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Question 1: When was the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star discovered?
Question 2: How many books are in the Protestant Bible?
The Protestant Bible contains 66 books - 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. This differs from the Catholic Bible which includes additional books known as the Apocrypha.
Question 3: What is the largest living bird by wingspan?
The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, typically ranging from 8 ft 3 in to 11 ft 6 in (2.51 to 3.5 m). This impressive wingspan allows them to glide effortlessly for hours over the ocean in search of food.
Question 4: How tall can a giant sequoia tree grow?
The giant sequoia is the world's largest tree by volume. The tallest on record stands at 311 feet (94.8 m). These massive trees are native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.
Question 5: In what year was the term "biodiversity" coined?
The term "biodiversity" was coined in 1986 by Walter G. Rosen during a forum planning meeting for what would become the 1988 National Forum on Biological Diversity, organized by the National Research Council (NRC). The term was popularized by biologist E.O. Wilson.
Question 6: In what year did Albert Einstein publish his theory of special relativity?
Einstein's 1905 paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies" introduced the theory of special relativity. It reconciled Maxwell's equations for electricity and magnetism with the laws of mechanics by introducing major changes to mechanics close to the speed of light.
Question 7: How long is the San Andreas Fault in California?
The San Andreas Fault forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. It is a transform fault known for generating large, destructive earthquakes.
Question 8: What Jewish holiday is known as the "Festival of Lights"?
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century BCE. The holiday is celebrated by lighting the menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum.
Question 9: How long did World War II last?
World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved more than 30 countries and resulted in an estimated 70-85 million fatalities, making it the deadliest conflict in human history.
Question 10: What renowned playwright wrote the plays "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" and "Shakespeare in Love"?
Tom Stoppard is a Czech-born British playwright known for his witty, intellectual, and often absurdist works. "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" is an absurdist tragicomedy that expands upon the exploits of two minor characters from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Stoppard co-wrote the screenplay for the 1998 film "Shakespeare in Love," which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star, 51 Pegasi b, was discovered in 1995 by Swiss astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz. This groundbreaking finding launched a new field in astronomy and earned Mayor and Queloz the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics.