ROUND 1 - 'The Day Yesteryear'

Today seems to have been a particularly bloody one in history in terms of battles, deaths and general mayhem

All the questions in this round concern events connected with October 19th; the precise year of the event in question is not given where it would make the answer too obvious (in the opinion of the setter!)

1.

It started this day over two hundred years ago, took 51 days to complete and is estimated to have claimed over 380,000 lives.  What was it?

2.

It started in the Far East nearly three decades ago and by its end, a matter of hours later, it had cost over $600 billion (yes billion!).  It remains the largest such event in history.  What was it?

3.

The last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War ended on this day with the presentation of the absent British commander's sword to George Washington as a sign of surrender.  Washington refused to accept it or to grant the vanquished British the usual honours.  Which battle?

4.

The first of five which go by this name started this day in the last century and is estimated to have cost 100,000 casualties.  What was it?

5.

One of only three Nobel Laureates from his country died this day in 1937.  He has a strong connection with Manchester though he won his Nobel Prize in a different field and different country from that with which he was most associated.  Who was he?

6.

October 19th features a lot in the career of the little Corsican Corporal (see above).  One of his greatest victories, which allowed him to capture Vienna ended on this day and is still taught in military schools today due to its strategic brilliance.  Which battle?

7.

Yes it's Boney again!  Three extraordinary events associated with the same date over eight years seems something more than coincidence.  This one ended on October 19th with another retreat, was his first decisive defeat in battle and led to the end of the First French Empire and his exile to Elba.  Again, which battle?

8.

This founder member of the Scriblerus Club died on this day and is buried alongside his assumed mistress in the National Cathedral of Ireland?  Who was he?

Go to Round 1 questions with answers

ROUND 2 - 'Alliterative answers'

1.

Which 1968 album included the tracks: Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues and Street Fightin' Man?

2.

Originally dubbed 'Sting Ray Harbour' by the first Europeans to visit in 1770, it is now the site of the seaport and airport serving the major city nearby.  It became infamous under what name in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?

3.

In Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, Mr Badger's home is in the middle of which highly dangerous piece of countryside?

4.

Since 2006 over 2400 have been made freely available online.  One of the earliest was by Al Gore on climate change.  Other contributors have included Billy Graham on technology and faith, Richard Dawkins on the strangeness of the universe and Bill Clinton on rebuilding Rwanda.  What are they?

5.

Which Marvel Comics superhero originally came from the planet Zenn-La, and gained his superhero name from the colour of his skin and the unorthodox means by which he travels the universe?

6.

Which rather dark sitcom featured Julia Davis as the narcissistic owner of a beauty salon, whose husband is diagnosed with cancer?  Angus Deayton, Rebecca Front, Ruth Jones and Mark Gatiss also appeared.

7.

In the TV series, Wacky Races, which two competitors drove The Compact Pussycat and The Turbo Terrific?

8.

Which two teams recently contested the Superleague Grand Final? (full names of both teams required)

Sp.

Which small town, 19 miles north-east of Leicester is perhaps best known for a foodstuff that gained Protected Geographical Indication status in 2008?

Go to Round 2 questions with answers

ROUND 3 - 'NFL'

All the answers contain part of the name of an NFL team - most of the answers are singular versions of the name and may include 'sound-alikes'

1.

Who opened his first restaurant in Guiseley in 1928?  There are now more than forty branches open?

2.

In which film did Sid James play the Rumpo Kid?

3.

Which TV series set in a winery in the Tuscany Valley starred Jane Wyman as Angela Channing?

4.

Which group formed by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty had hits including Everything Will Turn Out Fine?

5.

Which Edgar Allan Poe poem starts:

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary"?

6.

Which Anglo-French combat plane was in service with the RAF from 1974 until 2007?

7.

Which sea area is bounded by Fair Isle, Forties, North Utsire and South Utsire?

8.

Which composer's works include the opera Samson and Delilah?

Sp.

Which Australian media tycoon, who died in 2005, had the middle names Francis Bullmore?

Go to Round 3 questions with answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

The Silver Chair, The Horse and his Boy and The Last Battle are books in which series of novels?

2.

This poet was born in 1885.  In 1945 he was arrested for treason.  He spent the years 1945 to 1958 in a psychiatric hospital.  His most famous work is The Cantos.  He died in 1972.  Who is he?

3.

In 2003 who became the first black woman in the UK to sit in the Cabinet?

4.

Its construction took place between 1446 and 1515.  It contains the world's largest fan vault.  What building is being described?

5.

Which word links a holiday company, an album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, and a 1960 Otto Preminger film starring Paul Newman?

6.

This film star was born in 1948.  His many films include Pulp Fiction, Die Hard With A Vengeance and Snakes On A Plane.  He has reputedly earned $7.4 billion over the course of his career making him the second highest Hollywood earner of all time.  Who is he?

7.

This event in 1955 was preceded by a petition of 50,000 signatures being sent to the Home Secretary.  Following it Raymond Chandler wrote a letter to the London Evening Standard describing it as "medieval savagery".  What was the event?

8.

Their use in football began in the United States in 1924.  They first appeared in Europe in 1928.  What are they?

Sp1

Which is the only one of George Eliot's novels set in her own time?

Sp2

Which musical abomination was formed at Charterhouse School in 1967?

Go to Round 4 questions with answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

This giant of American music was born in 1911 and died in 1938.  It was said that he sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in order to achieve success.  He recorded only 29 songs in his entire career.  Who is he?

2.

Which author was the first English language writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?  He received the award in 1907.

3.

He is the mascot of the B and G Food Company.  In 1999 he was rated in the US as the century's third best advertising icon (after Marlborough Man and Ronald McDonald).  There is a 55 foot tall statue of him in Minnesota.  Who is he?

4.

Who is the only musician to have played on the roof of Buckingham Palace and to have had an asteroid named after him?

5.

This English town was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell.  Between 1979 and 2001 its MP was John Major.

6.

This sporting competition was devised by four students from Harvard University in 1900.  In 2016 130 countries entered it.  What is it called?

7.

This area of Central London was nicknamed 'Little Italy' in the 1850s.  It has historically been associated with radicalism.  Lenin lived there between 1902 and 1904.  In 1903 he reputedly met Stalin there in the Crown and Anchor pub.  In 1991 London's first gastropub, The Eagle, opened there.  What is the area called?

8.

Famous players of this musical instrument include Booker T Jones, Stevie Winwood and Jimmy Smith.  It is the first sound heard on A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum.  What is it?

Sp1

Which actor's roles include The Jackal, Edward VIII and Winston Churchill?

Sp2

He has been champion jockey six times.  He won the Derby three times - in 1999, 2003 and 2004.  He retired from racing earlier this year.  Who is he?

Go to Round 5 questions with answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Nicknamed the Keystone state it has 20 electoral college votes and is crucial to both Hillary Clinton's and Donald Trump's chances of winning the presidency.  Which state?

2.

The Tar Heel state has been a toss-up between both candidates throughout the campaign and with 15 electoral college votes is also vital for each in winning the presidency.  Again which state?

3.

Which 1983 hit song begins: "I guess I should have known by the way you parked your car sideways"?

4.

Which 1964 hit song (not released as a single in the UK) begins "Well she got her daddy's car and she cruised through the hamburger stand"?

5.

Who is the all-time leading points scorer in Ryder Cup matches?

6.

Which driver has started the most Formula 1 Grand Prix races?

7.

Bowmore is the capital, and Port Ellen the largest settlement, of which Hebridean island?

8.

What is the name of the strait which separates the Scottish mainland from the islands of Lewis and Harris?

Go to Round 6 questions with answers

ROUND 7 - 'Just Visiting'

Usual rules and caveats apply - answers may be fictional or real

1.

Which 1987 album contains the tracks I Started Something I Couldn't Finish and Death of a Disco Dancer?

2.

Which poem contains the line: "Yet each man kills the thing he loves"?

3.

The UCL School of Fine Art is better known by which name?

4.

Which band of the 1980s got its name (according to some) from a piece of graffiti referring to the twitching movements made by prisoners being hanged?

5.

Who composed Façade based on poems by Edith Sitwell?

6.

The plant artemisia absinthium used to flavour the drink absinthe is also known by what name?

7.

High Willhays is the highest point in which National Park?

8.

Also known as lapstrake, what is the name given to the type of boat building where hull planks overlap as in a Norse longship?

Sp.

What is the capital of New York state?

Go to Round 7 questions with answers

ROUND 8 - 'Incomplete Quartets'

Each question lists three members of a foursome - you have to supply the fourth

1.

Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine.....

2.

lo, Gannymede, Callisto.....

3.

Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine.....

4.

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyuku.....

5.

Punt, Dennis, Baddiel.....

6.

Boreas, Notos, Eurus.....

7.

Cohen, Charlton, Moore.....

8.

Jones, Page, Plant.....

Sp1

Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea.....

Sp2

Fältskog, Ulvaeus, Lyngstad.....

Go to Round 8 questions with answers

ROUND 1 - 'The Day Yesteryear'

Today seems to have been a particularly bloody one in history in terms of battles, deaths and general mayhem

All the questions in this round concern events connected with October 19th; the precise year of the event in question is not given where it would make the answer too obvious (in the opinion of the setter!)

1.

It started this day over two hundred years ago, took 51 days to complete and is estimated to have claimed over 380,000 lives.  What was it?

Napoleon's retreat from Moscow

 (1812)

2.

It started in the Far East nearly three decades ago and by its end, a matter of hours later, it had cost over $600 billion (yes billion!).  It remains the largest such event in history.  What was it?

The Black Monday stock market crash

(which started in Hong Kong, picked up speed in London and really started to wreak destruction in New York) (1987)

3.

The last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War ended on this day with the presentation of the absent British commander's sword to George Washington as a sign of surrender.  Washington refused to accept it or to grant the vanquished British the usual honours.  Which battle?

Siege of Yorktown

(1781)

4.

The first of five which go by this name started this day in the last century and is estimated to have cost 100,000 casualties.  What was it?

(First) Battle of Ypres

(1914)

5.

One of only three Nobel Laureates from his country died this day in 1937.  He has a strong connection with Manchester though he won his Nobel Prize in a different field and different country from that with which he was most associated.  Who was he?

Ernest Rutherford

(a New Zealander and the father of nuclear physics who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry for work done in Canada)

6.

October 19th features a lot in the career of the little Corsican Corporal (see above).  One of his greatest victories, which allowed him to capture Vienna ended on this day and is still taught in military schools today due to its strategic brilliance.  Which battle?

Battle of Ulm

(1805)

7.

Yes it's Boney again!  Three extraordinary events associated with the same date over eight years seems something more than coincidence.  This one ended on October 19th with another retreat, was his first decisive defeat in battle and led to the end of the First French Empire and his exile to Elba.  Again, which battle?

Battle of Leipzig

(1813)

8.

This founder member of the Scriblerus Club died on this day and is buried alongside his assumed mistress in the National Cathedral of Ireland?  Who was he?

Jonathan Swift

(1745)

ROUND 2 - 'Alliterative answers'

1.

Which 1968 album included the tracks: Sympathy for the Devil, Stray Cat Blues and Street Fightin' Man?

Beggars Banquet

(by The Rolling Stones)

2.

Originally dubbed 'Sting Ray Harbour' by the first Europeans to visit in 1770, it is now the site of the seaport and airport serving the major city nearby.  It became infamous under what name in the late 18th and early 19th centuries?

Botany Bay

3.

In Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, Mr Badger's home is in the middle of which highly dangerous piece of countryside?

The Wild Wood

4.

Since 2006 over 2400 have been made freely available online.  One of the earliest was by Al Gore on climate change.  Other contributors have included Billy Graham on technology and faith, Richard Dawkins on the strangeness of the universe and Bill Clinton on rebuilding Rwanda.  What are they?

TED Talks

5.

Which Marvel Comics superhero originally came from the planet Zenn-La, and gained his superhero name from the colour of his skin and the unorthodox means by which he travels the universe?

The Silver Surfer

6.

Which rather dark sitcom featured Julia Davis as the narcissistic owner of a beauty salon, whose husband is diagnosed with cancer?  Angus Deayton, Rebecca Front, Ruth Jones and Mark Gatiss also appeared.

Nighty Night

7.

In the TV series, Wacky Races, which two competitors drove The Compact Pussycat and The Turbo Terrific?

Penelope Pitstop and Peter Perfect

8.

Which two teams recently contested the Superleague Grand Final? (full names of both teams required)

Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves

Sp.

Which small town, 19 miles north-east of Leicester is perhaps best known for a foodstuff that gained Protected Geographical Indication status in 2008?

Melton Mowbray

Go back to Round 2 questions without answers

ROUND 3 - 'NFL'

All the answers contain part of the name of an NFL team - most of the answers are singular versions of the name and may include 'sound-alikes'

1.

Who opened his first restaurant in Guiseley in 1928?  There are now more than forty branches open?

Harry Ramsden

2.

In which film did Sid James play the Rumpo Kid?

Carry on Cowboy

3.

Which TV series set in a winery in the Tuscany Valley starred Jane Wyman as Angela Channing?

Falcon Crest

4.

Which group formed by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty had hits including Everything Will Turn Out Fine?

Stealers Wheel

5.

Which Edgar Allan Poe poem starts:

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary"?

The Raven

6.

Which Anglo-French combat plane was in service with the RAF from 1974 until 2007?

The Jaguar

7.

Which sea area is bounded by Fair Isle, Forties, North Utsire and South Utsire?

Viking

8.

Which composer's works include the opera Samson and Delilah?

Saint-Saens

Sp.

Which Australian media tycoon, who died in 2005, had the middle names Francis Bullmore?

Kerry Packer

Go back to Round 3 questions without answers

ROUND 4 - Hidden theme

1.

The Silver Chair, The Horse and his Boy and The Last Battle are books in which series of novels?

The Chronicles of Narnia

(by CS Lewis - full title required for theme)

2.

This poet was born in 1885.  In 1945 he was arrested for treason.  He spent the years 1945 to 1958 in a psychiatric hospital.  His most famous work is The Cantos.  He died in 1972.  Who is he?

Ezra Pound

3.

In 2003 who became the first black woman in the UK to sit in the Cabinet?

Baroness Amos

4.

Its construction took place between 1446 and 1515.  It contains the world's largest fan vault.  What building is being described?

King's College Chapel, Cambridge

5.

Which word links a holiday company, an album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, and a 1960 Otto Preminger film starring Paul Newman?

Exodus

6.

This film star was born in 1948.  His many films include Pulp Fiction, Die Hard With A Vengeance and Snakes On A Plane.  He has reputedly earned $7.4 billion over the course of his career making him the second highest Hollywood earner of all time.  Who is he?

Samuel L Jackson

7.

This event in 1955 was preceded by a petition of 50,000 signatures being sent to the Home Secretary.  Following it Raymond Chandler wrote a letter to the London Evening Standard describing it as "medieval savagery".  What was the event?

The hanging of Ruth Ellis

8.

Their use in football began in the United States in 1924.  They first appeared in Europe in 1928.  What are they?

Numbers on players' shirts

Sp1

Which is the only one of George Eliot's novels set in her own time?

Daniel Deronda

Sp2

Which musical abomination was formed at Charterhouse School in 1967?

Genesis

Theme: Each answer includes the name of a Book of the Old Testament

Chronicles, Ezra, Amos, Kings, Exodus, Samuel, Ruth, Numbers, Daniel and Genesis

Go back to Round 4 questions without answers

ROUND 5 - Hidden theme

1.

This giant of American music was born in 1911 and died in 1938.  It was said that he sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in order to achieve success.  He recorded only 29 songs in his entire career.  Who is he?

Robert Johnson

2.

Which author was the first English language writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature?  He received the award in 1907.

Rudyard Kipling

3.

He is the mascot of the B and G Food Company.  In 1999 he was rated in the US as the century's third best advertising icon (after Marlborough Man and Ronald McDonald).  There is a 55 foot tall statue of him in Minnesota.  Who is he?

The Jolly Green Giant

4.

Who is the only musician to have played on the roof of Buckingham Palace and to have had an asteroid named after him?

Brian May

5.

This English town was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell.  Between 1979 and 2001 its MP was John Major.

Huntingdon

6.

This sporting competition was devised by four students from Harvard University in 1900.  In 2016 130 countries entered it.  What is it called?

The Davis Cup

7.

This area of Central London was nicknamed 'Little Italy' in the 1850s.  It has historically been associated with radicalism.  Lenin lived there between 1902 and 1904.  In 1903 he reputedly met Stalin there in the Crown and Anchor pub.  In 1991 London's first gastropub, The Eagle, opened there.  What is the area called?

Clerkenwell

8.

Famous players of this musical instrument include Booker T Jones, Stevie Winwood and Jimmy Smith.  It is the first sound heard on A Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum.  What is it?

The Hammond organ

(full name required for theme)

Sp1

Which actor's roles include The Jackal, Edward VIII and Winston Churchill?

Edward Fox

Sp2

He has been champion jockey six times.  He won the Derby three times - in 1999, 2003 and 2004.  He retired from racing earlier this year.  Who is he?

Kieran Fallon

Boris Johnson, Amber Rudd, Damian Green, Theresa May, Jeremy Hunt, David Davis, Greg Clark, Philip Hammond, Liam Fox and Michael Fallon

Go back to Round 5 questions without answers

ROUND 6 - Pairs

1.

Nicknamed the Keystone state it has 20 electoral college votes and is crucial to both Hillary Clinton's and Donald Trump's chances of winning the presidency.  Which state?

Pennsylvania

2.

The Tar Heel state has been a toss-up between both candidates throughout the campaign and with 15 electoral college votes is also vital for each in winning the presidency.  Again which state?

North Carolina

3.

Which 1983 hit song begins: "I guess I should have known by the way you parked your car sideways"?

Little Red Corvette

(Prince)

4.

Which 1964 hit song (not released as a single in the UK) begins "Well she got her daddy's car and she cruised through the hamburger stand"?

Fun, Fun, Fun

(Beach Boys)

5.

Who is the all-time leading points scorer in Ryder Cup matches?

Nick Faldo

(25 points)

6.

Which driver has started the most Formula 1 Grand Prix races?

Rubens Barrichello

(322 races)

7.

Bowmore is the capital, and Port Ellen the largest settlement, of which Hebridean island?

Islay

8.

What is the name of the strait which separates the Scottish mainland from the islands of Lewis and Harris?

The Minch

Go back to Round 6 questions without answers

ROUND 7 - 'Just Visiting'

Usual rules and caveats apply - answers may be fictional or real

1.

Which 1987 album contains the tracks I Started Something I Couldn't Finish and Death of a Disco Dancer?

Strangeways, Here We Come

(The Smiths)

2.

Which poem contains the line: "Yet each man kills the thing he loves"?

The Ballad of Reading Gaol

(Oscar Wilde)

3.

The UCL School of Fine Art is better known by which name?

Slade

4.

Which band of the 1980s got its name (according to some) from a piece of graffiti referring to the twitching movements made by prisoners being hanged?

Spandau Ballet

5.

Who composed Façade based on poems by Edith Sitwell?

William Walton

6.

The plant artemisia absinthium used to flavour the drink absinthe is also known by what name?

Wormwood

7.

High Willhays is the highest point in which National Park?

Dartmoor

8.

Also known as lapstrake, what is the name given to the type of boat building where hull planks overlap as in a Norse longship?

Clinker

Sp.

What is the capital of New York state?

Albany

Go back to Round 7 questions without answers

ROUND 8 - 'Incomplete Quartets'

Each question lists three members of a foursome - you have to supply the fourth

1.

Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine.....

Phlegmatic

(the four 'humours')

2.

lo, Gannymede, Callisto.....

Europa

(the Galilean moons of Jupiter)

3.

Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine.....

Guanine

(bases of DNA)

4.

Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyuku.....

Shikoku

(main islands of Japan)

5.

Punt, Dennis, Baddiel.....

Newman

(the four members of The Mary Whitehouse Experience - Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis, David Baddiel and Rob Newman)

6.

Boreas, Notos, Eurus.....

Zephyrus

(the four named winds of classical Geece)

7.

Cohen, Charlton, Moore.....

Wilson

(England World Cup Final back four)

8.

Jones, Page, Plant.....

Bonham

(the four members of Led Zeppelin —John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham)

Sp1

Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea.....

Justine

(the four books of Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet)

Sp2

Fältskog, Ulvaeus, Lyngstad.....

Andersson

(surnames of the four members of Abba)

Go back to Round 8 questions without answers