10 Average Questions about Leap Day Events

Answer: Jamaica

On his fourth voyage, Columbus left Spain in May of 1502 with some pretty unseaworthy vessels. The last two had to be abandoned on the north shore of Jamaica in June of 1503. The local people were initially friendly, but by February of 1504 the sailors were tired of the situation, and mutinied, killing some of the Arawak people, who in turn were tired of having to share their supplies with the sailors. Things were looking grim, but then Columbus realised, from consulting an almanac he had with him, that there was going to be a lunar eclipse during the night of February 29. A few days in advance of the eclipse, he had a meeting with local leaders, and told them that the Christian God was not happy with the way the Spaniards were being treated, and would show his displeasure by destroying the rising moon, a sign of the devastation that would follow. Talk about a bad moon rising - when the eclipse started shortly after moonrise, the Arawak were deeply concerned, and begged Columbus to get his God to relent. Columbus retired to his hut to consult God for about an hour, and emerged just as totality was about to finish, announcing that God would be forgiving if they promised to take good care of the sailors. Since the moon then immediately started to reappear, his point was made. The natives kept his men generously supplied until the relief ship arrived in June. It was an impressive use of applied science, but not an especially commendable use of religious beliefs. Mark Twain used a similar incident in his novel 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'.

The reference in the question to a corny joke (he made 'em agree) may or may not have helped you to the answer. Herewith the joke:
"My wife is on a Caribbean holiday."
"Jamaica?"
"No, she went of her own accord."

Answer: Salem

Although the trials, which were held between February 1692 and May 1693, are usually called the Salem Witch Trials, they were actually held in a number of nearby towns, not just in Salem. The first three women charged were Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba (a slave with no recorded surname, owned by Samuel Parris), all accused of harming Ann Putnam, Elizabeth Hubbard, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams. Ultimately, the Salem trials led to the execution of twenty people (with another five dying in prison).

While this infamous example of mass hysteria has become world-famous, it was not unique. Witch trials were widespread in Europe during the 16th to 18th centuries, and a dozen women had been executed during the earlier years of the 17th century in colonial America.

Historians are divided as to whether the charges of witchcraft that started each outbreak of witch trials were based on biological or psychological factors.

Answer: William Tell

The 'Overture to William Tell' lasts in full for around 12 minutes, with four movements that are intended to evoke life in the Swiss Alps. The finale, known as 'The March of the Swill Soldiers', has found use in many forms over the years. Most familiar to many will be the theme music for 'The Lone Ranger', but fans of Spike Jones may recall his version, which charted in 1948, featuring a comic race call over the final movement, including repeated references to a plug named Feetlebaum. Walt Disney used it in the Mickey Mouse cartoon 'The Band Concert', and a number of Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies cartoons have included performances of portions performed by Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and/or Porky Pig. Less humorously, Stanley Kubrick used it behind the orgy scene in 'A Clockwork Orange'. And many more over the years!

Answer: Piano

Jimmy Dorsey played trumpet as a youth, before changing to saxophone and then clarinet. He worked for a number of years with his brother Tommy (a trombone player), before they went their separate ways in 1935, reuniting in 1953. He recorded a number of jazz and popular hits, including 'I'm Glad There is You' (which he also composed with Paul Madeira and 'Pennies From Heaven", with Bing Crosby singing and Louis Armstrong on trumpet.

His biggest hit, 'Amapola' ('Pretty Little Poppy'), spent ten weeks in 1941 in the top spot of the Billboard Pop Singles chart.

Answer: Hattie McDaniel

'Gone With the Wind' was nominated for 13 awards, winning eight of them (as well as two honorary awards). Hattie McDaniel's award made her the first African American to win an Oscar. Her film debut was in 1932's 'The Golden West', in which she played a maid. Over her entire career she appeared in more than 300 movies, although fewer than a hundred gave her screen credits. One of her first major roles was as Queenie in 'Showboat' (1936), in which she sang a duet with Paul Robeson as well as a solo verse in the ensemble number 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man'.

Although she was often a maid, she developed a reputation for maids with attitude, and that was exactly the kind of interpretation she brought to the part of Mammy, one of the household slaves belonging to the O'Hara family.

Her award was not without controversy - many criticised the role and the entire movie as presenting slavery in an unacceptable manner, so it was felt that giving her the award was sending a message that actors should accept racially stereotyped roles if they wanted to succeed in Hollywood.

The ceremony was held in a racially segregated venue, to which Hattie and her escort were allowed special entry. They did, however, have to sit at their own table in the back corner.

Answer: Chicago

The Playboy Club was a part of the growing interests of Playboy Enterprises, the management company set up by Hugh Hefner to expand into new markets using the same type of appeal to clients as in the magazine that started it all in 1953. The first club was so popular that a chain was soon set up, and expanded overseas in 1965. Clubs offered drinks, dining and cabaret entertainment, as well as (where it was legal) casino facilities. To use club facilities, one must become a member, paying an annual fee. During the 1960s members were issued with rabbit-headed keys. Such was the ethos of the times that many people paid for membership so they could display the key, even if they never actually visited a club!

Answer: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The first winner of this award was Henry Mancini's 'The Music from Peter Gunn' in 1959. For the first decade, comedy albums and easy listening music dominated the nominations and awards. That changed in 1968, when the Beatles won on their third nomination. Previous nominations were for 'Help' in 1966 and 'Revolver' in 1967, both times losing out to Frank Sinatra. 'Sgt Pepper', as it is usually called, has been rated one of the greatest albums of all time in a number of different listings, and is considered one of the earliest concept albums.

It reached top position on charts around the world, and managed a total of 175 weeks (not consecutively) in the Billboard 200 chart. The Beatles were also nominated in the following two years, for 'Magical Mystery Tour' in 1969 and 'Abbey Road' in 1970, but 'Sgt Pepper' remained their only win.

Answer: Hartford Whalers

Although Canadian, Gordie Howe never played for any of these Canadian hockey teams. He spent the first 25 years of his National Hockey League career (1946 - 1971) with the Detroit Redwings, with whom he is most readily identified. He retired due to injury, but found management unsatisfying, and had surgery to be able to play again for a team in the World Hockey Association which had also signed his two sons.

The three moved from the Houston Aeros to the New England Whalers in 1977, and rejoined NHL competition when the WHA folded, and the Whalers became the Hartford Whalers in the NHL for the 1979-80 season.

In that season, he played in the All Star game at the age of 51, alongside a teenage hotshot named Wayne Gretzky.

Answer: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

'Ben-Hur' won eleven of the twelve awards for which it was nominated in 1959, while 'Titanic' won eleven of the fourteen for which had been nominated in 1998. 'Master and Commander' received ten nominations for the 2004 awards, and won two. The final instalment of Peter Jackson's trilogy based on Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' scooped most of the production-oriented awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.

However, the acting awards went elsewhere: Sean Penn was awarded Best Actor for 'Mystic River', Charlize Theron Best Actress for 'Monster', Tim Robbins Best Supporting Actor for 'Mystic River', and Renee Zellweger Best Supporting Actress for 'Cold Mountain'.

Answer: World's tallest tower

Tokyo Skytree is a broadcasting tower whose efficacy is based on its height (meaning reduced blockage of transmissions than had been the case for previous towers) rather than its power. With a height of 634 metres (over 2000 feet), it was the highest tower in the world, and the second highest man-made structure, behind the Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in Dubai which reaches to nearly 830 metres (about 2700 feet).

As well as being used for broadcasting, the tower is set up to offer visitors panoramic views of the city, with two different observation platforms.

The upper one features glass flooring, so you can look straight down, should you be so inclined. The lower observation deck includes a restaurant, so you can dine in style as you survey the surrounds (apparently the range is up to 70km on a good day).