The Golden Age of Travel – Quiz

Question 1:

With the dawn of the Twentieth Century and new technology such as oil fired engines and improved building techniques passenger liners became bigger and faster. The major trans-Atlantic shipping companies engaged in a ship-building war similar to that of the great navies with their focus on dreadnought battleships. The competition between the passenger ship companies continued after World War 1 and lead to the famous Cunard Line ‘Queen’ ships.

The most famous or infamous ship was the Titanic. When launched she was the biggest ship afloat. One of her sister ships was slightly larger but the interior fit-out of the Titanic was more luxurious and heavier giving her a slightly higher tonnage. A second sister ship was under construction and her design was changed to make her safer following the sinking of the Titanic.

What where the names of the Titanic’s sister ships and what was their fate?

a. The Olympic was launched before the Titanic but was involved in a number of incidents. Her identity was swapped with the Titanic and she sank in 1912 in order to collect insurance money.

b. The Heroic was incomplete at the start of World War 1. In order to keep her out of the War the owners stopped work. She was completed in 1920 and had a successful career until retired in 1936.

c. Following the Titanic disaster both sister ships, the Olympic and Britannic were broken up as the White Star line went into liquidation.

d. The refitted Olympic was requisitioned by the Royal Navy and served as a troop transport during World War 1. Following the War she returned to service, and following an illustrious career was retired in 1935.

e.The Brittanic was completed and fitted as a hospital ship. She served with the Royal Navy until she hit a mine and sank in 1915.

Question 2:

In 1927 Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic in an aircraft. With that epic flight the dream of regular trans-Atlantic commercial aeroplane flights came a step nearer to reality. But as the North Atlantic was wide and subject to adverse weather conditions, the World’s major airlines focussed on crossing the South Atlantic. European airlines established routes between South America and West Africa.But the North Atlantic was where the money was. The Germans successfully used airships until the Hindenburg disaster. The Americans and British started with mail only flights using flying boats. In 1937 Pan American Airlines got serious and invited bids from US manufacturers for 100 seat airliner.

Which plane won the contract with Pan American Airways?

a. Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat

b. DC4

c. Boeing B-314 Yankee Clipper

d. Lockheed Constellation

Question 3:

In the modern era of travel the aim of travel is to get to the destination. The actual journey such as the flight is viewed as an unnecessary evil and something to be over quickly and cheaply.

In the Golden Age of Travel the journey was an experience in itself irrespective of whether it was by ocean liner, long distance train or an aircraft such as a luxury flying boat. Of course, this class of travel was for the well-heeled and they expected first-class service. Mere mortals travelled in steerage or second or third class.

In the modern age people are now re-visiting the travel as the end to be enjoyed rather than the means to an end.What are the names of the following train journeys currently available as an experience rather than a means of getting to a destination?

a. A trip through icy mountains, steep gorges, glacier-feed lakes, dry deserts and spectacular wildlife. The journey starts on the Pacific and finishes in the Canadian prairie at Calgary. Those who can afford the premium service can see the views from a double-deck dome car.

b. This train is as slow as its name. It travels between the glitzy ski resorts of St. Moritz and Zermatt. The Swiss Alps are viewed through skylights and panoramic windows as the train ambles through 91 tunnels and over 291 bridges.

c. This five-star hotel-on-rails takes you on a seven-day journey from Delhi through Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The modern deluxe cabins are complimented by two old-world restaurant cars.

d. This is probably the longest train service and it is all in one country. It has been on the bucket list of train buffs since 1901. In 2007 the new luxury service was re-launched. The journey now takes 12 nights with stops in five cities.

e. A trip through the country that boasts the largest camel population. This trip is a continent buster as it winds its way from the Pacific to Indian oceans via the Blue Mountains, mining towns, lush pastoral lands and empty deserts.

f. The 15th century and 1920’s luxury in one day. Throw in the Andes and some thick jungle and you have one spectacular train trip. For three hours the train passes through jungle, the Urubamba River rapids, two 4000m high mountain passes before arriving at the Inca Citadel.

g. The journey starts in Singapore at the 1932 Art Deco station and finishes three nights later in Bangkok. The elegance and service from that bygone era are on board this train.

h. Poirot and Bond have both caught this train. They may be fictional characters but this train is not. It no longer runs over its romantic pre-War route but there is no finer way to travel from London to Venice via Paris.

Question 4:

What do the following have in common?

• Model T Ford

• Boeing 747 Jumbo

• The M1

• Austin 7

• Morris Minor

a. They resulted from advances in technology.

b. All were made following the advances made in mass production introduced by Henry Ford.

c. They were sold around the World.

d. Each contributed in its own way to bringing travel to the common people.

Question 5:

Quick pop quiz:

What do the following have in common?

a. A huge statue of Christ.

b. Jungle only metres from each side of your ship.

c. Desert only metres from each side of your ship.

d. A coat hanger above a smiling face.

e. A fish called Nemo.

f. Sacre Coeur.

g. The snow-capped Mt Ararat.

h. The Zambezi along way straight down, but closer if you had jumped off the bridge with a big elastic band attached to your legs.

i. A Star Ferry

j. A large length of the Great Wall of China.

k. 1950s American cars in daily use.

What do the following have in common?

l. The Flying Scotsman.

m. The Queen Elizabeth.

n. The Hindenburg.

o. An A380.

p. A Trabant.

q. The Cooma Mail.

Which country or city would you have to go to to see?

r. Table Mountain.

s. Mt Etna.

t. Volcanoes with totally unpronounceable names that keep erupting and interrupting flights in Europe.

u. Where Indiana Jones chose wisely. (For non-movie buffs, try the ancient city of Petra). For extra points what did Indie choose wisely (answer in Question 6)?

v. The Mona Lisa.

w. General Robert E Lee’s house.

x. The names of Australia’s war dead.

y. Bullet Trains.

z. Schindler’s factory

Question 6: Extra Points, what did Indie choose wisely?

a. London’s main airport.

b. What the British called East Asia.

c. Capital of Peru.

d. What they sail between Sydney and Hobart.

e. Country that is the home of the modern Olympics.

f. The Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, then which Sea?

g. Generally if you fly from Sydney to London you would be in a plane made by Boeing or by which company?

h. The Ring of Kerry is in which country?

i. During WW2 trans-Atlantic flights landed in which Iberian city?

How did you go? Return tomorrow when we publish the answers.

This quiz first appeared in The Australia Times History Magazine.