Two for the Show Trivia Quiz

Answer: January

In the original Roman calendar, the year had only ten months and 304 days; March was the first month, while winter was a month-less period between the end of the year and the beginning of a new one. According to tradition, it was Romulus' successor, Numa Pompilius (the second king of Rome, so also related to the theme of this quiz), who added January and February to the calendar to cover a standard lunar year (354 days). This transition, which is supposed to have happened around 713 BC, may instead have occurred much later, around 450 BC.

The first of the two new months, and the first month of the year, was named after Janus, the two-headed (occasionally also four-headed) god of beginnings, endings, and transitions, often identified with gateways. Some scholars believe him to have been the most important deity in the archaic Roman pantheon, on a par with Jupiter, the king of gods. In Ancient Rome, Janus presided over the beginning and ending of a war: the doors of his temple in the Forum were opened during wartime, and closed during peacetime. The first day of the year was dedicated to Janus, and celebrated in Rome by exchanging good wishes and small gifts.

There are many place names in Italy that reference Janus - the most significant of them being the Janiculum Hill on the right bank of the Tiber. In the Middle Ages, Janus was also adopted as a symbol by the maritime city of Genoa, whose name is believed by some to have derived from the Latin "Ianua", meaning "door". The names of July and August come from Julius Caesar and Augustus, while March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war.

Answer: highly toxic

Helium (symbol HE) is the first element in the noble gas group of the periodic table. Like the other elements in this group, it is odorless, colorless, monatomic, and inert - meaning it has very low chemical reactivity. It is also the second-lightest and -most abundant element (after hydrogen) in the universe, though it is rare on Earth. With a melting point very close to absolute zero (−272.20 °C, −457.96 °F), and a boiling point only slightly higher (−268.928 °C, −452.070 °F), helium is widely used in cryogenic applications, such as cooling the superconducting magnets in MRI scanners. As a lifting gas for balloons and airships, it has the advantage of being non-flammable (unlike hydrogen), but it is also quite expensive because of its scarcity.

Like most noble gases, helium is non-toxic, though, if inhaled in excessive quantities, it can cause asphyxia because it displaces oxygen. Some people have died after inhaling helium from balloons or pressurized cylinders, but such occurrences are rare.

Helium was named after Helios, the Greek god of the Sun, by English astronomer Norman Lockyer and English chemist Edward Frankland, who in 1868 detected the presence of this hitherto-unknown element in the Sun.

Answer: Bologna

During the Middle Ages, wealthy families often built towers to show their power and influence - much like modern-day skyscrapers - rather than as defensive structures. Between the 12th and the 13th century, Bologna was estimated to have over 100 towers, with a skyline that would have put Manhattan to shame. 22 of these towers have survived, the most famous of which are the two leaning towers named Garisenda and Torre degli Asinelli, located in a strategic position at the intersection of the roads that led to the five gates of the city. The two structures, probably built in the early 12th century, are named after the families that erected them: the Garisenda is the shorter (48 m/157 ft) and more leaning of the two, while the Torre degli Asinelli is over twice as high (97.2 m/319 ft), and crowned with an overhanging battlement. At night the towers - which are located close to Piazza Maggiore, Bologna's main square - are lit by a special lighting system that makes them visible from every corner of the city.

The capital of the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, Bologna is the seat of the oldest university in the Western world, and its luscious food enjoys global renown.

Answer: Charles II

The eldest surviving son of Charles I, Charles II (1630-1684) was proclaimed King of Scotland in February 1649, a few days after his father's execution. After his defeat by the Republican forces led by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester (1651), Charles fled to Europe, where he spent nine years in exile. In 1660, two years after Cromwell's death, a political crisis led to the Restoration of the monarchy, and Charles's return to England, where he was crowned King of Scotland, England and Ireland on 23 April 1661. Nicknamed "the Merry Monarch", Charles was very popular: sadly, he died on 2 February 1685 of an apoplectic fit, at the age of 54. As he had no legitimate issue with his wife, Portuguese-born Catherine of Braganza (though plenty of illegitimate children by his many mistresses), Charles II was succeeded by his brother, James.

The three kings listed as wrong answers, who ruled between the 12th and the late 14th century, all died a violent death: William II was killed by an arrow while hunting, Edward II was murdered in mysterious circumstances, and Richard II was probably starved to death in captivity.

Answer: no

Of the five extant species of rhinoceros, the two African species, the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum), the second-largest land animal after the three elephant species, and the black rhino (Diceros bicornis), have two horns. As its binomial name implies, the Indian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) has only one horn, as has the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus). On the other hand, the smallest and hairiest species of rhino, the rare Sumatran rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) also has two horns. Unlike the horns of even-toed ungulates, rhinoceros horns are made exclusively of keratin, and have no bone core.

Sadly, all species of rhinoceros are highly vulnerable to human activity (in particular poaching for their horns), and have disappeared from much of their original range. In 2020, the white rhino was classified by IUCN as Near Threatened, and the black rhino as Critically Endangered; in fact, three subspecies of black rhino have been declared extinct. Both the Javan and the Sumatran rhinos were also classified as Critically Endangered, while the Indian rhino is relatively better off, with a classification of Vulnerable (2019).

Answer: Treebeard

Described by Gandalf as the oldest living being in Middle-earth, Treebeard is one of the Ents, huge, tree-like "shepherds of trees" that live for the most part in the Forest of Fangorn (also the translation of Treebeard's name in Sindarin, one of the Elvish languages), located at the southern end of the Misty Mountains. In the first half of "The Two Towers", the hobbits Merry and Pippin, two of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring, meet Treebeard in the Forest after escaping from Orcs. Roused to anger by the turncoat wizard Saruman's destruction of many of the forest's trees, Treebeard and the Ents march to the fortress of Orthanc and destroy the surrounding valley, diverting the river to flood its underground forges and furnaces, and trapping Saruman in his impregnable tower.

The character of the sycophantic Gríma Wormtongue is also introduced in "The Two Towers", as is Shadowfax, the magnificent horse that becomes Gandalf's trusty steed and companion. Greyhame ("greycloak") is one of Gandalf's epithets, given to him in Rohan.

Answer: Giuseppe Garibaldi

Established in 1816, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was ruled by the House of Bourbon, and included the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily, which had existed since the Middle Ages. The Kingdom was so named because the Kingdom of Naples was known as the Kingdom of Sicily "beyond the lighthouse (of Messina)". It was the largest sovereign state in pre-unification Italy, and had a sizable, mostly professional army and navy. In spite of that, Giuseppe Garibaldi, with a corps of 1,089 volunteers known as "I Mille" (The Thousand), managed to overthrow it - also thanks to British support. The Thousand landed in Sicily on 11 May 1860, conquered the island, then crossed the Straits of Messina, and conquered the second half of the kingdom, which comprised most of present-day Southern Italy, with the help of the army of the Kingdom of Sardinia. The King of Naples, Francis II, held out in his fortress of Gaeta until February 1861, but eventually surrendered to Victor Emmanuel II. In March 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was officially declared.

Though hailed as a heroic feat, the expedition of the Thousand was marred by a few bloody episodes, such as the violent repression of a peasant uprising at Bronte. The annexation of the former Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was also handled in a less than ideal manner, which caused a series of issues whose effects can be still felt today.

Giacomo Puccini is an opera composer, Giovanni Boccaccio a writer, and Giorgio Armani a fashion designer.

Answer: Karakoram

The name K2 given to the world's second-highest peak comes from the notation used by officer and surveyor Thomas Montgomerie during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of British India in 1856. K2 stands for "Karakoram 2", as it was the second of the peaks mapped by Montgomerie in the Karakoram range. However, while K1 was named Masherbrum by the local population, the second (and considerably taller) peak had no local name, probably because of its remoteness. The suggested name of Mount Godwin-Austen (after an early explorer of the region) was rejected by the Royal Geographical Society, but it is still occasionally used. The mountain's name is rendered as "Kechu" or "Ketu" in the Balti language, while the name "Qogir" is used in China.

Located on the border between Gilgit-Baltistan (Pakistan) and Xinjiang (China), K2 stands at a height of 8,611 m (28,251 ft) above sea level. First summited in 1954 by an Italian expedition, the mountain has acquired the ominous name of "Savage Mountain", having claimed many lives during attempted climbs. Besides K2, another three of the fourteen "eight-thousanders" (mountains over 8,000 m/26,247 ft) are located in the Karakoram; they are all part of the Gasherbrum massif.

Of the three wrong answers, Kathmandu is a city (the capital of Nepal), and Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, located in Central Asia. The Kalahari Desert is found in Southern Africa.

Answer: Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Released as a single on 4 June 1984, "Two Tribes" was written by three of the five members of Liverpool-based band Frankie Goes to Hollywood - vocalist Holly Johnson, drummer Peter Gill, and bassist Mark O'Toole - and produced by Trevor Horn. With its relentlessly pounding bass line and nihilistic lyrics cheering for nuclear war, the song was hugely successful in the UK, charting at No. 1 of the UK Singles Chart for nine consecutive weeks. It was later included on Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut album, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (released in October 1984).

"Two Tribes" was released in a wide range of themed remixes, and promoted through a campaign in which the band members appeared in American military garb, or in Soviet army uniforms. The video directed by former 10cc members Godley & Crème added a final touch of brilliance to the song's marketing campaign - depicting a no-holds-barred wrestling match between US President Ronald Reagan and Secretary of the USSR Communist Party Konstantin Chernenko that ends in global annihilation.

The three wrong choices are also Liverpool-based bands that were active in the 1980s.

Answer: Thomas

Commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" after the episode in John 20:24-29, in which he refuses to believe the resurrection of Christ without direct evidence, Thomas the Apostle is also credited as the author of several apocryphal books. His name comes from the Aramaic "Ta-wma/T'oma", meaning "twin" (translated as "Didymos" in Greek). According to various sources, after the ascension of Christ Thomas travelled to Southern India, where he spent about 20 years before being martyred in 72 AD; his feast is observed on 3 July, the supposed day of his death.

A large church, named San Thomas Cathedral Basilica (Santhome Church for short), was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century over the apostle's original tomb, in present-day Mylapore, the neighbourhood of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) where the apostle is believed to have been martyred. The church was rebuilt by the British in Neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. The Apostle's remains, however, are now buried beneath the altar of St Thomas' Basilica in Ortona (Italy). An ethno-religious community of Indian Christians, named Saint Thomas Christians, has been based in the Malabar region of the Indian state of Kerala since the 8th century AD.