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
Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning
American composer Henry Mancini was also a concert performer. He conducted over 600 symphony performances in his lifetime.
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Born this day in 1728, Joseph Black was a Scottish chemist whose research was guided by questions relating to how the five principles of Water, Salt, Earth, Fire and Metal combined with each other in various forms and mixture. During his experiments he heated limestone and discovered a gas which he called ‘fixed air’. How do we now know this gas, which we are hoping to minimise in the atmosphere?
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On this day in 1853, the ‘GIPR’ opened as the first passenger rail in India, running 33 km from Bori Bunder to Thane. It was then planned to connect to the rest of the country with the purpose of increasing the export of cotton, silk, spices and opium. What does GIPR stand for which refers to the size of the project and the geographical area it covered?
Answer : Great Indian Peninsular Railway
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3 / 10 |
Born this day on 1867 this person was the elder of two brothers who were inspired by the toys their mother had made for them to become inventors. When their dad gave them a rubber-band powered helicopter they became obsessed with the concept. Finally on December 17, 1903, they had a coin toss, which this brother won, but his attempt failed. Then his brother Orville went second but he succeeded becoming the first human to do something historic. Which brother had won the toss?
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Born this day in 1889, this person made his debut as an entertainer at the age of five when he was suddenly pushed onstage to replace his mother, whose voice had failed in front of a crowd of rowdy soldiers. After singing, he imitated his mom, which got him laughs and coins. This inspired him to become a comedian. Who was this person who became the greatest actor of the silent-film era?
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Born this day in 1921, Sir Peter Ustinov was an English actor and director who is the only person to have won an Oscar award for a Stanley Kubrick film. On October 31, 1984, he was waiting to interview a certain leader of the state for a TV documentary. As the person was walking towards him, an event that changed the history of a nation happened. What event was this?
Answer : Assassination of Indira Gandhi
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6 / 10 |
Born this day in 1924, Henry Mancini was an American composer and conductor known for his jazzy themes and scores. He won the inaugural Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1959 for The Music from Peter Gunn. His most famous tune was created as a theme for an iconic comedy movie about the heist of a priceless diamond. Usually sung as ‘dead ant dead ant’, what theme is this?
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Born this day in 1927 as Joseph Ratzinger, this German soldier was captured by the Americans during World War II. He became a priest and eventually in 2005 became Pope Benedict XVI. In 2013, he became the first pope in 600 years to do something that you’d expect people of his age to do, but in this job it almost never happens. What historic decision did he make?
Answer : First pope to retire from the job
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8 / 10 |
Born this day in 1947, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is often regarded as one of the greatest American basketball players of all time. A good friend of Bruce Lee, he even starred in a movie opposite him. He’s also co-authored a mystery book about Mycroft Holmes. Till 2023 he had the most points in the NBA (38,387). Which player broke that 40-year-old record this February?
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Born this day in 1973, this Senegalese-American rapper’s real name is Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Thiam. At one time he had the Guinness World Record for the number-one selling artist for master ringtones in the world. How better do we know this artist who even charted in Bollywood with a song for Ra.One?
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On April 16, a certain plant is celebrated in the United States for its diverse and widespread flowers. With more than 28,000 species, they have flowers that look like monkeys, swans and even ballerinas. The most famous of these however is vanilla. What day is this in the U.S.?
