General Mixed Trivia #3 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Austria

The crescent-shaped pastry originated during the 13th century from Austria. The kipferi in Austria came in various shapes. The pastry can be made plain or with nuts or other fillings (some consider the rugelach a form of kipferl).

Answer: Attlee, Truman, Stalin

Winston Churchill was still the British prime minister when Germany surrendered on 9 May 1945. However, his party lost the 1945 general elections to the Labour Party. Clement Attlee succeeded Churchill as the prime minister on 26 July 1945. Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away on 12 April 1945 and was succeeded by Harry Truman. WWII officially ended on 2 September 1945, when Japan signed the unconditional surrender documents on USS Missouri.

Answer: Cordoba

The Great Mosque was constructed in Cordoba in 785 under the orders of Abd ar-Rahman I. Cordoba was the capital of Al-Andalus which was ruled by the Muslims. In 1236, Cordoba was captured by Christian forces of Castille. The mosque was converted to a cathedral. The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Answer: Sloth

It is impressive that the sloth, a tree dwelling mammal, can hold its breath under water for 40 minutes. Under water, a sloth can slow its heart rate by about one-third, thereby using less energy and not needing to breathe as frequently. The sloth can escape its predators by staying underwater.

A Hippo can hold its breath for about five minutes, a dugong for six minutes and a walrus for 30 minutes.

Answer: Marsh

It was written by Shi Nai-an during the Ming dynasty. It is about the leader Song Jiang and his 108 heroes who rebelled against the Song government (around 12th century). They are later granted amnesty by the Song Emperor. The novel depicts the struggle of the peasants uprising, development and failure, praising the heroes. This novel is well known in China and East Asia.

Answer: Scaled 14 highest peaks over 8,000 m (26,000 ft)

A film about Nepali Nirmal Parja's feat was released by Netflix on 29 November 2021 entitled "14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible". He and his team achieved the feat in six months and 6 days from April 2019 to October 2019. The previous record was held by South Korean climber Kim Chang. Kim completed the task in seven years, in 2013.

Answer: Winfried Otto Schumann

The Earth is a gigantic electric circuit with its electromagnetic field that surrounds and protects all living things; it has an average natural frequency of 7.83 Hz. This frequency, known as "Schumann resonance", was named after Dr. Winfried Otto Schumann who discovered it in 1952.

The human brain also has the same average alpha frequency in electroencephalography. There are five main categories of brain waves, of which alpha waves are where the wealth of human creativity is tapped.

Answer: Lamb

"The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" aka "Ghent Altarpiece" was completed in 1432. The altarpiece has 12 panels and weighs two tons. The painting depicts the Annunciation, Adam and Eve, Virgin Mary and Jesus. The main theme is to show the gathering of pilgrims to honour the Lamb of God.

In 1566, the Catholic guards hid the artwork in the cathedral tower of St. Bavo to prevent it from being destroyed by Calvinist soldiers.

During the Napoleonic War in 1794, four panels were stolen and put on display at the Louvre.

In 1816, the wing panels were stolen and ended up in a museum in Berlin.

In 1934, the lower-left panel was stolen and still has not been recovered.

During WWII, the Nazis stole the painting which ended up in an Austrian salt mine. In 1945, the altarpiece was recovered by the Allied group Monuments, and were returned to Belgium.

Answer: Bee Gees

The Bee Gees topped the Hot 100 chart in the 1970s with nine number hits. Three of the hits come from the soundtrack of the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever"; "How Deep Is Your Love", "Staying Alive" and "Fever". The three songs also charted high in many countries around the world, launching the most popular period of the disco era. The band's hits stayed in the Hot 100 for a total of 27 weeks in the 1970s.

Elton John was second with six top hits, followed by Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and the Wings, and Eagles with five each.

Answer: 1968 Mexico

There were several breakthroughs during the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico City. World record times were achieved in 100m in 9.95-sec by Jim Hines, 200m in 19.83-sec by Tommie Smith and 400m in 43.86-sec by Lee Evans. Dick Fosbury created a new high-jump technique with his Fosbury Flop. Bob Beamon became the first man to leap over 29 ft (8.90-m) in the long jump event.