[298]

The conflict between Russia & Ukraine has been cited as the first large scale use of this technology in warfare. The ability to neutralize a multi million dollar equipment such as a tank with a $500 weapon has been a game changer.
Looking this trend the Ukrainian government has even created an ‘Unmanned System Forces’ earlier in 2024 to specialize on this front.
Which technology am I talking about?
operator

Show Answer
(Warfare) Drones
The war in Ukraine has been characterized by drone deployment of unprecedented scale, with thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used to track enemy forces, guide artillery and bomb targets.
Read more about use of Drone in Ukraine & State of Drone Warfare.
operator ans

[184]

Connect the following:
1. Fighters in the American Revolutionary War, known for their fast reaction
2. Goddess of Fire
3. Eastern wind in Chinese
4. A three pronged spear
5. Russian for white poplar tree

Show Answer
These are names of ICBM or nuclear capable missiles of different countries.
1. Minutemen - USA
2. Agni - India
3. DongFeng - China
4. Trident - UK
5. Topol - Russia
Read More.

[166]

The following is an air force badge of a particular nation which became popular in its local country & the social media.
Which country does it belong to? And why is Winnie the Pooh being punched?
pooh

Show Answer
Taiwan.
The patch featuring a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh went viral in Taiwan as a defiant symbol of the country's resistance to Chinese war games. Winnie the Pooh here is said to represent China's President Xi Jinping.
Read More.

[140]

The “X Meter” is a phenomenon where there was a sudden influx of business for providers of X in areas with concentrated US government activity (like Washington DC, where the White House and the Pentagon are located) just before major world events in the 1980s and 90s (notable examples being the first Gulf War and the US invasions of Panama and Grenada.)

This was first noticed in 1990 just prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, when CIA personnel gathered at the Pentagon to discuss the ongoing issue, and one Frank Meeks realized a lot of his business traffic during that time (especially at night) was directed at the Pentagon. Business continued to boom right into 1991, with business spikes very reliably tied to major announcements from the White House and the Pentagon, a series of events the public dubbed the “X Meter”. Similar trends were spotted in hindsight in the 80s.

Naturally, the powers that be weren’t too amused by this trend being publicized, and government offices were instructed to change their tactics to break this pattern.

What is the X in question?

Show Answer
Pizza.

Frank Meeks owned a chain of 45 Domino's restaurants in the DC area and noticed a surge in orders the night before a major announcement would be made the next day. The CIA realized this made for a pretty big operational security hole, so they switched to ordering from other outlets at randomly staggered times to throw curious observers off.

[104]

In 1943, noted philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre released what is commonly considered his most influential existential philosophical work, a monolithic 722-page tome bearing the equally weighty title of Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology.

One might expect that, with that name and that subject matter, the book would be nigh unknown to the general public, likely only finding an avid audience in tweed-wearing, high-thinking, pipe-smoking professorial types frequenting smoky salons, quaint libraries, and lecture halls — and yet, Being and Nothingness was (relatively) a runaway success upon publication, gaining purchase even among grocers and shopkeepers, and most notably, women*.

What peculiar reason caused the unforeseen popularity and amazing sales of this book?

Show Answer
The book weighed almost exactly one kilogram, and was therefore sought out to serve as a measure of weight at home and in shops -- the Nazis had confiscated and melted down the regular brass and copper weights to use in munitions.

*Bear in mind that this was in 1943, a time when women's intellectual prowess was not exactly respected in higher academic circles.

[57]

During the Second World War, the United States established a trade embargo against Nazi Germany, making the export of Coca-Cola syrup difficult. To circumvent this, Max Keith, the head of Coca-Cola Germany, decided to create a new product for the German market, using only ingredients available in Germany at the time.
Which drink did he create, which is now sold around the world these days?

Show Answer
Fanta
Read More

[56]

Late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a series of conflicts, interventions, and tensions involving the United States, in Central America.
These revolved around acquisition of large pieces of land, toppling rulers to more favourable ones, servitude of local population and use of American armed forces so that American corporations could secure the resource (X) and distribute it back home.
It even led to the term ‘(X) Republic’, a politically and economically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources.

Identify the resource (X).

Show Answer
Banana.
The conflicts involved United Fruit Company, controlling the economies of Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala in order to produce bananas for American consumers.
Read More

[55]

6 men were sent for an assassination. The first two failed to act. The third threw a bomb which bounced off the target’s car and exploded under the car behind.
The target then went to a town hall to give a pre-planned speech. On his way back, the target’s car happened to stall, separated from his security. A fourth assassin was waiting there by chance, who then fired 2 shots, killing the target and his wife.
Who was the target?

Show Answer
Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The assassination which started World War I.
Watch a more detailed retelling of the events

[54]

Starting in 1377, The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between the Lancasters & the Tudors. Involving assassinations, battles and influence from France, the wars lasted generations, with both the factions trying to control the British throne. 
Which popular series did the Wars inspire?

Show Answer
A Game of Thrones
Here's an Excellent Explanation

[52]

The term coined in 1944, combines the Greek word for “race, people” with the Latin word for “act of killing”. While it was first used to describe the Nazi occupation of Poland, but was later used to describe similar events in Armenia, Rwanda and many more.
Which term am I talking about?

Show Answer
Genocide, combining the Greek word genos ("race, people") with the Latin suffix -caedo ("act of killing").
Read More

[51]

The origin of this region goes back 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It has served as a small capital for the ancient Egyptian empire, sieged by Alexander the Great and involved in the Crusades. It has changed hands multiple times from Persians, Ottomans to the British after World War I.
In its current state, it has been reduced to a size of just 365 km2, blockaded on all sides & called the world’s largest open-air prison.
Which region am I talking about?

Show Answer
Gaza
Read More about its illustrious past