Yesterday's Man Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Dalton

John Dalton (1766-1844) was a Quaker who developed the atomic theory of matter and is known as one of the fathers of modern physical science. While his own theory of matter was later disproven, it was useful in showing that the prevailing belief (that all kinds of matter are alike) was incorrect. He formulated the Law of Multiple Proportions, which provided the basis for this theory regarding the mass and number of atoms present in different chemical compounds.

His interest in colour-blindness, a defect which he had discerned in both himself and his brother, produced the first publication on the condition is still known as Daltonism in some places.

Answer: James Dana

Dana published 'A System of Mineralogy' in which he described a classification of minerals based on mathematics, physics, and chemistry. His studies provided a greater depth of understanding of the formation of earth's physical features. Such was the recognition of his discoveries, he was he asked to become a founding member of the National Academy of Sciences, and was the president of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of America.

In 1872 he published 'Corals and Coral Islands', which he had been studying for some time. Dana's interest in and observations of the physical world formed a basis for what is the modern science of geology.

Answer: Lee De Forest

De Forest invented the Audion vacuum tube, patented in 1907, and the feedback circuit to increase the output of a radio transmitter and produce alternating current. This invention was only superseded by the invention of the transistor in 1947 and until then was the fundamental component of all radio, telephone, radar, and television systems.

He earned a Ph.D. in physics in 1899 from the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University and went on to develop wireless telegraphy, which he demonstrated to various groups, including the military, in order to advertise its potential.

Answer: Philibert De L'orme

Frenchman Philibert de L'orme was influenced by the education he received while in Italy, where he became aware of Classicism. He wrote numerous books, such as 'New Inventions to Build Well' in 1561 and 'The First Book of Architecture' in 1567, that influenced those who followed him, though sadly most of the physical buildings attributed to his work have been either destroyed or defaced. He took his knowledge back to his homeland where his French version of Classicism influenced builders for several hundred years.

In 1594, then Queen Mother Catherine de Médici commissioned him to design the Palace of the Tuileries, Paris, which stood until it was, distressingly, burned down by the Paris Commune revolutionary government in 1871.

Answer: Sir John Dawson

Sir John Dawson made numerous contributions to paleobotany and extended the knowledge of Canadian geology, especially fossil forests. He also served as Superintendent of Education for Nova Scotia. He formally trained as a geologist at The University of Edinburgh (Scotland).

Dawson conducted numerous archaeological expeditions, including one survey that demonstrated pre-European habitation on the island of Montreal; when on an expedition with Sir Charles Lyell he was credited with discovering a fossil of 'Hylonomus lyelli' (the earliest known reptile). In 1882, he was made president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Answer: Sir John Batman

John Batman was best known for the role he played in the founding and development of the city of Melbourne. He had earned a reputation for hunting bushrangers. He led the expedition whose aim was to find a suitable location for establishing a new settlement.

He negotiated with the local aboriginal tribes to purchase the land that became known as Batmania, later Melbourne. He and his wife, a former convict, and their seven daughters settled there. He died in 1839, and numerous places around the Melbourne are named for him.

Answer: Eamon de Valera

This president of Ireland was born in New York in 1882; his father died when de Valera was just two. His mother sent him back to her family in Ireland where he was raised and went to school. He became a commander in the anti-British Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916; though he was forced to surrender, he was not executed due to his American birth. The fact that he survived the revolution gave him notoriety and he was elected leader of the Sinn Féin party in 1928.

He later traveled to the USA to raise funds for Sinn Féin; he returned to Ireland where he created a new political party. His rise to power and his immense popularity saw him repeatedly re-elected as Prime Minister. He was in this role during the years of World War II, when he proclaimed Ireland would remain neutral during the conflict. However, recognising that Ireland's independence would be jeopardised by a German victory, he secretly provided military and intelligence support to both the UK and America. His grip on power remained until the late 1950s after which he retired from public life. He died in Dublin in 1975.

Answer: Hugo Marie de Vries

De Vries (1848-1935) introduced the experimental study of organic evolution. Using the principles of heredity determined by Gregor Mendel as the basis of his work, he developed a series of controlled experiments to show that mutations in plants arose randomly. He hypothesised that rather than natural selection being the key factor, this random mutation could provide sufficient change to bring a new species into existence in one generation.

He also investigated plant physiology, developing the scientific understanding of the relationship between osmotic pressure and the molecular mass of elements occurring in plant cells, and discussed the effect of heat on the roots of plants. He died at his estate De Boeckhorst in Lunteren, the Netherlands, in 1935.

Answer: Sir William Davenant

Davenant (1606-1668) was a theatre manager and Poet Laureate. Tradition has it that he was the first playwright to bring women to the stage (how shocking!). In the same year that he became the Poet Laureate, 1638, his volume of poems, 'Madagascar,' was published, the titular poem of which is an embellished account of Prince Rupert's attempt to colonise the island for his uncle, Charles I.

He was awarded the Order of the Garter for his services to the Crown fighting against Oliver Cromwell; he was later appointed Governor of Maryland.

Answer: John Dickinson

John Dickinson was often referred to as the 'penman of the Revolution.' As a delegate from Pennsylvania, he drafted the declaration of rights and grievances of the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. While he helped write and develop the first draft of the Articles of Confederation during the Continental Congress, he was hopeful of reconciliation with the British (and had written a treatise to that effect - of course!) and voted against the Declaration of Independence.

Dickinson served for a short while in the Pennsylvania militia and, later, representing Delaware at the Federal Constitutional Convention, he signed and worked for the adoption of the US Constitution writing nine separate essays in its support. He died at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on February 14 1808, aged 75.