Hello, Here is the Letter "V"! Quiz

Answer: Tracy wrote a novel based on a painting by Vermeer

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle class life. He produced about 34 paintings and almost all of them were painted in his home in Delft. One of his most beautiful paintings is the "Girl with a Pearl Earring", dated c.1665, that is on display in the Mauritshuis, an art museum in The Hague, Netherlands.

Inspired by the painting "Girl with a Pearl Earring", the American-British writer Tracy Chevalier released in 1999 a novel with the same name. The book's success motivated the release of a film in 2003. Literature and cinema made Vermeer known worldwide.

Answer: The warship Vasa

The Vasa Museum, stablished in 1990 in Stockholm, displays the unique and well preserved warship Vasa. Vasa was the most powerful, expensive and richly decorated war ship built in Sweden until 1628. On August 10, 1628, the authorities and the local population went to the port of Stockholm to see the Vasa depart. However, instead of the departure they witnessed a disaster: the capsizing and sinking of the ship, a few minutes after setting sail for the first time.

In 1956, amateur archeologist Anders Franzer located a large piece of wood belonging to Vasa. A rescue operation was then set up by the Swedish authorities. On April 24, 1961, after 333 years at the bottom of the sea, Vasa was finally taken out of the water and temporarily transferred to a shipyard. Vasa, 700 sculptures that decorated it, and more than 26,000 artifacts can be seen at the Vasa Museum.

Answer: Vanadium

The letter "V" represents the chemical element Vanadium, its atomic number is 23 and it is a medium-hard, silvery gray, malleable transition metal.

Vanadium was discovered in 1801 by the Spanish-Mexican mineralogist Andrés Manuel del Rio, who later became convinced that it was not a new element. In 1831, the Swedish chemist Nils Gabriel Sefström confirmed the existence of this new element and named it Vanadium, after the Old Norse goddess Vanadis, whose attributes are beauty and fertility.

Answer: Electric battery

Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) was an Italian chemist, physicist and pioneer of electricity and power. He is credited to be the inventor of the electric battery and the discoverer of methane. With the invention of the Voltaic pile in 1799, Alessandro Volta was able to demonstrate that electricity could be generated by a physical-chemical reaction, contrary to what was believed at the time, that electricity could only be generated by living beings.

Volta's invention had a great impact on the scientific environment, leading to the development of electrochemistry.

Answer: François-Marie Arouet

François-Marie Arouet (1694-1778) is best known by his pseudonym Voltaire. He was a prolific French writer, philosopher and historian, producing works in various literary forms including poetry, novels, essays, letters, etc. He advocated freedom of expression and of religion, and criticized and satirized the laws and dogmas of the institutions of his time, especially the Church and the monarchy.

In 1758, Voltaire published his most famous work "Candide, ou L'Optimisme". Voltaire was one of the first writers to become known and to have commercial success internationally.

Answer: Railroad and shipping

Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) also known as Commodore Vanderbilt, was an American tycoon, who built his fortune with shipping and railroads. In 1873, the tycoon donated $ 1 million to the development of an institution that would unite the various areas of the country divided by the Civil War. Vanderbilt University, founded in Nashville, Tennessee, and named in his honor, became one of the most important teaching and research centers in the United States.

Answer: Romeo and Juliet

"Romeo and Juliet" is a tragedy written by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in the late 16th century. Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, decide to marry even though their families were enemies. Unable to stay together due to family pressure, they end up choosing death.

"Romeo and Juliet" is set in Verona, the Italian city on the Adige River in Veneto. The popularity of this play and many other attractions has brought millions of visitors to the city over time.

Answer: Murder

The Italian Gianni Versace (1946-1997) was a fashion designer and founder of the international fashion house Versace. He started his apprenticeship early with his mother, a dressmaker. At the age of 26, he moved to Milan to work in fashion design and in 1978 he opened his first boutique, selling not only clothes but also accessories, perfumes, make-up, jewelry and housewares. Versace had a strong connection with personalities from the world of music and other areas. He was the costume designer in almost 20 films.

On July 15, 1997, at the age of 50, Versace was murdered point-blank at his Miami Beach home by Andrew Cunanan, who later became known to have been obsessed with the designer.

Answer: Roger Vadim

Frenchman Roger Vadim Plemiannikov (1928-2000) was a film director, screenwriter, producer and author. He was famous for his numerous romances and marriages with beautiful actresses such as Brigitte Bardot, Annette Streyberg, Catherine Deneuve and Jane Fonda.

In the book "Bardot, Deneuve & Fonda: The Memoirs of Roger Vadim", 1986, Vadim tells of his life with these stars and how he influenced their private lives and careers.

Answer: Vienna

Vienna is the capital, largest and most populous city of Austria. The city is famous for its history, palaces, museums, music rooms, and parks, and attracts millions of tourists annually. In addition, there are two very interesting things to do in Vienna.

The first one is to participate in the ZuckerBäckerball in the Vienna Hofburg. The second is to attend a Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert.