Honours, abdications and fireworks in the sky – take the Thursday quiz | Life and style

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A new year. A time for change. A time for excitement. A time for optimism. A time for fireworks. And alas, a time for the same old tired bobbins of the Thursday quiz to shove itself in your face for the 141st occasion. Fifteen questions of varying degrees of topicality and obscurity, bundled in with some jokes and a picture of a dog. What could go wrong? There are no prizes, but let us know how you got on in the comments!

The Thursday quiz, No 141

  1. 1.This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz, who genuinely did not bark once at fireworks on New Year’s Eve while the quiz master was doing the live blog. Good girl. But what is generally agreed to be the first recorded occasion in the UK when there was a firework display?

    Willow, the official dog of the Guardian's Thursday quiz

  2. 2.Queen Margrethe II of Denmark surprised everybody on New Year’s Eve, especially if they were doing a live blog, by announcing she would abdicate, in favour of who?

    Danish Queen Margrethe II

  3. 3.Talking of princes and Denmark, hot priest actor Andrew Scott (not pictured, that is Yorick obviously) revealed that in 2017 he stopped Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy after what happened in the audience?

    Hamlet skull

  4. 4.There have been fireworks at the PDC world darts in London too, where the main story has been the rise of allegedly 16-year-old who?

    Dartboard in the Maxilla Club

  5. 5.On 4 January 1958, the little Soviet Union satellite that could, Sputnik 1, fell back to earth. How long had it been in orbit?

    Soviet technician working on Sputnik 1

  6. 6.British army medical officer Capt Harpreet Chandi (not pictured) claims to have set a new world record doing what?

    Roy Castle

  7. 7.The Conservative-led government of the UK privatised the Royal Mail in 2013. Ten years later, in how many of areas of the country was the Royal Mail successfully reaching its target for first class mail delivery?

    Royal Mail

  8. 8.One question about every country taking part in the Euro 2024 finals this summer. This week: Austria. Who is the the current chancellor of the Republic of Austria?

    UEFA

  9. 9.Alaska and Hawaii are the two most recent states to have been admitted to the USA. In which year?

    US flags and the Capitol

  10. 10.When iron oxide is heated with carbon (not pictured), iron is produced, but what happens to the iron oxide during this reaction?

    Chemistry

  11. 11.Which of these is often given as the name of the main character in the 1892 two-act classical ballet The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, first choreographed with Marius Petipa?

    Ballet shoes

  12. 12.It is the anniversary of the birth of Isaac Newton. Happy birthday, Isaac! It is a true or false question – did Isaac Newton briefly serve as an MP on two separate occasions?

    Sir Isaac Newton

  13. 13.Can you put Taylor Swift’s first four albums into the correct order?

    Reckless records

  14. 14.A freedom of information request by the SNP revealed that how much champagne was ordered at events and bought from the gift shop at the House of Lords last year?

    Champagne

  15. 15.Talking of champagne moments, Thusday quiz favourite Liz Truss (pictured, with halo) got to put people in the House of Lords in her resignation honours list to mark her 49 triumphant days in Downing Street. How many people did Truss give the power to help make UK legislation for life?

    Liz Truss

If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working – feel free to email [email protected], but remember the quiz master’s word is final and he is probably busy tracking down his favourite stranger.

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