A Childhood Puzzle Remembered

As a child my only real quizzes for Xmas were my Great Aunt’s riddles at the tea table. Of more recent years, I have used some of those, with many children, and even as a topic at various talks to adults.

These days there are many different kinds of quizzes available: in newspapers; on TV; at fund-raising evenings, and even – the kind I prefer – as sheets of A4 questions to be studied at leisure.

With the widespread use of the internet, the quiz compilers need to find more and more ways to formulate interesting and challenging questions which are not available already answered on ‘The Net’.

During the last few days I came across several items which caused me to think about a question I remembered reading about as a child.

At the Christmas Lunch for the Retired Staff from Mike’s previous employment, he won a pack of 4 wax crayons from the Christmas Cracker. One day I received the December ’08. edition of a friend’s local magazine. It had a Christmas picture for children and adults to colour. Last night I was using an atlas – one I’ve had since childhood – to look for a quiz answer.

This morning I remembered: well I think I do !

Somewhere I read that it is possible to colour in a map, so that no adjoining countries have the same colour, and only four different colours are needed.

Is/was this correct? Will you need to buy 4 wax crayons to find out?

Have ‘fun for a few pence’ at Christmas 2008, as in 1908 (!) and in 1958 (!).

Best wishes.

Mary Garratt
7th. December 2008