Thankless Tests of Trivia - the "T" Quiz

Answer: Christopher Tye

Christopher Tye was an English composer and organist, born around 1505. He seems to have blithely transitioned between the Protestant and Catholic churches during in religious instability which so marked his era, remaining throughout in his position at Ely Cathedral. In his late 50s, he took holy orders as rector of Doddington in Cambridgeshire. His works were mostly sacred in nature.

Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656) was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to a musical family. He was both composer and organist of Worcester Cathedral until the Civil War effectively ended music in churches. His music was almost entirely liturgical, the exception being one book of madrigals, and his style was very conservative, harking back to earlier forms.

Magnus Thomsen (1562-1612) was a Danish composer. My total lack of Danish renders the only biographical website I could find virtually useless, but he may have been both composer and trumpeter ("Magnus Thomsen blev født i Tyskland og kom til Danmark i 1596 for at tjene som hoftrompeter.... Der er bevaret en nodebog med næsten 300 musikstykker for trompet...." - www.dvm.nu).

John Taverner (c1490-1545) is considered to be the most influential English composer of his time. He was the first choirmaster at what is now Christ Church College at Oxford University. It is believed he encountered Lutheranism in Oxford, and having espoused their beliefs he stopped composing music for the Catholic mass as well as Magnificats and motets. He is a direct ancestor of the modern composer, Sir John Taverner.

Answer: Tantalum

Tantalum (Ta) is element 73. A bluish-grey element, highly resistant to corrosion, it has an atomic weight of 180.94788. It is found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Thailand, Malaysia and Mozambique. It is mostly used in alloys and electronic components (transistors and capacitors), as well as coatings for specialised camera lenses, in vacuum furnace parts and even in biological implants.

Titanium (Ti) is element 22, a silvery metal used in a wide range of applications, from spacecraft to surgical implants, especially hips.

Thorium (Th) is element 90. It is silvery white and slightly radioactive, and is used in applications ranging from an additive to glass to nuclear fuel.

Terbium (Tb) is element 65. It is silvery, soft and stable. It is used in alloys, television tubes and fuel cells.

Answer: Tamaskan Dog

The Tamaskan Dog was bred in Finland from husky stock and excels at all husky skills, but unlike many huskies, it can also do well at obedience trials. Like huskies, however, when left to their own devices he can cause considerable mischief! This breed stands about two foot tall and can weigh up to 95 pounds.

The Tornjak is a herding dog native to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. It dates back at least to the 9th century and was used in sheep herding as well as guarding, and the Romans used them as war dogs. This gentle giant will chase off wolves or even bears, protecting his flock or family, but is otherwise not aggressive in nature.

The Tenterfield Terrier is a little chap, weighing in at about ten pounds. He was developed in Australia as a miniature fox terrier, and looks very like a rat terrier.

The Transylvanian Hound is a medium-sized hunting dog originating in Hungary. He's generally black and tan, sometimes with a bit of white, and has a short, coarse coat. He's friendly but protective of family and property.

Answer: Agostino Tassi

Agostino Tassi was born in Perugia, Italy in 1578 to a furrier and his wife, but claimed he was born in Rome and adopted by the Marchese Tassi. His works of art were masterpieces but his life was a bit of a disaster. He planned to have his wife murdered, and indeed she did go missing, never to be found and presumed killed by hired thugs. He committed incest with his sister-in-law and was accused of raping her. He was also accused of raping his partner's daughter. Eventually he was convicted of the rapes - but only went to prison for one year.

Vincenzo Tamagni was born in San Gimignano, Italy, in 1492 and died about 1516. He studied under Raphael and worked mostly in Siena where he painted altarpieces and frescoes.

Pietro Tacca (1577-1640) was a sculptor from Tuscany.

Lazzaro Tavarone (1556-1641) was a Genoese painter particularly known for his portraits and historical paintings.

Answer: T is for Trespass

It's "T is for Trespass". Kinsey Millhone's neighbour Gus Vronsky was hurt in a fall. His great niece hires a home health aide - but all is not well in the home. There's some identity theft and elder abuse, but was it by the aide - or someone else?

Answer: Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove is an American historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy writer who initially wrote under the pseudonym Eric G. Iverson.

Sylvia Thorpe is really June Sylvia Thimblethorpe, who also wrote as Vivian Stuart. She is a British romantic writer. James Tiptree, Jr. was actually the American science fiction writer Alice Bradley Sheldon, who also used the name Raccoona Sheldon. William Tenn is the English science fiction writer Philip Klass.

Answer: Battle of Tom's Brook

In early October 1864, Union General Sheridan's forces were in the process of withdrawing from the Staunton, Virginia, area, burning anything they felt could help the Confederate forces at a later time. Confederate General Early and some others were nipping at the Union troops' heels when they turned and fought back. It was a decisive Union victory.

The Battle of Trevilian Station took place on 11-12 June 1864. It was one of the largest battles in the war using only cavalry troops (the Battle of Brandy Station used predominantly cavalry, but was larger). Union General Grant was under orders to secure the railway line at Gordonsville, VA, and political pressure to win a big battle. Confederate General Hampton pursued the Union troops and met up with them at Trevilian Station. There was a great battle, Union losses were great, and they withdrew, giving the Confederates the victory.

The Battle of Tranter's Creek, on 5 June 1862, took place in Pitt County, North Carolina. Union troops under Lt Col Osborne wanted to cross the bridge; Confederate troops under Col Singletary thought otherwise. After a skirmish, Osborne aimed his cannon at the mill building in which the Confederates were situated. Col Singletary was killed, the Confederate troops retreated and the Union troops headed off towards Washington DC.

The Battle of Totopotomoy Creek took place on 28-30 May 1864 in Hanover County, VA. It was also known as the Battle of Bethesda Church, Crumps Creek, Shady Grove Road, and Hanovertown. While the victory is considered to be inconclusive, the Confederate forces sustained heavy casualties. Their bravery, however, inspired the historian of the 13th Pennsylvania Reserves to write, "The slaughter was so sickening that Major Hartshorne leaped to his feet and called upon his assailants to surrender. Some hundreds did so. Rebels or no rebels, their behavior and bearing during the charge had won the admiration of their captors, who did not hesitate to express it."

Answer: Torre de Oro

The Torre de Oro in Seville, Spain, was one of two towers which controlled a chain that could block access to the Guadalquivir river. It is more a keep than a full castle - it is a large dodecagonal tower with another smaller one on it, and a yet smaller, circular tower on that. It was built in the early 13th century by the Moors and allegedly was once covered in gold tiles, hence its name.

Schloss Tratzberg, in Austria, was originally built in the 13th century but in the late 15th century it was destroyed in a fire. Rather than rebuild it, Emperor Maximilian I traded the site for an intact castle, and the other parties to the trade built a new one in German Gothic style. Of particular interest is the Hapsburg family tree painted high on a wall - it dates from around 1500. It is open to the public, for around 10 Euros.

Thornbury Castle is not so much as castle as a Tudor manor house. Located in South Gloucestershire, it was originally the home of the 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who fell foul of his cousin, Henry VIII. Both he and his second wife, Anne Boleyn, stayed at the castle for 10 days. The castle fell into disrepair but in the early 1800s came into the possession of the Howard family who renovated it beautifully. Currently it is a hotel, restaurant and site for special events. However, 10 Euros won't get you a bed there for the night - rates start at over 150 pounds sterling for a simple bed and breakfast!

Trausnitz Castle is in Landshut, Germany. It was built in 1204 by Duke Ludwig I and stayed within the family for several centuries. Part of the castle was destroyed by fire in 1961, but has since been restored.

Answer: Tandia

In 1991, there were only two speakers of the language, with the vast majority of the Tandia tribe speaking Wandamen instead.

Twana is an already-extinct language once spoken by inhabitants of the eastern Puget Sound in Washington state, USA. It has also been called Skokomish.

Tulishi is alive and well, spoken by over 8000 people (1977 estimate) in the northern part of the Sudan.

Tibea is spoken by about 1400 people (as of 1992) in three villages of Cameroon. It will likely not survive, however, as the younger members of the population are choosing instead to speak French.

Answer: Tokelau

Tokelau is comprised of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, with a total area of 10 sq km. The country is a territory of New Zealand, and is home to under 1500 residents. The economy is based on copra, coconuts, souvenir coins and collectible postage stamps, and on aid received from New Zealand.

Tuvalu was, until 1975, part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the south Pacific. It gained its independence in 1976. The country is comprised of nine islands, covering a total of 26 sq km. A poor country with no resources (including water, other than that captured or desalinated), its 12000 inhabitants rely on the fishing industry and on a trust fund created by Britain, Australia and New Zealand for their income.

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British overseas territory in the Caribbean sea, with two main and about 38 small islands, eight of which (including the main ones) are inhabited. The population of over 22000 rely on tourism, fishing and financial services to maintain their economy - as well as any money brought in by Haitians and drug dealers using the islands as a staging point in their travel to the US.

Timor-Leste occupies two parts of an island in the Indonesian archipelago, plus two small islands off its coast. It has over 1000000 inhabitants with a low life expectancy and very high rate of illiteracy. Since 1999 the country has been in turmoil, following an incursion by Indonesian forces and considerable civil unrest and violence in the following years; the income from the country's oil resources is not optimized as there are no oil production facilities. Other sources of income for the country include gold, manganese, coffee, rice, printing, soapmaking and other agricultural sources, yet unemployment is extremely high, estimated at 50%.