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: Easy as Sunday Morning What has December 14 given us?
Inaugurated on 14 December 2004, the Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed bridge that spans a gorge valley in France.
start quiz
1 / 10 | On December 14, 1656, M. Jacquin produced for the first time in Paris a fixed artificial ornament. He used gypsum pellets as a base and covered them with fish scales to achieve a nacreous, shiny appearance similar to the original organic matter. What did they create that was a significant development in the jewelery world?
2 /10 | On December 14, 1900, German physicist Max Planck presented a theoretical derivation of his black-body radiation law to the Physics Society. He proposed that energy is not continuous but is emitted and absorbed in small packets. This was the foundation of which field of physics?
Answer: Quantum Physics (‘quanta’ is packet)
Do you know the answer?
Yes
No
show answer
3 / 10 | On December 14, 1911, a team of intrepid explorers led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen became the first to reach a fixed geographical location. He had become the first person to pass through the Northwest Passage a few years earlier and later in 1926 he also set foot on the opposite side of the planet. Where did the team land on this date?
4 /10 | Nikolay Basov, born on 14 December 1922, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for his work on quantum electronics. This led to the development of a process of light amplification based on stimulated emission of radiation. How well do we know this technology?
5 /10 | On December 14, 1940, a team of scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Glenn Seaborg, isolated a new element by bombarding uranium-238 with deuterons. He kept this discovery a secret until 1948, after World War II ended. Which element was responsible for the horrors of Nagasaki?
6 /10 | On December 14, 1947, Bill France Sr. founded the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing in Daytona Beach, Florida. Known for his many land-speed-record attempts over the years, he wanted a system of racing where drivers were paid well and fairly. Now, it is one of the biggest sports in America; What is his project known as?
7 /10 | On December 14, 1948, Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. and Estelle Ray Mann were granted a patent for their CRT entertainment device. It simulated an artillery shell moving towards a target, and by adjusting the knob, one could change the trajectory. It was the earliest known interactive electronic game. What did CRT mean?
Answer: Cathode ray tube (this was originally an old style TV)
Do you know the answer?
Yes
No
show answer
8/10 | Born on December 14, 1953 in Madras, the man is a prominent sportscaster who has also acted in a James Bond film and a Star Trek film. At one time, he was ranked 18th in the world and had defeated players such as Björn Borg, Rod Laver and John McEnroe. Who is this athlete?
9 /10 | On December 14, 1972, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt exited the lander and completed the third and final extravehicular activity of their mission. If this was the Apollo 17 mission, what is special about this activity?
10 / 10 | Inaugurated on 14 December 2004, the Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed bridge that spans a gorge valley in France. One of the greatest engineering achievements in history, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge in China held the fixed record for more than 20 years until it opened in September. Which record is this?
