Q1. Francis Ford Coppola (pictured) is the legendary director of films such as the Godfather trilogy and “Apocalypse Now”. His nephew, at 15 years old, tried to convince him to give him a screen test, but failed. To avoid the allegations of nepotism that would come with the Coppola name, his nephew changed his last name to a famous African-American Marvel comic character.
Who is the nephew, who became famous as an actor with exaggerated facial expressions, can be considered a ‘National Treasure’, and turns 55 today?
Q2. Julius Wagner-Jauregg (pictured) was a Viennese neurologist who won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1927 for his work in pyrotherapy. In those days, when penicillin was yet to be discovered, syphilis was considered a terminal disease. Julius used pyrotherapy, meaning ‘raising the body’s temperature to treat’, through a second disease known to cause high fevers, to cure syphilis. The second disease was treatable by quinine, quite easily available those days. Since this method resulted in the death of 15% of all patients, penicillin was preferred later, when it was discovered by Fleming.
Which disease did he use to treat syphilis?
Q3. This section of most ancient armies, gets its name from the Latin word meaning ‘inexperienced or young.’ This section consisted of a large number of soldiers being grouped together to form a battalion, and a cavalryman/commander to lead each battalion.
What is the good word, used to describe foot soldiers?
Q4. California vehicle laws state that all brand-new cars have a maximum of six months to get a registered license plate. One Palo Alto resident didn’t want to have a license plate on his car for fear of being tracked, and so, made an arrangement with a leasing company. He would lease a silver Mercedes SL55 AMG for less than six months at a time, and would trade it in for another car of the same model when time was up.
Who was this eccentric billionaire and genius who passed away due to cancer in 2011?
Q5. In 1891, James Naismith, a Canadian physical education teacher was trying to keep his students active indoors, on a rainy day. He wanted a vigorous game to keep his students fit, particularly during winter. So, he wrote the basic rules to a game, and nailed an empty box to the wall of the gymnasium. The object of the game was to throw a football into the basket, retrieve it and repeat. Eventually, the basket’s base was cut off for more efficient gameplay.
Which sport thus originated?
Q6. Suricates are small carnivores belonging to the mongoose family. Primarily found in the Kalahari Desert and some other parts of Africa, these animals live in ‘gangs’ or ‘mobs’ of about 20. Due to their position in the food chain, they have evolved to be immune to many types of venom, including the sand scorpions present in the desert. They are most commonly seen in documentaries popping out of their hiding holes. They have been represented in popular culture – Timon from the “Lion King”; Pi visits an island full of them in “Life of Pi”.
What are these animals more commonly known as, deriving their name from the Afrikaans words for ‘lake feline?’
Answers:
A1. Nicolas Cage
A2. Malaria
A3. Infantry
A4. Steve Jobs
A5. Basketball
A6. Meerkat
