The All New All New Groundspeak UK Pub Quiz

January 25, 2012

Trying to remember what I was told at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, Sweden last month Unfortunately we didn't see the aurora, although the camera did pick up a very faint glow on a 30s exposure.

Pretty sure the green was Nitrogen, so perhaps the red is Oxygen

6.2k · January 25, 2012

I'm going to guess at Argon

January 25, 2012

Trying to remember what I was told at the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko, Sweden last month Unfortunately we didn't see the aurora, although the camera did pick up a very faint glow on a 30s exposure.

Pretty sure the green was Nitrogen, so perhaps the red is Oxygen

DING!

The red colour is produced by atomic oxygen at higher levels in the atmosphere. The green colour is oxygen as well but this time it's molecular and at a lower level - this is the predominant colour in an aurora. Nitrogen produces the more rarely seen blue and purple colour

We get superb displays here when the activity is high but annoyingly, the current event has coincided with mainly overcast conditions. I'm hoping that tonight will be clearer.

Anyway, over to you...

January 25, 2012

A complete change in direction for the next question.

You've all heard of Shangri-La, but who invented it and in which book?

January 25, 2012

Half an answer - "Lost Horizon". Can't remember the author.

January 25, 2012

That's half a ding.

I'll give everyone until 5pm to come up with the author. If they don't The Patrician can have this one.

Mark

January 25, 2012

A clue - he also wrote Goodbye Mr Chips

January 25, 2012

I'm going to give it to the Patrician for getting Lost Horizon.

The author was James Hilton.

January 25, 2012

I'm going to give it to the Patrician for getting Lost Horizon.

The author was James Hilton.

Ta! That's the bloke, I was thinking of Conan Doyle, Kipling, Rider Haggard, et al but I knew it wasn't any of them, especially Al before anyone else gets in with the joke.

Which novel, published in 1949 and originally to be called 'The Last Man in Europe' has the opening line: 'It was bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen'?

3k · January 25, 2012

I'm going to give it to the Patrician for getting Lost Horizon.

The author was James Hilton.

Ta! That's the bloke, I was thinking of Conan Doyle, Kipling, Rider Haggard, et al but I knew it wasn't any of them, especially Al before anyone else gets in with the joke.

Which novel, published in 1949 and originally to be called 'The Last Man in Europe' has the opening line: 'It was bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen'?

1984

1.3k · January 25, 2012

drat...too slow....

Got to be my favourite novel

January 25, 2012

1984

DING!

3k · January 26, 2012

Ok

Where, and when, was the lego brick invented?

1.2k · January 26, 2012

Ok

Where, and when, was the lego brick invented?

Denmark - 1934...

January 26, 2012

Also saying Denmark, but, later.... 1940

3k · January 26, 2012

Ok

Where, and when, was the lego brick invented?

Denmark - 1934...

Also saying Denmark, but, later.... 1940

No dings yet

January 26, 2012

At last one I know thanks to James May. Lego as we know it was 1st produced in 1949, but the company that makes it started making wooden toys 1932 and changed its name to Lego in 1934 (cant remember what it was called before).

1.4k · January 29, 2012

At last one I know thanks to James May. Lego as we know it was 1st produced in 1949, but the company that makes it started making wooden toys 1932 and changed its name to Lego in 1934 (cant remember what it was called before).

In which country?

1.3k · January 29, 2012

As Birdman-of-liskatraz said Denmark

3k · January 29, 2012

No correct answers yet...

Ok - time for a hint - it wasn't Denmark....and it wasn't by Lego! :laughing:

Edited January 29, 2012 by keehotee

1.3k · January 29, 2012

This one of those 'trick' questions... :unsure:

Guess you are referring to this?

1.4k · January 29, 2012

I have a funny feeling about this, that it was an English/UK invention originally...Something along the lines of the other plastic bricks available now and LEGO copied it, made some minor changes and patented it with their exact measurements. (I also have a nagging doubt it is German or Swedish for some reason..., but I'll go with British.) As for when...I'll go with 1948.

3k · January 30, 2012

I have a funny feeling about this, that it was an English/UK invention originally...Something along the lines of the other plastic bricks available now and LEGO copied it, made some minor changes and patented it with their exact measurements. (I also have a nagging doubt it is German or Swedish for some reason..., but I'll go with British.) As for when...I'll go with 1948.

Ding for the country - and it doesn't seem fair to let somebody else get the overall ding for the year.

Kiddicraft patented a building block toy in 1939 in the U.K. They later developed a self-locking building block and LEGO acquired the design rights in 1949. It didn't get renamed to "LEGO" until 1953.

Over to you, Fiancetto.....

Edited January 30, 2012 by keehotee

January 30, 2012

I have a funny feeling about this, that it was an English/UK invention originally...Something along the lines of the other plastic bricks available now and LEGO copied it, made some minor changes and patented it with their exact measurements. (I also have a nagging doubt it is German or Swedish for some reason..., but I'll go with British.) As for when...I'll go with 1948.

Ding for the country - and it doesn't seem fair to let somebody else get the overall ding for the year.

Kiddicraft patented a building block toy in 1939 in the U.K. They later developed a self-locking building block and LEGO acquired the design rights in 1949. It didn't get renamed to "LEGO" until 1953.

Over to you, Fiancetto.....

Hmmm I disagree with your year.. "At last one I know thanks to James May. Lego as we know it was 1st produced in 1949, but the company that makes it started making wooden toys 1932 and changed its name to Lego in 1934 (cant remember what it was called before)."

Lego was named in 1943, Lego brick was patented 28 January 1958.

January 30, 2012

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/lego.htm pretty much concurs, FWIW.

3k · January 30, 2012

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/lego.htm pretty much concurs, FWIW.

And yet this page, on the same website, disagrees with you.

My call - Fianccetto gets the ding!

January 30, 2012

lets keep it friendly ppl! Thought websites were out of bounds aswell tut tut.....im here trying to rack my brain

1.4k · January 30, 2012

Well, I'm all confuzzled now! :laughing:

My question, as I've been a busy bee & have today got a new part time job (and probably another one as well tomorrow...) is this (one for the oldies):

"Sixteen Tons" is a song about the life of a coal miner, first recorded in 1946 by American country singer Merle Travis. on 17th October, 1955 a version of the song was released in the UK (but not in USA) and by 15th December that year 2 million copies were sold. Who sang this version for the UK?

Hopefully there can't be more than one answer!

Edited January 30, 2012 by Fianccetto

1.4k · January 30, 2012

My old dad used to play this one when I was nought but a kid and if I remember correctly it was Frankie Laine

1.4k · January 30, 2012

That's a ding!

(I think I heard my grandparents mention him once or twice!)

This is the version I know - from a cassette my sister made for me. I thought the singer was black!

Edited January 30, 2012 by Fianccetto

1.4k · January 30, 2012

What was the 1st human invention that broke the sound barrier?

Edited January 30, 2012 by DrDick&Vick

January 30, 2012

What was the 1st human invention that broke the sound barrier?

The whip

6.2k · January 30, 2012

What was the 1st human invention that broke the sound barrier?
The whip

A question we've had before so I'll use OP's Privilege and ding that for you

January 30, 2012

A question we've had before so I'll use OP's Privilege and ding that for you

OP?

Anyway, if I get the ding, I'm happy to set one.

Inspired by the previous question setter's signature mentioning Her Maj.... I am reminded that there are in fact several verses of the UK National Anthem, but only the first verse usually gets sung. So for a ding;

What are the first TWO lines of the SECOND verse of our National Anthem? (that's up to and including the first pair of rhyming words)

Don't forget, no looking it up on the interwebs, now...

6.2k · January 30, 2012

OP - Original Poster. Technically this is a continuation of a thread started by The Golem and closed by accident by a reviewer in 47BC but I like to think certain powers come with being the thread originator.

Is that the line about General Wade Crushing Rebellious Scots? (Sorry, rebellious Scots)

January 30, 2012

OP - Original Poster.

Ahhh..

Is that the line about General Wade Crushing Rebellious Scots? (Sorry, rebellious Scots)

Nope!

January 31, 2012

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,

Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn i'm golwg sydd hardd;

Oh, you didn't mean our national anthem....

January 31, 2012

Something about "choicest gifts", but can't remember the exact words.

Mark

January 31, 2012

....oooh, too hard, then?

OK, I'll settle for ANY TWO consecutive rhyming lines of ANY subsequent verse of the UK National Anthem.

(Given that you'll be doing this from memory and we may have the odd word wrong or such like, I'll rule on submissions once I've read them! I'm not going out caching today until about 10:15 but will be out for a few hours after that. Back this afternoon)

January 31, 2012

Not many people know the second verse and many who think they have the second verse have the third instead. IIRC, the second verse has something about crushing the Scots but the third has these lines somewhere:

"Thy choicest gifts in store,

On her be pleased to pour"

But I'm not sure whether they're in the first or last stanza.

January 31, 2012

Not many people know the second verse and many who think they have the second verse have the third instead. IIRC, the second verse has something about crushing the Scots but the third has these lines somewhere:

"Thy choicest gifts in store,

On her be pleased to pour"

But I'm not sure whether they're in the first or last stanza.

DING!

They are in fact the first two lines of the second verse (or stanza) as originally asked!

January 31, 2012

Thanks. As I wrote, many people who think they have the second verse actually have the third. Now that you've given me the ding, I'll just check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen is probably as complete as can easily be found. This gives the second verse as:

O Lord, our God, arise,

Scatter her enemies,

And make them fall.

Confound their politics,

Frustrate their knavish tricks,

On Thee our hopes we fix,

God save us all.

However, there have been other versions over time, including one where the second verse was, as Simply Paul wrote, about General Wade crushing the Scots.

Staying with national anthems, and since words have proved problematic: The national anthem of which European country has no official lyrics?

January 31, 2012

Spain

January 31, 2012

Spain

DING -- Over to you!

January 31, 2012

Sticking with royalty, who was the oldest British monarch at the start of his/her reign?

January 31, 2012

Educated guess, but as life expectancy has increased over the centuries, I've never seen a 'young' image of him, and his mother (Victoria) reigned for over 60 years, I'll try Edward VII.

January 31, 2012

Good try,but not correct.

January 31, 2012

Any other guesses? Pajaholic's logica was right, just the monarch(s) were wrong.

Mark

6.2k · January 31, 2012

One of the Georges, IV ?

January 31, 2012

My guess is George VI

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