Today’s Tough Trivia question is: How many national flags use only the colors red, white, and blue? Bonus points if you know how many use all three of those colors.

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Yesterday’s question was: Boeing makes a huge number of the passenger airplanes upon which we fly. They’re iconic for their model numbers: the 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, and 787. (Nobody remembers the 717.) In which decade did each of those model numbers enter commercial service? Bonus question: one 747 holds the record for carrying the most people on a single flight. How many people was it?

The answer is:

The Boeing 707 is a long-range, narrow-body, four engine jetliner. First flown in 1954, it entered service with Pan American World Airways on October 26, 1958. Production ceased in 1978, after 865 707s were built.

The Boeing 727 is a narrow-body jetliner with three engines on the tail. First flown in 1963, it entered service with Eastern Airlines on February 1, 1964. The last, of 1,832 727s, was built in 1984.

The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body twin jet engine airliner, one of the most popular in the world. First flown in 1967, it entered service with Lufthansa in February 1968. More than 10,000 737s have been built so far.

The iconic Boeing 747, is a large, long-range, wide-body airliner with four jet engines and the hump on the forward fuselage. It first flew in 1969, and entered service with Pan Am on January 22, 1970. More than 1,500 747s have been built. On May 24, 1991, as part of Operation Solomon (which evacuated Ethiopian Jews to Israel), one El Al 747 with the seats removed carried 1,088 passengers (including two babies born in flight) on the route: the most passengers ever on one aircraft.

The Boeing 757 is a narrow-body twin jet engine airliner. First flown in 1982, it entered service with Eastern Airlines on January 1, 1983. In 2004, the last of 1,050 757s was built.

The Boeing 767 is a wide-body twin jet engine airliner. First flown in 1981, it entered service with United Airlines on September 8, 1982. More than 1,200 767s have been built as of this year.

The Boeing 777 is a wide-body twin jet engine airliner. It first flew in 1994, and entered service with United Airlines on June 7, 1995. Boeing has so far built more than 1,600 777s.

The Boeing 787, also known as the Dreamliner, is a wide-body twin jet engine airliner. It first flew in 2009, and entered service with All Nippon Airways on October 26, 2011. Through March of this year, Boeing has built 994 787s.

The Boeing 717 is the odd one out. The aircraft developed between the 707 and the 727 was not as long as the 707, and only went into military service as the C-135. It first flew in 1961, and has been in continual service (in several variants) with the US Air Force ever since.

There is also a newer 717. In the early 1990s, McDonnell Douglas developed the MD-95, a twin-engine (two on the tail), single-aisle jetliner, which first flew in 1998, and entered service with AirTran Airways on October 12, 1999. Boeing acquired McDonnel Douglas in August 1999, and rather than cancelling the MD-95, they simply rebranded it as the 717. 156 of the airplane were built before Boeing ceased production in 2006.

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Ian’s Tough Trivia is a daily feature of this blog. Each day, I post a tough question, as well as the answer to the previous day’s question. At some point, I’ll offer a prize for whoever has the most correct answers, and another for whoever participates most often (I’ll take into account people coming in after the start: regular participation starting later is just as good as regular participation starting earlier). There may also be a prize for the funniest or most amusing wrong answer. Simply comment on this post with your answer. I’ll approve the comments after the next question is posted. Sure, you can probably find the answers by searching the web, but what’s the fun in that?

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