Cool Zooms, Part IV Trivia Quiz

Answer: Only states that do not have U, S, or A in their state name

The United States, with 50 separate states, has some fascinating letter facts. While seven letters do not start a state name (B E J Q X Y Z) - New Jersey comes close - only Q is not listed in any of the 50 state names.

The capital of New York is Albany. The capital of Vermont is Montpelier. The other four have capitals that start with C or S.

Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city in Wyoming.

This question was devised by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1 who ponders such meaningful trivia which prevents sleep at night.

Answer: Atlantic puffin

Given the location of the British Isles in the north Atlantic, it should come as no shock at all that the puffins that visit them for the spring and summer breeding seasons are Atlantic puffins. These incredibly cute and comical birds, noted for their brightly-coloured beaks and waddling gait, spend the rest of the year out in the northern Atlantic feeding on fish. The two other species that belong to the same genus are tufted puffins and horned puffins, both of which live in the Pacific Ocean.

If you want to visit a puffin colony in the British Isles then most can be found on smaller islands - although there are a few places on the mainland where they can also be spotted. Major breeding sites include the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel and the Farne Islands off the coast of north-east England; Skomer Island and Anglesey in Wales; Rathlin Island in Northern Ireland; and many Scottish islands in the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland Islands.

Sneaking some puffins into this quiz provided Phoenix Rising's Fifiona81 with some compensation for not yet having managed to sneak a puffin home as a pet.

Answer: New York & Maine

Massachusetts is the most centrally located New England state. As such it borders all other New England states except for a 68 mile (110km) ocean shoreline of New Hampshire that separates Maine and Massachusetts. Most of the population is in the east and the capital, Boston, is New England's biggest city. Western Massachusetts is bisected by the Connecticut River. The Berkshires, part of the Appalachian range, extend from the Pioneer Valley to New York.

This question was created by Phoenix Rising team members 1nn1 and Humanist. The former loved the drive from Albany, New York to Shelburne Falls, MA; the latter is a Massachusetts resident.

Answer: Field (background) colour

Five nations have the Southern Cross on their flags. As well as Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa all portray this Southern Hemisphere constellation.

The flags of Australia and New Zealand are similar and easily mistaken for one another. Both have a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter, reflecting the British heritage of these neighbouring countries.

The Australian flag has a large white star beneath the Union Jack. This is known as the Commonwealth Star or Federation Star. Initially it had six points for the original six colonies that federated. Since 1908 it has had seven points with the extra point representing future territories.

On the fly half of the Australian flag are five white stars representing the Southern Cross. There is one small five-pointed star and four seven-pointed stars that are larger.

Symbolising the Southern Cross, the New Zealand flag has four or eight five-pointed stars on its fly half. At first glance this is four red stars with white edges. However, there are four larger white stars with four smaller red stars superimposed.

The current form of the New Zealand flag has been used since 1869 and it was given legal status in 1902. The original design of the Australian flag dates from 1902 and the current version with the seven-pointed Commonwealth Star has been in use since 1908.

Phoenix Rising member psnz was not vexed, raising this question into the quiz.

Answer: Black, blue, green, red, yellow, white

South Africa's first fully inclusive elections were held on April 27, 1994, resulting in Nelson Mandela's inauguration as President on May 10 of that year. The flag first officially flown on that election day was initially intended to serve as an interim flag. It was a sort of fallback after national design efforts had failed to produce a viable option. But it quickly gained favour and retained its status as representative of the country's new democratic identity.

The colours in the flag have no essential meaning, but rather are representative of South Africa's flag history. Black, green, and yellow are the colours of the flag of the African National Congress (ANC), the political party that came to power with Nelson Mandela's election. The blue, red, and white recall South Africa's former flag, as well as the Dutch and British flags integral to its history.

Technically, the textile colours are blue black, national flag blue, spectrum green, chilli red, gold yellow, and national flag white.

Phoenix Rising member JCSon is proud to hoist this one as he recalls living in South Africa through all of the great history surrounding Nelson Mandela's release from incarceration, his election as President, and the ushering in of a new democracy replete with a new national flag and national anthem.

Answer: Tina Louise

"Gilligan's Island" was a sitcom which ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1966. The S.S. Minnow was on a short tour when it was caught in a storm and ran aground on an uncharted island. The sitcom follows the antics of the crew, Skipper (Alan Hale) and Gilligan (Bob Denver), and their passengers. Ginger Grant, a Hollywood movie star played by Tina Louise, was one of the passengers.

Despite the thoughts of the cast that the show couldn't possibly last, it ran for 98 episodes. Several follow-up films were made, although Tina Louise was replaced by Judith Baldwin. The series proved so popular that the original three series were digitally remastered and released on home video. "Gilligan's Island" also spawned a musical, novel, reality show, board games, playing cards, pinball machines, and more.

Leith90, who was marooned at home during the 2020 pandemic, was responsible for this question.

Answer: Singers known by a single name

Adele (Adkins), Madonna (Ciccone), and Anastacia (Newkirk) are all famous female solo artists who are known simply by their first name and whose surnames are not commonly used. Gordon Sumner is better known as Sting and was a member of the band The Police before he embarked on a solo career; Paul Hewson is the real name of Bono, the lead singer of U2. Other names that could have been included in the list in this question are Tweedy (Cheryl), Fenty (Rihanna), Nelson (Prince), and Sarkisian (Cher).

This question was brought to you by Phoenix Rising's Fi, who thinks she may now be a famous enough quiz author to safely drop using the rest of her FT name.

Answer: 1965

Although settlements on the island of Singapore date back at least a millennium or more, the history of 'modern' Singapore is usually traced back to when it became a British colony in 1819. It remained a British colony until 1955, apart from Japanese rule (1942-45) during World War 2. From 1955 Singapore was partially, then fully, self-governed until 1963 when it joined Malaya, Sarawak, and North Borneo to form Malaysia. However, this arrangement caused large civil disturbances and bloodshed, leading to Singapore being expelled from the Malaysian Federation on 9th August 1965 and becoming an independent country that day.

This question was retrieved from the archives by MikeMaster99 who has thoroughly enjoyed his visits to this fine country!

Answer: Crimson

Crimson has been the colour of the University of Alabama since they started playing football back in 1892, but they got their 'Crimson Tide' nickname in around 1907. The song "Crimson and Clover" was released by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1968, and is a psychedelic pop/rock song. It was covered by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in 1982, and Patrick Samson in 1969, with many other artists referencing the song in their works.

Developed in 2008, Crimson Editor is a professional source code editor for Microsoft Windows, available for free download, and can act like an enhanced version of Notepad.

The question came to Phoenix Rising member Vegemite Kid during a monocolour dream.

Answer: The name of his house in Jamaica

"Goldeneye" is the original name of Ian Fleming's estate on the northern coastline of Jamaica which he purchased in 1946 and where he built his home on the edge of a cliff overlooking a private beach. The house was designed by Fleming. The property now operates as Goldeneye Hotel and Resort, consisting of Fleming's main house and several cottages. It is adjacent to James Bond Beach.

Fleming joined The Sunday Times in 1946 and managed to negotiate a contract whereby he could spend three months of each year at Goldeneye.

For twelve years, from 1952, Fleming wrote all his Bond stories at Goldeneye. The first novel written was "Casino Royale", however the first one filmed was "Dr No" in 1962. "Dr No" and several other Bond movies, including "Live and Let Die", were filmed near the estate.

This question was brought to you by Phoenix Rising member lg549, who remained shaken and not stirred in writing it.

Answer: Orlando

Orlando, the third-largest metropolitan area in Florida, is located in the interior of the state. Although there are no coastal beaches enticing the crowds, it is the home of many attractions including Walt Disney World.

Teacher47 penned this as she coasted along on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in Disneyworld.

Answer: Panama City, Panama

Because Panama makes a rotated s-curve, part of the country has the Pacific to the east and the Atlantic to the west. Therefore, it is possible to watch the sun rise in the west and set in the east. Ships traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic go in a northwest direction, and ships traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific go southeast taking 8-10 hours.

Cruising right along, Teacher47 shipped this question back to her team.

Answer: Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Gate Strait and joins the southern and northern parts of San Francisco. It opened in 1937, and at that time was the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a very impressive central span of 1.2 kms (over 4,000 ft). Fun fact: there was a proposal, thankfully rejected, that the bridge be painted with yellow and black stripes so that navy ships would not accidentally run into it!

Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia opened five years earlier, in 1932, and crosses the magnificent harbour. It is an arch bridge, and because of its shape, it is affectionately known as the "Coathanger". Fun fact: actor Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) used to be a painter on the bridge.

Brooklyn Bridge in New York City was opened in 1883. It connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, crossing the East River. The bridge is the cable-stayed suspension type, and the head construction engineer, John Augustus Roebling, did not live to see its opening. He was injured on site and died soon afterwards. Fun fact: as a test of the strength of the bridge, and more likely as a publicity stunt, PT Barnum led a string of 20 elephants across the structure in 1884.

The Ponte Vecchio is a very old bridge in Florence, Italy. The present-day structure dates from 1345, but records indicate that there were previous bridges at the site dating back 350 years prior to that! It is a small bridge, about 80 metres (about 262 feet) in length, and is restricted to pedestrian traffic. It is several storeys high and is home to many small shops. Fun fact: the traders on the bridge used to include butchers and other food merchants, but they were banned in 1593 because of the terrible smell.

This question was brought to you by ozzz2002, who is by no means a gephyrophiliac.

Answer: Buckingham Palace

Buckingham House was built in the early 18th Century for the Duke of Buckingham, but before the century was out it had passed to King George III. He gave it to his wife, Queen Charlotte, and the name was changed to Queen's House. King George IV began renovating it into a palace in 1826. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live in Buckingham Palace as the place was plagued with faults. It was cold, the fireplaces didn't work properly and were smoky, and there was little ventilation. Major renovations were overseen by Prince Albert, and the large East Front with its balcony was added to the palace. This new facade became the face of the monarchy with many celebratory occasions marked with the royal family congregating on the balcony to acknowledge the public. The state rooms are used for state banquets, investitures, and other court ceremonies and functions. Part of the Palace is open for public viewing for several months of the year.

This question was regally waved into the quiz by leith90, who is a hand-maiden to her cat, the Queen Kitty.

Answer: Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch

Auckland (Maori: Tamaki Makaurau), also known as the "City of Sails", is New Zealand's biggest city and is located near the top of the North Island. The city is built on an isthmus between the Waitemata Harbour to the east and the Manukau Harbour to the west.

Christchurch (Maori: Otautahi) is New Zealand's second largest city and is sometimes called the "Garden City". Christchurch lies on the Canterbury Plains in the central eastern part of the South Island. The city and region have suffered from earthquakes in recent times.

Wellington City (Maori: Te Whanganui-a-Tara) is New Zealand's capital city and the third largest. Lying at the bottom of the North Island alongside Cook Strait, the city is colloquially called "Windy Wellington". Indeed, it is the world's windiest city by average wind speed, as well as the most southerly capital. The greater Wellington region contains several other cities, including Lower Hutt.

Hamilton (Maori: Kirikiriroa) is the fourth largest city. It is an inland city, south of Auckland in the Waikato region of the North Island. Hamilton is built on both sides of the Waikato River, New Zealand's longest.

Tauranga (English: safe anchorage or resting place) is, as indicated in the question, New Zealand's fifth largest city. It lies around the Tauranga Harbour in the Bay of Plenty region on the eastern side of the North Island.

Dunedin (Maori: Otepoti) is New Zealand's seventh largest city. Lower Hutt in the Greater Wellington region is larger. Dunedin is also New Zealand's most Scottish city, named after Edinburgh in Scotland and is south of Christchurch on the east coast of the South Island.

Living north of Auckland in Whangarei (the 13th largest city), Phoenix Rising member psnz was delighted to provide a Kiwi direction to the quiz. Fortunately, there are no macrons or diacritical marks in 'psnz'.

Answer: Rocket Man

"Rocket Man" was a 1962 hit for Swedish instrumental group The Spotnicks. It was also a single released by US psychedelic band Pearls Before Swine in 1970 but, the most famous version of "Rocket Man" in song was the 1972 release by Elton John.

David Bowie would also develop a fascination with spacemen, creating his own explorer in Major Tom, whom we first heard of in Bowie's 1969 hit "Space Oddity". Tom would re-appear in Bowie's 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes". As Bowie switched to glam rock in the early 1970s he developed an alter ego in Ziggy Stardust, a persona he explored on his 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars". Ironically, the first single released from this album was "Starman". The character Aladdin Sane, which was a play on the phrase "a lad insane", became the title of Bowie's follow-up album to "Ziggy Stardust...", and was released in 1973.

Phoenix Rising's "Bear Who Sold the World", pollucci19, proved to be a bit of a space oddity in putting this question together.

Answer: Elvis

Sonny Crocket took in Elvis the alligator after he was retired as the mascot of the University of Florida for biting an opposing player. Elvis functioned as a drug-sniffer and guard for the boat The St. Vitus Dance. Elvis appeared in seasons 1 and 2 of "Miami Vice" and was likely not used in seasons 3-5 due to budget constraints. Don Johnson, the actor who played Sonny Crocket, starred in the title role in "Elvis and the Beauty Queen" that told the story of a relationship between Elvis Presley and Linda Thompson.

Being a graduate of the University of Florida, it seems fitting that this question was written by Phoenix Rising team member Triviaballer who does not have any pet alligators.

Answer: New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks

Interstate 90 (I-90) is a coast-to-coast transcontinental freeway and America's longest Interstate Highway at a little more than 3,020 miles (4,860km). It extends from Seattle, Washington on the West Coast traversing Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York before reaching its terminus in Boston, Massachusetts on the East Coast.

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The Seahawks in Seattle and the New England Patriots in Boston are based at either end of the I-90. None of the other teams mentioned are based in any of the states traversed by the I-90. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team.

Phoenix Rising team member JCSon carried this question into the end zone and screamed, "TOUCHDOWN!"

Answer: Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell was born on 22 April 1936 in Arkansas, USA. He began his musical career playing music at fairs and church picnics and singing in the church choir. In 1954 he joined his uncle's band, then in 1958 formed his own band. In 1960 he moved to Los Angeles and became a session musician playing on recordings by many famous acts. Over the next few years he released several singles, but it wasn't until 1965 that he had a successful solo hit, "Universal Soldier". It was in 1967 that he became an "overnight success" with the release of "Gentle on My Mind".

"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was also released in 1967, "Wichita Lineman" followed in 1968, and "Galveston" in 1969.

Other songs recorded by Glen Campbell with place names in the title include "Canadian Sunset", "Carolina in My Mind", "Manhattan Kansas", "Oklahoma Sunday Morning", "Oh Shenandoah", "Please Come to Boston", and "San Francisco is a Lonely Town".

He was nominated for many awards for music during his career and won several. These included Grammy Awards, Academy of Country Music, American Music Awards, Country Music Association, GMA Dove Awards, and an Academy Award. In 1970 he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best New Star of the Year - Actor in the movie "True Grit".

Glen Campbell died on 8 August 2017 aged 81.

This question was contributed by Phoenix Rising member lg549 who is still waiting to become an overnight success but feels her lack of musical talent may hold her back.

Answer: 0

The ten provinces are (A)lbert(a), British (C)olumbi(a), M(a)(n)itob(a), (N)ew Bru(n)swi(c)k, (N)ewfou(n)(d)l(a)(n)(d) (a)(n)(d) L(a)br(a)(d)or, (N)ov(a) S(c)oti(a), O(n)t(a)rio, Pri(n)(c)e E(d)w(a)r(d) Isl(a)(n)(d), Quebe(c), and S(a)sk(a)t(c)hew(a)(n). The three territories are (N)orthwest Territories, (N)u(n)(a)vut, and Yuko(n).

Fun fact: almost all of Canada's provinces and territories have a regional tartan, and in 2011 the Maple Leaf Tartan was adopted as the national tartan.

This question by Phoenix Rising member JCSon covered a lot of territory, eh?