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 January 4 given us?
This 828 meter high tower, which looks like a spider lily flower, has an elevator that goes up to 140 floors. Which iconic building is this?
start quiz
1 / 10 | Jacob Grimm, born on this day in 1785, was a German linguist and mythologist. He and his brother collected a story that directly addresses the concept of longevity and the stages of life, titled The Span of Life. It is an allegorical tale that explains why humans live approximately 70 years and how the nature of life changes during those years. Which series of his famous stories contains such stories?
Answer: Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm
Do you know the answer?
Yes
No
show answer
2 /10 | Louis _______, born on January 4, 1809, was a French teacher who invented a system of communication that remains unchanged to this day. He developed the ‘night writing’ already in use by Napoleon’s army. Which touch system is being referred to in his name?
3 / 10 | Isaac Pittman, born January 4, 1813, was a linguist who preached his motto ‘Time saved is life gained’ while working as a teacher. He developed a phonetic system that became the fastest way to capture speech. Which system is named after him?
4 /10 | On January 4, 1863, James Plimpton received a patent for his invention in New York. He improved the traveling form by adding two more wheels on each side. This allowed the wearer to drive by simply leaning left or right. What invention did he make that is still being used in playgrounds today?
5 /10 | Born on this day in 1900, this ornithologist is probably the longest-remembered name in the field. His greatest work was the book ‘Birds of the West Indies’. However, their name inspired an author to write a series of adventure novels based on bird watching from the estate called ‘GoldenEye’. What was his name?
6 /10 | John McLaughlin, born January 4, 1942, is a jazz fusion guitarist who combined jazz, rock, Western classical, Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. He L. Formed the band Shakti with Shankar (violin), Vikku Vinayakram (Ghatam), Ramnad Raghavan (Mridangam) and another artist of Hindustani music. Who played Tabla for Shakti?
7 /10 | On January 4, 1947, Emilio G. Segre and Carlo Perrier announced the discovery of technetium, a previously unknown element. It has a very long half-life (210,000+ years), making it an important long-term radioactive contaminant in nuclear waste. What was so special about this element that inspired its name?
8/10 | On January 4, 1958, a team from New Zealand reached the South Pole. He became the first person to reach this land using motor vehicles and the first since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912. Who was the leader of this expedition that, along with a Nepali friend, had created history just five years earlier?
9 /10 | On January 4, 1959, Mechta (Luna 1) became the first spacecraft to escape Earth’s gravity. Its purpose was to land on the Moon and deliver the coat of arms of the country that created it. By missing the target, which passive country lost the opportunity to leave a lasting impact?
10 / 10 | The building was opened to the public on 4 January 2010. This 828 meter high tower, which looks like a spider lily flower, has an elevator that goes up to 140 floors. Which iconic building is this?
