You Learn Something New Every Day! #1 Quiz

Answer: Antonio Meucci

Antonio Meucci displayed a working 'Teletrofono' device and filed a caveat, or temporary patent, in 1871, a full five years before Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent. Unfortunately Meucci was not familiar with American law and did not realise that he had to renew the caveat. In 1876, Bell filed a patent for the telephone, Meucci attempted to sue Bell but all of his models and drawings had disappeared from the laboratory at Western Union where they had been sent in support of his caveat (strangely Bell was working in that particular office at the time the sketches disappeared).

In 2004, the American House of Representatives passed a resolution that 'The life and achievements of Antonio Meucci should be recognised and his work in the invention of the telephone should be acknowledged'.

Answer: No

The male tawny, or brown owl, makes a sound 'whoo-whoo', the female replies 'kee-whick' making a sound in the night 'whoo-whoo, kee-whick, whoo-whoo', but there is not a 'single' owl in the world that says 'tu-whit tu-whoo' or anything like it.

Answer: Drink, drink, fan, fan, rub, rub

These were the last words spoken by Nelson according to contemporaneous reports.
As he lay mortally wounded, his steward repeatedly fanned him to keep him cool and fed him lemonade and watered wine whilst his chaplain massaged his chest to alleviate the pain.

Interestingly there has been a lot of controversy regarding the famous phrase 'Kismet (or Kiss me) Hardy', could Nelson have meant Kismet or 'fate'? Or did he really mean 'Kiss me' there is no doubt that Hardy did kiss him twice, once on the forehead and once on the cheek.

Source: solarnavigator.net/history/horatio_nelson.htm

Answer: Neither

Nelson's right eye was damaged at Corsica when debris from a sandbag hit his eye, and eventually he did go blind in that eye but he never wore an eye-patch. No portrait of Nelson shows a patch until after his death and even the statue on Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square, London does not have an eye-patch. Yes, I had to look too.

Incidentally, Nelson was never made up to be an admiral, only ever reaching the rank of 'Admiral in the White' or Vice Admiral.

Answer: Fewer than 50

Sorry, but I am being really pedantic. There have never been buffalo in North America. 'American buffalo' are actually bison and are not related in any way to buffalo.

Buffalo Bill (William Cody) shot approximately 4860 bison (but no buffalo at all) in eight months after winning a contract to supply the Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with meat.

Answer: Whiskey

A study of the James Bond books, written by Ian Fleming, shows that he takes a drink approximately every seven pages. Of those drinks he has 101 whiskeys (bourbon or scotch), 30 glasses of champagne, 35 sake and only 35 martinis - 19 vodka martinis and 16 gin martinis.

Answer: England

The first mention of the game of baseball that can be found is in 'A Little Pretty Pocket Book' printed in 1744. Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey', published in 1796, states that the heroine, Catherine Morland, prefers 'Cricket, baseball, riding on horseback and running about the country to books'.

Although a lot of people believe that Abner Doubleday invented the game in 1839 whilst in Cooperstown, there is no evidence that he ever visited Cooperstown and he never mentioned baseball in any of his diaries.

Alexander Cartwright is the person who has the best claim for the modern game of baseball. The rules are based on rules he compiled and he can be credited with designing the diamond shaped playing field in 1842.

Answer: A fruit fly

The first animals launched into space were fruit flies in 1947 aboard a V2 rocket, captured by the Americans after World War II. This was to test for the effects of exposure to radiation in space. The first monkey in space was Albert II, a Rhesus monkey, in 1949.

The Russians launched dogs into space in 1951, but it was not until 1957 that Laika became the first animal to ORBIT the Earth. Ham the Chimp was the first chimpanzee in space in 1961.

Answer: North America

In 2010, it was estimated that there were over 12,000 tigers in captivity in the USA (4,000 in Texas alone). That number was significantly more than the entire population of wild tigers which was numbered at approximately 3,500 in 2010.

Answer: The Drifters

The Drifters were his backing group; not the American group but a British band consisting of Ken Pavey, Terry Smart on drums, Norman Mitham on guitar, Ian Samwell on guitar and Harry Webb (before he became Cliff Richard) on guitar and vocals. It was originally formed as a skiffle group, but they morphed into The Shadows in 1959 with none of the original members remaining.

The line-up consisted of Hank Marvin - lead guitar; Bruce Welch - rhythm guitar; Tony Meehan - drums; and Jet Harris - bass guitar.