[207]

While the idea behind the portrait was to show a larger than life character & traditions in the 21st century.
However, its striking red colour was immediately linked to symbolism of blood & hell fire. Perhaps due to the history of the subject & his family.
Whose portrait are we discussing?
red question

Show Answer
King Charles III
The bold portrait, painted by British artist Jonathan Yeo, is the first official portrait of the 75-year-old king since his May 2023 coronation. It was unveiled inside Buckingham Palace on May 14.
Read More about the artist's interpretation of the work.
red answer

[206]

X is the South Eastern tip of Luxembourg, and is adjacent to Germany & France. The area mostly comprises of small wine-making villages.
In 1985, an agreement was signed here which made the word X globally famous, and is today considered a symbol of unity of Europe.
Can you identify X?

Show Answer
Schengen, the place after which EU's Schengen visa is named.
Read More about the original agreement, & how it transformed the landscape of Europe.

[205]

Originally called Der Schrei der Natur, this iconic painting was completed in 1893.
There have been many speculations about the inspiration behind the painting, ranging from: the powerful volcanic eruption at Karkatoa, Stratospheric clouds, to admission of the painter’s sister to a mental asylum.
Can you guess the painting?

Show Answer
The Scream by Edward Munch. The painting has been called an expression of anxiety of the human condition.
While there are a lot of speculations about the inspiration, there is no common consensus.
Read More about the theories.
scream

[204]

The following simple tweet by a ‘financial analyst’ sent the stock prices of meme stocks like GameStop & AMC to shoot up by ~50-70% in a single day.
Can you identify the individual behind the tweet, or his claim to fame?
seat

Show Answer
Keith Gill, known as "Roaring Kitty," the pivotal figure in the 2021 meme stock phenomenon, has resurfaced online after three years, causing a significant surge in meme stocks in general.
He was also the subject of the movie Dumb Money (2023).
Bloomberg has a Great Article on the implications of the return.

[203]

Rapidfire round. These are the original names of which famous companies?
1. Pete’s Super Submarines
2. Brand’s Drink
3. Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web
4. Cadabara
5. Backrub

Show Answer
1. Pete's Super Submarines - Subway
2. Brand's Drink - Pepsi
3. Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web - Yahoo
4. Cadabara - Amazon
5. Backrub - Google
Read More about famous companies which originally had different names.

[202]

This word was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene (1976). It has been described as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices, that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures or rituals.
Which word am I talking about which once became one of the biggest rage on the internet?

Show Answer
Meme, yes the ones that you share with friends.
It is actually defined as the small unit of culture which can be shared.
Read More.

[201]

X is a measure of protection which is found on personal care products. There is a common misconception that X represents the number of minutes or hours of protection provided.
In reality, X is a relative number for the amount of protection provided, with the product only allowing for 1/X harmful effects. Hence, higher numbers don’t necessarily mean a significant protection.
Can you identify X?

X %Protection
2 50%
5 80%
15 93.33%
30 96.67%
50 98%

Show Answer
SPF or Sun Protection Factor in sunscreens.
Governments have banned higher SPFs to stop customers from being misled. In fact, proper application of creams is more important than the SPF number itself.
Everything you need to know about Sunscreens.

[200]

The English word X comes from the Hindi word chāmpo चाँपो (more familiarly known as champi चंपी).
Which itself ultimately comes from the Sanskrit word chapati (चपति), meaning to press, knead, sooth.
X was introduced in Britain by Sake Dean Mahomed in 1815 and has now become ubiquitous the world over.
Can you identify X?

Show Answer
Shampoo
The shampooing was prevalent widely in the Indian subcontinents with local herbs, and was later popularized in the west through brands.
Read More about the history of shampooing.

[199]

This TV show concept was first introduced in Japan in 2001, where it was called X. From it here, it was adopted in the UK in 2005 by the name Y. In 2009, the show was taken to the US under the name Z, where it became a runaway success.
The names of all the three shows contain the name of an apex predator/creature, which refers to position of the panelists on the show, and how they are at the end looking at their own interests as well.
Can you guess which show am I talking about?

Show Answer
X - Tigers of Money
Y - Dragon's Den
Z - Shark Tank
Read More about how Shark Tank started in the US.
The show is now running in over 20 countries.

[198]

X is a word of Venetian origin.
It was practiced by European sailors in 14-15th century.
Earlier supposed to be 30 days long, it was extended by 10 days, which where its name is derived from.
Identify X.

Show Answer
Quarantine.
Read More about the history of the quarantine in humans.

[197]

X is an oil which is derived from a special variety of rapeseed, modified to have lesser erucic acid, and hence be healthier. The name of the oil is a portmanteau which includes the country of its origin, which is Canada.
Can you guess the name of the oil?

Show Answer
Canola oil - which comes from 'Can' for Canada & 'ola' for oil.
Canola was originally a trademark name of the Rapeseed Association of Canada, but has not become a generic name for oils coming from North America.
Read More.

[196]

X is a song published in late 1800s and has previously been called the most recognizable song by Guinness World Records.
Despite its popularity the song was copyrighted by Warner Music Group, and has entered public domain only since 2015.
Identify the song.

Show Answer
Happy Birthday to You
Read More about the unique history of the song.

[195]

Clara de la Rocha was a noted colonel in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). She is known for capturing a power station, to let the rebels attack a base at night.
Which famous movie character did Clara inspire?
clara

Show Answer
Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher's character) from the Star Wars series. Did you notice the same hairstyle?
Read More.

[194]

David Bowie 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes” was the first to start this trend. Since then Janet Jackson and Britney Spears are featured at top with six songs each. Michael Jackson and Ayumi Hamasaki have five each, while Madonna has 3 appearances in top 5.
Michael & Janet Jackson currently hold the top spot.
What am I talking about?

Show Answer
Most expensive music videos made.
The top 5 list includes (adjusted for inflation):
Scream by Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson for $14m
Express Yourself by Madonna for  $12m
Die Another Day by Madonna for $10m
Bedtime Story by Madonna for $10m
Estranged by  Guns N' Roses for $10m
Here's the Complete List.

[193]

Connect the following to the world of technology:
1. A pack animal from South America
2. A boy’s name of French origin
3. A Zodiac constellation
4. Sanskrit for something which is not natural
5. An invented word for the Martian language, meaning deep understanding

Show Answer
These are various large language models or LLMs behind Artificial General Intelligence.
1. Llama - Meta
2. Claude - Anthropic
3. Gemini - Google
4. Krutrim - Ola
5. Grok - Twitter/X

[192]

The following is the graph of 3 point attempts being taken in basketball over the years.
Which 6ft 3in & 4 times NBA champion is credited with changing the sport, and increasing this trend?

3p

Show Answer
Stephen Curry.
Read this Amazing Article on the life & impact of the player.
Here's an Article on the Evolution of the 3-point shot in basketball.

[191]

Endosymbiosys is the process in which one species is engulfed by another, and continues to live inside the host in a symbiotic relationship.
Roughly 2.2 billion years ago an archaea virus absorbed a bacterium to create X.
1.6 billion years ago, cyanobacteria was absorbed by some advanced organism creating Y.
Can you identify X & Y, which have had life changing impact on Earth?

Show Answer
X is Mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell.
Y is chloroplast, the substance which absorbs sunlight to make energy, & is responsible for making plants.
A new such phenomenon was recently found. Read More.

[190]

The Bene Gesserit is a psuedo-religious group from the Dune anthology. They are know for their training their bodies to gain  superior combat skills, precise physiological control, and are highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
They went on to become an inspiration for another similar group seen in a movie launched in 1977. This group became so popular that people across the world identify this as their own religion. Which group am I talking about?

Show Answer
The Jedi Order from the Star Wars movie.
Star Wars took a lot of inspiration from the Dune books. Read More.

[189]

ENSO is a weather phenomenon which was originally named after Jesus Christ and is caused by the variation in winds blowing over the Pacific Ocean. It typically occurs every 2 to 7 years and is responsible for heavy rainfall on one of the Pacific, to droughts on the other.
Can you identify this weather phenomenon?

Show Answer
El Nino Southern Oscillation, or just El Nino in short. The weather pattern was discovered by sailors around Christmas time, related it to Christ himself. Its effects are not only restricted to the Pacific, but have the capability to affect global climate in general.
Watch a great explainer video by Khan Academy.