The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What major event took place on 26 January 1788 in Australia?
Possible answers:
- The founding of the city of Melbourne by Irish settlers
- The signing of a peace treaty with Aboriginal peoples
- The arrival of the first European settlers aboard the First Fleet at Port Jackson
- The discovery of the Bass Strait by a British navigator
Explanation: The arrival of the First Fleet marks what is now Australia's national holiday, called Australia Day. This fleet carried around 1,500 people, including 775 British convicts. Port Jackson is today the site of the city of Sydney.
Question 2 : Which diamond, discovered on January 26, 1905 in South Africa, is the largest rough diamond ever found?
Possible answers:
- The Koh-i-Noor
- The Cullinan
- The Regent
- The Sancy
Explanation: The Cullinan, weighing 3,106 carats, was given to King Edward VII of England. It was then cut into several stones, the two largest of which now adorn the British Crown Jewels: the Great Cullinan and the Lesser Cullinan.
Question 3 : On January 26, 1926, engineer John Logie Baird held the first true television demonstration. In which city did this take place?
Possible answers:
- Edinburgh
- New York
- Berlin
- London
Explanation: Baird gave his demonstration to members of the Royal Institution in London. His system, called the Televisor, worked by mechanical scanning of the image. The BBC began its regular broadcasts ten years later, in 1936.
Question 4 : Which French musician and violinist, born on January 26, 1908 in Paris, is famous for popularizing gypsy jazz?
Possible answers:
- Stéphane Grappelli
- Django Reinhardt
- Édith Piaf
- Maurice Chevalier
Explanation: Stéphane Grappelli founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France in 1934 alongside guitarist Django Reinhardt. Their collaboration gave birth to a unique musical style, gypsy jazz, which remains influential all over the world. Grappelli continued to perform until an advanced age.
Question 5 : On January 26, 1950, India came into effect as a Republic with a new Constitution. Who became its first president?
Possible answers:
- Jawaharlal Nehru
- Rajendra Prasad
- Bhimrao Ambedkar
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Explanation: Rajendra Prasad was not only the first president of republican India, but he held the position for two terms, until 1962. It is this date of January 26 that India celebrates every year as its national holiday, Republic Day.
Question 6 : Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, born on January 26, 1763, was one of Napoleon's marshals. Under what name did he reign as king of Sweden?
Possible answers:
- Gustav IV
- Oscar I
- Charles XIV John
- Frederick VI
Explanation: Adopted by King Charles XIII of Sweden, who had no heir, Bernadotte became Charles XIV John of Sweden in 1818. His descendants still reign over Sweden today. He is the most famous example of a Napoleonic officer who became head of state of a foreign country.
Question 7 : Born on January 26, 1880, which American general is best known for commanding the Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II?
Possible answers:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
- George Patton
- Douglas MacArthur
- Chester Nimitz
Explanation: Douglas MacArthur led the reconquest of the Pacific against Japan and oversaw the occupation of Japan after its surrender. His famous words "I shall return", spoken after his evacuation from the Philippines in 1942, have gone down in history. He also commanded the UN forces during the Korean War.
Question 8 : In 1993, Václav Havel was elected president of the Czech Republic. Why is this choice symbolically powerful?
Possible answers:
- He was the first civilian to lead an Eastern European country since 1945
- He had been one of the leading dissidents and playwrights persecuted by the communist regime
- He was the youngest president ever elected in Central Europe
- He had personally led the negotiations for the separation of Czechoslovakia
Explanation: Václav Havel was a dissident playwright who had been imprisoned under the communist regime. He was president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992, then the first president of the independent Czech Republic. His journey, from political prisoner to head of state, is emblematic of the democratic transitions in Central Europe.
Question 9 : On January 26, 2017, French sailor Francis Joyon broke the round-the-world sailing record. In how many days was this record set?
Possible answers:
- In 45 days and 12 hours
- In 40 days and 23 hours
- In 50 days and 6 hours
- In 35 days and 3 hours
Explanation: Francis Joyon and his five crewmates covered around 45,000 kilometers in 40 days and 23 hours, beating the previous record by more than six days. The Jules Verne Trophy rewards the crewed non-stop, unassisted round-the-world sailing record, named after Jules Verne's novel "Around the World in Eighty Days".
Question 10 : Australia Day, the Australian national holiday celebrated on January 26, is controversial today. Why does part of the Australian population oppose it?
Possible answers:
- Because this date commemorates an Australian military defeat against the British
- Because it's a holiday seen as too commercial and not representative of modern Australia
- Because it marks the arrival of settlers who oppressed indigenous peoples, calling it Invasion Day
- Because the date doesn't correspond to Australia's actual proclamation of independence
Explanation: For many Aboriginal Australians and their supporters, January 26 symbolizes the beginning of British colonization and its violence against Indigenous peoples. They call this date Invasion Day or Survival Day. The debate over a possible change of date for the national holiday is a recurring one in Australia.
