Going where none has gone before…

Nalaka Gunawardene and Vindana Ariyawansa

It was exactly 50 years ago that a human being first travelled to outer space. Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was launched into Earth orbit by the former Soviet Union on April 12, 1961, creating history.

He travelled to orbit aboard the Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok 1), which made a single orbital flight that lasted 108 minutes, or just under two hours. The maximum speed reached was 28,260 kilometres per hour – faster than any human had moved before. At its highest point, Gagarin was about 327 kilometres (200 miles) above Earth.

Recalling his pioneering space flight, Gagarin said: “Circling the Earth in the orbital spaceship, I marvelled at the beauty of our planet. People of the Earth, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty – not destroy it!” He paved the way for hundreds of men and women from many nations to travel to near space as well as to the Moon. Up to mid 2010, a little over 500 human beings have travelled to space from 38 nationalities.

We start today’s quiz with Gagarin and move on to other topics.

1. Upon his return to Earth, Yuri Gagarin, then 27, became an instant celebrity. He was escorted in a long motorcade of high-ranking officials through the streets of Moscow to the Kremlin where he was awarded the highest Soviet honour, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, by the then Soviet premier who was a strong supporter of the Soviet Space Programme. Who was he?

2. After being decorated in his own country, Gagarin travelled the world – including then Ceylon – receiving a hero’s welcome everywhere he went. He later returned to Star City, the Soviet cosmonaut facility, where he spent the next seven years working on designs for a reusable spacecraft. On 27 March 1968, he died under tragic circumstances aged 34. What caused his premature death?

3. Yuri’s Night – World Space Party is an international celebration held on April 12 every year in dozens of countries to increase public interest in space exploration and to inspire a new generation of explorers. It marks Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight that happened on this day. Yuri’s Night was started in 2001 by which globally operating non-profit organization?

4. Mechanical engineer Whitcomb Judson developed this innovative idea just in time for the Chicago World Fair in 1893. Nowadays it is on many everyday items ranging from pencil cases and coats to pants, boots, backpacks and a plethora of other items. What was this invention?

5. Mohammad Ali was beaten for the first time by this boxer in a bout named by the media as the ‘Fight of the Century’ – it took place in Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1971. The fight was hyped much because both boxers were unbeaten at the time. This boxer fought Ali two more times before losing to Ali by decision. Their last famous bout took place in Philippines, and was called “Trilla in Manila”. Who is this boxer, who was nicknamed “Smoking Joe”?

6. This year’s (2011) motor racing Formula One championship season features five previous champions. Four of them are Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Jensen Button. Who is the fifth champion, who has won 7 Formula One championships (most by any driver in history) partnering with Benetton Ford, Benetton Renault and Ferrari?

7. This organization was officially formed in New York City, United States, in November 1875 by Helena Blavatsky, Henry Steel Olcott and William Quan Judge. The group was active in colonial Ceylon during the late 19th and 20th Centuries, and was responsible for establishing a number of leading Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka such as Ananda College in Colombo, Mahinda College in Galle, Rahula College in Matara, Maliyadeva College in Kurunegala and Dharmaraja College in Kandy.

What was this international non-governmental organization, which contributed significantly to the Buddhist revival in Sri Lanka?

8. In 1864, the British rulers of India introduced the practice of observing Shimla (earlier spelt as Simla) as the summer time capital of India. Located in the north-west Himalayas at an average altitude of 2,205 metres (7,234 ft), Shimla’s temperatures are far more tolerable than the scorching heat of the Indian summer in many other cities. In which Indian state, formed in 1971, is Shimla now the state capital?

9. While (old) Delhi has a history going back centuries, New Delhi is a planned city that was designed and built by the British during the early 20th Century. It was planned by two leading 20th Century British architects. Who were they?

10. Elizabeth Taylor, who died recently aged 79, said this about one of her dear friends who died young: “What is a genius? What is a living legend? What is a mega star? And when you think you know him, he gives you more…I think he is one of the finest people to hit this planet, and, in my estimation, he is the true King of Pop, Rock and Soul.” Who was she talking about?

11. This Scottish mathematician, physicist and astronomer made one of the biggest advancements in human learning when he discovered and first published the method of logarithms in 1614. It is a method of mechanically multiplying, dividing, and taking square and cube roots using what he called ‘bones’. He also popularized the use of the decimal points in arithmetic and mathematics. Who is he?

12. This Spanish playwright and poet’s work includes a rural trilogy - three tragic plays which were translated to Sinhala and staged in Sri Lanka. Yerma was adapted as Muhudu Puththu by Gunasena Galappaththi; Blood Wedding as Sanda Langa Maranaya by Kaushalya Fernando; and The House Bernada Alba as Bernada ge Sipiri Geya by Ranjini Obeysekere . Who is the original author of these plays?

13. As early as 1820, a French metallurgist named L Bertheier worked on a type of metal that would become a boon in kitchens worldwide, but it was not until 1920 that the first items of cutlery made from this substance was commercially sold in Meridian, Connecticut, USA. What was this innovation?

14. This American businessman formed Standard Oil Company in 1870, and amassed a fortune from petroleum. When he retired in 1897, he had become the first American to amass a billion dollars, and the richest man in the world.

He spent the last 40 years of his life developing a systematic approach of targeted philanthropy, with foundations that had a major effect on medicine, education and scientific research. In this process, he gave away most of his money to charities, keeping only 20 million dollars for himself before his death in 1937. Who was he?

15. Not everyone is equally fond of computers. In fact, some well known persons even in the 20th Century were decidedly sceptical of computers. Name the famous painter who once said: “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”

Answers will be published next week

Last week’s answers

1. The Times of Ceylon

2. ‘Soliloquy’ (1949)

3. Lester was Assistant to the Chief Producer at GFU

4. Nelungama (1953)

5. Malaria

6. Iranganie Serasinghe (then Meedeniya)

7. Titus de Silva, who later became Titus Thotawatte

8. 900 MegaWatts

9. Trincomalee

10. Cleopatra

12. Rock Hudson

13. Vivien Leigh

14. Digby George Gerahty (1898-1981)

15. Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda De Silva, Mahela Jayawardane, Kumar Sangakkara

15. US Dollars 25 million (approximately Rupees 2.7 billion)ddhartha’s Quest)

10. Zambia and Zimbabwe

11. Francois Pienaar

12. George Bernard Shaw

13. Akron

14. The Bar Code

15. Sir Richard Aluvihare (1895 - 1976)