Quizology.Online

A Serious Pursuit of the Trivial

  • The Best Way to Observe a Fish is to Become a Fish — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    RV Calypso.
    Image francebleu.fr

    Today’s first question is the only one connected to the date 11 June. The others continue a theme created in the first.

    One

    Born in 1910, this French author, explorer, inventor, diver, and biologist was awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for espionage work while a member of the French resistance during World War II. Who is this?

    Answer: Jacques Cousteau.

    Jacques Cousteau (1910–1997) was a French naval officer, ocean explorer, filmmaker and co-inventor of the Aqua-Lung, which revolutionised scuba diving. A World War II resistance member and decorated naval officer, he pioneered underwater research, photography, and filmmaking. Using his research vessel Calypso (pictured), he led expeditions worldwide and helped popularise ocean exploration through books, documentaries and television. Cousteau also directed Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum, developed underwater habitats, and founded organisations dedicated to marine conservation and environmental protection.

    Two

    This actor, who links Hamlet and Ealing comedies with adaptations of John Le Carré’s novels and Star Wars, commanded a World War II landing craft during the invasions of Sicily and Elba. Who is he?

    Answer: Alec Guinness.

    Sir Alec Guinness, born Alec Guinness de Cuffe, was a renowned English actor, noted for his roles in nine of the BFI’s 100 most important British films. He won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, Tony, and Volpi Cup. Knighted in 1959, he starred in films like Great Expectations, Lawrence of Arabia, and was Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. Guinness also excelled in theatre and television, notably as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People.

    Three

    This actress, who played Delilah in 1949’s Samson and Delilah, was the co-inventor of a 1941 torpedo radio guidance system which utilised pioneering spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to prevent jamming. Who was she?

    Answer: Hedy Lamarr.

    Hedy Lamarr, an Austrian-American actress and inventor, co-invented a radio guidance system during World War II with composer George Antheil. Their invention utilised spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to protect Allied torpedoes from Axis jamming. Lamarr received numerous awards for her contributions to spread-spectrum technology, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award, the BULBIE Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, and the Viktor Kaplan Medal. Its principles are utilised for secure wireless networking, such as Bluetooth and early versions of Wi-Fi, which use variants of spread spectrum to protect data from interception and interference. She was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

    Four

    This actor, who worked in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II, links all of these: Count Dracula; a 1970s Bond villain; baddies in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; a High Councillor in The Golden Compass and the voice of Death in animated versions from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Who is he?

    Answer: Christopher Lee.

    He was renowned for his portrayal of Count Dracula in Hammer Horror films, starting with Dracula (1958). He also starred as Bond villain Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Count Dooku in the Star Warsprequel trilogy (2002–2005), and Saruman in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies (2001–2003 and 2012–2014, respectively). Lee voiced the character Death in two animated fantasy-comedy television series adaptations of the Discworld novels Soul Music and Wyrd Sisters (both 1997).

    Five

    An actor who flew US Liberator bombers over Europe during World War II had a starring role in 1939 in which he ‘went to Washington’. The following year, a ‘tale about Philadelphia’ won him a Best Actor Oscar. Who was this actor and pilot whose time in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned 1941 to 1968?

    Answer: James Stewart.

    The two films referenced in the question are Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and The Philadelphia Story (1940). James Stewart, initially rejected for being underweight, enlisted in 1941 after gaining weight. An experienced pilot, he served in the Air Corps, becoming a second lieutenant in 1942. His celebrity aided recruitment, leading to 150,000 new troops. Volunteering for combat, he flew a B-24 Liberator in Europe, earning promotions to Major in 1944 and Colonel in 1945. Stewart received the Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, and Air Medal. He served in the Air Force Reserve until 1968, retiring as a brigadier general. 

    The Best Way to Observe a Fish is to Become a Fish

    The post title is a quote from Jacques Cousteau

    “The best way to observe fish is to become a fish,” wrote Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1952. “And the best way to become a fish…is to don an underwater breathing device called the Aqua-Lung.”
    — Time magazine

  • The Best Way to Observe a Fish is to Become a Fish

    Image francebleu.fr

    Today’s first question is the only one connected to the date 11 June. The others continue a theme created in the first.

    One

    Born in 1910, this French author, explorer, inventor, diver, and biologist was awarded the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, for espionage work while a member of the French resistance during World War II. Who is this?

    Two

    This actor, who links Hamlet and Ealing comedies with adaptations of John Le Carré’s novels and Star Wars, commanded a World War II landing craft during the invasions of Sicily and Elba. Who is he?

    Three

    This actress, who played Delilah in 1949’s Samson and Delilah, was the co-inventor of a 1941 torpedo radio guidance system which utilised pioneering spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to prevent jamming. Who was she?

    Four

    This actor, who worked in Royal Air Force Intelligence during World War II, links all of these: Count Dracula; a 1970s Bond villain; baddies in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; a High Councillor in The Golden Compass and the voice of Death in animated versions from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Who is he?

    Five

    An actor who flew US Liberator bombers over Europe during World War II had a starring role in 1939 in which he ‘went to Washington’. The following year, a ‘tale about Philadelphia’ won him a Best Actor Oscar. Who was this actor and pilot whose time in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve spanned 1941 to 1968?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Animal Crackers — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Coat of Arms of Australia.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of todays questions are about animals.

    One

    What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?

    Answer: Emu, (Australian piping) shrike and black swan.

    The shield’s centre features symbols representing Australia’s six states and its border symbolises federation. Holding the shield are the native Australian animals, the kangaroo and the emu. These were chosen to represent a nation moving forward as neither animal easily moves backwards. Above the shield sits a seven-point gold Commonwealth Star. Six of the star’s points represent the Australian states while the seventh point represents the territories. South Australia is represented by an Australian piping shrike and Western Australia, a black swan.

    Two

    A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?

    Answer: Wood.

    Xylophagy refers to herbivorous animals primarily consuming wood. Most are arthropods, especially insects, which may specialise in certain plant groups or wood characteristics. Many have symbiotic organisms aiding cellulose breakdown. Examples include Cossidae moths, termites, shipworms, and wood-boring beetles, among others.

    Three

    In the terminology used to describe swans:
    What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?

    Answers: Cygnet; Cob and pen.

    Young swans are known as cygnets, from Old French cigne or cisne (diminutive suffix et ‘little’), from the Latin word cygnus, a variant form of cycnus ‘swan’, itself from the Greek κύκνος kýknos, a word of the same meaning. An adult male is a cob, from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group); an adult female is a pen.
    — Wikipedia

    Four

    What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?

    Answer: Sperm whale.

    Moby Dick is a fictional white sperm whale and the main antagonist in Herman Melville’s novel. Based on the real-life Mocha Dick, Moby Dick is described as having distinctive white markings and a history of attacking and destroying whaling ships. The novel ends with Moby Dick destroying the Pequod, leaving Ishmael as the sole survivor.

    Five

    According to the narrative of the Bible’s  Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?

    Answer: Abel.

    Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.
    — Book of Genesis, The Bible

    The Nabi Habeel Mosque, Bilad Ash-Sham, Syria, is believed by Muslims to be the grave of Abel. Abel, murdered by his brother Cain, is the world’s first homicide victim?

  • Animal Crackers

    Sheep.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    All of todays questions are about animals.

    One

    What birds are shown on the Australian coat of arms?

    Two

    A xylophage is an animal whose diet consists mainly of which substance?

    Three

    In the terminology used to describe swans:
    What is a young swan known as, and what two nouns of the same length are used for the male and female, respectively?

    Four

    What species of whale was the fictional Moby Dick?

    Five

    According to the narrative of the Bible’s  Book of Genesis 4:2, who was the keeper of sheep?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Before They Invented Drawing Boards What Did They Go Back To? — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    See question three. Horse-drawn plough.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Continuing the recent trend, today’s first question is connected to today’s date, 9 June. The remainder of the questions are not date-related but follow on a theme begun in question one.

    One

    In 1781, an English engineer who Encyclopædia Britannica describes as ‘the principal inventor of the railroad locomotive’ was born. Who is he, and which of his locomotives inaugurated public rail travel in September 1828?

    Answer: George Stephenson; Active (aka Locomotion).

    George Stephenson, born on 9 June 1781, in Wylam, Northumberland, England, revolutionised transportation with his locomotive innovations. After building the Blucher and introducing the ‘steam blast’, he gained fame with a mine-safety lamp. In 1825, his Active (renamed Locomotion) locomotive inaugurated public rail travel. He constructed the Liverpool-Manchester line, overcoming opposition, and his Rocket won a 1829 competition. Stephenson’s work spurred global railroad expansion, and he continued as a leading figure in transportation engineering until his death on 12 August 1848.

    Two

    Tea bags were reportedly invented by accident. Modern tea bags are made from paper but what material were the early ones made from?

    Answer: Silk.

    Tea bags were popularised in the early 20th century, reportedly by accident. Around 1908, American tea merchant Thomas Sullivan sent tea samples in small silk bags. Some customers are said to have brewed the tea directly in the bags, mistaking them for a replacement for traditional metal infusers, leading to the development of the modern tea bag. As stated, early tea bags were made of silk; paper tea bags did not become common until later, when manufacturers developed cheaper and more practical filter-paper versions.

    Three

    (Note, in this question, the word ‘houghing’ is an obsolete form of ‘hoeing’ as done with a horse-drawn hoe (hough)).

    What name links the book The New Horse Houghing Husbandry: Or an Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation, which was published in 1731, with the 1978 album Heavy Horses?

    Answer: Jethro Tull.

    Jethro Tull (1674–1741) was an influential English agronomist and inventor whose innovations shaped modern British agriculture. Initially trained for law, Tull managed his father’s farm in Oxfordshire, where he developed a horse-drawn seed drill around 1701. In 1709, he purchased a farm in Berkshire, adopting vineyard cultivation methods and inventing a horse-drawn hoe. His work, published in The New Horse Houghing Husbandry: Or an Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation (1731), faced initial criticism but eventually revolutionised farming practices. The eleventh studio album by the band Jethro Tull, Heavy Horses, was released in 1978. It is a folk rock album dedicated to British working ponies and horses. It continues the band’s combination of folk and progressive rock with a darker sound.

    Four

    Adolphe Sax, best known for inventing the saxophone, was born in which present-day country, and in what decade did he patent the saxophone?

    Answer: Belgium; 1840s.

    Adolphe Sax, born in 1814 in Dinant, Belgium, was a Belgian-French instrument maker and inventor of the saxophone, which he patented in 1846. He also developed the saxhorn, saxo-tromba, and saxtuba, and redesigned the bass clarinet. Sax studied flute and clarinet before moving to Paris in 1842 to exhibit his saxophone. Appointed instructor at the Paris Conservatory in 1857, he faced legal battles over patents and died in poverty in 1894. Sax’s innovations significantly impacted the world of music.

    Five

    What are the ‘Four Great Inventions’ traditionally attributed to ancient China? 

    Answer: Papermaking, printing, the compass, and gunpowder.

    These four inventions profoundly influenced world history. Papermaking and printing revolutionised the spread of knowledge, the compass transformed navigation and exploration, and gunpowder changed warfare. The concept of the ‘Four Great Inventions’ became especially popular in the nineteenth century as a way of highlighting China’s major contributions to global civilisation.

    Before They Invented Drawing Boards What Did They Go Back To?

    The post title was a quote from the American stand-up comedian, George Carlin (1937-2008).

  • Before They Invented Drawing Boards What Did They Go Back To?

    See question three. Horse-drawn plough.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    Continuing the recent trend, today’s first question is connected to today’s date, 9 June. The remainder of the questions are not date-related but follow on a theme begun in question one.

    One

    In 1781, an English engineer who Encyclopædia Britannica describes as ‘the principal inventor of the railroad locomotive’ was born. Who is he, and which of his locomotives inaugurated public rail travel in September 1828?

    Two

    Tea bags were reportedly invented by accident. Modern tea bags are made from paper but what material were the early ones made from?

    Three

    (Note, in this question, the word ‘houghing’ is an obsolete form of ‘hoeing’ as done with a horse-drawn hoe (hough)).

    What name links the book The New Horse Houghing Husbandry: Or an Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation, which was published in 1731, with the 1978 album Heavy Horses?

    Four

    Adolphe Sax, best known for inventing the saxophone, was born in which present-day country, and in what decade did he patent the saxophone?

    Five

    What are the ‘Four Great Inventions’ traditionally attributed to ancient China? 

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Islands Surrounded by Water — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    Barnhill, Isle of Jura.
    Image Wild About Argyll

    The post title might sound a bit obvious but it is simply a follow-on to yesterday’s, Islands Surrounded by Land.
    The first question relates to today’s date, 8 June, and also to an island. The other questions are not date related but all are about islands.

    One

    In 1946, George Orwell left London and moved to Scotland, where he stayed at a remote house called Barnhill on a Hebridean island to finish his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. What island was Barnhill on, and what chronic illness was Orwell suffering as he wrote the novel? 

    Answer: Isle of Jura; Tuberculosis.

    In May 1946, Orwell retreated to Jura to draft Nineteen Eighty-Four at Barnhill. Despite slow progress and health issues, including lung inflammation and tuberculosis, he completed the first draft on 7 November 1947. Miranda Christen typed a clean version, and Orwell sought medical treatment at Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride. Orwell was discharged in summer 1948, returned to Jura, and completed a second draft of Nineteen Eighty-Four by November. Unable to find a typist, he retyped it himself despite illness. He left Barnhill in January 1949, and recovered in a sanatorium in the Cotswolds. On June 8, 1949, Nineteen Eighty-four was published.

    Two

    In what ocean is the Chagos Archipelago located?

    Answer: Indian Ocean.

    The Chagos Archipelago, over 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, was under French and then British control. In 1965, the UK expelled its Chagossian population for a US military base. Mauritius claimed the islands, with the ICJ and ITLOS ruling in 2019 and 2021 that the UK must return them. A 2025 treaty transferring sovereignty to Mauritius is on hold due to US, UK, and public opposition, citing UNCLOS Article 298 (b).

    Three

    What island extending from approximately 76° N to 83° N is world’s largest island entirely within the Arctic Circle?

    Answer: Ellesmere Island.

    Ellesmere Island, Canada’s northernmost and third largest island, spans 196,236 square kilometres, slightly smaller than Great Britain. Part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, it features Cape Columbia, Canada’s northernmost point, and the north geomagnetic pole. The Arctic Cordillera dominates its landscape, with over one-fifth designated as Quttinirpaaq National Park. In 2021, its population was 144, residing in Alert, Eureka, and Grise Fiord, within Nunavut’s Qikiqtaaluk Region. Canada’s other northern islands, which are larger than Ellesmere, such as Baffin Island, extend south of the Arctic Circle and therefore do not answer the question.

    Four

    After the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition ship was trapped by pack ice, a small group in an open boat, the James Caird, attempted an 810-mile winter crossing of the South Atlantic Ocean to organise a rescue. What two islands were the starting and ending points of this epic journey?

    Answer: Elephant Island and South Georgia Island.

    In August 1914, Shackleton led the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The Endurance was trapped in pack ice, drifting for ten months before being crushed. The crew survived on ice floes for five months, reaching Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others sailed 810 miles (700 nautical miles; 1,300 km) to South Georgia in 17 days aboard the open boat, James Caird. The journey saw Atlantic winter storms, including ‘one of the worst hurricanes any of us had ever experienced‘. After four months and four relief expeditions, Shackleton rescued his crew, with none perishing, showcasing his exceptional leadership and resilience. The James Caird is on display at Dulwich College, London, UK, which is Shackleton’s alms mater.

    Five

    What is the largest island in the geographic entity of Europe?

    Answer: Great Britain.

    The designation ‘Great Britain‘ ultimately reflects classical Greek geographic terminology. In the 2nd century CE, Ptolemy referred to the larger island in the British Isles as Megálē Brettanía (‘Great Britain‘), using a descriptive term meaning ‘great‘ or ‘large’. The modern English name developed later from this classical tradition of distinguishing the larger island within the archipelago.

    Islands Surrounded by Water

    The post title might sound a bit obvious but it is simply a follow-on to yesterday’s, Islands Surrounded by Land.
    The first question relates to today’s date, 8 June, and also to an island. The other questions are not date related but all are about islands.

  • Islands Surrounded by Water

    Barnhill, Isle (?).
    Image Wild About Argyll

    The post title might sound a bit obvious but it is simply a follow-on to yesterday’s, Islands Surrounded by Land.
    The first question relates to today’s date, 8 June, and also to an island. The other questions are not date related but all are about islands.

    One

    In 1946, George Orwell left London and moved to Scotland, where he stayed at a remote house called Barnhill on a Hebridean island to finish his novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four. What island was Barnhill on, and what chronic illness was Orwell suffering as he wrote the novel? 

    Two

    In what ocean is the Chagos Archipelago located?

    Three

    What island extending from approximately 76° N to 83° N is world’s largest island entirely within the Arctic Circle?

    Four

    After the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition ship was trapped by pack ice, a small group in an open boat, the James Caird, attempted an 810-mile winter crossing of the South Atlantic Ocean to organise a rescue. What two islands were the starting and ending points of this epic journey?

    Five

    What is the largest island in the geographic entity of Europe?

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.

  • Islands Surrounded by Land — Answers

    Here are the answers to today’s questions.

    See question five. Flag of San Marino.
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 7 June, and also to an ‘enclave’. The other questions are not date related but all are about enclaves. 

    One

    What enclave became a sovereign state on this day in 1929 as a result of the Lateran Treaty taking effect?

    Answer: Vatican City.

    On this day in 1929, the Lateran Treaty came into effect, establishing Vatican City as a sovereign state and the world’s smallest nation. Covering a mere 0.44 square km (0.17 square miles), it’s roughly one-eighth the size of New York City’s Central Park. Completely encircled by Rome, Vatican City is a tiny enclave within the city.

    Two

    Measuring approximately one mile by one mile, this city dates back to Roman times and can trace its charter back almost a thousand years. It is now an enclave within another (much larger) city. What three words form the name of this city?

    Answer: City of London.

    Surrounded by Greater London, the City of London, also known as the Square Mile, is a historic and financial centre in England. It is the smallest city in the UK by area, with a population of 8,583, yet it serves as a major employment hub with over 500,000 workers. Its unique government system, rooted in pre-Norman Conquest rights, has influenced parliamentary government. The Court of Husting, established by 1032, was the supreme court of medieval London, with Aldermen playing a key role in municipal authority. 

    Three

    ACT, which became a federal area in 1911, is an enclave of another area (which is not a nation). What is ACT, and what area surrounds it, making it an enclave?

    Answer: Australian Capital Territory; New South Wales.

    The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), an internal Australian territory, encloses Canberra, the nation’s capital. Established in 1911, it hosts key political institutions like the Parliament and High Court. The ACT, landlocked and mostly comprising Namadgi National Park, includes smaller towns and experiences a dry, continental climate.

    Four

    Maseru is the capital of this landlocked sovereign state in the southern hemisphere, which is an enclave totally surrounded by another country. What is the name of this enclave, and that of the surrounding country?

    Answer: Lesotho; South Africa.

    Lesotho, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, is surrounded by South Africa and is the largest sovereign enclave. Formed in 1824, it gained independence in 1966. The Sotho ethnic group dominates, with Sesotho as an official language. Despite socioeconomic challenges, it boasts high literacy and is part of several international organisations.

    Five

    The flag shown at the top of this post is that of yet another enclave; a European sovereign state totally surrounded by another. What country is the enclave mentioned, and what country surrounds it? 

    Answer: San Marino; Italy.

    San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked microstate in Southern Europe, surrounded by Italy. It is the fifth-smallest country globally, with a land area of over 61 square kilometres and a population of 34,042 as of 2025. Founded in AD 301, it claims to be the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic, named after Saint Marinus. It has a unique constitutional structure with two Captains Regent, elected every six months, and the oldest Constitution, dating from 1600.

    Islands Surrounded by Land

    An enclave is described by Wikipedia as ‘An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity’. Like an island totally surrounded by water, an enclave is totally surrounded by land.

  • Islands Surrounded by Land

    See question five. Flag of ?
    Image Wikimedia Commons

    The first question relates to today’s date, 7 June, and also to an ‘enclave’. The other questions are not date related but all are about enclaves. 

    One

    What enclave became a sovereign state on this day in 1929 as a result of the Lateran Treaty taking effect?

    Two

    Measuring approximately one mile by one mile, this city dates back to Roman times and can trace its charter back almost a thousand years. It is now an enclave within another (much larger) city. What three words form the name of this city?

    Three

    ACT, which became a federal area in 1911, is an enclave of another area (which is not a nation). What is ACT, and what area surrounds it, making it an enclave?

    Four

    Maseru is the capital of this landlocked sovereign state in the southern hemisphere, which is an enclave totally surrounded by another country. What is the name of this enclave, and that of the surrounding country?

    Five

    The flag shown at the top of this post is that of yet another enclave; a European sovereign state totally surrounded by another. What country is the enclave mentioned, and what country surrounds it? 

    Islands Surrounded by Land

    Good luck! I’ll post the answers later.