Zippy Zooms Trivia

1. The quokka is a marsupial that lives in south-western Australia. Approximately how big is a quokka?

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XII

Answer: The size of a domestic cat

A quokka weighs 2.5 to 5.0 kg (5.5 to 11 lb) and is 40 to 55 cm (16 to 20 in) long with a 25-to-30 cm-long (10-to-12 in) tail. They were first spotted in 1658 by Dutch sailor Samuel Volckertzoon, who wrote of sighting "a wild cat" on an island off Perth. In 1696, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh thought they were giant rats, and named the island "'t Eylandt 't Rottenest". Translated, this means "the rat nest island" in Dutch. On the Western Australian mainland in the southwest, they are vulnerable to introduced species such as foxes and cats. On the islands off the Western Australian coast, they are more plentiful as there are no unnatural predators. This question was brought to you today by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who, like a quokka, is no rat.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms X

Answer: Arabic

Hammam is a word of Arabic origin for the steam bath associated with Islamic culture, though developed from the Roman tradition of "thermae". In Arabic, "hammam" means simply bath or bathhouse; the word comes from the root "hamma", which means (among other things) to heat, or to have a fever. A related word, "al-hamma", means hot spring: the name of Lisbon's oldest neighbourhood, Alfama, comes from "al-hamma". Though the first hammams date from the Arab expansion of the 7th and 8th centuries, these baths were introduced to most of Europe by the Ottomans in the 16th and 17th centuries - hence the common name of Turkish bath. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, hammam was first attested in English in the 1620s. In contemporary English, the word often appears in travel publications to describe the luxurious spa facilities of some 5-star hotel or resort. Phoenix Rising's LadyNym was inspired to write this question by the hot and sweaty weather of a typical summer in the Washington DC area.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms IX

Answer: 18 & eighteen

The easiest way to solve this problem is to draw a Venn diagram. Draw two non-overlapping circles labelled Boys and Girls respectively. Draw a third circle that overlaps both the boys' circle and the girls' circle labelled White Shirts. Assuming that all children in the class identify as boy or girl, we know that, of the 12 girls in the class, five girls wear white shirts, therefore four boys must also wear white shirts. We also know two boys do not wear a white shirt ("Two of the kids are neither girls nor wear a white shirt."). Therefore there must be six boys in the class, and adding the 12 girls there must be 18 children in the class. Cross-checking we have 12 girls, five of which wear white shirts. We also have six boys, four wearing white shirts. Total number of white shirts: 5+4=9. (Tick) Total number of children: 12 girls + 6 boys = 18 (Tick) Question calculated by Phoenix Rising Team Member 1nn1, whose fondness for Venn diagrams is only superseded by his fondness for spreadsheets.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VIII

Answer: kangaroo

The genus Macropus (from the Greek for "long foot") of the order Diprotodontia, the largest marsupial order, comprises two extant and thirteen extinct species of kangaroo. The largest of the two extant species, the eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), is found in eastern Australia, including Tasmania - while the western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) is found across most of southern Australia. Despite its specific name (meaning "gigantic"), the eastern grey kangaroo is not the largest kangaroo species, as this distinction belongs to the red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), which is also the largest marsupial and the largest mammal native to Australia. Both Macropus species are found in a wide range of habitats and are crepuscular or nocturnal. They also are gregarious animals that live in groups. The eastern grey kangaroo is the most frequently encountered in Australia, as it often inhabits areas not far from cities and towns. Classified by IUCN as Least Concern (2016), both species have healthy population numbers. The koala is also a marsupial of the order Diprotodontia, while the kookaburra and the kiwi (which, unlike the other animals, is native to New Zealand) are birds. LadyNym of the Phoenix Rising team jumped at the opportunity to write this question.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VII

Answer: The Culture

The Culture is an ancient galactic society where both machines and humanoids have advanced to a level where they can have just about anything they want including never getting old. As such there is no need for laws within the Culture which is able to maintain a perpetual state of peace. The Culture is ruled by a super machine called "The Mind" which is able to guide the culture to continued prosperity for everyone who wants it. Of course, things are not always perfect in paradise, and some interesting issues can come up, especially on the fringes where the Culture meets the rest of the galaxy. Iain Banks's Culture series spans 9 stand-alone books and is a fantastic well-written read. Banks gets a 10 for both plot twists and cleverness. This question was provided by the Phoenix Rising's very own artificial intelligence known as BigTriviaDawg who usually finds humanoid interactions bothersome, but occasionally interesting if they happen to have intriguing trivia knowledge to talk about.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms V

Answer: Malaria

A mosquito-borne infectious disease, malaria gets its name from the once-common misconception that it was caused by the "bad air" ("mala aria" in Medieval Italian) of swamps and marshland. Now we know that the connection with swamps is due to stagnant water being an ideal breeding ground for the Anopheles mosquito, which carries the single-celled organism (Plasmodium) responsible for the disease. Though Plasmodium has been around for over 50,000 years, it was only identified as the cause of malaria in the late 19th century by three Italian scientists, Ettore Marchiafava, Camillo Golgi, and Angelo Celli. In 1897, British Army surgeon Sir Ronald Ross proved that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes, and was awarded the 1902 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his research into the disease. The work of these scientists was essential during the construction of the Panama Canal in the early years of the 20th century, as their research led to the implementation of public health measures that saved thousands of workers' lives. The name of "Roman fever" by which malaria was known in ancient times was due to the prevalence of the disease in the area around the city of Rome - which some historians believe to have been one of the causes of the fall of the Roman Empire. Once endemic in most of Europe and North America, malaria has been successfully eradicated from those regions, but is still widespread in many tropical and subtropical areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In those parts of the world, the disease is responsible for the death or disability of millions of people, as well as being a major hindrance to economic development. LadyNym of the Phoenix Rising team worked feverishly to complete this question.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms IV

Answer: They are all purple

Barney is a purple dinosaur, Tinky Winky is the purple Teletubby and an eggplant is a purple vegetable. Although Barney and Tinky Winky are fictional characters, an eggplant is real. Although Barney is a dinosaur the other two are not. Although Barney and Tinky Winky breathe air, an eggplant does not. In ancient times purple was the color of royalty. Because of the expense involved in making purple dye, only the rich could afford it. It is even mentioned in the Old Testament as early as the book of Exodus. This question was entered into the quiz with purple ink by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619. I know the site can't depict this fact, but trust me that's what I did.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms III

Answer: Copperhead

The eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) belongs to the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers) of the family Viperidae, which also includes rattlesnakes. It is a stout-bodied snake, generally no longer than 1 m (3.2 ft), whose reddish or tan skin is overlaid by darker, hourglass-shaped markings. The eastern copperhead is found in woodlands in most of the eastern US (with the exception of Florida), as far north as southern New England. Though bites from this snake can be very painful and cause tissue and other damage, its venom is very rarely fatal. The three species of Australian copperhead (Austrelaps sp.) are members of the family Elapidae that inhabit the temperate areas of southern and eastern Australia. In spite of its common name, this snake - which is medium-sized and rather slender-bodied - comes in a variety of colours, and its head is not always copper-coloured. Though not as venomous as infamous Australian snakes like the taipan or the eastern brown snake, the Australian copperhead's venom is much more powerful than that of its American counterpart, and an untreated bite can easily kill a human adult. The moccasin (closely related to the American copperhead) and the fer-de-lance are also pit vipers, while the boomslang is one of the few dangerously venomous members of the family Colubridae. This question slithered into the quiz courtesy of Phoenix Rising's LadyNym.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms II

Answer: Tails

Miles "Tails" Prower first surfaced in Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" (1992). One of Sonic's allies, Miles is a fox with two tails that he can spin like a helicopter, giving him the power of flight. In a 2009 poll he was voted the third most popular character in the series, behind Sonic and Shadow, and his popularity has led to starring roles in his own series of games, such as "Tails Adventure" (1995) and "Tails & the Music Maker" (1994). Dogmeat can be found in the "Fallout" series of games, Bowser is the arch-nemesis of Mario in that franchise and Gray Fox is the codename for Frank Jaeger in the "Metal Gear" series. This question was created by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who used to be scared of speed bumps but he's slowly getting over them.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms I

Answer: Eli and Peyton Manning

All the answers are quarterbacking brothers who have played professional football. Head coach for the American Football Conference (AFC) was Peyton Manning, quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011) and the Denver Broncos (2012-2015). Eli Manning was head coach for the National Football Conference (NFC) and his playing experience is with the New York Giants (2004-present). The 2023 Pro Bowl Games were for the 2022 football season. Previously, this had taken the form of an actual tackle match between AFC and NFC teams. Instead, skills competitions and non-contact 7-on-7 flag football games were held, with points allocated for each event. The overall result saw the NFC players take the win 35-33. Stepping back into the pocket, Phoenix Rising's psnz passed this question into the quiz.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XII

Answer: Luxor

Luxor Las Vegas opened in October of 1993. It has been home to many different live acts throughout its history including The Blue Man Group, Jabbawockeez, and magician Criss Angel in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. In 2021, the Luxor debuted "America's Got Talent Las Vegas Live" which was retitled in 2023 to "America's Got Talent Presents Superstars Live". The show features many of the most popular acts from the TV show throughout the years and is headlined by various winners from past seasons. This question was choreographed and judged by Phoenix Rising's tazman6619.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XI

Answer: High speed train systems

Built in time for the 1964 Summer Olympics, Japan's Bullet train (Tonkaido Shinkansen) was the world's first high-speed train. Italy's Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) travels between Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples and the Eurostar connects the UK and France (and then Belgium and the Netherlands) via the Channel Tunnel. Technology since the Shinkansen's beginnings has advanced apace, and modern high-speed trains are more ecologically efficient at higher speeds. They use either electricity, lithium-ion battery propulsion or magnetic levitation (Maglev). The Maglev design currently used in Japan and China is capable of speeds around 600 km/hr (375mph). Other systems around the world include (but are certainly not limited to) Spain, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Russia-Finland). This question was shunted into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's leith90, who has been on the Eurostar and the Shinkansen, but not, unfortunately, the Frecciarossa. Yet.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms X

Answer: Tardigrades

There are over 1300 identified species of tardigrade, with the first one discovered in the year 1773 by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze. He named the new species 'little water bear,' but just three years later, more of the creatures were discovered by Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani, who dubbed them 'Tardigrada,' which means 'slow stepper.' Tardigrades are near-microscopic aquatic animals with plump, segmented bodies and flattened heads. They have eight legs, each tipped with four to eight claws or digits. And they are nearly indestructible, having been found around the globe in the harshest of climates. Their survival mechanism is called cryptobiosis, in which they expel nearly all of the water from their bodies and retract their heads and legs and curl into a dehydrated tun. Phoenix Rising's reedy first learned of tardigrades by watching "Star Trek: Below Decks" and has been near-microscopically fascinated ever since.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VIII

Answer: 33 1/3

RPM on a vinyl disc stands for revolutions per minute and it is the indicator used to tell how fast a record spins on the turntable. Early recordings were generally spun at varying speeds between 70 and 80 rpms. This was solidified in the 1920s when 78 rpms became the standard. Whilst this was a great move, it did have one drawback and that was that the high speed limited the amount of music that could be held on the disc down to about three minutes. This changed after World War II when record labels introduced recordings of 33 1/3 rpms for long-playing albums (12 inch) and 45 rpms for the 7 inch short format disc. Today vinyl recordings tend to come in three formats; the 7 and 10 inch, which hold less information and are informally known as "singles" and "extended plays" (played at 45 rpms) and the 12 inch, which has narrow grooves and holds significantly more information, is played at 33 and 1/3. The 78 rpms were phased out during the 1950s. This question was spun out by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VI

Answer: Proteins

Proteins are distinguished from the other two main foodstuffs, carbohydrates and fats, by the presence of nitrogen. Waste nitrogen is converted into ammonia but this is toxic, so two ammonia ions bond with carbon dioxide to form urea which is then able to be safely excreted. In a normal urine output of 1.4 L/day (though the volume may differ markedly by person and circumstances), about 60g of solid material is excreted of which urea is approximately half of the total solids. This question was crystalised and metabolised by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who hopes the question will not end up being a waste product.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms V

Answer: Iron

The chemical symbol of iron is Fe (ferrum in Latin). At 32.1%, iron is the Earth's most common element by mass, followed by oxygen (30.1%) and silicon (15.1%). Margaret Thatcher (1925 - 2013) served as the UK's prime minister from 1979 to 1990. Her decisive leadership style has earned her the nickname "the Iron Lady". Robert Downey Jr. (born 1965) portrayed the role of Tony Stark in "Iron Man" (2008), a superhero movie produced by Marvel Studios. Downey Jr. returned as Iron Man in "Iron Man 2" (2010) and "Iron Man 3" (2013). This question was scripted by Phoenix Rising team member Matthew_07.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms IV

Answer: The Far Side

Gary Larson, the creator of "The Far Side" comic strip, took clever humor to another level. Although his strips often depicted taboo subjects, they were presented in a way that minimized offense to his readers. Larson's work had no main characters or continuity from one panel to the next. He often used animals as his characters to often poke fun at humans from an external perspective. His comic ran for fifteen years from 1980 to 1995, and his collector's editions have sold millions of copies making the cartoon one of the most successful in history. This question was provided by BigTriviaDawg of the Phoenix Risings' School For the Gifted who learned to pull instead of push. It's the little victories in life!

From Quiz Zippy Zooms II

Answer: Barbarians

Created by Klaus Teuber, the originally German "Die Siedler von Catan" won the 'Spiel des Jahres' (Game of the Year) in its release year (1995), and has won multiple awards since then. It has also spawned many expansions and variants, using the same basic building blocks of the base game. "Catan" is a game of settlement, building and trading. A randomized board of hexagonal tiles features five different resources, plus a desert tile to keep things interesting. Players have pieces consisting of road segments, settlements, and cities that they use to build and expand their settlement. Along the way, players can trade the resources they earn, or can have them stolen by the robber token, or even lost by the random rolling of a '7' (if holding more than seven resource cards). Ten points are needed to win, and can be earned by building settlements (1 pt each), cities (2 pts each), constructing the longest road (2 pts), building the largest army from the development cards (2 pts), or earning random victory point cards in the development card deck. This question was created by Phoenix Rising's reedy, who settled, built, and traded his way to 2nd place in the Eastern Canada Catan Championship way back in 2004.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms I

Answer: Gravity moves at the speed of light

Albert Einstein correctly predicted that gravity moves at the speed of light. As a result of natural phenomena such as the merging of black holes and the collisions of dying stars, gravitational waves are created. When these waves travel through matter, the object's dimensions warp by an exceedingly small amount. However, even when attempting to detect waves produced by massive objects, it requires a monumental effort. One such facility to detect them is LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory), which fires lasers down its 4 km long tubes just to detect differences in length smaller than an atom. About 140 million light-years away (and subsequently 140 million years ago) two orbiting neutron stars collided in the Hydra constellation. On Earth, we finally noticed this collision in 2017 when gravitational wave observatories picked up the reading. However, even more exciting, gamma rays, which also travel at light speed, were detected by global telescopes 1.7 seconds later. The difference in time is due to the gravitational waves being emitted slightly before the gamma rays. So, Einstein's prediction appears to be proven true almost 100 years after he first conceived of it. Now just imagine what Einstein could do with today's technology... This question was written by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who can't get enough of Dr. Don Lincoln's brilliant Fermilab videos, or Einstein for that matter, being the inspiration for this question.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XII

Answer: Sir Thomas More

It is unusual for the Pope to make a special announcement to declare a saint as the patron of a specific domain. In this case Pope John Paul II made an exception. He was seeking to set a strong example as to how politicians should behave under Catholic principles and to draw attention to the work of More. In a speech on 7 April, 1998 he urged politicians to take heed of the way More combined his faith with reason, politics and the pursuit of truth. He proclaimed that "man is created by God, and therefore human rights have their origin in God, are based upon the design of creation and form part of the plan of redemption". In 2000 he would write an apostolic letter proclaiming More as the patron of politicians, at a time when the world of politics demanded and needed credible role models. This question was created by Phoenix Rising's pollucci19 who was once told he had the face of a saint. When he enquired as to which one, he was told a St. Bernard.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XI

Answer: France

Most South American countries sought independence from Spain, the first being Colombia in 1810, the ninth being Bolivia in 1825, though Uruguay sought independence from Spain in 1811 but then had to declare independence from Brazil in 1825. Brazil, itself, gained independence from Portugal in 1822. Guyana declared independence from the UK in 1966 and Surinam became the twelfth independent South American republic when it became independent of The Netherlands in 1975. In 2010 in a referendum, French Guiana voted against autonomy and remained an overseas department of France. This question was declared independent of other questions in this quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms IX

Answer: red

The Samsui women originated from the Sanshui (Cantonese: "samsui") district in Guangdong province, China. They came to Malaya and Singapore in the 1930s for work during a time when the British imposed a quota on male immigrants. The women found employment mainly in the construction industry, but they also worked in the mining, agricultural and domestic service sectors. The archetypal Samsui woman working in the construction industry dressed in dark blue tunic and trousers that showed stains less easily. A red headdress folded from starched cloth into the shape of a rectangle completed the ensemble. The headdress kept dirt out of hair, and held small items such as cigarettes, matches and money. The red colour improved conspicuousness and reduced accidents at the worksite. The characteristic headgear of the Samsui women earned them the moniker "hong tou jin", which meant "red headscarf". The Samsui women did backbreaking labour, carrying heavy loads of construction material in baskets hung from a pole across their shoulders, for less than a dollar's wage a day. The bulk of their earnings were remitted to their families in China. Many of them continued working until a time when modern machinery replaced human labour. In Singapore, the Samsui women are a cultural icon valued and appreciated for their contributions in building many of the fledgling nation's infrastructure. This question was capped by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VI

Answer: Coco Lee

Born in Hong Kong in 1975, Coco Lee moved to San Francisco with her family in 1984. At the 73rd Academy Awards held in 2001, she performed the song "A Love Before Time", which was nominated for the Best Original Song award. Lee was also renowned for her rendition of the Chinese version of "Reflection", the theme song of "Mulan" (1998). "Coco" (2017) follows the story of Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), as he embarks on a poignant journey to uncover the reasons behind his family's aversion to music. This question is written by Phoenix Rising team member Matthew_07, who admires Lee's musicality and has a fondness for vibrant Pixar animated films.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms V

Answer: R. Dean Taylor

R. Dean Taylor was a Canadian who was inspired to write this song after watching the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967). It tells the story of a man on the run after the police in Indiana want him for the suspected murder of a man who insulted his partner. The song features the sound of sirens at the beginning, middle and end (though some versions did not have the sound effects). The hail of bullets as the track closes suggests the narrator was surrounded, did not give himself up and died in the volley of gunfire. It was a Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit for the Canadian and was the only time he had an American hit. This song has been a favourite of the author for fifty years when the author of this question, written by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1, ventured into Indiana for the first time. In a case of life imitating life, the author was pulled over by an Indiana State Trooper but lived to tell the tale.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms IV

Answer: Roaring lion

The Bible references lions numerous times - sometimes as the devil as above, and sometimes as the powerful rescuer. In 2 Timothy 4:17, the Bible speaks of the Lord strengthening his people and rescuing them from the lion's mouth. The Psalmist in chapter 37 begs to be rescued from the lions. The book of Daniel relates the well-known story of the Lord rescuing Daniel from the lion's den. Again in Psalms (54:7), David says "My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts". The image of a lion is also used in prophecy; the first of the four beasts of Daniel 7:4 was like a lion and had eagles' wings. In Revelation 9:8, we are told of locusts who are given certain powers, and had "hair like women's hair, and ... teeth like lions' teeth". Revelation 5:5 gives a powerful image of the victorious Saviour as a lion: "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid prowled around to find the right slot for this question.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms III

Answer: Charles Dickens

The 2022 Kingsolver novel follows a young man, Damon, whose first name and patrilineal red hair earn him the nickname "Demon Copperhead". His fortunes fall and rise in Appalachia, bedeviled by poverty, child abuse, the foster care system, and opioids. Kingsolver was apparently inspired to write the tale patterned after "David Copperfield" while staying in a British inn where Dickens once wrote. Player pusdoc scribed this question into the quiz for Phoenix Rising.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms II

Answer: Esti

John Legend, or his birth name, John Roger Stephens, is a successful R&B singer. His hit song, "All of Me" (2013), is written for his wife, American model Chrissy Teigen. The couple married in 2013 and their first daughter, Luna Simone Stephens, was born in 2016. Their second child, a boy named Miles Theodore Stephens, was born in 2018. In 2020, Teigen had an abortion, which she described as necessary "to save [her] life for a baby that had absolutely no chance." The couple's second daughter, Esti Maxine Stephens, was born in 2023. Legend's great-grandmother's name was Esther, and his grandmother's middle name was Maxine. Esti is a short form of the name Esther, which is also the title of a book in the Old Testament of the Bible. This question is written by Phoenix Rising team member Matthew_07, who admires Legend's musicality and vocal techniques.

From Quiz Zippy Zooms XII

Answer: Donated by English seed merchant, Samuel Ryder

After preliminary matches between male golfers from Great Britain and the USA earlier in the decade, English businessman and golf promoter, Samuel Ryder (1858-1936) donated a gold trophy, "The Ryder Cup", as the prize to the winning team in 1927. The British team was expanded to players from Europe in 1979 to assist in making the event more competitive. Each team has a nominated captain, whose role is firstly to select the players for that team and then to choose match-ups in the variety of match-play competitions (pairs and singles) over the multi-day event. The Ryder Cup tournament is held every two years and alternates between courses in the USA and in Europe. Despite the absence of any prize money for the winning team, almost all golfers eagerly agree to play for their team. Yes, I know it is actually H. Rider Haggard! This question was pitched into the quiz by Phoenix Rising's golf tragic, MikeMaster99 who is much more successful with sports involving moving targets than trying to guide one that is initially stationary!

From Quiz Zippy Zooms X

Answer: Tetris

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov packed his Nintendo Gameboy along with his Tetris game cartridge to bring with him to the MIR Space Station. While Serebrov did not have much downtime, he did get to play Tetris occasionally. The Tetris game spent 196 days in space and orbited the Earth over 3000 times. In 2011, both the Gameboy and the Tetris game were sold at auction, bringing in $1,220. Since Serebrov's 1993 trip, several other astronauts have used video games as a way to relax during personal time in space. This electronic question was launched by Phoenix Rising's BigTriviaDawg who believes Tetris is the perfect video game for a first in space!

From Quiz Zippy Zooms VIII

Answer: Design fault: Square windows

In a milestone aviation achievement, the de Havilland Comet jetliner was the first commercial jet airliner, considered by some the most beautiful aircraft ever made. The turbo jets were incorporated in sleek enclosures in the wing root. (The more efficient turbofans were not available for commercial aircraft until the 70s). It was thought that these novel engines would be the source of any problems with the jet. However, the first two aircraft losses were due to the planes breaking up in mid-air indicating a structural fault, not an engine problem. The Comet manufacturers tested the structure of an existing Comet in a water tank with repeating pressurisation cycles. After just over 3,000 pressurisation cycles the cause of the two planes breaking up in mid-flight was found to be due to metal fatigue, exacerbated by the square window design. The fuselage break-up started at the corner of a window. The engineers redesigned the structure of the plane, with rounded-off windows in what became the Comet 2. The problem never recurred. This question was flown into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

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Last Updated Apr 22 2024 11:06 AM

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