Cool Zooms, Part LV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pisa

Leonardo Fibonacci was a mathematician of great renown. As well as the famous Fibonacci number, which a string of numbers created by adding the previous two numbers together (1,1,2,3,5,8), he was also instrumental in introducing Hindu-Arabic numbers into Europe, replacing Roman numerals, making calculations easier, bringing about a boost to the European banking system.

Pisa, a town in Italy most famous for its Leaning Tower, was originally its own republic, a mighty economic centre which sent out merchants and traders in the 11th to 15th century.

Phoenix Rising member smpdit has always marveled at the beauty of spirals mathematically-mapped using the Fibonacci number.

Answer: Sleeves

A sleeve is a sleeve is a sleeve... think again. There are so many different styles and names for what is, basically, the part of a garment that covers the arm. They can be short, mid-length or long. They can be tight, they can be loose. They can even end at the shoulder though, oxymoronically, that style is called sleeveless. Here's what some of the above-named sleeves look like. 'Leg-o'-mutton' looks like a sheep's leg. Duh! No seriously, it does. It is gathered and puffed up at the shoulder and the upper arm and then it is fitted on the lower arm. Raglan sleeves, unlike most that extend from the shoulder, extends from the neckline. This allows for a lot more movement and, if you are looking for a good example, check out the design of a baseball player's shirt.

This question was sewn together by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who just couldn't sleeve it alone.

Answer: Sammy Hagar

'VOA' stands for Voice of America and was Hagar's eighth solo studio album before joining Van Halen. Voice of America is a US government-funded international broadcaster that provides content in 47 languages around the world.

'VOA' was certified platinum in 1985. The first single released from the album was 'I Can't Drive 55', a reference to the then federal maximum speed allowed on any highway at the time, 55 mph. This law has since been repealed. The song has become synonymous with Hagar and was played regularly in concert once he joined Van Halen. It is number 100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.

This question was entered into the quiz by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 who has trouble driving 75 let alone only 55.

Answer: Baklava

When it comes to Ottoman cuisine, this pastry is certainly one of the most popular. Layers of filo pastry are filled with a combination of nuts and a sweet syrup or honey. Legend has it that it arose from the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul when the Sultan would arrange his kitchen staff to prepare a vast array of trays of the delicacy and then he would formally serve these to members of his elite infantry units.

Baklava is sometimes compared with an ancient Greek delicacy called kopte sesamis or kopton. Whilst similar in appearance it does not use the tender flakes of filo to hold the mixture together, instead the filling is wedged between two biscuit like sticks of ground sesame.

This tasty treat was produced by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who is so grateful that he has a sweet tooth.

Answer: They all died in the same year

They all died in 1955. Whilst the two scientists, Scottish Fleming and German/American Einstein, led full lives and died at 73 and 76 respectively, the two artists, Brazilian Carmen Miranda (46) and James Dean (24), certainly died prematurely.

In 1955, the Rosa Parks bus boycott occurred, Disneyland opened, pink clothes for men become a fashion trend and a black-and-white TV cost $99.95 in the United States.

This obituary was entered into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: Louis Vuitton

Instantly recognisable with its intertwined L and V monogram that adorns most of the items it produces, the company is high on the list of desirable luxury goods suppliers, selling items such as luggage, sunglasses and jewellery.

After being employed as trunk-maker to Empress Eugénie de Montijo, Vuitton began his business in Paris, producing canvas trunks for overseas voyaging, but his were flat-topped, rather than the more commonly found rounded-top. This enabled the trunks to be stacked making them easier for transportation. In modern times, there are plenty of photographs in circulation showing celebrities with huge stacks of LV luggage as they travel the world.

Phoenix Rising's smpdit generally makes do with a backpack from a shop considerably cheaper than Louis Vuitton.

Answer: Mrs Howell

Mrs 'Lovey' Howell's real name is revealed only once--she was born as Eunice Wentworth into a very rich family--but most of the castaways called her 'Mrs Howell'. Schafer was somewhat typecast as a wealthy socialite, appearing in several soapies, (including 'Search for Tomorrow', 'Love of Life'). In a classic case of life imitating art, she was quite wealthy in real life. She died in 1991, aged 90.
Ginger Grant, the glamourous movie star, was played by Tina Louise and Mary-Ann Summers, the innocent girl from Kansas, was portrayed by Dawn Wells.

Julie McCoy was not on 'Gilligans Island'- she was played by Lauren Tewes on 'The Love Boat'.

ozzz2002 marooned this question, and it is stuck there for life.

Answer: Turtledove

The turtledove, which is common in Europe and migrates to North Africa in the winter, is a member of the pigeon family. Blessed with a bluish to grey head its body is a red-brown colour and there are usually white tips on its tailfeathers. As stated in the question, the bird is not linked to turtles, nor does it make the sound of a turtle, it just that its call sounds like "turtle".

This question was dropped on a bust of Phoenix Rising by pollucci19 who is still wondering what sort of call is made by a turtle.

Answer: Frankie J Holden

Born as Peter Brian in 1952, Frankie J. Holden is an Australian musician, actor and television presenter. He took his name from the iconic F.J Holden that was manufactured from 1953. Frankie J was the lead singer for the '70s band 'Ol'55' and has appeared on Australian television productions for over thirty years. In 2016, he was awarded the medal of the Order of Australian (OAM) for services to the arts.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 revved up this question and parked it into the quiz.

Answer: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Molineux Stadium was built in 1889, and it was the first stadium built specifically for the use of an English Football League club. The stadium is located in the city of Wolverhampton in the county of West Midlands.

The Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. was founded as St. Luke's F.C. in 1877, before the team moved to Molineux Stadium and undertook the name Wolverhampton Wanderers. The team won the FA Cup in 1960, and the League Cup (Carabao Cup) in 1974 and 1980. Known for their striking gold and black jerseys, Wolverhampton was promoted to the Premier League in 2018 and during the 2020-21 season the team finished 13th out of 20 teams.

This question was kicked into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who thinks that every sports team should have an alliterative name. Let's see, the Orlando Ocelots or Orlando Okapis for the next pro sports team in Central Florida?

Answer: Caesium

More precisely, the standard unit of time (the second) is defined by the 133Cs isotope (i.e. an atom with 55 protons - which defines caesium - and 78 neutrons). This is the sole stable isotope of this element, all the others (and there are more than 30) are radioactive. Caesium is in the same group as sodium, hence has one outer shell 's' electron. There are two ground state energy levels for this isotope caused by hyperfine splitting originating from interaction with the nuclear spin. The incredibly small energy difference between these two hyperfine levels is matched by a frequency of 9,192, 631,770 Hertz. So 1 second is defined by this number of oscillations of that atom. This is the basis of the atomic clock which is essential for accurate GPS, mobile phone usage and the internet too! The estimated accuracy is within 1 second in over 1 million years! As this isotope is stable, it poses no risk to human health and is most commonly found in the minerals pollucite and lepidolite.

So what about distance? The definition of a metre is how far light will travel in a vacuum in 1/(299,792,458) of a second. Hence we need the definition of a second and thus caesium comes in! More commonly (for those that ponder this at all) we talk about how far light travels in one second which is 299,792,458 metres, equivalent to 186,282 miles per second for those who prefer imperial units.

This question was introduced into this quiz at the last second and by the smallest margin by PR scientist MikeMaster99 who wanted to avoid writing an essay on this topic, but essentially failed....

Answer: Lever

The lever, along with the wheel-and-axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw make up the six classic "simple machines" defined during the Renaissance. These machines offer a mechanical advantage.

Note that some consider the wedge and the screw to be actually versions of an inclined plane. For example, the screw can be envisioned as an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder.

Phoenix Rising's mike32768 leveraged his scientific background to wedge his way into being assigned this question, hoping he wouldn't screw it up.

Answer: Twelve plus one

Yes, it's true! Somewhat ironically, a legitimate anagram of 11+2 happens to be 12+1 both of which of course add up to 13. Most of us know that thirteen is a prime number but did you also know it is the smallest so-called "emirp" - a prime that is a different prime when its digits are reversed? The numbers 17 and 37 are two more examples.

Luckily for mike32768, more a numbers-guy- than a words-guy-member of team Phoenix Rising, this question was available for him to write up, and of course he focused primarily on its numeric aspects.

Answer: solvent

In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture formed by one substance (solute) dissolving into another (a solvent). Seawater is an example of a solution formed by salts dissolving into water. Here, water is the solvent.

Meanwhile, in the context of finance or business, an entity able to pay its debts is considered solvent.

This question contributed by Phoenix Rising team member JCSon, who hopes it didn't keep you in suspense.

Answer: Sao Paolo, Brazil

North America's largest city proper was Mexico City (over 9 million inhabitants), making Sao Paulo the largest in the Americas. It's also the largest in both the southern and western hemispheres. Using the same definition of city, the Brazilian capital (Brasilia) comes in at over 3 million, Lima has a population close to 9 million, and Santiago figures in at just over 200,000.

Sao Paulo is listed by the United Nations as the world's 4th largest city after Tokyo, Delhi, and Shanghai, but it should be noted that the various definitions used for city may be applied differently when calculating population estimates for different cities.

This question incorporated by Phoenix Rising denizen, JCSon.

Answer: Lavender

Known both for its soothing properties and the essential oils found in its flowers (perfect for use in perfume production), lavender is a frost-hardy plant thought to have originated in India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East - all excellent places for its propagation. Depending on the variety, it comes in white, purple, blue and mauve. Portuguese lavender grows from Portugal through Spain and France and across to Northern Italy, and creates a spectacular visual and sensory display in the late spring when in blooms. There are a large number of varieties, from the compact Hidcote to the showy Luisieri; all are edible (though some taste better than others) and all contain ketones and have antiseptic properties.

This question bloomed in the mind of VegemiteKid, who likes to make lavender scones - not spread with Vegemite though!

Answer: salvage

Note how the word 'save' is found within its synonym 'SAlVagE', while retaining letter order. Both words share a similar meaning: "to rescue". Kangaroo and joey words are so named because kangaroo words carry their joey words within themselves much like mother kangaroos carry their joeys in their pouches.

This question 'proffered'/'offered' up by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Peking

The film in question is "55 Days at Peking". Set during the Boxer Rebellion the story showcases the building tensions between the Chinese and the foreign colonials, seeking to exploit a weakened nation. The Empress Cixi blinks first and orders an attack on the Foreign Legations building in Peking. Despite some strong acting performances by its stellar cast the film was met with mixed reviews, most of which took aim at too many historical inaccuracies being built into the script. The film did well in most countries and received two Academy Awards but it was a commercial failure in the United States.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who would be first in line to lead a rebellion against boxer shorts.

Answer: Africa

In 2011, there were 12 countries in South America, 44 in Europe, and 48 in Asia.. Africa had 54 or 55. The Western Sahara, is both claimed by Morocco and recognised by 84 other countries as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. There are six island countries in that total. Additionally there are three dependency, all islands. St Helena belongs to the UK, Mayotte and Reunion are the two that belong to France. Africa is the second largest continent in size and population (after Asia in both cases).

Question supplied by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1, who loves geography.

Answer: Rod Laver

All of these were tennis players of the highest standard, but only Rod Laver achieved that double. As an amateur, he won all four major titles in 1962, as well as 18 other titles. He turned professional late in that year, after helping Australia win the Davis Cup. For the next 8 or 9 years, the tennis world was dominated by Laver and fellow Aussie, Ken Rosewall. Laver won his second Grand Slam in 1969. He retired, aged 40, in 1979, with a wealth of records to his name, and is regarded as one of the best to ever play the game.
The Melbourne venue for the Australian Open was renamed as the Rod Laver Arena in 2000, in his honour.

ozzz2002 served and volleyed this question into the quiz.


Did you find the theme in the quiz? All questions or answers related to the number 55 in some way, with quite a few incorporating the Roman numeral LV, somewhere in the answer.
The full explanations are-

LV was used in Q2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 20.

Q1 - The 10th Fibonacci number is 55
Q3 - Sammy Hagar sang 'I Can't Drive 55', after being booked for speeding
Q5 - All died in 1955
Q6 - Louis Vuitton initials
Q9 - Frankie J Holden fronted the band 'Ol' 55'
Q11 - Atomic number of caesium is 55
Q15 - The international dialling country code for Brazil is 55
Q18 - '55 Days at Peking', movie and song
Q19 - 55 countries in Africa