Bosham News December 2021.
Christmas Traditions
| 1 | The tradition of a Christmas tree being placed outside “10 Downing Street” began in 1982 when who was Prime Minister? | Margaret Thatcher |
| 2 | How many candles are lit by the last Sunday before Christmas on a traditional “Advent” wreath or “Advent” crown? | Four |
| 3 | In western culture, it is said that “Santa” will leave what mineral in the stocking of a badly behaved child? | A Lump of Coal |
| 4 | As an alternative to the Royal Christmas Message, which UK TV channel has broadcast an “Alternative Christmas Message” since 1993? | Channel 4 |
| 5 | Traditionally drank at Christmas time in Victorian England what type of drink is “Smoking Bishop”? | Mulled Wine |
| 6 | What type of Christmas tradition would you associate with the
scientific terms “osculating” and “viscum album”? |
Kissing Under the Mistletoe |
| 7 | The tradition of a decorated Christmas tree was introduced to
the U.K. by “Queen Charlotte”, the German-born wife of which British king? |
George 111 |
| 8 | “The Bear and The Hare”, The Man on the Moon”, and “The
Boy and the Piano” are all associated with which famous Retail Chain Christmas adverts? |
John Lewis |
| 9 | What species of plant that is traditionally associated with
Christmas was named after the first U.S. Minister to Mexico? |
Poinsettia (John Roberts Poinsett) |
| 10 | The tradition of a Royal Christmas Message began in 1932 with
a radio broadcast by King George V from which royal residence? |
Sandringham House |
Cryptic Christmas Number Ones? E.G. Fine Purchase = Goodbye (Spice Girls – 1998)
| 11 | Think over from family inflated ring | Mull of Kintyre (Wings – 1977) |
| 12 | Mum’s mum is one of a kind | There’s No One Quite Like Grandma (St Winifred’s School Choir – 1980) |
| 13 | A question to ask on December 25thabout people without calendars | Do They Know It’s Christmas (Band Aid – 1984/1989 & 2004) |
| 14 | I can’t stop thinking about every direction | Always On My Mind (Pet Shop Boys – 1987) |
| 15 | What is left when 25 letters of the alphabet are removed | Only You (The Flying Pickets – 1983) |
The Ten Days of Christmas
| 16 | Who resigned as president of the Soviet Union on 25th December 1991? | Mikhail Gorbachev |
| 17 | On 26th December 1991, a gun sold at auction for 220,000 dollars that was used by “Jack Ruby” in 1963 to kill who? | Lee Harvey Oswald |
| 18 | On 27th December 1831, “Charles Darwin” embarked on a voyage on which ship, where he began to develop his theory of evolution? | HMS Beagle |
| 19 | On 28th December 1958, the Baltimore Colts played the New York Giants at which sport, in a match often referred to as the “greatest game ever played”? | American Football |
| 20 | On 29th December 1170, “Thomas Beckett” was assassinated at Canterbury Cathedral by the followers of which king? | King Henry 11 |
| 21 | Lying approximately halfway between “Hawaii” and “New Zealand” which island country omitted 30th December from its calendar in 2011 as the international date line was adjusted to align this country more closely with its main trading partners? | (Western) Samoa |
| 22 | On 31st December 1992, which European country was dissolved to form two independent countries, commonly known as the “velvet divorce”? | Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic & Slovakia) |
| 23 | On 1st January 2001, which country replaced the “drachma” with the euro as its unit of currency? | Greece |
| 24 | On 2nd January 1971, 66 football supporters died when crush barriers collapsed at “Ibrox Park” stadium in which British city? | Glasgow |
| 25 | What area was admitted as the 49th state of the USA on 3rdJanuary 1959? | Alaska |
Mix of Christmas and Winter Wonderland!
| 26 | First broadcast on Christmas Day in 1989, “The Jolly Boy’s Outing” was an episode of “Only Fools and Horses” in which the main characters went on a daytrip to which seaside town in Kent? | Margate |
| 27 | Would an icicle be classed as a “stalactite” or a “stalagmite”? | Stalactite |
| 28 | Which literary character did the author “Michael Bond” buy near a London train station on Christmas Eve 1956? | Paddington Bear |
| 29 | Which late famous music star played “Jack Celliers” in the 1983 film “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence”? | David Bowie |
| 30 | The term “biathlon” normally refers to a winter sport that combines which two events? | Cross Country Skiing & Rifle Shooting |
| 31 | In which year during WW1 did opposing troops leave their posts to fraternize in “no-man’s-land”? | 1914 |
| 32 | Which feast falls on the 6th of January? | Epiphany |
| 33 | “Feliz Navidad” means “Merry Christmas” in what language? | Spanish |
| 34 | When it’s noon on Christmas Day in the UK, is the time in the Australian territory of “Christmas Island 7:00 AM or 7:00 PM? | 7:00 PM |
| 35 | Which comes first from “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” in the run-up to Christmas? | Black Friday |
Test of the Mathematical Brain Cells rather than the Waistline over Xmas!
| 36 | The first two digits of Noel’s four-digit customer reference number for his new broadband provider add up to eight, the middle two add up to twelve, and the last two add up to fourteen. If each of the four digits is an odd number, and no digit appears more than once, what is Noel’s customer reference number? | 1759 |
| 37 | Three consecutive even numbers are multiplied together to give 4,032. What are the three numbers? | 14, 16, 18. |
| 38 | The American author “Mark Twain” was born the year Halley’s Comet passed close to Earth and died the year it next appeared. How many years apart was there between his birth and death? | 75 years |
| 39 | What measure of liquid capacity is equal to “half a quart”? | Pint |
| 40 | King Herod employed four knights to guard his jewels, but Cinderella managed to sneak into the vaults and take some. On the way out, she met each knight, one at a time. To each, she gave half of the jewels she had at that point, plus an extra one. She finally left the vault with only four jewels. How many did Cinderella take originally? | 4 + 1 x 2 = 10. 10 + 1 x 2 = 22. 22 + 1 x 2 = 46. 46 + 1 x 2 = 94 |
