Serendipity

1 Forty notebooks of which famous poet’s works were discovered by her sister Lavinia after the poet’s death?

2 Which international cricketer, who debuted in 2012, was discovered by his coach while working as the foreman of a PVC pipe factory?

3 Which performer was first noticed in 2006 by the music label XL after a friend posted three of her songs on her Myspace account?

4 In 1944, photographer John Conover was asked by his boss in the US Army to take ‘some morale-building shots of that pretty girl for Yank and Stars & Stripes’. The girl who his boss recommended was a very young Marilyn Monroe. Who was the commanding officer?

5 What did James Marshall discover on the premises of his employer John Sutter in 1848 that changed the demographics of North America?

6 In 1895, Lord Rayleigh discovered that samples of nitrogen from the air were of a different density than nitrogen resulting from chemical reactions. Which other gas was discovered as a result of the subsequent investigations?

7 Which Indian film legend was responsible for bringing Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to the attention of the world music community? He first heard Nusrat at a welcome ceremony while in Pakistan and insisted that the singer visit India to perform at his son’s wedding.

8 This species was first discovered and documented by Europeans as late as 1910, when rumours of a ‘land crocodile’ reached Lieutenant van Steyn van Hensbroek of the Dutch administration. Peter Ouwens, director of the Zoological Museum at Bogor in Java, first published a paper after receiving a photo and a skin from the lieutenant. Name the species.

9 Which ancient city was rediscovered by American historian Hiram Bingham in 1911 during an expedition organised and funded by Yale University?

10 Talent manager John Crosby noticed a young girl loudly arguing with a bank teller in Hollywood Boulevard and offered to represent her. She made her film debut in 1995 in the horror film Children of The Corn and went on to much bigger things. Who was the actress?

Answers

1. Emily Dickinson. Only 12 of this reclusive genius’s poems were published in her lifetime

2. Pakistani fast bowler Mohammed Irfan, at 7’1” the tallest person to ever play international cricket

3. Adele

4. Ronald Reagan, who became the American President in 1980

5. He found gold, resulting in the California Gold Rush. Interestingly, Sutter did not benefit from the rush, though his son went on to found the town of Sacramento

6. Argon, named after the Greek word ‘Argos’, meaning inactive

7. Raj Kapoor, Nusrat first performed in India during Neetu Singh’s wedding sangeet celebrations

8. The Komodo dragon, the largest lizards on earth

9. Macchu Picchu, one of the prominent cities of the Inca empire that flourished till the 15th century

10. Charlize Theron

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW