3rd September Quiz
1. On 3 September 1939, Neville Chamberlain told the nation that Britain was at war with Germany. At what time that morning had the British ultimatum expired?
2. Oliver Cromwell died on 3 September 1658, the anniversary of two of his greatest victories, in 1650 and 1651. Name both battles.
3. Nothing at all happened in Britain on 3 September 1752. Why not, and how many days were skipped?
4. The Treaty of Paris, signed on 3 September 1783, ended which war?
5. Richard I was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 3 September 1189. Which community in London was attacked in riots on the day of his coronation?
6. On 3 September 1967, "Dagen H" ("H Day"), which European country switched from driving on the left to driving on the right?
7. On 3 September 1976, NASA's Viking 2 lander touched down on Mars. On which plain did it land?
8. William Wordsworth dated a famous sonnet 3 September 1802. It begins "Earth has not anything to show more fair". Where was it composed?
9. On 3 September 1838, Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery disguised as a sailor. From which American city did he escape?
10. A revolt in Athens on 3 September 1843 forced the King of Greece to grant a constitution. What is the name of the square in front of the parliament, named after the event?
11. On 3 September 1995, Pierre Omidyar launched a website called AuctionWeb. What is it called now, and what was reportedly the first item sold on it?
12. On 3 September 1878, the pleasure steamer Princess Alice collided with a collier and sank near Woolwich, killing around 600 people. On which river did this happen?
13. On the night of 2-3 September 1916, William Leefe Robinson won the VC for shooting down the first German airship destroyed over Britain. Near which Hertfordshire village did it crash?
14. An Austrian-born car designer born on 3 September 1875 designed a "people's car" in the 1930s. Name the designer and the car.
15. An industrialist born in Birmingham on 3 September 1728 was the business partner of James Watt. Who was he?
16. An American architect born on 3 September 1856 is known as a "father of skyscrapers" and coined the phrase "form follows function". Who was he?
17. An American physicist born on 3 September 1905 discovered the first known antimatter particle in 1932. What is that particle?
18. An American actor born on 3 September 1965 starred in "Two and a Half Men". Who is his actor father?
19. A Russian novelist who died near Paris on 3 September 1883 wrote a novel about a young nihilist, Bazarov. Name the novelist and the novel.
20. An American actor born on 3 September 1913 played the title role in which 1953 western, about a gunfighter who tries to settle down?
ANSWERS
1. 11 am
Chamberlain broadcast at 11.15 am. France's own ultimatum expired at 5 pm the same day.
2. Dunbar (1650) and Worcester (1651)
3. Britain switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, so Wednesday 2 September was followed by Thursday 14 September; 11 days were skipped
The tale of riots demanding "Give us our eleven days" is probably a myth, partly based on a Hogarth painting.
4. The American War of Independence (the American Revolutionary War)
5. The Jewish community
6. Sweden
7. Utopia Planitia
8. On (or on top of) Westminster Bridge ("Composed upon Westminster Bridge")
Wordsworth dated it 3 September 1802, but he probably crossed the bridge in late July that year on his way to France. The date may be a mistake or may refer to his return journey.
9. Baltimore
10. Syntagma Square (Constitution Square)
11. eBay; a broken laser pointer
The laser pointer story is widely told by eBay itself. The buyer reportedly said he collected broken laser pointers.
12. The Thames
13. Cuffley
The airship was the SL 11, a Schütte-Lanz, though it was widely reported at the time as a Zeppelin.
14. Ferdinand Porsche; the Volkswagen (Beetle)
15. Matthew Boulton
16. Louis Sullivan
17. The positron (anti-electron) (Carl D. Anderson)
18. Martin Sheen (Charlie Sheen)
19. Ivan Turgenev; Fathers and Sons
20. Shane (Alan Ladd)
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