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GK 8
Quiz
Question | Answer |
---|---|
How is the animal family cyprinidae better known? | Carps/minnows |
Where is the church with the world's highest steeple? | Ulm |
The fairy tale involving the Pied Piper of Hameln/Hamlyn was set in which century? | 13th |
Skukuza is a tourist camp in which African national park? | Kruger |
Wichita is in which US state? | Kansas |
On which London street is the Ritz hotel? | Piccadilly |
In which UK county is the wildlife reserve 'Donna Nook'? | Lincolnshire |
Northwich stands on which two rivers? | Weaver and Dane |
In which UK city is the Citizens Theatre? | Glasgow |
Which city is the largest on the Caspian Sea? | Baku |
Which place was affected by the 27th March 1964 'Good Friday' Earthquake, the 3rd strongest in recorded history? | Alaska |
What is the 9th book of the New Testament, immediately following '2 Corinthians'? | Galatians |
Which is the penultimate book of the New Testament, immediately preceding 'Revelation'? | Jude |
In which US states are the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? | North Carolina and Tennessee |
John Nance Garner was whose vice-president? | Franklin D Roosevelt (1933-41) |
Former US Vice-President John Nance Garner had what nickname? | Cactus Jack |
The brain part, the thalamus, takes its name from the Greek for what? | Chamber |
Which comedian used the catchphrase "Hello my darlings"? | Charlie Drake |
Who played Dixon of Dock Green? | Jack Warner |
Which two motorways cross the Severn en route between England and Wales? | M4, M48 |
In April 2002, who became England's youngest football captain since Bobby Moore? | Michael Owen |
Which sport is played by the San Diego Padres? | Baseball |
Which city worldwide was the first to possess a registered association football club? | Sheffield |
In which county is Goodwood racing circuit? | West Sussex |
What diameter of archery targets are used in Olympic contests? | 122cm |
In the Theogony of Hesiod, who was Gaia's youngest son? | Cronos |
Give a year in the life of Plato. | 428-348BCE |
In which work of Plato does he unveil the concept of a 'Demiurge'? | Timaeus |
Where was Herodotus, the ancient historian, born? | Halicarnassus |
The ancient Greek word 'historia', from which 'history', literally meant what? | Enquiry |
Who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002? | Carey |
Which Archbishop of Canterbury was burned at the stake in 1556? | Cranmer |
What is the chemical name of washing soda? | Sodium Carbonate |
What is the chemical name of Glaubers Salts? | Sodium Sulphate |
What is the chemical name of hypo? | Sodium Thiosulphate |
What is the actual chemical name of cocaine? | Cocaine Hydrochloride |
Which street drug has been called Mary Jane and hop? | Marijuana |
What is THC, one of the most important ingredients in cannabis? | Tetrahydrocannibol |
What is 'wobble weed'? | Cannabis coated with PCP |
How was Dublin's "O'Connell Street" known prior to the Easter Rising? | Sackville Street |
What has Moscow's Lubyanka Building been before it became the infamous HQ of the KGB? | A prison |
Considered an important predecessor of Impressionism, Charles-François Daubigny was a member of which group of artists? | Barbizon School |
Who painted "La Femme Dans Le Bain S'Epongeant Sa Jambe", hung in the Musee D'Orsay? | Degas |
Who painted the Musee D'Orsay's "Danse Mauresque"? | Toulouse-Lautrec |
French artist (1840-1916) Odilon Redon is chiefly associated with which movement? | Symbolism |
Who painted the beautiful, sun-dappled "Bal Du Moulin De La Galette"? | Renoir |
What pseudonym was used by George III when he wrote farming articles? | Ralph Robinson |
Which US President was known as "The Man Of The People" and gained national fame through his role in the War of 1812, most famously where he won a decisive victory over the main British invasion army at the Battle of New Orleans? | Andrew Jackson |
Who resigned as the UK Foreign Secretary in 1938 over the Appeasement of Hitler? | Eden |
Who was the sixth ruler of the Seleucid Empire, living c. 241 – 187 BC, but was defeated by the Romans at the 191BCE Battle of Thermopylae (one of many so-named battles, though not the most famous 480BCE one)? | Antiochus III |
Membership of the Companion of Honour is limited to how many people? | 65 |
Which music hall star was born Marie Alice Victoria Wood in Hoxton in 1870? | Marie Lloyd |
Who wrote the music for the operetta The Student Prince? | Sigmund Romberg |
Which South American country’s flag has two different sides? | Paraguay |
In which US state did the airship Hindenburg crash? | New Jersey |
What was the last Beatles’ No.1 single? | The Ballad of John and Yoko |
Which poet wrote the lines “The female of the species is more deadly than the male”? | Rudyard Kipling |
Which is the highest mountain in Switzerland? | Monte Rosa |
Which king of England was married to Catherine of Braganza? | Charles II |
From which department was John Profumo forced to resign following the 1963 scandal? | The War Office |
What flower gave its name to the revolution which saw Edvard Shevardnadze forced to step down as President of Georgia in 2003? | Rose |
Which American novelist, essayist and journalist coined the word ‘factoid’ in a 1973 biography of Marilyn Monroe? | Norman Mailer |
Which musical features numbers including "Adelaide’s Lament" and "Luck Be A Lady"? | Guys and Dolls |
he 2014 FIFA World Cup opening match saw Brazil controversially defeat which European side 3-1 after several questionable refereeing decisions went the way of the hosts? | Croatia |
The names for the boundaries between the layers of earth’s atmosphere all end in what five letters, which themselves form an English word? | -pause |
The tenth labour of Hercules involved stealing what sort of creatures belonging to the giant Geryon? | Cattle |
Which actor, who also played The War Doctor in the 50th Anniversary special edition of "Doctor Who", played Caligula in the 1976 BBC adaptation of "I, Claudius"? | John Hurt |
The US actor Wallace Shawn played Vizzini in which 1987 Rob Reiner film, based on a novel by William Goldman? | The Princess Bride |
The big toe and thumb comprise two, and all other toes and fingers comprise three, of what bone? | Phalanges |
Situated on the corner of Lombard and King William Streets, which City of London church was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and is mentioned in The Waste Land? | St Mary Woolnoth |
The brothers Chris and Eddie Amoo were members of which British soul group who had a UK number one with "You To Me Are Everything"? | The Real Thing |
A rival to Skype, what is the name of Apple’s video-telephony software which runs on iOS and Macintosh devices? | FaceTime |
What is the name of the controversial employment system used in middle eastern states such as Qatar which requires all unskilled labourers to have an in-country sponsor who is responsible for their visa and legal status? | Kafala |
Which Liverpool-born author, who died in 2010, received the most Booker shortlistings - 5 - without ever winning the prize? | Beryl Bainbridge |
Which European capital city was founded in the 17th Century by Sulejman Pasha of Mulleti? | Tirana |
The Ghegs and the Tosks are the two major ethnic (and linguistic) groupings of which nation? | Albania |
What are the two official languages of Afghanistan? | Dari and Pashto |
What (1700–1721) was the name of the conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe? | Great Northern War |
Which Napoleonic war treaty was concluded between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Sweden on one side and the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway on the other side on 14 January 1814? | Treaty of Kiel |
Which playwright wrote "An Enemy of the People", "Emperor and Galilean", and "The Master Builder"? | Ibsen |
Who created both the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, and Lake Wobegon? | Garrison Keiller |
What are the two main groupings of Old Norse poetry? | Skaldic and Eddic |
Which Nobel laureate wrote the words to the Norwegian national anthem? | Bjornstjerne Bjornson |
Which Norwegian wrote Gift (1883), Skipper Worse (1882) and Garman & Worse (1880)? | Alexander Kielland |
Which two sons of Kenneth MacAlpin were also Kings of the Picts (and in traditional lists, Scotland)? | Constantine I, Aed |
Possibly not descended from Kenneth MacAlpin, who was King of the Picts from 878–889, considered an important figure in the High Middle Ages, and reigning after the peak Viking raids, little is now known about him? | Giric |
Donald II of Scotland traditionally is held to have died, in 900AD, at which castle? | Dunnottar |
Which grandson of Kenneth MacAlpin, reigning 900-943, is generally thought to have been the first King of Alba, as opposed to the Picts? | Constantine II |
Who played Max Rockatansky in the 2015 film "Mad Max: Fury Road"? | Tom Hardy |
In which county is Edgehill, site of the first pitched battle of the English Civil War? | Warwickshire |
Juan Sebastian Elcano completed the first circumnavigation of the world on board which vessel, which was the 4th biggest of the 5-vessel fleet that set out with Magellan? | Victoria |
What name did Robert Burns give to Agnes Maclehose in his poems, a lady with whom he had an unconsummated affair? | Clarinda |
Who is the patron saint of comedians, actors and dancers? | Vitus |
Who is the patron saint of funeral directors? | Joseph of Arimathea |
Who is the patron saint of girls and of chastity? | Agnes |
Who is the patron saint of grocers? | Michael |
Who is the patron saint of learning, bee keepers and candlemakers? | Ambrose |
Who is the patron saint of married women? | Monica |
Who (1195-1231) is the patron saint of lost articles, pregnant women and horses? | Antony of Padua |
Who, the grandmother of Jesus, is the patron saint of women in childbirth, lost articles and carpenters | Anne |
Which King of Scotland marries Mary of Guise? | James V |
The name of Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the volcano in Hawaii, means what? | Long Mountain |
The Pripyat River is a tributary of which other? | Dniepr |
The word 'bank' originally derives from the word 'bench', in which language? | Italian |
In which year was the Three Mile Island nuclear accident? | 1978 |
In which year was the Chernobyl nuclear disaster? | (26th April) 1986 |
What was Stalin's real name? | Joseph Dzugashvili |
Which war was ended by the 1921 Treaty of Riga? | Polish-Russian War |
Where were 22,000 Polish nationals massacred by the NKVD in March and April 1940? | Katyn |
The Nergal Gate is in which ruined, ancient Mesopotamian city? | Nineveh |
In which writing systems does each symbol represents a concept rather than a sound? | Logographic |
Who deciphered hieroglyphics using the Rosetta Stone? | Francois Champollion |
How many letters were there in the Phoenecian alphabet of around 1000BCE, that was the precursor to our own? | 22 |
Which period of Egyptian history (c.3100-2469BCE) preceded the Old Kingdom? | Early Dynastic Period |
Possibly the same person as Narmer, or his successor as ruler, what name is also used for the person who first unified Egypt? | Menes |
What name was given to the areas of ancient Egypt that were overseen by local governors during the Old Kingdom period? | Nomes |
Which three pharaohs built the three large pyramids at Giza? | Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure |
Which Old Kingdom pharaoh reigned for a remarkable 94 years, but his reign saw the beginning of the Old Kingdom's decline? | Pepi II |
Meaning "house for eternity" what name was given to the type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides, much in favour before pyramids were used for royal tombs? | Mastaba(s) |
Where is the Step Pyramid of Djoser located? | Saqqara |
In 1765, Nathaniel Davison is the first recorded person to enter where? | The tomb of Khufu in the Great Pyramid at Giza |
Who was the 'good' deity, the spirit of light, in Zoroastrianism? | Ahura Mazda |
In Zoroastrianism, who is the spirit of darkness and malevolence, against which good is constantly fighting? | Angra Mainyu |
Who ruled Persia from 247BCE-226AD, conquering Seleucid lands under Mithridates I? | Parthians |
The Babylonian city of Uruk was dedicated to which deity? | Ishtar |
Give a year in the rule of Sargon of Akkadia. | 2334-2779BCE |
Give a year in the reign of the famous Babylonian king Hammurabi. | 1792-1750BCE |
Hammurabi's famous 'law code' was supposedly handed down to him by which God of justice? | Shamash |
What was the name of the Hittite kingdom? | Hatti |
Tyre, Byblos and Sidon were all cities in which ancient area? | Phoenecia |
Tudhaliya III and Suppilulliuma were both prominent rulers of which ancient civilisation? | Hittites |
From which city on the Tigris did the Sassanid kings of Persia rule from 226-651AD? | Ctesiphon |
Who was the only Roman Emperor to have been taken as a prisoner of war - he was later executed by the Sassanid Empire? | Valerian |
Built around 2800BCE and comprising a grassy mound rising from a flat plain, which Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave is situated on Mainland, Orkney? | Maeshowe |
Which Orcadian set of standing stones lies on the narrow strip of land the Ness of Brodgar? | Standing Stones of Stenness |
Which German admiral scuttled the German fleet in Scapa Flow on 21st June 1919? | von Reuter |
Which island lies at the end of Wales's Llyn Peninsula? | Bardsey Island |
In which county is the seat of the Duke of Westminister? | Cheshire |
What is the currency of Brazil? | Rial |
What is England's tallest cathedral spire? | Salisbury |
In which London borough is the Tower of London? | Tower Hamlets |
Where is Wine Glass Bay? | Tasmania |
Which independent country worldwide has the lowest population density? | Mongolia |
What caused the York Minster fire of 1984? | Lightning |
The Red River forms part of the border of which two US states? | Texas and Oklahoma |
The largest convention of its kind in the world, which US city has been hosting a comic-con since 1970? | San Diego |
What is the more common name for 'The Friendly Islands'? | Tonga |
Willis, Monks and Barber were the surnames of successive leaders of what? | TUC |
Pangaea broke up into which two supercontinents? | Gondwana and Laurasia (southern and northern) |
What is the capital of the US state of Montana? | Helena |
What is the capital of the US state of Nebraska? | Lincoln |
What is the capital of the US state of Nevada? | Carson City |
What is the capital of the US state of New Hampshire? | Concord |
What is the capital of the US state of New Jersey? | Trenton |
Which Empire ruled Persia from 247BCE-224CE? | Parthian (also called Arsacid) |
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, a former favourite of Elizabeth I, who was executed for treason in 1601, made an ill-judged truce with which Irish Earl which, ultimately, led to his death? | Tyrone |
In which country is it generally believed that horses were first domesticated? | Kazakhstan |
Where is Elizabeth I buried? | Westminister Abbey |
The Gerzean Culture existed in which country? | Egypt |
Who was (first believed wrongly, but later DNA evidence proved correctly) hanged for the 1961 A6 murders? | James Hanratty |
Which possibly mythical leader is said to have fought for the Picts at Mons Graupius? | Calgacus |
What is unusual about the Salisbury cathedral clock? | It has no face (it's also the world's oldest) |
Which UK cathedral has a separate bell tower? | Chichester |
Which is the tallest church in the world? | Ulm Cathedral |
Which is the tallest cathedral in the UK? | Salisbury |
Which UK cathedral has three spires? | Lichfield |
Which dukes call Chatsworth home? | Devonshire |
Who designed the Crystal Palace? | Paxton |
Epping Forest lies mainly in which county? | Essex |
What name is given to a judge on the Isle of Man? | Deemster |
Which is the northernmost of the Great Lakes? | Superior |
Which great lake has the smallest surface area? | Ontario |
In which modern-day country are the ancient sites of Susa and Persepolis? | Iran |
Which Buckinghamshire town has become famed for its annual pancake race? | Olney |
Where in the UK is the mayor ceremonially weighed annually? | High Wycombe |
Who discovered nitrogen? | Daniel Rutherford |
Whose 1957 album was called "Brilliant Corners"? | Thelonious Monk |
What was the middle name of Louis Martinez, by which he was known, in the 1950s CuBop movement? | Sabu |
Where was the first recorded performance of Shakespeare's Henry VI? | Rose Theatre, London |
Which French king appears in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 1? | Charles VII |
Who has the most lines in Shakespeare's Henry VI Part 1? | Talbot |
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' who gives Bottom an ass's head? | Puck |
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', who are Peasebottom, Cobweb, Moth & Mustard? | Fairies |
In 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', who does Lysander marry? | Hermia |
In which Dickens work is Esther Summerson a character? | Bleak House |
Who was Poet Laureate from 1930 to 1967? | John Masefield |
Give a year in the life of Diego Velazquez. | 1599-1660 |
In which epic work do the Kauravas & Pandavas do battle? | Mahabharata |
Which French painter gives his name to a type of dress, also known as the sack-back gown? | Watteau |
Which Polish poet wrote "Pad Tadeusz", the 'book of the Polish nation'? | Mickiewicz |
In 'Bleak House' what is the surname of the Sir & Lady of Chesney Wold? | Dedlocks |
Which city was the birthplace of Galen? | Pergamon |
Which proponent of eugenics argued that nature was more powerful than nurture in "Hereditary Genius"? | Galton |
Who founded the first laboratory of experimental psychology in the world, doing so in Leipzig in 1879? | Wundt |
Give a year in the life of Galen. | 129-201CE |
Which Italian anatomist and physician (1514-1564) discovered over 200 errors in Galen's work? | Andreas Vesalius |
Who claimed, in 1710's "A Treatise Concerning The Principles of Human Knowledge", that the body is merely the perception of the mind? | Berkeley |
Which part of the body was believed by Descartes to be the 'seat of the mind'? | Pineal gland |
In which country did Rene Descartes die? | Sweden |
Which Persian philosopher and physician wrote about trances in his 1027 work "The Book Of Healing"? | Avicenna (Ibn Sina) |
Who (1756-1819) rejected Mesmer's belief that hypnosis was due to magnetism in his work "The Cause Of Lucid Sleep"? | Abbe Faria |
Which Latin term refers to the 'blank slate' that was one believed (eg by Locke) to represent the mind of a newborn child? | tabula rasa |
Who were known as the Five Good Emperors of Roman times? | Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius |
What was the name of the First Minister for Scotland who resigned in 2001? | Henry McLeish |
What was introduced in Britain on the 21st May 1916? | Daylight Saving Time |
Which government department was established in 1973 to monitor commercial activity? | Office of Fair Trading |
Who was the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury? | Reginald Pole |
How much was the UK minimum wage when introduced in 1999? | £3.60/hour |
Which regnal number Charles of France was "The Affable"? | VIII |
What was the nickname of Charles VII of France? | The Victorious |
Philip VI to Charles VIII of France belonged to which Royal House? | Valois |
In which year did the Hundred Years war start? | 1337 |
How does 'Caligula' translate? | Little Boot |
Who was US President during WW1? | Woodrow Wilson |
Who followed Charles De Gaulle as President of France? | Pompidou |
Who followed Andropov as Russian Premier? | Chernenko |
Who wrote "A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women"? | Mary Wollstonecraft |
Which disease is traditionally said to have killed Robert the Bruce? | Leprosy |
Which disease was called "the black vomit" in the early 19th Century? | Yellow Fever |
In which year was the Battle of Verdun? | 1916 |
Which 5th Century BCE Sicilian devised the concept of the four elements of Air, Earth, Fire and Water? | Empedocles |
Who replaced Ahmadenijad as Iranian President? | Hassan Rouhani |
How does 'kamikaze' translate? | Divine wind |
What is the translation of "apeirion", which is what Anaximander described as the formative substance of the world? | Infinite |
With what was "Victorian" Majolica glazed? | Lead |
Maiolica, from Sicily, is pottery traditionally glazed with what? | Tin/tin oxide |
Which is the human body's largest internal organ? | Liver |
Which opera is "Die Verkauffe Braut" in German? | The Bartered Bride |
Who composed the opera "Oedipus Rex"? | Stravinsky |
From which author was the story of the Barber of Seville taken by Rossini? | Beaumarchais |
In which city was "Das Rheingold" first performed, in 1869? | Munich |
What was Dame Nellie Melba's real name? | Helen (Porter) Mitchell |
Who was born Sándor László Kellner in 1893? | Alexander Korda |
"Once There Was A King of Thule" (Il était un roi de Thulé) is a song in which 5-act opera? | Gounod's Faust |
Which work is usually considered the first opera - it was written in 1597 and first performed at the Carnivale in Florence? | Dafne by Jacopo Peri |
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in which constellation? | Piscus Australis/Southern Fish |
Polaris is the brightest star in which constellation? | Ursa Minor |
What is the collective name for eagles? | A convocation |
What is the collective name for badgers? | Cete |
Which element, atomic number 76, is used in fountain pen-nibs? | Osmium |
Which element, atomic number 30, is used in batteries, small non-structural castings, and alloys? | Zinc |
Which is the only naturally-occurring element named after a person? | Gadolinum |
Which chemical element is named after a Scottish village? | Strontium |
Which work includes the famous phrase "Ou sont les neiges d'antan?" | Villon's "Ballad Des Dames Du Temps Jadis" |
Who were the two most famous creations of Rabelais, both gigantic monsters? | Gargantua and Pantagruel |
Which three kings of France succeeded Henri II, all to some extent being influenced by Henri's wife Catherine de Medici? | Francois II, Charles IX, Henri III |
In which year did the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre take place? | 1572 |
Which two Parisian revolts occurred against - among other grievances - the influence of Cardinal Mazarin on the king, in 1648 and 1651? | Frondes |
Which French playwright (1606-84) wrote "El Cid", "Medee", "Horace", "Cinna" and "Polyeucte"? | Corneille |
What was Moliere's real name? | Jean-Baptiste Poquelin |
Which French playwright wrote "Phaedre", "Andromache" and "Bazajet"? | Racine |
Give a year in the life of Rene Descartes. | 1596-1650 |
Which French scientist (1632-62) also wrote the mainly religious "Pensees"? | Pascal |
Who wrote (1613-80) "Maximes" and was considered one of the group of writers called 'moralistes'? | Francois, Duc De La Rochefoucauld |
Who (1645-96) wrote "Caracteres", was a member of the lesser nobility and was considered one of the group of writers called 'moralistes'? | Jean de la Bruyere |
What was the name of the man who won the National Lottery in 2002 and was dubbed the "Lotto lout" by the press? | Michael Carroll |
Buffalo Bill named his rifle after which infamous woman? | Lucretia Borgia |
Which coin was known as a 'bob'? | Shilling |
William Walworth, London's mayor, ordered the beheading of who in 1431? | Wat Tyler |
What was the regnal name of Karl von Hohoenzollern, monarch of Romania 1866-1914? | Carol I |
What was the name of the fascist paramilitaries of Romania, green-shirted, and founded in 1927? | Iron Guard |
What is the name of a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914? | Peles Castle |
Which island near Venice is famed for its glass production? | Murano |
Which Romanian composer, born 1881, composed 'Romanian Rhapsodies'? | Enescu |
Which Brasov-born painter and sculptor (1884-1960) was best known for his "Soulflowers" series of paintings? | Mattis-Teutsch |
Which historical region of Romania situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians, is mainly located on a plain? | Wallachia |
Crystal Gayle is the younger sister (by 19 years) of which other country singer? | Loretta Lynn |
"As If We Never Said Goodbye" is a song from which musical? | Sunset Boulevard |
Who had a 1979 hit with a cover of Berry Gordy's "Money"? | Flying Lizards |
Which rockstar has a blue plaque dedicated to him in Brook Street, London? | Jimi Hendrix |
What one-word title, or nickname, is given to Beethoven's ninth symphony? | Choral |
Who wrote the Rolling Stones' Top 20 single "I Wanna Be Your Man"? | Lennon & McCartney |
Where in Derbyshire is an annual Gilbert & Sullivan festival held? | Buxton |
What is the main ingredient of Duxelles sauce? | Mushroom |
Which city did the biblical Abraham hail from? | Ur |
Who wrote "The Beggar's Opera"? | John Gay |
What is the name of the highwayman in The Beggar's Opera? | MacHeath |
Give a year in the life of Francis Bacon. | 1561-1626 |
Who painted 'Golconda' in 1953? | Magritte |
The ruined city of Golconda in India was a centre for the production of what from the 14th to 17th centuries? | Diamonds |
Which treaty concerning the international law on treaties between states was adopted on 22 May 1969? | Vienna Convention (on the law on Treaties) |
What is the ILC of the United Nations? | International Law Commission |
What was replaced by the WTO? | General Agreement on Tarriffs and Trade |
What, internationally, is the SADC? | Southern African Development Council |
Which worldwide court is used to try war crimes and crimes against humanity? | ICC (International Criminal Court) |
In which city is the European Court of Human Rights? | Strasbourg |
International Courts were first established with a case where damages were sought by the United States government from the British government in 1869, for the attacks upon American merchant ships by which Confederate ship? | CSS Alabama |
What is locally called lokum? | Turkish delight |
What name is given to the women's apartments (harem) in an Ottoman palace? | Seraglio |
What is a nargileh? | A hookah, or waterpipe for smoking |
Which city was founded, according to legend, "opposite the blind", as per the instructions of the Delphic oracle? | Istanbul |
Which king's sons drowned in the White Ship disaster? | Henry I |
On 6 October 2003, Baroness Amos became the first black woman to be appointed to which position in the UK? | Leader of the House of Lords |
Thomas a Becket was murdered in the reign of which monarch? | Henry II |
Which Pope eventually canonised Thomas a Becket? | Alexander III |
Which French city the administrative centre of the Indre-et-Loire department and the largest city in the Centre-Val de Loire region? | Tours |
What relation was Henry I to Henry II of England? | Grandfather |
Who was the wife of King Stephen of England? | Matilda (of Boulogne) |
Who was the wife of King Henry II of England? | Eleanor of Aquitaine |
Which assizes of 1166 helped to establish the basic principles of common law in England? | Assizes of Clarendon |
Both the Norman barons Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and his son Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, had what identical nickname? | Strongbow |
During the reign of which English monarch did Eleanor of Aquitaine die? | John |
To which French king was Eleanor of Aquitaine once married, before their marriage was annulled, leaving her free to become an English king's consort? | Louis VII |
Where are Richard I, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine buried? | Fontevraud Abbey |
Which two sons and heirs of Henry II of England died during his lifetime? | Henry and Geoffrey |
Which two leptons might simply be heavier-mass electrons? | The muon and tau |
What type of fruit is a "Cox's Orange Pippin"? | An apple |
What food stuff are "Cheltenham Gold Top" and "Crimson Globe"? | Beetroots |
What is the SI unit of electrical inductance? | Henry |
Which scientist (1733 – 1804), born in West Yorkshire, helped to determine the constituents of air, as well as being a theologian, dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher, educator & Liberal political theorist who published over 150 works? | Joseph Priestley |
What is the main constituent of Britannia Metal? | Tin (93%) |
What was the original name of Britannia Metal? | Vickers White Metal |
What is the time taken for one revolution to return the sun's position to Earth's meridian? | Solar day |
Which musical features the song "I Get A Kick Out Of You"? | Anything Goes |
What was the first Number 1 in the UK Album Charts? | The soundtrack to South Pacific |
Who played bongos on the Shadows' track "Apache"? | Cliff Richard |
Who composed the music for the jazz standard "Jeepers Creepers"? | Harry Warren |
Ferrando and Guglielmo are characters in which opera? | Cosi Fan Tutte |
Carbon Dioxide and which other are the two most common on the planet Venus? | Nitrogen |
Which titular character in an opera by Mozart is dragged to hell? | Don Giovanni |
Who falls in love with Eugene Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera? | Tatyana |
Verdi's "Falstaff" is based on which Shakespeare play? | The Merry Wives of Windsor |
Who composed the 1859 opera "Faust"? | Gounod |
In music, which term means "at a different speed to that marked"? | Rubato |
Which number symphony is Beethoven's "Choral"? | Ninth |
In myth, on which island was Ariadne deserted? | Naxos |
Which nymph detained Odysseus for seven years in the Homeric epic? | Calypso |
Who is credited with saying " a verbal contract is not worth the paper it's written on"? | Samuel Goldwyn |
Who voiced the villainous Scar in 'The Lion King'? | Jeremy Irons |
For which film did William Hurt win a Best Actor Oscar? | Kiss of The Spider Woman (1986) |
For which film did Denzil Washington win a Best Actor Oscar? | Training Day (2002) |
For which film did Burt Lancaster win a Best Actor Oscar? | Elmer Gantry (1961) |
For which film did Jimmy Stewart win a Best Actor Oscar? | The Philadelphia Story (1941) |
For which film did Broderick Crawford win a Best Actor Oscar? | All The King's Men (1960) |
For which film did Forest Whittaker win a Best Actor Oscar? | The Last King of Scotland (2007) |
What is the independent organisation, the IFS? | Institute of Fiscal Studies |
Descendants of the Queen who are not princes or princesses take which surname? | Mountbatten-Windsor |
What are Humbley Grove and Stockbridge both found in Hampshire? | Onshore Oil Fields |
Which organisation, established in 1934, and inspired by Sir Reginald ("Rex") Leeper, develops relations between the UK and other countries? | British Council |
How is the flower 'myositis sylvatica' better known? | Forget-me-not |
Which fold of skin hangs from the throat of a turkey? | Wattle |
Which fold of skin hangs from the throat of cattle or dogs? | Dewlap |
What name is given to the belief that the soul is the basis of life in all living things/ | Animism |
Which medical term derives from the Latin word for forty? | Quarantine |
In the Royal Navy, how many bells traditionally signify the New Year? | Sixteen |
Which two men, who were NOT presidents, nonetheless appear on US banknotes? | Franklin and Hamilton |
What term is used to describe a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae (typically microscopic) in a water system? | Blooms |
What is the AAAS, a non-profit organisation founded in 1848? | American Association for the Advancement of Science |
Who wrote 'Love In A Cold Climate'? | Nancy Mitford |
Which flower does Browning describe as "The Children's Dower"? | Buttercup |
Professor Sprout is head of which Hogwarts house in the Harry Potter series? | Hufflepuff |
Who won the 2005 Turner Prize, in part for the work 'shedboatshed'? | Starling |
"Severn & Somme", "War's Embers", "The Ballad of Three Spectres" and "Maisemore" are works by which war poet? | Ivor Gurney |
In classical architecture, what is the uppermost layer of entablature called? | Cornice |
In classical architecture, what is the lowest layer of entablature? | Architrave |
Which prehistoric culture of Japan is famed for its pottery, the earliest in the world? | Jomon |
Which architect designed Heathrow's Terminal 5? | Richard Rogers |
Which writer called architecture "frozen music"? | Goethe |
The rugby team Wasps relocated to where in 2014? | Coventry (Ricoh Arena) |
At the start of the professional rugby union era the Newcastle team added which suffix to its name? | Falcons |
Seilala Mapusua, the 2008-09 PRA Rugby Player Of The Year, played for which national side? | Samoa |
To whom is the book "Tao-Te-Ching" attributed? | Lao Tzu |
In which year did Wendy Richards and Mike Sarne have a hit with "Come Outside"? | 1962 |
What was the one-hit wonder of 'Unit 4 Plus 2'? | Concrete and Clay |
In Greek myth, which was the river of forgetfulness? | Lethe |
'Doloroso' is a musical instruction to play in what manner? | Soft, sad, pathetic |
In the Middle Ages, what was a hippocras? | A spiced wine |
Who composed "The Christmas Oratorio"? | JS Bach |
Jazz musician Lester Young played which musical instrument? | Tenor sax |
What was the nickname of jazz musician Lester Young? | Prez |
Whose first big hit was "Marlene On The Wall"? | Suzanne Vega |
Elton John wrote the music for which acclaimed 2005 musical? | Billy Elliott |
Which two chemical elements make up steel? | Iron and carbon |
Who propounded atomic theory in his work "A New System Of Chemical Philosophy"? | John Dalton |
Which Presocratic philosopher (c. 460 – c. 370 BC) is famous for coming up with an 'atomic theory' and is sometimes called 'the Father of Science'? | Democritus |
Which simple alkyne is produced by adding water to calcium carbide? | Acetylene |
What are "Lloyd George", "Norfolk Giant" and "Newburgh" examples of? | Raspberries |
Who discovered the structure of benzene after having a dream about a snake devouring its own tail? | August Kekulé |
What is the one-word name of china clay? | Kaolin |
Which chemical element, Atomic Number 32, was provisionally called Ekasilicon? | Germanium |
Which was the first artificially-produced chemical element? | Technetium |
What is the predominant colour of wild budgerigars? | Green |
What term refers to an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere? it is used when an astronomical body is directly overhead. | Zenith |
Which sign is used to represent seconds of arc in angular measurement? | Double prime ('') |
What is the highest possible value of astronomical elevation? | 90 degrees (directly overhead) |
The highest possible value of astronomical azimuth is fractionally below which number, in degrees? | 360 |
Which mammal order contains the second-highest number of species, after rodents? | Chiroptera |
Which animals, a genus of artiodactyl mammal consisting of one extant species, are said to be whales' closing living relatives? | Hippopotamus |
Where are the only sweat glands on cats and dogs located? | Pads of feet/paws |
Which Belgian priest (17 July 1894 – 20 June 1966) was a proponent of Big Bang Theory? | Georges Lemaître |
Author of 'The Railway Children' Edith Nesbit was also one of the 9 founders of which political group? | Fabian Society |
In which year was the Labour Party founded? | 1900 |
Which institution was founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield, Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw for the 'betterment of society'? | LSE (The London School of Economics and Political Science) |
Which English statistician, progressive, polymath, sociologist, psychologist and explorer coined the terms 'eugenics' and 'nature versus nurture'? | Francis Galton |
Who duetted on "(I've Had The) Time Of My Life"? | Jennifer Warnes and Bill Medley |
On which date is the Feast of The Holy Innocents? | 28th December |
Scott Engel, John Maus and Gary Leeds made up which group? | Walker Brothers |
Lady Godiva's husband Leofric held which rank when she performed her famous ride? | Earl of Mercia |
The UK's 1971 Eurovision Song Contest entry "Jack In The Box", was a hit for who? | Clodagh Rogers |
Which hymn is sung to the tune of 'Jupiter' from Holst's "The Planets" suite? | I Vow To Thee My Country |
St Paul was born in which town in modern-day Turkey? | Tarsus |
What did Simon of Cyrene do prior to Jesus's crucifixion? | Help carry the cross |
Who first conducted Wagner's Lohengrin in 1850? | Franz Liszt |
The marimba is a larger version of which musical instrument? | Xylophone |
The novel "Jack's Return Home" became which film? | Get Carter |
Marilyn Monroe was the model for which Disney character? | Tinkerbell |
Garry Shandling played which fictitious chat show host, supposedly modelled on David Letterman? | Larry Sanders |
Which UK TV series used the theme tune "Mean City" performed by Maggie Bell? | Taggart |
What was the name of Hilda Ogden's cat? | Rommel |
Which actor was classified "Anglo Saxon, Type 2008" by a studio when he first went to Holywood? | David Niven |
What was the maiden name of Matt Groening's mother? | Wiggum |
Which three ports featured in the TV series "The Triangle"? | Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Felixstowe |
To which actor did Mae West say her famous line "Come Up And See Me"? | Cary Grant |
Where in Derbyshire has a one-day agricultural show been held since 1819, one of the UK's largest? | Bakewell |
Where in the UK is the Royal Agricultural Showground? | Stoneleigh, Warwickshire |
In which English county is Gatwick Airport? | West Sussex |
Which English coastal town has an area called The Lanes, famous for their small shops (including several antique shops) and narrow alleyways? | Brighton |
Which river runs through Whitby? | Esk |
The world's largest 'freshwater island', Manitoulin, lies in which lake? | Lake Huron |
What is Grenada's airport? | Maurice Bishop International |
Due to manufacturers prevalent in the industry, Wichita, Kansas sometimes styles itself as The 'what' Capital Of The World? | Air |
Which fast food chain began life with a branch at Wichita's university? | Pizza Hut |
Maine borders only one other US state - which one? | New Hampshire |
What is the smallest state capital in the USA? | Montpelier, Vermont |
What is New Mexico's state capital? | Santa Fe |
What is New York's state capital? | Albany |
What is North Carolina's state capital? | Raleigh |
What is North Dakota's state capital? | Bismarck |
What is Ohio's state capital? | Columbus |
What is Oklahoma's nickname? | Sooner State |
What is Oregon's nickname? | Beaver State |
What is Pennsylvania's nickname? | Keystone State |
Which literary work includes the characters John Jasper and Neville Landless? | The Mystery of Edwin Drood |
In which country was Brian Molko born? | Belgium |
Which filmmakers from Liege won the Palme D'Or twice for Rosetta and L'Enfant? | Dardenne brothers |
Silas Wegg appears in which novel? | Our Mutual Friend |
Who was the husband of Iris Murdoch? | John Bayley |
Who wrote the famous poem "Ozymandias"? | Shelley |
In which Dickens novel does Tite Barnacle? | Little Dorrit |
In which town are the opening chapters of "The Pickwick Papers"? | Rochester |
Which historian wrote the 2002 book "The Victorians"? | AN Wilson |
Who was poet laureate from 1813-43? | Southey |
Farrell's "Studs Lonigan" trilogy is set in which city? | Chicago |
Meindert Hobbema (October 31, 1638 – December 7, 1709) was an artist best known for what type of painting? | Landscapes |
Jean de Brunnhoff and his son Laurent created and wrote about which famous animal monarch? | Babar the Elephant |
Who (October 20, 1620 – November 15, 1691), one of the leading Dutch landscape painters of the Dutch Golden Age, is famed for his early morning landscapes, and paintings featuring cows? | Aelbert Cuyp |
Which poet of the Harlem Renaissance poet wrote the play "Black Nativity"? | Langston Hughes |
What nationality was the portrait painter Jens Juel (1745-1802)? | Danish |
Which Arnold Wesker play of 1962 was based on the playwright's RAF service? | Chips With Everything |
In Peanuts, who is Snoopy's fantasy wartime aviation opponent? | The Red Baron |
Who wrote the play "French Without Tears"? | Rattigan |
Who wrote "The Swiss Family Robinson"? | JR Wyss |
Which Ancient Greek sculptor created "The Wounded Amazon"? | Phidias |
Which two artists were knighted by Charles I? | Van Dyke and Rubens |
What is Mrs Tigglywinkle's profession in Beatrix Potter's works? | Washerwoman |
Which work by Somerset Maugham was based on the life on Paul Gauguin? | The Moon and Sixpence |
What was the surname of Charles and Mary, who wrote the children's work "Tales From Shakespeare"? | Lamb |
What is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust? | Feldspar |
What is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust? | Quartz |
What is formed by metamorphosed limestone? | Marble |
Who discovered that light acts like a wave, or more formally, formulated the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, bringing together for the first time electricity, magnetism, and light as manifestations of the same phenomenon? | James Clerk Maxwell |
What was the flagship of Vasco da Gama's armada on his first voyage to India in 1497-1499, when he became the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia for the first time by ocean route? | Sao Gabriel |
Who was appointed Chief pilot of Spain in 1508? | Amerigo Vespucci |
Who wrote "On the Usefulness/Utility of the Parts of the Body" (De Usu Partium Corporis Humani)? | Galen |
As of 2015, which two NFL teams have a 0-4 record in Superbowls? | Bills, Vikings |
As of 2016, which 4 NFL teams had never appeared in a Superbowl? | Lions, Jaguars, Texans, Browns |
Which is the only team in NFL history to have registered a perfect season, doing so in 1972? | Miami Dolphins |
As of 2015, which NFL team had lost most Superbowls - five (although they won another two)? | Denver Broncos |
As of 2015, which NFL team had won most Superbowls (six)? | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Although retrospectively applied to the finals game from 1967 onwards, the term Superbowl was first used in which year? | 1969 |
Where were 7 CIA agents killed in a double cross by Al-Balawi? | Camp Chapman |
Where is the HQ of the CIA? | Langley |
What is the real name of Mexican drug lord El Chapo? | Joaquin Guzman |
Which Islamist group, based in Kashmir, has as its primary motive to separate Kashmir from India? | Jaish-e-Mohammed |
Often named as a candidate for the Holy Grail castle, which French chateau, was the site of a famous 1243-44 siege; it ended with 220 Cathars burned in a bonfire when they refused to renounce their faith, and is a symbol of the demise of the Cathars? | Montsegur |
Currently centred on Piedmont, which small Christian group appeared first in Lyon and spread to the Cottian Alps in the late 1170s; they preached apostolic poverty as the way to perfection? | Waldensians |
Give a year in the life of John Calvin | 1509-64 |
In which city did religious reformer John Calvin die, aged 54? | Geneva |
Which American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ; it differs from other U.S. stock market indices, because of its diverse constituency and weighting methodology? | Standard and Poor 500 |
What was Lieutenant Pigeon's Only UK Number 1? | Mouldy Old Dough |
Which foodstuff has a speed limit of 0.028mph laid down by its largest manufacturer? | Heinz Tomato Ketchup |
Which Czech brewery make what they claim is the original Budweiser? | Budvar |
Who was the husband of Jezebel? | Ahab |
Who released albums called "Astral Weeks" and "Moondance"? | Van Morrison |
Which whisky is made from corn or rye, with no barley? | Bourbon |
What drink is comprised of gin, lemon or lime, soda and sugar? | Tom Collins |
Which popstar was nicknamed 'The Killer'? | Jerry Lee Lewis |
Webb's Wonderful is what type of vegetable? | Lettuce |
In which city was Manfred Mann born? | Johannesburg |
Whose real name is Eithne Ni Bhraonain? | Enya |
Which Pope said "I want to throw open the windows of the church, so that the people can see out and the people can see in"? | John XXIII |
Which of Crosby Stills and Nash had the forename Stephen? | Stills |
Which of Crosby Stills and Nash had the forename David? | Crosby |
What is the stage name of Orville Burrell? | Shaggy |
Which pop singer, whose debut album was 'Writer', was once Neil Sedaka's girlfriend? | Carole King |
In the advert which 'pint thought it was a quart'? | Whitbread Trophy Bitter |
'Steam Heat' and 'Hernando's Hideaway' feature in which musical? | The Pajama Game |
Malabar Black is a prized form of what? | Pepper |
Who sang the version of 'The Power of Love' that featured in Back To The Future? | Huey Lewis and The News |
The books of which religion include Jacob, Enos and Jarom? | Mormon |
Violette Valery is a lead character in which opera? | La Traviata |
In Roman myth, what was the name of the spirits of the dead? | Manes |
Which soprano was nicknamed 'la divina'? | Callas |
The Tam Tam is a larger version of which musical instrument? | Gong |
What name is given to circular Buddhist mystic diagrams, often with Buddha at their centre? | Mandalas |
Fenek (fried rabbit) is which nation's national dish? | Malta |
Which of Mahler's symphonies did he leave unfinished? | Tenth |
What is bohea? | Chinese black tea |
Who take the name Kaur, in religion? | Sikh women |
Who duetted on 1982 single "Up Where We Belong"? | Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes |
A leaf arises from which structure on a stem? | Node |
Which preserved railway runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster? | Severn Valley |
The dried heads of which UK plant, in the family Caprifoliaceae, were used to raise the nap on wool and cloth? | Teasel (or dipsacus) |
What name is given to the area where two ecosystems overlap? | Ecotone |
What is an aegir, in geography? | Tidal bore |
Which plants are also called wild celery or angelicas? | Alexanders |
What are stalactites and stalagmites made of? | Calcium carbonate |
What tool can be bow, panel, fret or pad? | Saws |
Which tree is the 'salix babylonica'? | Weeping willow |
What is the horizontally-extended root of a plant called? | Runner |
Which water-loving tree, belonging to the birch family Betulaceae, is used to stabilise riverbanks, and traditionally, to make clogs | Alder |
What is the long anchoring root of some vegetables (eg carrots) called? | Taproot |
Bag graining, rag rolling, stippling and draggling are all techniques used in what domestic activity? | Decorating |
What name is given to the thumb-like extra toe on dogs' front feet? | Dewclaw |
Which metalwork term means 'to hammer into shape'? | Forge |
What is the name given to a young plant root, technically, is the first part of a seedling (a growing plant embryo) to emerge from the seed during the process of germination? | Radicle |
What is the 'com' of '.com' actually short for? | Commercial |
Which gardening term means pinching out the growing tips of plants? | Stopping |
What is the slang term for a bet of £500? | Monkey |
Which bestselling series was created by Alexander McCall Smith - the protagonist is Mma Precious Ramotswe? | The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency |
In which year was the Battle of Tewkesbury? | 1471 |
Which dukedom was held by Edmund Beaufort, who led the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury and by Edward Seymour, Lord Protector of England, 1547-49? | Duke of Somerset |
Which dukedom was held by Humphrey Stafford, a major supporter of the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses, and by George Villiers, a favourite of George I? | Buckingham |
Which dukedom, traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family, was held by George Plantagenet, the brother of Edward IV, who allegedly drowned in a butte of malmsey? | Duke of Clarence |
Which part of the body's name has been applied to Delphi, Cusco and Jerusalem, in each case due to a belief that they were at the centre of the Earth? | Navel |
Burning even on water, and with an exact composition that has now been lost, which incendiary device was fired by ships of the Byzantine Empire? | Greek fire |
Which animals were to be used in a bizarre 1942 plan, devised by dentist Lytle S Adams, and approved by president Roosevelt, to attach incendiary devices to them and drop them over Japanese cities? | Bats |
Which incendiary device was given its familiar name by the Finnish Army during the Winter War of 1939-40, who named it after the Soviet Commissar for foreign affairs? | Molotov Cocktail |
'CA' is the postcode for which British city? | Carlisle |
Calcium has which atomic number? | 20 |
'HG' is the postcode for which British town or city? | Harrogate |
'S' is the postcode for which British city? | Sheffield |
Which peoples built and lived in Petra? | Nabataeans |
What name is given to a Prime number if p + 2 is either a prime or a product of two primes (also called a semiprime)? | Chen Prime |
After 43, which is the next prime where the two digits are adjacent to each other on a number line? | 67 |
In which century was Fermat's Last Thorem first conjectured? | Seventeenth (1637) |
Osteosarchaematosplanchnochondroneuromuelous and osseocarnisanguineoviscericartilaginonervomedullary are names for the human body coined by Dr Cranium in 'Headlong Hall' - a novella by who? | Thomas Love Peacock |
John Fletcher is believed to have collaborated with Shakespeare on which play, a performance of which in 1613 saw a fire start that burned the Globe Theatre down? | Henry VIII |
Which daughter of Agamemnon features in a play by Euripides, a play by Goethe and an opera by Gluck; in some versions of the myth Agamemnon is commanded to sacrifice her? | Iphigenia |
What is the meaning of the word "bafana" in the name "bafana bafana" a nickname of the South African football team? | The boys |
What is the nickname of the Mali national football team? | The Eagles |
Who composed "Fantasia On A Theme Of Thomas Tallis"? | Vaughan Williams |
In which year and city were the Olympic "Games of the 30th Olympiad"? | London 2012 |
In which year and city were the Olympic "Games of the 20th Olympiad"? | Munich, 1972 |
Which incident of significance in popular culture took place around 11.30 on August 8th, 1969, and was recorded by the photographer Ian MacMillan? | The Abbey Road cover shot |
"Life is short, have an affair" is the slogan of which controversial website? | Ashley Madison |
Look Homeward, Angel (1929) was the debut work of which major American novelist whose early death (at 37) and enormous size (he was almost 7' tall) - not to mention his prodigious talent - have made him a cult figure amongst the American literati? | Thomas Wolfe |
The trophy awarded annually to the winner's of the NBA finals is named for which former NBA commissioner? | Larry O'Brien |
Which French catholic priest - and hero of the Resistance - founded the Emmaus movement in 1949, with the goal of helping refugees, the poor, and the homeless? | Abbe Pierre |
The MiG 21 is the best-selling jet fighter of all time, created by the MiG design bureau in 1956. The letter 'M' stood for which Armenian aircraft designer, after whom the bureau would be solely renamed in 1976? | Artem Miyokan |
How is Vaughan Williams' 'Symphony Number 2' also known? | London Symphony |
The largest true freshwater fish ever caught in Europe was an individual of which species (Silurus glanis)? One of the world's most prominent Loch Ness Monster hunters has recently concluded that Nessie is simply a large specimen of this fish. | Wels catfish (or sheatfish) |
A Canadian cell biologist at Rockefeller University who coined the term dendritic cells, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2011 despite dying 3 days earlier, making him only the 3rd person to have won a posthumous Nobel? | Ralph Steinman |
Which Swedish writer was the first man to posthumously win a Nobel Prize (in literature, obviously), in 1931? | Erik Axel Karlfeldt |
Who was the second man to win a Nobel Prize posthumously, and the first - and thus far [as of 2015] only - person to win the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously? | Dag Hammarskjold |
The deadliest airshow disaster of all time took place at the Skynliv airfield in which country in July 2002? 77 people were killed when a Sukhoi Su-27 crashed during an aerobatics display | Ukraine |
The music video to which Katy Perry hit is the most watched video of all time by a female artist on both Vevo and YouTube (as well as being the third most viewed video on YouTube of any kind)? | Dark Horse |
This Austrian physician laid the foundations of psychoanalysis, which were further developed by his protégé Sigmund Freud. Which early psychoanalyst is probably best remembered for his study of a patient known as Anna O. in his book Studies on Hysteria? | Josef Breuer |
The subatomic particles known as quarks get their name from the line "Three quarks for muster Mark" from James Joyce's novel Finnegans Wake. Which seabird - with the Latin binomial Chroicocephalus ridibundus - was responsible for speaking the line? | Black-headed gull |
What name is given to a two-dimensional graphical representation of the transformation law for the Cauchy stress tensor? | Mohr's circle |
According to Homer's Odyssey, which island - curiously lacking in consonants - was the home of the sorceress Circe? | Aeaea |
Europe's biggest bankruptcy occurred in 2003 with the collapse of which multinational Italian dairy and food corporation? | Parmalat |
Its name derived from the Latin for 'our fellow countryman', which hypothetical language macrofamily includes many of the language families of Eurasia, such as the Indo-European, Uralic, Altaic, Dravidian, Kartvelian, and Afro-Asiatic languages? | Nostratic |
Jules Dassin was awarded Best Director at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival for which 1955 French film noir probably best remembered for its 32 minute safe-cracking scene, during which not a single word of dialogue is spoken? | Rififi |
Kublai Khan founded which Chinese dynasty in 1271? | Yuan |
Hannover is the capital and largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony. Which city - perhaps best-known for its lion monument - is the second largest? | Braunschweig or Brunswick |
Containing the single Sliver as well as a series of out-takes and covers, what was the title of Nirvana's 1992 compilation album? | Incesticide |
Created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931, which synthetic porous ultralight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid part of the gel has been replaced with a gas, is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's lightest solid? | Aerogel |
Founded by a 1987 merger, which French luxury goods conglomerate, has had Bernard Arnault - as of 2016 the richest man in France - as CEO for over 20 years? | LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) |
Which Nobel Prize-winning author co-wrote the screenplay for Howard Hawk's 1946 film The Big Sleep? | William Faulkner |
In which infamous town in Dakota Territory was Wild Bill Hickok murdered by Jack McCall in 1876? | Deadwood |
Which Colombian-American actress has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and seven Screen Actors Guild Awards for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett in the ABC sit-com Modern Family? | Sofia Vergara |
Named for a 19th century German philologist, Bekker numbers are used to catalogue the works of which philosopher? | Aristotle |
Famous for its striking appearance - it is a natural approximation of a fractal - which edible flower bud of the Brassica family has a Fibonnaci number for the total of spirals on each bud? | Romanesco Broccoli |
Influenced by Thomas de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria de Profundis, which 1860 book by Charles Baudelaire discusses the effects of hashish and opium? | Les Paradises Arificiels (Artificial Paradises) |
The film that popularised the dissolve to signal flashbacks, Le Jour se Lève (Daybreak) was a 1939 film which is, perhaps, the second-most famous work of which director of the French masterpiece Les Enfants du Paradis? | Marcel Carne |
Which maître d'hôtel at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel created the Waldorf Salad and Eggs Benedict as well as popularising Thousand Island dressing? | Oscar Tschirky |
Japan's westernmost point is to be found on which island, the southernmost of the Ryukyus? The island gives its name to the bizarre submerged rock formation off its coast which, some argue, are man-made stepped monoliths created by ancient Japanese. | Yonaguni |
Who was the first head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service? | Sir Mansfield Cumming |
Which woman (1868-1928) - a writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, spy and archaeologist - made extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia and Arabia and had a major role in establishing and helping administer the modern state of Iraq? | Gertrude Bell |
What was the name of Fireman Sam's fire engine? | Jupiter |
What was the real first name of Coco Chanel? | Gabrielle |
What was the only product that Elvis Presley did a radio advert for? | Doughnuts |
Who played Alfred the butler in the iconic 1960s Batman TV series? | Alan Napier |
Who played Winston Churchill in 2002's "The Gathering Storm"? | Albert Finney |
For which film did Julia Roberts win a Best Actress Oscar? | Erin Brokovich |
Who played Arthur Parker in Dennis Potter's "Pennies From Heaven"? | Bob Hoskins |
For which film did Julia Roberts get her first Oscar nomination? | Steel Magnolias |
Ewan McGregor got his big acting break in which Dennis Potter TV series? | Lipstick On Your Collar |
For which film did Nicolas Cage receive a Best Actor Oscar? | Leaving Las Vegas |
For which film did Ray Milland receive a Best Actor Oscar? | The Lost Weekend |
For which film did Humphrey Bogart receive a Best Actor Oscar? | The African Queen |
For which film did Laurence Olivier receive a Best Actor Oscar? | Hamlet |
Who won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "The Theory of Everything"? | Eddie Redmayne |
For which film did Ronald Colman receive a Best Actor Oscar? | A Double Life |
For which film did Robert Duvall receive a Best Actor Oscar? | Tender Mercies |
Which two families were adversaries in the film "A Fistful of Dollars"? | Rojo and Baxter |
Which Brookside character's body was found under the patio of 10 Brookside Close? | Trevor Jordache |
Which two countries are linked by the King Fahd Causeway? | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia |
Who are the ruling family of Bahrain? | Al-Khalifa |
What is the name of the compulsory afternoon prayer of Islam? | Asr |
What is the name of the compulsory evening/sunset prayer of Islam? | Maghrib |
What is the name of the compulsory night-time prayer of Islam? | Isha |
Which prayer is replaced by the Friday Jumu'ah prayers? | Zuhr/Dhuhr |
Where are Credenhill Barracks, also known as Stirling Lines Barracks? | Hereford |
In which county are the Seven Sisters Cliffs? | East Sussex |
What is Rhode Island's capital? | Providence |
What is Rhode Island's nickname? | Ocean/Plantation State |
What is South Carolina's capital? | Columbia |
What is South Carolina's nickname? | Palmetto State |
Costa Rica uses which currency? | Colon |
What is the capital of Belize? | Belmopan |
Which currency is used in Guatemala? | Quetzal |
Who (1 November 1880 – November 1930) pioneered the theory of continental drift? | Alfred Wegener |
Which country first introduced Daylight Saving Time? | Germany |
Where is the Moho discontinuity located? | Earth's crust |
Which ancient Greek calculated the earth's circumference to a surprising degree of accuracy? | Eratosthenes |
What Spanish name is given to a flat-topped mountain? | Mesa |
Which Central American country used the colon as a currency until 2001, when it was replaced by the US Dollar? | El Salvador |
What term is given to the effect that arises due to the force a body (eg water going down a plughole) is subjected due because of the Earth's rotation? | Coriolis |
Which era preceded the Palaeozoic? | Pre-Cambrian |
Where is the stone, open-air Minack Theatre? | Porthcurno, Cornwall |
Which British peninsula's name translates as 'High Palace'? | Lizard |
Bananas grow in the Queen Mary Gardens in which UK town, also a port? | Falmouth |
In which country is the Tarbela Dam? | Pakistan |
In which country is the Albert Canal? | Belgium |
Who succeeded Henry II of England? | Richard I |
In which year did the Hundred Years War end? | 1453 |
To whom are Dickin Medals awarded? | Animals |
Which Enhlish king inherited the throne aged just 8 months? | Henry VI |
Who were the 3rd and 4th men to walk on the moon? | Conrad and Bean |
What was famously preached by John Jewel on 26th November 1559? | Challenge Sermon |
What name was given to the Russian invasion of Finland in 1939? | Winter War |
In which year were Remembrance Day poppies first worn? | 1921 |
Who was the English admiral at Quiberon Bay? | Hawke |
Which Roman Road ran from London to York via Lincoln? | Ermine Street |
Which two places were connected by the Fosse Way? | Exeter and Lincoln |
In 1655 Penn and Venables claimed which island for Britain? | Jamaica |
Who was the last British PM of whom no photo exists? | Peel |
What were the forenames of Prince Albert's parents? | Ernest and Louise |
In which year did Victoria and Albert marry? | 1840 |
On the site of which famous but lost room at the medieval Palace of Westminister (actually built later by Henry III) did Edward the Confessor supposedly die? | Painted Chamber |
Robert Peel split the Tories over the repeal of which controversial laws, enforced between 1815 and 1846? | Corn Laws |
What was the forename of Charles Darwin's paternal grandfather, himself a thinker and physician? | Erasmus |
Which Roman Road connected the Antonine Wall to York; parts of the A1 and A68 use its route? | Dere Street |
A female encampment where began in September 1981 after a Welsh group, Women for Life on Earth, arrived to protest against the decision of the British government to allow cruise missiles to be based there? | Greenham Common |
Who was England's first Yorkist king? | Edward IV |
Located just outside Warrington, what was once the biggest airfield in Europe, in the 40s and 50s? | Burtonwood |
How was Herbert Ernest Karl Frahm better known? | Willy Brandt |
Which WW2 general (1883-1946), nicknamed for his caustic personality, served in China and Burma in the war? | Joseph Stilwell |
In 1946, Allen Dulles became the first director of what? | CIA |
Whose ear was bitten by Mike Tyson in a 1997 world title fight? | Evander Holyfield |
In myth, who did Selene send into an everlasting sleep so that she could gaze upon him forever? | Endymion |
What is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Selene? | Luna |
Who did Ganymede replace as cupbearer to the Gods, in ancient myth? | Hebe |
Which term used in painting, means an initial stain of colour painted on a ground - it provides a painter with a transparent, toned ground, which will allow light falling onto the painting to reflect through the paint layers? | Imprimatura |
Which French term used in art denotes the first preliminary underpainting or quick sketch in oils for an oil painting? | Ébauche |
What is the term, referring to a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic, where the fired body is porous, normally used for sculpture made in earthenware? | Terracotta |
A statue of who was found off the Artemisium cape in Greece - it is bronze and currently on display in the Archaeological Museum of Athens? | Zeus |
First to bring philosophy to Athens, who (c510 – 428 BC) described the world as a mixture of imperishable ingredients, where material variation is not caused by the presence of a particular ingredient, but rather by its relative preponderance over others? | Anaxogoras |
What name is given to a meeting of a deliberative assembly in which all members are present? | Plenum |
Sagen Ishizuka was a Japanese doctor (1850-1909) who pioneered which diet, in which an attempt is made to balance the yin and yang elements of food? | Macrobiotic diet |
In the Bible, how old was Noah when he entered the Ark? | 600 |
Biblically, for how many days did it rain when Noah was in the Ark? | Forty |
How many pairs of 'clean creatures' and birds did Noah take onto his ark, according to Genesis? | Seven |
Who were the offspring of the "sons of God" and the "daughters of men" before the Deluge according to Genesis 6:4? | Nephilim |
Which 6th century Greek thinker authored a cosmogony, derived from three divine principles, Zas (Zeus), Cthonie (Earth) and Chronos (Time), that formed a bridge between the mythological thought of Hesiod and pre-Socratic philosophy? | Pherecydes of Syros |
In which year did Victoria Woodhull run for US president, the first woman to do so? | 1872 |
Pope from 1523 to 1534, who was kept as a prisoner in Castel San'Angelo for 6 months in 1527 when Rome was sacked by an invading French army - he escaped disguised as a peddler? | Clement VII |
How many Platonic solids are there? | Five |
Name any three Platonic solids. | Cube, Tetrahedron, Octahedron, Dodecahedron, Icosahedron |
Sidereus Nuncius, or 'Starry Messenger', was published by who in 1610? | Galileo Galilei |
Which Pope, reigning 1572-2585, commissioned the calendar that is used today? | Gregory XIII (Gregorian Calendar) |
Which German Jesuit mathematician and astronomer (25 March 1538 – 3 February 1612) modified the proposal of the modern Gregorian calendar after the death of its primary author, Aloysius Lilius? | Christopher Clavius |
The Tornado aircraft was jointly developed by which three nations? | West Germany, Italy, UK |
What are UAVs, in a military context? | Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) |
What is the literal meaning of the African Islamist group Boko Haram? | Western Teaching is Unclean/Forbidden |
What is the literal meaning of the name of the news channel 'Al Jazeera'? | The Island |
Al-Jazeera is funded by which country, and is based there? | Qatar |
What is the 'Paveway IV'? | Laser-guided bomb |
Which Cairo square was the focal point of 2011 protests? | Tahrir Square |
Give a year in the life of David Hume | 1711-1776 |
In 2014, which country overtook the UK as the 4th largest spender on defence, after the USA, Russia and China? | Saudi Arabia |
Hezbollah is largely based in which country? | Lebanon |
Hezbollah is a group that is aligned with which branch of Islam? | Shia |
GLONASS is the satellite-positioning system of which country? | Russia |
What is the nickname of the F-15E aircraft? | Strike Eagle |
During which war did the UK burn the White House in Washington? | War of 1812 |
The 1992 work "The Adapted Mind" is one of the first major works in which field? | Evolutionary Psychology |
Who was the Republican candidate for President in 2012? | Mitt Romney |
Who was the Republican candidate for President in 2008? | John McCain |
Hassan al-Banna (1906-49) was one of the founders of which group? | Muslim Brotherhood |
Sir John Sawers was the head of which organisation from 2009 to 2014? | SIS (MI6) |
The 'Gerald R Ford class' is a class of which military vehicle? | Supercarriers/aircraft carriers |
Which poet (between 38 and 41 AD – between 102 and 104 AD), originally from the Iberian peninsula is best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between 86 and 103AD? | Martial |
Which Roman courtier during the reign of Nero is generally believed to be the author of the Satyricon, a satirical novel believed to have been written during the Neronian era? | Petronius |
Which American jazz cornettist, composer, and jazz bandleader had the real first names Ernest Loring, although he was known by a nickname? | Red Nichols |
Widely known as the 'Father of the Blues' (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) who wrote 'St Louis Blues'? | WC Handy |
What was Duke Ellington's real first name? | Ernest |
Duke Ellington was primarily associated with which instrument? | Piano |
According to myth the Pentateuch was translated into Greek by how many elders, over the same number of days? | 72 |
Which man (347-420CE) is best known for translating the Bible into Latin-vulgate? | St Jerome |
Which famous 1973 case was instrumental in creating US abortion law? | Roe v Wade |
Whose work is 'Burnt Norton'? | TS Eliot |
The F-35 aircraft is also known by which epithet? | Lightning II |
Which founding father of the USA spoke of a "wall of separation" between church and state? | Thomas Jefferson |
Which Chinese microblogging site, almost an amalgam of Twitter and Facebook, is used by over 30% of Chinese Internet users and was launched in August 2009? | Sina Weibo |
Which one of the 'Big Four' auditors is based in Amsterdam? | KPMG |
The Italian-born Johann Maria Farina developed which product in 1709, that he named after the city where he had settled? | Eau de Cologne |
At what mach speed do speeds become hypersonic? | Five |
At what mach speed do speeds become supersonic? | One |
Which activity involves seeing how long one can keep a ferret in one's trousers for? | Ferret-legging |
Which 3rd century mathematician, the author of a series of books called Arithmetica, many of which are now lost, has been called 'the father of algebra'? | Diophantus of Alexandria |
What is pedagogy? | Art and science of teaching |
The 1920s klosh, and the medieval henin are both types of what? | Hat |
Solar, dynamical and international sidereal are all ways of measuring what? | Time |
What do Americans call a car's silencer? | Muffler |
What name is given to a male kangaroo? | Boomer |
What name is given to a female kangaroo? | Flier |
Ermine is an alternative name for which animal? | Stoat |
What type of bridge is Sydney Harbour Bridge an example of? | Arch |
What type of bridge is the Forth Rail Bridge an example of? | Cantilever |
Whose portrait is on a US $100 bill? | Benjamin Franklin |
Knife, box and inverted are all types of what? | Pleat |
To what does the slang term 'pop shop' refer? | Pawnbrokers |
Nelly Moser is a variety of which plant? | Clematis |
What colour is the gemstone peridot? | Green |
What is a knobkerrie? | A type of club (used mainly in Southern and Eastern Africa) |
Major-General Ernest Swinton is best remembered for helping to develop which item during the First World War? | Tank |
What colour is the flower of the celandine plant? | Yellow |
A single dash in Morse code represents which letter? | T |
What is collected by a tegestologist? | Beermats |
Which country worldwide has the highest percentage of opium addicts per capita? | Afghanistan |
Of what is oneirology the study? | Dreams |
The 'elephant hawk' is a species of which creature? | Moth |
Which nest-building bird goes by the Latin name delichon urbica? | House-martin |
Carborundum is an abrasive made of which two elements? | Carbon and silicon |
Which branch of geometry deals with the properties of figures that remain unchanged even if they are bent or stretched etc; more formally 'the properties of space that are preserved under continuous deformations'? | Topology |
What is the name for the 'last but two' in a sequence, if the 'last but one' is the penultimate? | Anti-penultimate |
Which US director's best known films include The Big Parade (1925), The Crowd (1928), Stella Dallas (1937), and Duel in the Sun (1946)? | King Vidor |
Probably most famous for 'Scorpio Rising' which American underground experimental filmmaker, working exclusively in short films, produced almost forty works since 1937, nine of which have been grouped together as the "Magick Lantern Cycle"? | Kenneth Anger |
Written, directed and edited by Adolfas Mekas, what was his first film of 1963, an example of 'New American Cinema'? | Hallelujah The Hills |
Who directed "Halloween"? | John Carpenter |
Who played the psychiatrist Dr Loomis in the 1978 film "Halloween"? | Donald Pleasance |
In which war is the movie "Hamburger Hill" set? | Vietnam |
Who played the idealistic Scottish doctor in "The Last King Of Scotland"? | James McAvoy |
Who directed My Own Private Idaho, Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester and Milk? | Gus Van Sant |
Where is the TV series "An Island Parish" set? | Scilly Isles |
Who directed "The Bridges of Madison County"? | Clint Eastwood |
Which Brit won a Tony Award for playing the MC in Mendes' Broadway version of 'Cabaret'? | Alan Cumming |
Who played lead character Sookie Stackhouse in True Blood? | Anna Paquin |
In which month does Children In Need usually take place? | November |
In which month does Comic Relief usually take place? | March |
'Charlie Hungerford' was a character in which 1980s TV series? | Bergerac |
Which rugby league team play at The Jungle? | Castleford Tigers |
Who won rugby league's Man of Steel in 1985, 1987 and 1989? | Ellery Hanley |
Who won rugby league's Man of Steel in 1996 & 2004? | Andy Farrell |
Who won rugby league's Man of Steel in 2001 & 2002? | Paul Sculthorpe |
Who captained the US team for the 2010 Ryder Cup? | Corey Pavin |
Where was the 2010 Ryder Cup held? | Celtic Manor, Wales |
What is the 17th hole at the St Andrews golf course nicknamed? | Road Hole |
Where was the 2014 Ryder Cup held? | Gleneagles |
In which golfing trophy do the USA play an 'International' team? | Presidents Cup |
Who, by winning a game against the Green Bay Packers, was the first quarterback in history to win at least one match against all 32 NFL franchises? | Brett Favre |
Which Malaysian badminton player was ranked first worldwide for 199 consecutive weeks from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012? | Chong Wei Lee |
Which boxer from Nottingham, born 1977, was a four-time super-middleweight world champion, having won the WBC title twice, as well as the WBA and IBF titles once each? | Carl Froch |
Laurence Halsted is a former British champion in which sport? | Fencing (foil) |
Which sport was called "poona" in 19th Century India? | Badminton |
What is the leading men's international team trophy in badminton, held since 1948-9? | Thomas Cup |
What is the leading women's international team trophy in badminton, held since 1956-7? | Uber Cup |
The St Lawrence Seaway links Montreal to which Great Lake? | Ontario |
How many locks are on the Panama Canal? | Twelve |
In which country would the proposed alternative to the Panama Canal have been? | Nicaragua |
Which canal, connecting Lakes Ontario and Erie, bypasses Niagara Falls? | Welland Canal |
Which French diplomat supervised the construction of the Panama Canal? | Ferdinand de Lesseps |
Who was the famous resident of Alloway House, now housing a museum dedicated to him? | Robert Burns |
What is the name of Wellington's London house, also called "Number 1, London"? | Apsley House |
Which Italianate mansion and estate at Taplow, Buckinghamshire was owned by the Astors? | Cliveden |
Rome's Colosseum is more correctly known by what name? | Flavian Amphitheatre |
In which year was the London Exhibition of Victoria's reign, for which the Crystal Palace was built? | 1851 |
In which year were the remaining parts of the Crystal Palace, in London, pulled down? | 1941 |
Which is the nearest city to Eddystone Lighthouse? | Plymouth |
In which year was the Eiffel Tower completed? | 1889 |
For which French king was the Palace at Fontainebleau built? | Francis I |
Which famous author lived at Batemans, Sussex? | Rudyard Kipling |
Which National Trust property in the Lakes was the home of William Wordsworth from December 1799 to May 1808? | Dove Cottage |
Which peer lives at Badminton House? | Duke of Beaufort |
Which house in Hampshire was Jane Austen's home for the last eight years of her life? | Chawton |
In which Indian City is the centre of Sikhism, the Golden Temple? | Amritsar |
In which US state is the Grand Coulee Dam? | Washington |
The Grand Coulee Dam lies on which river? | Columbia |
What is the nickname of the bell located over the main gate of Christ Church College, Oxford? | Great Tom |
Which three-letter acronym, standing for the Russian for 'Great Universal Store', is the name of arguably the most famous department store in Russia? | GUM |
Who ordered the building of Istanbul's Hagia Sophia? | Justinian |
Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938, the first American woman to do so? | Pearl S. Buck |
Who painted "The Old Shepherd's Chief Mourner"? | Landseer |
Artist Louis Wain was best known for his drawings of which animals? | Cats |
Who was the artist behind the comic strip "Blondie"? | Chic Young |
In the comic strip, who was "Blondie" married to? | Dagwood Bumstead |
When was The Dandy founded? | 1937 |
Who wrote "Adam Bede"? | George Eliot |
What was the occupation of "The Admirable Crichton"? | Butler |
Who originally drew the Flash Gordon comic strips? | Alex Raymond |
Who wrote the story "The African Queen"? | CS Forester |
Who wrote "The Agony and The Ecstasy"? | Irving Stone |
Who wrote "The Alexandria Quartet"? | Lawrence Durrell |
Who was the slave girl in "Ali Baba", who assists the titular character? | Morgiana |
In "Alice in Wonderland" what were the 'croquet balls' hit with flamingo mallets? | Hedgehogs |
Who illustrated "Alice In Wonderland"? | Tenniel |
Who painted "Snowstorm: Hannibal and His Army Crossing The Alps"? | Turner |
Who painted "A Hopeless Dawn" (1888), showing a woman who realises that her husband is lost at sea? | Frank Bramley |
Who painted "The Last Day In The Old Home", an 1862 painting currently held in the Tate Gallery, London - it shows a feckless squire gambling away his inheritance? | RB Martineau |
Who painted 1804's "Pitlessie Fair", currently held by The National Gallery of Scotland? | David Wilkie |
Who was the author of "We Need To Talk About Kevin"? | Lionel Shriver |
Which Dickens novel features the character of Seth Picksniff? | Martin Chuzzlewit |
In 1886, Nathan Bedford Forrest became the first head of which organisation? | Ku Klux Klan |
What nationality was hypnotism pioneer Franz Mesmer? | Austrian |
Give a year in the life of John Stuart Mill. | 1806-1873 |
Who was the paternal grandfather of Bertrand Russell? | Lord John Russell, two-time British PM |
The 'Hope Diamond' was presented to which French king? | Louis XIV |
In which year did Mussolini invade Ethiopia? | 1935 |
Who preceded Andy Burnham as Britain's Health Secretary? | Alan Johnson |
Margaret Chan was the Director-General of which organisation from 2006 to 2017? | WHO |
Who was Britain's fiftieth different Prime Minister? | John Major |
In which city was there a 2009 attack on the Dutch Royal Family - while the family were unscathed, 8 bystanders were killed? | Apeldoorn |
Of which nation was Ricardo Martinelli President from 2009 to 2014? | Panama |
What role did Nancy Pelosi hold from 2007 to 2011? | Speaker of the United States House of Representatives |
What was the code-breaking HQ of Britain in WW2 - it later became famous through movies such as 'Enigma' and 'The Imitation Game'? | Bletchley Park |
In which year was the driving test made compulsory in the UK? | 1935 |
In whose reign did the English "Peasant's Revolt" take place? | Richard II |
Who was the mother of James I of England? | Mary, Queen of Scots |
Which French poet is credited with inventing the terms Cubism, Orphism and Surrealism? | Guillaume Apollinaire |
In the Gnostic religion, Seth's sister Norea was the wife of who? | Noah |
In ecclesiology which term denotes a person receiving instruction from a teacher in the principles of the Christian religion with a view to baptism? | Catechumen |
Also called myrrh, myron, holy anointing oil, and consecrated oil, which consecrated oil is used in various Churches in the administration of certain sacraments and ecclesiastical functions? | Chrism |
Which Catholic rite is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in Holy Baptism? | Confirmation |
Originated by Mintons, who exhibited it at the Great Exhibition of 1851, what name is given to lead-glazed earthenware pottery made in 19th century Britain, Europe and the USA with moulded surfaces and colourful translucent glazes? | (Victorian) majolica |
Traditional European majolica, with a white opaque surface to which colours were applied, employed which compound as the base for the white glaze? | Tin oxide |
The name of Faience derives from which placename? | Faenza, Italy |
Which novel has as its protagonist Jean des Esseintes, an eccentric, reclusive aesthete and antihero who loathes 19th-century bourgeois society and tries to retreat into an ideal artistic world of his own creation? | A Rebours by Joris-Karl Huysmans |
Which small Wiltshire town, infamous as the scene of the repatriations - in coffins - of servicemen and women killed in action, became the first town to be given a 'Royal' prefix since 1909, when it received a Charter in 2011? | Royal Wootton Bassett |
Give a year in the life of Manichaeanism founder Mani. | 215-277 |
"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" is a song from which musical? | High Society |
"Send In The Clowns" is a song from which musical? | A Little Night Music |
Santuzzu and Turiddu are characters in which opera? | Cavallera Rusticana |
Who wrote the opera "Eugene Onegin" in 1879? | Tchaikovsky |
Who wrote the opera "Gloriana", first performed in 1953? | Britten |
Who wrote the opera "Ruslan and Lyudmilla" between 1837 and 1842? | Glinka |
Who were the backing band of Dion? | The Belmonts |
Who were the backing band of Georgie Fame? | The Blue Flames |
Who were the backing band of Wayne Fontana? | The Mindbenders |
Which festival, founded in 1948 in Suffolk, is associated with the works of Benjamin Britten? | Aldeburgh |
In which German town, where Richard Wagner lived from 1872 until his death in 1883, did he build a festival hall to put on performances of his works? | Bayreuth |
Which Werner Herzog film features would-be rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman,, who is determined to transport a steamship over a steep hill in order to access a rich rubber territory in the Amazon Basin? | Fitzcarraldo |
In which county does the annual Glyndebourne Festival Opera take place? | East Sussex |
The Glyndebourne Festival Opera is particularly associated with which composer's operas, which it has played more often than any other musician's works? | Mozart |
What was the first of Hercules' twelve labours? | Kill Nemean Lion |
What was the second of Hercules' twelve labours? | Kill the Hydra |
What was the third of Hercules' twelve labours? | Capture the Golden Hind |
Which of the Strauss composing family, an engineer, also invented a street cleaning machine? | Josef |
Who composed "The Blue Danube"? | Johann Strauss the Younger |
From 1837 to 1847 which composer maintained an often troubled relationship with the French writer George Sand? | Frederic Chopin |
Which composer (12 April 1801 – 14 April 1843) was a friend and rival to Johann Strauss I, and composed "Die Schönbrunner" Walzer, Op. 200? | Joseph Lanner |
Which British conductor was nicknamed "Old Timber"? | Henry Wood |
Who slew the Minotaur in Greek myth? | Theseus |
Until 2001 bankruptcy, who were the national airline of Belgium? | Sabena |
Which dog cannot bark? | Basenji |
Which mechanism on a watch regulates the cogs and controls energy release? | Escapement |
Which animal is mus musculus? | House mouse |
What does JPEG stand for? | Joint Photographic Experts Group |
"Planta Genista" (from which, Plantagenet) is which plant? | Broom |
What unit measures thermal resistance? | Tog |
What does HTML stand for? | Hypertext markup language |
What is the unit of linear mass density in textiles? | Denier |
Which element is named after an asteroid? | Palladium |
Lithium derives its name from the Greek for what? | Stone |
Who discovered the element lithium in 1817? | Arfvedson |
Which company bought Rowntree in 1989? | Nestle |
A micrometer uses which very precise measurement scale, also called a nonius? | Vernier scale |
The AIG business, former sponsors of Manchester United, stands for what? | American International Group |
Which two men founded Apple? | Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak |
What position was held by Richard Woolley from 1956 to 1971? | Astronomer Royal |
Eurolengo and Volapük are both examples of artificial what? | Constructed Languages |
When does the grouse shooting season end? | 10th December |
Which US billionaire is called 'The Sage of Omaha'? | Warren Buffett |
Complete the phrase relating to avoidance of military punishment :"No names...."? | No pack drill |
What is the South American howatzin? | Bird |
The white wagtail is the continental variety of which bird? | Pied wagtail |
Who was Royal Society President from 1703 to 1723? | Isaac Newton |
What induces orographic thunderstorms? | Mountains |
Who played the US President in the film "Primary Colors"? | John Travolta |
Which character in the sitcom "Porridge" was played by Peter Vaughan? | Grouty (Harry Grout) |
Who directed "The Usual Suspects", "X-Men" and "Superman Returns"? | Bryan Singer |
Brandon Routh is probably best known for playing who in a 2006 film? | Superman |
Who was the 'date doctor' in the 2005 film "Hitch"? | Will Smith |
Who played Victoria, a gangster's wife, in the film "The Long Good Friday"? | Helen Mirren |
In which town was sitcom "'Allo 'Allo" set? | Nouvion |
Which US voice actor was the original voice of Donald Duck, for 50 years until his death in 1985? | Clarence Nash |
Which British comedian was born blind in 1904, but started to see after a coughing fit when he was a few months old? | George Formby |
What role was performed by Len Martin from 1958 until 1995? | Reading out football results on Grandstand |
Who played Emmett "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? | Christopher Lloyd |
Jean Darblay was the real name of which character? | Juliet Bravo |
Complete the title of the 2002 film: "Jimmy Neutron..."? | Boy Wonder |
Who was played for many years by Walter Koenig in "Star Trek"? | Ensign Chekhov |
In the 1980s TV series "CATS Eyes" for what did CATS stand? | Covert Activities Thames Section |
How is Demetria Guynes better known? | Demi Moore |
In which country was 1981 film "Reds" set? | USSR |
Which Bond girl was once married to Ringo Starr? | Barbara Bach |
Marlene Dietrich film "The Blue Angel" was partly in which non-English language? | German |
Which US President appears on a $50 bank note? | Ulysses S Grant |
Limoges became famous, in the late 18th century, and 19th century, for the production of what? | Porcelain |
What runs through a ship's horspipes? | The anchor cable |
Argand diagrams represent which type of numbers? | Complex numbers |
How many faces does a tetrahedron have? | Four |
Launched 1954, what was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine? | Nautilus (SSN-571) |
In 1954, which country launched the world's first nuclear-powered submarine? | USA |
Which position in law entails representing parties in the High Court who otherwise would have no-one to represent them? | Official Solicitor |
AJ Ayer and Karl Popper were famous names in which field? | Philosophy |
Peaches, pears and plums all belong to which plant family? | Roses (Rosaceae) |
What is a sconce? | A type of light fixture affixed to a wall in such a way that it uses only the wall for support, traditionally they held candles |
At what time of day is a crepuscular animal most active? | Twilight |
How many vowels are there in the Greek alphabet? | Seven |
Complete the saying: "Good fences make..."? | Good neighbours |
How many old pence were in a British groat? | Four |
A sesquicentennial marks how many years? | 150 |
Who, in the UK, are the DVSA? | Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency |
Which scale measures the intensity of earthquakes? | Mercalli scale |
Who discovered the element Beryllium in 1797? | Vauqelin |
In an environmental context, what is a MNR? | Marine nature reserve |
In formal business letters what is signified by the word 'instant'? | The present month |
What is the second-largest city in Sri Lanka? | Kandy |
Which islands, controlled by Japan in 2015, are known as the Diaoyu in China, who dispute sovereignty with the Japanese? | Senkaku Islands |
Which term refers to a form of sexual reproduction involving the union or fusion of two dissimilar gametes? (The smaller gamete is considered to be male [sperm cell], whereas the larger gamete is regarded as female [egg cell]) | Anisogamy |
Which bloodthirsty Moroccan ruler (reigned 1672–1727) fathered 867 children, the record number of offspring for any man throughout history that can be verified? | Moulay Ismail (Ismail Ibn Sharif) |
What name is given to a form of plural marriage in which a man is allowed more than one wife? | Polygyny |
What name is given to a form of plural marriage in which a woman is allowed more than one husband? | Polyandry |
Which conference, held from August 21, 1944 through October 7, 1944, was the meeting at which the United Nations was formulated and negotiated among international leaders? | Dumbarton Oaks Conference |
Which eponymous list of 23 unsolved problems in mathematics was published in 1900? | Hilbert's problems |
The Art Nouveau buildings of architect Victor Horta, including 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, lie mainly in which capital city? | Brussels |
Who composed the opera 'La Gioconda' in 1876? | Amilcare Ponchielli |
Lamprais and Pittu are traditional dishes from which country? | Sri Lanka |
Which fruit is also called a pawpaw? | Papaya |
Arrack is a South-East Asian spirit traditionally made from what in Sri Lanka? | Coconut flower |
What are the two official languages of Sri Lanka? | Sinhalese, Tamil |
Who won the 1996 Cricket World Cup? | Sri Lanka |
Which temple in Ellora, Maharashtra, India was carved out of a single rock and was designed to recall the mountain home of lord Shiva? | Kailasa Temple (Mt Kailash is Shiva's mountain) |
What does 'kremlin' mean? | Fortress/citadel |
In which US city is the Liberty Bell located? | Philadelphia |
Which lighthouse lies about 1.25 mi (2.01 km) off the coast of Lands End in Cornwall, England? | Longships |
What name is given to the central business district of Chicago, Illinois? | The Loop |
What was the original location of Marble Arch? | Buckingham Palace |
In which city is the Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral? | Cordoba |
Where is the National Agricultural Centre located? | Stoneleigh, Warwickshire |
In which country are the pagodas of Pagan? | Myanmar (Burma) |
The Peterhof Palace is near which major city? | St Petersburg |
Where is Poets' Corner? | Westminster Abbey |
What are sometimes called Chephren and Mycerinus? | The smallest of the 3 Great Pyramids |
Where is the HQ of the Royal Mint located? | Llantrisant |
Opening on 17 September 1998, in which city is (as of Jan 2016) the world's largest cinema complex, boasting a total seating capacity of 9,200 with 25 screens? | Madrid |
Which famous door in the UK, since 1991 blast-proof and so heavy that 8 men need carry it, and often seen in the news, famously cannot be opened from the outside? | That of 10 Downing Street |
With an overall seating capacity of around 7,000, which building in Salt Lake City was built between 1864 and 1867? | Mormon Tabernacle |
In which country is the Albert Schweitzer Hospital? | Gabon |
What is marked by 'The Monument' in London? | Where the Great Fire started |
In which English county is Corfe Castle? | Dorset |
Which was Britain's first museum open to the public? | Ashmolean |
Where is the world's largest pyramid located? | Cholula, Mexico |
A 17th-century house in Near Sawrey near Hawkshead, what is the name of Beatrix Potter's former home, now open to the public as a writer's house museum? | Hill Top Farm |
For whom was the Norfolk stately home Houghton Hall built? | Robert Walpole |
Where are the Royal Coaches kept when not in use? | Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace |
Which is the world's largest Buddhist temple? | Borobudur, Indonesia |
In the Bible, Nahor and Haran were the brothers of who? | Abram/Abraham |
Recovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1849 (in fragmentary form), what is the name of the Babylonian creation mythos (named after its opening words)? | Enuma Elish |
One of the earliest Egyptian deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile River, who was usually depicted with the head of a ram? | Khnum |
A central figure in the Ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, who was formed from clay and saliva by Aruru, the goddess of creation, to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance? | Enkidu |
Covering a large swathe of Central-Western Asia, the Ancient Greeks gave what name to all the lands north-east of Europe and the northern coast of the Black Sea? | Scythia |
Beginning with the campaigns of Adad-nirari II from 911 BC, which Empire became a great power in the Ancient Middle East, until its collapse between 612 BC and 599 BC, thus spanning the mid to Early Bronze Age through to the late Iron Age? | Assyrian |
Eventually conquered by Cyrus the Great in 539 BCE, which short-lived Empire began in 626BCE and was spurred by a rebellion under Nabopolassar? | Neo-Babylonian Empire |
Ras Shamra is an ancient port city that lies in which modern-day country? | Syria |
Which Greek lyric poet from the island of Paros (c. 680 – c. 645 BC) was celebrated for his versatile and innovative use of poetic meters and as the earliest known Greek author to compose almost entirely on the theme of his own emotions and experiences? | Archilocus |
Which philosopher of the later Middle Ages (c. 1320–1325 – July 11, 1382) was also was Bishop of Lisieux, a translator, a counsellor of King Charles V of France, and author of "Livre du ciel et du monde"? | Nicole Oresme |
Famed for its whisky, Campbeltown lies on which peninsula? | Kintyre |
On a 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Map, what does CG signify? | Coastguard station |
What was the longest railway tunnel in the UK, until overtaken in 2007 by part of the Channel Tunnel High Speed 1 railway? | Severn Tunnel |
Which body of water lies between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula? | Strait of Malacca |
On a 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey Map, what does a black triangular flag signify? | Golf course |
Eglin Air Force Base is in which US state? | Florida |
There are two functional Transporter Bridges in the UK - where? | Middlesbrough and Newport |
Tombstone is in which US state? | Arizona |
Which is the only French département beginning with a 'J'? | Jura |
Which motorway links Telford to the M6? | M54 |