The White Room Thursday Quiz - New Year Special

[Mi-Amigo]

Welcome to the New Year Special Edition of 

 

  As with the White Room Thursday Quiz Christmas Special, there is no selected contestant this week. The White Room Thursday Quiz is open to all members of the O2 Community, who are invited to pm [private message] me - @Mi-Amigo - with their answers. Please do not post your answers on the thread.

There are 12 questions - related in some way - to New Year

Q1 [words]: Where did the word "Hogmany" originate from?

Q2 [history]: When [which year] was New Year`s Day officially declared a public holiday in England?

Q3 [events]: Where, in Essex, is the annual Mad Mud Race held on 1 January? 

Q4 [geography]: Norway changed the name of its capital city to Oslo on 1 January 1925. What was its former name?

Q5 [science]: For what did Marie Curie receive her second Nobel Prize on New Year`s Day 1911?

Q6 [games]: Which board game was patented by George Durrow on New Year`s Eve 1935?

Q7 [sport]: Which American football college "bowl game" is usually played for on 1 January?

Q8 [literature]: Who was the British author, born on 1 January 1879, who wrote A Passage to India ?

Q9 [TV sit-com]: The episode "Only A Story" of TV sit-com One Foot In The Grave was first screened on New Year`s Day 1995 and featured Mrs Warboys and her budgie staying with the Meldrews. Who played the character Mrs Warboys?

Q10 [food & drink]: What were "popladys", uniquely sold on the streets on St Albans on New Year`s Day in the 1880s?

Q11 [music]: Which single by The Beatles was their first UK New Year No1?

Q12 [people]: Who wrote "Auld Lang Syne", with the opening line "Should auld acquantance be forgot"?

Rules:

Please do not post your answers on the thread.

Please send only one pm with all 12 questions and your answers to Mi-Amigo - at any time between 00.01 [one minute after midnight] tomorrow [Thursday] and 12.00 [noon] on Friday 3 January...

- note: the period for entries has been extended to allow those who are away to take part.

Any answer posted before 00.01 on Thursday or after 12.00 noon on Friday will be declared void.

Please - no googling, Wiki, social media, Youtube in search of the answers.

Answers and Results:

The correct answers, will be posted after 13.00 [1.00pm] on Friday 3 January 2020.

Each member will be awarded a for each correct answer.

In addition, all members will be awarded

for 6 correct answers:                 for 10 correct answers:                              for all 12 correct answers:

                                                                                 

      Silver Thinker                              Golden Thinker                                             Diamond Thinker

Comments on the questions are welcome.

I hope those who joined or played along in the White Room Christmas Quiz, or have played along in the regular White Room Thursday Quiz [inc @Cleoriff ; @MI5 ; @pgn ; @Sy ; @Anonymous ; @Martin-O2 ; @Marjo ; @Anonymous ; @jonsie ; @gmarkj ;  @jezza1234 ; @RyanK1992 ] and new members, or those who have not taken part before, will join in with this quiz and have a go at the answers by pming me.

Please do not post your answers on the thread but comments on the questions and quiz are welcome.

I wish everyone "Good luck"

@Mi-Amigo 

[Mi-Amigo]

Thank you for letting me know @jonsie .

[Mi-Amigo]

ANSWERS:

Q1 [words]: Where did the word "Hogmanay" originate from?

A1: this was the first of two QI-style questions.

Not the Vikings, Danes, or Norsemen - as suggested by W Harrison in Mona Miscellany published by the Manx Society in 1869

correct answer: France, brought over on return of Mary, Queen of Scots to  Scotland in 1561. The word was first cited in Oxford English Dictionary in 1680, which mentioned "Hogmanay... corresponds exactly in sense and use to Old French aguil l`an neuf  `the last day of the year, New Year`s gift, the festival at which New Year`s gifts were asked with shouts of aguil l`an neuf` ". More recently, the French origin of the word has been cited and supported by historians Liz Porter of Macmillans Dictionary and Dr Donna Heddle of the University of Highlands and Islands, Scotland.

Q2 [history]: When [which year] was New Year`s Day officially declared a public holiday in England?

A2: declared in 1973, became law and first implimented in 1974. 

Q3 [events]: Where, in Essex, is the annual Mad Mud Race held on 1 January?

A3: Maldon. A 400yd dash across the River Blackwater and back at low tide. First started as pub dare in 1970s 

Q4 [geography]: Norway changed the name of its capital city to Oslo on 1 January 1925. What was its former name?

A4: Kristiania

Q5 [science]: For what did Marie Curie receive her second Nobel Prize on New Year`s Day 1911?

A5 Chemistry - radioactivity of polonium and radium

Q6 [games]: Which board game was patented by George Durrow on New Year`s Eve 1935?

A6 Monopoly

Q7 [sport]: Which American football college "bowl game" is usually played for on 1 January?

A7: Rose Bowl, or Sugar Bowl - both held on 1 Jan

Q8 [literature]: Who was the British author, born on 1 January 1879, who wrote A Passage to India ?

A8: E M Forster

Q9 [TV sit-com]: The episode "Only A Story" of TV sit-com One Foot In The Grave was first screened on New Year`s Day 1995 and featured Mrs Warboys and her budgie staying with the Meldrews. Who played the character Mrs Warboys?

A9: Doreen Mantle

Q10 [food & drink]: What were "popladys", uniquely sold on the streets on St Albans on New Year`s Day in the 1880s?

A10: cake or bun - resembling gingerbread men

Q11 [music]: Which single by The Beatles was their first UK New Year No1?

A11: I Want To Hold Your Hand - No 1 on 12 Dec 1963 and stayed at No 1 to 9 Jan 1964 - so was No 1 on New Year`s Day 1964.

Q12 [people]: Who wrote "Auld Lang Syne", with the opening line "Should auld acquantance be forgot"?

A12: the second of the two QI-style questions.

Not Robert Burns, who sent a letter to Mrs Dunlop dated 17 Dec 1788 in which he wrote "Apros, is not the Scotch phrase `Auld Lang Syne` exceedingly expressive? There is an old song and tune which has often thrilled my soul. You know I am an enthusiast in old Scotch songs. I shall give you the verse..."

Burns sent a copy of the sheet with the lyrics to George Johnson in September 1793, writing "one more song and I have done... `Auld Lang Syne`... the old song of the oldern times and which has never been in print, not even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man`s singing". Burns was wrong.

correct answer: Robert Ayton wrote `Auld Lang Syne` with the line `Should auld acquaintance be forgot` which was published in James Watson`s Collection in 1711. Allan Ramsay wrote `Auld Lang Syne` with the line `should auld acquaintance be forgot` published in Tea Table Miscellany in 1724 and in Scots Songs in 1726.

[Mi-Amigo]

                                                                   THE RESULTS

                                                             [in order pm received]

@Cleoriff 

A1 "France... became popular when Mary Queen of Scots returned to Scotland from France"

correct - awarded

A2 "1974".

correct - awarded 

A3 "Maldon".

correct - awarded 

A4 "Kristiania"

correct - awarded 

A5 "Chemistry"

correct - awarded 

A6 "guess at Monopoly"

correct - awarded 

A7 "another guess at Rose Bowl"

correct - awarded 

A8 "E M Forster"

correct - awarded 

A9 "Doreen Mantle"

correct - awarded 

A10 "type of cake or bun"

correct - awarded 

A11 "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

correct - awarded 

A12 "there was a query about Robbie Burns with Auld Lang Syne as, at one time, he stated he didn`t write it, then when someone put the lyrics to music he claimed it back"

although correctly spotted the QI - Burns did not write it - did not give name of author, so no star.

Total number of correct answers - 11, so awarded 11  and for more than 10 correct also awarded 

Golden Thinker.

@Marjo

A1: "someone saw a lot of hogs once and remembered it when creating the word"

incorrect

A2: "1975" - only a year out so to be generous will award half star

A3: "public square" - incorrect

A4 - no answer

A5: "anti-allergies" - incorrect

A6: "Monopoly" - correct, awarded 

A7: "Superbowl" - incorrect

A8: "Ernest Hemingway" - incorrect

A9: "Patricia Routledge" - incorrect

A10: "lady-shaped popcorn clusters" - 

not popcorn or clusters, but as lady-shaped [like gingerbread men/women] will award half star

A11: "Yellow Submarine" - incorrect

A12 - no answer

Total number of correct answers - one plus two particially correct = total of two 

[Mi-Amigo]

RESULTS - continued:

@gmarkj 

A1: "Scotland" - incorrect

A2: "1960s" - incorrect

A3: Maldon - correct = awarded 

A4: pass

A5: "radiotherapy" - correct = awarded 

A6: pass

A7: Rose Bowl - correct = awarded 

A8: pass

A9: "Doreen Mantle" - correct = awarded 

A10: pass

A11: pass

A12: "Robert Burns" - incorrect

Total number of correct answers - 4 = awarded 4 

@MI5 

A1: "brought over by the Vikings" - incorrect

A2: "declared in 1973, introduced in 1974" - correct = awarded 

A3: "Maldon" - correct = awarded 

A4: "Kristiania" - correct = awarded 

A5: "Chemistry - radioactivity" - correct = awarded 

A6: "Monopoly" - correct = awarded 

A7: "Sugar Bowl" - correct = awarded 

A8: "EM Forster" - correct = awarded 

A9: "Doreen Mantle" - correct = awarded 

A10: "cakes or buns" - correct = awarded 

A11: "I Want To Hold Your Hand" - correct = awarded 

A12: "Robert Burns" - incorrect

Total number of correct answers - 10 = awarded 10  and, for 10 correct answers, also awarded

Golden Thinker

@pgn 

A1: "France" - correct = awarded 

A2: "1973" - as year declared, accepted = awarded 

A3: "Maldon" - correct = awarded 

A4: "Kristiania"- correct = awarded 

A5: "radioactivity" - correct = awarded 

A6: "Monopoly" - correct = awarded 

A7: "Rose Bowl, Pasadena" - correct = awarded 

A8: "E M Forster" - correct = awarded 

A9: "Doreen Mantle" - correct = awarded 

A10: "spiced bun" - correct = awarded 

A11: "Please Please Me" - incorrect

A12: "Robbie Burns" - incorrect

Total number of correct answers - 10 = awarded 10 , plus for 10 correct answers also awarded

Golden Thinker

[MI5]

I'mm happy with that as 50% were complete guesses

[Mi-Amigo]

No-one answered all 12 questions correctly, so there is no winner of the

  

Diamond Thinker

The "league table" for the five players is as follows:

 Golden Thinker + one =  @Cleoriff 

Golden Thinker = @MI5  and @pgn 

    = @gmarkj 

+ half  + half  = @Marjo 

Thanks to all of you for taking part. I hope you enjoyed it - even though the questions were tough 

[Marjo]

Yay happy with my 2 stars, feels great after guessing everything! 

Oh and yes, enjoyed the quiz @Mi-Amigo , thanks for organising it!

[Anonymous]

If it’s any consolation @Marjo your answers were far better than anyone else’s!

[Marjo]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
If it’s any consolation @Marjo your answers were far better than anyone else’s!

---

Thanks for that  

[pgn]

Woohoo! Well done everybody!

Shame none of the competitors are dia o D-hard tho...

And I loved @Marjo's Hogmanay answer 😂