Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all English monarchs (except Jane Grey, Edward V and Edward VIII, who were not coronated) have been crowned in the Abbey. All but one of those, Queen Mary, were crowned on King Edward’s Chair. The chair sits on the Stone of Scone, which is scottish, but I don’t know if it is technically in Scotland at the time.
So… what, 31 were in Scotland, and 1 in England?
None.
Just a shot. I’ll hold off on a poser of my own until my brilliance in this area is generally accepted.
Good insight into a catch, if that’s what ianzin was up to with the question. However, there’s a big problem with it, and also a detail you missed.
William III was also Stadtholder of the United Provinces (effectively King of the Netherlands) when he became King, so it would be two (or three with Charles II). That’s the detail.
But also, remember “The King is dead; long live the King!” A monarch accedes to the throne immediately on the death of his/her predecessor; the Coronation is a formal ceremonial recognizing that fact and marking the exchange of oaths between monarch and subjects, not the “making” of a king. So therefore all Kings, of England, England-and-Scotland, Great Britain, and the U.K., were already kings at their coronations.
It’ll be interesting to see in what way ianzin’s question is a trick, presuming it was.
Hmph. It’s been almost 24 hours, and no attempts at post #51
Oh, sorry. The temperature, as I recall. Water works by cooling the fuel below combustion temperatures.
No.
I agree Polycarp. The maxim “the king is dead - long live the king” is what I was referring to when I was arguing that, if my suggested interpretation is indeed the trick behind **ianzin’s ** question, then I think the trick is incorrect.
Okay, before this frustrates the hell out of danceswithcats and the rest of us, is the answer here:
Fireboats?
WAG pseudo-chemistry answer: the carbon dioxide resulting from the mixture of smoke and water.
I would say that there’s nothing intrinsically in water that puts out fires. It merely smothers it. Sand could do just as well, but it’s not as easily pumped in large amounts.
Very good, Polycarp! 
Okay, a variant on an earlier question: How many Kings of England (Great Britain, U.K., etc.) have been crowned since the Normandy Invasion?
1/1024
Hi everyone. I got the question and the answer from “OMNI Games: The Best Brainteasers From Omni Magazine”, edited by Scott Morris. The answer given is: “One. All of England’s kings were princes or dukes, etc., when crowned, with one exception: King James VI of Scotland, who was crowned king of England in 1603.”
The argument concerning ‘long live the king’ and immediate accession is an interesting twist on the answer. I think it’s a bit metaphysical, but I see the point. I wonder if anyone has ever mentioned this to Scot?
Funny aside: I was once showing an American friend around Westminster Abbey, and I explained about the Coronation Chair. “Oh,” she said, “is that where they get coronated?”.
Regardless of what you think of the merits of this answer, I’d just like to say that the book is definitely the best book of mind games and puzzles that I’ve ever seen, and that Scott Morris is the king of this kind of thing. If you’re into puzzles and you come across a copy of the book, get it!
One, Queen Elizabeth II, crowned 2nd June 1953, the Normandy Invasion being 6th-25th June 1944.
Oh, wait damn. Zero, just one Queen.
Your turn to pose one!
Thanks ianzin. I thought that would be the answer. I still think it’s wrong and not just on a metaphysical plane, but also based on common sense. Edward VIII wasn’t crowned during his 11 month reign in 1936, but nobody has ever suggested that he wasn’t a “real king”. Otherwise, why was there all of the fuss about the Abdication? If he wasn’t really king, why didn’t Parliament just tell him to nick off? Similarly, George VI died on 6 February 1952 and his elder daughter succeeded as Queen Elizabeth II instantly, even though she was up a tree in a game park in Africa at the time. She wasn’t actually crowned until over a year later, on 2 June 1953. Again, nobody ever suggests that during the first 16 months of her reign she was only a semi, uncrowned queen and that her various constitutional acts (such as giving royal assent to legislation) were invalid.
Otherwise, that Omni puzzle book sounds very interesting. I must dig up a copy.
Trick:
-When did you stop beating your wife?
How is it noone has put that up yet?
-If Mr Smith’s peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones’ yard, who owns the egg?
-Name the most recent year in which New Year’s preceded Christmas.
-Why are 1968 pennies worth more than 1967 pennies?
-Who had the title role in the 1931 movie Frankenstein?
-If there are 6 apples and you take away 4, how many do you have?
-There are two coins which total 55 cents (read: $0.55). One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?
-Do you say “Loo-iss-vill” is the capital of Kentucky, or do you say “Loo-ee-vill” is the capital of Kentucky?
-Exactly how many slices of 1.5 cm each can you cut from a whole loaf of bread which is 22.5 cm long?
Trivia:
-How many lines are on the edge of a quarter? Of a dime?
118, 117
Googled for trick questions, eh?
/found the same site…