The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : At Napoleon Bonaparte's coronation on 2 December 1804, what surprising symbolic gesture did the emperor perform?
Possible answers:
- He let Pope Pius VII place the crown on his head
- He crowned himself before crowning Joséphine
- He refused to wear the crown and chose a military diadem
- He had Joséphine crowned before receiving the crown himself from the pope
Explanation: Napoleon took the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself, then crowned Joséphine. This gesture signified that he owed his power to himself alone and not to the Church. The painting by Jacques-Louis David immortalizing the scene actually depicts the moment of Joséphine's coronation.
Question 2 : The Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805 is nicknamed the battle of the 'three emperors'. Which empires were represented?
Possible answers:
- France, Prussia and Russia
- France, Austria and the Ottoman Empire
- France, Austria and Russia
- France, Prussia and Austria
Explanation: The three emperors were Napoleon I (France), Francis II (Austria) and Alexander I (Russia). The French victory was so crushing that it put an end to the Holy Roman Empire the following year, in 1806, with Francis II abdicating his imperial title.
Question 3 : On December 2, 1942, physicist Enrico Fermi achieved a world first in Chicago in the field of science. What was it?
Possible answers:
- He developed the first nuclear fission bomb
- He achieved the first nuclear chain reaction
- He discovered artificial radioactivity through neutron bombardment
- He achieved the first controlled nuclear fusion in a laboratory
Explanation: Fermi led the team that built Chicago Pile-1, the first nuclear reactor in history, under the stands of the University of Chicago's stadium. This controlled nuclear chain reaction was a decisive step in the Manhattan Project, which led to the atomic bomb.
Question 4 : What major event for Cuba took place on December 2, 1956?
Possible answers:
- Fidel Castro proclaims the socialist Republic of Cuba
- Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and their guerrillas land in Cuba aboard the yacht Granma
- Che Guevara takes control of Havana
- Cuba nationalizes its oil resources in the face of the United States
Explanation: The Granma carried 82 revolutionaries, including Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, and Che Guevara. The landing was a military disaster: the men were quickly spotted and decimated by Batista's army. Only a handful of survivors reached the Sierra Maestra, the starting point of the guerrilla campaign.
Question 5 : Which country proclaimed its independence on December 2, 1971, forming a federation of seven emirates?
Possible answers:
- Qatar
- Bahrain
- Kuwait
- The United Arab Emirates
Explanation: The United Arab Emirates brings together Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Fujairah and Ras al-Khaimah. This date is celebrated every year as a national holiday. The country has become one of the most dynamic economies in the Middle East, thanks in particular to its oil reserves and Dubai as a global financial hub.
Question 6 : On December 2, 1988, Benazir Bhutto became Prime Minister of Pakistan. Why is this a notable historical fact?
Possible answers:
- She was the first woman elected head of state in Asia
- She was the first female head of state of a country with a Muslim tradition and majority
- She was the first civilian to lead Pakistan since its independence
- She was the first woman to take power after a peaceful coup
Explanation: Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former Prime Minister who was hanged in 1979. She was the first woman to lead a majority-Muslim state. She held the position twice (1988-1990 and 1993-1996) before being assassinated in an attack in December 2007, shortly before elections.
Question 7 : On December 2, 1993, the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot dead by police. In which Colombian city did this event take place?
Possible answers:
- Bogotá
- Cali
- Medellín
- Cartagena
Explanation: Escobar had been the head of the Medellín Cartel, the most powerful criminal organization in the world in the 1980s. He was killed the day after his 44th birthday, on the rooftop of a middle-class house in the city. At his peak, he was considered one of the richest men in the world.
Question 8 : En quelle année le peintre français Georges Seurat, né le 2 décembre 1859, développe-t-il le pointillisme, technique picturale révolutionnaire ?
Possible answers:
- In the 1870s
- In the 1900s
- In the 1880s
- In the 1920s
Explanation: Seurat présenta sa technique au Grand Salon des Indépendants en 1886 avec son tableau « Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte ». Le pointillisme, ou divisionnisme, consiste à appliquer de petites touches de couleurs pures côte à côte, laissant l'œil du spectateur les mélanger optiquement à distance.
Question 9 : The "Thriller" music video by Michael Jackson was released on December 2, 1983. Who directed this now iconic video?
Possible answers:
- Steven Spielberg
- John Landis
- Brian De Palma
- Martin Scorsese
Explanation: John Landis, director of "The Blues Brothers" among other films, directed this 14-minute video that revolutionized the music video format. It was the first video to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Michael Jackson is surrounded by an army of zombies in a choreography arranged by Michael Peters.
Question 10 : On December 2, 1959, the collapse of the Malpasset dam caused a disaster near Fréjus. How many victims did this tragedy claim?
Possible answers:
- About 150 victims
- About 700 victims
- About 1,200 victims
- About 423 victims
Explanation: The Malpasset dam was a concrete arch dam built in 1954. Its collapse was caused by water infiltration into the rock beneath the left foundation. It is one of the worst civilian disasters in post-war France. The wave, several meters high, devastated everything in its path in less than 40 minutes.
