Blimps, ape-men, nudity...it's quiz time!

Because you've all been so patient, and I've had relatively little to talk about -- it's a new Cafe Asteria Quiz Contest! E-mail your answers to me at griner (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll announce the winners early next week.

1. In 1915, German zeppelins were wreaking havoc on the British. One of the main reasons these giant explosive floating targets were successful was because British pilots generally could only destroy them by dropping bombs on them from extreme heights. What technological innovation turned the tide in Britain's favor?
EDIT: Two people have guessed "explosive bullets," but that's not what I'm looking for. A great answer, though, and it sounds like that did help...after this technology was added.
Bonus question: What badass was the first to actually bring a zeppelin down with bombs?

2. The recent discovery of a prehistoric child's skeleton in Ethiopia has renewed interest in Australopithecus afarensis, an ancient ancestor of ours who walked on two legs but was otherwise pretty monkey-ish. There was a similar ape-man genus that came along later than the afarensis but died off as an evolutionary dead end. Some theorize that this genus had too limited of a diet (grubs and plants) to adapt as well as the omnivorous Homo genus that led to us. So what was this mystery genus?

3. In the movie "Real Genius," (how's that for a smooth transition?) Val Kilmer's character recommends nudity as a solution to what potential problem?

4. This week's coup in Thailand has generally gone better for the military than a coup a few years back in which South American country? Hint: The replacement president was unable to retain his office for even 48 hours.

5. What magic-oriented "fraternity" was founded in the late 1800s, included famous writers along with the world's most notorious Satanist, and continues today as a Florida nonprofit?