Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning: What has February 23 ever given us
Illustration shows the German inventor, who introduced the movable-type printing press to Europe, in his workshop at Humbrechthof, in the old town of Mainz.
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1 / 10 |
This day in 1455, the publication of a book revolutionised human civilisation. It was the first that was made using mass-produced movable type. It accelerated the spread of knowledge and information on a global scale. What book was this that was made by a German goldsmith on a refurbished wine press?
2 / 10 |
On February 23, 1782, Scottish Engineer James Watt was granted a patent for his sun-and-planet gear mechanism. This provided a rotary motion for an industrial device, which played a fundamental role in starting the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. What device did he make more efficient?
3 / 10 |
This day in 1874, Major Walter Wingfield patented a game called ’Sphairistike’. In Ancient Greek this means ‘skill in playing ball’; it was a game played by hitting a ball with a racquet across a net. What now global sport did Sphairistike evolve into?
4 / 10 |
Born on February 23, 1884, Casimir Funk was a Polish biochemist who studied certain entities in the human body and identified that their lack caused ‘deficiency disorders’. He came up with a term for them that incorporates the Latin word for life and the nitrogenous substance essential for life. What term was this?
5 / 10 |
On this day in 1886, American chemist Charles Martin Hall and his elder sister Julia produced the first samples of a metal from the electrolysis of its oxide. This followed several years of intensive work and led it to it becoming the first metal to attain widespread use since the prehistoric discovery of Iron. What lightweight and corrosion resistant metal is this?
6 / 10 |
This day in 1927, German theoretical physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote a letter to fellow physicist Wolfgang Pauli. In it he describes an issue for the first time. That one cannot know both the position and speed of a particle. Trying to ascertain either will affect the other. By what name do we know this interesting principle?
7 / 10 |
On February 23, 1940, Walt Disney released a movie that was groundbreaking in terms of animation. It was the first to show realistic movements to vehicles and natural elements. The movie was based on a novel by Carlo Collodi called ‘Story of a Marionette’. What movie is this, named after the marionette (puppet)?
8 / 10 |
This day in 1941, this element was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, who eventually had an element named after him as well. This is the element with the highest atomic number that occurs naturally. What element is this, which was literally at the centre of one of history’s most tragic incidents?
9 / 10 |
Same day in 1947, the Organisation internationale de normalisation was founded. It is an independent organisation that covers almost all aspects of technology and manufacturing. While one may think the name by which they are known is an acronym, it is not true. The name refers to the Greek word for ‘Equal’. What organisation is this?
Answer : ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
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10 / 10 |
Born this day in 1974, Herschelle Gibbs is a South African cricketer whose fielding and batting prowess made him a popular athlete. During the 2007 Cricket World Cup, he became the first batsman to achieve what record in ODI cricket against the Netherlands?
Answer : Six continuous sixes in one over
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Published – February 20, 2025 09:03 am IST