Question:
War between Phillip II's possessions and other countries led to a deterioration of Portugal's Empire, as with the loss of Hormuz to England, but the Dutch Empire was the main beneficiary. The VOC began immediately to prise away the string of coastal fortresses that, at the time, comprised the Portuguese Empire. The settlements were isolated, difficult to reinforce if attacked, and prone to being picked off one by one, but nevertheless the Dutch only enjoyed mixed success in its attempts to do so. Amboina was captured from the Portuguese in 1605, but an attack on Malacca the following year narrowly failed in its objective to provide a more strategically located base in the East Indies with favorable monsoon winds. The Dutch found what they were looking for in Jakarta, conquered by Jan Coen in 1619, later renamed Batavia after the putative Dutch ancestors the Batavians, and which would become the capital of the Dutch East Indies. Meanwhile, the Dutch continued to drive out the Portuguese from their bases in Asia. Malacca finally succumbed in 1641 , Colombo in 1656, Ceylon in 1658, Nagappattinam in 1662 and Cranganore and Cochin in 1662. Goa, the capital of the Portuguese Empire in the East, was unsuccessfully attacked by the Dutch in 1603 and 1610. Whilst the Dutch were unable in four attempts to capture Macau from where Portugal monopolized the lucrative China-Japan trade, the Japanese shogunate's increasing suspicion of the intentions of the Catholic Portuguese led to their expulsion in 1639. Under the subsequent sakoku policy, from 1639 till 1854  the Dutch were the only European power allowed to operate in Japan, confined in 1639 to Hirado and then from 1641 at Deshima. In the mid 17th century the Dutch also explored the western Australian coasts, naming many places.

Which fell first: Malacca, Colombo, or Ceylon?

Answer:
Malacca


Question:
Following the death of Ben Jonson in 1637, Davenant was named Poet Laureate in 1638.  He was a supporter of King Charles I in the English Civil War. In 1641, before the war began, he was declared guilty of high treason by parliament along with John Suckling, after he participated in the First Army Plot, a Royalist plan to use the army to occupy London. He fled to France. Returning to join the king's army when the war started, he was knighted two years later by king Charles following the siege of Gloucester. In 1645, after the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Naseby, he retired to Paris, where he became a Roman Catholic and worked on his epic poem Gondibert. That same year he was appointed Emissary to France, and in 1649 was given the symbolic post of treasurer of the colony of Virginia by the exiled Charles II. The following year, he was made lieutenant governor of Maryland, but was captured at sea, imprisoned, and sentenced to death. He is said to have been saved by the intervention of John Milton. He spent all of 1651 in the Tower of London, where he continued writing Gondibert. On his release in 1652, he immediately published Gondibert, but he was only pardoned in 1654. In order to avoid the strict laws of censorship in force in all public places at the time, he turned a room of his home, Rutland House, into a private theatre where his works, and those of other writers considered seditious, could be performed. A performance of his The Siege of Rhodes at Rutland House in 1656 is considered to be the first performance of an English opera, and also included England's first known professional actress, Mrs Coleman.

Which did Davenant participate in first, the First Army Plot, of the siege of Gloucester?

Answer:
First Army Plot


Question:
Coming off their home win over the Eagles, the Ravens flew to Paul Brown Stadium for a Week 13 AFC North rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals.  In the first quarter, Baltimore scored first with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Matt Stover.  In the second quarter, the Ravens increased their lead as Stover made a 21-yard field goal, while rookie quarterback Joe Flacco completed a 4-yard TD pass to TE Todd Heap.  The Bengals would close out the half as kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 21-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Baltimore pulled away as WR Mark Clayton (on a trick play) threw a 32-yard TD pass to WR Derrick Mason and caught a 70-yard TD pass from Flacco.  In the fourth quarter, the Ravens sealed the victory as safety Jim Leonhard returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown. With the win, not only did Baltimore improve to 8-4, but they swept the season series from Cincinnati for the first time since 2002.

How many more touchdowns were scored in the second half, compared to the first half?

Answer:
2


Question:
Coming off their bye week, the Cardinals went home for a Week 7 interconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers, in a rematch of Super Bowl XLIII.  Arizona trailed early in the first quarter as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller.  Pittsburgh would add onto their lead in the second quarter as  Roethlisberger completed a 95-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace.  The Cardinals would answer with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Alfonso Smith.  The Steelers would close out the half with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 41-yard field goal. Arizona opened the third quarter with quarterback Kevin Kolb finding running back LaRod Stephens-Howling on a 73-yard touchdown pass, but Pittsburgh struck back with Roethlisberger completing a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, along with Kolb's intentional grounding penalty in the endzone resulting in a safety.  In the fourth quarter, the Steelers continued to pull away with Suisham making a 42-yard and a 39-yard field goal.  The Cardinals tried to rally as Kolb found wide receiver Early Doucet on a 2-yard touchdown pass (with a failed two-point conversion), but Pittsburgh held on to preserve the victory.

How many yards was the longest touchdown pass?

Answer:
95