Question 1: Who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling?
Question 2: What is the study of algae called?
Phycology is derived from the Greek words "phykos" meaning seaweed and "logos" meaning discourse. Algae play a vital role in many ecosystems, serving as a food source for marine life and producing a large amount of the world's oxygen.
Question 3: Why is the sky blue?
The blue color of the sky is a result of Rayleigh scattering, which is a scattering of sunlight by particles in Earth's atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths of light (like blue and violet) are scattered more efficiently, but our eyes are more sensitive to blue light than violet. This is why the sky appears blue to the human eye.
Question 4: Which fashion designer is credited with inventing the "Little Black Dress"?
Coco Chanel, the renowned French fashion designer, is credited with popularizing the concept of the "Little Black Dress" in the 1920s. The simple yet elegant design became a fashion staple and remains a timeless classic to this day.
Question 5: How many labors did the Greek demigod Hercules have to complete as a part of his penance?
Hercules, known to the Greeks as Heracles, was assigned twelve labors by King Eurystheus as a part of his penance. These labors were designed to be impossible tasks, but Hercules completed them, securing his place in legend.
Question 6: In Greek mythology, who was the goddess of wisdom, courage, and inspiration?
Athena was the daughter of Zeus and Metis, born fully grown and clad in armor. She is often depicted with an owl, which symbolizes knowledge and wisdom, and has many cities named in her honor, such as Athens in Greece.
Question 7: If a man is wearing a "trilby," what type of clothing item is he wearing?
A trilby is a type of hat characterized by its narrow brim and indented crown. It was named after the heroine in George du Maurier's 1894 novel, "Trilby."
Question 8: In what sport would you perform a Salchow?
The Salchow is a figure skating jump named after its inventor, Ulrich Salchow. It is a edge jump that takes off from the back inside edge of one foot and lands on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.
Question 9: The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, is named after which American astronomer?
The Hubble Space Telescope is named after Edwin Hubble, a pioneering American astronomer who made significant contributions to our understanding of the universe, including the confirmation of galaxies outside the Milky Way and the concept of an expanding universe.
Question 10: How many people are estimated to have died in the Holocaust?
The Holocaust was the systematic murder of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany during World War II. Approximately 6 million Jews were killed, along with an estimated 5 million non-Jewish victims including Roma, disabled people, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents. It remains one of the worst genocides in human history.
Michelangelo was commissioned by Pope Julius II in 1508 to repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and it took him approximately four years to complete the work (1508–1512). The Sistine Chapel ceiling is one of the most famous artworks of the High Renaissance.