South African (Off-Topic) Quiz

[+Carbon Hunter]

The tompson machine gun inventor (Tommy gun)?

 

Or a mountaineer in the Berg that scaled a number of peaks first?

[+Wazat]

Carbon Hunter you are right on the second answer...

 

George Thomson was a New Zealander who moved to South Africa to work. He eventually got a job in construction on hotels in the Drakensberg and one day decided that instead of just looking at the mountains around him, he might as well climb them. So off he went.... alone.... and scaled many peaks that had until then never been climbed. This he did without any previous mountaineering experience or training.

[+Carbon Hunter]

Helps knowing who is asking the questions

 

OK - who is Anthony John Shaw Smith better known as?

[+Carbon Hunter]

and no - the answer is not Tony

[+anlufu]

Mr Smith?

[+cincol]

John Smith - SA Rugby captain?

[+Carbon Hunter]

Born in 1951 - he kept in the news for much of the 70's

[+cownchicken]

Unfortunately we are way too young to know what happened in the 70's!

Looking forward to finding out who he was.

Edited July 2, 2009 by cownchicken

[+DamhuisClan]

A singer?

[+Carbon Hunter]

OK - a Natal based sportsman.

 

Now was it rugby; cricket; marathon running or ten pin bowling? That should KEEP you guessing

[+cincol]

OK - a Natal based sportsman.

 

Now was it rugby; cricket; marathon running or ten pin bowling? That should KEEP you guessing

 

hehe I like your HINT that you have given!!

[+DamhuisClan]

OK - a Natal based sportsman.

 

Now was it rugby; cricket; marathon running or ten pin bowling? That should KEEP you guessing

 

hehe I like your HINT that you have given!!

Wicket KEEPer?

[+Carbon Hunter]

OK - a Natal based sportsman.

 

Now was it rugby; cricket; marathon running or ten pin bowling? That should KEEP you guessing

 

hehe I like your HINT that you have given!!

Wicket KEEPer?

 

Yes - but what was AJS Smith better known as?

[+cownchicken]

Have just grabbed our South Africa's Yesterdays and come up with the name Tich Smith. Is this the guy?

[+Carbon Hunter]

Yep - Tich Smith is the guy.

 

One of SA's great wickies - along with Dave Richardson, Richie Ryall, Denis Lindsay, Lee Irvine, Ray Jennings and Mark Boucher - even AB De Villiers(we certainly produce good ones).

He had over 100 Currie Cup games for Natal dismissing almost 400 batsmen and making a top score of 150 n.o. with the bat.

 

He now operates a Financial Services compnay in Durban.

[+cownchicken]

Which cricketer is buried outside Matjiesfontein?

[+DamhuisClan]

Which cricketer is buried outside Matjiesfontein?

Hansie Cronje?

[+cownchicken]

Nope.

[+Carbon Hunter]

Jackie Mc Glew?

[+cownchicken]

An English cricketer - described as “one of the greatest all-round cricketers the world has ever seen was fighting for his life in the Karoo. He lost his battle with a debilitating lung disease on December l, 1901, and was buried at Matjiesfontein. He was the greatest medium-paced bowler England ever produced."

[+cincol]

An English cricketer - described as “one of the greatest all-round cricketers the world has ever seen was fighting for his life in the Karoo. He lost his battle with a debilitating lung disease on December l, 1901, and was buried at Matjiesfontein. He was the greatest medium-paced bowler England ever produced."

 

According to my Wisden Almanac, George Alfred Lohman, one of the greatest medium pace bowlers, died aged 36 from tuberculosis in the Worcester District. He played for England, Surrey and Western Province and was also the Manager of the South African team to England in 1901.

 

If it weren't for this question I would never have read further about this guy. He seemed like one incredible cricketer whose career was severely curtained by his unfortunate and untimely sickness that culminated in his death. Thanks for making us consult the books for a change.

[+cincol]

An English cricketer - described as “one of the greatest all-round cricketers the world has ever seen was fighting for his life in the Karoo. He lost his battle with a debilitating lung disease on December l, 1901, and was buried at Matjiesfontein. He was the greatest medium-paced bowler England ever produced."

 

According to my Wisden Almanac, George Alfred Lohman, one of the greatest medium pace bowlers, died aged 36 from tuberculosis in the Worcester District. He played for England, Surrey and Western Province and was also the Manager of the South African team to England in 1901.

 

If it weren't for this question I would never have read further about this guy. He seemed like one incredible cricketer whose career was severely curtained by his unfortunate and untimely sickness that culminated in his death. Thanks for making us consult the books for a change.

[+cownchicken]

Go for it Cincol.

Next time you are back in the Cape pay a visit to the cemetry at Matjiesfontein. Beside the Logans being buried there, General-Major Andy Wauchope who was killed at the Battle of Magersfontein is also buried there. It is quite an interesting spot.

Thought you would find this interesting Cincol:

Logan was an expert photographer, an amateur magician and member of the Magic Circle, a dentist, horse-breeder, boxer, and a keen sportsman. The development of cricket in South Africa owes much to this man. He invited George Alfred Lohmann, considered by many to be one of the world's greatest ever all-rounders, to Matjiesfontein. Lohmann spent six happy years there before he died. He is buried near Andy Wauchope. The Lairds Arms pub has a true cricketing flavour with photographs and furnishings from Marleybone Cricket Club at Lords.

Edited July 6, 2009 by cownchicken

[+cincol]

Let's have a rugby question seeing as the Tri-Nations is almost upon us.

 

John Philip Botha is better known as who?

Edited July 6, 2009 by cincol

[+Jors]

Naas?

[+Urban Hunters]

Bakkies

[+cincol]

Bakkies

 

"Bakkies" Botha it is.

[+Urban Hunters]

Whoohaa!!

UH got one

Here is an easy one. Who explained his actions by saying "Because it is there" and in what context?

[+cincol]

Sir Edmund Hillary w.r.t. his climbing of Mt Everest?

[+Urban Hunters]

A good guess Cincol

But we are sure that even Sir Edmund Hillary would have preferred to be known for "Because it is there" rather than: "Well, we knocked the bastard off !" if he had the opportunity agian.

[+cincol]

Oh well, I'm outta guesses on this one. Will what with anticipation to see the answer.

[+GEO936]

Oh heck...I'm not as well educated as you guys are. Please could I ask for a tiny clue? Does it have to do with a natural wonder i.e. mountain, or does it have to do with something that is man-made?

[+Discombob]

I know that is normally supposed to be for mountains, but I'll say Robert Scott about his mission to the south pole.

[besem]

I'm going to venture a guess: Armstrong w.r.t. going to the moon?

[+Urban Hunters]

OK, GEO936 - it is a natural wonder

Cincol - is very hot, but have to come back from the future

Discombob - got the idea, but headed too far South

Besem - is aiming way too high

[+Discombob]

Johnny Clegg - He is sitting on the top of Kilaminjaro!!

[+Discombob]

or what about Dr Livingstone or Henry Morton Stanley?

[+DamhuisClan]

Somehow a river rings a bell. But a natural wonder?

 

Maybe the Amazon, or some great river in North America?

[+GEO936]

Eish...thanks UH. I'm still at a loss (I should've paid more attention in class when I was younger). I guess it is somewhere in the Himalayas, but maybe not someone that climbed Everest and rather someone that climbed K2?

[+the pooks]

So difficult watching this guessing - but I googled, so have to stay mum. Sigh.

[+Discombob]

too far south eh? How about Peary going to the North Pole?

[+anlufu]

Or Cook going to the North Pole?

[+Urban Hunters]

Maybe it is time for a hint before Santa gets involved in all of this

GEO936 is as close as Cincol and Discombob. He was a pioneer of Himalayan mountaineering and laid the foundations for the use of bottled oxygen at high altitude. There was a long debate weather he was the first man to summit Everest in 1924 (since he didn’t return it was difficult to conclude) but after the discovery of his body 75 years later and the notes in is pocket, all doubts was cleared and the mystery solved. He remains on Everest with his British compatriot Andrew Irvine

[+Discombob]

you'll have to count me out then, but say, wans't Irvine's partner called Johnson? I think they make good frozen veggies, and possibly fish too! And now they are permanently frozen themselves

[+trevorh7000]

mallory?

[+GEO936]

Okay, so it's back to Mount Everest as the place but the person is what we are after. I have no idea, and since I would not be able to respond I googled it. I know the answer now....not an easy one for me!

[+Urban Hunters]

Trevor's got it

George Leigh Mallory gave this famous reply in 1924 apon the question, why he wanted to climb Mt Everest. Even today it seems to be a very acceptable (if only) reason for mountaineers to push themselves to their limits (that was before geocaching of course ). A very good read on the subject and the differences between mountaineering in 1924 and 1999 is "The Ghost of Everest" by by Hemmleb, Johnson & Simonson

[+Wazat]

Aaaargh I was not on the forums... that was an easy one. I believe that he may have made it to the top of Everest. But that mystery died with him. A lot of people ask why I like to climb in the berg. I use the same line.... "Because it is there".

[+trevorh7000]

Aaaargh I was not on the forums... that was an easy one. I believe that he may have made it to the top of Everest. But that mystery died with him. A lot of people ask why I like to climb in the berg. I use the same line.... "Because it is there".

 

Its always easy when you know the answer!! I must admit after th clue about the year and everest the name just popped into my head. I then spent more than a few hours reading all about Mallory and Irvine and the expeditions to find them - Mallory was found in 1999 - Irvine and the camera/s are still missing! I have drawn my own conclusions from the theories that abound and believe that they did not make the summit.

 

Now for my question.

 

Ok heres an impossible one (if you don;t know the answer) and an exceptionally easy one if you do!

 

In the computer world what is Python and who created it?

[+GEO936]

Oh dear.... I've been working in the computer industry for 20 years now, and I am stumped (what's new?). Does it have something to do with mainframes or one of the first computers that was made in the late 60's/early 70's? You know, those mammoth computers which filled a room and had a total disk space of 40Kb? Would the creator be the guy that started IBM or the one that left IBM to start up AppleMac?