On This Day: I Trivia Quiz

Answer: Jennifer Capriati

At 13 years of age, young Capriati played in her first professional tournament in Florida. The hype surrounding her advance to the final of the event was more akin to a Hollywood film premiere. After reaching and losing the final to Argentinian Gabriela Sabatini (6-4, 7-5), Tinling stated "What a gift to American tennis".

Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev and Deng Xiaoping

Gorbachev and Xiaoping met on the 15th May in Bejing's Great Hall of the People. It was the first time that leaders with the respective countries had shaken hands since the two nations split the Communist world. However, this event was upstaged by the peaceful demonstrations taking place outside of the hall.

The Chinese authorities were severely embarrassed by the demonstrations taking place in front of the Soviet leader, that the army was called in and to save face, the Chinese government gave permission to destroy the demonstration at any cost.

Answer: Prince William

William was born in London's St Mary's hospital, Paddington. Princess Diana who was to be 21 a week later, had to endure a 16 hour labour before it ended with a 7lb boy being born. Prince Charles left the hospital beaming and said "the Princess is a little tired as it has been a long time". William became second in line to the throne after his father.

Answer: Dashiell Hammett

Senator Joe McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt blacklisted many in public life and the arts who were on the left of the political spectrum. Hammett refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was therefore sent to jail. Hammett, a former Pinkerton detective, had virtually given up the writing on which his reputation depended, among his works was the 'Maltese Falcon' and 'The Thin Man'.

He served a six month jail sentence.

Answer: The first transatlantic telegraph cable was laid

American financer Cyrus West Field saw his dream come true after sinking vast amounts of his personal wealth into the laying of cable between Ireland and Newfoundland. The cable was laid jointly by the naval vessels USS Niagara and HMS Agamemnon. The Queen and President inaugurated the line by exchanging telegrammes a month later.

Answer: First person to swim the English Channel

The 27 year old master mariner from Shropshire swam from Admiralty Pier, Dover on August 24th. Swimming breaststroke, he covered the 21 mile (34km) stretch to Calais in 21 hours 45 minutes, emerging on the French side tired but triumphant.

Answer: Palestinian

The German plane had sat on the tarmac for five days whilst Palastinian terrorists supporting the left wing Baader-Meinhof urban terrorist group decided on what they would do with the passengers. When word got out that they had already killed the pilot, Jürgen Schumann, a unit of special forces stormed the plane killing four of the terrorists. None of the passengers nor the elite unit were killed in the storming.

Answer: Enniskillen

The bomb was placed in a disused school and was planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The group admitted planting it but blamed the British Army for triggering the device with a high frequency scanning device. Regardless of who actually triggered it and how, 11 people including 3 married couples were killed and 63 were injured, some critically. One of the injured people who lost his daughter in the blast, said "I shall pray for those people tonight and every night".

Answer: Clark Gable

Gable's career spanned 30 years and dozen of movies. His first movie was the 1930 film 'Painted Desert' and his last, 'The Misfits' made in 1960. In the 1930s he starred with Greta Garbo in 'Susan Lenox', Jean Harlow in 'Red Dust' and Claudette Colbert in 'It Happened One Night', for which he won an Oscar.

However, it was his role of Rhett Butler in the classic 'Gone with the Wind' that promoted him to super stardom, playing opposite Vivien Leigh.

Answer: William I

King William I ordered the complete survey of England. Its believed that seven or eight groups of commissioners gathered the detailed information of the accounts of the estates of the King and of those who held land by direct services to him. From each manor information was collected on the dimensions and the ploughing capacity of the land, the number of workers, and any extra amenities such as mills and fishponds.

It was done so the King could estimate what every holder of land was worth.