Trivia

[emperorchaos]

All right, I´ll do another one:

Which kind of vegetable has been (relatively) famously associated with a Nazi general, and with which one? And what is that all about?

The beet. I don't know who the general was, or what it is all about. But the beet seems like a good answer.

Ahh, the beet... nature's bleeding heart.

 

[LW]

You said in another post that it wasn't the island of Cebu but if I recall correctly it was. I could be wrong though.

I do know the name of the chief who killed his was Lapu-lapu. Someone wrote a paper on the Philippines...hmm?

The chief was indeed Lapu-Lapu. I heard about him first when we visited Cebu while we were living in Philippines when I was a child. From there I got the impression that Lapu-Lapu lived in Cebu and a couple of history books that I've later read cite Cebu as the place where Magellan died.

However, when I started to google around, I found a Philippine site that contained more information about him, and that page said that Lapu-Lapu was the chief of the Mactan island near Cebu.

Who wrote Naturalis Historia or Natural History?

Pliny the Elder.

 

[LW]

And for a new question.

Albrecht von Wallenstein (1584-1634) was one of the most famous Generals of the 30-year war, a man who made a business out of running an army. However, this question is not about what he really did in his life but instead of a legend attributed to him.

Wallenstein retired after being removed from command in 1930. However, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II had to call him back in 1932 after Gustaf II Adolf of Sweden won the imperial armies at Breitenfeld and Lech. According to the legend, the Emperor pleaded Wallenstein to raise an army of 20000 men. How did Wallenstein answer?

 

[emperorchaos]

The chief was indeed Lapu-Lapu. I heard about him first when we visited Cebu while we were living in Philippines when I was a child. From there I got the impression that Lapu-Lapu lived in Cebu and a couple of history books that I've later read cite Cebu as the place where Magellan died.

However, when I started to google around, I found a Philippine site that contained more information about him, and that page said that Lapu-Lapu was the chief of the Mactan island near Cebu.



Pliny the Elder.

Correct. I had to specify with the Latin title because of another work of the same name.

I'm not certain, but I think Mactan was a much smaller island near the large island of Cebu. I wish I could remember the name of the book I read about the history of the Philippines. The way it described Magellan proselytizing to the natives made me chuckle when I envisioned it in my head.

 

[Chaos]

The beet. I don't know who the general was, or what it is all about. But the beet seems like a good answer.

Ahh, the beet... nature's bleeding heart.

Wrong.


Okay, since nobody has been able to answer this, I´ll solve it.

The general in question is Manfred Rommel, also called the Desert Fox. When placed in command of the Atlantic Wall defenses in early ´44, he had plenty of stakes put into the beaches just below the waterline, to deter amphibious landings, and more in the fields behind the Atlantic Wall, to deter landings be transport gliders, as they are used in parachute assaults.
These stakes came to be called "Rommel´s Asparagus".

 

[Nick Bogaerts]

And for a new question.

Albrecht von Wallenstein (1584-1634) was one of the most famous Generals of the 30-year war, a man who made a business out of running an army. However, this question is not about what he really did in his life but instead of a legend attributed to him.

Wallenstein retired after being removed from command in 1930. However, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II had to call him back in 1932 after Gustaf II Adolf of Sweden won the imperial armies at Breitenfeld and Lech. According to the legend, the Emperor pleaded Wallenstein to raise an army of 20000 men. How did Wallenstein answer?

He died in 1634 and retired in 1930?

 

[LW]

He died in 1634 and retired in 1930?

1630. Obviously.

 

[di Malebranche]

And for a new question.

Albrecht von Wallenstein (1584-1634) was one of the most famous Generals of the 30-year war, a man who made a business out of running an army. However, this question is not about what he really did in his life but instead of a legend attributed to him.

Wallenstein retired after being removed from command in 1930. However, the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II had to call him back in 1932 after Gustaf II Adolf of Sweden won the imperial armies at Breitenfeld and Lech. According to the legend, the Emperor pleaded Wallenstein to raise an army of 20000 men. How did Wallenstein answer?

He said he'd do it, but he required imperial power as well as military. He pretty much got to boss -everyone- around.

 

[LW]

He said he'd do it, but he required imperial power as well as military. He pretty much got to boss -everyone- around.

Nope. At least not in the legend that I'm thinking.

[The legend is based on a real discussion between Wallenstein and Emperor that had happened earlier but it is highly probable that the particular words were never said in reality.]

 

[emperorchaos]

Nope. At least not in the legend that I'm thinking.

[The legend is based on a real discussion between Wallenstein and Emperor that had happened earlier but it is highly probable that the particular words were never said in reality.]

By Emperor do you mean me? Because I don't remember having a discussion with anyone named Wallenstein. It was a long time ago though, maybe my memory has just gone sour.

And I'll admit that I am stumped by this question. But I've been stumped by most of the questions after reading through the thread. Some really obscure stuff has been asked.

Now if we got into music trivia... well, that's not fair.

 

[chris epic]

well its not really fair to ask a trivia question based on obscure myth. That would kinda be like me asking who Jack the Ripper was But please tell us what the myth was- I'm sure it would be entertaining, eh?

So since no one has asked another question, I'll shoot the breeze again.

What hellenistic philosophy does Saint Paul most reflect in the new testiment?

 

[hurdygurdy]

What hellenistic philosophy does Saint Paul most reflect in the new testiment?

Neoplatonism, I guess.

PS. Doh! Neoplatonism appeared in the 3rd century.

 

[LW]

well its not really fair to ask a trivia question based on obscure myth. That would kinda be like me asking who Jack the Ripper was But please tell us what the myth was- I'm sure it would be entertaining, eh?

Well, it is not exactly obscure, since it it present in most of the books about The 30 Year War that I've read. Some of them present it as a factual event, some as a legend that it is.

The discussion went like this (details vary):

Emperor: I want you to raise an army of 20000 men.

Wallenstein: I can't do that. I don't have enough money to supply 20000 men. I'll have to raise 50000 men so the army can supply itself.

[This was a reference of the 17th century practice of maintaining an army by letting it pillage the enemy countryside.]

 

[chris epic]

That makes sense, sometimes I have no idea what I'm talking about anyways

The answer for my previous question is "Stoicism"

Somebody ask a question, LW...or someone else....

 

[Nick Bogaerts]

The correct answer to the question I asked about Batavia was never given. It was Jan Pietersz. Coen.

I'll give an easy one this time. Which French general uttered the words 'This is magnificent, but it is not war'? What was he observing?

 

[Jacco]

Do I Have To Beg People To Play Trivia For Cryin Out Loud! .......:d

That's a tough one! No, you don't?

you're supposed to ask the next question after you answer one.

OK, here is my question:

What does Phil Plait (the famous Bad Astronomer) and Eise Eisinga (a wool carder from Franeker, Netherlands, who lived 1744 - 1828) have in common?

Jacco

 

[LW]

I'll give an easy one this time. Which French general uttered the words 'This is magnificent, but it is not war'? What was he observing?

You left out the final part: "it is madness" (or something like that, at least, I'm quoting from memory).

Though, I can't answer the question since I have forgotten the name of the general and don't want to stoop down to googling or searching for the Crimean War history book from the pile where it should be.

 

[Jacco]

What does Phil Plait (the famous Bad Astronomer) and Eise Eisinga (a wool carder from Franeker, Netherlands, who lived 1744 - 1828) have in common?

Jacco

Gosh, I almost forgot that I ever wrote this. Well, 14 months later it looks like I have to answer my own question. So, just in case some internet archeologist stumbles upon this thread in the far future:

A conjunction of planets occurred on 8 May 1774. Some Dutch Reverend predicted that the planets and the moon would collide, with the result that the earth would be pushed out of its orbit and burned by the sun. Eise Eisinga, a Dutch (or actually a Frisian) woolcarder and amateur astronomer wanted to show that there was no reason for panic. He decided to build an orrery, a type of planetarium, in the ceiling of his living room. He invited people from his village to come to his house, and learn that they had nothing to fear from the conjunction.

More than 200 years later, another conjunction of planets occured in May of 2000. Doomsayers predicted earthquakes, floods, or just The End Of Our World in general. Astronomer Phil Plait took it as his duty to debunk these predictions on his Bad Astronomy website (badastronomy.com) very extensively.

So Eise Eisinga ( www(dot)planetarium-friesland(dot)nl/engels.html ) and Phil Plait are both debunkers of doomsday predictions in connection with planetary conjunctions.

OK, I may look silly by going through this trouble of replying to my own post in a thread that died out a long time ago. But having visited Eisinga's planetarium and being a frequent reader of the BA blog, I just think this is a very, very cool fact...

Thanks for reading.

Jacco