25 August

... some random events that happened on 25 August and a few trivia surrounding people who were born or died on that date ...

Multiple Choice

David Walliams swam the English Channel for Sport Relief on 4 July 2006. - When was the first observed and unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover for sport?

• 1816

• 1875

• 1911

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Captain Matthew Webb made the first observed and unassisted swim across the Strait of Dover, swimming from England to France on 24–25 August 1875 in 21 hours 45 minutes.

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The second person to successfully make the crossing was Thomas William Burgess in 1911.

Multiple Choice

For which role was Dame Peggy Ashcroft nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress (‘The Wars of the Roses’, 1965)?

• Lady Gray

• Lady Tattle

• Margaret of Anjou

• Queen Mary

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Peggy Ashcroft played Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England (and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI) in the 1963 production by the Royal Shakespeare Company of The Wars of the Roses, broadcast by the BBC in 1965 and 1966

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​Margaret of Anjou died on 25 August 1482.

Multiple Choice

What is a contraption called that is used to block electromagnetic fields?

• Faraday cage

• Sun block

• Induction loop

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​A continuous covering of conductive material or by a mesh of such materials can be used to block electromagnetic fields. This invention was made in 1836 by Michael Faraday and is called after him 'Faraday cage' or 'Faraday shield'.

​

​Michael Faraday died on 25 August 1867.

Multiple Choice

The SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel (Bq), is named after him.^[26] There is a crater named Becquerel on the Moon and also a crater named Becquerel on Mars.

• Antoine Henri Becquerel

• Antoine César Becquerel

• E. Becquerel

• Jean Becquerel

​

​[Antoine] Henri Becquerel was the first person to discover evidence of radioactivity.

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For work in this field he, along with Marie and Pierre Curie, received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. He died on 25 August 1908.

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​·  Antoine César Becquerel was his grandfather,

·  E. Becquerel was his father,

·  Jean Becquerel his son.

Multiple Choice

At Aaliyah's funeral, six days after the "Princess of R&B" was killed in a plane crash, a number of doves were released.  What did the number symbolise?

• The number of years she had lived (22)

• The number of her studio albums (3)

• Her song “One in a Million” (1)

• The number of days since her death (6)

​

​Aaliyah was 22 years old when she died on August 25, 2001.

Multiple Choice

Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on the moon. - Which foot did he set on the lunar surface first?

• the left foot

• the right foot

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Neil Armstrong set his left boot on the lunar surface, then said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

​

​Neil Armstrong died on 25 August 2012

(*5 August 1930).

Multiple Choice

Which US state was the presidential candidate from whose VP candidate was portrayed on Saturday Night Live by Tina Fey?

• Arizona

• Utah

• Alaska

​

​Arizona senator John McCain was in office from January 3, 1987 to August 25, 2018.

Multiple Choice

This American conducted a concert on Mount Scopus to commemorate the Reunification of Jerusalem, featuring Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.

• Leonard Bernstein

• Isaac Stern

• Yehudi Menuhin

​

Leonard Bernstein conducted the Israel Philharmonic, Isaac Stern was the soloist.

​

​Leonard Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918.

Multiple Choice

Which actor plays a reclusive writer in the film Finding Forrester?

• Sean Connery

• Robin Williams

• Chris Cooper

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Sean Connery, who played the Pullitzer-prize winning recluse William Forrester in Finding Forrester, was born on 25 August 1930.

Multiple Choice

Which model made a semi-cameo as Carol in the film Love Actually?

• Kate Moss

• Claudia Schiffer

• Heidi Klum

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Claudia Schiffer was born on 25 August 1970.

Multiple Choice

This American novelist wrote such literary “classics” as Breakfast at Tiffany’s and In Cold Blood.

• Truman Capote

• Harper Lee

• Howard Linskey

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​Truman Capote died on 25 August 1984.

Happy ....

​... and have a great hump day!