General Knowledge Quiz

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I'm starting to question Paul's credentials as a retiree, his knowledge of modern music suggests someone of a slightly younger age

Now then, young sir, 67 years before the mast...and all that..,,,,I will now prove my aged years in the next question...

What was the name of the BBC Radio programme (that I listened to as quite a yong person) had a character called Doc Matthews and ran for nearly six years

 

[Welshman]

Would that be "Journey into Space"?

I used to sit, listening and terrified, every Monday evening.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I see we have a fellow devotee..... "Journey Into Space" ran from 1953 to 1958 and "Jet" Morgan was the lead character, but I did not want to use that name in my clue as it might have made my conundrum somewhat easier.

Well done....Please set the next one.

 

[Welshman]

A certain culinary tradition is thought to have started in a Yorkshire village in 1788, and has been repeated on various national occasions since.

Can you name the tradition, the village, and the last time it was celebrated?

 

[Ivo]

Would that not be the giant pies of Denby Dale? I think the last was about 2000 or something?

Me knowing a Food & Drink question?

 

[Welshman]

Yes, indeed.
Apparently they originated to celibrate the "recovery" of King George III from mental illness.

 

[Ivo]

What is the least densely populated country on Earth?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I am thinking of where the mutineers from The Bounty finally ended their voyages at..... and of their decendants, who are very small in number, compared the the land size of the area, so I will venture a guess at....

Pitcairn Islands

 

[D841 Roebuck]

Including Spitsbergen and Queen Maud Land, Norway has large areas with not much there...

 

[Ivo]

For comparative purposes, the country in question has a population of density of approximately five people per square mile. The United Kingdom has a population density of approximately 663 people per square mile.

I am thinking of where the mutineers from The Bounty finally ended their voyages at..... and of their decendants, who are very small in number, compared the the land size of the area, so I will venture a guess at....

Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands form a dependent territory and are thus not considered a country. However, I will state that their population density is slightly less than the country in question, at approximately four people per square mile. Note that, if dependent territories were permitted, the Pitcairn Islands would be fourth overall, with the country in question being fifth. Svalbard would be first, followed by Greenland and the Falklands.

Including Spitsbergen and Queen Maud Land, Norway has large areas with not much there...

Norway is miles "ahead" of the country in question. Its population density works out at roughly 40 people per square mile.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Thanks for that... On reflection, a country with a large sized land mass in a fairly remote region of Asia could be the one....


Mongolia

 

[Ivo]

It could indeed be the one. Mongolia it is.

Thank you for not saying "Canada".

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Let us now traverse back eons in time to an age when giant creatures were not altogether unknown....

The American land-mass had an avian species predator about 2.5 metres in height with claws on their wings and it is said that they killed their prey by smashing it to the ground.

What were these birds and what specific feature was used to enable them to eat their prey.

 

[Seacook]

Let us now traverse back eons in time to an age when giant creatures were not altogether unknown....

The American land-mass had an avian species predator about 2.5 metres in height with claws on their wings and it is said that they killed their prey by smashing it to the ground.

What were these birds and what specific feature was used to enable them to eat their prey.

Possibly the axebeak. I'm guessing that there is a clue to the feature in the name.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Possibly the axebeak. I'm guessing that there is a clue to the feature in the name.

You are on the right road with your logic. This species with its many sub-species first appeared on Earth 27 million years ago and only became extinct 15,000 years ago.

I am willing to accept the generic name for this grouping of birds and will be most impressed if a Latin name for the species is given.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Possibly the axebeak

I have just been informed that the axebeak is a creature from the "Dungeons and Dragons" entity. However, I am sure that one of your learned nature would not have sought to confuse me by "slipping that one under the radar" to see if I was paying attention..

HINT : There is still a much smaller version of this bird complete with "head-crested" feathers that is very much alive in South America today which still retains the use of prey killing that I described in my original posting.

 

[deltic1989]

Birds are not my specialty but this question has had me interested.
I have done a little research and the Caracara keeps coming up. The Caracara belongs to the Falconidae family of birds and I understand that the Latin name for the species is Phalcoboenus megalopterus. But depressingly it doesn't seem to hunt in the way you describe being mainly a scavenger.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Not so, unfortunately, as the ability of flight still remained with the caracara. Incidentally, some remains of those birds you have named were found in the famous La Brea tar pits location.

I had hoped that the "HINT" clue in my last posting may have helped matters along....Don't forget, I will accept the commonly-used title that is given to these avian predators in any answer.

 

[Ivo]

I'm sorry to say that research has gotten me nowhere. Perhaps it is time to say that Paul has won this round and move on.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I'm sorry to say that research has gotten me nowhere. Perhaps it is time to say that Paul has won this round and move on.

I cannot say that I have won it, as I was the one to set the conundrum in the first place, but to put everyone out of their misery the avian predators were the Phorusrhacos....commonly referred to as the "Terror Birds". They had beaks that could both slice and rip flesh from their prey and also sickle-shaped claws on their feet. If anyone remembers the BBC television series "Walking with Beasts", a member of this family was featured. I still have the book that was published along with this series and a recent re-reading of this put me in mind to use that in this quiz, given the opportunity to do so.

The still-living member of a sub-special branch of that family is the South American species known as Seriema, whilst quite sizable and achieving a height of 90cm, are nowhere the size in height or bulk of the one in my conundrum.

I will say "OPEN FLOOR" and give someone else a chance to set a new one to test us all.

 

[EM2]

I'll jump in (and I don't expect this to last long )

Who is Tofiq Bahramov?

 

[Ivo]

He was a rather famous Azerbaijani linesman who gained fame in a certain high-profile match in 1966 in which the ball could not be determined whether it had crossed the line or not, so he indicated that it had. I gather that this match was something to do with determining the winner of a trophy named after Jules Rimet.

 

[EM2]

Indeed, correct. Generally known as The Russian Linesman, despite, as you say, not being Russian!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

He was every England supporters fan for life after the 1966 World Cup Final as he was the Russian linesman with the big mustache that the referee consulted when a shot by England hit the underside of the bar, bounced downwards towards the goal line, then out, but he was adamant that the ball crossed the line and the goal was given. The match against West Germany ended 2-2 at the end of normal time, but England went on to win it and to claim their first World Cup success.

An old-timer like me actually watched this match on TV when I was only 21 years old.

 

[Buttsy]

Still don't understand why Hunt din't try to head it in to make sure... Stupid Hunt

 

[Ivo]

Returning to the matter of demographics, 19 of the 25 most densely populated district areas, by number of households, in England and Wales are London Boroughs.

This one will be tough: Where are the other six?

(I will give you a little headstart by indicating that all of them are prominent towns/cities, and that they are all Unitary Authorities and/or Metropolitan Boroughs.)

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I will go for Birmingham being the largest of these.

West side of the Pennines...Manchester and Liverpool

East side of the Pennines...Leeds, Bradford and Shefield

 

[Ivo]

Liverpool is correct; the other five are not. It was inevitable that these destinations would be chosen, when in practice most are duds. Further, four of the other five are further south than Birmingham.

 

[Buttsy]

I'll plump for Bristol, Slough, Brighton & Hove, Basildon and Newcastle-upon-Tyne

 

[Ivo]

Bristol: Decent, but no.
Slough: Surprisingly enough, no.
B&H: Again, a decent try, but no.
Basildon: Never!
Newcastle: Too far north apparently!

Annoyingly, I can only find the regional data on the ONS site. I few days ago I could find the national data

 

[D841 Roebuck]

I'll guess at the following for the other five:
Portsmouth
Reading
Bristol
Cardiff
Salford
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
As Bristol was ruled out whilst typing, let Brighton replace it...