Fifty for Fun

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), June 7, 2008

Byline: Phil Brown

1 Which ancient Greek city-state had five annually-elected ephors, whose powers included the right to arrest their kings for misconduct in war?

2 Which leading composer and equally eminent poet collaborated for the well-known 1936 short film Night Mail?

3 Hej, Gamle Man (Hello, Old Man) was the first song released together by the members of which later-famous group?

4 Which fellow Russian tennis star knocked top seed Maria Sharapova out of this year's French Open?

5 Which psychiatrist developed, in 1921, a still-controversial character test based on people's reactions to 10 specific inkblot shapes?

6 Which spectacular British bird has the scientific name of Aquila chrysaetos?

7 In which city has Jamaican runner Usain Bolt just set a new 100 metres world record of 9.72 seconds?

8 Belgian Firmin Lambot, who won at the age of 36 in 1922, remains the oldest victor in which major sporting event?

9 In the fictional Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, which monarch is supposed to have founded the Torchwood Institute?

10 Ronas Hill is the highest point of which British island group?

11 Which world-famous US TV series has just agreed a deal with its stars for a 20th season of the show, reportedly giving some of them pounds 200,000 per episode?

12 In which country is the European Space Agency's main spaceport from where launches are made?

13 Which well-known actor and ex-husband of Audrey Hepburn died this week at the age of 90?

14 In the news this week, MOA-2007-BLG-192Lb is the rather un-catchy name for the smallest what yet known to science?

15 Ellas Otha Bates was the birth name of which revered and influential musician who died this week?

16 The small Californian town of Cupertino has been the HQ of which giant computing firm since April 1, 1976?

17 Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity is (logically enough) the motto of which organisation?

18 Acol and Goren are among many systems used in which popular game?

19 In which year (10 either way) did southern England see the Swing Riots, an agricultural equivalent of the Luddites, which saw hundreds of threshing machines destroyed under the supposed leadership of "Captain Swing"?

20 Which former English Premiership footballer has just become the sixth player to win 100 caps for France?

21 Pre-war Hollywood star Clara Bow was the original "It Girl" - but which British author of books then considered racy originally coined the term?

22 Which Australian batsman currently holds the record for (non-wicketkeeper) catches in Test matches?

23 Which actor connects The Naked Jungle, Planet Of The Apes and Wayne's World 2?

24 Which actress played beautiful murder suspect Maria Gambrelli in 1964 "Pink Panther" film A Shot In The Dark?

25 The veteran reggae musician Winston Rodney is now known by what was the name of his group - taken in turn from a nickname for Kenyan leader Jomo Kenyatta. What is it?

26 Since World War 2, only two UK prime ministers have returned to that office after a spell in opposition - can you name them?

27 The "Great Schism" which divided Christianity into what would become the Roman Catholic and Orthodox branches took place in which year?

28 Lying a few miles off the coast of Venezuela, the island of Aruba is a "constituent country" within which European kingdom?

29 Which of the United States of America was the last of the 48 "continental" states (ie not including Alaska and Hawaii) to achieve statehood, in 1912?

30 Which ocean's deepest point is closest to the centre of the Earth?

31 In which European country were at least 60,000 people, and perhaps as many as 200,000, killed by an earthquake and following tsunami in December 1908?

32 To which continent is the antiseptic-yielding creosote bush native?

33 Who wrote cutting 17th century comedy Tartuffe, which provoked the Archbishop of Paris into threatening to excommunicate anyone who acted in or even watched or read it?

34 Which famous trade-named perry was developed more than 50 years ago by Shepton Mallet brewer and cider-maker Francis Showering?

35 Which country invaded Mexico in the 1838 Pastry War, so named because the invading country provoked it by claiming colossal damages for a pastry chef's losses caused by Mexican soldiers 10 years earlier?

36 The EHF Champions League is a prestigious European tournament in which sport?

37 Which chemical element was first recognised (though not isolated) in 1789 when scientist Martin Klaproth analysed a Ceylonian jargoon gemstone?

38 In which organ of the body would you find the corpus callosum?

39 In which long-running TV programme is the central location modelled on the real-life location of Fassett Square?

40 In Ireland, camogie is a women's sport virtually identical to which men's sport?

41 In which Shakespeare play do we find "fillet of a fenny snake"?

42 Which royal ceremony dating back to medieval times was, on March 20 this year, conducted in Ireland for the first time ever?

43 Moseley Shoals and Marchin' Already were big-selling 1990s albums from which rock group?

44 Comedians Monty Python's Flying Circus have released many albums, but only ever had one song in the UK singles chart - what was it?