Latest questions: 23 February 2021

This week's questions have been gleaned from those set for use in Weeks 8 and 9 (League Matches) and weeks 7 and 8 of the Knockout tournaments, of the 2016–17 season in Stockport Quiz League, by the Smart Italics (Questions 1 to 8), the Fingerpost (9 to 12) , Railway Fliers (13 to 19) and the Horse & Farrier (20 to 29).

Who did US President Joe Biden appoint as his Secretary of State on 26 January 2021?		Antony Blinken
Who was the wife of Richard Plantagenet, the 3rd Duke of York (famous for giving battle in vain), and the mother of two Kings of England?		Cecily Neville
In Harry Enfield's Television Programme, what was the name of Mr. Cholmondley–Warner's manservant?		Mr. Greyson
In the context of sport and drugs, what do the initials TUE stand for?		Therapeutic Use Exemption
Which British publishing house started as a literary magazine, founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University, whose name is the medieval name for the River Cam?		Granta
What was voted Scotland's greatest man–made wonder in 2016 – having been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the previous year?		The Forth (Rail) Bridge
Which geological time period, coming at the end of the Paleozoic era and named after a Russian city, ended with the greatest mass extinction of living species in the history of the Earth?		The Permian
In the English folk song Green Grow the Rushes O, what are there nine of?		Bright shiners
A sphygmomanometer is a device used to measure blood pressure. What does the prefix 'sphygmo' refer to?		A pulse
Which Belgian hamlet gave its name, meaning a crossroads, to a preliminary engagement fought two days before the Battle of Waterloo?		Quatre Bras
Which titled lady was the hostess of what Elizabeth Longford described as "the most famous ball in history", held in Brussels on 15 June 1815 and attended by the Duke of Wellington and most of his senior officers – all of whom, including her husband, would have to leave to fight in the Battle of Quatre Bras?		(Charlotte), Duchess of Richmond
Which retail business closed all 163 of its UK stores in 2016, seventeen months after being sold by Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group to the former racing driver and serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell, for the nominal sum of £1?		British Home Stores (BHS)
Which wild mammal is known in French as le blaireau?		The badger
Which French cyclist, born in 1954, was nicknamed Le blaireau (the Badger) throughout his career?		Bernard Hinault
Also famous for its minster (completed around 1420) and its racecourse, what is or was the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire?		Beverley
Which fictional character was played by Cesar Romero (on television, in the 1960s) and in films by Jack Nicholson (1989), Heath Ledger (2008), and Joaquin Phoenix (2019)?		The Joker
Which real–life character was played by Richard Attenborough in a 1971 film, and by Tim Roth in a 2016 BBC1 television mini–series?		John Reginald Christie
What first and last names are shared by two former American presidents, and two American composers, born respectively in 1947 and 1953 (both of whom have won the Pulitzer Prize for music)?		John Adams
Which song, written in 1955 by the African–American singer Richard Berry, became an R 'n' B standard after a version recorded in 1963 by the American "garage rock" group The Kingsmen reached No. 2 in the USA and No. 26 in the UK?		Louie Louie
Which Polish city was known as Breslau, from the 15th century, until after World War II – as part of the German Empire?		Wrocław
Which Danish astronomer died in Prague in 1601, having lived there for the last four years of his life as official astronomer to Rudolph II, the King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, after falling out with the Danish king (Christian IV)?		Tycho Brahe
Street names such as Grape Street and Grape Lane (for example in York) often indicate a history of use for what trade or profession?		Prostitution
The Battle of Nu'uanu, in which more than 700 warriors were driven off a cliff, took place in 1795 and was a key event in the unification of which island group?		Hawai'i
Which English word, for a privateer or free sailor, is derived from a native South American word for a wooden frame used to roast or smoke meat (typically that of the manatee)?		Buccaneer
The title character of which American children's television drama series, first broadcast in the mid–1960s, was a dolphin who was the pet of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at Coral Key Park and Marine Preserve, and his two young sons, Sandy and Bud?		Flipper
The Glomma, or Glåma, at 621 kilometres or 386 miles, is the longest river in which European country?		Norway
The Gudenå or Gudenåen – often anglicised as the Guden – is the longest river, at 149 kilometres or 93 miles, in which European country?		Denmark
What is the world's longest international tunnel?		The Channel Tunnel
Which dish of cold cooked chicken meat, flavoured with spices and served in a creamy, mayonnaise–based sauce, was created in 1953 by the food writer and flower arranger Constance Spry and the cook and cookery writer Rosemary Hume?		Coronation chicken

© Haydn Thompson 2021