Cool Zooms, Part XVI Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thistles

There are several varieties of artichoke - the two most popular are the green and the purple artichoke.

There are many ways to serve artichokes - stuffed (lamb is a favorite in the Middle East area), as a topping on pizza (specifically the part of Italy's "Four Seasons" pizza) and as a tea.

Phoenix Rising resident culinary non-expert is mike32768 who generally has few nice things to say about artichokes.

Answer: White

Known as Lefka Ori (Greek for "White Mountains"), the range is named for the color of its peaks. Consisting mainly of limestone, the peaks are characteristically off-white when they aren't covered in snow.

The highest peak in Lefka Ori is Pachnes. It is the second highest peak in Crete after Mount Ida, and the tenth highest peak in Greece.

This lofty question was submitted by Phoenix Rising's JCSon.

Answer: Kansas

You heard right, that's Kansas, a landlocked state in the USA and situated right in the centre of the nation. How do shark tooth fossils end up there? Go back 90 million years and those flat grassy plains that you now know as Kansas were part of a massive inland sea that ran right through Middle America and joined up with what we know today as the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean. Hence, it was an ideal seaway for sharks to swim through.

The remains that were located in this interior seaway, about fifty miles south of the USA's geographic centre, were those of a Cretodus houghtonorum, a type of mackerel shark that is of the same family as our Great Whites of today. It was estimated that this one could have grown to be more than fifteen feet in length, was a slow moving shark (assessed by the grooves in scales that were found with the tooth) and, as such, fed on small fish and squid.

This question was brought to you by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who swears that there's nothing fishy about him... we have our doubts though.

Answer: Mortal Kombat

Developed by Midway, the original "Mortal Kombat" game was playable on various systems including the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo and at arcades. Johnny Cage's character is a cocky movie star who has a punch modeled after one thrown by Jean-Claude Van Damme in "Bloodsport". In addition to Johnny Cage the game includes six other playable characters. Upon its release "Mortal Kombat" was praised for its five-button fighting control scheme and its over-the-top finishing moves called fatalities. From the first game through the 2010s there had been 11 main games in the "Mortal Kombat" series and two feature films.

This question was punched into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who button-mashed forward, down, back, up, down.

Answer: Johnny Mathis

This is an album full of covers that Billboard magazine positively gushed about, proclaiming that "this one is by far one of his (Mathis') best!". Mathis puts his own spin on a series of, at the time, recent hit songs. Amongst them are the title track, a hit for Neil Diamond the year before, Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" and "Alone Again (Naturally)" by Gilbert O'Sullivan. The first single to be released from the album was "Make it Easy on Yourself", written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was originally recorded by Jerry Butler in 1962 but it was the Walker Brothers who turned it into a number one hit on the UK Singles Charts.

This question was presented to you by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who admits that the last time he'd listened to Johnny Mathis was probably the twelfth of never.

Answer: Lorraine

Rene of Anjou, former King of Naples, was the Duke of Lorraine from 1431 to 1453. The thistle was featured on his coat of arms and gained popularity throughout Lorraine during his reign. Following the defeat of the Duke of Burgundy in 1477, the city of Nancy, capital of Lorraine, adopted the thistle for its emblem and added it to their coat of arms.

Champagne-Ardenne is also found in the north-eastern region of France, but they have champagne, not thistles.

This question was nurtured by Phoenix Rising's leith90 who has seen thistles in the wild in Scotland and Tasmania, but not France.

Answer: Suckers

There are at least 289 species of octopuses, found in every ocean and in coastal waters in every continent. These intelligent creatures are essentially a mollusc with no shell but with eight arms and three hearts. The formal requirement for classification as an octopus is that if the creature has suckers along its entire length of its appendages, it is called an arm; if it has suckers only at the tip, the appendage is described as a tentacle, which belong to other cephalopods.

One of the most famous octopuses, a Kraken, comes from Nordic folklore. First penned in 1180 by King Sverre of Norway, stories of this many-armed creature struck fear into the heart of many a mariner. It was one of the creatures that gave rise to the ancient map allusion "here be monsters". Another well-known cephalopod was 'Paul the Psychic Octopus', who successfully predicted the outcome of eight 2010 World Cup matches.

Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid stuck to the task in dragging this question up from the deep.

Answer: Sunflower

The bill to adopt the wild native sunflower or Helianthus was drafted by George P Morehouse, a state senator from Council Grove, early in 1903. The legislation to adopt it was signed in March that same year by Governor Willis Bailey. The sunflower featured early in reports about Kansas. Traders on the Santa Fe Trail commented upon it, Stephen Long described the birds feeding on its seeds during his expedition through the region in 1820, the early settlers there burned the plants stalks as a form of fuel and, in 1887, the Newton Daily Republican suggested that Kansas be named the "Sunflower State". However, the sunflower wasn't always so popular; in 1895 there were calls for its destruction and for it to be deemed a noxious weed. Thankfully, it survived these trials or else Ed Blair would not have been able to pen:
"The roadside and fields are made golden
Because of your bright presence there".
"An Ode to the Kansas Sunflower" (1901)

This question was delivered by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 and his sunny disposition.

Answer: Dog

The "Kritikos ichnilatus" is a Cretan Hound from the island of Crete in Greece. It is a hunting dog with a long history. Archaeologists have found Minoan (c. 3000 BCE - c. 1100 BCE) wall paintings of these dogs. Ovid (c. 1 ACE) commented on their abilities:
"As he thus ponders, he behind him spies
His op'ning hounds, and now he hears their cries:
A gen'rous pack, or to maintain the chace,
Or snuff the vapour from the scented grass." (Metamorphoses, Book 3)

Cretan Hounds are known for their scenting skills, speed and agility. Given that the Minoan people were noted traders, these dogs were exported around the Mediterranean and to Europe, as far away as Britain. Shakespeare referred to the dogs in his play "Henry V":
"O hound of Crete, think'st thou my spouse to get?" (Act 2, Scene 1)

The Cretan Hound is a medium-sized short-haired dog reaching about 30kg (66 pounds) and 60cm (24") in size, with males being larger. There is a range of colours. The domesticated breed is noted for its pleasant nature (when not hunting).

Phoenix Rising's psnz heard the whistle and was excited to chase this question into the quiz.

Answer: Fairy circles

The fairy circles in Namibia have been perplexing scientists for decades. The circular patches of barren earth vary in size and can reach up to 35 metres across and can last for up to 75 years. Hypotheses abound as to the cause of the circles, ranging from termite nests, plants competing for water and nutrients, radioactivity and armies of ants. For years the termite theory was the accepted cause, however it lost ground when similar circles were found in other countries and in areas where there were no termites. The Namibian locals thought the circles were caused by an underground dragon breathing fire which scorched the Earth above and also called the circles, 'footsteps of the Gods'. Who knows, maybe they're right.

A bit of fairy dust was used to conjure up this question by Phoenix Rising's leith90, who has mushroom fairy rings in her garden. They're caused by real fairy meetings, just ask her.

Answer: Apples and potatoes

The name of this traditional dish, which originated in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, is derived from the 18th century word "erdapfel" (earth apples) for potatoes, and apples from the trees above. Stewed apples and riced potatoes are combined, and black pudding or bacon is sautéed lightly and put on top, along with caramelised onions. The dish is served as a side or a main and is a great inclusion on an Oktoberfest menu. Yum!

This question was cooked and plated up by Phoenix Rising's resident gourmand, VegemiteKid.

Answer: Jonas Brothers

In New Jersey 2008, the Jonas Brothers were Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas who all formed and fronted a larger band named after the three brothers. In their first year the group was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards but broke up in 2013. After six years they reformed and had a US Billboard Hot 100 number one with "Sucker".

Question submitted by Phoenix Rising Team Member 1nn1 who can vouch for the joys of sharing music-making with family members.

Answer: Nightshade (Solanaceae)

The nightshade family, which includes Datura innoxia, also known as toloache, prickly burr and moonflower, includes potato, tomato and deadly nightshade. They contain alkaloid toxins including atropine, hyoscine and hyoscyamine. These can induce delirium, tachycardia, amnesia and photophobia amongst other effects.

Hemlock, from the same family as carrot and parsley, contains an alkaloid poison called coniine which can cause death following ingestion of as little as six hemlock leaves and is known for causing the death of Socrates.

Foxglove is the source of the medicine 'digoxin' which can be fatal in larger doses.

Aconite is also known as monkhood or wolfsbane, from the same family as the buttercup, and contains the neurotoxin and cardiotoxin aconitine which can cause arrhythmias, convulsions and death.

This question was carefully tended and grown by Phoenix Rising green thumb smpdit, who is very careful about foraging for food.

Answer: Eris

In Greco-Roman mythology, Ceres (or Discordia) is the goddess of strife. In Greek legend her equivalent is Eris and she is best-known for instigating the Trojan War, when she threw the golden apple labelled "For the most beautiful" into the crowd at the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. She was the only god not invited to the wedding. The golden apple lead to extreme jealousy and eventually resulted in Paris awarding the apple to Aphrodite. The dwarf planet Eris was found by the Palomar Observatory in 2005. It is almost exactly the same size as Pluto but is on average about three times further out from the sun than Pluto.

This question was located by PR member MikeMaster99, who searched the furthest extent of his knowledge to bring Eris into the orbit of this quiz.

Answer: Namibia

In 1850, copper was found in the area, and a mining outfit was established. It extracted copper, along with small amounts of silver and lead, until it closed in 2007. Today the area is better known for eco-tourism, with the township living up to its name- 'kombat' means 'the place of the giraffe' in Bantu.

Phoenix Rising team member ozzz2002 dug this question up.

Answer: Song (960-1279 CE)

It is likely that the first firecrackers were directly from the natural world - it was noted that as early as the Han dynasty (around 200 BCE) bamboo stalks 'exploded' when the air trapped in them expanded in a fire. Fireworks that used gunpowder were not developed until about 800 CE (Tang Dynasty). These were pretty basic and it was not until about 1200 CE (Song Dynasty) that fireworks were sent into the air to explode. Public displays of fireworks became relatively common by the mid 13th century with developments often paralleling those in warfare (gunpowder-propelled rockets). In 1295 CE, Marco Polo took fireworks from China to Europe.

This question was propelled into the quiz by PR member MikeMaster99 who hopes it dazzles rather than fails to fire!

Answer: Jerusalem artichoke

The Jerusalem artichoke is not actually an artichoke, but a sunflower. Unlike most other members of the sunflower family (Helianthus) which are grown for their seeds, Helianthus tuberosus is grown for its edible tubers. Jerusalem artichokes are also called earth apples and are native to eastern North America. They were first cultivated by the native Americans. Plants were taken to France in 1605 leading to them becoming a common vegetable for human consumption in Europe by the mid-1600s.

Phoenix Rising team member lg549 planted this question into the quiz.

Answer: A traditional cross with a shorter crossbar above the main crossbar

The Cross of Lorraine arrived from Hungary in the 16th Century as the cross of Anjou. It was an Anjou family heraldry symbol that migrated with part of the family when it relocated to the Lorraine region in eastern France. In time it became the Cross of Lorraine, and when Germany annexed the Lorraine region (and the Alsace region) between 1871 and 1918, it became a symbol of Lorraine belonging to France despite being part of Germany and represented French patriotism. When the Lorraine region was reclaimed by the French after WWII it became a French emblem of victory. When France was occupied by Germany in WWII, the Cross of Lorraine was embraced by the Free French Government in exile in London as a symbol of the need to reclaim France for the French.

This question was crossed off the quiz list as completed by Phoenix Rising Team member and Francophile 1nn1.

Answer: London

The London Beer Flood took place on October 17th, 1814. It was caused by a ruptured beer fermentation tank at the Horse Shoe Brewery and resulted in a tsunami of beer flooding through an area of slum housing known as St. Giles rookery. Several buildings collapsed and a total of eight people were killed, including four women, a teenager and three young children. There were also reports of a ninth related death - caused by alcohol poisoning from over-indulgence on free beer.

The Horse Shoe Brewery survived the physical damage and financial losses caused by the disaster and remained in business until 1921. Its site on the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road in Central London is now occupied by the West End's Dominion Theatre (which, rather aptly, was once the long-term home of the musical 'We Will Rock You').

This question was brewed by Phoenix Rising's beer-hating Fifiona81

Answer: Mexico

A dove made from weapons? Parque Hidalgo (Hidalgo Park) in Pachuca de Soto, Mexico boasts a collection of sculptures and monuments, including the oxymoronic "Paloma de la Paz".

Pachuca is the largest city and capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo, located about 90km (56 miles) northeast of Mexico City. Once known for mining, Pachuca saw settlement of Cornish miners in the 19th Century. Cultural influences continue, including a local dish called "pastes".

"Paloma de la Paz" is a sculpture formed from scale models of firearms. The result is a dove holding an olive branch. A gun amnesty provided some of the metal for the sculpture.

The Atlas Obscura website contains photos of attractions at Parque Hidalgo.

With "military intelligence" being a favourite oxymoron and having a love of outdoor sculptures, Phoenix Rising's psnz was delighted to shoot this question.