My apologies for the small delay in presenting the answers. As can be seen, I have included a lot of links, for those who may be interested in any of these topics.
Feedbacks are encouraged and appreciated.
1.Below is the flag of an European nation.
Which nation?
Latvia.
According to the legend, how did it get its rather unusual red colour?
The question was a bit unprecise, as there are more than one. But those who answered it all chose the following:
A leader of a Latvian tribe was mortally wounded in a battle and wrapped in a white sheet. The part where he lay remained white, but the edges were coloured by his blood.
Another legend tells that a castle was once surrounded by an Estonian army, and as supplies started to be very short for the defenders the only possibility except for capitulation was to break the siege with an attack. On the advice of an old kokle ( a sort of lute) player, a ram was sacrificed. The old man then removed his short and soaked it in the ram's blood. Using this as a standard the Latvians managed to drive away the attackers.
2.What is remarkable with this message?
It is the first spam message ever sent.
On the 2.May 1978, this message was sent to 393 users of Arpanet, the US government computer network that was later to evolve into Internet, by Gary Thuerk from the computer-firm DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation). The recipients were not amused, they complained directly to Thuerk, and DEC was reprimanded by the Arpanet administrators. One could perhaps have wished for some sterner reaction.
3. Fill in the missing name in this obituary and identify the writer of it.
(NB! It was not originally written in English.)
The missing name is
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) , who shouldn't really need any further presentation.
The writer is the
Norwegian author Knut Hamsun (1859-1952), recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature 1920. While being regarded as one of the pioneers of literary modernism modern literature, Hamsun was also a politically reactionary. That he should become a supporter of the Nazi regime was just too predictable.
This obituary appeared in the leadin bourgeois paper Aftenposten, which was allowed to publish during the whole occupation of Norway and still exists, ever busy teaching others about democracy and human rights.
4. What was the Tennis Court Oath?
In French this is known as Le Serment du Jeu de Paume, Jeu de Paume ( Palm Game) being the early version of tennis.
A pledge signed by almost all the members of France's Third Estate and a few members of the First Estate on a tennis court close to Versailles on the 20th of June 1789.Having driven France almost to bankrupcy, king Louis XVI called a session of the Estates General at Versailles 1789 to address the crisis in May same year.
The Estates general consisted of the First Estate; the king and the clergy, the Second Estate; the nobility,and the Third Estate; in principe everybody else but in reality the wealthy middle class.
During this session the argument arose whether votes should be cast by Estate, which would give the First and Second Estate the control of the proceedings, which would give the Third Estate the majority.
Then on the 17th of June the Third Estate withdrew from the Estates general, drew up its own constituion and declared itself to be the new National Assembly. The reaction on this was that the king locked the delegates out of their regular meeting place, which made them gather on the tennis course of Versailles instead. There they swore an oath not to disband before they had drawn up a new constitution for France. This act of solidaity forced the king to order the clergy and nobility to join the National Assembly.
This oath is significant because it marked the first time French citizens formally opposed to the king, and for inspiring to revolutionary activities which later the same year should trigger that great event called the French Revolution. As an ironic side-note almost all tennis courts in France were destroyed by the revolutionairies as they were perceived as symbols of the old regime...
5. This is from a comedy of one of the most illustrious ancient comedy writers. What is his name and what is the title of this play ?
Aristophanes:
"The Frogs".
The Athenian Aristophanes (ca.450 BC-ca. 380 BC) is usually regarded as the Father of Comedy. Little is known about his life, but he is assumed to have come from a rather wealthy family, which may explain his conservatism. Of his plays eleven have been preserved, and they are mostly political as well as satirizing well-known Athenian citizens.
The Frogs, which was performed first at the Lenaia, one of the festival in honour of the god Dionysos, in 405 BC. The play was granted an unprecented second performance the year after and resulting in a prize for the author. In short, the moral of the play is the hobby horse of Aristophanes, that the old ways are the better. It tells the story of Dionysos, during the time of great hardship for Athens, going to Hades to bring back Euripides. When finding him he is engaged in a conflict with Aischyllos about the right to the seat of 'Best Tragic Poet' at the dinner table of Hades. A contest is held between the two with Dionysos as judge: The result is that Aischylos wins, and Dionysos decides to bring him back instead, because he can offer more practical advice.
The title of the play derives from the scene where Dionysos crosses the river Styx in Charon's boat and hears a chorus of frogs.
The persons A and B are also renowned historical persons. Who are they (2 p for each correct answer)?
A:
Euripides
B.
Aeschylus
Together with Sophocles, they are regarded as the three great tragedy writers in classical Athens.
Euripides (ca.480 BC-ca. 405 BC) is the latestand the most modern of the three. His trageies breaks with the Attic traditions by showing strong female characters and intelligent slaves, as well as focusing on the characters inner life and motives in a way previously unknown.
Not much of his life is known, which suggest that it was an uneventful one, except that he probably came from a wealthy and influental family.
Aeschylus (ca.525 BC-ca.455 BC) often called the father of tragedy, distinguished himself as a soldier as well as a playwright, participating in both the battle of Marathon and the Battle of Salamis.
The writer in question was an aquaintance of a famous philosopher whom he parodied in another of his plays? Which philosopher was it , and what was the name of that play ?
Socrates (ca.470 BC-399 BC).
The Clouds.
Both the writer and the philosopher appear in a work of the philosophers most famous pupil. Who was he and what is the title of that work .
Plato (428 BC-348 BC). Symposium.
Links to the works mentioned in the question:
The Frogs
The Clouds
Symposium
6.What connects these three images? (3 p)
The tulip. The piece of gauze refers to the origin of the flower's name, which is derived from the Turkish word tülbend, meaning gauze or muslin.I would also have accepted the
tulipomania in the 17th century Netherlands.
Additionally, earn 1 p for the title of the painting and 1 p for identifying the person in image #3.
The name of the painting is
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.
Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1593 -1674), renowned surgeon as well as the mayor of Amsterdam. Born Claes Pieterszoon, this son of a wealthy merchant after having become a doctor adopted the tulip as his family shield and took the name Nicolas Tulp (Tulp = tulip).
A biography of him can be found here:
http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Biographies/Tulp-Nicolaas.html
The person is
Alexandre Dumas sr. (pere in French)(1802 - 1870), famous French writer.
Dumas is best known for his historical novels, perhaps the most popular being The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Christo. But he also wrote a novel from Netherlands in the late 17th cantury entitled
The Black Tulip
The painting above is by a famous artist. What was his name?
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606 - 1669).One of the most important figures in European art and a foremost representative of the Golden Age of the Netherlands.
Here is another one of his renowned works.
What is the popular name of it and what is its official name?
The popular name is
The Nightwatch. The reason for this odd name was that upon its discovery it was so dimed and marked by time that it looke dlike a night scene of sorts.
The official name is
The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq. It was completed in 1642, at the peak of Netherland's golden age (extra question: who won the Thirty Year's War?) and shows a company of musketeers preparing for their march under the lead of said captain (The man in the front dressed in black). If you look really close you spot Rembrandt as well.
This is an autoportrait (with the artist's wife to the left) of a compatriot and collegue of the painter above.
What was his name ?
Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640).
Another of the really great names of painting.
This man also made quite a distinguished carriere in another profession. Which one ?
Diplomacy. In those times, diplomacy was not undertaken by professionals, but rather by gentleman with the time and opportunity. Rubens undertook a lot of diplomatic missions for the Spanish habsburg rulers especially between 1627 and 1630, and managed to be knighted twice, by Philip IV of Spain as well as Charles I of England.
7. Who is appreciated as the first computer programmer ?
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
This person had a famous father. Who was
he ?
George Gordon Byron, better known as Lord Byron (1788-1824)
This person also interacted with a philosopher, inventor and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. What was
that person's name ?
Charles Babbage (1791-1871)
Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace (1815 - 1852) daughter of the renowned poet Lord Byron, was thanks to belonging to a privileged class able to cultivate her talents in mathematics and science from early on. She was introduced to Charles Babbage through one of her teachers, and developed a non-romatic relationship to him.
When translating the Italian mathematician Luigi Menebrea's memoir on Babbage's proposed machine the Analytical Engine, she appended a set of notes longer than the memoir itself. Section G of those notes includes a complete method for calculating Bernouilli numbers by the engine, and this is recognized as the first computer program.
The computer program Ada by the US Defence Department is named after her, and since 1998 the British Computer Society has awarded
a medal in her name
She also appears in the highly readable steampunk novel "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling .
8.For a short period, Sweden was a great power in Europe, founding its position basically on military prowess. Below are 7 battles they fought, years, and name of Swedish and enemy commanders . Put the datas together correctly as well as the outcome of each battle and earn 2 p for each correct answer ( 1 p if one is mistaken or omitted).
I.Battles
1.Battle of Lund
2.Battle of Warszawa
3.Battle of Poltava
4.Battle of Wittstock
5.Battle of Kliszow
6.Battle of Kircholm
7.Battle of Leipzig (Second Battle of Breitenfeld)
II. Years
1.1676
2.1709
3.1636
4.1656
5.1702
6.1605
7.1645
III. Swedish commanders
1.Karl X Gustav
2.Johan Baner
3.Carl Gustav Rehnskiöld
4.Karl XII
5.Lennart Torstensson
6.Karl IX
7.Karl XI
IV. Enemy commanders
1.Ottavio Piccolomini
2.August II The Strong
3.Melchior von Hatzfeldt
4.Jan Karol Chodkiewicz
5.Christian V
6.Peter the Great
7.Jan II Kazimierz
1-1-7-5
2-4-1-7
3-2-3-6
4-3-2-3
5-5-4-2
6-6-6-4
7-7-5-1
Except for the battles of Kircholm and Poltava, all these engagements ended with Swedish victory.
For more information:
Battle of Kircholm:
http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/images/kircholm_27_sept.htm
Battle of Wittstock:
http://members.tripod.com/Strv102r/thirty_year_war1635.htm
Battle of Leipzig:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Breitenfeld_(1642)
Battle of Warszawa:
http://www.kismeta.com/diGrasse/Warsaw.htm
Battle of Lund:
http://hem.passagen.se/uscygnus/BattleofLund.html
Battle of Kliszow:
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_kliszow.html
Battle of Poltava:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Poltava
For additional 2 p; who did sometimes use the pseudonym Captain Gars?
King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden (1594-1632), aka The Lion of the North.
Gars stands for: Gustavus Adolphus Rex Seciae, Latin for Gustav Adolf King of the Swedes.
9.Who were the San Patricios , which historical event did they participate in and what happened to them ?
A battallion, consisting of mostly Irish immigrants, who during the Mexican-American war deserted the US army and fought for Mexico. More about them and their fate can be found here:
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/mexico/img/more_san_ps.html
10. This man was the only president of a state that no longer exist today.
What was his name and which state was it?
Wilhelm Pieck (1876 - 1960) , president of the German Democratic Republic. Pieck was the only head of state of the GDR to be entitled president .
He also co-founded a political movement. Which one?
The Spartacist League
The national anthem of this state was written by a composer who is well-known for his co-operation with a famous writer. What is the title of the anthem ,
Auferstanden aus Ruinen (Risen from the Ruins, kind of familiar or what?)
The text was written by the poet Johannes Becher, who eventually became minister of education in the GDR.,
what is the name of the composer
Hanns Eisler (1898-1962)
and who was the famous writer?
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956)
And as a little bonus, as there is way too little socialist culture on this board anyway; here is one of the most famous Brecht/Eisler songs performed in style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9wVJDs5MVM
11. In the days of early capitalism, child labour were quite common also in Europe. Below are six occupations from early 19th century England for children or youngsters. What sort of occupation were:
1.Trapper - Coal mining. Trappers were sat by trapdoors in narrow mine tunnels, opening and closing doors to let the air in.
2.Climbing boy - Chimney sweeping . Children as young as five were employed to climb up inside the chimneys and clean them as they climbed.
3.Hurrier - Coal mining. Hurriers piled coal into carts, which ran on tracks, and to pull or push the coal along tunnels.
4.Scavenger -Textile factory work. Children were employed to crawl under the machines to sweep out the fluff cotton fibre built up under the textile machines.
5.Nightman - Sewage collecting. As this was before water closets became usual, earthen holes were used by the poor. A nightman would go around during night and collect the solid matter in those.
6.Navvy - Road building. The word is a shortened form of navigator. Navvies were the unskilled people who did the heavy digging work for canals, roads and later railways.
12. When was the world's first bombing performed
November 1th 1912
by whom ,
the Italian lieutenant
Giulio Gavotti
and in which conflict?
The Italo-Turkish War. For more information, go here:
http://axisofevelknievel.blogspot.com/2007/11/november-1.html
13. Which king had a tatoo reading "Death to tyrants"?
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, Karl XIV Johan of Sweden and Karl III Johan of Norway (1763 - 1844)
The son of a procurator, Bernadotte made a splendid carriere in Napoelon Bonapartes army. Despite his troubled relationship with the emperor, he was appointed marshall of France due to his military merits. However in 1810 he accepted the offer to become king of Sweden.
14. What is this object called and what was it used for ?
A pomander . The ball was filled with perfume or aromatic spices and used as a protection against infection in times or pestilence or simply to counter foul smells, something that was abundant in old Europe. The one of the picture is from Elisabethan England.
The name comes from the French pomme d'ambre which means apple of amber.
)
... looking in my box, the mail has totally disappeared 
No idea what went wrong!
