Easy like Sunday morning: What did November 15 ever give us?

The Hindu Sunday quiz on ‘What did November 15 ever give us?’ by Berty Ashley

1. On November 12 in 1661, English scientist Robert Hooke was appointed curator of experiments at the Royal Society, England. He was also an architect, who helped re-build a lot of buildings after the Great Fire of 1666. The previous year, he had published the book Micrographia, where he coined a word to describe the basic, structural unit of life. What word was this?

2. Born November 12 in 1729, French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville was famed for his scientific expeditions. One of his assistants onboard was Jeanne Baret, the first known woman to circumnavigate the world. She spotted an unknown flower and named it ‘bougainvillea’ after the captain. By what other name is it known due to the texture of its petals?

3. Born November 12 in 1840, Auguste Rodin was a French sculptor known for crafting complex and deep works in clay. His most famous creation titled ‘Le Penseur’ is a bust of a figure now displayed in Paris. Often used in posters for quizzes, how better do we know this sculpture?

4. On November 12 in 1859, French acrobat Jules Leotard performed his first ever circus act on an apparatus he had designed. It was a horizontal bar suspended high above the crowd, from which he swung and did stunts. What is the name of this apparatus, which is a reference to the shape it forms with the ropes?

5. Born November 12 in 1889, DeWitt Wallace was a publisher who, along with his wife, founded one of the most popular family magazines. While recovering from World War I wounds, he started collecting his favourite articles, which led to this magazine. Now the largest paid-circulation magazine in the world, what is it called?

6. Born November 12 in 1896, this naturalist was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across the country. He became interested in birds after he shot one for sport with his air gun, and the secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) identified it as an unusual species. Who was this bird man, who eventually went on to become an important figure in BNHS history?

7. Born November 12 in 1961, Nadia Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast who has won the Olympic Gold medal five times. She eventually moved to the U.S., and along with Bart Conner, another Olympic gymnast, started a production company named ‘P10 productions’. What does P10 stand for?