A Panoply of Trivia 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Venus

Though Venera 1, a Soviet probe, successfully flew by Venus in 1961, all contact with the spacecraft was lost before it reached Venus, so it does not count that it explored another planet. Mariner 2, on the other hand, was an American spacecraft that was launched in August of 1962 and made its extra-planetary fly-by on December 14, 1962.

When Mariner 1 failed because of a programming error (in fact, the 'bug' in the program was that a hyphen was omitted from the code), all hopes were pinned to Mariner 2. It was launched from Florida on an Atlas-Agena rocket and almost immediately experienced a failure when some wiring was loose and fortuitously corrected itself. As a result, the rocket was off-course and a course correction had to be made. After 110 days of flight, even with some problems, the probe reached Venus and sent back some data about Venus, including temperatures on the planet.

Answer: Israel

Albert Einstein is one of the best-known physicists of all time. A Nobel Prize laureate in 1921 for the photoelectric effect, he was the lead theorist behind the concept of relativity, both general and special. Einstein postulated that the laws of classical mechanics, established by Isaac Newton, were only true in special cases (low velocities, for example). With the emergence of quantum mechanics as well as field theory, some of the math was not adding up for Einstein. He came up with the idea of special relativity in his 'miracle year' of 1905, as well as his mass-energy relationship, from which the most famous equation in all of physics comes:
E = m * c^2

Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879. His family was Jewish but very secular. From a young age Einstein took to mathematics, and, despite being mostly self-taught, was swiftly at a level far higher than most adults. To further his studies, Einstein endeavoured to study at the Swiss Federal polytechnic school in Zürich, however, when he first applied, he did not make it in. A year of study later and Einstein was in. He was naturalized as a Swiss citizen in 1901 and worked at the Swiss patent office. He later became a professor, and for a couple of years, worked in Prague, part of the Austrian Empire.

Einstein loved to travel, so much, in fact, that he missed his Nobel ceremony. In 1933, Einstein was on a trip in the United States when Hitler rose to power and, while in Belgium, Einstein realized that he could no longer return home. He officially emigrated to the United States in 1933. Always a supporter of Jewish intellect, he helped establish the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1925. While not initially a supporter of the State of Israel, when in 1952 he was offered the ceremonial role of President, he stated that he was saddened that he could not accept.

Answer: Heart

The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. In fact, you might even call it the engine that keeps the rest of the body running. Located centrally in the chest, the heart pumps the blood around the body, distributing nutrient-rich blood to the rest of the body and pumping carbon-dioxide laden metabolic waste to the lungs to be exhaled. However, like any engine, the four different pipes, called aorta, that lead to and from the heart can get clogged; when they do, they need to be cleared.

A bypass surgery is when one to four of the aorta need to be cleared. The procedure is an open-heart procedure, meaning that the chest is cracked open and the heart is exposed. It is stopped, and its functions are taken over temporarily by a machine, and the aortal plaque is cleaned out. The heart is then reattached and 'jump-started' as it takes over its job again. The recovery can be long, up to three months at times.

Answer: River Thames

Pocahontas was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the leader of the Tsenacommacah, an alliance of the Native American tribes in that area of the future United States. "Pocahontas" was likely a nickname, and she probably kept her real name from the settlers because she believed it had powers over her. The true stories of her interactions with the settlers will likely never be known, however; the stories of her saving Captain John Smith were probably largely embellished and fictionalized.

What is true is that, in 1613, Pocahontas was captured by the people of Jamestown and held hostage. In her captivity, she was convinced to become Christian and was baptized as Rebecca. She met the newly-widowed John Rolfe, a planter, and married him. They had a son, Thomas, who was born in Jamestown, the first documented offspring of a union between a European and a Native American. Soon, Rolfe took Pocahontas back to England with him. When they were set to return to the New World, Pocahontas passed away from unknown causes and was buried at St George's Church, on the south bank of the River Thames.

Answer: Calvin Coolidge

Three US Presidents have died on the Fourth of July, the United States' day of independence. In fact, two of them, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died within hours of each other and exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. James Monroe also passed away on the Fourth of July, five years after them.

On the other hand, the first President of the United States born on July 4th was Calvin Coolidge, in 1872. A Massachusetts politician, he was elected as the 29th Vice President and succeeded to the Presidency on August 2, 1923, when President Warren G. Harding passed away of a heart attack. His hands-off approach to the US economy during the boom of the 'Roaring Twenties' has been cited as one of the major reasons for the stock market crash of 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression.

Answer: Valentine

Though not much is known about the actual Saint Valentine, he has become one of the most popular of the saints because of his association with the idea of love and the celebration that is associated with his feast day. What is known from hagiographical sources is that there may have been more than one Valentine, however, sources agree that he was killed on February 14th.

He may have been a Roman priest, or bishop, that preached to Christians. At the time, they were unwelcome in the Roman Empire and many were killed for their faith.

A story tells of Valentine restoring the sight of a blind girl, and addressing his last letter to her "From your Valentine", hence the association with love and lovers.

Answer: England

The Hundred Years' War was a contest of succession between the French House of Valois and the English House of Plantagenet. While originally confined to these two countries, other countries were gradually dragged into the conflict over the course of the 116 years that the war actually took. Though the English had the upper hand in the beginning, the French were ultimately successful and managed to separate their monarchy from the English.

During the latter stages of this war, an unlikely heroine arose. Born to a poor family, she claimed to have had visions given to her by the archangel Michael telling her to back Charles VII in the war. She was sent to the siege of Orleans and it somehow was resolved within nine days. When she was captured by the pro-English Burgundians, she was tried and burned at the stake for being a heretic.

Answer: Tetanus

Tetanus is a disease caused by bacteria called Clostridium tetani that causes muscle spasms that start in the neck or jaw (hence the name 'lockjaw') and progress to the entire body. Up to one tenth of all cases may result in death, though the recovery is long and painful regardless.

It is caused by the bacterial endospores that live often in moist soil and enter the body usually through a puncture. It is not caused by rust, but it is more common in places that accumulate rust, hence the common misconception.

A vaccine was developed in 1924 and, with regular boosters, is enough to prevent the disease.

Answer: Toga

Toga Island is an island in the Torres group of islands in the island nation of Vanuatu. (How many times is it legal to use the word "island" in a sentence?) In 2020, there were about 250 people living on Toga Island, however, it was actually the MOST populous island of the entire Torres group. There are two villages on the island, Liqal and Litew, and the ruins of a third abandoned village. The total area of the island is about 19 square kilometers, meaning, about the size of Toronto's Pearson Airport.

A toga was also standard wear over a tunic in Ancient Roman times, and a symbol of status. The name of the garment, 'toga', has no relationship to the island.

Answer: Pirate spider

The pirate spiders are a family of spiders known to eat other spiders. They are of the larger araneomorph variety of spiders, meaning their mandibles close like pincers. They also have yellow-brown colouring and tend to be rather small in size. They eat other spiders by mimicking a trapped insect by tapping on the web. Then, when the owner of the web comes to investigate... BAM! The spider gets eaten and the pirate spider goes on its merry way. However, this can be complicated at mating time, and males have been known to get eaten when all they wanted to do was to procreate... not the best way to end a date.

While some Kardashians are known for figuratively eating their own and tend to bristle easily, they're not the answer to this question.