The Number 42 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Molybdenum

Molybdenum belongs to Group 6 of the metals, along with Chromium and Tungsten (Wolfram). It has a high melting-point and is used in making steel alloys with high strength.

Answer: Orion Nebula

In 1771 Charles Messier compiled a catalogue of objects such as galaxies and nebulae visible from the Northern Hemipshere. The incredibly impressive Orion Nebula can be seen by the naked eye on a clear dark night as the middle star in the sword of Orion.

The Dumbbell Nebula (M 27) is found in the constellation of Vulpecula (Fox), the Crab Nebula (M 1 in Taurus) is the remains of a supernova recorded in 1054 AD, and the Ring Nebula (M 57) is found in Lyra.

Answer: Cricket

The Laws of Cricket are kept and administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club in London. They were first established in 1788, and have frequently been amended during the past 200 or so years.

Answer: The Kumars

"The Kumars at No. 42" ran for 53 episodes between 2001 and 2006, and featured an Indian family living in Wembley (London). To foster their son's (Sanjeev) dream of being a TV commentator, they built a TV studio at the bottom of their garden. The Goods were the husband and wife on "The Good Life", the Fowlers lived at 45 Albert Square in "EastEnders", while the Archers is a radio programme set in Ambridge.

Answer: Empire State Building

The Empire State Building is located at the intersection of 34th Street and Fifth Avenue. 42nd Street was the centre of New York's entertainment area, especially the seedy grindhouse theatres. In the 1990s the city undertook a major clean-up of the area, and now boasts legitimate theatres, shops, and restaurants, changing the name slightly to "New 42nd Street".

Answer: Jackie Robinson

This happened at Shea Stadium on April 15th 1997, fifty years to the day when Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier when he came on to Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. His number 42 was retired by the Dodgers in 1972, and Major League Baseball followed in 1997.

Answer: Philippi

This is the battle found in the last act of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", when the forces of Marc Antony and Octavian defeat the armies led by Brutus and Cassius, two of the conspirators who assassinated Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BC. There were actually two battles, fought three weeks apart, in October 42 BC.

Answer: The episode runs in a real time-frame of 42 minutes.

The Doctor has 42 minutes to prevent a spaceship (S.S. Pentalian) from falling into a star. The producer of the show said that the number was meant to reflect the same concept of a real time-frame found in the TV show "24".

Answer: Bill Clinton

William Jefferson Clinton (Democrat) was President from 1993 to 2001. Before his election he had been Governor of Arkansas. His time in office included the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the "don't ask don't tell" policy for gays in the Armed Forces, welfare and health reform for children, and his impeachment for perjury and obstruction of justice -- for which he was acquitted by the Senate.

He left office with one of the highest approval rates of any outgoing president.

Answer: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Originally part of a radio series on the BBC in 1978, the number "42" is given as the answer to the "Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything". A great deal of clever speculation has gone into explaining why Douglas Adams chose "42" as the answer. The radio series spawned books, a TV series, and a filmed version in 2005.