Darkest Nights Trivia Quiz

Answer: Lady with the Lamp

Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing. Born in the city of Florence after which she was named, Nightingale worked as a nurse during the Crimean War. She travelled to Constantinople (now Istanbul) to set up medical facilities for wounded soldiers.

She was quick to identify that improving hygiene standards would have a significant impact on the mortality rates. The soldiers nicknamed her the "Lady with the Lamp" as she came every night on her rounds. Nightingale was instrumental in improving the reputation of the field of nursing which also then helped expand the options available for women to work.

Answer: Radish

The nightshade or Solanaceae family are a family of flowering plants. Some members of the family are highly toxic while others like tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants are commonly consumed as food. The Solanaceae family of plants is found on all continents of the world, excluding only Antarctica.

The radish belongs to the Brassicaceae family which also includes cabbage, kale, turnips, and broccoli.

Answer: Wee Willie Winkie

"Wee Willie Winkie" is a nursery rhyme that originated in Scotland. It was written in the mid-19th century by William Miller, who is best known for this rhyme. The popularity of the rhyme led to Wee Willie Winkie being regarded as the personification of sleep.

Answer: Quran

Laylat al-Qadr, also called Qadr Night, falls during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Muslims believe that it was during this night that the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad. As a result, this is considered the holiest of nights. Since the exact date is unknown, the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan are considered holy with devout Muslims making efforts to fast and pray during this period.

Answer: Cricket

There are three different formats in which the sport of cricket is played internationally - test, one day and Twenty20. The term 'night watchman' is associated with test cricket. In this form of the game, a match is played over five days with each side expected to bat twice (unless one side plays so woefully that the other can get away with one innings).

A night watchman is a lower order batsman who is sent up the ranks at the end of day to avoid tiring out one of the better players or losing their wicket in the weaker light.

He is expected to stay in the game till the end of play and resume the next morning.

Answer: Soviet Union

The 588th Night Bomber Regiment of the Soviet Union was made up entirely of female members during World War II. While women were not officially allowed to hold combat roles, Major Marina Raskova, the Soviet Union's first female navigator, managed to convince Stalin to permit the formation of this squad. Raskova was known as the "Russian Amelia Earhart" and she enlisted young women to train and join the regiment.

The German soldiers nicknamed this unit "The Nightwitches" as they claimed the sound of their aircraft was similar to the sound of broomsticks.

Answer: The Phantom of the Opera

"The Phantom of the Opera" is a musical based on a novel of the same name written by Gaston Leroux. It was adapted to the stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber and achieved huge success. In 2012, it completed 10,000 performances, the first Broadway production in history to reach this milestone.

The plot follows Christine, a soprano at the Paris Opera House, and a masked Phantom who becomes obsessed with her. "The Music of the Night" is sung by the Phantom after he manages to get Christine to enter his lair below the opera house.

Answer: Vincent

"Vincent" was written by Don McLean as a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. The lyrics contain the lines "starry, starry night" referencing Van Gogh's famous painting "The Starry Night". The song featured on his album "American Pie". Other singers who recorded cover versions later include Rick Astley and Julio Iglesias.

Answer: Prime Numbers

Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" novel takes its name from a comment made by famous fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes in a short story. Narrated by the protagonist Christopher John Francis Boone, the story follows the teenager as he tries to solve the murder of his neighbour's dog. Christopher is noted as being autistic in the book's blurb, though this is not explicitly mentioned in the story itself.

He has a strong affinity for math and the novel employs the unusual format of titling the chapters after prime numbers.

The book won several awards including the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year, and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book.

Answer: Japan

The Chichibu Yomatsuri is one of the three main float festivals of Japan. The other two are Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and the Takayama Matsuri. The Chichibu Yomatsuri is the festival of the Chichibu Shrine which is located 90 minutes from central Tokyo. It is considered a winter spectacle as it is held on 2nd and 3rd December. Six ornate floats are pulled through the city towards the shrine. Each float represents one of the city's protective gods.

The floats are decorated with tapestries and lanterns.

The festivities also include a firework display which lasts for over two hours.