Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A novel that unfolds in a single day

James Joyce's Ulysses follows Leopold Bloom through one ordinary day in Dublin, 16 June 1904, and the book's structure mirrors Homer's Odyssey in ways both playful and elaborate. Its stream-of-consciousness style was radical enough that early readers often found it baffling, and the novel was at the centre of obscenity disputes in the United States before a 1933 court ruling allowed its publication there. Today, 16 June is celebrated by Joyce fans around the world as Bloomsday, with readings, pub crawls and period dress.

Greenwich and the line that keeps the world on time

The prime meridian at Greenwich is not a natural feature of the planet - it is a convention. In 1884, an international conference in Washington chose the Greenwich observatory as the reference point for longitude and for a universal day, largely because Britain's maritime charts were already widely used. France, among others, held out for years before adopting Greenwich-based time. Even the line itself has shifted slightly: modern GPS places the meridian about 100 metres east of the brass strip tourists photograph at the observatory.

Handel's music for a king on the river

George Frideric Handel composed his Water Music for a royal river party on the Thames in 1717, when King George I and his guests travelled by barge while the orchestra played from a nearby boat. The story that the king liked it so much he demanded repeat performances is part of the suite's legend. Born in Germany, Handel spent most of his career in London and became a naturalised British subject. The Water Music suites remain among his most performed works.

Why kimchi is more than cabbage

Napa cabbage is the main ingredient in the most familiar version of kimchi, but Korean cuisine includes hundreds of varieties made with radish, cucumber, spring onion and more. The fermentation that gives kimchi its tang relies on lactic acid bacteria, similar in principle to sauerkraut and other preserved vegetables. Traditionally, families made large batches in late autumn in a communal event called kimjang, and the practice was added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list in 2013.