Utterly Random IV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bay of Smoke

When the first settlers came to Iceland in 874 and saw the steam rising from the natural hot springs in the area, they believed it to be smoke coming from the earth.

Answer: The 'eighth colour' from Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series

'Kind of a purplish orange' and the colour of magic. The eighth element is oxygen. I doubt there's any such fruit, and if you've ever had one of those cocktails, then let me know when you're feeling better.

Answer: True

Peter the Great was the first Tsar to leave Russia in peacetime (on a European technological fact-finding mission), and came to London to study shipbuilding, living rather rowdily in Deptford for four months, where his entourage broke furniture, burned chairs and used his host's paintings for target practice.

As far as the shipbuilding goes, his trip was a success; probably because this was a time when Britons could actually claim to 'rule the waves'. (Info from 'The Guardian' newspaper, http://greenwichengland.com, and my mum (aaaah).)

Answer: Thanos

'Oneiros' from the Greek for 'dream', and 'Morpheus' being a variation of 'Lord Shaper', coming from the Greek for 'shape'. 'Thanos' is a Marvel Comics character - the name comes from 'thanatos', Greek for 'death'. (To say Gaiman took the idea of The Sandman bringing us dreams and ran with it would be an enormous understatement.)

Answer: A device which demonstrates the rotation of the earth

Needing a long wire and a heavy weight, the Pendulum demonstrates the rotation of the earth by moving slowly in a circle as it swings, rather than simply going back and forth. Jean Bernard Leon Foucault first demonstrated his Pendulum during the World's Fair in London in 1851 (not Michel Foucault, the Deconstructionist, who may or may not own a llama). Pendulums are a fat lot of use at sea due the movement of the swell. Bizarrely, some experimenters have found the Pendulum's angle of rotation to change dramatically during solar eclipses - if this can be verified, then it's going to be Headscratch City as to exactly why.

Answer: Cain

The first murderer, he killed his brother Abel when God preferred his sacrifice to Cain's. "And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden." (Genesis iv. 16). The location of the Land of Nod has not, to my knowledge, been established.

Answer: True

Edison established the Edison Electric Light Company in 1878 and in 1892, it merged with the Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form the General Electric Company. (Info from www.ge.com.)

Answer: Newton Heath

From 1877 until 1902 they were so known, until (having left the Newton Heath area eight years previously) it was decided they needed a new name. 'Manchester Central' & 'Manchester Celtic' (!) were rejected before 'United' was chosen in April 1902 (and, of course, the rest was history). 'Old Trafford' is the name of their ground, and 'Total Network Solutions' are an actual team playing in the League of Wales, whose new owners spotted a unique advertising opportunity and changed the name from 'Llansantffraid'.

Answer: Exactly as fast

Scientists apparently discovered in 2003 that gravity 'travels' at the speed of light. I shall not go into how they did this because frankly I don't have a clue. What it does mean, though, is if the sun were to completely disappear in a large puff of smoke, then the Earth would continue happily on in its orbit for around eight minutes (the time it takes light to reach us from the sun) before it and everything on it would be flung into space. (What the likelihood of that happening is, I'm not sure; I'm guessing EXTREMELY small.) Don't take my word for it!: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3232

Answer: "You can't sell that! Karma can only be apportioned by the cosmos!"

"He's got me there."