2012 - A Momentous Year for the UK [Part 1] Quiz

Answer: May 31st 1911

The RMS Titanic slipped into the River Lagan at around noon on the 31st May 1911. Question by Togwen.

Answer: Australia

Rupert Murdoch was born in 1931 in Melbourne, Australia. In 2012, Murdoch stepped down from being the director of News International. This was asked by Togwen.

Answer: Westminster Abbey

Charles Dickens expressed a wish to be buried quietly in Rochester Cathedral after his death. It was decided, however, that he should have a much more public send off. This question was set by Jocharly.

Answer: Richard III

On August 25, archaeologists from the University of Leicester began excavating beneath a car park in Leicester where researches believed the site of the medieval church was likely located. They found not only the church but also the remains of an adult male who had been buried beneath the choir. Historical sources claimed this to be the final resting place of the last Plantagenet king, Richard III. The remains matched the known age and stature of the king who was defeated at Bosworth in 1485. The figure, sometimes called the Greyfriars Warrior, suffered a curvature of the spine which would have had the right shoulder noticeably higher than the left, a feature often attributed to Richard III. Researchers stressed that the remains would not have had a hump as the fictional villain in the play was shown to have.

Richard II was king from 1377-1399.
John was king from 1199-1216.
Henry VI was king from 1422-1461 and again from 1470-1471.

Answer: David Jones

David Jones was born December 30, 1945. He was best known for his role as the maracas-playing and girl-crazy member of the Monkees, a made for TV band that sought to imitate the Beatles. He acted on the long-running British TV series "Coronation Street" in 1961, which was his first acting credit. His stage credits also include the musical "Oliver!", in which he played the Artful Dodger in London's West End and on Broadway.

In a curious twist of fate, Jones and a fellow cast member of Oliver appeared on the same February 9, 1964 episode of "The Ed Sullivan Show" that marked the debut of the Beatles in the USA. Just two years later, Jones was cast as a Monkee and his reputation as one of the greatest teen idols ever was sealed. He also appeared in a famous 1971 episode of "The Brady Bunch".

He passed away of a heart attack in Florida where he lived with his third wife, Jessica Pacheco. This question came from Slytherinwitch.

Answer: 60

A Diamond Anniversary was usually celebrated after 75 years, but it changed when Queen Victoria (the first British monarch to spend 60 years on the throne) celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. There was a lot of unrest when Victoria retired from public life after the death of Albert in 1861, so it was decided to bring her Jubilee forward by 15 years to the 60th Anniversary in 1897.

A Diamond Anniversary is now usually the 60th not the 75th year. You can, of course, still celebrate it on the 75th if you choose, but why wait for a party? Question by Togwen.

Answer: Mongolia

Donated by the Rio Tinto Company from its mines in Utah and Mongolia, approximately 98 pounds of gold, six tons of silver and a couple of tons of copper were shipped to Wales to create the 4700 Olympic and Paralympic medals. In addition to the primary metals, small amounts of zinc and tin from Australia and England were also used in creating the bronze alloy.

This question was submitted by zigzag.2100.

Answer: Alistair Brownlee

Yorkshireman Alistair Brownlee finished the race 11 seconds before Spain's Javier Gomez, after a 10km, which was only 90 seconds slower than Mo Farah took to win the 10km in the Olympic Stadium. Alistair's brother Jonny finished third after a 15 second penalty for mounting his bike too early. This question was asked by Jocharly.

Answer: Weymouth and Portland

This location was chosen at it was thought to provide some of the best natural sailing waters off the coast of the UK. It also had good facilities on land. Question by Cristabel56.

Answer: bladder infection

He missed the pop concert and the Service of Thanksgiving held at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was thought that the problem was caused by standing too long in the cold and rain during the River Regatta. Question by Cristabel56.