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Friday quiz
This discussion has been closed.
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Message 1.聽
Posted by Katy R (U14748743) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Hi everyone - hope you've all had a good week. Have a go at answering our quiz question:
Who was Adolf Hitler referring to when he said, "He seemed such a nice old gentleman that I gave him my autograph as a souvenir"?
Good luck
Katy -
Message 2
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Apocryphal - but allegedly of Neville Chamberlain after the 1938 Pact signing.
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Message 3
Posted by Katy R (U14748743) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Well done Nordmann - your turn
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Message 4
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
You're visited by a man who delivers a dead hippopotamus which you both then proceed to skin. He goes off and comes back with a dead lion and the two of you set to work again skinning the beast. The same is repeated throughout the day, and soon the skins of a crocodile, a snake, a goat and a neighbour's cat have joined the others on your kitchen table. So begins the scraping.
Question: Where and when are you, and what have you in common with future US presidents Adams Sr and Adams Jr, Van Buren, Garfield and Eisenhower? -
Message 5
Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Friday, 18th February 2011
I have no clue whatsoever what the answer is Nordmann, but I hereby nominate you for the prize of most bizarre question of the year.
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Message 6
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
I must be bandick and I've just had my latest dose of M.
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Message 7
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
The Blue Peter studio - let's make a mythical beast?
Is this something to do with a chimera or a geryon or something from Revelations?
Although I can see no connection at all with American presidents. "Future" is an interesting word.
Lord knows. You've surpassed yourself with this one. -
Message 8
Posted by Nielsen3 (U14417619) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Where?
The examples of animal life suggests Africa?
When?
The term 'future' and the names mentioned, where I think Adams Sr -John? - was the earliest, at around 1800?
In common?
?
As an attempt at encircling an answer, probably useless! -
Message 9
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Where?
The examples of animal life suggests Africa? 聽
Egypt perhaps? -
Message 10
Posted by George1507 (U2607963) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Since you say 'future' presidents, then the answer to the 'when' part of the question must be pre 1800, as John Adams became the 2nd president about 1800.
I'll leave the other bits for someone else to clear up!
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Message 11
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
A kitchen during the Paris Commune?
A taxidermist's studio almost any time?
Neither seem to have anything to do with the president list so probably not. -
Message 12
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
ferval, I think you're right with the Paris Commune. Didn't they kill and eat most of the animals in the Paris Zoo?
But still no wiser as to who was the official butcher and the connection with US leaders. -
Message 13
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
"Scraping" is also important. It's how the hide is cleared of fatty matter.
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Message 14
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Apply logic - are the skins being prepared and/or the fatty stuff harvested? Why? Medicinal?
I'm sure the presidents didn't have liposuction. -
Message 15
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Or the removal of matter considered impure? Were the skins to be used in a religious ritual of some kind? -
Message 16
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Ur-Lugal will waltz in in a minute with the right answer and it will be so *obvious*. -
Message 17
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
I still think the Commune has something to do with it, what might they use the hides/fat for?
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Message 18
Posted by lolbeeble (U1662865) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Well the Jarmels "A little bit of soap" springs to mind but that might just be because I've been listening to De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising.
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Message 19
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
That's an interesting idea, but what about the pres? Any soapy connection?
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Message 20
Posted by lolbeeble (U1662865) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Dunno, but I'm reminded of Fight club as Tyler Durden prints slogans on bars of soap. Could be some form of attempt to clean up Washington or something.
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Message 21
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Maybe a little abstruse, even for Nordmann.
Must go and feed son but will cogitate. -
Message 22
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Friday, 18th February 2011
That sort of mixture of fat has been used as hair restorer back to the time of Aristotle.
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Message 23
Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Was Garfield the name of the neighbour's cat?
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Message 24
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Hair restorer? This is about baldness, isn't it?
Is it sheer coincidence that I've mentioned Caesar and Cleopatra on another thread? Caesar fretted dreadfully because he was going bald.
So were all those animals Egyptian after all?
Cleo in her palace kitchen in Egypt around 50ish BC. supervising the preparation of a hair restorer for JC?
I presume the American presidents were bald? Eisenhower certainly was. -
Message 25
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Just read the question again. I am Caesar, not Cleo, but still think the place is Alexandria around 50ish BC. -
Message 26
Posted by lolbeeble (U1662865) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Well if it is a cure for baldness in ancient Egypt, isn't Imhotep the more likely source?
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Message 27
Posted by somewhatsilly (U14315357) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Surely Caesar would not do his own scraping? Nordmann has specified that 'you' participated, so Caesar's physician/valet/general dogsbody?
Does the OP actually ask 'who' so your 'where and when' should be enough, if it's on the right lines,Temperance.
I'm not entirely convinced though, why that particular choice of animals? I'd have thought that one hippo would provide enough material to anoint a single bald head for a long time. -
Message 28
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Well done Temperance!
Yes, the lard accrued from scraping the hides of the above named animals, according to the Ebers Papyrus, when blended and applied to the scalp act as hair restorer. The five above named US presidents were the bald(est) ones (Gerry Ford is sometimes added to the list). Amazingly Americans seem to have a traditional bias towards hirsute chief executives.
I'll let you off the date. Ebers is dated to 1550BCE but could be based on another document dating back to 3000BCE. Given the silliness of modern "potions" available to desperate and gullible fools even today there is no reason to disbelieve that crocodiles and neighbours' cats etc were being bothered by shiny domed Egyptians as late as 50BCE.
By the way - the cat had to be a tom.
Over to you ... -
Message 29
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
No, it's Urn's go - he mentioned hair restorer which gave it away. And I feel very silly for saying it was Caesar and Cleo. -
Message 30
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
He's too busy hunting crocodiles, hippopotami and other sundries, I'd wager.
(don't ever feel the need for those hieroglyphs normally - reckoned it sort of suits in this case ...) -
Message 31
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Is hippopotami the correct plural? "horse of the rivers" - surely "horses of the river" or even "horses of the rivers" would be more appropriate? As luck would have it, I'm just off to visit a former work colleague, so I'd rather not set the next question.
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Message 32
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Would someone else like to set a question? I'm off out in a bit.
Have a good weekend everyone! -
Message 33
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
That's an old conundrum Urn. It all hinges on whether the Romans regarded Greek compound words as portmanteau words when they adopted them, which tradition dictates English should then follow suit if they did. It caused quite a debate in 1930s Oxford and sent scholars scurrying into parchments left right and centre to find the answer. Unfortunately hippopotamuses turned out to be a bad test case. They (the hippopotami, I mean) were decidedly iffy on the matter and very louche as final arbiters in the issue of their own name.
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Message 34
Posted by Sambista (U4068266) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Not as bad as the octopuses, who were unanimous (on a show of tentacles) that they weren't octopi, but couldn't reach any sort of agreement on what they were. Personally, I favour the "Treat it as an English word" school of herrings (in tomatoe sauce, naturally).
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Message 35
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
The octopuses tended to fall back on the rather boring but indisputably correct defence of their origin as a composite (as opposed to a compound) word. Who says bald species can't split hairs?
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Message 36
Posted by Grasshopper (U3605803) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Nordmann - the correct plural of octopus is octopodes, not octopi.
So there
And BTW...............................................................................
I owe you that! HA!
KOTR -
Message 37
Posted by Grasshopper (U3605803) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Now that felt goooooooooooooooodddddd!!!!
KOTR -
Message 38
Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Friday, 18th February 2011
OK here's a question relating to Garfield (the US president, not the tom cat).
What famous (infamous?) American would have heard the news of the shooting of President James Garfield only for himself to die (by being shot) more than 2 months before the President died? -
Message 39
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Friday, 18th February 2011
That'd be Henry McCarty aka William Bonney aka Billy the Kid.
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Message 40
Posted by Vizzer aka U_numbers (U2011621) on Friday, 18th February 2011
Yes - absolutely right Nordmann.
President Garfield was shot (but not killed) on 2 July 1881 and 12 days later (more than enough time for the new to have reached New Mexico) Billy the Kid was shot and killed on 14th July. Garfield, however, lived on before succumbing to the effects of infection caused by his wounds and died on 19 September more than 2 months after the shooting. -
Message 41
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Keeping with dead presidents ...
Had Booth not assassinated Lincoln, the most notable headline from the history of the period might well have been "Booth Saves Lincoln".
How come? -
Message 42
Posted by bandick (U14360315) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Oh ek Nordmann鈥 is this something to do with a different Booth, some distant relative of 鈥榯he鈥 Booth鈥 saving the life of one of Lincolns sons鈥 seem to remember a question like this on a trivia quiz鈥 so there鈥檇 be truth in the headline but not about the people the headline was trying to make you think it was about鈥 but I suppose headlines sell newspapers鈥? My brain hurts. -
Message 43
Posted by an ex-nordmann - it has ceased to exist (U3472955) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Good enough for me, bandick.
Not a distant relative but Edwin Booth, John Wilkes Booth's big brother. One of history's delightful coincidences for which authors are ridiculed when they dare include them in their fiction.
Details here:
Over to you ... -
Message 44
Posted by bandick (U14360315) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
I almost didn鈥檛 dare to have a go at that one鈥 amazing, sat in a tin shed in the pouring rain on a waterlogged building site having a flask of tea and corned beef samich鈥 entertaining ourselves playing trivia鈥 and learning history鈥 -
Message 45
Posted by bandick (U14360315) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
The Wild West鈥 gun fights鈥 hold ups and train robberies鈥 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid鈥
Western historian Drew Gomber famously said: "As an outlaw, Elmer McCurdy was truly God's own idiot. He had no business being a bandit." Why鈥? -
Message 46
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
ferval,
Cleo *did* cook up concoctions for JC's baldness. I knew I'd read about it somewhere. But her recipe was different from Nordmann's. And I'm sure you're right - she wouldn't have been in the kitchen herself!
Wasted a couple of happy hours on this earlier - anything better than housework.
bandick - have you had your operation? You sound quite perky and back to normal! Haven't a clue about your question - sorry! -
Message 47
Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Robert Lincoln, though not at the theatre when his father was shot, was present, or in the vicinity, when Garfield was shot in 1881 (in a Washington railway station) and McKinley was shot in 1901 (at an exhibition). As Kennedy's secretary was Mrs Lincoln (no relation) who warned him about going to Dallas one might say there was a 'Lincoln' connection with all 4 assassinated Presidents:
The life of Edwin Booth provided the subject matter for the sadly-neglected 1955 biopic "Prince of Players" starring Richard Burton as Booth (one of his earliest Hollywood outings). It ends with his triumphal comeback to the stage as 'Hamlet' in 1866 following Lincoln's assassination. I have only seen this film in the early 70s when 麻豆约拍2 ran a series of old films on Friday nights under the title of "Midnight Movie". High time this film had another airing:
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Message 48
Posted by Allan D (U1791739) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Well done Temperance!
Yes, the lard accrued from scraping the hides of the above named animals, according to the Ebers Papyrus, when blended and applied to the scalp act as hair restorer. The five above named US presidents were the bald(est) ones (Gerry Ford is sometimes added to the list). Amazingly Americans seem to have a traditional bias towards hirsute chief executives.
I'll let you off the date. Ebers is dated to 1550BCE but could be based on another document dating back to 3000BCE. Given the silliness of modern "potions" available to desperate and gullible fools even today there is no reason to disbelieve that crocodiles and neighbours' cats etc were being bothered by shiny domed Egyptians as late as 50BCE.
By the way - the cat had to be a tom.
Over to you ...聽 Was Garfeld really bald? On the basis of this evidence receding perhaps, unless he wore an early version of a toupee:
Strictly speaking, neither Garfield nor McKinley were assassinated as both died due to blood poisoning caused by the use of unsterilised surgical instruments (a common practice at the time - although by 1901 US medical science should have caught up with the work of Lord Lister and others). Had they both received the kind of medical treatment administered to President Reagan following his assassination attempt in 1981 they would both, in all probability, have survived. -
Message 49
Posted by George1507 (U2607963) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
Re Bandick's question.
Again, I don't know the answer, but I know McCurdy's body was embalmed after he was shot, and then sold to a place in Long Beach Ca. Some time much later - maybe 80 years later - the place was being cleared, and someone who thought the remains were a mannequin accidentally broke his arm off. So they discovered that it was human remains, notified the police who traced the trail back to wherever it was he died and then discovered the identity of the remains.
I have no idea why he wasn't supposed to be a bandit though. -
Message 50
Posted by bandick (U14360315) on Saturday, 19th February 2011
sorry for the delay... they had to sort out someting down the lane, a server box...? i dunno but its just come back on...
george... you have it, spot on... he should never have been a bandick coz he robbed the wrong train...
Elmer McCurdy (January, 1880 in Washington, Maine 鈥 October 7, 1911) was an Oklahoma outlaw whose mummified body was discovered in the The Pike amusement park in Long Beach, California in December 1976.
After a spell in the US army, McCurdy teamed up with a gang of train robbers. They became unsure about the train thinking it was loaded up with thousands of dollars of government money destined to be tribal payments. They held up the wrong train and got away with $46 and some liquor. He was later killed in a gunfight in Oklahoma鈥 his last words were reported to be 鈥測ou鈥檒l never take me alive鈥
When no one collected his corpse the undertaker embalmed it, and allowed people to see it for a nickel as the 鈥渂andit who wouldn鈥檛 give up鈥.
The embalmer collected the nickels people had placed in McCurdy鈥檚 mouth, and with an increase in visitors to this macabre spectacle it was said McCurdy made more money in death than in life.
Over the next few years several showmen tried to buy the exhibit but the undertaker refused, until almost five years after McCurdy died, a man showed up from a nearby traveling carnival known as the Great Patterson Shows claiming to be McCurdy's long-lost brother.
He said he wanted to take his brother away and give him a proper burial, but within a couple of weeks, McCurdy was a featured exhibit with the carnival. For the next 60 years, McCurdy's body was sold to successive wax museums, carnivals, and haunted houses. The owner of a haunted house near Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, refused to purchase him because he thought that McCurdy's body was actually a mannequin and was not lifelike enough.
McCurdy's corpse eventually wound up at a seaside amusement zone in Long Beach, California, inside the dark-ride attraction "Laff in the Dark" where he hung for more than thirty years with other props, many of them painted day-glo yellow.
While filming an episode of the The Six Million Dollar Man "Carnival of Spies"(1979), a member of the crew moved what was thought to be a wax mannequin hanging from a gallows. The mannequin's arm broke off, and while looking to see how it could be 鈥榝ixed鈥 it was found to be an embalmed and mummified human body. When looking for other clues the medical examiner opened the mummy's mouth and was surprised to find a 1924 penny and a ticket from Sonney Amusement's Museum of Crime in Los Angeles. That ticket and archived newspaper accounts helped police and researchers identify the body as that of Elmer McCurdy.
McCurdy's remains revealed incisions from his original autopsy and embalming, as well as a gunshot wound in the right anterior chest. Additionally, a copper bullet jacket or gas check from a .32-20 caliber projectile was found embedded in his pelvis (analysis of the projectile showed that the jacket was manufactured between 1905 and the 1930s). Also, video superimposition of the remains with photographs of McCurdy's corpse in the University of Oklahoma's Western History Collection confirmed McCurdy's identity.
it could only happen in america.
hospitals temps... very upset.
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