20th October Quiz Medium
- 20 questions
- about 25 minutes to run
- published 30 Aug 2023
- updated
1. The Sydney Opera House was formally opened by the Queen on 20 October 1973. Which Danish architect designed it?
2. At the Battle of Navarino on 20 October 1827, a British, French and Russian fleet destroyed an Ottoman and Egyptian fleet. During which war of independence was it fought?
3. The Anglo-American Convention of 1818, signed on 20 October, set much of the border between the US and what is now Canada along which line of latitude?
4. On 20 October 1968, Jacqueline Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. On which Greek island, which he owned, did the wedding take place?
5. On 20 October 1973, in the "Saturday Night Massacre", Richard Nixon had the Watergate special prosecutor fired. Who was the prosecutor?
6. Muammar Gaddafi was killed on 20 October 2011 near which Libyan city, his birthplace?
7. On 20 October 1977, a plane carrying a Southern rock band crashed in Mississippi, killing its lead singer and others. Name the band and the singer.
8. On 20 October 1944, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore on Leyte, keeping a promise he had made two years earlier. What three words did he say in his broadcast?
9. On 20 October 1803, the US Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase from France. To the nearest million, how many dollars did the United States agree to pay?
10. George I was crowned on 20 October 1714. Of which German state was he already Elector?
11. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI died on 20 October 1740, leaving his Habsburg lands to his daughter. Name the daughter and the war that followed over her right to inherit.
12. On 20 October 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin shot a short piece of film in northern California that is said to show which creature?
13. An English architect born on 20 October 1632 is buried in his greatest building, under a Latin epitaph meaning "Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you". Who was he?
14. A French poet born on 20 October 1854 was shot and wounded in Brussels in 1873 by his lover, an older poet. Name both poets.
15. An actor born in Hungary on 20 October 1882 played which role on stage and in a 1931 Universal film, a role he became forever identified with?
16. An American singer born on 20 October 1950, leader of the Heartbreakers, was also a member of which supergroup with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne?
17. An American-Danish actor born on 20 October 1958 played which character in "The Lord of the Rings" films?
18. An English director born on 20 October 1956 won an Oscar for "Slumdog Millionaire" and directed which major event in London in 2012?
19. A Welsh striker born on 20 October 1961 holds the record for the most goals scored in FA Cup finals. Who is he?
20. A rapper born in Long Beach, California, on 20 October 1971 has the real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. By what name is he better known?
ANSWERS
1. Jørn Utzon
Utzon resigned from the project in 1966 after rows with the New South Wales government and never saw the finished building in person. He won the Pritzker Prize in 2003.
2. The Greek War of Independence
3. The 49th parallel
4. Skorpios
5. Archibald Cox
The Attorney General, Elliot Richardson, and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, both resigned rather than carry out the order. Robert Bork, next in line, fired Cox.
6. Sirte
7. Lynyrd Skynyrd; Ronnie Van Zant
8. "I have returned"
9. $15 million
The usual figure is $15 million, including about $3.75 million of American citizens' claims against France that the US agreed to take on. With interest, the final cost was over $23 million.
10. Hanover
11. Maria Theresa; the War of the Austrian Succession
12. Bigfoot (Sasquatch)
13. Sir Christopher Wren
Wren was born on 20 October 1632 by the Julian calendar then used in England (30 October by the Gregorian calendar). He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral; the Latin is "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice".
14. Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine
15. Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
16. The Traveling Wilburys (Tom Petty)
17. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)
18. The opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games (Danny Boyle)
19. Ian Rush (five goals)
20. Snoop Dogg
How was this quiz?
Thank you, that helps Paul balance future quizzes.