Latest questions: 18 June 2024

These questions were inspired by those set for use in Week 4 of the 2023–4 season in Macclesfield Quiz League, by the Dolphin Hammers.

What word was first used in print in 1950, by Dr. Seuss, in If I Ran the Zoo, as the name of an imaginary animal, and was reported by Newsweek in 1951 to be in popular use in Detroit as a synonym for 'drip' or 'square'?		Nerd
Who was the first cyclist born in Great Britain to win the Tour de France?		Geraint Thomas
According to the Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle, who used "a Whiff of Grapeshot" in 1795 to disperse an unruly mob?		Napoleon Bonaparte
In what type of product was nylon used commercially for the first time?		Toothbrush (bristles)
Who returned to the USA in 1972, for the first time in 20 years, to receive an honorary Oscar for "the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century"		Charlie Chaplin
Who was created Duke of Edinburgh following Charles III's accession to the throne?		Prince Edward
Name one of the only two European countries whose flags have neither red nor blue in them.		Cyprus
		Ireland (Republic of)
What's the common name for shrubs in the genus Lugustrum?		Privet
The common name of which group of seabirds in the auk family is believed to be derived from the French form of the name William?		Guillemots
What's the name of the ship's cat in the 1979 film Alien?		Jones (Jonesy)
Name one of the two European countries, other than the UK and Ireland, that drive on the left.		Cyprus
		Malta
In which modern country are the ruins of the city of Patara – home of St. Nicholas (AD 270–343 – whose legendary habit of secret gift–giving gave rise to the folklore of Santa Claus, through Sinterklaas)?		Turkey
Who was the first woman to serve as Vice President of the USA?		Kamala Harris
Which European country switched from driving on the left to driving on the right, in 1967?		Sweden
Who was the first UK Prime Minister (and the only one to date) to have been awarded a PhD?		Gordon Brown
Which deep inlet of the Ionian Sea separates the Peloponnese peninsula from western mainland Greece?		Gulf of Corinth
In the Guiding movement, which section is for girls aged 14 to 18?		Rangers
Which retail chain, founded in Leicester in 1930, went into administration in 2023, and was bought by Norton Group Holdings – parent company of The Range?		Wilko (Wilkinson's)
The upper and lower houses of which European country's parliament are known respectively in English as the Senate and the National Assembly?		France
Which Birmingham–based table tennis player, born in Jamaica in 1955, was eleven times English champion, peaked at equal World No. 7 and European No. 3, represented Great Britain at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and was appointed MBE in 1987?		Desmond Douglas

© Haydn Thompson 2024