Tuesday Trivia: May 7, 2013

Same rule as ever: no googling please!

1. The picture below shows a decoration awarded by the Indian government. It was designed by a woman born to a Hungarian father and a Russian mother. The first recipient of the award, coincidentally, was a brother of the designer’s son-in-law. It has been awarded 21 times in the history of India. Name it.


2. This battle of the Hundred Years' War took place on October 25, 1415 when less than 10,000 English soldiers fought over 30,000 French troops who had cut off their retreat to England. The English side was under-fed, ill-equipped, and afflicted with a dysentery epidemic, but secured an upset victory. Their king went on marry the daughter of the French king, and was recognized as heir apparent to the French throne. The battle was immortalized by Shakespeare in his play Henry V, and his words inspired the title of a Steven Spielberg series. Name the battle and the Spielberg series.

3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system.

4. The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 ended the American Revolutionary War. Britain signed a treaty with the newly formed United States, and it signed a separate treaty with France. It also signed a treaty in Versailles at the same time with another country. That country ended up gaining territory through that treaty that later became part of the United States. Name the country.

5. The temple pictured below is a remarkable example of Dravidian architecture. It was built on the orders of a Rashtrakuta king in the eighth century. Carved out of a single hillock, the temple is notable for the vertical excavation technique used in its creation: carvers started from the top and cut their way downwards. They removed more than 400,000 tons of rock over one hundred years, resulting a multi-level structure with exquisitely elaborate sculptural decoration. What is the temple called, and where is it located?


6. He joined the British colonial regiment King’s African Rifles in 1946 and served in Somalia and Kenya. After independence, he became the commander of his country’s army, and seized power in a military coup. In his later years, he declared that he had defeated Britain and styled himself Conqueror of the British Empire (CBE), and declared himself King of Scotland. Name him and his country.

7. Until 1937, this country was part of the British Indian Empire and was nominally ruled by the Viceroy in New Delhi. Although much smaller than India, it rivals India in its linguistic diversity, and is home to four major language groups: Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, Austro-Asiatic, and Indo-European. The country has historically had a high literacy rate in modern times, but it has the dubious distinction of lowering its official literacy rate from nearly 80% to less than 20% in order to qualify for UN assistance as a “least-developed country.” Name the country.

8. In Chinese literature, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. The Monkey King, as he is known in English translation, is one of the two main characters in the classical Chinese epic novel Xiyouji (“journey to the west”), written by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th century and considered one of the four greatest classical works of Chinese literature. Who is the other main character in the novel?

9. The inspiration for this book came to the author when lying drunk and / or high in a field in Innsbruck, Austria in 1971. The book is now sold as a “trilogy in four parts,” but the volume consists of five books. It is stated that the original book that the title refers to is published by Megadodo Publications. Name the book.

10. This ubiquitous product was first developed in 1868. In 1880, Girard-Perregaux developed it for naval officers and sold 2,000 units to Kaiser Wilhelm I's German Navy. But the product first gained mass-market acceptance as a fashion accessory for women. It was seen by the industry in the early 1900s as a passing fad in ladies’ fashion, rather than a serious product concept. Men were quoted as saying that they would “sooner wear a skirt as wear” one of these devices. But this changed during World War I, when men found it more practical to sport these products. What is this product whose market is now shrinking?

1. Bharat Ratna

3. Egyptian civilization

4. Spain

2. This battle of the Hundred Years' War took place on October 25, 1415 when less than 10,000 English soldiers fought over 30,000 French troops who had cut off their retreat to England. The English side was under-fed, ill-equipped, and afflicted with a dysentery epidemic, but secured an upset victory. Their king went on marry the daughter of the French king, and was recognized as heir apparent to the French throne. The battle was immortalized by Shakespeare in his play Henry V, and his words inspired the title of a Steven Spielberg series. Name the battle and the Spielberg series.

>>>>The Battle of Agincourt, Band of brothers

3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system.
>>>Egypt

4. The Treaty of Versailles in 1783 ended the American Revolutionary War. Britain signed a treaty with the newly formed United States, and it signed a separate treaty with France. It also signed a treaty in Versailles at the same time with another country. That country ended up gaining territory through that treaty that later became part of the United States. Name the country.
>>>>Spain



6. He joined the British colonial regiment King’s African Rifles in 1946 and served in Somalia and Kenya. After independence, he became the commander of his country’s army, and seized power in a military coup. In his later years, he declared that he had defeated Britain and styled himself Conqueror of the British Empire (CBE), and declared himself King of Scotland. Name him and his country.
>>>Idi Amin

7. Until 1937, this country was part of the British Indian Empire and was nominally ruled by the Viceroy in New Delhi. Although much smaller than India, it rivals India in its linguistic diversity, and is home to four major language groups: Sino-Tibetan, Tai-Kadai, Austro-Asiatic, and Indo-European. The country has historically had a high literacy rate in modern times, but it has the dubious distinction of lowering its official literacy rate from nearly 80% to less than 20% in order to qualify for UN assistance as a “least-developed country.” Name the country.
>>>Myanmar



10. This ubiquitous product was first developed in 1868. In 1880, Girard-Perregaux developed it for naval officers and sold 2,000 units to Kaiser Wilhelm I's German Navy. But the product first gained mass-market acceptance as a fashion accessory for women. It was seen by the industry in the early 1900s as a passing fad in ladies’ fashion, rather than a serious product concept. Men were quoted as saying that they would “sooner wear a skirt as wear” one of these devices. But this changed during World War I, when men found it more practical to sport these products. What is this product whose market is now shrinking?
>>>Wrist watch?

3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system.

babylonians?

5. The temple pictured below is a remarkable example of Dravidian architecture. It was built on the orders of a Rashtrakuta king in the eighth century. Carved out of a single hillock, the temple is notable for the vertical excavation technique used in its creation: carvers started from the top and cut their way downwards. They removed more than 400,000 tons of rock over one hundred years, resulting a multi-level structure with exquisitely elaborate sculptural decoration. What is the temple called, and where is it located?

ellora

9. The inspiration for this book came to the author when lying drunk and / or high in a field in Innsbruck, Austria in 1971. The book is now sold as a “trilogy in four parts,” but the volume consists of five books. It is stated that the original book that the title refers to is published by Megadodo Publications. Name the book.

the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Idéfix wrote:
5. The temple pictured below is a remarkable example of Dravidian architecture. It was built on the orders of a Rashtrakuta king in the eighth century. Carved out of a single hillock, the temple is notable for the vertical excavation technique used in its creation: carvers started from the top and cut their way downwards. They removed more than 400,000 tons of rock over one hundred years, resulting a multi-level structure with exquisitely elaborate sculptural decoration. What is the temple called, and where is it located?

wow, this is simply amazing. just googled it.

1. PVC (param-vir-chakra)
2. ???
3. Roman
4. Spain
5. Ellora
6. Idi Amin
7. Burma
8.???
9. ???
10. Wrist watch

"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

>>>>>The Romans' numbering system, I thought, was cumbersome with the absence of zero, which is what made Europe latch on to the decimal system when they saw it. I guessed Egypt.

Kris wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

>>>>>The Romans' numbering system, I thought, was cumbersome with the absence of zero, which is what made Europe latch on to the decimal system when they saw it. I guessed Egypt.

Even Egypt might have had influence from India (Vedas), including on their use of decimal system (if that was the case). There are references in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead which certainly allude to Indian influence.
"the Egyptian Book of the Dead refers to the great scribe (deity) Ani, which is similar to a number of Vedic references to the great scribe (deity) Agni. Considering both Ani (in the Book of the Dead) and Agni (in the Vedas) are closely associated with fire, the similarity in their names (notwithstanding the slight difference in pronunciations of Ani and Agni) is more than a mere coincidence. There are other names too used for the deity in the Book of the Dead which look and sound similar to the names for deity in the Vedas. Most importantly, the Egyptian Book of the Dead makes several references to Manu and the land of Manu across / beyond horizon which immediately reminds of the famous sage Manu in the Vedas and India as the far off land (of Manu), and that perhaps could be considered as explicit acknowledgement (sign) of contact with India long ago and the influence of Sanskrit and the Vedas."http://lamberdar.hubpages.com/hub/origins-of-vedas-and-sanskrit

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

I don't think Roman is correct either. Just threw something hoping it would stick.
As for the "sahasraaksha sahasrapaat" of purusha-suktam or "tvam jeeva sharadaam shatam" of the vedic mantra for mangala-sutra, I believe they are just poetic expressions, not just 1000 or 100 (intended to mean many many eyes and many many feet, and live for a long time - respectively).

indophile wrote:

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

I don't think Roman is correct either. Just threw something hoping it would stick.
As for the "sahasraaksha sahasrapaat" of purusha-suktam or "tvam jeeva sharadaam shatam" of the vedic mantra for mangala-sutra, I believe they are just poetic expressions, not just 1000 or 100 (intended to mean many many eyes and many many feet, and live for a long time - respectively).

Okay, let me dig out the specific example of 10-based (decimal) system from the Veda ... I will post it as a separate thread.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:1. Bharat Ratna

No.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:3. Egyptian civilization

Correct. I understand that there is written evidence from the Egpytian civilization using a base-10 system that dates back to 5,000 years ago.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:4. Spain

Correct.

Kris wrote:2. The Battle of Agincourt, Band of brothers

Correct.

Kris wrote:3. Egypt

Correct.

Kris wrote:4. Spain

Correct.

Kris wrote:6. Idi Amin

Correct.

Kris wrote:7. Myanmar

Correct.

Kris wrote:10. Wrist watch?

Correct.

bw wrote:3. babylonians?

The Egyptians wrote base-10 numbers in their hieroglyphics before the Babylonians.

bw wrote:5. ellora

Correct.

bw wrote:9. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Correct.

indophile wrote:1. PVC (param-vir-chakra)

Correct.

indophile wrote:3. Roman

The Romans did use a base-10 system, but the Egyptians did that before them.

indophile wrote:4. Spain

Correct.

indophile wrote:5. Ellora

Correct.

indophile wrote:6. Idi Amin

Correct.

indophile wrote:7. Burma

Correct.

indophile wrote:10. Wrist watch

Correct.

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"3. It is well-known that the modern numeral system was designed in India with the invention of zero as a full-fledged digit. But a base-10 number system (i.e. the decimal system of numbering) was prevalent around much of the ancient world. Name the earliest known civilization to exhibit well-documented use of a base-10 number system."
>>> Indo, the well-documented use of decimal (base-10) number system might not be Roman. Rig Veda, which certainly is more ancient than the Roman civilization, in several hymns (including the Purusa Sukta) talks about Sahastra (1000) and Shata (100) etc. (numbers based on or alluding to the base-10 system).

Correct, the Vedic civilization used a base-10 system as well, before the Romans.

Here is an update with a hint:

8. In Chinese literature, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. The Monkey King, as he is known in English translation, is one of the two main characters in the classical Chinese epic novel Xiyouji (“journey to the west”), written by Wu Cheng’en in the 16th century and considered one of the four greatest classical works of Chinese literature. Who is the other main character in the novel?

Hint: The other main character is someone who actually undertook a famous "journey to the west" nine centuries earlier.

Idéfix wrote:

bw wrote:3. babylonians?

The Egyptians wrote base-10 numbers in their hieroglyphics before the Babylonians.

But based on the info. in ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, which makes references to (sage) Manu and the (distant) land of Manu and has some deity's names similar to those in the Vedas, this (base-10 for numbers) could be the result of Vedic influence (i.e. base-10 numbers adopted by the ancient Egyptians from Vedic Indians long ago, during trade or migrations).

".... the dedication of worship to the deity both as god (male) and goddess (female) in the Vedas is also noticed in ancient Persian texts (Avesta) and the Egyptian Book of the Dead. In addition, the Book of the Dead has some words in its title (e.g. “rw” and “nw” in the original language) which seem quite similar to words in Sanskrit (“rv” or “rava” and “nv” or “nava”, meaning word or text and new, respectively).

"Furthermore, the Egyptian Book of the Dead refers to the great scribe (deity) Ani, which is similar to a number of Vedic references to the great scribe (deity) Agni. Considering both Ani (in the Book of the Dead) and Agni (in the Vedas) are closely associated with fire, the similarity in their names (notwithstanding the slight difference in pronunciations of Ani and Agni) is more than a mere coincidence. There are other names too used for the deity in the Book of the Dead which look and sound similar to the names for deity in the Vedas. Most importantly, the Egyptian Book of the Dead makes several references to Manu and the land of Manu across / beyond horizon which immediately reminds of the famous sage Manu in the Vedas and India as the far off land (of Manu), and that perhaps could be considered as explicit acknowledgement (sign) of contact with India long ago and the influence of Sanskrit and the Vedas."

http://lamberdar.hubpages.com/hub/origins-of-vedas-and-sanskrit

Question 8 is still unanswered. Another hint: you have very likely heard his name.

Sevaji, I leave these highly creative speculations and tenuous connections entirely to you.

Idéfix wrote:Question 8 is still unanswered. Another hint: you have very likely heard his name.

Tang Seng, the buddhist monk, who traveled through India? I remember reading about him in highschool. Not sure if he wrote poetry but India had a profound effect on him.

goodcitizn wrote:

Idéfix wrote:Question 8 is still unanswered. Another hint: you have very likely heard his name.

Tang Seng, the buddhist monk, who traveled through India? I remember reading about him in highschool. Not sure if he wrote poetry but India had a profound effect on him.

Yes, it was a Buddhist monk who traveled to India -- Xuanzang aka Huien Tsang.