Soviet THE SOVIET QUIZ - 2011 - QUIZ CLOSED

[Hauptmann]

QUESTION 100

Born in the year when the second world war broke out I would die 24 years later.

Before I turned 20 I would get to the USSR where I would stay for three years - I was rather disullioned.

I would remain a near nobody for a year and a half after leaving the USSR, till one day that would cast me in infamy and shroud me in conspiracy.

1) What is my full name? Lee Harvey Oswald (Born 10/18/1939 - Died 11/24/1963)

2) What was the nature of my stay in the USSR? He was a defector.

3) In which city did I live and where did I work in the USSR? Minsk as a lathe operator at the Gorizont (Horizon) Electronics Factory which made radios, televisions, military and space electronics.

4) What did I write about life in USSR? Disillusioned with life in the Soviet Union, Oswald notifies the U.S. Embassy that he wishes to return to America. He writes in his diary, "The work is drab. The money I get has nowhere to be spent. As my Russian improves, I become increasingly conscious of just what sort of a society I live in."

5) What did I do that would make me infamous and shroud me in conspiracy? Assassinated President John F. Kennedy.

6) How did I die? Shot in the Police loading garage in Dallas by Jack Ruby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Harvey_Oswald

Good hunting!!

Jim

Dan :cheers:

Edited December 8, 2011 by Hauptmann

[Harvey]

1) What is my full name? Lee Harvey Oswald

2) What was the nature of my stay in the USSR? Wanted to renounce US citizenship & become Soviet citizen (but was denied)

3) In which city did I live and where did I work in the USSR? Worked as a lathe operator at the Gorizont Electronics Factory in Minsk.

4) What did I write about life in USSR? "I am starting to reconsider my desire about staying. The work is drab, the money I get has nowhere to be spent. No nightclubs or bowling alleys, no places of recreation except the trade union dances. I have had enough."

5) What did I do that would make me infamous and shroud me in conspiracy? Shot and killed President John F. Kennedy.

6) How did I die? Shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

[JimZ]

Looks like Hauptmann got to the answer before Harvey, although both of you gave correct answers. Good to see yopu Harvey and well done to both of you in any case! The point does go to Hauptmann as the first correct answer, as does the honour of having provided the correct reply to question 100.

Scoreboard update!

24 points - JimZ

17 points - Harvey

16 points - UB6365

15 points - Christophe

14 points - Hauptmann

8 points - Gunner 1

3 points - Valter

2 points - kapten_windu

1 point - Tachel

1 point - K2009

Question 101 is next!!

Edited December 9, 2011 by JimZ

[JimZ]

Hauptmann has pmed me and he has kindly conceded the honour to ask question 101 to UB6365 since he had previously given up question 100 to me. I think there has been some very gentlemanly behaviour from both.

So UB, will you take up the next challenge of question 101?

Jim :cheers:

[ub6365]

Tnx to Hauptmann and JIM

Question #101

I was a partial reason to two wars and many international conflicts.

In 1917-1924 I was under control of the White army.

In 1924-1935 and 1945-1952 I was partially controlled by USSR.

1897- 31 December 1952 - dates of my life and in some ways I still alive.

1524=>1435 - this numbers will help you to name me...

[Christophe]

I am the Chinese Eastern Railway or (CER; Chinese: 东清铁路) (also known as the Chinese Far East Railway) .

I was a railway in northeastern China (Manchuria). It connected Chita and the Russian Far East The southern branch of the CER, known in the West as the South Manchuria Railway, became the locus and partial casus belli for the Russo-Japanese War and the Second Sino-Japanese War (including incidents leading up to the latter from 1927).

The administration of the CER and the Chinese Eastern Railway Zone was based in Harbin.

The Chinese Eastern Railway, a single-tracked line, provided a shortcut for the world's longest railroad, the Trans-Siberian Railway from near the Siberian city of Chita via Harbin across northern inner Manchuria to the Russian port of Vladivostok. This route drastically reduced the travel distance required along the originally proposed main northern route to Vladivostok (this originally proposed route lies completely on Russian soil, but was completed a decade later than the Manchurian "shortcut").

In 1896 China granted a construction concession through northern Inner Manchuria, running from near Chita via Harbin to Vladivostok, and construction was drastically accelerated after Russia concluded a twenty-five year lease of Liaodong from China.

Construction of the CER started in July 1897 along the line Tarskaya (east of Chita) – Hailar – Harbin – Nikolsk-Ussuriski. Officially, traffic on the line started in November 1901, but regular passenger traffic from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok across the Trans-Siberian railway started in July 1903.

In 1898, a 550-mile (880-km) spur-line, most of which later formed the South Manchuria Railway, was started from Harbin down through eastern Manchuria, along the Liaodong Peninsula, to the ice-free deep-water port at Lüshun, a town almost at the tip of the peninsula, which Russia was fortifying and overhauling into a first-class strategic naval-base and marine coaling- station for its Far Seas Fleet and Merchant Marine. This town was known in the west as Port Arthur, and the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905) was essentially fought over who would possess this region and its excellent harbor, as well as whether it would remain open to traders of all nations (Open Door Policy).

The Chinese Eastern Railway was essentially completed in 1902, beating the stretch around Lake Baikal by a few years. Until the Circumbaikal portion was completed (1904–1905; double-tracked, 1914), cargo on the Trans-Siberian Railway had to be trans-shipped by ferry almost a hundred kilometers across the lake (from Port Baikal to Mysovaya).

The Chinese Eastern Railway became important in international relations. After the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Russia gained the right to build the Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchuria. They had a large army and occupied Northern Manchuria, which concerned the Japanese. Russia pressed China for a "monopoly of rights" in Manchuria, but China reacted to this by an alliance with Japan and the United States against Russia.

During the Russo-Japanese War, Russia lost both Liaodong Peninsula and much of the South Manchurian branch to Japan. The rail line from Changchun to Lüshun - transferred to the Japanese control - became the South Manchuria Railway.

During 1917-1924 (Russian Civil War) the Russian part of the CER came under the administration of the White Army.

After 1924, the USSR and China administered the Northern CER jointly, while Japan maintained control of the southern spur-line.

The Sino-Soviet conflict of 1929 was fought over the administration of the Northern CER.

In 1935 the USSR had to sell all its rights in the CER to the Manchukuo government.

From August 1945, the CER again came under the joint control of the USSR and China. Somewhat reversing Russia's stinging losses in 1904-1905, after World War II, the Soviet Government insisted on occupying the Liaodong Peninsula but allowed joint control over the Southern branch with China; all this together received the name of the "Chinese Changchun Railway" (Russian: Кита́йская Чанчу́ньская желе́зная доро́га).

In 1952, the Soviet Union transferred (free of charge) all of its rights to the Chinese Changchun Railway to the People's Republic of China.

Ch.

[ub6365]

Good job...

1524 mm- width standard of railway for Russian /Soviet railways

1435 mm - European standard (CER width was changed after transferring to PR China)

[Christophe]

Good job...

1524 mm- width standard of railway for Russian /Soviet railways

1435 mm - European standard (CER width was changed after transferring to PR China)

Thanks UB

Did not know that and was wondering what could be these two figures...

Cheers.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Question #102

I am born in 1938.

I am binational, but this has not always been the case.

My life has been spent under several different flags and under the command of many different uniforms

I had a famous big brother, living in Moscow.

I live in a quiet residential area, but this has not always been the case.

I have a new job since 1995.

Who am I ?

Good hunt and good luck

Ch.

Edited December 9, 2011 by Christophe

[JimZ]

Scoreboard update!

24 points - JimZ

17 points - Harvey

16 points - UB6365

16 points - Christophe

14 points - Hauptmann

8 points - Gunner 1

3 points - Valter

2 points - kapten_windu

1 point - Tachel

1 point - K2009

Question 102 above.

Jim

[Christophe]

No one inspired ?

Hint #1 : Nikolai Bersarin has been my boss...

Ch.

[Christophe]

Hint #2 : Marshal Georgy Zhukov has also been my boss...

Ch.

[Harvey]

Christophe, I'm afraid these hints are too vague to provide much assistance.

[Christophe]

Bersarin and Zhukov should drive you to ONE city... ))

Ch.

[Hauptmann]

The only thing I've been able to come up with is to do with Berlin. Bersarin (comes up Berzarin in most references on the web) was first Soviet commandant of the Soviet sector of Berlin... eventually East Berlin. He did much to get things up and running, help the citizens of the city, even down to getting cultural and sporting activities going again. Zhukov of course conquered Berlin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Berzarin

But still don't know what the exact answer is.

Dan :cheers:

Edited December 12, 2011 by Hauptmann

[Christophe]

Hi Dan,

You progress well in the right direction.

Hint #4 : I'm not a person...

Ch.

[Christophe]

Hint #5 : I'm a building...

Ch.

[Harvey]

Ok, this question is a good example of why I'm rapidly losing interest in this quiz.

Buildings are not people, and to use personal pronouns, i.e. "I have lived... My boss was... Who am I?" is entirely misleading.

I've overlooked it in other questions because usually there were other clues or hints in the original question that made it abundantly clear that we were talking about an inanimate object, not a person. But to wait til Hint #4 or 5?

Well, I stuck around for over 100 questions, but I think the time has come for me to unfollow this particular thread.

[Hauptmann]

The Karlshorst building

http://www.museum-karlshorst.de/en/about-us/the-historic-location.html

Dan :cheers:

[Christophe]

Excellent Dan !!

You are the winner !!

It is the Karlshorst building.

I am born in 1938.

The Karlshorst building was erected between 1936 and 1938.

I am binational, but this has not always been the case.

This building today hosts the German-Russian Museum, a bilateral institution sponsored by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation.

My life has been spent under several different flags and under the command of many different uniforms

The building was first an officers’ mess for the German Armed Forces’ Pioneer School 1 (German flag).

In the Battle of Berlin at the end of April 1945, the 5th Soviet Shock Army under Colonel General Nikolai Bersarin set up its headquarters there (Soviet flag).

After the surrender was first signed on 7 May in Rheims, it was ratified in Karlshorst in the evening of 8 to 9 May (US, UK, Soviet and French flags).

From 1945 to 1949 the building was the main office of the Soviet Military Administration (Soviet flag).

On 10 October 1949 General Vasily Chuikov granted legal state authority to the first government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR flag until the institution of the German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst in 1995, with now the German and Russian flags).

I had a famous big brother, living in Moscow.

Between 1967 and 1994 a museum of the Soviet Armed Forces (“Museum of the Unconditional Surrender of Fascist Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945”) was established there in remembrance of the Battle of Berlin and the German surrender. It was a branch of the Central Armed Forces Museum of Moscow.

I live in a quiet residential area, but this has not always been the case.

Karlshorst, South-East of Berlin, was less quiet during the fights in April / May 1945...

I have a new job since 1995.

The German-Russian Museum Berlin-Karlshorst (Deutsch-Russische Museum Berlin-Karlshorst) is dedicated to German-Soviet and German-Russian relations with a focus on the German-Soviet war 1941-1945. It opened in 1995 for the 50 year anniversary of the en dof WW2.

Bravo to Dan !! :jumping:

Dan, your turn, now...

Ch.

[Christophe]

Ok, this question is a good example of why I'm rapidly losing interest in this quiz.

Buildings are not people, and to use personal pronouns, i.e. "I have lived... My boss was... Who am I?" is entirely misleading.

I've overlooked it in other questions because usually there were other clues or hints in the original question that made it abundantly clear that we were talking about an inanimate object, not a person. But to wait til Hint #4 or 5?

Well, I stuck around for over 100 questions, but I think the time has come for me to unfollow this particular thread.

Hi Harvey,

I'm sorry you did not like the way the question is asked.

But, when looking to the previous questions, this kind of writing has often been used... Indeed, it may add complexity or perplexity, but isn't it also part of the challenge and the game ?

OK, I'll try to be more explicite next time

And, most important, stay tuned... We have now, thanks to all participants, a good level of challenges. Some are easier than others, some not, but that's part of competition... )

Please, stay and continue to have fun with us...

Cheers.

Ch.

Edited December 12, 2011 by Christophe

[Christophe]

Back to the Quiz !!

Dan, next question is yours !! :jumping:

Ch.

[JimZ]

Scoreboard update!

24 points - JimZ

17 points - Harvey

16 points - UB6365

16 points - Christophe

15 points - Hauptmann

8 points - Gunner 1

3 points - Valter

2 points - kapten_windu

1 point - Tachel

1 point - K2009

Question 103 to follow.

Harvey, Hauptmann has contacted me and has expressed that he would like to pass on the honour of the next question to you. It would make us all very happy if you would accept this gesture. We are looking at trying to tweak some rules for 2012 so please, do stick around and help us launch the new quiz!!

So back to the quiz - will you accept Hauptmann's invite to ask the next one?

Jim

[Harvey]

Question #103:

What image is this? Who does it belong to?

[Hauptmann]

Russian Special Forces Spetsnaz sleeve patch.

Dan :cheers: