The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What friendship treaty between France and Germany was signed on January 22, 1963?
Possible answers:
- The Maastricht Treaty
- The Treaty of Rome
- The Élysée Treaty
- The North Atlantic Treaty
Explanation: The Élysée Treaty laid the foundations for a historic reconciliation between two countries that had clashed in two world wars. Since 2003, January 22 has officially been Franco-German Day. In 2019, a second treaty, signed in Aachen, strengthened this bilateral cooperation.
Question 2 : In what year was the Pontifical Swiss Guard founded at the Vatican?
Possible answers:
- 1452
- 1506
- 1563
- 1618
Explanation: The Pontifical Swiss Guard, founded on January 22, 1506 under Pope Julius II, is one of the oldest armies in the world still in active service. It has around 135 members today, all Catholic Swiss, and ensures the personal protection of the Pope.
Question 3 : Quel événement dramatique s'est produit à Saint-Pétersbourg le 22 janvier 1905, entrant dans l'histoire sous le nom de « dimanche rouge » ?
Possible answers:
- An explosion in an arms factory killing hundreds
- The army opens fire on a workers' demonstration in front of the Winter Palace
- An assassination attempt on Tsar Nicholas II foiled at the last moment
- The fire of the Russian parliament started by revolutionaries
Explanation: Le « dimanche rouge » du 22 janvier 1905 vit l'armée tsariste tirer sur des ouvriers et des paysans qui manifestaient pacifiquement devant le palais d'Hiver. Cet événement, qui fit des centaines de morts, fut l'un des déclencheurs de la révolution de 1905 et préfigura la révolution de 1917.
Question 4 : Which former professional footballer was inaugurated as president of Liberia on January 22, 2018?
Possible answers:
- Didier Drogba
- George Weah
- Samuel Eto'o
- Michael Essien
Explanation: George Weah, elected on December 26, 2017, is the only African to have won the Ballon d'Or (1995). A former striker for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea, he became the first former high-level professional athlete to reach the presidency of an African state.
Question 5 : What historic ruling did the US Supreme Court deliver on January 22, 1973?
Possible answers:
- The legalization of interracial marriage
- The abolition of the death penalty
- The legalization of abortion
- Equal pay between men and women
Explanation: The Roe v. Wade ruling of January 22, 1973 legalized abortion across the entire United States. This decision was considered a revolution for women's rights but remained highly controversial. It was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court in June 2022, returning the issue to state legislatures.
Question 6 : Which country refused, by referendum, to join the European Economic Community during the enlargement of January 22, 1972?
Possible answers:
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
Explanation: While the United Kingdom, Denmark and Ireland joined the EEC on January 22, 1972, Norway had rejected its membership by popular referendum. This Nordic country repeated that refusal in a 2nd referendum in 1994, thus remaining outside the European Union while participating in the European Economic Area.
Question 7 : Which famous French fashion designer presented his final show in Paris on January 22, 2002, bringing together 300 models and 2,000 guests?
Possible answers:
- Christian Lacroix
- Pierre Cardin
- Hubert de Givenchy
- Yves Saint Laurent
Explanation: Yves Saint Laurent, who had founded his fashion house in 1961, had 300 models walk the runway tracing 40 years of creations at this event at the Centre Pompidou. Among the guests present, Catherine Deneuve and Laetitia Casta paid tribute to him by performing a song by Barbara.
Question 8 : Which of these famous figures was born on January 22, 1788?
Possible answers:
- Victor Hugo
- Lord Byron
- Percy Shelley
- John Keats
Explanation: Lord Byron, born on that day in London, is one of the greatest British Romantic poets. Author of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Don Juan, he died in 1824 in Missolonghi, Greece, where he had enlisted to support the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire.
Question 9 : In what historical context did Hulagu Khan lay siege to Baghdad in 1258?
Possible answers:
- During the Christian Crusades in the Holy Land
- During the expansion of the Ottoman Empire
- As part of the Mongol Empire's westward expansion
- During the Byzantine reconquest of Arab territories
Explanation: Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, was leading the Mongol expansion westward. The fall of Baghdad in 1258 marked the end of the Abbasid Caliphate, which had lasted 508 years. It was one of the most devastating events for medieval Islamic civilization: the House of Wisdom and its legendary libraries were destroyed.
Question 10 : Wilbur Scoville, born on January 22, 1865, is best known for creating a scale that measures what?
Possible answers:
- The toxicity of medicinal plants
- The spiciness level of peppers
- The alcohol content of fermented drinks
- The acidity of citrus fruits and tropical fruits
Explanation: The Scoville scale, developed in 1912, measures the heat level of peppers in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). It's based on the concentration of capsaicin, the molecule responsible for the burning sensation. The hottest pepper ever measured, the Carolina Reaper, exceeds 2 million SHU.
