Ten Little Titbits Trivia Quiz

Answer: Giraffe

The tongue of a giraffe is around twenty-one inches in length, and is long enough and flexible enough for it to clean its own ears. Giraffes use it for grasping and plucking foliage to eat, especially the leaves of the acacia. These plants have some very long thorns, and the tongue of the giraffe is perfectly suited to get around the thorns to pick the young leaves.

The top of the tongue is a purple/black colour. Most experts think that this is to protect it from sunburn when eating.

Answer: Jawbone

There are 14 bones in our face. The skull is surprisingly fragile and can be quite easily fractured if hit at the right point. The jawbone however is the strongest bone in the human body, closely followed by the femur. Both are stronger than concrete. Bone, on an inch by inch basis, is actually stronger than steel used to fabricate skyscrapers.

Although we have 206 bones in our bodies babies are born with 300 bones. However, many of these, especially in the skull, fuse together as they grow.

Answer: Dementia

In a study published in 2012, scientists took a group of people aged over 70, all of whom had mild memory loss. They gave them a chocolate drink containing either a high, medium or low dose of a cocoa product. At the end of an eight week period there was a measurable improvement in the two groups taking the high and medium dose drink. Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains a substance called flavenols, and it is thought that this protects brain cells from degenerating.

The study also noted a decrease in blood pressure.

It was only a small study and more work needs to be done, but in the meantime, no reason not to eat dark chocolate as a preventative measure.

Answer: Six

The Great Fire of London was in September 1666. A fire in Pudding Lane got out of hand and swept through the city. Buildings were close together, and were mainly timber. Fanned by a wind, and with no organised fire fighting force, it spread quickly. People were forced to evacuate, grabbing what they could to take with them.

Many buried valuables hoping to go back for them later. Eventually it was stopped by blowing up buildings to create a fire break. Around 13,000 buildings were destroyed, including St Paul's Cathedral, but remarkably only six deaths were recorded.

Many more died after the fire as they were housed in temporary buildings which allowed disease to spread. The winter that year was also very harsh, and this too caused many deaths.

Answer: It was once the place where goods from the Canary Islands were landed

Long before it became the home of skyscraper office buildings Canary Wharf was a working docks where fruit from the Canary Islands was landed. Like much of London's docks areas it fell into disuse and disrepair. There were various plans to reuse and re-stimulate the area, and in 1988 construction began on One Canada Square, the first building to be completed in the new office complex.

When finished, it was the tallest building in London. Its height is such that it has an aircraft warning light on top of it. Canary Wharf is now a major financial area of London.

Answer: £45 per year

In 1759, Arthur Guinness started his business in a disused brewery in Dublin. He signed a 9000 year lease for the disused premises at a rent of £45 per annum. Within ten years he was starting to export his products, and by 1886 was one of the top three British or Irish brewers.

This all despite never advertising the beer and refusing to give any discounts on the price. Today, Guinness is known all over the world, and its innovative and distinctive advertising campaigns have won many advertising industry awards.

Although it is available canned and bottled, the best pint of Guinness can still be found in Irish pubs where it is slowly pulled from a pump.

Answer: Wood

Douglas Englebart of Stanford Research Institute patented the first mouse in November 1970. It looked very unlike the mouse we know today, being square, made of wood, and with a small button on the top. It didn't meet with much success, and the first mouse to be in general use was an Apple product. Now, of course, touch screens are making the mouse obsolete.

Answer: Dentist

After watching a man die after accidentally touching a live electric generator, Dr. Alfred Southwick, a dentist, decided electrocution would be a better way of executing condemned prisoners than hanging. He designed a chair, which was built by the Edison Corporation.

He worked with the Governor of New York State to make this form of execution legal, and in 1889 the appropriate law was passed. In August 1890, William Kemmler became the first victim of Southwick's invention. Since the 1980s this form of execution has been gradually phased out in favour of lethal injection, which is considered more humane.

Answer: Stalin

Joseph Stalin, leader of the USSR, was made "Time" magazine Man of the Year in 1939, and again in 1942. Although he fought against Hitler, which was probably why he was honoured twice, he was one of the most murderous dictators in history. His purges of alleged enemies of the people in the 1930s saw thousands either executed or imprisoned, and several million sent to Gulag prison camps where many died.

His collectivisation policy of agricultural land also cost millions of lives. It is estimated that some ten million Russians died during his reign.

He died of a stroke in 1952.

Answer: Pine cones

Pine cones are made up a series of scales which, when rain is on the way, will reputedly close. Wet weather is not the best for distribution of the seeds, so the cone closes up to protect them. When it is dry and warm the cone opens, which allows birds and the wind to get at the seeds and give them the widest distribution. If you have a pine cone that you want to collect the seeds from, put it in a warm oven for a few minutes.

It will open up and you can then gently shake it and the seeds will just fall out.