Easier Said Than Done Trivia Quiz

Answer: 25th August 1875

Captain Matthew Webb was born in Dawley in Shropshire in 1848. From the age of 12 he worked as a sailor until he decided to concentrate on his swimming in 1875. His first attempt to swim the Channel (on 12th August 1875), was abandoned due to adverse weather conditions.

His second attempt on 25th August 1875 was a success and took him 21 hours, 45 minutes. He died in 1882 attempting to swim across the rapids at the base of Niagara Falls in America.

Answer: 29th May 1953

Sir Edmund Hillary was born on 20th July 1919 and grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. When he was 16 he became interested in climbing. In 1953 Hillary joined a group of climbers who planned to reach the peak of Everest and on 29th May Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing reached the summit.

After this achievement Hillary continued to climb and explore the world. He took an interest in the welfare of the people of Nepal and was instrumental in building schools, hospitals and airfield for them. In 2003 he was made an honorary citizen of Nepal.

He died in Auckland at the age of 88 on 11th January 2008.

Answer: 14th October 1947

Charles Elwood Yeager was born on 13th February 1923 in West Virginia. In World War 2 he became a pilot officer and after the war trained as a test pilot. In 1947 he officially broke the sound barrier when he flew the US rocket plane Bell-X at the speed of sound (Mach 1).

He retired from the air force in 1975. In 1983 the film "The Right Stuff" covered Yeager's achievement with the actor Sam Shepherd playing him. Chuck Yeager had a cameo role in the film playing Fred the barman in Pancho's Saloon. Yeager died at the age of 97 on 7th December 2020.

Answer: 6th May 1954

Roger Gilbert Bannister was born in Harrow, England 23rd March 1929. When the Second World War broke out his family moved to Bath and Bannister discovered his joy of running. He was studying for a medical degree when he broke the four minute mile barrier with a time of 3 minutes 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road Track in Oxford. Bannister qualified as a neurologist and worked in this field up to his retirement.

He was knighted in 1975. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2011 and died on 3rd March 2018.

Answer: 28th January 1992

Betty Boothroyd was born in Dewsbury, Yorkshire on 8th October 1929. She originally wanted a career in dancing and for a while was a member of the Tiller Girls, a successful dancing troupe. In 1952 she worked for two Labour MPs, Barbara Castle and Geoffrey de Freitas.

After a stint in the USA she returned to England and finally entered parliament by winning the safe seat of West Bromwich. In 1992 she was appointed first woman speaker of the House of Commons in January 1992, a position she held until July 2000.

She died at the age of 93 on 26th February 2023.

Answer: 10th December 1903

Maria Sklodowska was born in Warsaw, Poland on 11th November 1867. In 1891 she moved to France, where she studied at the University of Paris; and in 1894 earned a masters degree in mathematics. She married Pierre Curie in 1895 and they began working together on scientific discoveries.

Their research led to the discovery of two new elements Polonium and Radium. Pierre was killed in 1906 in a road traffic accident. In 1903 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics to Marie and Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for their research on radiation. Marie Curie died on 4th July 1934 at the age of 66 from an illness caused by exposure to radiation.

Answer: 20th May 1927

Charles Lindbergh was born on 4th February 1902 in Detroit, Michigan. In 1924 he joined the Army Air Service and trained to be a pilot. In 1927 he persuaded several business men from St Louis to invest in the building of a special airplane designed to fly non stop from New York to Paris.

The airplane was called "The Spirit of St Louis." Lindbergh took off from New York on 20th May 1927 and 33 and a half hours later landed in Paris on 21st May 1927, completing the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris. Lindbergh died in 1974.

Answer: 4th May 1979

Margaret Hilda Thatcher (nee Roberts) was born on 13th October 1925 in Grantham, Lincolnshire. She graduated from Oxford University in 1947 with a degree in Chemistry. She worked as a research chemist and joined the Conservative Association in 1948. Between 1970 and 1974 she was Education Secretary and earned the nickname "Margaret Thatcher - Milk Snatcher" when she withdrew free milk for school children over the age of seven. On 4th May 1979 she became the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of Britain.

She remained in office until her resignation on 28th November 1990. During her time in office she earned the title "The Iron Lady" due to her determined style of leadership. She died on 8th April 2013 and was given a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.

Answer: 16th June 1963

Valentina Tereshkova was born 6th March 1937 in central Russia. Her skill as a skydiver led to her being picked as a possible cosmonaut; and after months of grueling training she was chosen over the other candidates. She was chosen as pilot for the spaceship Vostok 6 and the flight was launched on 16th June 1963, making her the first woman in space.

She orbited the Earth 48 times and the flight lasted 2 days, 22 hours and 50 minutes.

Answer: 26th January 2015

Elizabeth Lane (nee Holden) was born on 8th December 1966 in Buckinghamshire. She was raised in Glossop, Derbyshire, and studied Theology at Oxford University. She was eventually awarded a Master of Arts degree. In 1993 she was ordained as a Deacon in the Church of England and in 1994 as a Priest. On 25th January 2015 she was consecrated as the Bishop of Stockport at York Minster making her the first female Bishop appointed by the Church of England.

The ceremony was presided over by John Sentamu who was Bishop of York at the time.