Pick n' Mix: Part TWENTY-FOUR Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thailand

In Thailand, the Korat cat is a symbol of luck and prosperity and is one of the oldest and purest cat breeds, remaining unaffected by modern breeding methods. The Korat is mentioned as early as the time of "The Cat-Book Poems" which was written around the 14th-18th centuries. Traditionally, the Korat is not sold in Thailand, but rather given as a gift as a symbol of good fortune, to an established and respected person of the area, to newlyweds, etc.

The Korat is known for its heart shaped face and nose, and is a single-coated breed of one colour: silver-tipped blue. It is thought to originate from Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeast Thailand.

Answer: Dong Fang Hong 1

Launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 24, 1970, Dong Fang Hong 1 made China the fifth country in the world to independently create, develop and successfully launch a satellite using their own rocket, after the Soviet Union, the United States, France, and Japan.

"Dong Fang Hong" means "the East is Red," a patriotic song of the same name being broadcast continuously from the satellite upon launch. Dong Fang Hong 1 weighed 173 kg (381 lb), making it one of the heaviest first satellites to ever be launched by a country, heavier than the Soviet Union, United States, France, and Japan's first satellites combined.

Dong Fang Hong 1's signal stopped working in 1970, but the satellite remains in Earth's orbit.

Answer: Stichtite

Stichtite is a carbonate of chromium and magnesium, and gets its striking pink to purple hues from the chromium in its chemical composition. The only commercial mine for stichtite is in Stichtite Hill in Tasmania, Australia.

Rating only 1.5 to 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, stichtite is a very soft mineral. Pure stichtite has a greasy or waxy texture, and is found almost always embedded in green serpentine rock, with the green and purple combination being called Atlantisite (or Tasmanite), a valuable ornamental stone. Stichtite is the secondary mineral formed after chromite (which is a common mineral found in serpentine rock) is altered by the introduction of a liquid.

Answer: Taytu Betul

Empress Taytu Betul (1851-1918) was the third wife of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. Together, the couple founded the country's capital. "Addis Ababa" translates to "new flower" in the Amharic language.

In 1886, Taytu Betul was inspired by the beautiful flowers she saw growing in the hot springs south of Mount Entoto. She persuaded the emperor to move the capital from the cold and windy Entoto to this more warm and comfortable location, naming the new capital Addis Ababa to honour the beautiful nature she had seen there.

Answer: Nigel Smart

Born in 1969 in Adelaide, Nigel Smart played mainly as a a rebounding defender for Adelaide Football Club (nicknamed "the Crows") in the AFL between 1991-2004. He was the first player to reach 250 games for Adelaide Football Club.

Nigel Smart received third degrees burns on his feet during a pre-season camp incident, where a motivational speaker organised a "fire-walking" exercise. He reassured the players that walking across the coals was safe. Nigel Smart was the first player to attempt the activity, chanting "cold sand, cold sand" as he was told to, earning both third degree burns and the nickname "Nigel not-so-Smart" in the process. Once his coach saw Smart's injured feet, he banned the activity. Due to his burns, Smart was out of the team until Round 7 of that season.

Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

The Battle of Issus took place in 333 BC, and although is the subject of Albrecht Altdorfer's 1529 painting, he used artistic anachronisms to create a modern political point at the time. The Battle of Issus saw Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC) defeat Darius III of Persia. The painting features Alexander the Great's army sporting 16th-century European armour, where the Persian forces in the painting are wearing Ottoman-style clothes. This reflects the conflicts occurring at the time involving the Ottoman Empire, such as the 1529 Siege of Vienna.

The painting was originally part of a set, being commissioned in 1528 by Duke William IV of Bavaria to be added to his historical painting collection in his Munich home. The painting was part of the Dukes of Bavaria's royal art collection for centuries until Napoleon's army took the painting in 1800. Napoleon was impressed by the painting's intricate detail and was a great admirer of Alexander the Great, therefore he decided to keep it for personal use. When Prussian troops raided Napoleon's home in 1814, the painting was reportedly found in the bathroom.

Answer: Schlegel's beaked blind snake

Also known as Schlegel's giant blind snake, Schlegel's beaked blind snake ("Afrotyphlops schlegelii") can grow to up to around 95 cm (37 inches) long, and spend most of their lives underground. They are only found in the east and south of Africa. They are almost completely blind, with their small, vestigial eyes being covered by protective scales; this harmless snake can only practically tell the difference between light and dark via its sight.

They are often mistaken for large earthworms when encountered in the wild, and pose little more threat than an earthworm. The snake's teeth are located on the underside of their head, meaning they cannot bite people, and even if they could they are not venomous.

Answer: Yamata no Orochi

Both the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki assert that Yamata no Orochi was a serpent that was killed by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the Sun, while he was rescuing Kushinadahime, one of his wives. Yamata no Orochi is described as so large that its body covered an area of eight valleys and eight hills, sporting moss and plants that grow on its back.

Susanoo defeated the serpent with his cunning as opposed to physical strength. He prepared eight highly potent vats of sake as bait for the serpent, whose eight heads all drank the sake, leading to the serpent to be rendered highly intoxicated. The serpent passed out from this intoxication, leaving Susanoo free to decapitate it.

Answer: Laskarina Bouboulina

Laskarina Bouboulina (1771-1825) was a naval commander and widely regarded as the first woman to achieve the rank of Admiral in the Greek military. She was born in a prison in 1771 in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul). Her father was Stavrianos Pinotsis, a captain from Hydra Island who was imprisoned by the Ottomans due to his actions in a rebellion against them.

The Agamemnon was an 18 canon warship that Laskarina Bouboulina had made larger than permitted by Ottoman regulations. She achieved this by bribing Turkish officials to ignore the size of the vessel. She had inherited a substantial amount of wealth by losing two of her husbands to pirate raids.

She was one of the only women to be a part of Filiki Etaireia, a secret underground society dedicated to freeing Greece from Ottoman occupation. Her hatred of Ottoman occupation did not extend to regular citizens of the empire, however: During the fall of Tripoli in 1821, Laskarina Bouboulina saved the Sultan's harem of women from slaughter.

The Greek 50 drachma banknote in 1978 featured her image on the reverse of the note, as did the 1 drachma coin between 1988 to 2001.

Answer: Saleeg

Saleeg is a white rice typically slow cooked with chicken, beef or lamb broth and milk. The dish gets its name from the Arabic word "salīq" which means "boiled." It is commonly regarded as the national dish of Western Saudi Arabia. The recipe for saleeg is documented in the Kitab al-Tabikh, the oldest surviving Arabic cookbook, dating back to the 10th century.

The dish is particularly popular in the city of Taif in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia.

Answer: Susenyos I

Susenyos I was Emperor of Ethiopia between 1607-1632. His conversion to Catholicism resulted in widespread rebellion and conflict across the empire, as Susenyos attempted to make it the state religion and enforce Catholic customs. His keen faith in Catholicism was partly political, hoping that his conversion would result in an allegiance with Spain and Portugal, who would send him soldiers to assist with civil rebellions and Oromo incursions. As a boy, Susenyos was captured by Oromos and lived with them for around two years, learning their language and traditions before he was rescued.

In 1631, following the victory over the rebels at the cost of many men, Susenyos I's son, Fasilides, convinced his father to call an end to the conflict. In 1632, Susenyos implemented a policy of tolerance, citing that the citizens of Ethiopia could chose Catholicism if they wished. Soon after his edict of tolerance he would abdicate the Ethiopian throne to his son Fasilides, and die a devout Catholic around three months later.

Answer: Kirk Johnson

Born in North Preston, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1972, Kirk Johnson is a former professional boxer. He was scheduled to fight Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003, however during a sparring session in Fort Worth, Texas, he felt a sharp chest pain while throwing an uppercut. An MRI scan confirmed that he had sustained a pectoral injury. This was bad timing for Johnson as he considered his upcoming fight with Lewis as a large opportunity, with the ill feeling exacerbated by Lennox Lewis' team speculating that the injury was fictitious and was simply a ruse to excuse Johnson from the match. Johnson was due to earn $1.5 million USD from the match, which he forfeited due to his injury.

The match now needed a replacement for Kirk Johnson, and Vitali Klitschko accepted this position only 12 days before the match was due. This match would be the last fight of Lennox Lewis' professional career; he officially retired in February 2004.

Lennox Lewis won his last fight due to a ringside doctor stopping the proceedings, as Klitschko had sustained a cut above his left eye in the third round, which grew worse as the fight continued. Despite Klitschko protesting that he was fit to carry on, the doctor insisted the fight be stopped.

Answer: Comerica Park

Home to the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team since 2000, Comerica Park has a seating capacity of over 41,000 people. This stadium features a 50-foot tall Ferris wheel and a tiger carousel. The left-center field wall features steel statues of six legendary Detroit Tigers players, with each statue being around 13 feet tall: Ty Cobb, Charlie Gehringer, Hank Greenberg, Willie Horton, Al Kaline, and Hal Newhouser. The main tiger statue at the entrance is around 15 feet tall.

Two of the large tiger statues are above the scoreboard in the left field, whose eyes light up red, accompanied by a growling sound effect when the Detroit Tigers achieve a home run. As well as the statues, the park features sculptures of 33 tiger heads on the stadium's walls which serve as lights during the night.

Answer: Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC) grew Macedon from a small kingdom into a formidable power, reigning from 359 BC until he died in 336 BC. He is said to have revolutionised ancient warfare, implementing a sarissa, a 6m long pike that was substantially longer than the spears being utilised by the Greeks at the time.

Philip II of Macedon was the father of Alexander the Great, fathering him with a princess of Epirus, Olympias. As a highly involved leader with vast military experience, Philip II of Macedon often participated in battle and was blinded in 354 BC while leading a siege on the Athenian-controlled city of Methone. It is reported that Philip shot an arrow into the town in response with "Philip will hang Astir when he conquers the town," inscribed on the arrow. He was treated by a physician named Critobulus of Cos, who extracted the arrow and treated the wound. Philip lost sight in his right eye.

Some sources cite that Philip was proud of his scar, allowing artists to depict it and leaning into the battle-hardened warrior image that came with it. Other sources cite that people in his quarters were careful not to say the word "eye" around him.

Answer: Strait of Kerch

The Strait of Kerch connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, and also separates the Crimean peninsula from mainland Russia. The ancient Greeks and Romans referred to the strait as the "Cimmerian Bosporus." The strait was once the site of the ancient Greek colony of Panticapaeum, the capital of the Bosporan Kingdom.

The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the world with an average depth of around 23 feet (7m). The Strait of Kerch is also shallow and larger ships must use the dredged, one-way Kerch-Yenikale Canal when operating on the strait.

Answer: Poços de Caldas

Translating to "Wells of Warm Waters" in Portuguese, Poços de Caldas was established in 1872 in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is famous for its hot springs which are rich in sulphur and also slightly radioactive. It is also notable for its glass and soap production.

The Osamu Utsumi mine was in operation between 1982-1995. The uranium extracted at the mine was used to fuel the Angra 1 nuclear power plant. The mine closed due to the decline of economically realistic reserves, and environmental issues the mine created, such as acid drainage from the waste piles.

Answer: Achamán

The Guanche people originated in North Africa and are related to the Berber population of the mainland. The Guanches of Tenerife were particularly resistant to the Spanish conquest, defeating the Spanish in the First Battle of Acentejo in 1494.

"Achamán" translates to "the skies" or "celestial vault" in the Guanche language. He is an omnipotent creator god who is believed to visit the summits of mountains, particularly Mount Teide, which is sacred to the Guanche people.

Answer: Naos

"Puppis" is Latin for "poop deck" or "stern." Due to the plane of the Milky Way running through Puppis, the constellation features a considerable number of nebulae and star clusters. Puppis also features the Skull and Crossbones Nebula (NGC 2467) which is a star-forming region.

Naos, also known as Zeta Puppis, is an is an O-type star, which is extremely rare, hot and large. It is one of only a few O-type stars bright enough to be seen via the naked eye from Earth. The surface temperature of Naos is around 7 times hotter than the Sun's at 40,000 to 42,000 Kelvin. The total brightness of Naos is over 500,000 times that of the Sun, and its visible brightness is 10,000 to 25,000 times brighter than the Sun. A large fraction of Naos' brightness is ultraviolet light, which is invisible to the human eye.

Answer: Cow

Coined "Salem Sue," the fiberglass cow statue in New Salem, North Dakota, was designed by artist Dave Oswald, who also designed the "World's Largest Catfish" sculpture in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Salem Sue weighs 12,000 pounds (6 tons), is hollow inside and is widely accepted to be the World's Largest Holstein Cow. Sue was unveiled in 1974 to honour the local dairy industry in the region. The project cost $40,000 at the time of construction and was funded by donations from local farmers and businesses.

Answer: Zambezi

At around 1,600 miles (2,575 km) long, the Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the longest east-flowing river in Africa. By volume, Zambezi is the largest African river that empties into the Indian Ocean.

The Zambezi flows through Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It originates in north-western Zambia. It features Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.