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: What has September 11 ever given us?
William Sydney Porter had a special affection for New York City. Many of his stories were set there.
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Born on September 11, 1816, Carl Zeiss was a German optician who started a workshop in his name in 1846. Together with Ernst Abbe, they designed optical instruments. They used strict quality control and produced a certain instrument for scientific use. His instrument could be focused by moving the column that held the optics, unlike the others, where the object stage was moved. What instrument did he produce that till date plays a major role in laboratories?
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Born on September 11, 1862, William Sydney Porter was an American writer who wrote under the pen name ‘O Henry’. He was well known for his naturalist observations, witty style of writing and a surprise twist at the end. He became so synonymous with a certain style of writing that there is an award in his name. What did he write, which includes the famous ‘The Gift of the Magi’?
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Born on September 11, 1895, Vinayak Narahari was an Indian philosopher and Bharat Ratna awardee. He was the founder of the Bhoodan Yajna (Land Gift movement) and an ardent advocate of nonviolence and human rights. He walked across India asking people to lend land, which he then distributed to the poor. By what name do we know him better?
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In 1906, a certain term was coined by a Mr. Maganlal for the news-sheet ‘Indian Opinion’ in South Africa to characterise the nonviolence movement there. His uncle subsequently changed it slightly, and explained it as ‘the Force which is born of Truth and Love or non-violence’. What is this term, which even influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela in their struggles for social justice, and who was the uncle?
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On September 11, 1941, the construction of this massive building began in Arlington County, Virginia, and just three months later World War II started. By the time it ended this building became one of the most important offices in the world. Stretching over 6.5 million sq.ft., it still is one of the biggest buildings in the world. Its peculiar shape allowed faster build time and optimal use of space. What building is this that’s named after its shape?
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On September 11, 1942, this author published the first book in a series of 21 books that all start with the same word. This one was ____ on a Treasure Island about three siblings who meet their cousin and her dog. They find a shipwreck, and defeat some bad guys to save a treasure that belongs to the family. They become good friends and have many more such adventures. By what name would you fondly remember this bunch of kids and a dog?
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On September 11, 1945, physician Willem J. Kolff used a machine he had developed during the war and performed the first successful procedure to clean the blood of a living being. Only two years earlier he had developed a prototype using just orange juice cans, used auto parts and sausage casings. Known as Hemodialysis, Kolff’s process artificially did the work of which vital organ in the body?
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On September 11, 1961, this organisation was founded to help international conservation efforts financially. It is the world’s largest conservation organisation and has raised more than a billion dollars to reduce the impact of humans on the environment. Its ‘Living Planet Report’ is the leading analysis of the health of our planet. Which organisation is this that is easily identifiable by its black and white logo?
Answer : World Wildlife Fund (for Nature Inc.)
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Born on September 11, 1965, Richard Melville is an American musician and DJ who was an important figure in the dance music revolution of the 90s. His fifth album ‘Play’ was a global hit, which fused his signature electronic style with blues samples. Richard’s stage name is a tribute to a character created by his great-great-great-uncle Herman Melville, whose greatest work is named after the titular character. How better do we know Richard whose albums were fittingly the biggest hits in the ocean of music?
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On September 11, 1978, medical photographer Janet Parker died while in isolation at a hospital in Birmingham, England. The death was in the headlines as this was the first case in over a decade. The disease had killed 300 million people in the 20th century. Parker was the last person who succumbed to the disease. It is said that she was infected by a sample in a lab. Just as the World Health Organization was about to say they had wiped out the disease, Parker died. What disease was this, which thankfully has been completely eradicated?
