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September 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 48 BC – Pompey is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy upon arriving in Egypt.
  • 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus of Rome.
  • 351 – Constantius II defeats the usurper Magnentius.
  • 365 – Roman usurper Procopius bribes two legions passing by Constantinople, and proclaims himself emperor.
  • 935 – Duke Wenceslaus I of Bohemia is murdered by a group of nobles led by his brother Boleslaus I, who succeeds him.
  • 995 – Boleslaus II, Duke of Bohemia, kills most members of the rival Slavník dynasty.
  • 1066 – William the Conqueror lands in England, beginning the Norman conquest.
  • 1106 – King Henry I of England defeats his brother, Robert Curthose.
  • 1238 – King James I of Aragon conquers Valencia from the Moors. Shortly thereafter, he proclaims himself king of Valencia.
  • 1322 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, defeats Frederick I of Austria in the Battle of Mühldorf.
  • 1538 – Ottoman–Venetian War: The Ottoman Navy scores a decisive victory over a Holy League fleet in the Battle of Preveza.
  • 1542 – Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Portugal arrives at what is now San Diego, California.
  • 1779 – American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
  • 1781 – American Revolution: American forces backed by a French fleet begin the siege of Yorktown.
  • 1787 – The Congress of the Confederation votes to send the newly-written United States Constitution to the state legislatures for approval.
  • 1821 – The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is drafted. It will be made public on 13 October.
  • 1844 – Oscar I of Sweden–Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
  • 1867 – Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, having also been the capital of Ontario’s predecessors since 1796.
  • 1868 – The Battle of Alcolea causes Queen Isabella II of Spain to flee to France.
  • 1871 – The Brazilian Parliament passes a law that frees all children thereafter born to slaves, and all government-owned slaves.
  • 1889 – The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defines the length of a meter.
  • 1892 – The first night game for American football takes place in a contest between Wyoming Seminary and Mansfield State Normal.
  • 1893 – Foundation of the Portuguese football club FC Porto.
  • 1901 – Philippine–American War: Filipino guerrillas kill more than forty American soldiers while losing 28 of their own.
  • 1912 – The Ulster Covenant is signed by some 500,000 Ulster Protestant Unionists in opposition to the Third Irish Home Rule Bill.
  • 1912 – Corporal Frank S. Scott of the United States Army becomes the first enlisted man to die in an airplane crash.
  • 1918 – World War I: The Fifth Battle of Ypres begins.
  • 1919 – Race riots begin in Omaha, Nebraska.
  • 1924 – The first aerial circumnavigation is completed by a team from the US Army.
  • 1928 – Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
  • 1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agree on a division of Poland.
  • 1939 – World War II: The siege of Warsaw comes to an end.
  • 1941 – World War II: The Drama uprising against the Bulgarian occupation in northern Greece begins.
  • 1941 – Ted Williams achieves a .406 batting average for the season, and becomes the last major league baseball player to bat .400 or better.
  • 1944 – World War II: Soviet Army troops liberate Klooga concentration camp in Estonia.
  • 1951 – CBS makes the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product is discontinued less than a month later.
  • 1961 – A military coup in Damascus effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.
  • 1970 – Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dies of a heart attack in Cairo.
  • 1971 – The Parliament of the UK passes the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, banning the medicinal use of cannabis.
  • 1973 – The ITT Building in New York City is bombed in protest at ITT’s alleged involvement in the coup d’état in Chile.
  • 1975 – The Spaghetti House siege, in which nine people are taken hostage, takes place in London.
  • 1986 – The Democratic Progressive Party becomes the first opposition party in Taiwan.
  • 1991 – The Strategic Air Command stands down from alert all ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under START I, as well as its strategic bomber force.
  • 1992 – A Pakistan International Airlines flight crashes into a hill in Nepal, killing all 167 passengers and crew.
  • 1994 – The cruise ferry MS Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852 people.
  • 1995 – Bob Denard and a group of mercenaries take the islands of the Comoros in a coup.
  • 1995 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat sign the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
  • 2000 – Al-Aqsa Intifada: Ariel Sharon visits Al-Aqsa Mosque known to Jews as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
  • 2008 – Falcon 1 becomes the first privately developed liquid-fuel ground-launched vehicle to put a payload into orbit.
  • 2009 – The military junta leading Guinea attacks a protest rally, killing or wounding 1400 people.
  • 2012 – Somali and African Union forces launch a coordinated assault on the Somali port of Kismayo to take back the city from al-Shabaab militants.
  • 2014 – The 2014 Hong Kong protests begin in response to restrictive political reforms imposed by the NPC in Beijing.
  • 2016 – The 2016 South Australian blackout occurs, lasting up to three days in some areas.
  • 2018 – The 7.5 Mw 2018 Sulawesi earthquake, which triggered a large tsunami, leaves 4,340 dead and 10,679 injured.
  • 2018 – On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the international project Tree of Peace was established (September, 28). One of the trees was planted personally by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic.

Births on September 28

  • 551 BC – Confucius, Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. (d. 479 BC)
  • 616 – Javanshir, King of Caucasian Albania (d. 680)
  • 1494 – Agnolo Firenzuola, Italian poet and playwright (d. 1545)
  • 1555 – Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, Marshal of France (d. 1623)
  • 1573 – Théodore de Mayerne, Swiss physician (d. 1654)
  • 1605 – Ismaël Bullialdus, French astronomer and mathematician (d. 1694)
  • 1681 – Johann Mattheson, German composer, lexicographer, and diplomat (d. 1764)
  • 1705 – Henry Fox, 1st Baron Holland, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1774)
  • 1705 – Johann Peter Kellner, German organist and composer (d. 1772)
  • 1735 – Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, English academic and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1811)
  • 1746 – William Jones, English-Welsh philologist and scholar (d. 1794)
  • 1765 – Frederick Christian II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg (d. 1814)
  • 1803 – Prosper Mérimée, French archaeologist, historian, and author (d. 1870)
  • 1809 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (d. 1899)
  • 1819 – Narcís Monturiol, Spanish engineer and publisher (d. 1885)
  • 1821 – Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, American minister and politician (d. 1874)
  • 1823 – Alexandre Cabanel, French painter and educator (d. 1889)
  • 1824 – Francis Turner Palgrave, English poet and critic (d. 1897)
  • 1836 – Thomas Crapper, English plumber, invented the ballcock (d. 1910)
  • 1838 – Sai Baba of Shirdi, Indian national saint (d. 1918)
  • 1841 – Georges Clemenceau, French journalist, physician, and politician, 85th Prime Minister of France (d. 1929)
  • 1844 – Robert Stout, Scottish-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 13th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1930)
  • 1852 – Henri Moissan, French chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1907)
  • 1852 – Isis Pogson, British astronomer and meteorologist (d. 1945)
  • 1856 – Kate Douglas Wiggin, American author and educator (d. 1923)
  • 1860 – Paul Ulrich Villard, French chemist and physicist (d. 1934)
  • 1861 – Amélie of Orléans, queen consort of Portugal (d. 1951)
  • 1867 – Hiranuma Kiichirō, Japanese lawyer and politician, 35th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1952)
  • 1867 – James Edwin Campbell, American poet, editor, short story writer and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1868 – Evelyn Beatrice Hall, English writer best known for her biography of Voltaire, and wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre (d. 1956)
  • 1877 – Albert Young, American boxer and promoter (d. 1940)
  • 1878 – Joseph Ruddy, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1962)
  • 1870 – Florent Schmitt, French composer and critic (d. 1958)
  • 1881 – Pedro de Cordoba, American actor (d. 1950)
  • 1882 – Mart Saar, Estonian organist and composer (d. 1963)
  • 1885 – Emil Väre, Finnish wrestler, coach, and referee (d. 1974)
  • 1887 – Avery Brundage, American businessman, 5th President of the International Olympic Committee (d. 1975)
  • 1889 – Jack Fournier, American baseball player and coach (d. 1973)
  • 1890 – Florence Violet McKenzie, Australian electrical engineer (d. 1982)
  • 1892 – Elmer Rice, American playwright (d. 1967)
  • 1893 – Hilda Geiringer, Austrian mathematician (d. 1973)
  • 1893 – Giannis Skarimpas, Greek author, poet, and playwright (d. 1984)
  • 1898 – Carl Clauberg, German Nazi physician (d. 1957)
  • 1900 – Isabel Pell, American socialite, fought as part of the French Resistance during WWII (d. 1951)
  • 1901 – William S. Paley, American broadcaster, founded CBS (d. 1990)
  • 1901 – Ed Sullivan, American television host (d. 1974)
  • 1903 – Haywood S. Hansell, American general (d. 1988)
  • 1905 – Max Schmeling, German boxer (d. 2005)
  • 1907 – Heikki Savolainen, Finnish gymnast and physician (d. 1997)
  • 1907 – Bhagat Singh, Indian activist (d. 1931)
  • 1909 – Al Capp, American author and illustrator (d. 1979)
  • 1910 – Diosdado Macapagal, Filipino lawyer and politician, 9th President of the Philippines (d. 1997)
  • 1910 – Wenceslao Vinzons, Filipino lawyer and politician (d. 1942)
  • 1913 – Warja Honegger-Lavater, Swiss illustrator (d. 2007)
  • 1913 – Alice Marble, American tennis player (d. 1990)
  • 1914 – Maria Franziska von Trapp, Austrian-American refugee and singer (d. 2014)
  • 1915 – Ethel Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
  • 1916 – Peter Finch, English-Australian actor (d. 1977)
  • 1916 – Olga Lepeshinskaya, Ukrainian-Russian ballerina and educator (d. 2008)
  • 1918 – Ángel Labruna, Argentinian footballer and manager (d. 1983)
  • 1918 – Arnold Stang, American actor (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Doris Singleton, American actress (d. 2012)
  • 1922 – Larry Munson, American sportscaster (d. 2011)
  • 1923 – Tuli Kupferberg, American singer, poet, and writer (d. 2010)
  • 1923 – John Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch, Scottish captain and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Selkirkshire (d. 2007)
  • 1923 – William Windom, American actor (d. 2012)
  • 1924 – Rudolf Barshai, Russian-Swiss viola player and conductor (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Marcello Mastroianni, Italian-French actor and singer (d. 1996)
  • 1925 – Seymour Cray, American computer scientist, founded the CRAY Computer Company (d. 1996)
  • 1925 – Cromwell Everson, South African composer (d. 1991)
  • 1925 – Martin David Kruskal, American physicist and mathematician (d. 2006)
  • 1926 – Jerry Clower, American soldier, comedian, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1928 – Koko Taylor, American singer (d. 2009)
  • 1929 – Lata Mangeshkar, Indian playback singer and composer
  • 1930 – Tommy Collins, American country music singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
  • 1930 – Immanuel Wallerstein, American sociologist, author, and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1932 – Jeremy Isaacs, Scottish screenwriter and producer
  • 1932 – Víctor Jara, Chilean singer-songwriter, poet, and director (d. 1973)
  • 1933 – Joe Benton, English soldier and politician
  • 1933 – Miguel Ortiz Berrocal, Spanish sculptor and educator (d. 2006)
  • 1933 – Johnny “Country” Mathis, American singer-songwriter (d. 2011)
  • 1934 – Brigitte Bardot, French actress
  • 1935 – Bruce Crampton, Australian golfer
  • 1935 – David Hannay, Baron Hannay of Chiswick, English diplomat, British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
  • 1935 – Ronald Lacey, English actor (d. 1991)
  • 1936 – Emmett Chapman, American guitarist, invented the Chapman Stick
  • 1936 – Eddie Lumsden, Australian rugby league player (d. 2019)
  • 1936 – Robert Wolders, Dutch television actor (d. 2018)
  • 1937 – Alice Mahon, English trade union leader and politician
  • 1937 – Glenn Sutton, American country music songwriter and record producer (d. 2007)
  • 1938 – Ben E. King, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
  • 1939 – Stuart Kauffman, American biologist and academic
  • 1941 – David Lewis, American philosopher and academic (d. 2001)
  • 1941 – Edmund Stoiber, German lawyer and politician, Minister President of Bavaria
  • 1942 – Pierre Clémenti, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1999)
  • 1942 – Edward “Little Buster” Forehand, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2006)
  • 1943 – Warren Lieberfarb, American businessman
  • 1943 – George W. S. Trow, American novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 2006)
  • 1943 – Nick St. Nicholas, German-Canadian bass player
  • 1944 – Richie Karl, American golfer
  • 1944 – Marcia Muller, American journalist and author
  • 1945 – Marielle Goitschel, French skier
  • 1945 – Manolis Rasoulis, Greek singer-songwriter and journalist (d. 2011)
  • 1945 – Fusako Shigenobu, Japanese activist, founded the Japanese Red Army
  • 1946 – Tom Bower, English journalist and author
  • 1946 – Majid Khan, Indian-Pakistani cricketer
  • 1947 – Bob Carr, Australian journalist and politician, 37th Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • 1947 – Sheikh Hasina, Bangladeshi politician, 10th Prime Minister of Bangladesh
  • 1947 – Jon Snow, English journalist and academic
  • 1947 – Rhonda Hughes, American mathematician and academic
  • 1949 – Jim Henshaw, Canadian actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1950 – Paul Burgess, English drummer
  • 1950 – Christina Hoff Sommers, American author and philosopher
  • 1950 – John Sayles, American novelist, director, and screenwriter
  • 1951 – Jim Diamond, Scottish singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2015)
  • 1952 – Christopher Buckley, American satirical novelist
  • 1952 – Efthimis Kioumourtzoglou, Greek basketball player and coach
  • 1952 – Sylvia Kristel, Dutch model and actress (d. 2012)
  • 1952 – Andy Ward, English drummer
  • 1953 – Otmar Hasler, Liechtensteiner educator and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
  • 1954 – Steve Largent, American football player and politician
  • 1954 – George Lynch, American guitarist and songwriter
  • 1954 – John Scott, English rugby player
  • 1954 – Margot Wallström, Swedish politician and diplomat, 42nd Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs
  • 1955 – Stéphane Dion, Canadian sociologist and politician, 15th Canadian Minister of the Environment
  • 1955 – Mercy Manci, Xhosa sangoma and HIV activist from South Africa
  • 1955 – Kenny Kirkland, American pianist (d. 1998)
  • 1956 – Martha Isabel Fandiño Pinilla, Colombian-Italian mathematician and author
  • 1957 – Bill Cassidy, American politician and physician
  • 1959 – Ron Fellows, Canadian race car driver
  • 1959 – Laura Bruce, American artist
  • 1960 – Gary Ayres, Australian footballer and coach
  • 1960 – Tom Byrum, American golfer
  • 1960 – Frank Hammerschlag, German footballer and manager
  • 1960 – Gus Logie, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1960 – Kamlesh Patel, Baron Patel of Bradford, English politician
  • 1960 – Jennifer Rush, American singer-songwriter
  • 1960 – Socrates Villegas, Filipino archbishop
  • 1961 – Helen Grant, English lawyer and politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
  • 1961 – Gregory Jbara, American actor and singer
  • 1961 – Quentin Kawānanakoa, American lawyer and politician
  • 1961 – Anne White, American tennis player
  • 1962 – Grant Fuhr, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
  • 1962 – Laurie Rinker, American golfer
  • 1962 – Dietmar Schacht, German footballer and manager
  • 1962 – Chuck Taylor, American journalist
  • 1963 – Steve Blackman, American wrestler and martial artist
  • 1963 – Érik Comas, French race car driver
  • 1963 – Greg Weisman, American voice actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Claudio Borghi, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Gregor Fisken, Scottish race car driver
  • 1964 – Janeane Garofalo, American comedian, actress, and screenwriter
  • 1964 – Paul Jewell, English footballer and manager
  • 1964 – Mārtiņš Roze, Latvian lawyer and politician (d. 2012)
  • 1966 – Scott Adams, American football player (d. 2013)
  • 1966 – Maria Canals-Barrera, Cuban-American actress
  • 1966 – Puri Jagannadh, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1967 – Mira Sorvino, American actress
  • 1967 – Moon Zappa, American actress and author
  • 1968 – Francois Botha, South African boxer and mixed martial artist
  • 1968 – Mika Häkkinen, Finnish race car driver
  • 1968 – Trish Keenan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
  • 1968 – Sean Levert, American R&B singer-songwriter and actor (d. 2008)
  • 1968 – Rob Moroso, American race car driver (d. 1990)
  • 1968 – Naomi Watts, English-Australian actress and producer
  • 1969 – Kerri Chandler, electronic music producer and DJ
  • 1969 – Marcel Dost, Dutch decathlete
  • 1969 – Ben Greenman, American journalist and author
  • 1969 – Piper Kerman, American author and memoirist
  • 1969 – Éric Lapointe, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
  • 1969 – Sascha Maassen, German race car driver
  • 1969 – Angus Robertson, Scottish politician
  • 1969 – Nico Vaesen, Belgian footballer
  • 1970 – Kimiko Date-Krumm, Japanese tennis player
  • 1970 – Mike DeJean, American baseball player
  • 1970 – Gualter Salles, Brazilian race car driver
  • 1971 – Joseph Arthur, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1971 – George Eustice, English lawyer and politician
  • 1971 – Braam van Straaten, South African rugby player
  • 1971 – Alan Wright, English footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Dita Von Teese, American model and dancer
  • 1973 – Brian Rafalski, American ice hockey player
  • 1974 – Marco Di Loreto, Italian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Mariya Kiselyova, Russian swimmer
  • 1974 – Joonas Kolkka, Finnish footballer and coach
  • 1974 – Shane Webcke, Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1975 – Stuart Clark, Australian cricketer and manager
  • 1975 – Isamu Jordan, American journalist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1975 – Lenny Krayzelburg, Russian-American swimmer
  • 1976 – Fedor Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and politician
  • 1977 – Ireneusz Marcinkowski, Polish footballer
  • 1977 – Pak Se-ri, South Korean golfer
  • 1977 – Young Jeezy, American rapper
  • 1978 – Ben Edmondson, Australian cricketer
  • 1979 – Bam Margera, American skateboarder, actor, and stuntman
  • 1979 – Taki Tsan, American-Greek rapper and producer
  • 1980 – Marlon Parmer, American basketball player
  • 1981 – Greg Anderson, American pianist and composer
  • 1981 – Willy Caballero, Argentine footballer
  • 1981 – José Calderón, Spanish basketball player
  • 1981 – Jorge Guagua, Ecuadorian footballer
  • 1981 – Iracema Trevisan, Brazilian bass player
  • 1982 – Aleksandr Anyukov, Russian footballer
  • 1982 – Abhinav Bindra, Indian target shooter
  • 1982 – Ray Emery, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2018)
  • 1982 – Ranbir Kapoor, Indian actor and director
  • 1982 – Nolwenn Leroy, French singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1982 – Emeka Okafor, American basketball player
  • 1982 – Dustin Penner, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1982 – Aivar Rehemaa, Estonian skier
  • 1982 – Anderson Varejão, Brazilian basketball player
  • 1982 – St. Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1983 – Stefan Moore, English footballer
  • 1983 – John Schwalger, New Zealand rugby player
  • 1984 – Jenny Omnichord, Canadian singer-songwriter
  • 1984 – Luke Pomersbach, Australian cricketer
  • 1984 – Naim Terbunja, Kosovan-Swedish boxer
  • 1984 – Melody Thornton, American singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1984 – Mathieu Valbuena, French footballer
  • 1984 – Ryan Zimmerman, American baseball player
  • 1985 – Shindong, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer
  • 1985 – Alina Ibragimova, Russian-English violinist
  • 1986 – Andrés Guardado, Mexican footballer
  • 1986 – Meskerem Legesse, Ethiopian runner (d. 2013)
  • 1986 – Dominic Waters, American basketball player
  • 1987 – Pierre Becken, German footballer
  • 1987 – Gary Deegan, Irish footballer
  • 1987 – Hilary Duff, American singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Chloë Hanslip, English violinist
  • 1987 – Viktoria Leks, Estonian high jumper
  • 1988 – Marin Čilić, Croatian tennis player
  • 1988 – Esmée Denters, Dutch singer-songwriter
  • 1988 – Aleks Vrteski, Australian footballer
  • 1988 – Worakls, French DJ and electronic musician
  • 1989 – Çağla Büyükakçay, Turkish tennis player
  • 1989 – Darius Johnson-Odom, American basketball player
  • 1989 – Mark Randall, English footballer
  • 1990 – Phoenix Battye, Australian rugby player
  • 1992 – Khem Birch, Canadian professional basketball player
  • 1992 – Adam Thompson, English-Northern Irish footballer
  • 1992 – Kōko Tsurumi, Japanese gymnast
  • 1993 – Jodie Williams, English sprinter
  • 1995 – Jason Williams, English footballer

Deaths on September 28

  • 48 BC – Pompey, Roman general and politician (b. 106 BC)
  • 782 – Leoba, Anglo-Saxon nun
  • 935 – Wenceslaus I, duke of Bohemia
  • 980 – Minamoto no Hiromasa, Japanese nobleman (b. 918)
  • 1197 – Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1165)
  • 1213 – Gertrude of Merania, queen consort of Hungaria (b. 1185)
  • 1330 – Elizabeth of Bohemia, queen consort of Bohemia (b. 1292)
  • 1429 – Cymburgis of Masovia, duchess consort of Austria (b. 1394)
  • 1582 – George Buchanan, Scottish historian and scholar (b. 1506)
  • 1596 – Margaret Clifford, countess of Derby (b. 1540)
  • 1618 – Josuah Sylvester, English poet and translator (b. 1563)
  • 1687 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian theologian and academic (b. 1623)
  • 1694 – Gabriel Mouton, French mathematician and theologian (b. 1618)
  • 1702 – Robert Spencer, 2nd Earl of Sunderland, French-English lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1640)
  • 1742 – Jean Baptiste Massillon, French bishop (b. 1663)
  • 1829 – Nikolay Raevsky, Russian general and politician (b. 1771)
  • 1844 – Pyotr Aleksandrovich Tolstoy, Russian general and politician (b. 1769)
  • 1859 – Carl Ritter, German geographer and academic (b. 1779)
  • 1873 – Émile Gaboriau, French journalist and author (b. 1832)
  • 1891 – Herman Melville, American author and poet (b. 1819)
  • 1895 – Louis Pasteur, French chemist and microbiologist (b. 1822)
  • 1899 – Giovanni Segantini, Austrian painter (b. 1858)
  • 1914 – Richard Warren Sears, American businessman, co-founded Sears (b. 1863)
  • 1915 – Saitō Hajime, Japanese samurai (b. 1844)
  • 1918 – Georg Simmel, German sociologist and philosopher (b. 1858)
  • 1918 – Freddie Stowers, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1896)
  • 1925 – Paul Vermoyal, French actor (b. 1888)
  • 1935 – William Kennedy Dickson, French-Scottish actor, director, and producer, invented the Kinetoscope (b. 1860)
  • 1938 – Charles Duryea, American engineer and businessman, founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company (b. 1861)
  • 1943 – Sam Ruben, American chemist and academic (b. 1913)
  • 1943 – Filippo Illuminato, Italian partisan, Gold Medal of Military Valour (b. 1930)
  • 1949 – Archbishop Chrysanthus of Athens (b. 1881)
  • 1953 – Edwin Hubble, American astronomer and scholar (b. 1889)
  • 1956 – William Boeing, American businessman, founded the Boeing Company (b. 1881)
  • 1957 – Luis Cluzeau Mortet, Uruguayan violinist and composer (b. 1888)
  • 1959 – Rudolf Caracciola, German race car driver (b. 1901)
  • 1962 – Roger Nimier, French soldier and author (b. 1925)
  • 1964 – Harpo Marx, American comedian, actor, and singer (b. 1888)
  • 1966 – André Breton, French author and poet (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – John Dos Passos, American novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright (b. 1896)
  • 1970 – Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egyptian colonel and politician, 2nd President of Egypt (b. 1918)
  • 1978 – Pope John Paul I (b. 1912)
  • 1979 – John Herbert Chapman, Canadian physicist and engineer (b. 1921)
  • 1981 – Rómulo Betancourt, Venezuelan journalist and politician, President of Venezuela (b. 1908)
  • 1982 – Mabel Albertson, American actress (b. 1901)
  • 1984 – Cihad Baban, Turkish journalist, author, and politician (b. 1911)
  • 1989 – Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Philippines (b. 1917)
  • 1990 – Larry O’Brien, American businessman and politician, 57th United States Postmaster General (b. 1917)
  • 1991 – Miles Davis, American trumpet player, composer, and bandleader (b. 1926)
  • 1993 – Peter De Vries, American editor and novelist (b. 1910)
  • 1993 – Alexander A. Drabik, American sergeant (b. 1910)
  • 1994 – Urmas Alender, Estonian singer (b. 1953)
  • 1994 – José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, Mexican lawyer and politician, 6th Governor of Guerrero (b. 1946)
  • 1994 – Harry Saltzman, Canadian production manager and producer (b. 1915)
  • 1994 – K. A. Thangavelu, Indian film actor and comedian (b. 1917)
  • 1999 – Escott Reid, Canadian academic and diplomat (b. 1905)
  • 2000 – Pierre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1919)
  • 2002 – Patsy Mink, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
  • 2002 – Hartland Molson, Canadian captain and politician (b. 1907)
  • 2003 – Althea Gibson, American tennis player and golfer (b. 1927)
  • 2003 – Elia Kazan, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
  • 2003 – George Odlum, Saint Lucian politician and diplomat (b. 1934)
  • 2004 – Geoffrey Beene, American fashion designer (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Constance Baker Motley, American lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1921)
  • 2007 – René Desmaison, French mountaineer (b. 1930)
  • 2007 – Wally Parks, American businessman, founded the National Hot Rod Association (b. 1913)
  • 2009 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (b. 1936)
  • 2009 – Ulf Larsson, Swedish actor and director (b. 1956)
  • 2010 – Kurt Albert, German mountaineer and photographer (b. 1954)
  • 2010 – Arthur Penn, American director and producer (b. 1922)
  • 2010 – Dolores Wilson, American soprano and actress (b. 1928)
  • 2012 – Avraham Adan, Israeli general (b. 1926)
  • 2012 – Chris Economaki, American journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
  • 2012 – Brajesh Mishra, Indian politician and diplomat, 1st Indian National Security Advisor (b. 1928)
  • 2013 – James Emanuel, American-French poet and scholar (b. 1921)
  • 2013 – Jonathan Fellows-Smith, South African cricketer and rugby player (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – George Amon Webster, American singer and pianist (b. 1945)
  • 2014 – Dannie Abse, Welsh physician, poet, and author (b. 1923)
  • 2014 – Joseph H. Alexander, American colonel and historian (b. 1938)
  • 2014 – Sheila Faith, English dentist and politician (b. 1928)
  • 2014 – Tim Rawlings, English footballer and manager (b. 1932)
  • 2014 – Petr Skoumal, Czech pianist and composer (b. 1938)
  • 2015 – Alexander Faris, Irish composer and conductor (b. 1921)
  • 2015 – Walter Dale Miller, American rancher and politician, 29th Governor of South Dakota (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Ignacio Zoco, Spanish footballer (b. 1939)
  • 2016 – Agnes Nixon, American television writer and director (b. 1922)
  • 2016 – Gary Glasberg, American television writer and producer (b. 1966)
  • 2016 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli statesman and politician, 9th President of Israel (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – Gloria Naylor, American novelist (b. 1950)
  • 2017 – Daniel Pe’er, Israeli television host and newsreader (b. 1943)
  • 2018 – Predrag Ejdus, Serbian actor (b. 1947)
  • 2019 – José José, 71, Mexican singer (El Principe de la Canción or The Prince of Song), pancreas cancer (b. 1948)

Holidays and observances on September 28

  • Christian feast day:
    • Aaron of Auxerre
    • Annemund
    • Conval
    • Eustochium
    • Exuperius
    • Faustus of Riez
    • John of Dukla
    • Leoba
    • Lorenzo Ruiz
    • Paternus of Auch
    • Richard Rolle, Walter Hilton and Margery Kempe (Episcopal Church (USA))
    • Simón de Rojas
    • Wenceslas
    • September 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
  • Czech Statehood Day (Czech Republic)
  • Freedom from Hunger Day
  • International Day for Universal Access to Information
  • National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography (Philippines)
  • Teachers’ Day (Taiwan and Chinese-Filipino schools in the Philippines), ceremonies dedicated to Confucius are also observed.
  • World Rabies Day (International)

September 28 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day Read More »

On This Day, Uncategorized

Some Interesting Facts

1. Hot water will turn into ice faster than cold water.

2. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows.

3. The sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter in the English language (all 26 letters).

4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

5. Ant’s take rest for around 8 Minutes in 12 hour period.

6. “I Am” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

7. Coca-Cola was originally green.

8. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

9. When the moon is directly overhead, you will weigh slightly less.

10. Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from the blowing desert sand.

11. There are only two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: “abstemious” and “facetious.”

12. The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

13. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.

14. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

15. Minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

16. Chocolate can kill dogs, as it contains theobromine, which affects their heart and nervous system.

17. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!

18. You can’t kill yourself by holding your breath.

19. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

20. The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

21. People say “Bless you” when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond.

22. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

23. The “sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

24. “Rhythm” is the longest English word without a vowel.

25. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

26. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from history.
Spades – King David
Clubs – Alexander the Great,
Hearts – Charlemagne
Diamonds – Julius Caesar.

27. It is impossible to lick your elbow.

28. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

29. If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

30. What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common?
Ans. – All invented by women.

31. Question – This is the only food that doesn’t spoil. What is this?
Ans. – Honey

32. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.

33. A snail can sleep for three years.

34. All polar bears are left handed.

35. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.

36. Butterflies taste with their feet.

37. Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

38. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

39. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.

40. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

41. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

42. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.

43. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

44. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.

45. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

46. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

47. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

48. Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.

Some Interesting Facts Read More »

English, General Knowledge, History, World

Girolamo Savonarola Quiz

Girolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar, Scholastic, religious and political reformer and an influential contributor to the politics of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498

Girolamo Savonarola Quiz Questions

1. When was Girolamo Savonarola born?
a) 4 February 1444
b) 15 April 1442
c) 21 September 1452
d) 30 November 1455

2. Where was Girolamo Savonarola born?
a) Ferrara
b) Pisa
c) Lepanto
d) Genoa

3. Which order did Girolamo Savonarola join?
a) Augustinian
b) Capuchin
c) Dominican
d) Benedictine

4. Who invaded Florence and overthrew Medici rule in 1494 as predicted by Girolamo Savonarola?
a) Charles VIII
b) Philip IV
c) Henry VI
d) Edward VI

5. Which party opposed Girolamo Savonarola?
a) Jacobin
b) Conservative
c) Labour
d) Arrabbiati
6. Who ordered Girolamo Savonarola to go to Bologna under pain of excommunication?
a) Julius II
b) Leo X
c) Alexander VI
d) Urban VIII

7. Which coalition against France Girolamo Savonarola did not want Florence to join?
a) Triple Alliance
b) Holy League
c) Grand Alliance
d) Catholic League

8. Who accepted the challenge of a Franciscan to ordeal by fire on the invalidity of Girolamo Savonarola’s excommunication?
a) Domenico da Pescia
b) Giordano Bruno
c) Lorenzo de Medici
d) Cesare Borgia

9. When did Girolamo Savonarola die?
a) 26 January 1499
b) 23 May 1498
c) 11 July 1503
d) 12 December 1515

10. Where did Girolamo Savonarola die?
a) Turin
b) Berne
c) Pavia
d) Florence

Girolamo Savonarola Quiz Questions with Answers

1. When was Girolamo Savonarola born?
c) 21 September 1452

2. Where was Girolamo Savonarola born?
a) Ferrara

3. Which order did Girolamo Savonarola join?
c) Dominican

4. Who invaded Florence and overthrew Medici rule in 1494 as predicted by Girolamo Savonarola?
a) Charles VIII

5. Which party opposed Girolamo Savonarola?
d) Arrabbiati

6. Who ordered Girolamo Savonarola to go to Bologna under pain of excommunication?
c) Alexander VI

7. Which coalition against France Girolamo Savonarola did not want Florence to join?
b) Holy League

8. Who accepted the challenge of a Franciscan to ordeal by fire on the invalidity of Girolamo Savonarola’s excommunication?
a) Domenico da Pescia

9. When did Girolamo Savonarola die?
b) 23 May 1498

10. Where did Girolamo Savonarola die?
d) Florence

Girolamo Savonarola Quiz Read More »

Uncategorized

25 English Language Oddities

Many cultures find that English might possibly be one of the most difficult languages to learn. Not, in fact, for its words, but for the fact that it has so many unusual and contradictory rules. Just looking over an English study book will tell you that so many odd ifs and buts apply to so many words that it is enough to drive one crazy. Here are 25 examples of the oddities in the English language.

25. “Rhythms” is the longest English word without the normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u.24. Excluding derivatives, there are only two words in English that end -shion and (though many words end in this sound). These are cushion and fashion.23. “THEREIN” is a seven-letter word that contains thirteen words spelled using consecutive letters: the, he, her, er, here, I, there, ere, rein, re, in, therein, and herein.22. There is only one common word in English that has five vowels in a row: queueing.21. Soupspoons is the longest word that consists entirely of letters from the second half of alphabet.

20. “Almost” is the longest commonly used word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.19. The longest uncommon word whose letters are in alphabetical order is the eight-letter Aegilops (a grass genus).18. The longest common single-word palindromes are deified, racecar, repaper, reviver, and rotator.17. “One thousand” contains the letter A, but none of the words from one to nine hundred ninety-nine has an A.16. “The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in English.

15. Cwm (pronounced “koom”, defined as a steep-walled hollow on a hillside) is a rare case of a word used in English in which w is the nucleus vowel, as is crwth (pronounced “krooth”, a type of stringed instrument). Despite their origins in Welsh, they are accepted English words.14. “Asthma” and “isthmi” are the only six-letter words that begin and end with a vowel and have no other vowels between.13. The nine-word sequence I, in, sin, sing, sting, string, staring, starting (or starling), startling can be formed by successively adding one letter to the previous word.12. “Underground” and “underfund” are the only words in the English language that begin and end with the letters “und.”11. “Stewardesses” is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.

10. Antidisestablishmentarianism listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, was considered the longest English word for quite a long time, but today the medical term pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is usually considered to have the title, despite the fact that it was coined to provide an answer to the question ‘What is the longest English word?’.9. “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt”.8. There are many words that feature all five regular vowels in alphabetical order, the commonest being abstemious, adventitious, facetious.7. The superlatively long word honorificabilitudinitatibus (27 letters) alternates consonants and vowels.6. “Fickleheaded” and “fiddledeedee” are the longest words consisting only of letters in the first half of the alphabet.

5. The two longest words with only one of the six vowels including y are the 15-letter defenselessness and respectlessness.4. “Forty” is the only number which has its letters in alphabetical order. “One” is the only number with its letters in reverse alphabetical order.3. Bookkeeper is the only word that has three consecutive doubled letters.2. Despite the assertions of a well-known puzzle, modern English does not have three common words ending in -gry. Angry and hungry are the only ones.1. “Ough” can be pronounced in eight different ways. The following sentence contains them all: “A rough-coated, dough-faced ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing thoughtfully.

25 English Language Oddities Read More »

English

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

1) What is the point of origin of an earthquake?
(a) Epicenter
(b) Focus
(c) Foreshock
(d) Scarp
(e) Seismograph
Answer: (b)
The exact point where the earthquake actually starts deep inside the earth’s crust (the point of origin) is called the focus, or hypocenter.

2) What is the point on the surface nearest the earthquake?
(a) Epicenter
(b) Focus
(c) Foreshock
(d) Scarp
(e) Seismograph
Answer: (a)
The epicenter is the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the hypocenter (or focus), point in the crust where a seismic rupture begins

3) Places experiencing equal impact of an earthquake are called (CSS-2012)
(a) Snowlines
(b) seismic belts
(c) Seismic lines
(d) None of these
Answer: (c)

4) Where do most earthquakes occur?
(a) Along dikes
(b) Along faults
(c) Along folds
(d) Along joints
(e) Along unconformities
Answer: (b)
Earthquakes can also occur far from the edges of plates, along faults. Faults are cracks in the earth where sections of a plate (or two plates) are moving in different directions. Faults are caused by all that bumping and sliding the plates do. They are more common near the edges of the plates.

5) What is the standardized distance from an earthquake epicenter for measuring Richter magnitudes?
(a) 0 km
(b) 10 km
(c) 100 km
(d) 500 km
(e) 1000 km
Answer: (c)
Richter established 100 km as the standard distance from an earthquake epicenter to measure Richter magnitude with a Wood-Anderson seismograph.

6) What was the magnitude of the Earthquake that shook Northern Pakistan and Azad Kashmir on October, 8, 2005? (CSS-2006)
(a) 5.7
(b) 7.5
(c) 7.6
(d) None of these.
Answer: (d)
A major earthquake shook Pakistan on Saturday, October 8, 2005, at 8:50 a.m. The epicenter of this magnitude 7.6 quake was about 65 miles north-northeast of Islamabad, the country’s capital. At least 86,000 people were killed, more than 69,000 were injured, and extensive damage resulted in northern Pakistan. The heaviest damage occurred in the Muzaffarabad area of Kashmir.

7) In what country did the highest magnitude earthquake ever measured take place?
(a) Chile
(b) Pakistan
(c) Japan
(d) Afghanistan
(e) United States
Answer: (a)
The Chilean earthquake of 1960 is the most powerful ever recorded at 8.6 on the Richter scale or 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.

8) What is the immediate energy source for earthquakes?
(a) Stored elastic energy in bent rock
(b) Stored elastic energy in compressed rock
(c) Stored heat energy from the earth’s interior
(d) Stored heat energy from the sun
Answer: (a)
Sudden elastic rebound of bent rock that has reached the breaking point is what causes nearly all earthquakes

9) What is the strongest magnitude earthquake ever measured on the Richter scale?
(a) 5.5
(b) 6.3
(c) 6.8
(d) 7.5
(e) 8.6
Answer: (e)
Several earthquakes have been measured with a magnitude close to 8.6 on the Richter scale, but none higher.

10) Which region of the earth has the most frequent earthquakes?
(a) Antarctic region
(b) Arctic region
(c) Atlantic region
(d) Indian region
(e) Pacific region
Answer: (e)
The Pacific region has the greatest number of earthquakes because this is where most of the earth’s convergent plate boundaries lie.

11) Japan is called: (CSS-2008)
(a) Land of earthquakes
(b) Land of rising sun
(c) Land of rivers
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)

12) How does shaking ground cause soft sediment to liquify?
(a) It breaks the sediment particles into smaller pieces
(b) It evaporates water in the pores of the sediment
(c) It makes sediment particles fit more tightly together
(d) It melts the sediment
(e) It melts water in the pores of the sediment
Answer: (c)
Shaking ground helps particles to settle more tightly together, thus reducing interstitial space and releasing pore water.

13) Which of the following is not associated with earthquake destruction?
(a) Fires
(b) High winds
(c) Mass wasting
(d) Trembling earth
(e) Tsunamis
Answer: (b)
Earthquakes do not generate high winds.

14) Pakistan/Kashmir earthquake of October, 2005 was result of: (CSS-2006)
(a) Volcanic activity
(b) Tectonic dislocation
(c) Severe flooding
(d) None of these
Answer: (b)

15) Which waves are called shear waves because of the shear forces that they subject the rock to?
(a) P-waves
(b) S-waves
(c) Surface waves
(d) All of the above
Answer: (b)
S-waves are also called shear waves because they subject the medium to shear forces, and they only pass through solids because only solids have elastic rebound to shear forces.

16) Which waves are called compression waves because they compress and extend the material they pass through?
(a) P-waves
(b) S-waves
(c) Surface waves
(d) All of the above
Answer: (a)
P-waves are also called compression waves because they compress and extend the medium.

17) In what order do earthquake waves arrive at seismic stations?
(a) P-waves, then S-waves, then surface waves
(a) S-waves, then P-waves, then surface waves
(b) S-waves, then surface waves, then P-waves
(c) Surface waves, then P-waves, then S-waves
(d) Surface waves, then S-waves, then P-waves
Answer: (a)
Primary and secondary waves are named after their arrival sequence.

18) Which of the following earthquake waves is first recorded on the Seismograph?
(a) P-waves
(b) Rayleigh waves
(c) S-waves
(d) Love waves
Answer: (a)

19) The Intensity scale of the earthquake is called?
(a) Mercalli scale
(b) Ritcher scale
(c) Number scale
(d) None of the above
Answer: (a)

20) The point where the energy is released during the earthquake is called?
(a) Epicentre
(b) Hypocentre
(c) Circumcentre
(d) None of the above
Answer: (b)

21) The type of plate- boundary interaction along the Himalayas is known as?
(a) Continent-continent convergence
(b) Divergent boundary
(c) Transform boundary
(d) Ocean-continent convergence
Answer: (a)

22) Which of the following describes the build up and release of stress during an earthquake?
(a) the Modified Mercalli Scale
(b) the elastic rebound theory
(c) the principle of superposition
(d) the travel time difference
Answer: (b)

23) Approximately what percentage of earthquakes occur at plate boundaries?
(a) 25%
(b) 50%
(c) 75%
(d) 90%
Answer: (d)

24) Where is the focus with respect to the epicenter?
(a) directly below the epicenter
(b) directly above the epicenter
(c) in the P wave shadow zone
(d) in the S wave shadow zone
Answer: (b)

25) Point A, where slip initiated during the earthquake, is called the ________.
(a) dip
(b) epicenter
(c) focus
(d) scarp
Answer: (c)

26) Point B is called the earthquake ________.
(a) dip
(b) epicenter
(c) focus
(d) scarp
Answer: (b)

27) Point C is called the _________
(a) epicenter
(b) fault scarp
(c) Seismic wave
(d) Dip of the earthquake
Answer: (b)
A fault scarp is a small step or offset on the ground surface where one side of a fault has moved vertically with respect to the other. It is the topographic expression of faulting attributed to the displacement of the land surface by movement along faults.

28) What type of faulting is illustrated in this diagram?
(a) normal (b) Reverse
(c) Thrust (d) Abnormal
Answer: (a)

29) Which one of the following earthquake waves is more destructive?
(a) P-waves
(b) Surface waves
(c) S-waves
(d) Body waves
Answer: (b)
Earthquake waves can be divided into two types – body waves and surface waves. There are two types of body waves – P-wave and S-wave. The surface waves are more destructive as they displace rocks, and hence results in collapse of structures.

30) When a volcano ejects acid lava, eruption is usually
(a) Light and less violent
(b) Soft and less violent
(c) Loud but less violent
(d) Loud and more violent
Answer: (d)

31) In some eruptions, mudflows are forced over the
(a) Earth’s mantle
(b) Ocean bed
(c) Earth’s surface
(d) Earth’s core
Answer: (c)

32) Magma which is forced onto Earth’s surface is known as
(a) Vent
(b) Cone
(c) Lava
(d) Magma Chamber
Answer: (c)

33) An example of composite volcanoes is
(a) Mount Everest
(b) Puy de Dôme
(c) Mauna Loa
(d) Mount Merapi
Answer: (d)

34) ‘Flash-floods’ are associated with
(a) Thunderstorms
(b) Cyclonic storms
(c) Tsunami
(d) Tornado
Answer: (a)
A flash flood is a sudden flood event caused by a hydrologic response of the drainage basin. Flash floods are normally strongly localized and associated with extreme showers or thunderstorm activity, when high rates of precipitation occur in a short period of time.

35) During eruption, volcanic material is
(a) Blown to some meters
(b) Blown to many kilometers
(c) Blown to some inches
(d) Blown to some feet
Answer: (b)

36) When volcanos ejects basic lava, eruption is mainly
(a) Loud
(b) Violent
(c) Quite
(d) Hard
Answer: (c)

37) A reference to process by which materials such as magma and gases from inside Earth are forced onto Earth’s surface is
(a) Eruption
(b) Lava
(c) Volcanism
(d) Earthquake
Answer: (c)

38) Movement of crustal plates result in formation of
(a) a huge island
(b) Small volcanic islands
(c) a small island
(d) Huge volcanic islands
Answer: (b)

39) Ice can be changed to water by: (CSS-2011)
(a) Adding more water molecules
(b) Changing the motion of the water molecules
(c) Rearranging the atoms in water molecules
(d) Destroying the atoms in water molecules
(e) None of these
Answer: (b)

40) Composite volcanoes are made up of alternate layers of
(a) Ash and cinder only
(b) Dense lava and ash
(c) Viscous lava, ash and cinder
(d) pyroclastic lava, ash and cinder
Answer: (c)

41) Lava that contains high amounts of iron and magnesium, but low amount of silica is known as
(a) Acid Lava
(b) Basic Lava
(c) Composite Lava
(d) Component Lava
Answer: (b)

42) Number of classifications of volcanoes is
(a) three
(b) Six
(c) nine
(d) twelve
Answer: (a)

43) Acid lava is sticky or ‘viscous’ because it contains high amounts of
(a) Copper
(b) Iron
(c) nickel
(d) Silica
Answer: (d)

44) Eruptions from composite volcanoes are usually
(a) Light and less violent
(b) Soft and less violent
(c) Loud but less violent
(d) Loud and more violent
Answer: (d)

45) As volcano is carried along by plate, a new volcano is formed over the
(a) Ocean bed
(b) River bed
(c) Original hot spot
(d) Virtual hot spot
Answer: (c)

46) Cavity in Earth’s crust below vent that holds magma is known as
(a) Vent
(b) Cone
(c) Lava
(d) Magma Chamber
Answer: (d)

47) Most common type of volcano is the
(a) Acid Lava Volcano
(b) Basic Lava Volcano
(c) Composite Lava Volcano
(d) Component Volcano
Answer: (c)

48) Composite Lava Volcano is also known as
(a) Cinder volcano
(b) Ash volcano
(c) Pyroclastic volcano
(d) Stratovolcanoes
Answer: (d)
Composite volcanoes (also called stratovolcanoes) are much more explosive than shield volcanoes, the other important type of volcano.

49) Mid-Atlantic ridge is so tall that it actually rises above sea in many places forming
(a) Icy islands
(b) Ice lands
(c) Volcanic islands
(d) Rocky islands
Answer: (c)

50) Basic lava erupts out of volcano, throwing out mainly
(a) Ash
(b) Dust
(c) CO
(d) CO2
Answer: (a)

General Science & Ability MCQs (Natural Hazards and Disasters, Set-I) Read More »

General Knowledge, MCQs / Q&A

Rules of Precis Writing

Following are the rules of precis writing.

1) Read the given passage carefully at least three times in order to be able to grasp what the writer has said.

2) Underline the important points to be included in your precis. A point is important if it is intimately connected with the main subject and if it is essential for a clear exposition of the theme.

3) Use your own language in the precis. While words and phrases from the original may be used in the precis. Whole sentences should never be lifted out of the original to be included in it.

4) The precis should be roughly one-third of the original passage. Always prepare a rough draft first and count the words. If you find that it is too long, shorten it by removing what seems essential and by condensing phraseology. If it turns out to be too short, read the original to see what more can be added to the precis.

5) Examples, illustrations, and comparisons should be left out of the precis. Figures of speech should be removed and the ideas expressed in clear, direct language.

6) Your own comments on the ideas of the precis are absolutely forbidden. Do not express any opinion, favorable or unfavorable, about the ideas in the original passage.

7) Be very careful about the language you write. Mistakes of Grammar and spelling are penalized as much in the precis as in other forms of composition.

8) See that your precis is a readable piece of English and that its ideas can be understood even by a person who has not gone through the original. This is very important.

9) Your precis should be connected whole. As such it should not be divided into paragraphs. ( THIS RULE DOES NOT APPLY TO VERY LONG ORIGINAL PIECES OF WRITING SUCH AS THOSE SET IN COMPETITIVE EXAMINATIONS).

10) Don’t use the direct form of speech in precis. If the author has written in the first person pronoun using “I” and “my”, you should write in thethird person pronoun: “he” and “his”.

Rules of Precis Writing Read More »

English, Guidelines