Question 1: How many companies are included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average?
Question 2: What invention is Charles Babbage famous for conceptualizing?
In the 1800s, Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, considered the first general-purpose mechanical computer. While it was never fully built, his work laid important foundations for modern computing.
Question 3: What was the name of the first space shuttle to be launched into orbit?
Columbia was the first space shuttle to fly in space, launching on its maiden voyage on April 12, 1981. It completed 27 missions before being lost during re-entry in 2003.
Question 4: Which ancient civilization built the Machu Picchu complex in Peru?
Machu Picchu was built around 1450 AD at the height of the Inca Empire. It is believed to have been constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. The site was abandoned just over 100 years later, around the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire in the 1570s.
Question 5: How many sides does a heptadecagon have?
A heptadecagon is a polygon with 17 sides. The name comes from the Greek words "hepta" meaning seven, "deca" meaning ten, and "gonia" meaning angle.
Question 6: Why was the Rosetta Stone important for deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs?
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, was the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Because it contained the same text in both hieroglyphs and Greek, scholars were able to use their knowledge of Greek to begin to decipher the meaning of the hieroglyphs for the first time.
Question 7: Why does it get colder at higher elevations?
As elevation increases, air pressure decreases because there is less atmosphere pushing down from above. Lower air pressure means molecules are more spread out, making the air less effective at retaining heat. That's why mountainous areas have colder temperatures than lower elevations at the same latitude.
Question 8: Which rock band released the hit album "Nevermind" in 1991?
Nirvana's "Nevermind" was a landmark album that brought grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream. It features the hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Question 9: What was the name of the famous American bank robber who was killed in 1934?
John Dillinger was a notorious bank robber during the Great Depression era. He was shot and killed by FBI agents outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago in July 1934.
Question 10: Who painted the famous work 'The Persistence of Memory', which features melting clocks?
The Persistence of Memory' is considered one of Dalí's most recognizable works. It's an example of surrealism, an art movement Dalí was closely associated with. The painting is thought to be a commentary on the fluidity and relativity of time.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is a stock market index that tracks 30 large, publicly-owned companies trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq. The DJIA is one of the oldest and most-watched stock market indexes.