Wednesday, November 01, 2006

I Should Be Doing Some Bloody Work But Instead I Am Posting the BH105

I have a major malfunction. It is one in the morning; my copy is due in. I am poised to work. Crouching like a panther. Pulsing brain at the ready. And then ... then, I start looking at some bloody websites that have absolutely nothing to do with what needs to be done and dusted. These cursed cyberspace portals. I mean, Bore Me ... I'm not even bored ... I'm just ... grrrrr ... yes, a pathetic little wolf cub.

I really do want to focus, but the problem is that when you are freelance, you begin to understand the full meaning of Parkinson's Law. You have so much time that you can only work when the stuff is running out and warning sirens and booming red lights are going off in your head. D'ya get me? Only one minute exists in my space-time continuum - "the last minute."

Then there are the existential problems to do with the constant, daily and weekly battle against blank space. We fill it, it empties, we fill it, it empties, and so on for a year. Routine saps the will and the life-force. Focus dissipates. Mild ennui sets in. You become vulnerable to the distractions, whatever they may be: TV, magazines, checking every website you've ever liked in a very OCD way, staring out the window at the screeching night foxes. (I'm thinking that if I lay down my rubbishness in the preceding words, then some semblance of motivation will set and I will march on to supreme victory. It's all about autopsychology. Innit)

Anyway, enough whinging, enough distracting words of procrastination. I set a BH quiz back in LA (I am now in the London) from Visual Factfinder: History Timelines (Q1-73) and Whitaker's World of Facts by Russell Ash (Q74-104) (Q105's source is very mysterious), which means up to question 73 they are functional one-liners, which possess little of the joy that the finest trivia can rouse in people. But they get the job done. My job, that is.

I have juiced Whitaker's World of Facts for a high concentration of sport questions because I really need to do more of them here, for variety's sake. For my sake, that is. I will probably do some sort of large sports and games dedicated BH quiz, however. It could be fun, IF I don't let the beast that is boredom get to me and gnaw the idea into a shredded, undesirable heap. You see, I write it down and the idea rusts already. Thinking up an idea is often the worst thing you can do to it. It might wish it was never born. A bit like communism. Or Cirque De Celebrite.

Of course, see below the BH answers for the latest LQC (I love using acronyms that are utterly meaningless because I haven't yet taken the time to explain them to everybody. That would be a sign of dumbing down).

Now, I'm going to knock this bugger off, and then some. I swear. But not in an All-4-One way. Now that would do no good at all. People would want to club me over the head with metal piping wouldn't they?

105 Questions on Things That Have Happened ... or did they? DUH-DUH-DUHHH
1 In 1670, Charles II and Louis XIV signed which agreement that stated England's support to France against the Dutch in return for a secret subsidy ending the Merry Monarch's dependence on Parliament?
2 Who became the first African-American woman to publish a book in 1773?
3 Russian forces invaded which region in 1859, forcing its leader Imam Samil to surrender?
4 Who became the first king of Italy in 1861, and moved the capital from Turin to Florence before making Rome the official capital city in 1870?
5 Which Spanish explorer established the town of Asuncion on the Paraguay river in 1537?
6 In 1540 Hungary was split into three parts and thrown into confusion by the invasion of Ferdinand of Hapsburg following the death of which king?
7 At which battle of 1542 did Henry VIII defeat James V of Scotland? The king died soon after and was succeeded by his child daughter Mary Queen of Scots.
8 The French settled on Madagascar in 1626 and began to drive out which people, who had inhabited the island for 600 years?
9 Sir William Courteen founded the first English colony on which Caribbean island in 1625?
10 Which French king defeated a coalition of powers, including Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV and King John of England at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214?
11 What branch of Buddhism, also called Jodo, was founded in Honen, Japan in 1175?
12 A new Canterbury Cathedral was begun in 1184 to replace the one in which Thomas a Becket was killed, built according to which Frenchman's Gothic-style design?
13 The legends of King Arthur and Camelot were compiled and modified by which Welsh priest in about 1175?
14 Minamoto Yoritomo established which shogunate in Japan in 1185?
15 Which dynasty of central India began work on the Ajanta cave paintings c. 500AD, which were among the earliest in India and depict scenes from the Jakata tales, traditional stories of the Buddha's previous lives?
16 In c.496AD, the Shaolin Temple was built at the foot of which mountain n Henan, China?
17 Which Indian mathematician devised roots and powers of numbers in c.476AD?
18 In c.25AD, which city in China was the capital of the Eastern Han dynasty and with a population of 500,000 was the most populated city of its time?
19 Though not put to actual use, what was the name of the first steam engine that was invented by Hero of Alexandria during c.1 to 10AD?
20 What name did the Egyptians give to the first astronomical tool that was invented in c.600BC and could measure time by studying the positions of the stars?
21 Which well-known poet became leader of Athens in c.594BC(-574) and abolished most of Draco's harsh laws and drew up a more humane code?
22 Which emperor established and expanded the Inca Empire in 1438 in Peru?
23 Modelled on the English Order of the Garter, what Catholic-only order was founded by Duke Phillip III of Burgundy to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess of Isabelle of Aviz?
24 Which edict of 1685 cancelled the Edict of Nantes?
25 At which battle of 1708 did a 80,000-strong British, Hanoverian, Prussian and Dutch army led by the Duke of Marlborough defeat Marshal Louis-Joseph's 85,000 French troops, after Churchill's soldiers crossed the Schelde river and caught them off-guard?
26 Which French military engineer invented the first automobile, a steam-powered tricycle, in 1769?
27 Which man founded the first modern circus in England in 1768 when he built stands around his performance ring and opened an eponymous "Amphitheatre"?
28 Richard Arkwright invented the "water frame" in 1769 and installed them at which mill in Derby, making it the world's first industrial factory?
29 What now-famous bay did Gaspar de Portola, a governor in the Americas, discover in 1769, while on an expedition from Velicata to find Monterey Bay?
30 What Australian state capital was moved to its present site in Sullivan Cove in 1803?
31 What country was invaded by Russia in 1808 and made a Great Duchy that was brought under Russian rule by the Treaty of Hamina?
32 The War of 1812 was ended in 1814 with which treaty?
33 At which village near Vienna did Napoleon and 154,000 troops defeat 158,000 Austrian soldiers led by Archduke Charles in 1809?
34 Which historian, poet, journalist and general became president of Argentina in 1862 and established Buenos Aires as the capital?
35 Founded in 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America is based where in Florida?
36 Which Montana congresswoman became the first female to be elected to the US House of Representatives on November 7, 1916?
37 What did the USA buy from Denmark for $25 million in 1917?
38 Which US inventor developed the Phonofilm, a process by which sound could be recorded on film, in 1919?
39 Which volcano on the island of Java erupted on May 25, 1919, killing 16,000 people?
40 General Alvaro Obregon was elected president of which country on December 1, 1920, and put an end to the civil war that had troubled his nation since 1909?
41 The Irish Free State was established on December 6, 1922, with Timothy Michael Healy as its governor-general and who was president?
42 What agreement of June 17, 1925 banned the use of chemical and biological weapons during war?
43 Who directed the original 1926 film version of The Jazz Singer?
44 In which country did the "Promoters Revolution" overthrew the monarch and establish constitutional rule on June 24, 1932?
45 How many storeys are there in the Empire State Building?
46 Which French premier resigned on June 16, 1940, thus allowing Marshal Petain to succeed him?
47 Taking place off the Greek coast, which battle of March 28, 1941 saw the British Navy defeat the Italian fleet?
48 What "first" did John W Mauchly and John P Eckert invent in 1946?
49 Which republic was established on July 4, 1946 and had Manuel Roxas for its first president?
50 Which English engineer designed and built the cantilevered Forth Bridge in the 1880s?
51 Founded by Betty Freidan and Reverend Pauli Murray (the first African-American woman to become an Episcopalian priest) on June 30, 1966, what was NOW?
52 The actions of the Awami League helped secure the independence of which country during the early 1970s?
53 On July 24, 1974, the US Supreme Court ordered President Nixon to surrender White House tapes to which special investigator who was investigating the Watergate scandal?
54 What did Operation Bluestar lead to on June 1, 1984?
55 A Zen Buddhist priest who is believed to have studied under Shubun in Kyoto, which foremost master of the ink painting style called suiboku was born in 1420 and adapted the Chinese style of landscape painting thanks to a trip to China in 1467 where he visited many Zen monasteries and studied the works of the old masters?
56 Richard II was the son of the Black Prince and which woman?
57 Which friar made a famous trip across Russia to Beijing in 1338?
58 Author of the travel book the Rihlah, which Arabian traveller and explorer came to India in c.1333 and spent 27 years travelling through Asia, Africa and Europe covering a distance of 120,000km?
59 Which Hungarian dynasty ended with the death of Andrew III in 1301, leading to seven years of civil war?
60 Philip VI ascended the French throne in 1328 and established which house?
61 Which King of France set out on the Eight Crusade in 1270, but died of plague in Tunis?
62 Which city was destroyed by a Mongol army led by Hulegu Khan in 1258, who brought an end to the Abbasid Caliphate there?
63 Muhammad I established which dynasty in Granada, Spain in 1238, that would rule the area for 260 years?
64 After the Romans forced the Jews to leave Jerusalem in 135AD, what did they rename the city?
65 Which female Vietnamese patriot led a failed revolt against the Chinese in c.248AD and committed suicide in its aftermath?
66 Which Japanese emperor's reign, from c.250AD, marked the start of the country's documented history?
67 Armenia became the first Christian state, when which king made Christianity the official religion in. c.300AD?
68 Constantine defeated which ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire in 324AD to become he sole emperor of Rome?
69 Which ancient Indian poet and playwright, author of the Sanskrit drama The Recognition of Shakuntala, composed several literary classics in Sanskrit in c.400AD?
70 A dispute between Pope Leo IX and which leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1054, led to the permanent separation of the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman) churches?
71 Which Norman warrior defeated the army of Pope Leo IX at Civitate in c.1053, but later supported the papacy and ruled over the southern part of Italy?
72 The Italian merchants of Amalfi founded which order at Jerusalem in 1070; its headquarters were moved to Rome in 1834?
73 What league was formed by Pope Julius II along with Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Louis XII of France and Ferdinand V of Spain to fight against Venice in 1508?
74 On seeing what did Gardiner Green Hubbard, founder of the National Geographic Society, say: "It's only a toy"?
75 With 155 mentions in the Old Testament and 45 in the New, what animal makes the most appearances in the Bible?
76 What was the first ever children's magazine, published in the UK in June 1751?
77 In which publication did Asterix the Gaul make his first appearance on October 29, 1959?
78 What British publication was the first ever comic, appearing in 1884?
79 Running for 47, 250 performances, which revue at Disneyland ran from 1955 to 1986 and remains the longest ever reigning show?
80 Opened on March 3, 1585, what venue in Vicenza in Italy is the oldest indoor theatre in the world?
81 Which Neil Oram play, first performed at London's ICA from January 18-20, 1979, is believed to be the longest play with its 18 hour, 5 minute running time?
82 Who became the first professional ballerina when she appeared in Jean Baptiste Lully's The Triumph of Love at the Paris Opera on January 21, 1681?
83 Born in 1927, which Dame and prime ballerina at the Sadler's Wells Ballet was the first English ballerina to perform with the Bolshoi?
84 The OPM seeks to free which region from Indonesian rule?
85 Which twentysomething US female film star was born with the surname Hershlag?
86 Which Irishman was the first player to score four goals in a World Cup match when he did so in a qualifying match against Belgium in 1934, which was also the Republic's first ever World Cup match?
87 Who were the first ever winners of rugby league's Challenge Cup, when the final was held at Headingley in 1897?
88 Which American woman became the first woman to complete the tennis Grand Slam in 1950?
89 What variation of pelota is played with a racquet, rather than the hand (pelota mano) or hand basket (jai-alai)?
90 Who was the last amateur Wimbledon singles ladies' champion in 1967?
91 Which Iranian set the men's weightlifting record with a lift of 472.5kg at the Sydney Olympics in 2000?
92 Winner of three world titles (1990, 1991, 2002), which pool player from Greensboro in North Carolina is nicknamed "The Pearl"?
93 What do the three H's in WWE wrestler Triple H's name stand for?
94 In which year was the first WWF Wrestle Mania held?
95 Which boxing weight class has a maximum weight of 67kg?
96 Steve Davis won the first of his world snooker titles when he beat which player 18-12 at The Crucible in 1981?
97 In which event did Mark Spitz win the first of his seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics?
98 Which boat won the America's Cup for New Zealand in 1995 and again in 2000?
99 Formed in the US in 1983, what sporting organisation is NORBA?
100 Which American driver won the Indianapolis 500, then part of the Formula One World Championship, aged just 22 years and three months in 1952?
101 Prior to Fernando Alonso winning in 2005, who was the youngest ever Formula One world champion when he won in 1972 aged 25 years and nine months?
102 Players on the winning team of which famous trophy are traditionally given 24 hours to show it off to friends and family, as in such extreme examples as Clark Gillies who used it to feed the dog in 1980 and Sylvain Lefebvre who had his daughter baptised in it in 1996?
103 In which sport are Bjorn Dahlie (Norway), Sixten Jernberg (Sweden) and Viekko Hakulinen (Finland) famous names and several-time Olympic champions?
104 Weighing up to 304 kg and having an average speed of 0.27 km/h , what giant tortoise is the largest land-living tortoise and lives on an island in the Seychelles?
105 From which ship was the shot fired that killed Nelson at Trafalgar?

C
O
U
N
T
D
O
W
N

T
I
M
E

Answers to BH104
1 Treaty of Dover 2 Phyllis Wheatley 3 Dagestan 4 Victor Emmanuel II 5 Juan Salazar de Espinosa 6 John Zipolya 7 Battle of Solway Moss 8 Hovas 9 Barbados 10 Philip II 11 Japanese School of Pure Land Buddhism 12 William of Sens 13 Walter Map 14 Kamakura 15 Vakataka 16 Mount Songshan 17 Aryabhatta 18 Luoyang 19 Aeolipile 20 Merkhet 21 Solon 22 Pachacuti 23 The Order of the Golden Fleece 24 Edict of Fonatinebleau 25 Oudenaarde 26 Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot 27 Philip Astley 28 Crompton Mill 29 San Francisco Bay 30 Hobart 31 Finland 32 Treaty of Ghent 33 Battle of Wagram 34 Bartolome Mitre 35 Palm Beach Gardens 36 Jeanette Rankin 37 Virgin Islands 38 Lee de Forest 39 Volcano Kloet 40 Mexico 41 Thomas Cosgrave 42 Geneva Protocol 43 Alan Crosland 44 Thailand 45 102 46 Paul Reynaud 47 Battle of Cape Matapan 48 ENIAC, the first electronic computer 49 Philippines 50 Benjamin Baker 51 National Organisation for Women 52 Bangladesh 53 Leon Jaworski 54 The Indian army's storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar to flush out Sikh militants 55 Sesshu or Sesshu Toyo 56 Joan, Fair Maid of Kent 57 Giovanni de Marignolli 58 Ibn Battutah 59 Arpad 60 Valois 61 (St.) Louis IX 62 Baghdad 63 Nasrid 64 Aelia Capitolina 65 Trieu Au 66 Sujin 67 Tiridates III 68 Licinius 69 Kalidasa 70 Michael Cerularius 71 Robert Guiscard 72 Knights of St John or Knights Hospitallers 73 League of Cambrai 74 Alexander Graham Bell's telephone in 1876 75 Sheep 76 The Lilliputian Magazine 77 Pilote 78 Ally Sloper's Half Holiday 79 The Golden Horseshoe Revue 80 Teatro Olimpico 81 The Warp 82 Mademoiselle de La Fontaine 83 Beryl Grey 84 West Papua 85 Natalie Portman 86 Paddy Moore 87 Batley 88 Louise Brough 89 Frontenis 90 Billie Jean King 91 Hossein Rezazadeh 92 Earl Strickland 93 Hunter Hearst Helmsley 94 1985 (on March 31 at Madison Square Garden) 95 Welterweight 96 Doug Mountjoy 97 200m butterfly 98 Black Magic 99 National Off-Road Bicycle Association 100 Troy Ruttman 101 Emerson Fittipaldi 102 Stanley Cup 103 Cross country skiing 104 Aldabra giant tortoise 105 Redoubtable


Lulu Question Count: 783

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home