A tsunami

100 MCQs About Natural Disasters

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1. Which disaster are most likely to extinguish the human race? – Volcanoes and extraterrestrial impacts
2. What’s the smallest asteroid or comet that could cause devastating effects for humanity? – 1 kilometer wide – the equivalent of about a 10-minute walk
3. What is the biggest coronal mass ejections (CME) on record to hit Earth? – The arrington Event
4. What is the chance that a Carrington-like storm will hit in the next ten years? – 12 %
5. Which of these events may have been responsible for nearly wiping out the human race? – A supervolcano
6. How far does a supervolcano’s incineration zone extend? – 100 Kilometers
7. Where is the world’s biggest earthquake machine located? – Miki, Japan
8. What, according to some scientists, is the ideal post apocalyptic food? – Mushrooms
9. At No. 1 on the list, _____ are the most common natural disaster. – Floods
10. Landslides, tsunamis and avalanches can all be caused by what other natural disaster? –Earthquakes
11. Which volcanic feature is the deadliest? – The flow of ash, rock and gasses moving down a volcano’s side
12. The deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history was a _____ that hit Galveston, TX in 1900, killing about 7,000 people. – Hurricane
13. What makes a tornado dark colored? – The dirt and debris it sucks up
14. One of America’s worst natural disasters occurred in 1980, when a _____ damaged much
of the southern U.S. – Heat Wave
15. Below average rainfall for a prolonged period of time is called – Drought
16. What is a Tsunami? – A large wave usually formed by undersea earthquakes and landslides.
17. A sudden movement in the earth’s crust caused by movements of tectonic plates is called? – An earthquake
18. What is a natural disaster? – When a natural hazard impacts on the community causing destruction of property and loss of life.
19. The phenomenon of unusually cool ocean currents off the coast of Australia is called – El Nino
20. The social impacts of natural hazards include: – Loss of income to people or damage to an industry, illnesses cause by hazard, no form of communication
21. Natural Hazards can be separated into _________ and ________ categories. – Economic Impacts and Environmental Impacts
22. Indicates the severity of an earthquake in terms of the damage that it inflicts on structures and people – Intensity Scale
23. Boundary where plates are moving towards each other – Convergent
24. A fan shaped deposit of sand and gravel at the mouth of a mountain canyon where the stream gradient flattens at main valley floor – Alluvial Fan
25. A ground depression caused by collapse into an underground cavern – Sinkhole
26. Volcanic dome composed of rhyolite and rhyodacite – Rhyolite Dome
27. Form as sediment is deposited in the slower waters on the inside of the meander bends – Point bar
28. The number peaks per second – Frequency
29. Record local and very strong earthquakes – Strong-motion Seismograph
30. A measure of the total energy expended during an earthquake; depends on its seismic moment determined by: rock shear strength, area of rock, average slip distance offset across the – Moment Magnitude
31. A landslide in which the mass rotates as it slides on a basal slip surface – Rotational Slide
32. Blocky basalt lava with a ragged clinkery surface – Aa Flow
33. Karst-like landscape in permafrost terrain caused by melting of thermofrost under increasing temperatures – Thermokarst
34. Flat-topped volcano formed by an eruption under a glacier – Tuya
35. Molten rock – Magma
36. Record both local and distant earthquakes; but cannot accurately measure strong earthquakes in the direct vicinity – Broadband Seismograph
37. A slurry of rock, sand, water flowing downslope; water usually makes up less than half of the flow volume –Debris Flow
38. Ice that crystallizes in pores between grains of sediment – Interstitial Ice
39. Developed 1953l based on maximum amplitude of earthquake waves recorded on a Wood Anderson Seismograph – Richter Magnitude Scale
40. The total area inundated by the tsunami – Run-out distance
41. The height to which a tsunami wave rushes up onshore – Run-up height
42. Rigid outer rind of Earth approximately 60-100km thick – Lithosphere
43. Maximum angle of which sediment particles can stand without falling (dependent on grain size, grain angularity, moisture content) – Critical Angle of Repose
44. Heavier sediment in a stream that is moved along the stream bed rather than in suspension – Bedload
45. Energy level between Richter Scale Units differs by ______ times – 31.5
46. A flow of mud, rock, and water dominated by clay-sized particles – Mud Flow
47. Rapid movement of land, ranging from cm/hr to m/s of material disappearing almost instantaneously – Collapse
48. Relatively flat lowland that borders a river usually dry but subject to flooding – Floodplain
49. Water saturated sediment jostled by an earthquake rearrange themselves into a closer packing arragement – Liquefaction
50. Where the earthquake actually happens in the earth’s crust, where energy is radiating out from all directions – Focus
51. A circular or oval feature resulting from the dissolution of rock – Doline
52. Natural & Human Created Hazard like floods, droughts, wildland fires, weather phenomena, landslides are called – Hydrometeorological Hazards
53. Type of collision forms continent volcanic arc of stratovolcanoes – Ocean-Continent
54. Basalt lava with a ropy or smooth top – Pahoehoe Flow
55. Magma that flows out onto the ground surface – Lava
56. Fragmental material blown out of a volcano (ex. tephra, cinders, and bombs) – Pyroclastic
57. A particle of volcanic ash between 2mm and 6mm across – Lapilli
58. Type of collision that forms oceanic island arc of basaltic volcanoes – Ocean-Ocean
59. Point where boundaries of 3 plates meet – Triple Junction
60. Natural Hazards like Earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic Eruptions, Asteroid/Comet Impacts, Landslides are called – Geophysical Hazard
61. Rapid discharge of water from an ice-dammed lake, typically resulting from a volcanic eruption – Jokulhlaup
62. Tsunami that strikes area adjacent to its point of origin – Near Field Tsunami
63. A broad expanse of basalt lava that cooled to fill in low-lying areas of the landscape – Flood Basalt
64. An extremely large basalt-lava volcano, gently sloping sides – Shield Volcano
65. Where the earthquake actually appears on the earth’s surface, sometimes there is a rupture at that point – Epicentre
66. Downslope creep driven by sequential freezing and thawing – Gelifluction
67. A huge collapse depression at the Earth’s surface that sank into a near-surface magma chamber during eruption of the magma – Resurgent Caldera
68. The length of a fault broken during an earthquake – Surface Rupture Length
69. Developed in 1902 by Giuseppe Mercalli – Mercalli Intensity Scale
70. Measure earthquakes quantitatively, independent of location and assigns a magnitude value based on energy released – Magnitude Scale
71. Involves the movement of a slab of rock, debris, or cohesive mud as a single unit – Slide
72. The time between seismic waves – Period
73. Extremely rapid downslope movement of large volumes of rock and debris – Sturzstrom
74. Secondary/Shear waves that shake back and forth perpendicular to the direction of wave travel, cannot travel through a liquid (4.5km/s upper mantle, 3.5km/s crust) – S Wave
75. Used to measure earthquakes – Seismograph
76. The potential degree to which an individual or community could be affected by a natural hazard – Sensitivity
77. Records distant earthquakes – Long-period Seismograph
78. A river characterized by multiple, frequency shifting channels – Braided River
79. An ice jam initiated by rpaid change in temperature – Thermal Ice Jam
80. Extremely slow downslope flow of sediment on the surface – Creep
81. Slope of the river channel; typically decreases downstream – Gradient
82. A mudflow associated with volcanic action or involving volcanic materials – Lahar
83. Component of stress perpendicular to the earth’s planar surface (force keeping the boulder/grain from moving) – Normal Stress
84. A flow involving movement of broken rock, with little sand or mud, and particle-particle contact; usually developed in gravel or sand – Grain Flow
85. A mass of cold, solid rock ejected from a volcano – Block
86. Fine materials (dust, ash, and cinders) produced by volcanic action – Tephra
87. An elevation that a stream cannot erode past, controlled by level of the body of water which the stream discharges into – Base Level
88. A landslide that moves along a regular sloping planar surface – Translational Slide
89. Mineral composed of potassium chloride, a salt used in manufacturing fertilizer – Sylvite
90. Mineral or rock composed of sodium chloride; susceptible to dissolution – Halite
91. An event involving a significant number of people and/or significant economic damage – Disaster
92. The deepest parts of the channel along the length of the stream bed – Thalweg
93. Lenses of pure ice developed in permafrost sediment – Segregated Ice
94. An abnormally long wavelength wave produced by sudden displacement of water – Tsunami
95. Topographic line or boundary separating watersheds – Drainage Divide
96. Formed on the ceiling of a cavern when water percolates through fractures in limestone – Stalactite
97. A large steep-sided volcano consisting of layers of ash, fragmental debris and lava – Stratovolcanoes
98. The amount the fault or ridge moves away from its point of origin (aka displacement) – Offset
99. A mass of liquid of partially solidified rock that is ejected from a volcano – Bomb
100. Relatively slow movement of land, typically at rates of cm/yr – Subsidence

 

September 29 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

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  • 61 BC – Pompey the Great celebrates his third triumph for victories over the pirates and the end of the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday.
  • 1011 – Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner.
  • 1227 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for his failure to participate in the Crusades.
  • 1267 – The Treaty of Montgomery recognises Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales, but only as a vassal of King Henry III.
  • 1364 – English forces defeat the French in Brittany, ending the War of the Breton Succession.
  • 1578 – Tegucigalpa, capital city of Honduras, is claimed by the Spaniards.
  • 1637 – 42-year-old Lorenzo Ruiz dies.
  • 1717 – An earthquake strikes Antigua Guatemala, destroying much of the city’s architecture.
  • 1789 – The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.
  • 1789 – The 1st United States Congress adjourns.
  • 1829 – The Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, is founded.
  • 1848 – The Battle of Pákozd is a stalemate between Hungarian and Croatian forces, and is the first battle of the Hungarian Revolution.
  • 1850 – The papal bull Universalis Ecclesiae restores the Roman Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.
  • 1855 – The Philippine port of Iloilo is opened to world trade by the Spanish administration.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chaffin’s Farm is fought.
  • 1864 – The Treaty of Lisbon defines the boundaries between Spain and Portugal and abolishes the Couto Misto microstate.
  • 1885 – The first practical public electric tramway in the world is opened in Blackpool, England.
  • 1907 – The cornerstone is laid at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) in Washington, D.C.
  • 1911 – Italy declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
  • 1918 – World War I: Bulgaria signs the Armistice of Salonica.
  • 1918 – The Hindenburg Line is broken by an Allied attack.
  • 1918 – Germany’s Supreme Army Command tells the Kaiser and the Chancellor to open negotiations for an armistice.
  • 1923 – The British Mandate for Palestine takes effect, creating Mandatory Palestine.
  • 1923 – The French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon takes effect.
  • 1923 – The First American Track & Field championships for women are held.
  • 1932 – Chaco War: Last day of the Battle of Boquerón between Paraguay and Bolivia.
  • 1940 – Two Avro Ansons collide in mid-air over New South Wales, Australia, remain locked together, then land safely.
  • 1941 – World War II: German forces, with the aid of local Ukrainian collaborators, begin the two-day Babi Yar massacre.
  • 1949 – The Communist Party of China writes the Common Programme for the future People’s Republic of China.
  • 1954 – The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed.
  • 1957 – The Kyshtym disaster is the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded.
  • 1971 – Oman joins the Arab League.
  • 1972 – China–Japan relations: Japan establishes diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China after breaking official ties with the Republic of China.
  • 1975 – WGPR becomes the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the US.
  • 1979 – The dictator Francisco Macias of Equatorial Guinea is shot by soldiers from Western Sahara.
  • 1988 – NASA launches STS-26, the first mission since the Challenger disaster.
  • 1990 – Construction of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (better known as Washington National Cathedral) is completed in Washington, D.C.
  • 1990 – The YF-22, which would later become the F-22 Raptor, flies for the first time.
  • 1991 – A Haitian coup d’état occurs.
  • 1992 – Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello is impeached.
  • 2004 – The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth.
  • 2004 – Burt Rutan’s Ansari SpaceShipOne performs a successful spaceflight, the first of two required to win the Ansari X Prize.
  • 2006 – A Boeing 737 and an Embraer 600 collide in mid-air, killing 154 people and triggering a Brazilian aviation crisis.
  • 2007 – Calder Hall, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, is demolished in a controlled explosion.
  • 2009 – The 8.1 Mw  Samoa earthquake results in a tsunami that kills 189 and injures hundreds.
  • 2011 – The special court in India convicted all 269 accused officials for atrocity on Dalits and 17 for rape in the Vachathi case.
  • 2013 – Over 42 people are killed by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Nigeria.
  • 2016 – Eleven days after the Uri attack, the Indian Army conducts “surgical strikes” against suspected militants in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
  • 2019 – Violence and low turnout mar the 2019 Afghan presidential election.
  • 2019 – At least 59 people are reported dead due to monsoon rains in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. 350 people have died this year due to rain in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

Births on September 29

  • 106 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (d. 48 BC)
  • 929 – Qian Chu, Chinese king (Ten Kingdoms) (d. 988)
  • 1240 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (d. 1275)
  • 1276 – Christopher II of Denmark (d. 1332)
  • 1373 – Margaret of Bohemia, Burgravine of Nuremberg (d. 1410)
  • 1402 – Fernando, the Saint Prince, of Portugal (d. 1443)
  • 1403 – Elisabeth of Brandenburg, Duchess of Brzeg-Legnica and Cieszyn, German princess (d. 1449)
  • 1460 – Louis II de la Trémoille, French military leader (d. 1525)
  • 1463 – Louis I, Count of Löwenstein, founder of the House of Löwenstein-Wertheim (d. 1523)
  • 1511 – Michael Servetus, Spanish physician, cartographer, and theologian (d. 1553)
  • 1527 – John Lesley, Scottish bishop (d. 1596)
  • 1538 – Joan Terès i Borrull, Spanish archbishop and academic (d. 1603)
  • 1547 – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 1616)
  • 1548 – William V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1626)
  • 1561 – Adriaan van Roomen, Flemish priest and mathematician (d. 1615)
  • 1574 – Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox, Scottish nobleman and politician (d. 1624)
  • 1602 – Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland, English military leader (d. 1668)
  • 1636 – Thomas Tenison, English archbishop (d. 1715)
  • 1639 – William Russell, Lord Russell, English politician (d. 1683)
  • 1640 – Antoine Coysevox, French sculptor and educator (d. 1720)
  • 1674 – Jacques-Martin Hotteterre, French flute player and composer (d. 1763)
  • 1678 – Adrien Maurice de Noailles, French soldier and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1766)
  • 1691 – Richard Challoner, English bishop (d. 1781)
  • 1703 – François Boucher, French painter and set designer (d. 1770)
  • 1718 – Nikita Ivanovich Panin, Russian soldier and politician, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1783)
  • 1725 – Robert Clive, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire (d. 1774)
  • 1758 – Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, English admiral (d. 1805)
  • 1766 – Charlotte, Princess Royal of England (d. 1828)
  • 1786 – Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican general, lawyer, and politician, 1st President of Mexico (d. 1843)
  • 1803 – Mercator Cooper, American captain and explorer (d. 1872)
  • 1803 – Jacques Charles François Sturm, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1850)
  • 1808 – Henry Bennett, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
  • 1810 – Elizabeth Gaskell, English author (d. 1865)
  • 1816 – Paul Féval, père, French author and playwright (d. 1887)
  • 1832 – Joachim Oppenheim, rabbi and author (d. 1891)
  • 1832 – Miguel Miramón, Unconstitutional president of Mexico, 1859-1860 (d. 1867)
  • 1843 – Mikhail Skobelev, Russian general (d. 1882)
  • 1844 – Miguel Ángel Juárez Celman, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 10th President of Argentina (d. 1909)
  • 1853 – Luther D. Bradley, American cartoonist (d. 1917)
  • 1863 – Hugo Haase, German lawyer, jurist, and politician (d. 1919)
  • 1864 – Miguel de Unamuno, Spanish philosopher and author (d. 1936)
  • 1866 – Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Ukrainian historian, academic, and politician (d. 1934)
  • 1876 – Charlie Llewellyn, South African cricketer (d. 1964)
  • 1880 – Liberato Pinto, Portuguese colonel and politician, 79th Prime Minister of Portugal (d. 1949)
  • 1881 – Ludwig von Mises, Austrian-American economist, sociologist, and philosopher (d. 1973)
  • 1882 – Lilias Armstrong, English phonetician (d. 1937)
  • 1885 – George Scott, English footballer (d. 1916)
  • 1891 – Ian Fairweather, Scottish-Australian painter (d. 1974)
  • 1895 – Clarence Ashley, American singer, guitarist, and banjo player (d. 1967)
  • 1895 – Joseph Banks Rhine, American botanist and parapsychologist (d. 1980)
  • 1895 – Roscoe Turner, American pilot (d. 1970)
  • 1897 – Herbert Agar, American journalist and historian (d. 1980)
  • 1898 – Trofim Lysenko, Ukrainian-Russian biologist and agronomist (d. 1976)
  • 1899 – László Bíró, Hungarian-Argentinian journalist and inventor, invented the ballpoint pen (d. 1985)
  • 1899 – Billy Butlin, South African-English businessman, founded Butlins (d. 1980)
  • 1901 – Lanza del Vasto, Italian poet, philosopher, and activist (d. 1981)
  • 1901 – Enrico Fermi, Italian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1954)
  • 1903 – Miguel Alemán Valdés, Mexican lawyer and civilian politician, 46th President of Mexico (1946-1952) (d. 1983)
  • 1903 – Diana Vreeland, American journalist (d. 1989)
  • 1904 – Greer Garson, English-American actress (d. 1996)
  • 1907 – Gene Autry, American singer, actor, and businessman (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – George W. Jenkins, American businessman, founded Publix (d. 1996)
  • 1908 – Eddie Tolan, American sprinter and educator (d. 1967)
  • 1910 – Bill Boyd, American singer and guitarist (d. 1977)
  • 1910 – Virginia Bruce, American actress (d. 1982)
  • 1911 – Charles Court, English-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Western Australia (d. 2007)
  • 1912 – Michelangelo Antonioni, Italian director and screenwriter (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Trevor Howard, English actor (d. 1988)
  • 1913 – Stanley Kramer, American director and producer (d. 2001)
  • 1915 – Vincent DeDomenico, American businessman, founded the Napa Valley Wine Train (d. 2007)
  • 1915 – Oscar Handlin, American historian and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1915 – Brenda Marshall, American actress (d. 1992)
  • 1916 – Carl Giles, English cartoonist (d. 1995)
  • 1919 – Kira Zvorykina, Belarusian chess player (d. 2014)
  • 1920 – Peter D. Mitchell, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1992)
  • 1920 – Václav Neumann, Czech violinist and conductor (d. 1995)
  • 1921 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (d. 2014)
  • 1921 – Albie Roles, English footballer and manager (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress (d. 2015)
  • 1923 – Stan Berenstain, American author and illustrator (d. 2005)
  • 1923 – Bum Phillips, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Steve Forrest, American actor (d. 2013)
  • 1925 – Paul MacCready, American engineer, founded AeroVironment (d. 2007)
  • 1926 – Chuck Cooper, American basketball player (d. 1984)
  • 1926 – Pete Elliott, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian triple jumper and actor (d. 2001)
  • 1927 – Sherwood Johnston, American race car driver (d. 2000)
  • 1927 – Pete McCloskey, American colonel and politician
  • 1927 – Barbara Mertz, American historian and author (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Eric Lubbock, 4th Baron Avebury, English lieutenant, engineer, and politician (d. 2016)
  • 1928 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (d. 2012)
  • 1928 – Nathan Shamuyarira, Zimbabwean journalist and politician, Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Richard Bonynge, Australian pianist and conductor
  • 1930 – Colin Dexter, English author and educator (d. 2017)
  • 1931 – James Cronin, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
  • 1931 – Anita Ekberg, Swedish-Italian model and actress (d. 2015)
  • 1931 – Paul Oestreicher, German-English priest and theologian
  • 1932 – Robert Benton, American director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1932 – Paul Giel, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2002)
  • 1933 – Samora Machel, Mozambican commander and politician, 1st President of Mozambique (d. 1986)
  • 1934 – Skandor Akbar, American wrestler and manager (d. 2010)
  • 1934 – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian-American psychologist and academic
  • 1934 – Lance Gibbs, Guyanese cricketer and manager
  • 1934 – Stuart M. Kaminsky, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
  • 1934 – Lindsay Kline, Australian cricketer (d. 2015)
  • 1935 – Jerry Lee Lewis, American singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1936 – Silvio Berlusconi, Italian businessman and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Italy
  • 1936 – James Fogle, American author (d. 2012)
  • 1936 – Hal Trosky, Jr., American baseball player (d. 2012)
  • 1938 – Dave Harper, English footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1938 – Wim Kok, Dutch union leader and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2018)
  • 1939 – Fikret Abdić, Bosnian economist and politician
  • 1939 – Jim Baxter, Scottish footballer (d. 2001)
  • 1939 – Larry Linville, American actor (d. 2000)
  • 1939 – Rhodri Morgan, Welsh politician, 2nd First Minister of Wales (d. 2017)
  • 1940 – Brute Force, American singer-songwriter
  • 1940 – Carlos Morales Troncoso, Dominican politician, 34th Vice President of the Dominican Republic (d. 2014)
  • 1941 – David Steele, English cricketer
  • 1942 – Felice Gimondi, Italian cyclist
  • 1942 – Madeline Kahn, American actress and singer (d. 1999)
  • 1942 – Ian McShane, English actor
  • 1942 – Bill Nelson, American captain and politician
  • 1942 – Jean-Luc Ponty, French violinist and composer
  • 1942 – Janet Powell, Australian educator and politician (d. 2013)
  • 1942 – Steve Tesich, Serbian-American screenwriter and playwright (d. 1996)
  • 1943 – Wolfgang Overath, German footballer
  • 1943 – Lech Wałęsa, Polish electrician and politician, 2nd President of Poland, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1944 – Mike Post, American composer and producer
  • 1945 – Kyriakos Sfetsas, Greek composer and poet
  • 1945 – Nadezhda Chizhova, Russian shot putter
  • 1946 – Patricia Hodge, English actress
  • 1947 – Ülo Kaevats, Estonian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 2015)
  • 1947 – S. H. Kapadia, Indian lawyer, judge, and politician, 38th Chief Justice of India (d. 2016)
  • 1947 – Gary Wetzel, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient
  • 1948 – Mark Farner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1948 – Bryant Gumbel, American journalist and sportscaster
  • 1948 – Theo Jörgensmann, German clarinet player and composer
  • 1948 – Mike Pinera, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1949 – George Dalaras, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1950 – Ken Macha, American baseball player and manager
  • 1951 – Michelle Bachelet, Chilean physician and politician, 34th President of Chile
  • 1951 – Pier Luigi Bersani, Italian educator and politician, 6th President of Emilia-Romagna
  • 1951 – Andrés Caicedo, Colombian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1977)
  • 1951 – Maureen Caird, Australian-New Zealand hurdler
  • 1951 – Mike Enriquez, Filipino journalist and radio commentator
  • 1952 – Roy Campbell, Jr., American trumpet player (d. 2014)
  • 1952 – Gábor Csupó, Hungarian-American animator, director, and producer, co-founded Klasky Csupo
  • 1952 – Richard Hodges, English archaeologist and academic
  • 1952 – Max Sandlin, American lawyer, judge, and politician
  • 1952 – Takanosato Toshihide, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 59th Yokozuna (d. 2011)
  • 1953 – Warren Cromartie, American baseball player, coach, and radio host
  • 1953 – Jean-Claude Lauzon, Canadian director and screenwriter (d. 1997)
  • 1953 – Lawrence Reed, American economist and author
  • 1954 – Uwe Jahn, German footballer and manager
  • 1954 – Mark Mitchell, Australian actor
  • 1955 – Ann Bancroft, American explorer and author
  • 1955 – Gareth Davies, Welsh rugby player and academic
  • 1955 – Joe Donnelly, American politician and lawyer
  • 1955 – Benoît Ferreux, French actor and director
  • 1955 – Gwen Ifill, American journalist (d. 2016)
  • 1956 – Sebastian Coe, English sprinter and politician
  • 1956 – Jenny Morris, New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1956 – Suzzy Roche, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1957 – Chris Broad, English cricketer and referee
  • 1957 – Sokratis Malamas, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1957 – Mark Nicholas, English cricketer and sportscaster
  • 1960 – Julian Armour, American-Canadian cellist and educator
  • 1960 – Kenneth Hansen, Swedish race car driver
  • 1960 – Alan McGee, Scottish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1960 – Hubert Neuper, Austrian ski jumper
  • 1960 – John Paxson, American basketball player and coach
  • 1960 – David Sammartino, American wrestler and trainer
  • 1960 – Andy Slaughter, English politician
  • 1960 – Carol Welsman, Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist
  • 1961 – Julia Gillard, Welsh-Australian lawyer and politician, 27th Prime Minister of Australia
  • 1961 – Stephanie Miller, American comedian and radio host
  • 1962 – Roger Bart, American actor
  • 1963 – Dave Andreychuk, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1963 – Les Claypool, American bass player, singer, songwriter, and producer
  • 1964 – Brad Lohaus, American basketball player
  • 1966 – Hersey Hawkins, American basketball player and coach
  • 1966 – Ben Miles, English actor
  • 1967 – Brett Anderson, English singer-songwriter
  • 1967 – Sara Sankey, English badminton player
  • 1968 – Patrick Burns, American paranormal investigator
  • 1968 – Luke Goss, English actor
  • 1968 – Matt Goss, English singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Erika Eleniak, American model and actress
  • 1969 – DeVante Swing, American singer-songwriter, and producer
  • 1969 – Aleks Syntek, Mexican singer-songwriter and producer
  • 1970 – Russell Peters, Canadian comedian, actor, and producer
  • 1970 – Yoshihiro Tajiri, Japanese wrestler and trainer
  • 1970 – Natasha Gregson Wagner, American actress
  • 1970 – Kushboo, South Indian actress and producer
  • 1971 – Yitzhak Yedid, Israeli-Australian composer & pianist
  • 1971 – Tanoka Beard, American basketball player
  • 1971 – Mackenzie Crook, English actor and screenwriter
  • 1971 – Theodore Shapiro, American composer
  • 1972 – Oliver Gavin, English race car driver
  • 1973 – Foivos Delivorias, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1973 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (d. 2013)
  • 1973 – Scout Niblett, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1974 – Brian Ash, American screenwriter and producer
  • 1974 – Matt Hullum, American actor, director, and producer, co-founded Rooster Teeth
  • 1974 – James Lance, British actor
  • 1975 – Albert Celades, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Darren Byfield, English-Jamaican footballer
  • 1976 – Kelvin Davis, English footballer
  • 1976 – Óscar Sevilla, Spanish cyclist
  • 1976 – Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian footballer and politician
  • 1977 – Eric Barton, American football player
  • 1977 – Wade Brookbank, Canadian ice hockey player and scout
  • 1977 – Debelah Morgan, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977 – Jake Westbrook, American baseball player
  • 1978 – Mohini Bhardwaj, American gymnast and coach
  • 1978 – Gunner McGrath, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1978 – Karen Putzer, Italian skier
  • 1978 – Kurt Nilsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1979 – Orhan Ak, Turkish footballer
  • 1979 – Takumi Beppu, Japanese cyclist and manager
  • 1979 – Artika Sari Devi, Indonesian model and actress
  • 1979 – Shelley Duncan, American baseball player and manager
  • 1979 – Jaime Lozano, Mexican footballer
  • 1980 – Patrick Agyemang, English footballer
  • 1980 – Dallas Green, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Zachary Levi, American actor and singer
  • 1981 – Aris Galanopoulos, Greek footballer
  • 1981 – Shane Smeltz, German-New Zealand footballer
  • 1982 – Matt Giteau, Australian rugby player
  • 1982 – Amy Williams, English skeleton racer
  • 1983 – Lisette Oropesa, American soprano and actress
  • 1984 – Per Mertesacker, German footballer
  • 1985 – Calvin Johnson, American football player
  • 1985 – Niklas Moisander, Finnish footballer
  • 1985 – Dani Pedrosa, Spanish motorcycle racer
  • 1985 – Magnus Gangstad Jørgensen, Norwegian music producer
  • 1986 – Lisa Foiles, American actress and journalist
  • 1986 – Mark Fraser, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Matt Lashoff, American ice hockey player
  • 1986 – Isaac Makwala, Botswanan sprinter
  • 1986 – Benoît Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1987 – David Del Rio, American actor and director
  • 1988 – Kevin Durant, American basketball player
  • 1988 – Justin Nozuka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1989 – Theo Adams, English photographer and director
  • 1989 – Adore Delano, American drag queen and singer
  • 1989 – Yevhen Konoplyanka, Ukrainian footballer
  • 1989 – Aaron Martin, English footballer
  • 1989 – Andrea Poli, Italian footballer
  • 1989 – Fatima Lodhi, Pakistani social activist
  • 1990 – Doug Brochu, American voice actor
  • 1990 – Gerphil Flores, Filipina classical crossover singer and Asia’s Got Talent finalist
  • 1990 – Lena Wermelt, German footballer
  • 1991 – Adem Ljajić, Serbian footballer
  • 1991 – Martin Jensen, Danish musician
  • 1993 – Lee Hong-bin, South Korean singer
  • 1993 – Viktor Romanenkov, Estonian figure skater
  • 1993 – Oleg Vernyayev, Ukrainian artistic gymnast
  • 1998 – Vera Lapko, Belarusian tennis player
  • 1999 – Choi Ye-na, South Korean singer and dancer

Deaths on September 29

  • 722 – Leudwinus, Frankish archbishop and saint (b. 660)
  • 855 – Lothair I, Roman emperor (b. 795)
  • 1186 – William of Tyre, Archbishop of Tyre (b. c. 1130)
  • 1225 – Arnaud Amalric, Papal legate who allegedly promoted mass murder
  • 1298 – Guido I da Montefeltro, Italian military strategist (b. 1223)
  • 1304 – John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, English general (b. 1231)
  • 1360 – Joanna I of Auvergne, queen consort of France (b. 1326)
  • 1364 – Charles I, Duke of Brittany (b. 1319)
  • 1382 – ‘Izz al-Din ibn Rukn al-Din Mahmud, malik of Sistan
  • 1501 – Andrew Stewart, Scottish bishop (b. 1442)
  • 1560 – Gustav I of Sweden (b. 1496)
  • 1622 – Conrad Vorstius, German-Dutch Remonstrant theologian (b. 1569)
  • 1634 – Henry Hyde, English politician and lawyer (b.c. 1563)
  • 1637 – Lorenzo Ruiz, Filipino martyr and saint (b. 1600)
  • 1642 – René Goupil, French missionary and saint (b. 1608)
  • 1642 – William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire (b. 1561)
  • 1703 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French-English soldier, author, and critic (b. 1610)
  • 1800 – Michael Denis, Austrian poet and author (b. 1729)
  • 1804 – Michael Hillegas, American politician, 1st Treasurer of the United States (b. 1728)
  • 1833 – Ferdinand VII of Spain (b. 1784)
  • 1862 – William “Bull” Nelson, American general (b. 1824)
  • 1887 – Bernhard von Langenbeck, German surgeon and academic (b. 1810)
  • 1889 – Louis Faidherbe, French general and politician (b. 1818)
  • 1900 – Samuel Fenton Cary, American lawyer and politician (b. 1814)
  • 1902 – William McGonagall, Scottish poet and actor (b. 1825)
  • 1902 – Émile Zola, French journalist, author, and playwright (b. 1840)
  • 1908 – Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Brazilian author, poet, and playwright (b. 1839)
  • 1910 – Winslow Homer, American painter, illustrator, and engraver (b. 1836)
  • 1913 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the diesel engine (b. 1858)
  • 1918 – Lawrence Weathers, decorated WWI Australian soldier (b. 1890).
  • 1925 – Léon Bourgeois, French police officer and politician, 64th Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1851)
  • 1927 – Arthur Achleitner, German journalist and author (b. 1858)
  • 1927 – Willem Einthoven, Indonesian-Dutch physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
  • 1928 – John Devoy, Irish-American Fenian rebel leader (b. 1842)
  • 1930 – Ilya Repin, Ukrainian-Russian painter and illustrator (b. 1844)
  • 1937 – Marie Zdeňka Baborová-Čiháková, Czech botanist and zoologist (b. 1877)
  • 1937 – Ray Ewry, American triple jumper (b. 1873)
  • 1937 – Ernst Hoppenberg, German swimmer and water polo player (b. 1878)
  • 1951 – Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (b. 1864)
  • 1952 – John Cobb, English race car driver and pilot (b. 1899)
  • 1967 – Carson McCullers, American novelist, playwright, essayist, and poet (b. 1917)
  • 1970 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor (b. 1886)
  • 1973 – W. H. Auden, English-American poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1907)
  • 1975 – Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager (b. 1890)
  • 1981 – Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1913)
  • 1982 – Monty Stratton, American baseball player and coach (b. 1912)
  • 1986 – Prince George Valdemar of Denmark (b. 1920)
  • 1987 – Henry Ford II, American businessman (b. 1917)
  • 1988 – Charles Addams, American cartoonist (b. 1912)
  • 1989 – Gussie Busch, American businessman (b. 1899)
  • 1989 – Georges Ulmer, Danish-French singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1919)
  • 1993 – Gordon Douglas, American actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1907)
  • 1997 – Roy Lichtenstein, American painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
  • 1998 – Tom Bradley, American lieutenant and politician, 38th Mayor of Los Angeles (b. 1917)
  • 1999 – Jean-Louis Millette, Canadian actor (b. 1935)
  • 2000 – John Grant, English journalist and politician (b. 1932)
  • 2001 – Mabel Fairbanks, American figure skater and coach (b. 1915)
  • 2001 – Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, Vietnamese general and politician, 5th President of South Vietnam (b. 1923)
  • 2004 – Richard Sainct, French motorcycle racer (b. 1970)
  • 2004 – Patrick Wormald, English historian (b. 1947)
  • 2005 – Patrick Caulfield, English painter and academic (b. 1936)
  • 2005 – Austin Leslie, American chef and author (b. 1934)
  • 2006 – Walter Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer and manager (b. 1915)
  • 2006 – Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
  • 2006 – Louis-Albert Vachon, Canadian cardinal (b. 1912)
  • 2007 – Lois Maxwell, Canadian actress (b. 1927)
  • 2007 – Yıldırım Aktuna, Turkish psychiatrist and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1930)
  • 2008 – Hayden Carruth, American poet and critic (b. 1921)
  • 2009 – Pavel Popovich, Ukrainian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
  • 2010 – Tony Curtis, American actor (b. 1925)
  • 2010 – Greg Giraldo, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1965)
  • 2011 – Sylvia Robinson, American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1942)
  • 2012 – Neil Smith, Scottish geographer and academic (b. 1954)
  • 2012 – Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, American publisher (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Malcolm Wicks, English academic and politician (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Harold Agnew, American physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Anton Benning, German lieutenant (b. 1918)
  • 2013 – Pete T. Cenarrusa, American soldier, pilot, and politician, Secretary of State of Idaho (b. 1917)
  • 2013 – Carl Joachim Classen, German scholar and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – L. C. Greenwood, American football player (b. 1946)
  • 2013 – Bob Kurland, American basketball player and politician (b. 1924)
  • 2014 – Miguel Boyer, Spanish economist and politician (b. 1939)
  • 2014 – Andreas Fransson, Swedish skier (b. 1983)
  • 2014 – Stan Monteith, American surgeon and author (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Luis Nishizawa, Mexican painter and educator (b. 1918)
  • 2014 – John Ritchie, New Zealand composer and educator (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – George Shuba, American baseball player (b. 1924)
  • 2015 – Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian prince (b. 1932)
  • 2015 – Hellmuth Karasek, Czech-German journalist, author, and critic (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – William Kerslake, American wrestler and engineer (b. 1929)
  • 2015 – Jean Ter-Merguerian, French-Armenian violinist (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Phil Woods, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1931)
  • 2016 – Miriam Defensor Santiago, Filipina politician (b. 1945)
  • 2017 – Tom Alter, Indian actor (b. 1950)
  • 2018 – Otis Rush, American blues guitarist and singer (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances on September 29

  • Christian feast day:
    • Rhipsime
    • September 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. One of the four quarter days in the Irish calendar. (England and Ireland). Called Michaelmas in some western liturgical traditions
  • Day of Machine-Building Industry Workers (Russia)
  • Inventors’ Day (Argentina)
  • Victory of Boquerón Day (Paraguay)
  • World Heart Day

February 27 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

by
  • 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity.
  • 425 – The University of Constantinople is founded by Emperor Theodosius II at the urging of his wife Aelia Eudocia.
  • 907 – Abaoji, a Khitan chieftain, is enthroned as Emperor Taizu, establishing the Liao dynasty in northern China.
  • 1560 – The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Lords of the Congregation of Scotland.
  • 1594 – Henry IV is crowned King of France.
  • 1617 – Sweden and Russia sign the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War and shutting Russia out of the Baltic Sea.
  • 1626 – Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after leading the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci.
  • 1700 – The island of New Britain is discovered by Europeans.
  • 1776 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in North Carolina breaks up a Loyalist militia.
  • 1782 – American Revolutionary War: The House of Commons of Great Britain votes against further war in America.
  • 1801 – Pursuant to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C. is placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
  • 1809 – Action of 27 February 1809: Captain Bernard Dubourdieu captures HMS Proserpine.
  • 1812 – Argentine War of Independence: Manuel Belgrano raises the Flag of Argentina in the city of Rosario for the first time.
  • 1812 – Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire.
  • 1844 – The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
  • 1860 – Abraham Lincoln makes a speech at Cooper Union in the city of New York that is largely responsible for his election to the Presidency.
  • 1864 – American Civil War: The first Northern prisoners arrive at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.
  • 1870 – The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.
  • 1881 – First Boer War: The Battle of Majuba Hill takes place.
  • 1898 – King George I of Greece survives an assassination attempt.
  • 1900 – Second Boer War: In South Africa, British military leaders receive an unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronjé at the Battle of Paardeberg.
  • 1900 – The British Labour Party is founded.
  • 1900 – Fußball-Club Bayern München is founded.
  • 1902 – Second Boer War: Australian soldiers Harry “Breaker” Morant and Peter Handcock are executed in Pretoria after being convicted of war crimes.
  • 1916 – Ocean liner SS Maloja strikes a mine near Dover and sinks with the loss of 155 lives.
  • 1921 – The International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in Vienna.
  • 1922 – A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, is rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.
  • 1933 – Reichstag fire: Germany’s parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire; Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch Communist claims responsibility.
  • 1939 – United States labor law: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in NLRB v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. that the National Labor Relations Board has no authority to force an employer to rehire workers who engage in sit-down strikes.
  • 1940 – Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14.
  • 1942 – World War II: During the Battle of the Java Sea, an Allied strike force is defeated by a Japanese task force in the Java Sea in the Dutch East Indies.
  • 1943 – The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, explodes, killing 74 men.
  • 1943 – In Berlin, the Gestapo arrest 1,800 Jewish men with German wives, leading to the Rosenstrasse protest.
  • 1951 – The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
  • 1961 – The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation is inaugurated.
  • 1962 – Two dissident Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots bomb the Independence Palace in Saigon in a failed attempt to assassinate South Vietnam President Ngô Đình Diệm.
  • 1963 – The Dominican Republic receives its first democratically elected president, Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.
  • 1964 – The Government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.
  • 1971 – Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start performing artificially-induced abortions.
  • 1973 – The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee in protest of the federal government.
  • 1976 – The formerly Spanish territory of Western Sahara, under the auspices of the Polisario Front declares independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
  • 1988 – Sumgait pogrom: The Armenian community in Sumgait, Azerbaijan is targeted in a violent pogrom.
  • 1991 – Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that “Kuwait is liberated”.
  • 2002 – Ryanair Flight 296 catches fire at London Stansted Airport. Subsequent investigations criticize Ryanair’s handling of the evacuation.
  • 2002 – Godhra train burning: A Muslim mob torches a train returning from Ayodhya, killing 59 Hindu pilgrims.
  • 2004 – A bombing of a Superferry by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines’ worst terrorist attack kills 116.
  • 2004 – Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, is sentenced to death for masterminding the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack.
  • 2007 – The Chinese Correction: The Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest drop in ten years.
  • 2010 – An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale strikes central parts of Chile leaving over 500 victims, and thousands injured. The quake triggers a tsunami which strikes Hawaii shortly after.
  • 2013 – A shooting takes place at a factory in Menznau, Switzerland, in which five people (including the perpetrator) are killed and five others injured.
  • 2015 – Russian politician Boris Nemtsov is assassinated.

Births on February 27

  • 272 – Constantine the Great, Roman emperor (d. 337)
  • 1343 – Alberto d’Este, Marquis of Ferrara (d. 1393)
  • 1427 – Ruprecht, Archbishop of Cologne (d. 1480)
  • 1500 – João de Castro, Portuguese nobleman and fourth viceroy of Portuguese India (d. 1548)
  • 1535 – Min Phalaung, Burmese monarch (d. 1593)
  • 1567 – William Alabaster, English poet (d. 1640)
  • 1572 – Francis II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1632)
  • 1575 – John Adolf, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (d. 1616)
  • 1622 – Carel Fabritius, Dutch painter (d. 1654)
  • 1630 – Roche Braziliano, Dutch pirate (d. 1671)
  • 1659 – William Sherard, English botanist (d. 1728)
  • 1667 – Ludwika Karolina Radziwiłł, Prussian-Lithuanian wife of Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine (d. 1695)
  • 1689 – Pietro Gnocchi, Italian composer, director, historian, and geographer (d. 1775)
  • 1703 – Lord Sidney Beauclerk, English politician (d. 1744)
  • 1711 – Constantine Mavrocordatos, Ottoman ruler (d. 1769)
  • 1724 – Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (d. 1767)
  • 1732 – Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin, French cardinal (d. 1804)
  • 1746 – Louis-Jérôme Gohier, French politician, French Minister of Justice (d. 1830)
  • 1748 – Anders Sparrman, Swedish physician and activist (d. 1820)
  • 1767 – Jacques-Charles Dupont de l’Eure, French lawyer and politician, 24th Prime Minister of France (d. 1855)
  • 1779 – Thomas Hazlehurst, English businessman, founded Hazlehurst & Sons (d. 1842)
  • 1789 – Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, Chilean lawyer and politician, Chilean Minister of National Defense (d. 1818)
  • 1795 – José Antonio Navarro, American merchant and politician (d. 1871)
  • 1799 – Edward Belcher, British naval officer, hydrographer, and explorer (d. 1877)
  • 1799 – Frederick Catherwood, British artist, architect and explorer (d. 1854)
  • 1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator (d. 1882)
  • 1809 – Jean-Charles Cornay, French missionary and saint (d. 1837)
  • 1816 – William Nicholson, English-Australian politician, 3rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1865)
  • 1847 – Ellen Terry, English actress (d. 1928)
  • 1848 – Hubert Parry, English composer and historian (d. 1918)
  • 1859 – Bertha Pappenheim, Austrian-German activist and author (d. 1936)
  • 1863 – Joaquín Sorolla, Spanish painter (d. 1923)
  • 1863 – George Herbert Mead, American sociologist and philosopher (d. 1930)
  • 1864 – Eemil Nestor Setälä, Finnish linguist and politician, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs (d. 1935)
  • 1867 – Irving Fisher, American economist and statistician (d. 1947)
  • 1867 – Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, Swedish composer and critic (d. 1942)
  • 1869 – Alice Hamilton, American physician and academic (d. 1970)
  • 1872 – Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Romanian politician, Prime Minister of Romania (d. 1950)
  • 1875 – Vladimir Filatov, Russian-Ukrainian ophthalmologist and surgeon (d. 1956)
  • 1877 – Adela Verne, English pianist and composer (d. 1952)
  • 1877 – Joseph Grinnell, American zoologist and biologist (d. 1939)
  • 1878 – Alvan T. Fuller, American businessman and politician, 50th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1958)
  • 1880 – Xenophon Kasdaglis, Greek-Egyptian tennis player (d. 1943)
  • 1881 – Sveinn Björnsson, Danish-Icelandic lawyer and politician, 1st President of Iceland (d. 1952)
  • 1881 – L. E. J. Brouwer, Dutch mathematician, philosopher, and academic (d. 1966)
  • 1886 – Hugo Black, American captain, jurist, and politician (d. 1971)
  • 1887 – Pyotr Nesterov, Russian captain, pilot, and engineer (d. 1914)
  • 1888 – Roberto Assagioli, Italian psychiatrist and psychologist (d. 1974)
  • 1888 – Lotte Lehmann, German-American soprano and actress (d. 1976)
  • 1890 – Mabel Keaton Staupers, American nurse and advocate (d. 1989)
  • 1891 – David Sarnoff, American businessman, founded RCA (d. 1971)
  • 1892 – William Demarest, American actor (d. 1983)
  • 1895 – Miyagiyama Fukumatsu, Japanese sumo wrestler (d. 1943)
  • 1897 – Marian Anderson, American singer (d. 1993)
  • 1899 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian physiologist and biochemist, co-discovered Insulin (d. 1978)
  • 1901 – Marino Marini, Italian sculptor and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1901 – Kotama Okada, Japanese religious leader (d. 1974)
  • 1902 – Lúcio Costa, French-Brazilian architect and engineer, designed Gustavo Capanema Palace (d. 1998)
  • 1902 – Gene Sarazen, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 1999)
  • 1902 – John Steinbeck, American journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
  • 1903 – Reginald Gardiner, English-American actor and singer (d. 1980)
  • 1903 – Hans Rohrbach, German mathematician (d. 1993)
  • 1903 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Belorussian-American rabbi and philosopher (d. 1993)
  • 1904 – James T. Farrell, American author and poet (d. 1979)
  • 1904 – André Leducq, French cyclist (d. 1980)
  • 1904 – Yulii Borisovich Khariton, Russian physicist and academic (d. 1996)
  • 1905 – Franchot Tone, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 1968)
  • 1907 – Mildred Bailey, American singer (d. 1951)
  • 1907 – Momčilo Đujić, Serbian-American priest and commander (d. 1999)
  • 1910 – Joan Bennett, American actress (d. 1990)
  • 1910 – Peter De Vries, American journalist and author (d. 1993)
  • 1910 – Genrikh Kasparyan, Armenian chess player and composer (d. 1995)
  • 1910 – Kelly Johnson, American engineer, co-founded Skunk Works (d. 1990)
  • 1911 – Oscar Heidenstam, English bodybuilder (d. 1991)
  • 1912 – Kusumagraj, Indian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1999)
  • 1912 – Lawrence Durrell, Indian-French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1990)
  • 1913 – Paul Ricœur, French philosopher and academic (d. 2005)
  • 1913 – Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish soldier and politician, President of Poland (d. 1989)
  • 1913 – Irwin Shaw, American author and screenwriter (d. 1984)
  • 1915 – Denis Whitaker, Canadian general, football player, and businessman (d. 2001)
  • 1917 – John Connally, American lieutenant and politician, 61st United States Secretary of Treasury (d. 1993)
  • 1920 – Reg Simpson, English cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1921 – Theodore Van Kirk, American soldier, pilot, and navigator (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Hans Rookmaaker, Dutch historian, author, and scholar (d. 1977)
  • 1923 – Dexter Gordon, American saxophonist, composer, and actor (d. 1990)
  • 1925 – Pia Sebastiani, Argentine pianist and composer (d. 2015)
  • 1925 – Kenneth Koch, American poet, playwright and professor (d. 2002)
  • 1926 – David H. Hubel, Canadian-American neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013)
  • 1927 – Peter Whittle, English-New Zealand mathematician and theorist
  • 1928 – René Clemencic, Austrian composer, recorder player, harpsichordist, conductor and clavichord player
  • 1929 – Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2008)
  • 1929 – Djalma Santos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1929 – Patricia Ward Hales, British tennis player (d. 1985)
  • 1930 – Jovan Krkobabić, Serbian politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Peter Stone, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2003)
  • 1930 – Paul von Ragué Schleyer, American chemist and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1930 – Joanne Woodward, American actress
  • 1932 – Dame Elizabeth Taylor, English-American actress and humanitarian (d. 2011)
  • 1932 – David Young, Baron Young of Graffham, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
  • 1933 – Raymond Berry, American football player and coach
  • 1933 – Malcolm Wallop, American politician (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – Vincent Fourcade, French interior designer (d. 1992)
  • 1934 – Ralph Nader, American lawyer, politician, and activist
  • 1935 – Mirella Freni, Italian soprano and actress (d. 2020)
  • 1935 – Uri Shulevitz, American author and illustrator
  • 1936 – Sonia Johnson, American feminist activist and author
  • 1936 – Ron Barassi, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1936 – Roger Mahony, American cardinal
  • 1937 – Barbara Babcock, American actress
  • 1938 – Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and journalist (d. 2002)
  • 1939 – Don McKinnon, English-New Zealand farmer and politician, 12th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand
  • 1939 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (d. 1974)
  • 1940 – Pierre Duchesne, Canadian lawyer and politician, 28th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec
  • 1940 – Howard Hesseman, American actor
  • 1940 – Bill Hunter, Australian actor (d. 2011)
  • 1941 – Paddy Ashdown, British captain and politician (d. 2018)
  • 1942 – Jimmy Burns, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1942 – Robert H. Grubbs, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1942 – Charlayne Hunter-Gault, American journalist
  • 1942 – Klaus-Dieter Sieloff, German footballer (d. 2011)
  • 1943 – Mary Frann, American actress (d. 1998)
  • 1943 – Morten Lauridsen, American composer and conductor
  • 1943 – Carlos Alberto Parreira, Brazilian footballer and manager
  • 1944 – Ken Grimwood, American author (d. 2003)
  • 1944 – Graeme Pollock, South African cricketer and coach
  • 1944 – Sir Roger Scruton, English philosopher and writer (d. 2020)
  • 1947 – Alan Guth, American physicist and cosmologist
  • 1947 – Gidon Kremer, Latvian violinist and conductor
  • 1950 – Annabel Goldie, Scottish lawyer and politician
  • 1950 – Julia Neuberger, Baroness Neuberger, English rabbi and politician
  • 1951 – Carl A. Anderson, 13th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
  • 1951 – Lee Atwater, American journalist, activist and political strategist (d. 1991)
  • 1951 – Walter de Silva, Italian car designer
  • 1951 – Steve Harley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1953 – Gavin Esler, Scottish journalist and author
  • 1953 – Ian Khama, English-Botswanan lieutenant and politician, 4th President of Botswana
  • 1953 – Stelios Kouloglou, Greek journalist, author, director and politician
  • 1954 – Neal Schon, American rock guitarist and singer-songwriter
  • 1956 – Belus Prajoux, Chilean tennis player
  • 1957 – Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1957 – Kevin Curran, American screenwriter and television producer (d. 2016)
  • 1957 – Robert de Castella, Australian runner
  • 1957 – Adrian Smith, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1957 – Timothy Spall, English actor
  • 1958 – Naas Botha, South African rugby player and sportscaster
  • 1958 – Maggie Hassan, American politician, 81st Governor and United States Senator of New Hampshire
  • 1960 – Andrés Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player
  • 1960 – Johnny Van Zant, American singer-songwriter
  • 1961 – James Worthy, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1962 – Adam Baldwin, American actor
  • 1963 – Nasty Suicide, Finnish musician and pharmacist
  • 1964 – Jeffrey Pasley, American educator and academic
  • 1965 – Noah Emmerich, American actor
  • 1965 – Pedro Chaves, Portuguese race car driver
  • 1966 – Donal Logue, Canadian actor and director
  • 1966 – Oliver Reck, German footballer and manager
  • 1966 – Baltasar Kormákur, Icelandic actor, director, and producer
  • 1967 – Dănuț Lupu, Romanian footballer
  • 1967 – Jony Ive, English industrial designer, former chief design officer (CDO) of Apple
  • 1968 – Matt Stairs, Canadian baseball player and sportscaster
  • 1969 – Gareth Llewellyn, Welsh rugby union player
  • 1969 – Juan E. Gilbert, American computer scientist, inventor, and academic
  • 1970 – Kent Desormeaux, American jockey
  • 1970 – Patricia Petibon, French soprano and actress
  • 1971 – Sara Blakely, American businesswoman, founded Spanx
  • 1971 – Derren Brown, English magician and painter
  • 1971 – David Rikl, Czech-English tennis player
  • 1971 – Roman Giertych, Polish lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
  • 1971 – Rozonda Thomas, American singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress (TLC)
  • 1973 – Peter Andre, English-Australian singer-songwriter and actor
  • 1973 – Mark Taylor, Welsh rugby player and manager
  • 1974 – Carte Goodwin, American lawyer and politician
  • 1975 – Aitor González, Spanish racing driver
  • 1975 – Prodromos Korkizoglou, Greek decathlete
  • 1976 – Sergei Semak, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager
  • 1976 – Ludovic Capelle, Belgian cyclist
  • 1978 – James Beattie, English footballer and manager
  • 1978 – Kakha Kaladze, Georgian footballer and politician
  • 1978 – Emelie Öhrstig, Swedish skier and cyclist
  • 1978 – Simone Di Pasquale, Italian ballet dancer
  • 1980 – Chelsea Clinton, American journalist and academic
  • 1980 – Scott Prince, Australian rugby league player
  • 1981 – Josh Groban, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
  • 1981 – Natalie Grandin, English-South African tennis player
  • 1981 – Élodie Ouédraogo, Belgian sprinter
  • 1982 – Ali Bastian, English actress
  • 1982 – Pat Richards, Australian rugby league player
  • 1982 – Bruno Soares, Brazilian tennis player
  • 1983 – Devin Harris, American basketball player
  • 1983 – Kate Mara, American actress
  • 1984 – Aníbal Sánchez, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Lotta Schelin, Swedish footballer
  • 1984 – Akseli Kokkonen, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1985 – Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Russian footballer
  • 1985 – Braydon Coburn, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1985 – Vladislav Kulik, Ukrainian-Russian footballer
  • 1985 – Asami Abe, Japanese singer and actress
  • 1985 – Thiago Neves, Brazilian footballer
  • 1985 – Brett Stewart, Australian rugby league player
  • 1986 – Yovani Gallardo, American baseball player
  • 1986 – Jonathan Moreira, Brazilian footballer
  • 1986 – Sandeep Singh, Indian field hockey player
  • 1987 – Scott Davies, English footballer
  • 1987 – Bridie Kean, Australian wheelchair basketball player
  • 1987 – Florence Kiplagat, Kenyan runner
  • 1987 – Sandy Paillot, French footballer
  • 1987 – Valeriy Andriytsev, Ukrainian wrestler
  • 1987 – Maximiliano Moralez, Argentinian footballer
  • 1988 – Iain Ramsay, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Dustin Jeffrey, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1989 – David Button, English footballer, goalkeeper
  • 1989 – Lloyd Rigby, English footballer
  • 1990 – Elijah Taylor, New Zealand rugby league player
  • 1991 – Azeem Rafiq, Pakistani cricketer
  • 1992 – Ty Dillon, American race car driver
  • 1992 – Meyers Leonard, American basketball player
  • 1992 – Filip Krajinović, Serbian tennis player
  • 1992 – Ioannis Potouridis, Greek footballer
  • 1992 – Jonjo Shelvey, English footballer
  • 1995 – Laura Gulbe, Latvian tennis player
  • 1998 – Todd Cantwell, English footballer

Deaths on February 27

  • 640 – Pepin of Landen, Frankish lord (b. 580)
  • 906 – Conrad the Elder, Frankish nobleman
  • 956 – Theophylact, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (b. 917)
  • 1167 – Robert of Melun, English theologian and bishop
  • 1416 – Eleanor of Castile, queen consort of Navarre (b. c. 1363)
  • 1425 – Prince Vasily I of Moscow (b. 1371)
  • 1483 – William VIII of Montferrat (b. 1420)
  • 1558 – Johann Faber of Heilbronn, controversial Catholic preacher (b. 1504)
  • 1558 – Kunigunde of Brandenburg-Kulmbach, German Noblewoman (b. 1524)
  • 1659 – Henry Dunster, English-American clergyman and academic (b. 1609)
  • 1699 – Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, English politician, Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire (b. 1625)
  • 1706 – John Evelyn, English gardener and author (b. 1620)
  • 1712 – Sir William Villiers, 3rd Baronet, English politician (b. 1645)
  • 1720 – Samuel Parris, English-American minister (b. 1653)
  • 1735 – John Arbuthnot, Scottish physician and polymath (b. 1667)
  • 1784 – Count of St. Germain, European adventurer (b. 1710)
  • 1795 – Tanikaze Kajinosuke, Japanese sumo wrestler (b. 1750)
  • 1844 – Nicholas Biddle, American banker and politician (b. 1786)
  • 1887 – Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (b. 1833)
  • 1892 – Louis Vuitton, French fashion designer and businessman, founded Louis Vuitton (b. 1821)
  • 1902 – Harry “Breaker” Morant, English-Australian lieutenant (b. 1864)
  • 1921 – Schofield Haigh, English cricketer and umpire (b. 1871)
  • 1931 – Chandra Shekhar Azad, Indian revolutionary (b. 1906)
  • 1936 – Joshua W. Alexander, American judge and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of Commerce (b. 1852)
  • 1936 – Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1849)
  • 1937 – Hosteen Klah, Navajo artist, medicine man, and weaver (b. 1867)
  • 1937 – Emily Malbone Morgan, American saint, foundress of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross (b. 1862)
  • 1943 – Kostis Palamas, Greek poet and playwright (b. 1859)
  • 1956 – Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Speaker of the Lok Sabha (b. 1888)
  • 1964 – Orry-Kelly, Australian-American costume designer (b. 1897)
  • 1968 – Frankie Lymon, American singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
  • 1969 – Marius Barbeau, Canadian ethnographer and academic (b. 1883)
  • 1973 – Bill Everett, American author and illustrator (b. 1917)
  • 1977 – John Dickson Carr, American author and playwright (b. 1905)
  • 1980 – George Tobias, American actor (b. 1901)
  • 1985 – Ray Ellington, English singer and drummer (b. 1916)
  • 1985 – Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., American politician and diplomat, 3rd United States Ambassador to the United Nations (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – J. Pat O’Malley, English-American actor and singer (b. 1904)
  • 1986 – Jacques Plante, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1929)
  • 1987 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (b. 1903)
  • 1987 – Joan Greenwood, English actress (b. 1921)
  • 1989 – Konrad Lorenz, Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1992 – S. I. Hayakawa, Canadian-American linguist and politician (b. 1906)
  • 1993 – Lillian Gish, American actress (b. 1893)
  • 1998 – George H. Hitchings, American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – J. T. Walsh, American actor (b. 1943)
  • 1999 – Horace Tapscott, American pianist and composer (b. 1934)
  • 2002 – Spike Milligan, Irish soldier, actor, comedian, and author (b. 1918)
  • 2003 – John Lanchbery, English-Australian composer and conductor (b. 1923)
  • 2003 – Fred Rogers, American minister and television host (b. 1928)
  • 2004 – Yoshihiko Amino, Japanese historian and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2004 – Paul Sweezy, American economist and journalist (b. 1910)
  • 2006 – Otis Chandler, American publisher (b. 1927)
  • 2006 – Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American general and author (b. 1908)
  • 2006 – Linda Smith, English comedian and author (b. 1958)
  • 2007 – Bernd Freytag von Loringhoven, German general (b. 1914)
  • 2008 – William F. Buckley, Jr., American author and journalist, founded the National Review (b. 1925)
  • 2008 – Myron Cope, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1929)
  • 2008 – Ivan Rebroff, German vocalist of Russian descent with four and a half octave range (b. 1931)
  • 2010 – Nanaji Deshmukh, Indian educator and activist (b. 1916)
  • 2011 – Frank Buckles, American soldier (b. 1901)
  • 2011 – Necmettin Erbakan, Turkish engineer and politician, 32nd Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Duke Snider, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1926)
  • 2011 – Gary Winick, American director and producer (b. 1961)
  • 2012 – Ma Jiyuan, Chinese general (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Tina Strobos, Dutch physician and psychiatrist (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Helga Vlahović, Croatian journalist and producer (b. 1945)
  • 2013 – Van Cliburn, American pianist (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Ramon Dekkers, Dutch mixed martial artist and kick-boxer (b. 1969)
  • 2013 – Dale Robertson, American actor (b. 1923)
  • 2013 – Adolfo Zaldívar, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1943)
  • 2014 – Aaron Allston, American game designer and author (b. 1960)
  • 2014 – Terry Rand, American basketball player (b. 1934)
  • 2015 – Boris Nemtsov, Russian academic and politician, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (b. 1959)
  • 2015 – Leonard Nimoy, American actor (b. 1931)
  • 2015 – Julio César Strassera, Argentinian lawyer and jurist (b. 1933)
  • 2016 – Yi Cheol-seung, South Korean lawyer and politician (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – James Z. Davis, American lawyer and judge (b. 1943)
  • 2018 – Steve Folkes, Australian rugby league player and coach (b. 1959)
  • 2019 – France-Albert René, Seychellois politician, 2nd President of Seychelles (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances on February 27

  • Christian feast day:
    • Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
    • George Herbert (Anglicanism)
    • Honorina
    • Leander
    • February 27 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The second day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Note: this observance is only on this date in the Gregorian calendar if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it does not in all years)
  • Doctors’ Day (Vietnam)
  • Independence Day (Dominican Republic), celebrates the first independence of Dominican Republic from Haiti in 1844.
  • Majuba Day (some Afrikaners in South Africa)
  • Marathi Language Day (Maharashtra, India)
  • World NGO Day
  • International Polar Bear Day

General Science & Ability MCQs (Natural Hazards and Disasters, Set-II)

by

Click HERE for previous questions.

An example of a shield volcano is
(a) Mount Fuji
(b) Mount Pinatubo
(c) Puy de Dome
(d) Mauna Loa
Answer: (d)
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.Mauna Loa is a shield volcano that has erupted some three dozen times since its first well-documented eruption in 1843

Volcanoes that have erupted in historic times and are still likely to erupt, are known as
(a) Active volcanoes
(b) Dormant volcanoes
(c) Extinct volcanoes
(d) Instinct volcanoes
Answer: (b)

Top of magma is forced onto Earth’s surface is known as
(a) Vent
(b) Cone
(c) Pipe
(d) Crater
Answer: (d)
A volcanic crater is a roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature within which occurs a vent or vents

Volcano that forms from column of magma is called a/an
(a) underwater volcano
(b) convergent volcano
(c) divergent volcano
(d) hot spot volcano
Answer: (d)

Reference to how thick a liquid is known as
(a) density
(b) conductivity
(c) viscosity
(d) volatility
Answer: (c)

Fluidity of lava is determined by amount of
(a) copper
(b) iron
(c) nickel
(d) silica
Answer: (d)

A flash flood is a flood that:
(a) is caused by heavy rain rather than from the flooding of a river
(b) occurs in urban areas
(c) occurs suddenly and unexpectedly and for a short duration
(d) is caused by the blocking of drains.
Answer: (c)
Flash floods are defined by the speed of flooding, not the source or location of flooding. While flash floods are often caused by heavy rainfall, they can also result from other events, such as drain blockages and bursts or the flooding of a river.

Monsoon is caused by: (CSS-2009)
(a) Seasonal reversal of winds
(b) Revolution of earth
(c) Movement of clouds
(d) Rise in temperature
(e) Rain forests
Answer: (a)
The monsoon, which is essentially the seasonal reversal in wind direction, causes most of the rainfall received in Pakistan and some other parts of the world. The primary cause of monsoons is the difference between annual temperature trends over land and sea. The apparent position of the Sun with reference to the Earth oscillates from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn. Thus the low pressure region created by solar heating also changes latitude. The northeast and southeast trade winds converge in this low pressure zone, which is also known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ. This low pressure regions sees continuous rise of moist wind from the sea surface to the upper layers of the atmosphere, where the cooling means the air can no longer hold so much moisture resulting in precipitation. The rainy seasons of East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and the southern parts of North America coincide with the shift of ITCZ towards these regions.

A flood can vary in:
(a) size
(b) speed of water flow
(c) duration
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
The size, duration and water flow speed of floods can vary. The volume, rate of rise and areal extent (i.e. the total area under flood waters) of flooding can also vary.

When a river’s water level reaches 10 meters, this means that:
(a) the water level is 10 meters above an arbitrary ‘zero’ level
(b) the water level is 10 meters above mean sea level
(c) the water level is 10 meters above mean sea level or an arbitrary ‘zero’ level
(d) it will flood.
Answer: (c)
River height is the level of water in a river as measured by a river gauging station and is expressed in meters above either the Australian Height Datum (i.e. mean sea level) or an alternative arbitrary ‘zero’ level, depending on the location.

The size of a flood is measured by:
(a) the rate of flow of water in a waterway or river
(b) the level of water in a waterway or river
(c) a river gauging station
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
The size of a flood can be measured by the highest level that water in a waterway reaches, referred to as the ‘peak water level’ or ‘flood peak’. It can also be measured by the maximum water flow rate in a waterway, referred to as the ‘peak flow rate’ or ‘peak water flow’. Each of these variables can be measured using a river gauging station.

Which of the following is associated with a La Niña event?
(a) The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) is strongly negative.
(b) The ocean surface off the coast of South America is warmer than usual.
(c) There is an increased chance of above average rainfall in eastern Australia.
(d) All of the above.
Answer: (c)
In a La Niña event, the equatorial ocean surface off the coast of South America is abnormally cool, and the SOI is strongly positive. Trade winds blow strongly across the warm Pacific, picking up plenty of moisture and increasing the likelihood of above average rainfall in eastern Australia.

Which of the following potentially affects the size of a flood?
(a) bridges and other structures in waterways
(b) the size and windiness of a river
(c) vegetation in and around a river
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
Many factors can affect the size of a flood, including rainfall intensity, weather conditions prior to a rainfall event, tidal and storm surges, dams and other man-made and natural water storages, catchment size and shape, soil types in a catchment, vegetation in and around a waterway, the size and windiness of a waterway, levees, bridges and other structures in waterways and catchments, and urbanization.

Seasons are generated by (CSS-2012)
(a) The movement of sun around the Milky Way
(b) The movement of the earth around the sun
(c) Relativistic Quantum
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)

The 2010 floods had cost the Pakistan’s economy around
(a) $17b
(b) $11b
(c) $10b
(d) $13b
Answer: (c)
It estimates that just a little less than 1pc of Pakistan’s GDP is exposed to river floods every year. It is ranked 16th by the WRI on the list of the top 20 countries with the highest GDP exposure to river floods.
The World Resources Institute (WRI) says Pakistan falls 5th on the list of top 15 countries that account for 80pc of the population exposed to river-flood risk worldwide.

In Pakistan, the most expensive natural disaster is:
(a) Drought
(b) Floods
(c) Bushfires
(d) Cyclones.
Answer: (b)
Pakistan faces a major financing challenge arising from natural catastrophes, with flooding causing an estimated annual economic impact of between three and four per cent of the federal budget,” adds the report. It estimates the annual economic impact of flooding at between $1.2bn and $1.8bn, or 0.5-0.8pc of GDP.

Which of the following is an environmental consequence of floods?
(a) dispersal of weed species
(b) erosion of soil
(c) release of pollutants into waterways
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
Floods can have negative environmental consequences, such as soil erosion, release of pollutants and excess sediments and nutrients into waterways and the ocean, dispersal of weed species, and negative impacts on fish and other aquatic life. Floods can also have positive environmental consequences, such as recharging groundwater systems, filling wetlands, moving useful nutrients around the landscape, and triggering breeding events (for example, of water birds).

Which of the following is used to estimate which areas will be inundated during a flood, based on river height information?
(a) satellite and radar images
(b) flood maps / floodplain hydraulic models
(c) river gauging stations
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (b)
Floodplain hydraulic models and flood maps are used to estimate which areas will be inundated based on river height information. Satellite and radar images, rain gauges and river gauging stations are used to estimate river heights.

Which of the following statements is false?
(a) Weather forecasts for a small region are more accurate than those for a large region.
(b) Weather forecasts are more accurate in Melbourne than in Darwin.
(c) Forecasts of temperature are more accurate than forecasts of rainfall.
(d) All of the above.
Answer: (a)
The accuracy of weather forecasts varies depending on lead time, the size of the region of interest, the weather variable being forecast, and the latitude of the region. Generally, temperature forecasts are more accurate than rainfall forecasts; the mid-latitudes are easier to forecast than the tropics; and it is generally easier to forecast rainfall over a large area (for example, a large catchment) than local rainfall (for example, a reservoir).

Which of the following is true? Flood warnings:
(a) should not be released until the information is certain
(b) should indicate what the threat is, what
(c) action should be taken, by whom and when
(d) are best if they come from a single source
(e) all of the above.
Answer: (b)
Flood warnings should provide information on what the threat is, what action should be taken, by whom and when. While it is desirable for flood warnings to be accurate, warnings are predictions about the future, so there is inevitably some uncertainty. Accuracy needs to be balanced with timeliness, to allow enough time for appropriate action. Warnings are most likely to reach different audiences and to be heeded if they come from multiple trusted sources.

Flood risk refers to:
(a) the chance of a flood occurring
(b) the number of people and properties exposed to floodwaters if a flood occurs
(c) the vulnerability of people and properties that are exposed to floodwaters
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
Flood risk includes both the chance (or probability) of a flood occurring, and the consequences if a flood occurs. The consequences of a flood are in turn affected by the number of people and properties exposed to floodwaters for a flood of a particular size, and the vulnerability of those people and properties. For example, a river might burst its banks regularly, but if this flooding occurs in an isolated area where there are no people or infrastructure, then the risk is low. Similarly, a river might flood very rarely, but if many people and properties are located near this river and they live in dwellings that are vulnerable to water damage, then the flood risk will be greater.

Which of the following can reduce the risk of flooding?
(a) zonings and building regulations for new developments
(b) dams, detention basins and levees
(c) flood awareness and education programs
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
Flood risk in new developments can be reduced by restricting the location of development (zonings) and placing controls (regulations) on development. In existing developed areas, risk can be reduced by modifying flood behaviour (for example, through dams, detention basins, levees, waterway modifications), property modification measures (for example, land filling, flood proofing, house raising, removing developments), and response modification measures (for example, upgrading flood evacuation routes, flood warnings, flood evacuation planning, flood education programs).

The Probable Maximum Flood is:
(a) an estimation of the largest possible flood that could occur at a particular location
(b) the maximum flood experienced in the last 100 years
(c) the maximum flood experienced in the last 200 years
(d) the maximum flood experienced since flood records have existed.
Answer: (d)
The Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) is an estimate of the largest possible flood that could occur at a particular location, under the most severe meteorological and hydrological conditions as they are currently understood.

In the future, which of the following is expected to increase the risk of flooding?
(a) population growth
(b) urbanization
(c) climate change
(d) all of the above.
Answer: (d)
In the future, climate change is likely to result in an increased chance of flash floods and coastal inundation. Australia’s growing population and urbanization are likely to place increased pressure on our waterways and to increase the chance of flooding in cities and the number of properties and people exposed to floodwaters.

In the future, which of the following is unlikely?
(a) There will be an increased chance of flash flooding and coastal inundation.
(b) Flood risk will increase due to population growth and urbanization.
(c) Improvements in flood forecasting and warning technologies will reduce the impacts of floods.
(d) We will be able to eliminate the risk of flooding.
Answer: (d)
It is not possible to eliminate the risk of flooding. Indeed, it is likely that flood risk will increase in the future due to climate change, population growth and urbanization. However, we can better manage flood risk through improvements in flood forecasting and warning technologies, as well as improved land use planning, floodplain management and integrated water management.

Higher level of floods and droughts are led by
(a) sand storms
(b) lower precipitation
(c) higher precipitation
(d) none of the above
Answer: (c)

Approximately how fast do tsunami waves travel in the open ocean?
(a) 100 km/hour
(b) 1600 km/hour
(c) 200 km/hour
(d) 400 km/hour
(e) 800 km/hour
Answer: (e)

Tsunami waves travel between 500 and 950 km/hour.
What can cause a tsunami?
(a) Landslide
(b) Underwater earthquake
(c) Volcanic eruption
(d) All of the above
Tsunamis are usually generated by undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries, but they can also be triggered by underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, or even a giant meteor impact with the ocean.

Do all undersea earthquakes trigger a tsunami?
(a) Yes
(b) No
Answer: (b)
An undersea earthquake creates a tsunami only if it is of sufficient force and there is a violent enough movement of the seafloor to displace a massive amount of water.

What does the word “tsunami” mean in Japanese?
(a) Tidal wave
(b) Harbor wave
(c) Killer wave
(d) Century wave
Answer: (b)
English word “tsunami” comes from the Japanese term for “harbor wave.” Tsunamis are not the same things as tidal waves and actually consist of a series of waves.

Witnesses have said that an approaching tsunami sounds like what?
(a) Firecrackers exploding
(b) A freight train
(c) Ice cracking
(d) Nothing—there is absolute silence
Answer: (b)
Many witnesses have described the sound of an approaching tsunami as being similar to a freight train’s.

What is the most active tsunami area?
(a) Pacific Ocean
(b) Caribbean Sea
(c) Indian Ocean
(d) North Atlantic Ocean
Answer: (a)
Most tsunamis, about 80 percent, happen within the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire, a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.

What is the deadliest tsunami ever recorded?
(a) The 1782 South China Sea tsunami
(b) The 1868 northern Chile tsunami
(c) The 1883 South Java Sea tsunami
(d) The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Answer: (d)
In 2004 more than 200,000 people—the most ever recorded—died in an Indian Ocean tsunami that was triggered by an earthquake off Sumatra, Indonesia.

How fast can a tsunami travel?
(a) Up to 100 miles an hour (160 kilometers an hour)
(b) Up to 200 miles an hour (320 kilometers an hour)
(c) Up to 500 miles an hour (800 kilometers an hour
(d.) Up to 1,000 miles an hour (1,600 kilometers an hour)
Answer: (c)
Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour—about as fast as a jet airplane. At that pace they can cross the entire expanse of the Pacific Ocean in less than a day.

Can you detect a tsunami in the open ocean?
(a) Yes
(b) No
Answer: (b)
No. In the open ocean, the wave length of a tsunami is hundreds of miles long and only a few feet high. Boaters are safer out at sea during a tsunami than close to shore or tied up at port.

Where was the largest tsunami in history recorded?
(a) India
(b) Philippines
(c) Chile
(d) Japan
Answer: (d)
In 1971 a wall of water 278 feet (84.7 meters) high surged past Ishigaki Island, Japan. It moved a 750-block of coral 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) closer to shore but did little other damage.

What is frequently a warning sign of an impending tsunami?
(a) Winds suddenly change direction
(b) The sky suddenly clears
(c) Seawater suddenly retreats from the shore
(d) All of the above
Answer: (c)
If the tsunami’s trough reaches shore first, it sucks the water seaward, exposing the seafloor suddenly. The wave’s crest usually hits shore about five minutes later. Recognizing this phenomenon—and getting to higher ground immediately—can save lives.

Which one of the following is an example of non-renewable resources?
(a) Wind
(b) Water
(c) Vegetation
(d) Coal and minerals
Answer: (d)

Which of the following is a renewable resource?
(a) Soil
(b) Water
(c) Flora and fauna
(d) All the above
Answer: (d)

_____ of stratosphere provides protection to our life.
(a) Nitrogen
(b) Hydrogen
(c) Ozone
(d) Argon
Answer: 3

The life supporting gases such as O2, CO2 and N2 are chiefly concentrated in the_______.
(a) Troposphere
(b) Exosphere
(c) Homosphere
(d) Stratosphere
Answer: (a)

Which of the following soil is the best for plant growth?
(a) Sandy soil
(b) Clay
(c) Gravel
(d) Loamy soil
Answer: (d)

Both power and manure are provided by _______.
(a) Thermal plants
(b) Nuclear plants
(c) Biogas plants
(d) Hydroelectric plants
Answer: (c)

In the atmosphere, the layer above the troposphere is _____.
(a) Stratosphere
(b) Exosphere
(c) Mesosphere
(d) Thermosphere
Answer: (a)

______ is the major raw material for biogas.
(a) Plant leaves
(b) Cow dung
(c) Mud
(d) Grass
Answer: (b)

A biosphere reserve conserves and preserves_______.
(a) Wild animals
(b) Wild land
(c) Natural vegetation
(d) All the above
Answer: (d)

Atomic energy is obtained by using ores of_______.
(a) Copper
(b) Uranium
Answer: (b)

Sanctuaries are established to_______.
(a) Rear animals for milk
(b) Entrap animals
(c) Protect animals
(d) None of the above
Answer: (c)
An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives. Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death. At present there are 99 Wildlife Sanctuaries in Pakistan

The death of the last individual of a species is called_______.
(a) Extinction
(b) Clad
(c) Neither (a) nor (b)
(d) Species diversity
Answer: (a)
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms (taxon), normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point.

Which one of the following is not a fossil fuel?
(a) Natural gas
(b) Petrol
(c) Coal
(d) Uranium
Answer: (d)
Fossil fuels are sources of energy that have developed within the earth over millions of years. Because fossil fuels – oil, natural gas, and coal – take so long to form, they are considered nonrenewable

Biogas generation is mainly based on the principle of_______.
(a) Fermentation
(b) Degradation
(c) Putrification
(d) Both (a) and (b)
Answer: (a)
The biogas plant operating on the principle of a wet anaerobic fermentation process was selected for the determination of the composition of in-put raw material which is determinative for the final biogas quality. The biogas plant is designed as an accumulation through-flow device. The biogas production takes place during the wet fermentation process in the mesophile operation (average temperature 40°C). The produced biogas is used in a cogeneration unit. The biogas plant operates in automatic mode.

Floods can be prevented by_______.
(a) Afforestation
(b) Cutting the forests
(c) Tilling the land
(d) Removing the top soil
Answer: (a)
Afforestation is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no forest. Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest cover, either naturally (by natural seeding, coppice, or root suckers) or artificially (by direct seeding or planting).
Afforestation Trees are planted near to the river. This means greater interception of rainwater and lower river discharge. This is a relatively low cost option, which enhances the environmental quality of the drainage basin.

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