Pick n' Mix: Part TWENTY-THREE Quiz

Answer: Caesium

Caesium (Cs) has an atomic number 55. It is a soft, very reactive alkali metal with a low melting point. Caesium is highly pyrophoric, known to ignite suddenly and spontaneously. Even at low temperatures, caesium will react violently with water. This creates caesium hydroxide, one of the strongest bases in chemistry.

German chemists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff discovered caesium in 1860. Before the invention of the spectroscope, elements were discovered via electrolysis or chemical reactions in experiments. The spectroscope, which they had invented the year before, used a prism in order to separate light from a flame, providing a coloured spectrum to display elements separately. Caesium gets its name from how it appeared on this spectrum as two blue lines, with "caesius" meaning "sky blue" in Latin.

Caesium has many uses such as being used in precisely accurate atomic clocks, as the International System of Units (SI) defines a second as the amount of time it takes for a caesium-133 atom to vibrate 9,192,631,770 times between specific energy levels. Because of this, caesium fountain clocks will not gain or lose a second in over 300 million years.

Caesium is also regularly used in the petroleum industry in the form of caesium formate, a clear, thick liquid that is used in oil and gas wells with a high temperature and pressure, allowing lighter materials such as magnesium and calcium to rest on top of it.

Answer: Brazil

The saw-billed hermit (Ramphodon naevius) gets its name from the small, saw-like serrations featuring on the mandibles of the bird's bill. It is the only species in its genus, Ramphodon. A male saw-billed hermit will have a striking hook at the tip of its bill. This bill is a useful weapon during territorial disputes or against rival males during mating.

The saw-billed hermit typically reaches a length of 14-16 cm (5.5-6.3 inches) and weighs between 5.3 to 9 grams (0.19 to 0.32 oz), making it one of the heaviest and largest of the hermit hummingbirds. It is endemic to south-eastern Brazil and resides in the coastal forests there.

Answer: Molokhia

"Molokhia" is derived from the Arabic word, "mulukiyah" which roughly translates to "fit for kings" or "royal." It is a highly nutritious soup, containing over 30 vitamins and minerals and is made from leaves from the jute mallow plant. When these leaves are cooked they release a mucilage, which gives the soup a slimy, thick, viscous texture, somewhat similar to okra.

According to legend, Egyptian pharaohs would consume the soup when ill. There are cultural variations regarding the dish. In Egypt, chicken, rabbit or lamb is included in the dish and the leaves are chopped thinly, whereas in Lebanon and Syria, the leaves are cooked whole and are included in a meat stew.

Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (985-1021) was the sixth ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate. His reasons for banning the dish are unclear. Some historians assert that molokhia was the favourite meal of the founder of the Umayyad dynasty, Mu'awiya I ibn Abi Sufyan, who led the rivals of the Shi'a against the Fatimids. Others suggest that he thought that the leaves contained an aphrodisiac, which could lead women into living debaucherously. Others suggest that he was so fond of the dish himself that he believed only royalty and those in power should ever consume it.

Answer: Three Rivers Stadium

Opened in 1970, Three Rivers Stadium once stood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was built in replacement of Forbes Field, which had been open to the public since 1909. It was home to one of the most infamous plays in NFL history, coined the "Immaculate Reception", in 1972 when running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Franco Harris, achieved a game winning catch with only 22 seconds left of the game. It was the Steelers' first playoff victory in their 40 years of playing at the time.

On September 30, 1972, the Pittsburgh Pirates Roberto Clemente hit his 3000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium. On October 13, 1971, Three Rivers Stadium became the first stadium to hold a World Series game at night, where the Pirates were victorious against the Baltimore Orioles.

Three Rivers Stadium was the first ever stadium in America to use 3M's Tartan Turf artificial playing surface.

In 2001, Three Rivers Stadium was demolished, which became a huge public spectacle. Around 20,000-25,000 spectators gathered about Mount Washington and Point State Park to watch the controlled implosion. The new stadium for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Heinz Field, (now known as Acrisure Stadium) was being constructed nearby and there were concerns that the implosion could cause damage at the new site, therefore engineers designed the collapse to fall inward.

Answer: Saint Coloman of Stockerau

Saint Coloman of Stockerau was an Irish pilgrim (possibly of nobility or royalty) who died in Austria in 1012. Coloman was a solo traveller which led to his capture and demise, as he could not effectively communicate his peaceful and pious intentions for travelling to Austria.

Near the town of Stockerau (located north of Vienna), Coloman was arrested and accused of being a spy as he could not accurately communicate in German. He was tortured before being executed, hung between two who had been arrested for stealing.

Coloman's body reportedly hung in the gibbet for 18 months and remained uncorrupted. This led to his canonization as a saint, as well as the fact that he was killed for innocently attempting to attend a Christian pilgrimage.

Answer: Johan Christian Dahl

Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857) was born in Bergen, Norway, and is hailed as the "father of Norwegian landscape painting." He was the son of a fisherman and his artistic talent was recognised early by a mentor, leading to his family sending him to Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. As did English painter John Constable, Dahl believed that the sky was a key element in landscape painting, and would spend hours sketching the clouds in order to represent them accurately in his paintings.

During a trip to Italy between 1820-1821, Dahl witnessed Mount Vesuvius erupting. This unforgettable event inspired much of his work.

Answer: Tabaré Vázquez

Tabaré Vázquez (1940-2020) became Uruguay's first left-wing president in 2005. He is remembered for his fervent anti-tobacco campaigning, with Uruguay becoming the first country in both South and Central America to ban smoking in enclosed public areas and workplaces in 2006. His campaigning was so successful that tobacco company Philip Morris International filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Uruguay.

Before he became involved in politics, Tabaré Vázquez was a doctor who specialised in radiology and oncology. During his first term as president, he continued to work as a doctor and was one of the leading cancer doctors of the country.

Answer: Amalthea

Amalthea is the fifth-largest moon of Jupiter and was discovered by American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard (1857-1928) in 1892. It was the last satellite in the Solar System to be discovered via a visual observation using a telescope as opposed to digital imaging. Although Amalthea is the fifth-largest of Jupiter's moons, it has a very low density, lower than that of water. This suggests that it is not a solid rock, but a very porous rubble pile.

Amalthea features a red hue that is more intense than that of the planet Mars. Amalthea orbits close to Io, one of the Galilean moons' orbit. Io is the most volcanically active satellite in the Solar System. It has hundreds of volcanoes that frequently erupt sulphur and sulphur dioxide into space, which collects this rain of sulphur compounds, resulting in a red hue.

Answer: Bronisław Huberman

Bronisław Huberman (1882-1947) was a Polish violinist known for rescuing around 1,000 Jewish musicians and their families during the Holocaust. Performing from a young age, he gave his first public violin performance at aged 7, and by aged 12 had played for Johannes Brahms, who was deeply touched by his performance.

When Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, Huberman refused to play in Germany because the Jewish musicians of Germany's orchestras were dismissed from their jobs. His striking 1713 Stradivarius violin was stolen twice, and was not recovered the second time until 50 years later when the thief made a deathbed confession.

On October 6, 1937, Huberman survived a plane crash that claimed four lives. He was a passenger on a plane flying over Indonesia, when one of the aircraft's engines failed. Huberman had severe injuries to both arms and hands, which were almost career ending.

Answer: Konohanasakuya-hime

"Konohanasakuya-hime" roughly translates to "tree flower bloom princess." She is the daughter of Ōyamatsumi, the mountain god. Around both the summit and the base of Mount Fuji are Sengen and Asama shrines to Konohanasakuya-hime, with legend citing that she prevents Mount Fuji from erupting.

One of the most popular legends involving Konohanasakuya-hime centres around her marriage to Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the grandson of Amaterasu, the Sun goddess. Ōyamatsumi had offered Ninigi-no-Mikoto both of his daughters for marriage, however he only accepted the beautiful Konohanasakuya-hime, rather than the older, less attractive Iwa-Naga-hime (which translates to "Rock Princess"), who was the goddess of immortality.

Iwa-Naga-hime was hurt by this rejection, and Ōyamatsumi was regretful over making the offer. He had intended for both daughters to marry Ninigi, which would have ensured that their offspring were both beautiful like a blossom and also resilient and durable like a rock. This is how Shinto mythology explains how human lives are short and fleeting like a cherry blossom, and not long-lasting and imperishable like stone.

Answer: Battle of Cer

The Battle of Cer (August 15-24, 1914) took place around Cer Mountain in the west of Serbia. The battle saw the Serbian army victorious against an Austro-Hungarian invasion. The Austro-Hungarians had 40,000-45,000 casualties, whereas the Serbs had 18,000-20,000 casualties. General Oskar, commander of the Austro-Hungarian forces, was confident that the Serbs would be easy to defeat, disrespectfully refers to them as "pig farmers." He was colossally mistaken.

The Serbs were outnumbered and their equipment was not as up to date as their rivals. However, they had a strong advantage: the soldiers were highly experienced in warfare from their recent campaigns during the Balkan Wars (1912-1913), and were bitterly determined to defend their homeland.

Nicknamed "Brka" (Mustache), Serbian commander, Colonel Milivoje Stojanović was killed in the Battle of Kolubara on 4 December 1914, a few months after his victory at Cer. He was a highly experienced and decorated member of the Serbian military, playing a key role in the Balkan Wars and the First World War. After the Battle of Bregalnica in 1913, Crown Prince Alexander I was so grateful and impressed by his military prowess, he removed his own Order of Karađorđe's Star from his own chest and pinned it to Stojanović's.

"March on the Drina" was composed by Stanislav Binički not long after the Battle of Cer.

Answer: Popcorn Deelites

Seabiscuit (1933-1937) was not expected to be such a successful racehorse due to his laziness in training and his small size. Despite this, in 1938 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland, Seabiscuit defeated Triple Crown winner, and favourite horse to win the race, War Admiral. 40,000 spectators witnessed this surprising event and millions were listening to the race on the radio. Seabiscuit was voted Horse of the Year shortly after.

Due to his win being so unexpected, Seabiscuit became a symbol of persevering through adversity, a popular and heart-warming message to those suffering during the Great Depression. He retired to Ridgewood Ranch in California, siring 108 foals before he died in 1947, aged 13.

In 2003, Gary Ross directed "Seabiscuit" a historical sports drama film starring Tobey Maguire about the horse that had inspired so many. Seabiscuit was mainly played by another racehorse deemed unremarkable, Popcorn Deelites. Following the film, Popcorn Deelites was adopted by the Old Friends Equine Retirement, an organisation which provides care for retired thoroughbreds. Popcorn Deelites was a popular horse with many fans in the Kentucky farm where he lived out his retirement before he died aged 24 in 2022.

Answer: Port of Takoradi

Constructed in 1928, the Port of Takoradi, also known as Takoradi Harbour, was Ghana's first manmade deep-water commercial port. Construction began in 1921, with plans for the port being spoken of by the British as early as 1895. The Port of Takoradi is located in the industrial city of Sekondi-Takoradi, Western Region, around 140 miles (230 km) west of Accra, the capital of Ghana.

The Port of Takoradi is the second-busiest port of Ghana, second only to the Port of Tema, the largest and busiest of Ghana's ports. The Port of Takoradi is Ghana's main export port and ships commodities such as cocoa, gas and oil, manganese, bauxite, timber, etc and handled 8 million tonnes of cargo in 2023.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1942, Theodore Roosevelt V is a former U.S. Navy officer, a member of the Foreign Policy Association and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a dedicated conservationist and is Chairman of Barclays' Clean Tech Initiative, as well as being on the board for the Trust for Public Land and the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.

Barclays Investment Bank is a major division of Barclays PLC, a British bank established in 1690. Barclays was the first bank of Britain to establish a credit card, creating the Barclaycard in 1966. It also established the world's first cash machine in Enfield, North London, in 1967 as well as Britain's first debit card in 1987.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) became the 26th President of the U.S.A in 1901. Like his great-great grandson, he was a dedicated conservationist, protecting around 230 million acres of land and founding the U.S. Forest Service.

Answer: SS Lake Illawarra

Launched in 1957, the SS Lake Illawarra was an Australian bulk carrier ship that was constructed by BHP (Broken Hill Proprietary) in Whyalla, South Australia. It was around 460 feet (140 m) long.

On January 5, 1975, the SS Lake Illawarra collided with two pylons of the Tasman Bridge. An investigation found that the ship's captain, Captain Boleslaw Pelc, had failed to correctly navigate the Derwent River and its strong currents. The ship was carrying 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate. The collision caused the two pylons to collapse, bringing down around 420 feet (130 m) of concrete deck onto the ship, which consequently sank within minutes.

Twelve people died in the Tasman Bridge disaster, including seven of the ship's crew members and five people who were using the bridge during the collision. The wreck of the SS Lake Illawarra still lies around 115 feet (35 m) below sea level at the bottom of the Derwent River. Due to the zinc stored in the ship potentially causing an environmental disaster if released, the wreck has been declared unsafe to move or disturb.

Answer: Archemorus

Also called "Opheltes," Archemorus was the son of King Lycurgus of Nemea. "Archemorus" roughly means "the beginning of doom" or "forerunner of death" in Ancient Greek, with the infant being renamed after his death, his original name being "Opheltes."

An oracle had warned the king that under no circumstances was the infant Archemorus to be placed on the ground until he was capable of walking. His nurse, Hypsipyle, placed the infant on a bed of wild celery while she was retrieving water, which led to a snake attacking and killing the young prince.

Parsley grew from the spilled blood of the deceased Archemorus, forever linking the plant to the tragedy in Greek mythology. Because of this the Ancient Greeks did not typically use parsley when preparing food, instead using it during funeral rites. The resulting Greek saying "de'eis thai selinon" (that is, "to need only parsley") is a polite way of saying that someone is close to death.

Answer: Teurgoule

Teurgoule gets its name from the Norman expression "se tordre la goule" which roughly translates to "twist mouth." The dish was coined this because of the facial expressions people made when eating it, either because they were not used to the cinnamon flavouring as the spice was new to the region around the 17th to 18th century, or because the dish was served very hot and burned the mouths of those consuming it.

Teurgoule is traditionally cooked slowly at a low temperature and takes between 5-12 hours to bake. This results in a crisp, caramelized crust and melted, creamy rice. It is traditionally served with fallue, a savoury Norman brioche, and Norman cider.

The recipe for teurgoule is carefully and enthusiastically preserved by the Confrérie des gastronomes de Teurgoule et Fallue de Normandie (that is, the Brotherhood of the Gastronomes of Teurgoule and Fallue of Normandy). This organisation holds a competition annually in October for the best cooked teurgoule.

Answer: Bay of Khambhat

Also known as the Gulf of Cambay, the Bay of Khambhat is part of the Arabian Sea. It features some of the strongest tides of the world, with a tidal range of up to around 40 feet (12 m). This is due to the bay's trumpet-like funnel shape and the monsoon winds of the area. This creates an abundance of mudflats and dangerous currents. The Bay of Khambhat is around 120 miles (200 km) long

Located on the Bay of Khambhat is the Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple, which is completely submerged by the sea when the tide is high. The port city of Khambhat is located at the head of the bay, and was once a major trading city until the bay became silted.

Answer: Sanne Wevers

Born in 1991 in Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands, Sanne Wevers defeated American gymnast Simone Biles to win the balance beam gold medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Due to this success she was chosen to be the flag bearer for the Netherlands during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games closing ceremony.

She has a twin sister, Lieke Wevers, who is also an Olympic gymnast. Both sisters are coached by their father, Vincent Wevers.

Answer: Algerian War

The Algerian War occurred between 1954-1962, where the the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) fought against France for Algeria's independence. The war resulted in an Algerian victory and subsequent independence from France.

Located in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, the Maqam Echahid (that is, the Martyrs' Memorial) was constructed in 1982. It features three bronze statues of soldiers around the base, symbolising the three phases of the war for independence. The monument is just over 300 feet (90 m) tall.

In 2017 the monument was equipped with LED lights so that it is visible at night time. Although the monument was challenging to construct due to its location on a steep cliff and seismic activity in the area, it was constructed within just under eight months.