Cool Zooms, Part LVII Trivia Quiz

Answer: French

Nigel's skills at the game of Scrabble border on being freakish. Raised in New Zealand and blessed with an eidetic memory he has won numerous titles across the globe. He won the World Championship in 2007. OK, so far so good. He did it again in 2011, which made him the first person to win the title twice. Yeah, that makes him a little bit special. What if I were to tell you that he won again in 2013, in 2018 and also in 2019. That makes him pretty special. At the time of writing, he is still the only person to have won the title more than once.

In 2015 he entered the French World Scrabble Championship. Here's the thing, all the words had to be French words and, before entering the tournament, he never spoke a word of it. Legend has it that he spent nine weeks studying the French dictionary and went on to win the title. To make the legend greater, he even chipped the then French champion for using a word that didn't exist. Viva le Nigel.

This question was spelled out by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who doesn't get the 50 bonus points because he couldn't find a way to get the letter J into the question.

Answer: Lancelot Link

"Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp" was a comedy series that ran for two seasons on the ABC network on Saturday mornings between 1970 and 1971. As you may have guessed, Lancelot is a chimpanzee. Modelled on Humphrey Bogart, he is also a secret agent who, along with his partner, Mata Hairi, works for an organisation known as A.P.E (Agency to Prevent Evil) and their main antagonists are the forces working for the evil organisation known as C.H.U.M.P (Criminal Headquarters for Underworld Master Plan). The whole thing was played for laughs and styled on the television series "Get Smart", which first aired in 1965.

This question has been brought to you by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19, whose secret agent name is Dancelot Fink... oops, I shouldn't have said that.

Answer: At birth

'Golden slippers', aka 'fairy fingers' is the eponychium on a foal's hooves at birth. It forms a soft covering to protect the uterus and birth canal from the foal's sharp hooves. Once the foal is born, the eponychium quickly wears away and is completely gone within the first few days.

This question was slipped into the quiz by leith90, whose first thought was the Australian thoroughbred horse race.

Answer: Night Witches

They were witches because they were an all-women regiment. This was quite unusual because women, at the time, were not allowed to be in combat. However, the founder of the group, Major Marina Raskova, had USSR's leader, Joseph Stalin as a personal contact and used this influence to convince their leader to change the rules. On October the 8th, 1941, the orders were issued to form three air force units made up of women. The 588 was one of those.

They were witches because of their tactic of closing down their engines and gliding into their bombing targets. The German soldiers had only the wind of their approach to indicate their presence and they exclaimed that the noise sounded like demons on broomsticks.

There were 261 representatives of the Night Witches during WWII, of which 32 were killed either through action or tuberculosis. Twenty three of them would be bestowed the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union", two the "Hero of the Russian Federation" and one "Hero of Kazakhstan".

This spell was brewed by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who once thought about being a fortune teller but couldn't see a future in it.

Answer: Monkey slug

The larva of the hag moth, which is native to North America, is known as a monkey slug due to its unusual appearance. It has a slug-like body (particularly when viewed from the underside) but also has nine hairy "arms" which presumably account for the "monkey" part of its name despite bearing more resemblance to a large spider. The hairs on these arms have been known to cause a stinging sensation or skin rash if touched, so if you aren't put off picking one up by its appearance then this fact may at least make you think twice about it!

This question was prepared by Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 who was extremely relieved to note that this nightmarish creature does not roam the trees of the UK!

Answer: An interstellar object

'Oumuamua was the first confirmed interstellar object detected in our Solar System. An interstellar object is defined as an astronomical object in interstellar space (the expanse of space within a galaxy beyond the gravitational influence of any star) or one passing through a star system on an interstellar trajectory. When such objects temporarily pass within the gravitational reach of a star without being captured, as 'Oumuamua did when it passed the Sun, they may be referred to as interstellar interlopers.

'Oumuamua was first detected in October 2017 by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii. The name roughly translates from Hawaiian to "visitor from afar arriving first". The first character is not an apostrophe, but a Hawaiian 'okina representing a glottal stop.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) originally classified the object as comet C/2017 U1 then briefly as asteroid A/2017 U1. When its extrasolar origin was confirmed, the IAU created a new naming system for interstellar objects, and it was designated I/2017 U1 or 1I/'Oumuamua.

A second interstellar interloper designated 2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019 by an amateur astronomer and telescope-maker in Crimea.


This question was created by Phoenix Rising's JCSon who understands there are many more interstellar interlopers and possibly some captured objects within our Solar System that have yet to be discovered. Watch this space.

Answer: Ironing board

Sarah Boone, nee Marshall, was the daughter of enslaved parents and, according to one of the stories put forth, earned her freedom when she married bricklayer James Boone, a freed slave, in 1847. Just before the start of the Civil War they settled in New Haven (Connecticut) where she started her own dressmaking business. To make her clothes stand out in what was a highly competitive industry she chose to make tighter fitting garments. The issue was that clothes were ironed on wooden boards placed across two chairs. This was great for wide skirts but it created all sorts of issues for the garments she was producing, in particular the sleeves. She designed a narrower board with a rounded edge that allowed her to iron clothes more easily and without wrinkles. She then applied for and received U.S. Patent No. 473,653 on April 26, 1892, making her one of the first African-American women to earn a patent.

The wrinkles in this question were ironed out by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

Answer: New Zealand

The Three Kings Islands are a group of 13 uninhabited islands just off the north coast of the North Island of New Zealand. These islands, named by Abel Tasman in 1643 as they were first sighted on the Day of Epiphany (January 6), are home to a number of endemic faunal and floral species. The most well-known is perhaps Three Kings Kaikomako (Pennantia baylisiana). The single, multi-trunked tree of about 5m in height was found by botanist Geoff Baylis in 1945, and was named in his honour. It has been successfully cultivated where it can reach up to 8m in height perhaps due to more favorable growing conditions than the scree slope of that lone wild specimen.

This question was very carefully planted into this quiz by PR member and scientist, MikeMaster99, who is amazed that only a single instance of this tree has been found in the wild. Before this question, he was under the impression that the Australian native Wollemi pine was the rarest tree. In the spirit of Australian-New Zealand relations, the Aussies won't claim this one (unlike pavlova).

Answer: Four

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was famously the first and last to be elected to four terms in the office of President of the United States of America. He first won a presidential election in 1932 when he ousted the sitting Republican President Herbert Hoover amidst the backdrop of economic depression and followed that up by winning a second term in 1936. He then broke the unwritten tradition against standing for a third term in 1940 and was re-elected for his fourth term in 1944 during the Second World War. However, that final term lasted only three months as he died on 12 April 1945 after suffering several years of declining health. Roosevelt's lengthy presidential term led directly to the passing of the Twenty-second Amendment that banned anyone who had already served two terms in the office from standing for election for a third time.

This is the second of the two questions that Fifiona81 was elected to write for the quiz and, in honour of the Twenty-second Amendment, you won't find a third or a fourth!

Answer: Steven Spielberg

'Firelight' is seen as the first film that Steven Spielberg made. It is generally accepted that 'Duel', made in 1971, was his first feature length directorial debut. Spielberg created 'Firelight' when he was 17 years old and it had a total budget of $500. His sister, Nancy, would play the lead role. The finished product was not made widely available to the public and was only shown for one night at the Phoenix Little Theatre in Arizona. Whilst 500 tickets were sold at $1.00 each, Spielberg, who counted the takings, reckons that someone must have paid twice because there was $501 in the till at the end of the night. The theme of the film, contact with aliens, would later form the basis of Spielberg's hit movie "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", released in 1977.

This question came to life under the astute direction of Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 though, sadly, for zero profit.

Answer: Winding wool

Winding wool into skeins is made easier by using the Niddy-Noddy. The contraption is made of three pieces of wood. Two shaped pieces are fixed to either end of a straight piece of wood, but set at right angles to each other. Wool is wound onto each of the four ends on the cross-pieces in a specific pattern that creates a skein that is twice as long as the central piece when completed. A rhythm of winding is established by a chant or song, such as ''Niddy-noddy, niddy-noddy, two heads and one body". The 'two heads' in the chant refer to the cross-pieces of wood.

Niddy-noddies were known at least as far back the mid-1800s and a type of niddy-noddy is held by the Christ child in the 1501 Leonardo da Vinci painting, Madonna of the Yarnwinder.

Phoenix Rising's VegemiteKid thinks that it sounds as though it has something to do with going to sleep, but hopefully not dribble-dozing.

Answer: "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" by Jan Van Eyck

"The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" is the centrepiece of the Ghent Altarpiece. It is a very large multi panel art work dating to 1432. Jan Van Eyck, along with his brother Hubert, were responsible for its composition, and it is considered impossible to tell which brother did which piece.
It is known to have been involved in seven thefts, as well as other crimes. Initially plundered from Ghent following the French Revolution, it was also removed from the altar by the German army in WW1 and WW2. Its rescue is part of the story of the film 'The Monuments Men' who were responsible for finding many artworks stolen and hidden away under Hitler's instructions.
One panel of the art work has been missing since 1934; a copy was made by Jet Van der Veken who was suspected of the initial theft, and it was suspected that he overpainted the panel and then returned it. This was disproved in 2019 when it was confirmed it was a copy by conservators. After the 1934 theft there was a spate of ransom notes sent. The last ransom note was found in the possession of a Ghent stockbroker who revealed it on his deathbed. The note stated "It rests in a place where neither I nor anybody else could take it away without arousing the attention of the public.". The case is still open and a Ghent detective is still assigned, but so far the panel remains unfound.

smpdit has the painting ability of a chimp, she does however have an appreciation for a good mystery.

Answer: Morton's toe

Morton's toe was named after Dr. Dudley J. Morton, the most renowned foot doctor in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. Dr. Morton studied the evolutionary development of the human foot and deduced that most problems with foot pain could be traced to a congenitally shorter first metatarsal bone. This shorter bone is why the second toe is longer in as high as 20-25% of some populations.

The condition was known well before Dr. Morton's name was ascribed to it. Many cultures considered it a sign of strength, beauty, intelligence, and leadership. It has been known by various names like Viking toe, royal toe, and boss toe, but for a long time it was referred to as the Greek toe owing to its prominence in Greek sculpture (see the Venus de Milo). Ancient Greeks saw the Greek toe as another reflection in nature of the Golden Ratio, a geometric expression of perfect harmony. Da Vinci was himself influenced by Greek art and the Golden Ratio, as evidenced in some of his most famous works. Interestingly, his "Vitruvian Man" featured a Greek toe.

As it turns out, Phoenix Rising's JCSon has a regular first metatarsal but might be missing an entire bone in his little toes, because those things are way too short to be any sort of perfect ratio.

Answer: General Belgrano

The USS Phoenix, third of its name in the US army, was a Brooklyn-class cruiser. She was based at Pearl Harbour in 1941 but escaped the attack unharmed. In 1946 she was decommissioned and sold to Argentina where she was renamed ARA General Belgrano. Unfortunately, in the 1982 Falklands war with the UK she was sunk, the only ship to have been sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine.

Phoenix Rising member smpdit notices the irony of the previous Phoenix succumbing to a watery end at the hands of a fiery opponent.

Answer: Halley's Comet

Halley's Comet appears in Scene 32 of the Bayeux Tapestry in the upper border. King Harold of England and others are looking up at it in dread. It was seen as a bad omen for Harold and Duke William, later to be William the Conqueror, saw it as divine blessing on his upcoming invasion of England.

Halley's Comet's appearance in 1066 was not the first time it foreshadowed great change in history. In 451, it appeared three weeks before Attila the Hun invaded Roman France. It also appeared in 1222 and is said to have inspired Genghis Khan to invade the West.

Although not of great historical significance, the comet also played a major role in the life of Mark Twain. He was born when the comet visited the earth in 1835 and he died the year it returned in 1910. In fact, he predicted he would die when it returned and he did.

The information provided in this question came to Phoenix Rising member tazman6619 while he was star gazing and not navel gazing despite rumors to the contrary.

Answer: Felicette

Felicette was one of 14 cats purchased by the French aeronautical department CERNA in 1963 with the express plan of sending one of them into space. The cats were given numbers, not names, to prevent the scientists forming any emotional bonds with the cats. Six cats were chosen during the final selection and C 341 was deemed the best (calmest) cat for the space flight. During the flight, cat C341 experienced up to nine g of acceleration on launch and deceleration on return and five minutes of weightlessness. Unlike poor Laika, C341 survived the flight and was named Felix. This was later changed to Felicette.

Flamengo was a Brazilian cat scheduled to fly on a cancelled 1959 space flight, and Enos was the second chimp in space. Major Tom is still 'strung out in heaven's high...'.

Phoenix Rising's leith90 sent this question into the quiz with a bowl of milk and a fluffy blanket.

Answer: Maryland

Maryland's position as literally being on the divide between north and south is evident in its flag, the most distinctive of all the US state flags. The flag is divided into four quarters with the yellow and black colours of the seal of Sir George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, in the canton and opposing quadrant The red and white Greek crosses represent the arms of Lord Baltimore's mother's family - The Crossland. While this united flag was known before the American Civil war, it did not become the official flag of Maryland until 1904. Interestingly, the Maryland solders who fought for the south took the Crossland colours and the union solders from Maryland carried the yellow and black design of the Calverts.

Question hoisted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member and amateur vexillologist 1nn1.

Answer: "More of the Monkees" - The Monkees

(Beware... pun intended). The Monkees went "ape" in 1967. Monkee-mania hit its peak during this year and it appeared that the band could do no wrong. "More of the Monkees" was the band's second album and when it arrived at the number one spot on the Billboard charts it displaced the band's debut album at the top. It then remained there for a staggering eighteen weeks. As their previous (self-titled) album had occupied the top spot for thirteen weeks, this meant that the band had owned the premier position on the chart for thirty one consecutive weeks.

Assisting the album's success was the Neil Diamond written single "I'm a Believer", which also shot to number one on the singles' charts and the launch of a highly successful concert tour by the band. In all, the album would sell in excess of five million copies in the USA alone and would be certified five times platinum.

This question came across on the ape-vine by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who, if he had any sense, would now make like a banana and split.

Answer: Lake Havasu

In the mid-60s London Bridge was too narrow to carry the current traffic load and it was slowly sinking into the Thames at the rate of an inch per year. Businessman Robert P. McCulloch was having a difficult time selling residential land in Arizona so he paid $US2.46 million for the bridge, paid another $7 million to transport every labelled brick and component to Arizona via the Panama Canal, then rebuilt the bridge on firm dry land. He then dug out a lake and added water. This became Lake Havasu. It became a tourist attraction and sales boomed.

This question was assembled by Phoenix Rising pontist 1nn1

Answer: Jack Black

From an early age, she was interested in maths and science, and completed her Engineering degree in 1962. She worked on the Hubble telescope and the Apollo program, being part of the team that developed the Abort-Guidance System. The system was completed on the day that her famous son was born in 1969, and the following year, it helped get the ill-fated Apollo 13 back to earth in one piece. She retired in 1990, and in a complete change of direction, opened a publishing company that produced children's literature.

Jack Black is known for his work in comedies such as 'High Fidelity', 'Shallow Hal', 'School of Rock' and 'Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle'. He has also won a Grammy for his work with the band, Tenacious D.

This question was saved from disaster by Phoenix Rising member, ozzz2002.