January fun quiz

In our JANUARY FUN QUIZ, compiled and presented by our very own Brain of Britain, David Stedman, the appropriate New Year theme is TIME MEASUREMENT contained as a clue in each question or in each answer. (ANSWERS on page 20)

1 You’ll like this question . . . but not a lot! Which magician (pictured right) presented tBritish television game show “Every Second Counts”? 2 Name the British physicist who wrote the best-selling book “A Brief History of Time”? 3 Which Hollywood star played the lead role in the Western film “High Noon”? 4 How many revolutions per minute must a gramophone turntable turn in order to properly play a vinyl single record? 5 Pictured right is the logo for a company manufacturing prestigious time pieces. Which company? 6 Name the human character who, most famously, is the pilot of the Millennium Falcon in the first Star Wars film released in 1977? 7 According to the title of the play by Russian playwright Ivan Turgenev, how long do the characters spend in the country? 8 In Berlin on August 16th, 2009, who ran 100 metres in 9.58 seconds? 9 In which novel do we travel to 802,701 A.D. to meet creatures called the Eloi and the Morlocks? 10 A gnomon is to be found on what ancient type of time measurement device? 11 EON Productions was founded by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961 and is the UK production company for which immensely successful series of films? 12 What stage surname did American star Doris Kappelhoff pictured use during her long career as an actress and singer? 13 According to the Chinese zodiac, the year of the Rabbit begins on the 22nd of this month, but under the sign of what animal are we now, as of January 1st? 14 “Sunny Afternoon” , “Autumn Almanac” and “Days” were all 1960s UK hit singles for which British pop group? 15 What is the title of the 1949 book written by French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir which is regarded as a major work of feminist philosophy and an inspiration for the whole feminist movement? 16 Vicennial means occurring once every how many years? 17 “Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you. ” This is the opening lyrics of a 1980s hit single for Cyndi Lauper (pictured). What is the song title? 18 “As Time Goes By” was a British television romantic comedy series starring Geoffrey Palmer and which “national treasure” actress? 19 A car model known in the West as the Century is the luxury flagship model, a sort of Japanese Rolls-Royce, manufactured by which company? 20 Born in Ickwell, Bedfordshire, in about 1639, he is now known as “the father of English clockmaking” . Who was he?

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