General Knowledge Quiz

[Calthrop]

Her name is Mercedes.

Now can anyone supply her surname?

Frustratingly -- "many months ago", in a post I made in the "Settlement Association" game on these Forums: I'm sure that I discovered this lady, via convoluted connection to her (now forgotten -- "Search" facility no help). Christian name, I'm sure, Mercedes -- surname a German one ("z" and "e" hint avails me naught, sadly) -- though she was British: offspring of originally German, but naturalised British, parents. The name thus eludes me; so can't answer the question !

 

[OhNoAPacer]

Frustratingly -- "many months ago", in a post I made in the "Settlement Association" game on these Forums: I'm sure that I discovered this lady, via convoluted connection to her (now forgotten -- "Search" facility no help). Christian name, I'm sure, Mercedes -- surname a German one ("z" and "e" hint avails me naught, sadly) -- though she was British: offspring of originally German, but naturalised British, parents. The name thus eludes me; so can't answer the question !

As you say British but parents originally German.

She was born in Brighton in 1900.

There are actually 2 letter e's in her surname one of which occurs at the end of the name.

See if that triggers anything.

 

[Calthrop]

As you say British but parents originally German.

She was born in Brighton in 1900.

There are actually 2 letter e's in her surname one of which occurs at the end of the name.

See if that triggers anything.

I have no head for this kind of thing, I fear -- for me, "when it's gone, it's gone".

 

[AndyPJG]

As you say British but parents originally German.

She was born in Brighton in 1900.

There are actually 2 letter e's in her surname one of which occurs at the end of the name.

See if that triggers anything.

Benzene oops that's 3 e

 

[DaleCooper]

Schwimmenze

 

[Cowley]

Merkel

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Weissmuller?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

A female professional long- distance swimmer called Mercedes Gleitze did make the long swim crossing of the perimeters of the large Wellington Harbour in New Zealand in the post Great War period. That surname seems to meet the clues given earlier, but I do not know if she ever attempted to swim the Straits of Gibraltar.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

Benzene oops that's 3 e

Schwimmenze

Merkel

Weissmuller?

All wrong I am afraid.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

9

A female professional long- distance swimmer called Mercedes Gleitze did make the long swim crossing of the perimeters of the large Wellington Harbour in New Zealand in the post Great War period. That surname seems to meet the clues given earlier, but I do not know if she ever attempted to swim the Straits of Gibraltar.

Mercedes Gleitz is the swimmer in question.

So over to you to immerse us in the next question.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In the days when there were a number of kingdoms in England, which suffered from Viking attacks, one of those kings put to death a Viking leader by casting him into a pit of snakes. In revenge, the Vikings captured the English king and put him to death by the method known as the "Blood Eagle"

That was the name of that king and which was his kingdom?

 

[OhNoAPacer]

The kingdom is Norhumbria, the death is grisly but I don't know the name of the king.

 

[Gloster]

I know what the ‘Blood Eagle’ is, but not the rest.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The kingdom is Norhumbria, the death is grisly but I don't know the name of the king.

Northumbria is the correct kingdom, so we just now need the name of the unfortunate king.

 

[Calthrop]

I'm sure I read, a long time ago, about these doings -- recall that "snakepit" in Anglo-Saxon / Norse / whatever, is "orm-garth", which I feel looks and sounds almost jolly. No idea, at this distance in time, of the name of the monarch concerned.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

HINT...the death of that king is said to be 867AD.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Aella?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Aella?

Spot on.

Over to you to set the next one.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wasn't Ælla killed in a battle between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings at York? (The blood eagle story being apocryphal).

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Open Floor please - because I am Ethelred the Unready!

 

[Calthrop]

Jeremy, Isaac, and Ptolemy enjoyed an agreeable get-together. Please furnish further information concerning same, and background to it: especially, please give these characters' full names.

 

[xotGD]

I'll try Jeremy Bentham and Isaac Newton. Members of the Royal Society.

Probably totally wrong!

 

[Calthrop]

Yes, wrong overall -- though in one respect, on the right track; and you didn't account for Ptolemy .

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

In the late 1970s, my twin sons were ready to start primary school and my wife's mother had bought a set of the Beatrix Potter books for the boys, which my wife read to them at bedtime. One of these books was called "The tale of Mr Jeremy Fisher". Jeremy was a frog, Isaac was a newt and Ptolemy was a tortoise. Jeremy had just had a lucky escape from being eaten by a large fish and to celebrate, the three of them enjoyed a salad meal.

That's all that I can recall.

 

[Calthrop]

Message from Hill Top, Near Sawrey, Cumbria:

Dear Mr. Xenophon PCDGS, This answer will suffice: the celebration meal indeed involved the luckily-surviving hero Jeremy Fisher the frog: you have his and his chums' species right -- pals' full names Sir Isaac Newton; and Alderman Ptolemy Tortoise. Please set the next question.

Yours sincerely, B. Potter.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There was a dance that was popular quite a few years ago in the USA that sounded like it would be something served with a meal. What was the name of that dance?

 

[Calthrop]

The Mash?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The Mash?

Be a little more precise with the actual name of the dance.

 

[Calthrop]

Very much not my area of expertise; but wasn't there some nonsense at the time, drawing on "Frankenstein" and similar popular-horror-stuff, involving dancing "The Monster Mash"?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I will give it to you. The one that I had in mind was the "Mashed Potato" and the name of that dance featured in a song at that time.

Time for a new conundrum, please.