The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : Which German battleship was sunk by the Royal Navy on 26 December 1943, off the north coast of Norway?
Possible answers:
- The Bismarck
- The Tirpitz
- The Scharnhorst
- The Graf Spee
Explanation: The Scharnhorst was one of the last great warships of the Kriegsmarine. It was sunk during the Battle of the North Cape by HMS Duke of York and its escorts, putting an end to the threat it posed to the Allied convoys heading to the USSR.
Question 2 : What major discovery did Pierre and Marie Curie announce to the Académie des sciences on December 26, 1898?
Possible answers:
- Nuclear fission and enriched uranium
- Radium and polonium, and the concept of radioactivity
- X-rays and synthetic thorium
- The electron and the structure of the atom
Explanation: In addition to radium and polonium, the Curies introduced the term 'radioactivity' that day. Marie Curie named polonium in homage to her native Poland, which was then under Russian domination. She would be the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, in 1903.
Question 3 : What major event took place on December 26, 1991 at the Supreme Soviet in Moscow?
Possible answers:
- Boris Yeltsin was elected president of the Russian Federation
- The Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved
- The USSR was formally dissolved
- Russia declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Explanation: The formal dissolution of the USSR on that day marked the end of a superpower born in 1922. Mikhail Gorbachev had resigned the day before, on December 25. Fifteen independent republics emerged from this breakup, including Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic states.
Question 4 : Which former professional footballer was elected president of Liberia on December 26, 2017?
Possible answers:
- Didier Drogba
- Samuel Eto'o
- George Weah
- Roger Milla
Explanation: George Weah is the only footballer to have won the Ballon d'Or (1995) before becoming a head of state. A former striker for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, and Chelsea, he represents a unique journey between top-level sport and African politics.
Question 5 : On December 26, 2004, an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra caused a deadly tsunami. How many victims did this disaster claim approximately?
Possible answers:
- About 80,000 people
- More than 220,000 people
- About 40,000 people
- About 150,000 people
Explanation: This earthquake of magnitude 9.1 to 9.3 was one of the most powerful ever recorded. The tsunami reached the coasts of 14 countries, including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. It triggered a global awareness about tsunami warning systems.
Question 6 : Which William Friedkin film, released in the United States on December 26, 1973, caused mass hysteria among some viewers?
Possible answers:
- Jaws
- Rosemary's Baby
- Carrie
- The Exorcist
Explanation: The Exorcist, adapted from the novel by William Peter Blatty, was a major cultural phenomenon: audience members fainted in theaters, and the film sparked widespread societal debates about the portrayal of evil. It remains one of the founding works of horror cinema.
Question 7 : The first Paris-Dakar rally left the Trocadéro in Paris on December 26, 1978. How many competitors took part?
Possible answers:
- 85 competitors
- 170 competitors
- 240 competitors
- 320 competitors
Explanation: Founded by Thierry Sabine after he got lost in the Libyan desert in 1977, the Paris-Dakar became one of the most famous rally raids in the world. Since 2009, the race has been held in South America for security reasons, then in Saudi Arabia from 2020.
Question 8 : Born on December 26, 1791, Charles Babbage is today famous for what major contribution to the history of science?
Possible answers:
- The discovery of the law of universal gravitation
- The invention of the improved steam engine
- The design of the first mechanical computers
- The theory of evolution of species
Explanation: Babbage designed the 'analytical engine', the conceptual ancestor of the modern computer, capable of performing automatic calculations. His collaborator Ada Lovelace, daughter of the poet Byron, is often considered the first programmer in history for her work on this machine.
Question 9 : The Treaty of Pressburg, signed on December 26, 1805, was concluded following which famous Napoleonic victory?
Possible answers:
- The Battle of Wagram
- The Battle of Austerlitz
- The Battle of Jena
- The Battle of Marengo
Explanation: The Treaty of Pressburg (today Bratislava) was signed after the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805, often considered Napoleon's tactical masterpiece. It forced Austria to cede important territories to France and its allies, reinforcing French dominance in Europe.
Question 10 : Born on December 26, 1893, Mao Zedong was president of the People's Republic of China from 1954 to what year?
Possible answers:
- 1959
- 1962
- 1965
- 1976
Explanation: Mao Zedong gave up the presidency of the Republic in 1959, but kept the presidency of the Chinese Communist Party until his death in 1976. He remained the dominant political figure in China. His successor as president of the Republic was Liu Shaoqi, who was later sidelined during the Cultural Revolution.
