Cool Zooms, Part XIII Trivia Quiz

Answer: Doom

This creature was originally called the Bullockornis planei because its habitat was the Bullock Creek region in Australia's Northern Territory, and they were believed to be ratites, closely related to tall, flightless birds such as the emu and cassowary. However, further studies have now concluded that it has a closer relationship with Anseriformes, which is a group that includes ducks and geese, and its scientific name was changed to Dromornis planei.

The Thunderduck looked something like an ostrich, but it was far bulkier. Standing about eight feet tall it is believed to have weighed in excess of 500 pounds. Its skull was as large as that of a small horse and it possessed large, powerful legs, leading to the belief that it was a fast runner. It also had a large beak which was suited for shearing and this has led early students of the creature to believe that it was a carnivore (hence the nickname) but more recent studies have countered this and indicate that our demon duck was more of a herbivore.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising's own fossil, pollucci19.

Answer: Creedence Clearwater Revival

The song is "Bad Moon Rising" and the correct lyric is "there's a bad moon on the rise". Ever the entertainer, the song's author, John Fogerty, deliberately sang the misheard lyric during his (solo) "Premonition" concert tour.

Despite its upbeat tempo, which gives the song a happy feel, the lyrics are telling the listener to get their house in order as an apocalypse is about to be visited upon them. Fogerty, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (Issue 649), explained that it was inspired by a hurricane scene in the movie "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1941) that wipes out a small town. This put paid to some theories that Fogerty was warning that the world was about to end because man had the temerity to land on the moon - the song had been released as a single on July 28, 1969, only eight days after Apollo 11 had landed on the lunar surface.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19, who expressed "how good is that" when this song was used to signal the rising of the full moon in "An American Werewolf in London" (1981), while David Kessler (David Naughton) sat in his room about to turn into a werewolf.

Answer: Spades

Bridge is a card game normally for four players playing in partnerships and Contract Bridge is the most common and popular variant. An earlier form of the game was Auction Bridge which used a different scoring system.

Contract Bridge is a trick-taking game. After the 52 cards have been dealt, players bid to specify how many of the 13 tricks their team will win. The winning bid is the contract and it is in this phase of the game that suit rankings are important. The hand is then played and scored.

In Contract Bridge, there are five denominations (the proposed trump suit or no trumps). In ranked order, they are: no trump, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. When players are bidding, each bid must be higher than the previous one. So, a bid of 2 Hearts is higher than 2 Diamonds, but 2 Clubs is not and a player wanting to bid clubs would need to bid 3 Clubs.

Phoenix Rising's psnz won the bidding for this question and was careful not to renege on his obligations.

Answer: It was nine feet high and six feet wide

It could hold eight kids, four dogs and a small pig and '... was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese'. It was extremely comfortable.

Denver released the song in 1974 from the hugely popular 1974 album 'Back Home Again'. Other songs from this album include 'Annie's Song', 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy', and the title track.

The 87ft by 43ft bed actually existed- it was in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest bed in the world. 3' by 6' are the dimensions of a standard single bed.

This question prepared by Phoenix Rising team member ozzz2002, who fell asleep three times while writing it.

Answer: Singing Revolution

The peoples of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, who first declared their independence in 1918 from the hegemony of powerful neighbours, found themselves occupied twice more, first by Nazi Germany, then the Soviet Union, from 1940 until 1991, when their independence was recognised once again. This show of national self-determination began in 1987 with nonviolent political demonstrations, including the singing of patriotic folk songs at national festivals as the weapon of choice against Soviet censorship. Estonian activist and artist Heinz Valk coined the term "The Singing Revolution" in 1988 and in August 1989 Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians formed "The Baltic Way", a human chain extending 600 km/373 miles from Tallinn to Vilnius.

The Soviet crackdown came in January, 1991. Details of the Singing Revolution vary among the three republics: in Estonia, human shields protected radio and TV stations from the Soviet tanks; Latvia had its own "Days of the Barricades"; Lithuania its "Bloody Sunday". After an unsuccessful coup in Moscow was thwarted by pro-democracy demonstrations, the Baltic States moved quickly to declare their independence. Finally, in December of 1991, the Soviet Union was no more. Nonviolence had become the basis of their peaceful democracies and for the rule of law. Those Baltic song celebrations have since been inscribed in the UNESCO list of masterpieces of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. "A nation who makes its revolution by singing and smiling," wrote Valk, "should be a sublime example to all."

This question is dedicated by Phoenix Rising member Humanist to all the brave people the world over who insist on living in freedom!

Answer: Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, better known professionally as Katy Perry, was born on October 25, 1984 in Santa Barbara, California. She initially sang gospel music and released an album of this genre as Katy Hudson in 2001 but it was not a commercial success.

She adopted Katy Perry as a stage name and signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 2007. A year later she hit the world spotlight with her second album, "One of the Boys", which contained two US number one songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot N Cold". This and the following subsequent three albums have topped the U.S. Billboard 200 Album charts and have spawned nine Billboard Hot 100 number ones. Perhaps her success can be measured by her Super Bowl XLIX halftime show performance, in 2015, which at the time was the most watched in history.

This question was penned by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who is a bit Hot 'n' Cold when it comes to appreciating Katy Perry's music.

Answer: Elf owl

The heftiest of this bunch is the little owl (Athene noctua) 22 centimetres (8.7 in) in length and weighs about 180 grams (6.3 oz). Named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, this owl is the owl we think of as a representation of knowledge.

Next down in size is the least boobook (Ninox sumbaensis) weighing in at about 23 centimetres (9.1 in) long and 90 grams (3.2 oz). Also known as the little Sumba hawk owl it is native to Sumba Island in Indonesia

We then have the pygmy owl of which there are over 30 different varieties. Taking the Eurasian pygmy owl as an example, females range from 17.4 to 19 centimetres (6.8 to 7.5 inches) long, and males are 15.2 to 17 centimetres (6 to 6.7 inches) in length. Females weigh about 67 to 77 grams, and males are 50 to 65 grams in weight.

The baby of the bunch, the elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi), is 12.5 to 14.5 cm (4.9 to 5.7 in) in length, weighing somewhere in the region of 40g (1.4oz) They are found in the southwestern US and Central Mexico. They feed mainly on insects and arachnids, removing the stings from scorpions before ingestion. They also 'play dead' on being handled as a survival mechanism to escape capture by a predator.

The knowledge involved in this question was disseminated by Phoenix Rising member smpdit who weighs just a wee bit more than 40g.

Answer: Waxing gibbous

The sunlit portion of the moon can range from 0% (new moon) to 100% (full moon) then back to new moon again. These changes happen over a lunar month or about 29.53 Earth days.

The four principle phases of the moon are: new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter. When the moon waxes, the sunlit portion is increasing, while waning means decreasing. In between the new moon and quarter, the shape is described as "crescent". The shape between full moon and quarter is "gibbous".

So the full lunar cycle is:
* New moon
* Waxing crescent
* First quarter
* Waxing gibbous
* Full moon
* Waning gibbous
* Last quarter
* Waning crescent
* New moon

Having been a Science Teacher, Phoenix Rising's lunatic psnz was not fazed by this question and was happy to cycle it into this quiz.

Answer: Holyhead Harpies

The Harpies are the only all-female team in the British and Irish Quidditch league, representing Holyhead in Wales. According to the author, J.K. Rowling, Ginny Weasley had a poster of Gwenog Jones, Beater and Captain of the Harpies, on her bedroom wall in The Burrow and went on to play professionally for the Harpies herself.

The other options are also Quidditch teams in the "Harry Potter" universe.

This question was beaten into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's lg549 while fending off a quaffle.

Answer: Pfannkuchen

Pfannkuchen, also known as Eierkuchen, kreppel or krapfen, are a German pancake often served with lemon juice and sifted icing sugar.

The other offerings are small spiced gingerbread biscuits, sometimes covered in a crisp sugar coating, that are popular as a holiday biscuit in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Their popularity has now spread around the world and the Christmas treats can be purchased in the US, the UK and Australia.

This tasty offering was submitted by Phoenix Rising taster leith90, who admits to sampling some Pfeffernüsse during the writing of this question - purely in the name of research, of course.

Answer: Mark Edmondson

Mark Edmondson in 1976 had to work part-time in menial jobs to help fund his place on the tennis tour. In 1976 John Newcombe was seeded number two in the Australian Open and was favoured to take out his third Australian Open title. However, Mr Edmondson won in four sets, 6-7 6-3 7-6 6-1. It was his only singles major win though he reached the semi-finals in the US Open in '81 and Wimbledon in '82. Though he won six singles tournaments he was more well known as a doubles player winning four majors (Australian Open three times and the French Open in 1985). When he was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame he was the last Australian male to win the Australian Open.

This question was volleyed into this quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who was beaten at the net many times but was never smashed.

Answer: One Night with the King

The 2006 movie 'One Night with the King', directed by Michael Sajbel, tells the story of how Hadassah (Esther) wins the heart of King Xerxes I of Persia during a one night encounter, and, with the help of her cousin Mordecai, thwarts the plans of the King's chief adviser (Haman) to kill all the Jewish people in Persia. Esther supplants the previous Queen, Vashti, who refused to indulge the king's wish for her to 'entertain' during an extended drunken party. Haman is sentenced to be hung and Mordecai is made a Prince of Persia. The movie is a mix of Biblical references (where the King was Ahasuerus) and the historical record of Xerxes I, who ruled Persia from 486 to 465BCE. The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the saving of the Jews from the fate planned by Haman.

Phoenix Rising member MikeMaster99 also only took one night to create this question but suspects the impact may be rather less significant....

Answer: Vinnufallet

Not including underwater falls, Vinnufallet is considered the tallest natural waterfall in Eurasia and figures in the top ten globally. Vinnufallet is fuelled by the Vinnufonna glacier, which melts into the Vinnu river, and plunges a total of 865 m (2,838 ft) from the top of a valley wall near the village of Sunndalsora in Norway. It falls in two main tiers, the tallest of which is just shy of 2,400 ft (730 m), making it the fifth tallest single drop in the world. Interestingly, while the falls are often listed as "Vinnufossen", and English translations of "fossen" and "fallet" are practically equivalent, "Vinnufallet" is apparently the proper form in the local dialect.

Tugela Falls in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa is considered the tallest waterfall on the African continent, Kerepakupai Meru (the Pemon name for Venezuela's Angel Falls) the tallest in South America, and Olo'upena Falls in Hawaii the tallest in North America.

It should be noted that ranking waterfall height is imprecise at best. There is much variation (in form, pitch, number of drops, distance between drops, flow consistency, etc.) and no agreed upon standard of measurement. Indeed, some lists place Tugela Falls as the world's tallest over Angel Falls because the height of the latter is thought to be inaccurate. Others list Austria's Krimmler Wasserfalle as Europe's tallest because it flows year-round (Vinnufallet flows about 9 months annually).

Phoenix Rising's JCSon took the plunge and dropped this question into the mix.

Answer: Bagel

Bagels originally came from Poland and are a Jewish delicacy; they have a dense, chewy middle and browned outside, often topped with poppyseeds, onion flakes, salt flakes, sesame seeds, or a mixture of all of them, to create an 'everything' bagel.

The dough is made and formed into ring shapes and allowed to prove. They are boiled in water, generally slightly sweetened with sugar or maple syrup, and then drained, toppings are added, then they are baked in an oven. The pre-boiling gives them their characteristic chewy texture.

They are generally cut in half, toasted and filled with whatever takes your fancy, with smoked salmon (lox) and cream cheese being a favourite filling.

This question was proved, boiled, sprinkled and baked, smeared and filled, then consumed by Phoenix Rising's smpdit, who does actually make her own bagels.

Answer: Oklahoma!

Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II defined the "golden age" of musical theatre with a string of immortal Broadway hits in the 40s and 50s, five of which were runaway smashes. The pair were honoured with no less than 34 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes and two Grammy Awards. Both had partnered with others before they met, Rodgers with lyricist Lorenz Hart, Hammerstein with composer Jerome Kern with whom he collaborated on "Show Boat" in 1927. Ironically, Rodgers and Hammerstein had each separately been interested in writing a musical based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 stage play "Green Grow the Lilacs". When Hart became unreliable due to alcoholism and personal issues and Kern declined to work on the project as well, Rodgers obtained the rights and recruited Hammerstein.

The result was "Oklahoma!", originally titled" Away We Go!". Although "Showboat" is considered the first American folk musical by many critics, with even earlier influences from the Princess Theatre (New York City, 1913-55), "Oklahoma!" broke new ground as a "book musical" with its use of song and dance to support both plot and character as well as the integration of all songs into the story line. The original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943 at the St. James Theatre without star actors in the production, another innovation, and choreography by Agnes de Mille. It ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, closing on May 29, 1948. It garnered a special 1944 Pulitzer Prize and won two 1955 Academy Awards for the film version of its music, the soundtrack also reaching the top spot on the 1956 album charts. Since the Tony Award was first founded in 1947, the original production of "Oklahoma!" did not receive peer recognition. A limited 2019 Broadway revival ran for ten months when a 75th anniversary staging of "Oklahoma!" transferred to Circle in the Square Theatre.

This question lovingly remembers when I, Humanist (noted Phoenix Rising warbler), sang and acted in the role of a humble farmer in the chorus of the Whidbey Playhouse's 1982 production of "Oklahoma!" in Oak Harbor, WA.

Answer: Black Panther

Wakanda is a fictional country located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the most technologically advanced nation on Marvel Earth. The mantle of Black Panther belongs to the rulers of Wakanda. Each successor to the throne ascends as the Black Panther possessed with enhanced abilities (thanks to a connection with the Wakandan Panther god Bast), extraordinary wealth, and cutting-edge technology. At the time of his introduction to the American mainstream comic book scene in 1966, Black Panther was the only major superhero of African descent, and the only black character with actual superpowers.

Black Widow (aka "Natasha" Romanoff) was a talented spy originally from the U.S.S.R. In the Marvel Universe, twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver) were born in the fictional Eastern European country of Transia.

After crafting this question, team leader JCSon threw up a "Phoenix Rising Forever" salute.

Answer: Marilyn

Marilyn was played by two actresses, Beverley Owen (13 episodes) and Pat Priest (57 episodes) in the television series, and is the niece of Lily and Herman Munster, the cousin of Eddie Munster (a werewolf), the granddaughter of Grandpa, and the great granddaughter of Count Dracula. She is homely by the Munsters' standards, and any date she brings home seems to be scared off by the peculiar behaviour of her family. The Munsters live at 1313 Mockingbird Lane; the idea for series was floated in the mid-1940s but did not come to fruition until the 1960s. The series has also spawned a number of movies.

Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid dressed up as Spot the Dragon in order to gather the information from the Munsters for this question, and they didn't notice a thing!

Answer: Francis Scott Key

Francis Scott Key was born in Maryland and at the age of 35 witnessed the twenty-five-hour bombardment of Fort McHenry, located at the entrance to Baltimore Harbour, by the British. The commander of Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead, estimated that 1500-1800 shells were fired during the attack. Francis Scott Key was detained on a British ship at the time, and it was from there that he saw, at the dawn on September 14, 1814, that it was not the English flag flying over the fort as he had feared, but the flag of the fledgling nation. Key wrote of his feelings in 'The Defence of Fort M'Henry', which became the Star Spangled Banner and adopted as national anthem of the USA in 1931.

This question was penned by Phoenix Rising lyricist VegemiteKid.

Answer: Covenant

The video game "StarCraft" was launched in 1998. The game is set in the 26th century in a part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu sector. The Zerg are insectoid aliens, the Protoss are a technologically advanced humanoid species and the Terrans are humans exiled from Earth.

"The Covenant" is from the "Halo" video game series and is an alliance of alien races.

Phoenix Rising member lg549 (star)crafted this question for the team quiz.

Answer: Jack Dawkins

"Oliver Twist" was Dickens' second novel and was published in instalments over the period 1837-39. It tells of how Oliver is orphaned and flees to London. He encounters the Artful Dodger, a child acting as an adult, and leading a group of pickpockets run by the nefarious Fagin. Oliver also runs foul of the evil Bill Sikes. Eventually, Oliver is 'saved' by one of the pickpocketed victims, Mr Brownlow. Despite his adroit skills as a pickpocket, Jack Dawkins, the 'Dodger', is eventually caught and it is implied that he is sent to a penal colony in Australia. There have been several film versions of this story as well as theatrical productions, with famous actors and musicians including Phil Collins, Tony Robinson, Anthony Newley and Davy Jones playing the role of Jack Dawkins.

PR Member MikeMaster99 enjoyed rereading this book far more greatly than when forced to study it at school twenty years earlier!