A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock song called ‘Coffee is a drink, Kaapi is a feeling’. @bertyashley
Quiz | As easy as Sunday morning: what has November 9 given us?
Lou Ferrigno won two Mr. Universe titles, but is most famous as the first actor to play an ‘angry’ version of David Banner.
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1 / 10 | On November 9, 1842, the first American design patent was issued to George Bruce of New York City. This established a new form of intellectual property rights based on how something looks. What did they design, what one would now call a ‘serif’?
2 /10 | Hedy Lamarr, born on this day in 1914, was an actress who was promoted by MGM’s Louis Mayer as “the most beautiful woman in the world”. Although self-taught, he conceived a frequency-hopping system to jam torpedoes. Which two essential technologies would not be present in your mobile phone for it to function?
3 / 10 | The German submarine SMS Emden was sunk by HMAS Sydney in the Battle of Cocos on November 9, 1914. It was celebrated in a city in India, as it was responsible for the only attack of the First World War on the country. Which city was bombed by SMS Emden on September 22, 1914?
4 /10 | Carl Sagan, born on this day in 1934, was an American astrophysicist who was one of the most influential science communicators of all time. On February 14, 1990, thanks to them, Voyager 1 took a photo, from a distance of six billion kilometers, of what is known as the ‘Pale Blue Dot’. What little thing does it show?
5 /10 | On November 9, 1936, American fashion designer Ruth Harkness encountered a nine-week-old animal in Sichuan and took it back home. It became the first living specimen of its kind to enter the United States, causing a huge sensation. Which animal is this, every specimen of which is from China?
6 /10 | Chitresh Das, born on this day in 1944, was a dancer who is credited with popularizing his dance form globally. He also invented a yoga form of dance. Which dance form got its name from the fact that it was a form of storytelling?
7 /10 | Lou Ferrigno, born on this day in 1951, is an American bodybuilder who has won two Mr. Universe titles. He is most famous as the first actor to play a fixed character on screen in 1977. Which character did he play which was the ‘angry’ version of scientist David Banner?
8/10 | On November 9, 1960, American bass-baritone Paul Robeson sang ‘Ol’ Man River’ to a group of workers. He stood on scaffolding during the construction of an iconic building on Sydney Harbour. Thus he became the first artiste to perform at which prestigious venue?
9 /10 | It officially became the 27th state of India on 9 November 2000. It was formed from 13 districts of north-western Uttar Pradesh. Which state is also known as ‘Devbhoomi’ due to the number of pilgrimage sites found there?
10 / 10 | On November 9, 2004, the first version of this free and open-source web browser was released. Developed by the Mozilla Foundation, it was named after the nickname of the red panda, which also became its mascot. Which is this very popular browser?
