July 19 Through History

Explanation: Line 1 of the Paris metro, connecting Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot, opened on the occasion of the 1900 World's Fair. It remains today the busiest line in the network, fully automated since 2012.

Explanation: The defeat of the Visigoth kingdom by Umayyad forces at the Battle of Guadalete opened the way for the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, known as Al-Andalus. This conquest lasted until the Reconquista, completed in 1492.

Explanation: Edgar Degas, born in Paris in 1834, is particularly famous for his depictions of ballet dancers, horse races, and women at their toilette. Although associated with the Impressionist movement, he himself preferred the term Realist.

Explanation: The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 ended in a humiliating defeat for France, bringing down Napoleon III's Second Empire, the capture of Paris, and the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. It also led to the proclamation of the Second German Reich in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Explanation: Samuel Colt revolutionized weaponry by developing and popularizing the percussion revolver, with a rotating cylinder that allowed firing multiple shots without reloading. His Colt brand became synonymous with handguns in the United States, especially during the conquest of the West.

Explanation: Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Aung San, became a global symbol of peaceful resistance against the Burmese military junta. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and led the Burmese civilian government from 2016 to 2021, before being overthrown by a military coup.

Explanation: The Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew Anastasio Somoza Debayle, the last of a family that had ruled Nicaragua since 1936. The Sandinista revolution was part of the Cold War, pitting the United States, who supported the Contras, against the Sandinistas backed by Cuba and the USSR.

Explanation: Brian May is the guitarist of Queen, a band formed in 1970 with Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. Alongside his music career, Brian May is also an astrophysicist and earned a doctorate in 2007 at Imperial College London, after having put his studies on hold for 30 years.

Explanation: The Entartete Kunst (degenerate art) exhibition was organized by the Nazi regime to ridicule modern art, especially Expressionism, Dadaism and Surrealism. Paradoxically, it drew far more visitors than the official Nazi art exhibition held at the same time. More than 16,000 works were confiscated from German museums.

Explanation: Sagarmatha National Park, located in Nepal, takes its name from the Nepali term for Everest, the world's highest summit at 8,849 meters. The park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 and is home to remarkable wildlife, including the snow leopard and the red panda.