1. On June 10, 1829, a fierce rivalry between two school friends in separate academic institutes led to a race being conducted on a 6.8 km section on River Thames in London. The race initially happened at irregular times before becoming an annual sporting event and sticking to a fixed schedule. Now watched by millions worldwide, what iconic event is this that has kept a rivalry alive for close to 200 years?
2. The ______ wars are a series of mutually-targeted television advertisements and marketing campaigns since the 1980s between two long-time rivals. They are both the dominant brands in their market with each spending close to $2-3 billion per year on advertising alone. Both compete by changing marketing strategies and not through any real product differences such as price or taste. Each brand is identifiable by its signature colours. Identify the two rivals and fill in the blank.
3. Both these companies do the same thing. They deliver packages to their customers. Each company uses their own method to try to stay on top. One company has the largest fleet of over 650 all-cargo airplanes. They even have an empty aircraft circling the U.S. at all times as a back-up. The other company is the opposite. They have the most ground vehicles. The company has over one lakh delivery vehicles on the road and they even have boats and tractors. Who are these two U.S. based rivals?
4. Hasbro and Mattel are the world’s leading toy manufacturers. In the 1960s, when Mattel came out with X, they dominated the toy industry. Later, they lost the number one spot to Hasbro, thanks to the Y action figures. Although X and Y appeal to completely different target audiences they each have their own universe. Hasbro opened a movie studio to cash in on the Y franchise and have seen a revival in their fortunes. What are these two products?
5. The war of the ______ was a series of events in the late 1880s involving two companies. The first company was called the Edison General Electric Company which later became ‘GE’. The other was the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The ‘war’ was a propaganda campaign where Edison was pushing a certain type of power supply and Westinghouse backed the other. They both played on a general fear in the public’s mind of accidental death when coming in contact with this new technology. What were the warring systems and what was the war known as?
6. The first entity made its debut on TV screens in 1967 which led to fans going around the street wearing pointy ears and making a sign which Jewish Priests used for blessing. The next entity made its debut in the cinemas 11 years later and led to fans talking weirdly by placing the verbs after the object and subject (placed before, normally). What are these two entities with extremely loyal fan bases?
7. Since their first contest in 1952, only three wars, a political assassination and a major terrorist attack could keep these two teams away from their drawn-out pursuit for supremacy in one of the most intense sports rivalries in the world. Every single encounter is a hotbed of geopolitics and has even led to bills being passed in the government regarding safety of the contestants. Which two teams and what sport?
8. The greatest tennis rivalry in the Open Era was between two women who played each other 80 times in 15 years. They met in 14 Grand Slam finals. One thrived on grass and ruled the baseline, the other on clay and mastered the art of serve and volley. They even teamed up and won a French Open and a Wimbledon doubles title. One was an American and the other became one. Who are these amazing women?
9. Since their first meeting in 1921, these two teams have met 50 times in the professional era. The teams are known as the ‘All Blacks’ (in reference to their uniforms) and the ‘Springboks’ (from a logo they had when they had no uniforms). An iconic moment from this rivalry was when the Springboks won in 1995 and their beloved leader presented them the trophy. Who are these two teams and in what sport is this rivalry?
10. These two characters have been fierce rivals since September 17, 1949. With one trying to entrap the other, who is perennially just tantalisingly out of reach. They are well known for the absurd ideas and the blatant disregard for physics in their adventures. Scientifically their rivalry is Canis latrans vs Geococcyx californianus . How do we know them better?
Answers
1. The Oxford vs Cambridge boat race
2. Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. Cola wars
3. FedEx and UPS
4. Barbie and Transformers
5. AC vs DC — The war of the currents
6. Star Trek vs Star Wars
7. India vs Pakistan cricket matches
8. Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova
9. New Zealand vs South Africa in Rugby
10. Wile E. Coyote vs Roadrunner
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
