Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The race to patent the telephone

Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for the telephone on 14 February 1876, just hours before Elisha Gray submitted a caveat for a similar device. Bell’s patent was awarded first, and his name became attached to the invention. The date has long been debated by historians because the two men were working on voice transmission at the same time. Bell’s background in teaching deaf students also shaped his interest in sound and speech, which fed directly into his experiments.

The final voyage of Captain James Cook

Captain James Cook was killed on 14 February 1779 at Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii. He had initially been welcomed by the islanders, but tensions rose after his ships returned following a storm. Cook had already charted large parts of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia and New Zealand, long before this third voyage ended in his death. His expeditions transformed European understanding of the Pacific region.

Cotahuasi Canyon and the measure of depth

Cotahuasi Canyon in southern Peru is often cited as one of the deepest canyons on Earth, with depths reaching more than 3,000 metres. It lies in the Arequipa region and is carved by the Cotahuasi River. Unlike the more famous Grand Canyon, Cotahuasi remains relatively remote and less visited. Its depth is measured from the river to the highest nearby peak, which explains why different sources sometimes rank it differently.

Boron and the letter B

Boron carries the chemical symbol B, one of the few elements whose symbol is simply its initial letter. It is a metalloid, meaning it has properties between metals and non-metals, and it is essential in small amounts for plant growth. In everyday life, boron compounds appear in glass, detergents and even some insecticides. The symbol Be belongs to beryllium, while Br stands for bromine, which makes this a common point of confusion.