Omigosh, it's the "O" Quiz!

Answer: Owczarek Podhalanski

No, I didn't make up the name: the Owczarek Podhalanski is a Polish sheepdog. It is also known as the Tatra Mountain Sheepdog or Owczarek Tatrzanski. It looks a bit like a large and very furry Labrador Retriever with a particularly thick and fluffy tail.

The Otterhound is a bit smaller (up to 26 inches in height and 115 pounds in weight). Its heritage goes back at least to the middle ages, when it was used to get rid of otters which ate the river trout sought by fishermen. By the last century its numbers had diminished to the point where it became threatened with extinction. This breed is friendly but very self-willed and is very energetic.

I made up the other two breeds - not a lot of breeds starting with the letter 'O'!

Answer: O is for Outlaw

In "O is for Outlaw", a box of Kinsey's papers and childhood belongings has been bought at an auction, and the purchaser offers them to her - for a small fee. Finally we get to learn more about Kinsey, her childhood, her family and her first marriage to Mickey Magruder.

It also contains information about a murder, one that her first husband was accused of committing. Mickey is in a coma - and the bad guy is still out there. What was the motive for his being shot - and who killed the Vietnam vet he was suspected of murdering? Will Kinsey survive the investigation? I'm not telling, you'll have to read the book...

Answer: Lucas Osiander

Lucas Osiander, born in Nuremberg in 1534, was a Lutheran minister, son of Andreas Osiander. He wrote what is considered to be the first real German chorale book. In its preface he writes, "I know, indeed, that composers otherwise usually put the Choral in the Tenor, but when that is done, the Choral is not sufficiently recognisable among the other voices, and the congregation cannot follow or join in the singing. I have, therefore, put, the Choral always in the Descant." This was quite radical for the time, and led the way for the introduction of hymnals and the participation of congregations in the service. He died in 1604.

Jacob Obrecht was born in the 1450s in Ghent - dates range from 1450 to 1457. He was a clergyman but apparently not very successful; he held a number of appointments but it seems none were for very long, and in one instance his accounts were off to the point that he had to cover the losses by donating a number of compositions. He was a choirmaster, and one of his choristers was Erasmus. Most of his music was sacred, including a number of masses and motets. He died in Ferrara, Italy, in 1505, succumbing to the plague.

Not a lot is known with certainty about Johannes Ockeghem. He may have been born as early as 1410 or as late as 1430, and was probably born in the Hainaut province of Belgium. The first definitive proof of his career is when he was a singer at Notre Dame Cathedral in Antwerpen. He later served at the courts of the Duke of Bourbon, Charles VII and Louis XI of France, and was apparently involved in matters of diplomacy for the latter. Some of his work survives, including ten complete and several partial masses, plus motets and chansons. He was clearly highly regarded by his contemporaries, as upon his death in 1497 a number of lamentations on the event were composed.

Diego Ortiz was probably born around 1510 in Toledo, although little of his life is known. He is known to have been employed by the Duke of Alba in Naples and by Philip II of Spain. He wrote on instrumental technique as well as writing motets, magnificats and hymns. He died in Naples in 1570.

Answer: Osumilite

Osumilite is a silicate, found in Japan, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Italy, Germany and in Oregon, USA. With a hardness of 5-6 on the Moh's scale, it ranges in colour from pale blue or gray to pink, brown and black. It has no real use except as a rock in a mineral collection.

Oligoclase, sodium calcium aluminum silicate, is a silicate of the feldspar group, sometimes called either sunstone or moonstone. It is usually milky white but can range into pale green or brown. It has a hardness of 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale, and can be found in Sri Lanka, Canada, Russia, Sweden and New York, USA. It is sometimes used as a semi-precious stone in jewelry.

Orpiment is arsenic sulfide, soft at 1.5-2 on the Moh's scale, and normally found with the mineral realgar. Its golden yellow colour is fairly distinctive, but cannot readily be used in dyes as the mineral is instable and will over time deteriorate to a powder when exposed to light. It also has a sulfury smell from the arsenic. It is found in Peru, Romania, Japan, Australia, and in Utah, USA.

Otavite is cadmium carbonate; it is found mainly in Namibia, although it has also been found in Australia and New Mexico, USA. It has a hardness on the Moh's scale of 3.5-4, is usually white but can also be brownish, and effervesces in acid.

Answer: Bernard van Orley

Bernard van Orley was born sometime between 1487 and 1491 in Brussels, Belgium. His father was born on the "wrong side of the blanket" of a noble Luxembourg family, the Seigneurs d'Orley, moved to Brussels and became a master painter. Bernard's works initially followed the Flemish school, but soon began to incorporate some of the Italian style. His talent led to his being appointed a court painter to Margarete of Austria, the Netherlands' Regent, and his star continued to rise until 1527 when he had to move to Antwerpen due to his protestant beliefs. Eventually he was reinstated in court, and remained there until his death in 1541. By 1530 he had dropped paint in favour of tapestry design, and towards the end of his life he undertook designs for a number of stained glass windows.

Isaac Oliver was born in 1565 in Rouen, France. At the age of about 3, his parents left France to avoid religious persecution and moved to London. Oliver became a miniaturist, a painter of small portraits. He became a court painter when James I ascended the British throne. He died in 1617.

His son Peter was born in 1594 in Isleworth, Middlesex (now part of the London Borough of Hounslow). Like his father, he excelled in miniature painting, as well as his watercolours of paintings of the old masters, some of which can be seen at Windsor Castle today. He died in 1648.

Michael Ostendorfer was probably from Swabia in Germany, born around 1490. He was a painter and illustrator, and was a court painter to Elector Friedrich II. He died in 1559.

Answer: Robert C. O'Brien

Robert C. O'Brien was really Robert Leslie Conly. Born in 1918 in New York City, he loved music and literature and for a time studied at Juilliard, but finished his college education at the University of Rochester. He later became an editor for National Geographic Magazine. His books include "The Silver Crown", "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", "A Report from Group 17" and "Z for Zachariah". He died, aged 55, in 1973.

Philip Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka in 1943. His best-known work is "The English Patient"; other works include "Anil's Ghost" and "Coming Through Slaughter".

Scott O'Dell was born in 1898 in Los Angeles, California. He won a 1961 Newbery Medal for "Island of the Blue Dolphins" and also wrote "Black Star, Bright Dawn", "The Black Pearl", "Sing Down the Moon" and "The King's Fifth", all of which were Newbery Honor books. He died in 1989.

Ruth Bryan Owen was born in 1885, the daughter of William Jennings Brown. She was the first woman Ambassador from the United States, serving in that capacity in Denmark. She also wrote a number of books, including "Elements of Public Speaking", "Leaves from a Greenland Diary", "Denmark Caravan", "Picture Tales from Scandinavia" and "Look Forward, Warrior". She died in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1954, having become a dual national there through marriage to a Dane.

Answer: Battle of Olustee

The Battle of Olustee was fought on 20 February 1864 in Baker County, Florida, near Lake City. Union General Truman Seymour was progressing through the state securing Union sites, destroying Confederate supply routes and recruiting black soldiers. Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard was in Charleston, South Carolina, which wasn't far enough away for his liking. He sent General Joseph Finegan to stop Seymour. Finegan's entrenched troops were attacked by Seymour's but despite there being a slightly larger number of Union troops, the Rebels forced Union troops to retreat to Jacksonville.

The Battle of Old River Lake occurred on 5-6 June 1864 in Chicot County, Arkansas. Union troops under General Joseph Mower were proceeding into the Confederate areas, heading towards Lake Village, Arkansas. Confederate General Colton Greene, knowing he couldn't win in a big battle, created a number of small skirmishes to slow the Union advance. The Union troops did get to Lake Village, only later than planned.

The Battle of Old Church on 30 May 1864 took place in Hanover County, Virginia. It was fought over a crossroads about six miles outside Richmond. Union Colonel Thomas Devin's Pennsylvania troops were there; the Confederates, under General Matthew Butler, wanted that turf for themselves. Butler's troops pushed back the Union troops, but an infusion of additional Union troops allowed them to retake the crossroads.

The Battle of Okolona was fought in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, on 22 February 1864. Union General William Sooy Smith was supposed to lead his 7000 troops to Meridian, Mississippi. Leaving 10 days later than ordered, he ran into Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and his 2500 troops. Despite the huge disparity in numbers, Forrest attacked the Union troops. During one of the skirmishes, Forrest's younger brother was killed, inciting him to exact revenge. In the end, Smith retreated and lost 100 men to Forrest's 50. Smith left the military following a reprimand for disobeying orders.

Answer: Evening Primrose

Oenothera Biennis is native to North America. It's a tall plant, reaching up to 5 feet in height, and its leaves are 3-6 inches long and smell of lemon. It seems to like poor but well-drained soils and need full sunlight. All of the plant is edible. Its seeds can be pressed to make Evening Primrose Oil, which is used in alternative medicine for a number of maladies.

A Forget-Me-Not is Myosotis, a Pitcher Plant is Nepenthes and the Tiger Lily is Lilium Columbianum.

Answer: Opata

In 1993 only 15 people reported being able to speak Opata, a Uto-Aztecan language. Previously it had been thought that the last speaker had died around 1930.

Oirata is an Indonesian language, spoken by about 1200 people in southeast Kisar Island, south Maluku, and in Ambon city.

Oloma is found spoken in Nigeria. No estimate is currently available of the number of people who speak it.

Oroko is spoken by over 100,000 people in southwest Cameroon.

Answer: Castillo de Oropesa

The Castillo de Oropesa, in the Toledo province of Spain, was reconstructed in the 15th century. It sits on the site of earlier fortifications, including Roman and Muslim, and still retains two of its original four circular towers. It is now used as a luxury hotel.

Orebro Castle is a 16th century castle (restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries) which sits on the river Svartan. The original tower was built in the 13th century. In 1560 Karl Vasa, youngest son of the king, renovated the site into a large Renaissance castle. Construction finally was completed in 1627, but it then fell into disuse and disrepair. Finally it was renovated in the mid-1700s and has since been used for government offices and the residence of the County Governor of Orebro.

Olavinlinna Castle, St Olaf's Castle, is a beautiful 15th century castle built on the border of Sweden/Finland and Russia to control the border. It is built on an island in Lake Saimaa, where currents prevent the water from freezing. The castle has three towers with curtain walls built so that archers could 'cover' the entire area around the castle. Legend says that a young woman was entombed alive within the walls of the tower, possibly because she communicated with the enemy, possibly to protect her from the soldiers stationed there. In any case, she died and until a bad storm in the 1990s a red-flowered bush grew from the wall where she was said to have been entombed. The castle now holds a small museum and hosts an annual opera festival.

Orford Castle in Suffolk, England, was built by Henry II between 1165 and 1173. Today only the keep remains, with three towers and enough angles that there are technically 21 sides to the building. Legend says that once a merman was caught and kept at the castle, but it never spoke and only ate fish.