Historical firsts for October 1st 2010

Connect the images above!

Question for Sep 30, 2010

X is a criminal mastermind, described as the "Napoleon of Crime". X was a kind of mafia godfather in England, protecting all the criminals there in return for a share of profits. X was acknowledged to be endowed with "phenomenal mathematical faculty", with works such as "A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem" and "The Dynamics of an Asteroid" and he was elected to the mathematical chair at a university on the strength of the former work. Later, rumours about his involvement in criminal activities led him to resign his post and devote his complete attention to crime. His choice of weapon is an air-rifle designed to look like a cane. A favourite method of his was to organize "accidents" to kill his enemies. He finally met his death while battling his arch-nemesis, Y, falling from atop the Reichenbach Falls.

Identify X. Bonus points for identifying Y.

Qn. for Sep. 29.

Connect the following:

1.

2.

3.

Question for September 28, 2010

Sorry for the extremely late post ...

X was an adviser to the first Maurya Emperor (c. 340-293 BCE), and was the chief architect of his rise to power. He has been considered as the pioneer of the field of economics and political science. In the Western world, he has been referred to as The Indian Machiavelli, although his works predate Machiavelli's by about 1,800 years. He was responsible for the creation of Mauryan empire, the first of its kind on the Indian subcontinent. Identify X.

Question for Sep 27 - PS

Connect the following:
1.

 2.

 3.

4. when a big tree falls, the earth is bound to shake.

Question for Sep 24

Whose grave is shown in the visual?

Ad - September 23rd 2010

This is an advertisement for what? (Bottom right part was intentionally blanked out by me)

Irish and Chinese workers meet- Sept 22, 2010

Connect the following 3 clues-

1.

View Larger Map

2.

3. Union Pacific No: 119 and the Jupiter.

Question for Sep 21, 2010

X is a group of people believed to be part of the military in Northern India in the first millenium and after Mahmud Ghazni's raids, they were moved to the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century. The name X derives from the word ḍōmba, meaning a 'man of low caste living by singing and music'. While the South Asian origin of X is not in doubt, very recent findings suggest that they could be the descendents of the Jat people. Today, they are widely dispersed, with high concentrations in Europe. The X have faced widespread persecution over the centuries including forced slavery, ethnic cleansing, genocide by the Nazis and forced assimilation. Recently, the French authorities demolished many of their camps and began the process of repatriating them to their countries of origin, which prompted widespread criticism and threats of legal action.

Identify X.

Identify the genre - Sep. 17th

X is a genre of music. It peaked during the middle to late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Women embraced X as well, and the music eventually expanded to several other popular groups of the time.

While performers and singers of X garnered the lion's share of public attention, the behind-the-scenes producers played an equal, if not more important role, since they often usually wrote the songs and created the innovative sounds and production techniques that were part of the "X sound".

An angry backlash against X music and culture emerged in the United States, hitting its peak with the July 1979 `X Demolition Night'  riot. While the popularity of X in the United States declined markedly as a result of the backlash, the genre continued to be popular elsewhere during the 1980s.

Question for September 16, 2010

Connect the following images:

 

Question for Sep 15 - PS

X was originally built by Ajatashatru in 490 BC as a small fort, and turned into the world's largest city in 300 BC with a population of about 400,000. It was the capital of the Magadhas, Nandas, Mauryans, Sungas and the Guptas down to the Palas, until it was destroyed by the Muslim raiders in the 12th century. Afterwards Sher Shah Suri made X his capital and changed its name to Y.
Y is a city in present-day India with a current population of 1,697,976.

Identify X and Y.

Question for Sep 14

What does the map depict?

Question for 13th September 2010

The following image was posted in June 2009. What does it depict? Note that the image, if it were to be depicted today, would be slightly different than this. Most notably, India would be green in color (the same color as US).

X: A symbol (Sept 10th 2010)

Identify X in the quote below.  The picture above is related to X.

"As for the X's famous color, __, it was not an obvious choice. Mr. Starr reports that Ammann favored gray (as used for the __), and others wanted black. While the Navy “preferred a yellow and black striping to facilitate visibility __ through low-lying fog,” the Army Air Corps wanted a red-and-white color scheme more visible from the air. The __ paint was primer, used to protect __ against the elements, and it gradually went from being a default choice to the color of choice.

In an over-the-top burst of purple prose, Mr. Starr observes that __ not only “unified the __ into one compelling statement,” but also summoned memories of “the gold of the __ that had created the __, and the gold of the Golden Horn of the Bosporus first suggested by John Frémont when he named the site in 1846 and by metaphor evoked a color-drenched city of towers, domes, and stepped-back structures rising like Constantinople from blue waters along green hillsides, their red-tiled roofs touching a sun-flooded azure sea.”"

(Michiko Kakutani; New York Times Book Review Aug 23, 2010).

Question for Sep 9, 2010

Identify what is being depicted below (click on the image for a bigger view).

QOTD - 8 Sep 2010 - Hari

The origins of X are uncertain, although western sources suggest that the game is of Sub-continental origin. The official body for X was formed in 1988 and the rules of X were also codified for the first time the same year.


Games similar to X appear all over Asia, e.g., Vindi vindi in Fiji and Szhe szhe in Israel. Other notable variants of X include Novuss, played in the Baltic states, Puckpool in Australia, Tōkyūban in Japan, and Crokinole and Pitchnut  in North America.

Identify X.

Qn. for Sep. 7th.

Sorry for the late post...here is the question:

The puzzle includes 16 letters from 16 different alphabets, many of which — but not all — represent a letter from that alphabet that most closely resembles the English "W".

What am I talking about?

Question for Sep 2 - PS

Connect:

Make-up question for Aug 27, 2010

X is a form of rating system developed in the 1950s, and is the primary method of measurement in the field for which it was designed. Data for the ratings can be gathered either by getting the "consumer" to self-record, or by using a meter that automatically records data, with the added advantage of increased granularity. These ratings are used to decide which "products" are more in demand, and also to appropriately charge for advertising. Calculation of X involves sampling of a subset of people, and is therefore prone to sampling bias. Also, people's behaviour might change due to awareness of being in the sample population. Another criticism is that X does not reflect "total consumption". More recently, newer modes of "consumption" have rendered the old system more inaccurate. A plan has since been announced to revamp the entire methodology.

Identify X. If not the name, atleast identify what is being described.

Question for Sep 1

It is generally believed that the phrase X was coined in 2006. The phrase's origin may be onomatopoeic or derived from a juggling toy of the same name (see visual). In 2010 the phrase became very popular, with X being described as "a radical style that only evolved over the course of four years", arising from _____'s decision in 2006 that  "they weren't physical and tough enough to outmuscle opponents, so instead wanted to concentrate on monopolising the ball."

Identify X.