World Cups have always produced that perfect heady mix we crave, edge-of-the-seat excitement, golazos, unbelievable howlers, breathtaking twists and moments of unscripted genius, it’s no wonder it’s been dubbed as ‘the greatest show on the earth’. 
After four weeks of thrills and spills, tears and joys, hugs and chants, the stage is perfectly set as France takes on Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in front of 80,000 spectators and almost half the world on TV, to compete for football’s pinnacle of glory. 
France knows it very well how in their own country in 1998, this young nation of thousand islands took the world by surprise. And twenty years later, the ‘Full of Life’ Croatians are at it again, with much more fire than ever before. 
As I write this, I vividly remember Goran Ivanisevic, arguably the most famous Croatians we know of. And that summer of London. Once World No 2, he was runner-up in the Wimbledon Men’s Singles in 1992, 1994 and 1998. In 2001, while awaiting surgery on his left shoulder ranked 125, he was given a wildcard for Wimbledon. And the ‘Rabbit’ went on to win the tournament becoming the only player ever to win it with a wildcard. He smashed out 212 aces along the way. In the semi-final he served up 35 aces and in the final a further 27. This is still a record for most aces in a tournament. Another Croatian and the man he coached, Maran Cilic, reached the final of Wimbledon last year.
A year later and after some very gripping and monstrous tennis bouts, the stage is perfectly set again for another epic Sunday battle on Center Court. 
It’s that day today when we should just hit the couch, turn on the TV or still better find ourselves in a Fan Zone or a large group of people. It just can’t get any bigger. 
Time! Your time starts NOW! 
Welcome to the world of ‘Nutty’s Infotainment. YAYS!’


Until needed at Wimbledon, these are stored in refrigerated containers at 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius). Subject to availability, used ones are sold daily at £2.50 for a can of three and the proceeds go to the Wimbledon Foundation. What are these?
Tennis balls


What has Cyclops, a one-eyed monster from Greek mythology, got to do with tennis?
Affectionately called ‘Cyclops’ these are a system of infra-red beams to help determine whether a serve is in or out.
To prevent the Nazis from stealing, what precious item was kept in a shoebox under the bed of Dr. Ottorino Barassi throughout WWII?
Jules Rimet Cup


A place called Hum is said to be in possession of a world record for being the smallest town in the world. According to wikipedia, it has a population of 28. And for Zadar, a seaside city in the same country, Alfred Hitchcock has been quoted as saying ‘Zadar has the most beautiful sunset in the world’. In which country are these places?
Croatia


It was founded on 21st March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams and launched this day (15th July) of that year. ‘Friendstalker’ was one of the name suggested for this. What are we talking about?
Twitter


Which famous structure shares its nickname with Margaret Thatcher—‘La Dame de Fer’or ‘The Iron Lady’?
Eiffel Tower


What was the profession of Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest?
Bee keeping. When filling in forms, he always gave his occupation as ‘apiarist’.


On this day (15th July) in 1955, partly out of urgency and partly out of guilt, a group of 52 Nobel Laureates signed a declaration calling for an end to the use of nuclear weapons. The work of some of them, including that of Otto Hahn, who discovered nuclear fission, was used to build nuclear weapons. They were horrified their work was turned into technology that could kill billions. What is it called?
Mainu Declaration


Onyx is the longest river of which continent?
Antartica. At 32 kilometres in length, Onyx flows during few months (about 60 days) of high summer.
Where is this amphitheatre?


(Answer next week. Answer to last week’s photoquiz: Vivien Leigh)