruce’ and he was the star of what became became the highest-grossing film in history at the time of its release in 1975, and the most successful motion picture of all time until Star Wars. What was the name of the movie?
A. 20: The movie was ‘Jaws’, and ‘Bruce’ was the nickname give to the ‘shark’ they used in it.
fasab 