Home Sweet Home Trivia Quiz

Answer: Moonrakers

French brandy was a particular favourite with merchants based in the area, but the import duty on this luxury tipple was excessive. A group of Wiltshire men considered that high profits were there for the taking if able to smuggle in these barrels of brandy, so avoiding import duties.

A successful smuggling operation was eventually established, with contraband barrels being shipped in from France to quiet coastal coves in Hampshire, and then transported in the hours of darkness to the smugglers' villages in Wiltshire. Various hiding places were used to temporarily stash their ill-gotten gains, in barns, church yards and even in village ponds. One night when using long rakes to remove barrels from a village pond, they were almost caught in the act by a patrol of excise men. When asked by these officials what on earth they were doing, the locals pointed to the reflection of the moon in the pond, saying they were about to rake in that big cheese! The revenue men assumed these country yokels were simpletons, and laughing loudly at their attempts to rake in the cheese, continued on their way!

But the last laugh was of course enjoyed by the smugglers, and the term "Wiltshire Moonraker" was born for people in my neck of the woods, and is still widely used to this day!

(Question and information from moonraker2)

Answer: Bogota, Colombia

The area liberated by Bolivar encompassed much of northern South America as well as parts of Central America. It is known today as "Gran Colombia". From 1819 to 1831, the country was actually called "Republic of Colombia", and it was only after its separation into smaller republics was the term "Gran Colombia" coined to refer to the whole area.

It included present-day Colombia (as well as Panama, which remained part of Colombia until the early 1900s), Venezuela and Ecuador. It also consisted of parts of the current territories of Peru, Guyana, Nicaragua and Brazil.

Though Bolivar died in Caracas, Venezuela, Bogota, Colombia was the headquarters of his operations to gain independence from Spain.

I lived in Bogota from 1983 to 2002, and my heart still considers it home.

(Question and information from shuehorn)

Answer: Singapore

Singapore has earned the title of "Asian Tiger" due to its rapid economic growth. Singaporeans have also consistently scored at the top on the PISA test, an international test for all countries. Singapore only has claim to 716 square km of land, about half the size of Los Angeles, or two-thirds of Hong Kong. It, however, houses 5.6 million people. Imagine that!

(Question and information from pinkbunny98)

Answer: Westport, CT

Settled in 1693 and incorporated in 1835, the appeal of Westport lies in the fact that it's only an hour from Manhattan (NYC) and has lovely beaches on the coast of Connecticut.

2,000 British troops landed on one of those beaches on April 15, 1777 and marched 20 miles north to Danbury where they destroyed stored war supplies.
On their way back, they were ambushed by a group of Minutemen who killed 200 of them before they managed to escape. A Minuteman statue, cast by the Tiffany Studios in 1910, stands at the site of the skirmish.

Other famous people have lived in Westport, including Phil Donohue and Marlo Thomas, Don Imus, Harvey Weinstein, Michael Bolton, Rod Serling, Linda Blair, Bette Davis, Ashford & Simpson and more. REO Speedwagon lived at 157 Riverside Avenue while recording an album, and wrote a song about it. Even F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda lived here for 6 months in 1920 while Scott started writing his second novel "The Beautiful and Damned". They left because Zelda thought the town dull.

(question and information from VanCoerte)

Answer: An egg was thrown at the visiting Prime Minister

Warwick, Queensland, is a beautiful little country town, replete with many lovely old fashioned sandstone buildings, right in the heart of the Darling Downs in the south east corner of that Australian state. With its lovely rich soil, and surrounded by the gently flowing Condamine River and several creeks, this entire area was perfect for the establishment of primary industries (farming) when the government released the land in 1850. It was initially settled by squatters in 1847, but when the official land sales began three years later, this occurred when both sides of my large Irish family first came out to this country - and their descendants have been farming the land there ever since. The air is so healthy and clean in Warwick, so beautifully crisp in winter, the children all grow with roses in their cheeks, the men are reserved in nature, but the women are like talkative little hens. It is from farming communities like my home town of Warwick that the strength and pride of our beautiful nation has sprung. I love it, and miss its beautiful memories.

Australia only became the one federated country in 1901, 113 years after the first settlement arrived in 1788. The seventh Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes (1862-1952) visited Warwick in 1917, campaigning for the very unpopular plebiscite on conscription during World War One. He was addressing the hostile crowd at the railway station there on 29 November that year, when a raw egg was hurled at him from its ranks, knocking his hat flying. Outraged the feisty little PM jumped into the crowd, reaching for his revolver to shoot the offender, but fortunately he'd left that weapon behind in the carriage. He became angrier still when he ordered the offender, Patrick Michael Brosnan, arrested for breaching the Commonwealth law, but the local state police officer, Sergeant Kenny, refused to do so, bluntly telling the PM "You have no jurisdiction here". That, and his damaged hat and pride, was all Billy Hughes needed. By December that year, that inoffensive egg had hatched into the establishment of the Australian Commonwealth (Federal) Police Force as a result, with a jurisdiction that covered the whole of the nation.

(question and information from Creedy)

Answer: Dublin, Ireland

Trinity College Dublin is Ireland's oldest University and one of the oldest in these islands. It is situated in the heart of Dublin and the area known as College Green is a busy traffic junction directly in front of its gates.

Phoenix Park is one of the largest city parks in Europe. It has 1750 acres of parkland enclosed by a wall. It was opened to the public in the 18th century and contains Dublin Zoo, the residence of the President of Ireland and the American Embassy residence.

(question and information from fallingman)

Answer: Winston Churchill

It's not uncommon to hear people in the Rhondda Valley still complain bitterly about Winston Churchill sending troops and tanks against unarmed and defenceless striking Rhondda miners, and to hear the stories one might assume that dozens were killed or wounded in the disturbances.

However, the truth of the matter is rather different. The troops only arrived in Tonypandy after police, mostly from Cardiff and Swansea, had already suppressed rioting and looting by desperate miners who had been 'out' for nearly three months without pay. One miner is said to have died, some weeks later, after being clunked over the head with a police truncheon during disturbances on November 8th.

Churchill himself, then Liberal Home Secretary, appears to have been extremely reluctant to use troops against the miners in what was then a Liberal-voting constituency and was at pains to reassure them that it was a last resort, since local police were already busy dealing with another strike in a neighbouring valley. Indeed, while Churchill made mistakes later in his career, it is difficult not to conclude from the available evidence that on this occasion his decisions were as close to exemplary as one could expect from a Home Sec.

My grandfather once told me that resentment against him arose largely because the Lancashire Fusiliers were kept in the valley to prevent further strike action for some months subsequently, and that some of these smartly uniformed fellows from Burnley and Blackburn were rather more popular with the local girls than the miners would have liked! It was arrogant police officers from outside the valley that nobody had been very keen on.

(question and information from JacquiDawson)

Answer: The site of Washington's farewell address to his troops

Fraunces Tavern is located at the corner of Pearl and Broad Streets, in what is now known as NYC's Financial District (in Manhattan) and is a present day museum and restaurant. On December 4 1783, Washington delivered his farewell to the officers of the Continental Army. While gathered in the Long Room Washington thanked his troops by saying "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorable."

St. John's Episcopal Church, originally Church of the Generals, was founded in 1834 and built by soldiers from Fort Hamilton. Numerous military leaders worshiped here, including Robert E. Lee, a vestryman from 1842 to 1844, and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a parishioner from 1848 to 1850 after he fought in the Mexican War.

Barkaloo Cemetery or "Revolutionary Cemetery" in Bay Ridge, at the corner of Narrows Avenue and Mackay Place, was founded in 1725 by Dutch immigrant William Harmans Barkaloo and was originally a family plot. It is the final resting place for his two sons, as well as Simon Cortelyou, all of whom fought and died nearby during the Revolutionary War's Battle of Brooklyn. It is also the burial site of some 60 soldiers who died during the battle. Barkaloo Cemetery is approximately the size of 1/8 of a city block. Nestled among Tudor style houses, at first glance it can easily be mistaken for a front yard.

Jones Paul Jones Park, nicknamed "Cannonball Park" (a stone's throw from the entrance to Fort Hamilton Army Base) became the home of the massive black, 20-inch bore Parrott cannon originally founded in 1864. It stood in Fort Pitt, Pennsylvania until 1900 when it was presented to the Park by the United States Military--cannon balls included!

(question and information from Sally0malley)

Answer: Würzburg, Germany

Würzburg lies between Nuremberg and Frankfurt, on the Main river in Bavaria. It is the capital of lower Franconia, and locals tend to think of themselves as Franconian rather than Bavarian.

From 743 to 1808 AD, Würzburg was ruled by the "Prince Bishops" and it's difficult to visit the city without coming across them somewhere. "Festung Marienberg" dominates the city from its position atop a hill on the western bank of the river. It was the residence of the Bishops from the 13th Century until the late 18th century when they moved to the "Residenz", an impressive Baroque palace on the other side of the river.

From the Festung there are amazing views across the whole city, including the Ringpark, an arc of green encircling the city centre. Known as the "green lungs of the city", the park was created in the late 19th century on the site of the old city fortifications.

The most popular route from the city centre to the Festung involves traversing the "Alte Mainbrücke" which until 1886 was the city's only river crossing. Along the sides of the bridge are 12 statues of various saints and rulers, including St Killian, to whom Würzburg's Dom (Cathedral) is dedicated. It is from him that the two week annual "Kilianifest" takes its name. Opening with a parade and fireworks, the attractions include an enormous funfair, numerous food stalls and amusements and two massive beer tents as well as a specially brewed festival beer.

While Würzburg has only one brewery (the Würzburger Hofbräu), it boasts several wineries. This is fairly unsurprising really, given that the city is surrounded by vineyards, and even the slopes surrounding the Festung are covered in vines. Various wine festivals are held throughout the year, including the "Weindorf" (Wine Village) in the market square at the end of May each year where more than 100 different local wines are available. German wine doesn't have a great reputation abroad, but after experiencing what Würzburg had to offer I came to realise that it's probably because they keep all the best stuff for themselves!

(question and information from emiloony)

Answer: The arrival of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Western Railway

Brunel's railway arrived in Didcot in 1839, with the original railway station erected in 1844. Didcot soon became an important railway junction, and two hotels were erected near the station. With the railway came the railwaymen and their families, needing somewhere to live. Had Brunel chosen a different route for his railway, it's likely that Didcot would have remained a village. Nowadays the town continues to grow and is popular with commuters due to the frequent and fast rail service into London.

Both the Atomic Energy Research establishment (AERE) at Harwell and the Power Station brought people into the area, but this happened much later. The AERE was formed in 1946, and the original power station (Didcot A) first opened in 1970.

It's also true that gold was discovered in a field near Didcot. In 1995, metal detectorist Bill Darley discovered a hoard of 126 gold Roman coins or aureii. These are now on display in the Ashmolean museum in Oxford. In 2017 a school, built on the site of this find, was opened. It was named "Aureus School" after the hoard.

One final note - in case you were wondering, Didcot is now located in Oxfordshire, but until boundary changes in 1974 (due to the Local Government Act 1972) it was part of Berkshire.

(question and information from emiloony)