Verifiably Very Variable Trivia Quiz

Answer: V-J Day

This mural is drawn in the High Line, a mile-long former elevated freight railroad spur in New York that is now a city park. Drawn by Eduardo Kobra, the mural is an interpretation of Alfred Eisenstaedt's photo "V-J Day in Times Square, New York".

V-J Day (aka Victory Over Japan Day) celebrates the end of the Pacific theatre in WWII. It is celebrated on August 15 in the UK, the date in Japan (August 14 in the US because of time differences) when Japan announced its surrender. In the US it is celebrated on September 2 (and in China September 3) to commemorate the date on which the actual surrender was signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Harbour.

Of the alternatives, V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day) is celebrated in most countries on either May 7 or May 8 -- Germany's surrender was signed in Reims, France on May 7 and in Berlin on May 8. Victory Day, commemorating Soviet victory over Nazi Germany is celebrated in Russia and some other Eastern European countries on May 9. Vijay Diwas is celebrated on December 16 in India and Bangladesh, commemorating the 1971 victory over Pakistan.

Answer: Valentine Michael Smith

Published in 1961, "Stranger in a Strange Land" was the first sci-fi novel to make it onto 'The New York Times' Book Review's best-seller list. It won the 1962 Hugo Award for Best Novel and, fifty years later, was part of a Library of Congress exhibition of "Books That Shaped America".

Contact is lost with the first manned mission to Mars shortly after they land and nothing further is heard from the crew. Twenty-five years later, a second mission arrives on the Red Planet to discover a survivor, Valentine Michael Smith, who was born on the planet and raised by Martians. The story follows his return to a post-third world war Earth.

The roses pictured would make an ideal Valentine's Day gift.

Answer: Vulcan

Built in Faskine, Airdrie, on the bank of the Monkland Canal by the Forth and Clyde Canal Company, the "Vulcan" was launched in May 1819 and carried passengers between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Sold for scrap in 1873, a replica of the "Vulcan" was constructed in Glasgow in 1988 and can be seen at the Summerlee Heritage Park.

The photograph shows the Avro Vulcan (later called the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan), a high-altitude strategic bomber used by the RAF between 1956 and 1984.

Answer: Victoria

Originally settled by French colonists in 1778, Victoria was officially established and named by the British following the 1814 Treaty of Paris. Located on the island of Mahé and home to around 26,000 people (2010 estimate), Victoria is now the capital and largest city in the Republic of Seychelles. (The photo is the flag of the Seychelles.)

The 115-island country located 930 miles east of mainland East Africa is the smallest sovereign African nation in terms of both land area (177 square miles) and population (92,000 estimated in 2012). Victoria lies at a latitude of 4.37 degrees South, and is the only one of the eight national capitals starting with "V" south of the Equator.

Of the alternatives, Vientiane (Laos) stands at 17.58 degrees North, Vaduz (Liechtenstein) at 35.53 N and Valletta (Malta) at 47.14 N, all significantly further from the Equator.

Answer: Velvet Sky

Fighting under the name Velvet Sky, Szantyr won the TNA Knockout title in Philadelphia in October 2011 and again in London in January 2013. Competing along with Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich as "The Beautiful People", she also won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team championship in Orlando, Florida in March 2010.

The photo illustrates the velvet-look as it occurs in the natural world.

Answer: Vinegar Joe

Vocalist Elkie Brooks and guitarist Peter Gage were members of the jazz-rock fusion band Dada, which released an eponymous album in 1970. Vocalist Robert Palmer joined Dada the following year and the group signed with Island Records and changed their name to Vinegar Joe. They released three albums, "Vinegar Joe" and "Rock'n Roll Gypsies" in 1972 and "Six Star General" in 1973, before Brooks and Palmer departed on their solo careers.

The photo shows a dressing made of oil and balsamic vinegar.

Answer: Valley

The photograph shows the spectacular Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland.

The 28-mile long Valley Mountain run through central Utah and incorporate Yuba State Park. Bald Knoll is the highest point at 6.682 feet. Charlton Athletic F.C. have played at The Valley in SE7 since 1919, although the stadium underwent major renovations in 1991. With a population of 1.067 (2011 Census), The Valley is both the capital and the largest city in the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla. "The Valley" is the first track on the Duran Duran album "Red Carpet Massacre", released in 2007. It was the band's twelfth studio album since they began recording in 1978.

Answer: Virgo

The photograph shows the beautiful demoiselle (aka European damselfly), creature with the Latin name 'Calopteryx virgo'. Similarly, the Demoiselle crane from the Grus genus has the Latin name 'Grus virgo'. Although "Virgo" is Latin for virgin, the name 'demoiselle' does not necessarily adhere strictly to this meaning: the Demoiselle Stakes is a horse race held annually in November at the Aqueduct Rececourse for 2-year old fillies, but it is not limited to maidens (horses that have not previously won).

There are only three of the 88 currently recognized constellations that start with "V", so I had to invent one of the alternatives (Vectum), but the other two are genuine constellation. Spica (or Alpha Virginis) is one of the night sky's most identifiable stars, the 16th-brightest of all. It is the main star in Virgo, the second-largest of the constellation after Hydra. It is located between Leo and Libra.

Answer: Jules Verne

Jules Gabriel Verne was born in 1828 in the city of Nantes in western France. A lawyer by profession, he is remembered today for his great influence on science-fiction writing. His best-known novels were written in the space of a single decade, "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in 1864, "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" in 1870 and "Around the World in Eighty Days" in 1873.

Professor Aronnax is a French marine biologist and the narrator of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Professor Lidenbrock is a scientist in "Journey to the Center of the Earth".

Answer: Ricky Valance

Born in 1939 in the small village of Ynysddu in the Sirhowy valley in Monmouthshire, South Wales, Ricky Valance became the first male Welsh singer to top the UK singles chart in 1960 with "Tell Laura I Love Her". Shirley Bassey became the first Welsh female artist at number one the following year.

Frankie Vaughan (in 1957 and 1961) and Dickie Valentine (twice in 1955) are two other "V" singers who have topped the UK singles chart, but neither is Welsh. Malcolm Vaughan is a Welsh singer, but has never had a number one single.

The photo shows a window valance, a curtain used conceal hardware or other treatments above a window. Valances are also often used on beds.