Heavenly Connections Trivia Quiz

Answer: sun

In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of Daedalus, the master craftsman who had designed the labyrinth of Crete where the monstrous Minotaur was held. Imprisoned in the labyrinth by Minos, king of Crete, who suspected them of having helped the hero Theseus to find his way through the maze, Daedalus and Icarus escaped by using two pairs of artificial wings.

In spite of his father's warning, however, young Icarus flew too close to the sun - whose heat melted the wax that held the wings together - and plummeted into the sea.

Answer: sun

Coppertone is a well-known brand of sunscreen owned by German multinational company Beiersdorf AG since 2019. Originally a suntan lotion (hence the name), it was developed in 1944 by American pharmacist Benjamin Green. The line was subsequently expanded to include many sun care products for face and body.

The brand is famous for the distinctive scent of its products and the character of the Coppertone girl - a young girl with blonde pigtails whose tan line is revealed by a puppy tugging at her swimsuit.

Answer: sun

The name of Japan is based on the Chinese pronunciation of the words Nihon and Nippon (the names by which the Japanese call their country), which mean "sun origin" - often translated as "Land of the Rising Sun". The red circle in the middle of the Japanese flag is known as "Hinomaru" (ball of the sun), and the flag itself is known as "Nisshoki" (flag of the sun).

In Japanese mythology, the Emperor is believed to be a direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu, one of the major Shinto deities.

Answer: sun

Helianthus annuus is the binomial name of the sunflower: in fact, the Latinized Greek word "helianthus" means "flower of the sun". This large flower, widely cultivated for its edible, oil-rich seeds, is characterized by its heliotropism, a motion of the young flowers in the direction of the Sun.

The mature flowers, however, consistently face east instead of moving from east to west during the day. The sunflower is the national flower of Ukraine and the state flower of Kansas.

Answer: sun

In the religion of Ancient Egypt, Ra (or Re) was the god of the sun, and one of the primary deities in the pantheon of that civilization. Identified with the noonday sun, he was usually portrayed as a man with the head of a falcon, on top of which stood a solar disk with a cobra wrapped around it.

The main centre of Ra's worship was the city of Iunu ("The Pillars"), more commonly known by the Greek name of Heliopolis ("Sun City"), now a suburb of Cairo. The Egyptian pharaohs were regarded as descendants and successors of Ra, who was believed to have been the first king of Egypt.

Answer: moon

The year 1969 was a momentous one in space exploration, as it marked the first time that humans landed and walked on the Moon. The space mission known as Apollo 11, manned by Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, launched on 16 July 1969 from Cape Canaveral (Florida).

The Lunar Module "Eagle" landed at Tranquility Base on 20 July, and six hours and 39 minutes later, on 21 July, Armstrong stepped down on the surface of the Moon, where he was joined by Aldrin shortly afterwards. The historic event was watched live on TV by millions of people all over the world.

Answer: moon

The words lunatic and lunacy are both derived from "luna", the Latin word for moon, through Late Latin "lunaticus" (moon-sick). In ancient times, the phases of the moon were believed to affect the minds of some people, causing a form of madness. First attested in English in the 14th century, lunatic is now considered offensive if used to refer to actual mental illness; in informal usage, however, it generally denotes something (or someone) extremely foolish, reckless or uncontrolled.

The colloquial word "loony" is a shortened form of lunatic.

Answer: moon

Though the street dance move known as moonwalk has existed since at least the 1930, in 1983 it was adopted by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson as his signature move. Jackson first performed the moonwalk while singing the song "Billie Jean" during the TV special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever".

When doing the moonwalk, a performer glides backwards although their body appears to be moving forward.

Answer: moon

The Chinese New Year (called simply Spring Festival in Chinese) is also known as Lunar New Year - in particular when referring to the celebrations that take place in other parts of East and Southeast Asia. The Chinese calendar, as well as those of most neighbouring countries, is lunisolar (combining monthly lunar cycles with the solar year) rather than purely lunar: however, the festival usually begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice (between 21 January and 20 February) - hence its association with the moon.

The Chinese New Year is widely celebrated in countries that have a significant population of Chinese ethnicity.

Answer: moon

Though 19th-century French writer Jules Verne is best known for his adventure novels, he is also regarded as one of the founders of science fiction, or on any account a major influence on the modern development of the genre. His 1865 novel "From the Earth to the Moon" ("De la Terre ŕ la Lune") tells the story of the Baltimore Gun Club, a society of weapon enthusiasts whose members attempt to build a giant space gun with the aim of launching three people on the Moon inside an equally large projectile.

Answer: stars

The second-largest US state, Texas, is known as the Lone Star State because of the star that appears on its official flag. The latter is one of two US state flags (the other being that of Hawaii) that were previously used as flags of independent countries - in this particular case, the Republic of Texas, which existed from 1836 to 1845.

The Lone Star is a white, five-pointed star centred in a blue vertical stripe; the remaining field is divided in a white and red horizontal bar. The star symbolizes Texas' independent spirit, which led the state to secede from Mexico in 1836.

Answer: stars

Located in Hollywood, along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street, the Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of nearly 2,800 five-pointed stars made of coral-pink terrazzo (a composite material generally used in flooring) rimmed with brass. Each of these stars (the first of which was installed in 1960) commemorates a person whose achievements have been significant for the entertainment industry. Honorees must fit into one of six categories, represented by emblems; both the emblem and the name of the honoree are inlaid in brass inside the star.

Answer: stars

Stars are the most common symbols used in the classification of hotels worldwide. The scale usually goes from one to five stars; each of these ratings corresponds to a definition that takes a number of criteria into account. One star usually denotes a hotel with limited facilities that appeals to budget travellers, while five-star ratings are awarded to luxury hotels with outstanding service and facilities. Though some highly touted establishments (such as the famed Burj el-Arab in Dubai) have been advertised as "seven-star" hotels, such a rating does not actually exist.

Answer: stars

Painted in June 1889, "The Starry Night" is probably the most iconic work by Dutch Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. The painting depicts a view of the night sky from the east-facing window of van Gogh's room in the asylum of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, where he spent one year.

Besides the dramatic expanse of the sky in intense hues of blue and yellow, "The Starry Night" depicts the village with the Alpilles mountains in the background and a cypress tree in the foreground. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Answer: stars

The Star of Bethlehem is mentioned in Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. In the text, a group of "wise men from the East" (also known as Magi and traditionally referred to as three) travel to Jerusalem to worship the King of the Jews after having seen his star rise.

The star eventually leads them to Bethlehem, where they worship the child Jesus and offer him rich gifts. In religious iconography, the star is often depicted as a comet, as in antiquity astronomical phenomena were often associated with remarkable events such as the birth of important people.