Pick n' Mix: Part SIXTEEN Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sodium carbonate

The Leblanc process was used in the 19th century to produce sodium carbonate. The method worked by using sodium chloride to create sodium sulfate, then adding coal and calcium carbonate to the sodium sulfate, to create sodium carbonate.

The Leblanc process was invented in 1791 by French chemist and doctor, Nicolas Leblanc (1742-1806). The Leblanc process was rendered obsolete by the Solvay process, a sodium carbonate production method which was invented Belgian chemist, Ernest Solvay.

Answer: Pingali Venkayya

Born in the 1879s, Pingali Venkayya was an Indian author, political activist, geologist and teacher.

During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), Venkayya was serving in the British Indian Army, and realised when the British soldiers saluted the Union Jack, it was outrageous that the Indians did not have their own flag to salute.

In 1921 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India, Pingali Venkayya presented his idea for the national flag of India's design to Mahatma Gandhi. After some alterations, the flag was made into what is now the modern flag of India in 1947.

Answer: Earthquake

On 21 September 1999, Taiwan was afflicted with the Jiji earthquake which killed 2,415 people, injured over 11,300 and caused 300 billion New Taiwan dollars in damage.

The epicentre of the earthquake was near the town of Jiji, Nantou County, Taiwan, hence the earthquake's name. Taiwan's three nuclear power plants automatically shut down, and were back in operation within two days. The earthquake caused over 130 landslides which killed people as debris crashed into houses. Around 80% of the houses in Zhongliao, Nantou County, were destroyed or severely damaged.

The Jiji earthquake resulted in the price of computer memory chips tripling across the world. Much of the world's computer chips were made in Taiwan in 1999, and the Taiwan Stock Exchange was closed for five days following the disaster.

The Taiwanese were not satisfied with the government's response to the earthquake, which is reflected in the lack of support for Lien Chan, a Taiwanese politician who was Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) between 2000-2005.

Answer: Madagascar

The mossy leaf-tailed gecko ("Uroplatus sikorae") is also known as the southern flat-tail gecko. The lizard gets its name from the moss-like camouflage aesthetic its skin has. It is endemic to Madagascar, found typically around the central and east tropical forests on the island.

The mossy leaf-tailed gecko possesses a dermal flap, which runs all over its body and breaks up the shadow created when the gecko lies on a tree branch, rendering its outline close to invisible. They are nocturnal and hunt for insects to eat at night. The mossy leaf-tailed gecko is not a common pet among reptile lovers.

Answer: I Look to You

Whitney Houston (1963-2012) was an American singer, born in Newark, New Jersey. She also to a lesser degree took part in acting, starring in Mick Jackson's 1992 film, "The Bodyguard," where her single "I Will Always Love You" (originally performed by Dolly Parton) was on the soundtrack, winning a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. She died in 2012 of coronary artery disease (CAD) which had caused her to drown in a bath. Her funeral included performances from Stevie Wonder, Kim Burrell, Alicia Keys and R. Kelly.

"I Look to You" was released in 2009. The album was generally well received, and included Alicia Keys collaborating with Houston for the album's first song, "Million Dollar Bill." R Kelly wrote the song "I Look to You" which the album is named after.

Answer: Nevada and Idaho

Duck Valley Indian Reservation is split almost perfectly in half by the two states, with 49.8 percent of the reservation being in the northwest of Elko County, Nevada, the other 50.2% falling in the south of Owyhee County, Idaho. The Shoshone and Paiute tribes reside here.

President Rutherford B. Hayes signed an order that established Duck Valley as a recognised Indian Reservation in 1877. This took place seven years after Captain Sam of the Western Shoshone had requested the land. President Cleveland in 1886 expanded the land territory for the reservation.

Duck Valley is the largest of the agricultural producing reservations of Nevada, with livestock production being the most lucrative.

Answer: Avon

Named for its well-preserved baths of Roman origin, Bath is located just under 100 miles (155 km) west of England's capital, London.

The River Avon flows throughout the southwest of England. It is around 85 miles (135 km) long and is notable for its conservation areas, with scarce chaser dragon flies having a sizeable population, being found only in six other areas of the UK.

Answer: Ice hockey

"Youngblood" is about a 17 year old, Dean Youngblood, and his trials and tribulations whilst up and coming in professional ice hockey. Keanu Reeves plays the character of Heaver. Patrick Swayze also has a role in the film as Derek, a mentor to Youngblood.

Ice hockey gained a reputation for being brutal early on, as evidenced by the first ever recorded public indoor ice hockey game in Montreal, 1875. A Canadian newspaper described the game as follows: "Shins and heads were battered, benches smashed and the lady spectators fled in confusion."

Answer: Bahrain

The House of Khalifa is the ruling royal family of Bahrain, and in 1999, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa became the Emir of Bahrain; he became King of Bahrain in 2002. This royal house hails from the Arabian Anizah tribe.

Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Khalifa was the first Khalifa to rule Bahrain, gaining power in 1783 when his forces captured Bahrain from the Persians and put an end to their reign there.

Answer: Catherine the Great

The Hermitage Museum was established in 1764. Prussian salesman Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky (1710-1775) sold Catherine the Great (1729-1796) a series of paintings. Over three million items are typically housed at the museum in modern times. It is housed within five connected buildings.

Answer: Cleveland Guardians

The team which would become the Cleveland Guardians in 2021, the Columbus Buckeyes, were established in 1896.

In the following years the team was renamed a great number of times, from the "Columbus Senators" until the team's move to Grand Rapids, Michigan 1899 leading to the team being renamed the "Grand Rapids Furniture Makers." Relocating in 1900 to Cleveland saw the team being renamed the "Cleveland Lake Shores." "Cleveland Napoleons" became the team's name in 1903 in honour of captain Nap Lajoie (1874-1959). The team was again renamed in 1914, this time to the "Cleveland Indians." This name would prove to be controversial in the following decades, part of the Native American mascot controversy in which other sports teams were involved. This resulted in the team being renamed the Cleveland Guardians in 2021.

Answer: Sardis

The Kingdom of Lydia was established around 1,200 BC and ended around 547 BC when it was taken over by the Achaemenid Empire of ancient Iran. During Lydia's most prosperous period, it controlled all of the west of Anatolia. The Lydian language is extinct.

Established before 1500 BC, Sardis became the capital of Lydia in 7 BC. Knowledge of much of the city's structure and aesthetics has been lost to history. Pottery fragments with "Cybele" written on were discovered in the area, Cybele being an Anatolian mother goddess.

In 547 BC, following the Battle of Pteria and Battle of Thymbra, Cyrus the Great defeated King Croesus of Lydia, who had ruled since 585 BC. Sardis was captured.

What was once the city of Sardis is now an archaeological site in Manisa Province, Turkey, near the town of Sart.

Answer: Heimdall

The second-largest moon of Jupiter, Callisto was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius. As with Jupiter's other moons, Callisto was named after one of the Greek god Zeus' many lovers. However, many of the craters of Callisto's surface have been named after gods of Norse mythology.

The crater, Heimdall, is named after the Norse god of light, who keeps watch for invaders who would attack Asgard. The crater s one of Callisto's largest and was named after the Norse god in 2000. The largest crater on Callisto, Valhalla, also gets its name from Norse mythology, as does the crater called Asgard.

Answer: Eagle

Sport Lisboa e Benfica, often referred to as "S.L. Benfica" or simply, "Benfica" was established in 1904. The club's home ground is Estádio da Luz, which has been open to the public since 2003.

Bald eagles, such as Águia Vitória and Gloriosa, are the mascots for the S.L. Benifica and perform displays of flying around Estádio da Luz before landing on the crest of the club (which is minus the eagle typically displayed on the crest, being completed when one of the eagles lands on it). The eagles carry the clubs colours in the form of white and red ribbons during their flight.

Answer: USS St. Lo

The USS St. Lo was an escort aircraft carrier which was launched in 1943. Built by Kaiser Shipyards, the ship was part of the Battle of Leyte where the Japanese army clashed with the Filipino guerrilla army as well as American forces.

The USS St. Lo was in use for just 15 days before being wrecked in the kamikaze attack, carried out by a Japanese pilot flying a Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero. It took half an hour for the ship to sink as a result of the kamikaze attack, with 113 out of the 889 people on board. The wreck rests just by the Philippine Trench, around 15,540 feet (4,735 m) deep.

Answer: Elizabeth of Aragon

Also known as "Elizabeth of Portugal," Elizabeth of Aragon (1271-1336) was the daughter of Constance of Sicily and King Pedro III of Aragon. Three of her brothers would become kings, who were Alfonso III of Aragon, James II of Aragon and Frederick III of Sicily. She was the great-niece of Elizabeth of Hungary and was named after her.

Elizabeth was married at around aged 12 and was Queen of Portugal before she was even a teenager. Her husband, King Diniz of Portugal (also known as the "Poet King") although a hard-working and dedicated monarch, was also adulterous and abusive towards his wife. Elizabeth is listed as a patron saint of several things, but this is why she is known as the patron saint of victims of adultery. She became known for her time spent helping both the poor and sick of the country. Her husband was not pious at the time of her marriage, but as the years passed she managed to convert him.

When her husband and son went to war with each other, she rode onto the battlefield and was able to make peace before there was bloodshed. She is also notable for the "Miracle of the Roses" where it is purported that while she was carrying bread under her mantle for the poor, it was divinely transformed into a bouquet of roses.

Elizabeth of Aragon was canonised by Pope Urban VIII in 1626.

Answer: Marwan II

Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan, mainly referred to as "Marwan II," was born in 691 AD, reigning from 744 until he died in 750. By 746 he had gained back Syria as the caliphate's territory. However, this victory was short-lived as a revolt by the Abbasids broke out in 747, culminating in the Battle of the Great Zab River in 750, where over 300 members of the Umayyad family were killed. Marwan managed to flee to Egypt but he was accosted and killed there. It is purported that his tongue was fed to a cat there.

The Umayyad Caliphate was the second caliphate to be founded after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Answer: Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy are an American pop-rock band which were established in Chicago in 2001. Fronted by singer Patrick Stump, the band was originally formed by lead guitarist, Joe Trohman and bassist, Pete Wentz.

Released in 2003, the band's debut album featured on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Pop-Punk Albums" list, being listed at number five.

Answer: Bismuth

Wood's metal was invented in 1860 and is composed of 50% bismuth, 26% lead, 13% tin and 10% cadmium. The alloy is named after its American inventor, Barnabas Wood (1819-1875). It is used for making blocks of metal used in medical equipment involving radiation. Similar to Wood's metal is an alloy called Rose metal, also consisting of 50% bismuth, and including lead and tin in greater percentages than Wood's metal.

It is unknown who discovered bismuth, as the metal has been used by humans since ancient times. It has uses such as the creation of bullets, and is applied to x-ray equipment to protect the patients from the x-rays. Bismuth has the symbol Bi and atomic number 83 and is a pnictogen, that is, an element of group 15 of the Periodic Table.

Answer: Peggy Lee

Born Norma Deloris Egstrom in Jamestown, North Dakota, 1922, Peggy Lee began singing when she was very young, eventually travelling to Hollywood to seek fame as a 17 year old in 1938. Her first album was "Rendezvous with Peggy Lee" which was released in 1948, with her last recorded album, "Moments Like This" being released in 1993.

She died aged 81 in 2002, following a heart attack exacerbated by her diabetes. Her ashes were buried in Westwood, Los Angeles, in Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary.