1 In 1876 which famous scientist invented the microphone?
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
2 Which scientist, the inventor of the aqualung, sailed in a research ship called The Calypso?
JACQUES COUSTEAU
3 What is the name of the artificial language invented by Hugo Ludwik Zamenhof?
ESPERANTO
4 Who invented the jet engine?
SIR FRANK WHITTLE
5 Which planet was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930?
PLUTO
6 What connects a Bunsen burner, a biro and pasteurisation?
THEY ARE ALL NAMED AFTER THEIR INVENTORS
7 What was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1647 whilst he was carrying out experiments involving perpetual motion?
ROULETTE WHEEL
8 What is the nationality of the inventor of the Rubik’s cube?
HUNGARIAN
9 Who named his invention of the Spinning Jenny after his daughter?
JAMES HARGREAVES
10 Which common bathroom object was invented by William Addis in 1649, whilst he was serving a prison sentence?
TOOTHBRUSH
GENERAL
11 Which African country became independent of Britain in 1962?
UGANDA
12 From which city was the ill-fated Titanic launched?
BELFAST
13 Which member of the British Royal Family was born in August 1988?
PRINCESS BEATRICE
14 In 1852 which famous historical figures funeral in Maidenhead was disrupted by wide spread flooding?
DUKE OF WELLINGTON
15 What is the name of the bay in which the first convict establishment was set up in Australia?
BOTANY BAY
16 When Cynthia Harris played Mrs Simpson in a TV drama, who was played by Edward Fox?
EDWARD VIII
17 Which Biblical story is chronicled in chapters 6-9 in the book of Genesis?
NOAH'S ARK AND THE GREAT FLOOD
18 What colourful nickname was bestowed upon the date of October 19, 1980?
BLACK MONDAY
19 What was the name of the plane in which Charles Lindbergh recorded the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean?
SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS
20 In 1968 why were the Oscar ceremonies postponed for two weeks?
DUE TO THE ASSASSINATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING
HISTORY ON FILM
21 During which war was the film MASH set?
KOREAN WAR
22 When Liz Taylor played Cleopatra in a 1963 film, who played Julius Caesar?
REX HARRISON
23 Which historical figure was portrayed by Errol Flynn in the film They Died with Their Boots On?
GENERAL GEORGE CUSTER
24 Who was played by Antonio Banderas in the musical Evita?
CHE GUEVARA
25 Who played the title role in Carry On Columbus?
JIM DALE
26 Which outlaw born in 1855 and hanged in 1880 was played on film by Mick Jagger?
NED KELLY
27 Who was assassinated by Republicans in 1922 and played on film seventy-four years later by Liam Neeson?
MICHAEL COLLINS
28 Who was played on film by Telly Savalas in The Greatest Story Ever Told and by Richard Boone in The Robe?
PONTIUS PILATE
29 Which gladiator and slave was played by Kirk Douglas in a 1960 epic?
SPARTACUS
30 Which composer’s life story was chronicled on the big screen in A Song to Remember?
FREDERIC CHOPIN
GENERAL
31 Which country left the Commonwealth in 1949 and declared itself a republic?
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
32 Which famous writer lived at 393 Old Commercial Road in Plymouth?
CHARLES DICKENS
33 Who founded the Salvation Army?
WILLIAM BOOTH
34 In which capital city was Anwar Sadat assassinated in 1981?
CAIRO
35 According to William Shakespeare which monarch said, “Now is the winter of our discontent”?
RICHARD III
36 What was the name of Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of the Nile?
HMS VANGUARD
37 What B word was the name given to the feudal code of the Japanese Samurai?
BUSHIDO
38 What became a state of the USA in 1907 and a title of a film musical in 1955?
OKLAHOMA
39 Which royal house ruled France from 1589 to 1830?
BOUBON
40 What name did Albino Luciano take when he was elected Pope?
POPE JOHN PAUL I
PRIME MINISTERS OF GREAT BRITIAN AND ONE OTHER COUNTRY
41 Who was the very first Prime Minister of Great Britain?
ROBERT WALPOLE
42 Who was the Prime Minister of Great Britain when Queen Elizabeth II was born?
STANLEY BALDWIN
43 Which future Prime Minister was elected MP for Bexley in 1950?
EDWARD HEATH
44 Who did Winston Churchill describe as, “A sheep in sheep’s clothing”?
CLEMENT ATLEE
45 In the 1960s Harold Holt was Prime Minister of which country?
AUSTRALIA
46 Which ex British Prime Minister died in 1986?
HAROLD MCMILLAN
47 Who was the first Labour Prime Minister of Great Britain?
RAMSAY MCDONALD
48 What are the two middle names of Winston Churchill?
LEONARD SPENCER
49 Which constituency was represented by Margaret Thatcher?
FINCHLEY
50 Who was British Prime Minister at the outbreak of World War II?
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
