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Question 1: What was the name of the first dog launched into orbit?
Question 2: Why was famous movie star Marilyn Monroe born with the name Norma Jeane Mortenson?
Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Her birth name, Norma Jeane Mortenson, was the name given to her by her mother, Gladys Pearl Baker. Monroe would later change her name after beginning her modeling and acting career in the 1940s.
Question 3: How many books are in the Christian Old Testament?
The Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, forms the first part of the Christian biblical canon. The exact number of books can vary slightly between denominations, but 39 is the most widely accepted count.
Question 4: Where is the fictional land of Narnia from C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series located?
In the first book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the four Pevensie children discover the magical land of Narnia inside an old wardrobe in an English country house. The wardrobe acts as a portal between our world and the realm of Narnia.
Question 5: What was the first TV show ever to be broadcast in color?
The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was the first program to be broadcast in color when CBS aired it on June 3, 1956. However, very few people at the time had color TVs to enjoy the telecast. Regular color TV broadcasting didn't begin in earnest until the early 1960s.
Question 6: Where does the word "ketchup" originate from?
The word "ketchup" is derived from the Chinese word "kê-tsiap," which means "fish sauce." It was brought to Europe by traders in the 17th century and eventually evolved into the tomato-based condiment we know today.
Question 7: Which classic novel features the character Jay Gatsby?
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby" is a classic of American literature. The novel explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, and social upheaval.
Question 8: In which city would you find the famous Sagrada Familia church?
The Sagrada Familia is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Spain, designed by Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882 and is expected to be completed around 2026, a century after Gaudí's death.
Question 9: Which Japanese car company was the first to produce cars in the United States?
Honda became the first Japanese automaker to produce cars in the United States when it opened its Marysville, Ohio plant in 1982. The first model produced there was the Honda Accord.
Question 10: Who was the first person to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony award?
Known as an EGOT, this prestigious distinction has only been achieved by 16 people. Rita Moreno was the first to accomplish it, earning the fourth award in 1977. She won an Emmy (1977), a Grammy (1972), an Oscar (1961) and a Tony (1975).
Laika, a stray dog from the streets of Moscow, was launched into orbit aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. Unfortunately, she died within hours from overheating and stress. Her pioneering journey paved the way for human spaceflight.