Authors: David Pickering
71.
It was named after the pilot’s mother, who in turn had been named after the heroine in a novel.
72.
This day is traditionally considered the unluckiest day of the year and a very bad time to take risks or start new projects. The superstitious are also recommended to avoid washing themselves or trimming their fingernails on this date.
73.
As four of Henry’s marriages were annulled, meaning they never took place legitimately, technically he had only two wives.
74.
The throne itself was stolen from the Red Fort at Delhi in a raid of 1793.
75.
The ancient Greeks identified the kingfisher with a mythical bird that could supposedly calm the waves by magic during the winter solstice in order to nest at sea, hence the modern meaning of the word in question.
76.
Among other services, the queen’s ghillie devised for the monarch a cocktail of claret wine and Scotch whisky, which became her favourite drink. In the 1980s, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is said to have admitted finding documents suggesting the pair actually married – and to have burned them.
77.
All three of the other Beatles are recorded as having described Ringo as the best rock ’n’ roll drummer in the world. On one occasion, however, when asked whether Ringo was the best drummer in the world, Lennon joked ‘He’s not even the best drummer in the Beatles!’
78.
Lincoln cathedral had the highest spire (at 524 feet) until it was blown down in 1584.
79.
No one was quite sure what to make of the tomato when it was first introduced. Many people avoided eating them, suspicious of their alleged aphrodisiac properties.
80.
The original oak, at Boscobel House, died after tourists removed many of its branches as souvenirs. Its replacement was badly damaged by a storm in 2000, so a new sapling, grown from an acorn from the old tree, was planted by Prince Charles in 2001.
81.
Formula One ace Michael Schumacher was nicknamed Dick Dastardly after the character in
Wacky Races
on account of both his prominent chin and his employment of ruthless tactics on the track against other drivers.
82.
The name apparently came about through a young girl calling the author her ‘fwendy-wendy’.
83.
In fact, the legend is probably an invention. Though passionately fond of the sport in question, the person in question actually died from an abscess in the lung.
84.
People chewed gum long before this, as far back as the ancient Greeks. According to scientists, people who chew gum while performing memory tests (such as quizzes) score significantly higher than those who do not.
85.
In millions of years’ time this valley is expected to expand until it divides the continent of Africa into two.
86.
Ian Fleming borrowed the name Goldfinger from a neighbour, the architect Erno Goldfinger, who went straight to his lawyers, forcing Fleming to make an out-of-court settlement. In the novel, the lovely Jill dies after being painted in gold, apparently from ‘clogged pores’. Having clogged pores, however, would not have killed her.
87.
The rhyme is thought to refer to a brief invasion of the Netherlands staged by British forces in 1793. The hill in the rhyme is probably that on which the town of Cassel stands in the middle of the otherwise flat Flanders countryside.
88.
Elvis evidently loved his home. It was reported that he would spend many hours in his bedroom gazing at screens linked to the various CCTV cameras positioned around the building.
89.
The story goes that the number was the same as that of the room at Broadcasting House in which Orwell had to endure many boring meetings when working for the BBC.
90.
The modernistic style of the theatre was praised by Sir John Betjeman and others, but incurred the disapproval of Prince Charles, who called it ‘a clever way of building a nuclear power station in the middle of London without anyone objecting’.
91.
His father, incidentally, invented plywood.
92.
The plot was apparently inspired by Canada’s gift to Holland of the room in which Princess Juliana was about to bear a child, thus ensuring the child was born on Dutch territory.
93.
He actually belonged to a family of official executioners and as early as 11 years old, when asked in a school exercise what he wanted to be when he grew up, wrote ‘When I leave school I should like to be the Official Executioner.’
94.
The hunt for the remains of the Ark continues today, with various locations being identified and bits of wood being presented as fragments of the biblical boat. The favoured site on the mountain in question suggests a vessel 309 metres in width, equivalent to the largest modern aircraft carrier.
95.
He chose this subject after friends advised him to paint what he loved most: he had this soup most days for lunch for some 20 years.
96.
The phrase alludes to the fact that on some occasions he turned in lacklustre performances, while on others he fulfilled expectations and provided ‘the real McCoy’.
97.
Such was his delight that he immediately ushered a fellow-monk over to share the concoction with the words, ‘Come quickly, brother. I am tasting the stars!’
98.
Vincent carefully wrapped the severed ear in newspaper and sent it to a local prostitute called Rachel, asking her to keep it safe.
99.
It is held partly responsible for the continuing destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
100.
The bridge has a notorious reputation for the number of people who have committed suicide by throwing themselves off it. The story is still told of one young woman who hurled herself from the parapet in 1885, only to float gracefully to the ground on her billowing skirts.
New Year Quiz
Round 1: Pot Luck
Round 2: In with the New
Half-time teaser
On New Year’s Day 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt established a new record for the number of hands shaken in one day – how many did he shake?
Round 3: Out with the Old
Round 4: Pot Luck
Jackpot
What gifts did ancient Persians exchange at New Year: fish, coins, eggs or swords?
1.
It was made in front of the press from St Katharine’s Dock, London, to Vodafone’s headquarters, then housed above a curry shop in Newbury, Berkshire.
St Valentine’s Day Quiz
Round 1: Pot Luck
Round 2: Loving Couples
Half-time teaser
How many millions of pounds are spent on flowers for St Valentine’s Day each year in the UK?
Round 3: Fictional Romances
Round 4: Pot Luck