The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : Which French explorer established the first colony in Texas on February 18, 1685?
Possible answers:
- Samuel de Champlain
- René Robert Cavelier de La Salle
- Jacques Marquette
- Louis Jolliet
Explanation: René Robert Cavelier de La Salle is also known for having sailed down the Mississippi to its mouth in 1682 and claimed the entire Mississippi valley in the name of France, naming it Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV.
Question 2 : Which American astronomer discovered the dwarf planet Pluto on February 18, 1930?
Possible answers:
- Edwin Hubble
- Carl Sagan
- Clyde William Tombaugh
- Percival Lowell
Explanation: Clyde Tombaugh was only 24 years old when he discovered Pluto at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona. Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union in 2006, sparking a heated debate in the scientific community and among the general public.
Question 3 : In 1521, which people was Hernán Cortés mainly targeting during his conquest of Mexico, which began on February 18, 1519?
Possible answers:
- The Maya
- The Inca
- The Aztecs
- The Zapotecs
Explanation: Cortés sought to conquer the Aztec Empire led by Moctezuma II. Through alliances with peoples subjugated by the Aztecs, devastating diseases, and his firearms, he took Tenochtitlán in 1521, later founding Mexico City on its ruins.
Question 4 : On February 18, 1921, which Frenchman made the first helicopter takeoff in history?
Possible answers:
- Louis Blériot
- Étienne Œhmichen
- Henri Farman
- Paul Cornu
Explanation: Étienne Œhmichen trained as a doctor before dedicating himself to aviation. In 1924, he also set the first official world helicopter record by covering 1 kilometer in a closed circuit. His work laid fundamental foundations for the design of future rotorcraft.
Question 5 : On February 18, 1861, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as president of which state during the American Civil War?
Possible answers:
- The Southern States united in the Planters' Confederacy
- The Republic of Mississippi
- The Confederate States of America
- The Southern Union of Secessionist States
Explanation: Jefferson Davis, a former senator from Mississippi and U.S. Secretary of War, presided over the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. After the Southern defeat, he was imprisoned for 2 years at Fort Monroe but was never tried for treason.
Question 6 : On February 18, 1986, a free Rolling Stones concert drew one and a half million people to which famous Brazilian beach?
Possible answers:
- Ipanema
- Copacabana
- Barra da Tijuca
- Leblon
Explanation: This massive concert at Copacabana, in Rio de Janeiro, remains one of the greatest musical gatherings in history. The Rolling Stones played for free, and the event was broadcast on television in many countries. Copacabana beach is also famous for hosting New Year's Eve celebrations with millions of spectators.
Question 7 : Which dwarf planet was discovered on February 18, 1930, long considered the ninth planet of the solar system?
Possible answers:
- Eris
- Sedna
- Pluto
- Makemake
Explanation: Pluto orbits in the Kuiper Belt, beyond Neptune, at an average distance of 5.9 billion kilometers from the Sun. NASA's New Horizons probe flew past Pluto in July 2015, revealing a surprisingly complex surface with ice mountains and a vast heart-shaped plain.
Question 8 : On February 18, 1952, which two countries joined NATO together, expanding the alliance toward southeastern Europe?
Possible answers:
- Spain and Portugal
- Greece and Turkey
- Italy and Yugoslavia
- Bulgaria and Romania
Explanation: The simultaneous accession of Greece and Turkey to NATO in 1952 was a strategic turning point of the Cold War, strengthening the Alliance's southern flank against the USSR. Paradoxically, the two countries have experienced deep tensions between them, particularly during the Cyprus crisis of 1974.
Question 9 : What great figure in physics, whose name is given to an electrical unit of measurement, was born on February 18, 1745?
Possible answers:
- André-Marie Ampère
- Alessandro Volta
- Georg Ohm
- Michael Faraday
Explanation: Alessandro Volta invented the electric battery in 1800, providing for the first time a stable source of direct current. In his honor, the international unit of measurement for electrical voltage, the volt (V), was named so by the International Congress of Electricians in 1881.
Question 10 : On February 18, 1911, French aviator Henri Péquet achieved a world first in the field of communication. What was it?
Possible answers:
- He carried out the first commercial flight with paying passengers
- He carried the first postal mail by plane
- He made the first crossing of the English Channel by plane
- He carried out the first night flight without visibility
Explanation: Henri Péquet carried 6,500 letters over about 13 kilometers between Allahabad and Naini, in British India, aboard a Humber biplane. This inaugural airmail flight paved the way for airmail postal services that would revolutionize global communications in the following decades.