One, Two, Buckle My Shoe Trivia Quiz

Answer: Caligula

Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born in 12 AD to Roman general Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder, Augustus' granddaughter. He was given the nickname of "Caligula" (little boot) by his father's soldiers, as he, along with his mother and his siblings, accompanied Germanicus on his military campaign in Germania. In 37 AD, at the age of 24, he succeeded Tiberius, his father's uncle, on the imperial throne as the only surviving male of his family.

Caligula ruled for just four years, during which - according to the few sources that have survived to this day - he indulged in every sort of cruelty and vice. He was eventually assassinated in 41 AD as a result of a conspiracy of senators, courtiers and members of the Praetorian Guard. However, the two main sources on this notorious emperor's reign - historians Suetonius and Cassius Dio - wrote their chronicles well after Caligula's death, so the truth about him may be never fully known. Caligula was succeeded by Claudius, Germanicus' younger brother. Nero, the last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, was Caligula's nephew, and like him was assassinated.

Caligae were heavy, hobnailed openwork boots worn by members of the Roman military. According to Suetonius' account, Caligula was brought up wearing the outfit of a common soldier, probably including miniature boots.

Answer: a venomous snake

The common name water moccasin usually refers to Agkistrodon piscivorus, a semiaquatic snake in the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers) of the family Viperidae. A native of the southeastern US, this thick-bodied, dark-coloured snake is also known as cottonmouth because of the white lining of its mouth. Like all vipers, the water moccasin is venomous, with a primarily cytotoxic venom that destroys tissue: however, its bite is rarely fatal, though very painful. The name moccasin, which is also occasionally applied to other related genera of pit vipers, is very probably derived from "makasin", a word of Virginia Algonquian origin that denotes the shoes traditionally worn by Native Americans. Although the origin of this usage is unknown, it has been suggested it may be related to the snake's appearance and its silent, stealthy movement.

Moccasins were originally made of deerskin or other soft leather, and often adorned with embroidery or beading. Generally worn outdoors, they allowed their wearers to feel the ground and move almost noiselessly. They were quickly adopted by European settlers, and their use became widespread. Today moccasins with rubber pads on their soles are often worn as driving shoes.

Answer: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Named for the German states of Hesse-Kassel and Hesse-Hanau, from which most of them came, Hessians were German soldiers that served in the British Army in the 18th century. They are known for their participation in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), when they made up about 25% of British land forces. Much of Washington Irving's 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" revolves around a mysterious figure known as the Headless Horseman, believed to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier decapitated by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. Adapted multiple times in various media, the story is set in the autumn of 1790 in a former Dutch settlement north of New York City.

Hessian boots were low-heeled, knee-high boots with a decorative tassel and a semi-pointed toe - as shown by this detail of a portrait of Charles, Count Allen, a Hanoverian officer who fought at Waterloo. These features made them especially practical for riding, and popular both with cavalry troops and civilians keen on equestrian pursuits. Hessian boots eventually evolved into Wellington boots, which were originally made of leather.

Answer: flamenco

Designated by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humankind (2010), flamenco has its origins in the musical traditions of the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, in particular those of the "gitanos" (people of Romani ethnicity). First developed in the 18th century, it was influenced by the music of Northern India, Northern Africa and the Middle East. As a dance, flamenco is characterized by its expressive use of hands and arms (as illustrated by this painting by German artist Leopold Schmutzler) and its complex, rhythmic footwork, which requires both speed and precision.

Female flamenco dancers wear distinctive dresses ("traje de flamenca"), which hug the upper body and then flare out from below the hips in layers of ruffles. Flamenco shoes usually have straps across the instep and moderately high heels. The nails embedded in the toes and heels enhance the percussive footwork that is an essential component of the dance.

Answer: Minnesota

Lady's slipper orchids belong to the subfamily Cypripedioidae of the family Orchidaceae. They owe their common name to their distinctive flowers, characterized by a slipper-shaped pouch used to trap pollinating insects. These herbaceous plants occur in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Europe and Asia. The showy, or queen's lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) is native to North America, where it has become increasingly rare because of habitat loss. It is one of the species of the genus Cypripedium that can withstand colder temperatures, and can be found as far north as Canada. Its large flowers are pink and white, as can be seen in the photo of a US stamp issued in 1969. The generic name Cypripedium means "Aphrodite's sandal", as the Greek goddess of love was also known as Cypris ("from Cyprus").

The showy lady's slipper was designated as Minnesota's state flower in 1902, and has been protected by law since 1925. In 1947, it was also chosen as the provincial flower of Prince Edward Island, but was eventually replaced by the pink lady's slipper (Cypripedium acaule), which is somewhat more common in Canada's smallest province.

Answer: Jan van Eyck

One of the most influential Early Netherlandish painters, Jan van Eyck was born in Bruges, in present-day Belgium, in the late 14th century. He created most of his best-known works - such as this iconic portrait and the equally famed Ghent Altarpiece - during his tenure as court painter to Philip III the Good, Duke of Burgundy. Painted in 1434, the Arnolfini Portrait is on display at the National Gallery in London. It depicts Italian merchant Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife, Giovanna Cenami, in their home in Bruges. It is also one of the oldest panel paintings executed in oils rather than tempera.

Pattens (from the Old French "patte", meaning hoof or paw) were used in Europe as outdoor footwear from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. They were worn over ordinary shoes, and held in place by cloth or leather bands. Their thick, usually wooden soles prevented the feet from coming into contact with mud or more unpleasant substances, which were quite common in the streets before the advent of paving. Pattens were meant to be removed as soon as one was inside the home, in order not to bring dirt indoors or make a noise. In the Arnolfini Portrait, this pair of wooden pattens (whose shape reflects the 15th-century fashion for long-pointed shoes called "poulaines") stands in a corner of the room, ready to be used when either the lord or the lady of the house stepped outside.

Answer: Kate Bush

"The Red Shoes" is the seventh studio album by Kate Bush, who had her breakthrough in 1979, at the age of 19, with the hit single "Wuthering Heights", based on Emily Bronte's novel. Released on 1 November 1993, and followed by a 12-year hiatus, the album was inspired by the film of the same title by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, starring ballet dancer Moira Shearer. The film was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, published in 1845 - the story of Karen, a girl who grows obsessed with a pair of red shoes given to her by her wealthy adoptive mother, and eventually finds herself unable to take them off.

The album's title-track reprises Andersen's tale in its description of a girl forced to dance ceaselessly by the enchanted shoes given to her by a mysterious woman. "The Red Shoes" was accompanied by a short film, titled "The Line, the Cross and the Curve", written and directed by Bush herself. The film also stars English actress Miranda Richardson as the mystery woman, and famed British choreographer Lindsay Kemp.

Answer: a regional accent

Originally meant for wearing outdoors, brogues are characterized by the decorative perforations (named broguing after them) that can be clearly observed in the photo. However, early brogues were anything but fancy, as they were made of untanned leather; the holes had the purpose of allowing water to drain from the shoe when walking through wet terrain. The word brogue comes from "bróg", the Scottish Gaelic word for "shoe", in turn derived from the Norse "brók", meaning leg covering (also the origin of "breech").

The two definitions of brogue found in English dictionaries are homographs, as they have the same spelling (and, in this case, also pronunciation), but different origins and meanings. The second definition of this word denotes a regional accent, in particular an Irish one. It comes from the Irish word "barróg", which means "tight grip", probably referring to a kind of speech impediment. However, there is also a false (and rather offensive) etymology stating that the accent was named brogue because of the perception that Irish people spoke English as if they had a shoe in their mouth.

The three wrong answers are definitions for broccoli (the vegetable), broil (the cooking method) and brocade (the fabric).

Answer: Louis XIV of France

Known by the nickname of Sun King, Louis XIV of the House of Bourbon ruled France for 72 years and 110 days, from 1643 to 1715 - the longest reign of any monarch in history. An absolute monarch, he believed in the divine right of kings, and identified himself with the state. During his reign, France became the leading power in Europe and expanded its colonial rule. Louis was also known as a patron of culture and the arts, who surrounded himself with a splendid court at the magnificent Palace of Versailles - built as a symbol of his royal power. He was also said to be rather short, which would explain his fondness for high heels - such as the ones that appear in this portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud, painted in 1701, when the sovereign was 63 years old.

Modern-style high-heeled shoes have their origin in Persia, where they were worn by cavalry soldiers to keep their feet steady in the stirrups, in particular when shooting arrows from horseback. They were brought to Europe by Persian diplomats in the early 17th century, and became popular with the aristocracy, as they were not practical to wear for people who had to work for a living. While today they are associated with femininity, at that time high-heeled shoes were regarded as a symbol of masculinity as well as elevated social status. In 17th-century France, the height of fashion for noblemen were shoes with red block heels like the ones worn by Louis XIV in his portrait.

Answer: slipper

Like other popular Italian foods, ciabatta bread is a relatively recent creation, as it was developed in 1982 by Arnaldo Cavallari, a baker from the northeastern region of Veneto, who meant it to be an alternative to French baguette for making sandwiches. The bread owes its name to its flat, oblong shape, reminiscent of that of house slippers. Ciabatta is made with high-gluten white wheat flour, water, salt and yeast or sourdough starter; the soft, wet dough accounts for the distinctive air holes on the inside of a loaf. This bread is usually fat-free, though olive oil is occasionally added. With its firm crust and chewy texture, it is an excellent choice for hearty sandwiches, especially of the grilled variety.

A few years after its creation, ciabatta was introduced into other countries, notably the UK and the US, where it can be easily found in supermarkets or featuring on the menu of sandwich shops.