The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What position did the Directory give Napoleon Bonaparte on March 2, 1796?
Possible answers:
- Minister of War
- Provisional Consul of the Republic
- Commander in Chief of the Army of Italy
- Governor General of Egypt
Explanation: Appointed commander-in-chief of the Army of Italy at just 26, Bonaparte launched the lightning Italian campaign that would propel him to glory and power. In less than a year, he inflicted a series of defeats on Austria and imposed the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797.
Question 2 : What major event marked March 2, 1969 in the field of aviation?
Possible answers:
- The first Boeing 747 flight between Paris and New York
- The first test flight of the Concorde from Toulouse
- The inauguration of Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport
- The first non-stop round-the-world flight by a civilian aircraft
Explanation: Concorde made its very first test flight from Toulouse on March 2, 1969, piloted by André Turcat. The Franco-British supersonic aircraft entered commercial service seven years later, in 1976, connecting Paris to New York in less than 3h30.
Question 3 : On March 2, 1836, which nation declared its independence?
Possible answers:
- California
- Louisiana
- Florida
- Texas
Explanation: Texas declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, forming the Republic of Texas. This independence followed the Battle of the Alamo, which took place a few days later. Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845, triggering the Mexican-American War.
Question 4 : What oath did Colonel Leclerc take with his men on 2 March 1941?
Possible answers:
- Never to surrender to the German enemy
- Not to lay down arms until the French colors flew over Strasbourg cathedral
- To liberate Paris before the end of 1942
- To join de Gaulle in London within three months
Explanation: The Oath of Kufra was sworn after the capture of the Kufra oasis in Libya. Leclerc pledged not to lay down his arms until the French colors flew over the cathedral of Strasbourg. He kept his promise: the city was liberated in November 1944, and Leclerc entered it as a victor.
Question 5 : What important law concerning labor rights was passed in France on March 2, 1848?
Possible answers:
- The law banning the employment of children under 8
- The law making Sunday rest compulsory
- The 10-hour law reducing working hours
- The law creating the first workers' pension funds
Explanation: The 10-hour law, passed under the IInd Republic just after the revolution of 1848, limited the working day to 10 hours in Paris and 11 hours in the provinces. It was a considerable social advance, at a time when workers commonly worked 14 to 16 hours a day.
Question 6 : On March 2, 1956, which North African country proclaimed its independence?
Possible answers:
- Algeria
- Tunisia
- Libya
- Morocco
Explanation: Morocco proclaimed its independence on March 2, 1956, ending a dual French and Spanish protectorate established since 1912. Sultan Mohammed V, exiled by France to Madagascar in 1953, returned to Morocco in November 1955 and would become king in 1957.
Question 7 : What major web company was created on March 2, 1995?
Possible answers:
- Amazon
- eBay
- Yahoo!
- Netscape
Explanation: Yahoo! was founded on March 2, 1995 by Jerry Yang and David Filo, two doctoral students at Stanford University. At its peak in the 2000s, Yahoo! was one of the most visited sites in the world, before being overtaken by Google. The company was acquired by Verizon in 2017.
Question 8 : Quel compositeur tchèque, célèbre notamment pour son cycle symphonique « Ma Vlast », est né le 2 mars 1824 ?
Possible answers:
- Antonín Dvořák
- Leoš Janáček
- Bedřich Smetana
- Bohuslav Martinů
Explanation: Bedřich Smetana, considéré comme le père de la musique tchèque, est né le 2 mars 1824. Son œuvre la plus connue, le cycle Ma Vlast (Ma Patrie), comprend la pièce La Moldau, inspirée du fleuve traversant Prague. Tragiquement, Smetana devint sourd en 1874, comme Beethoven, mais continua à composer.
Question 9 : In which country was universal male suffrage adopted on March 2, 1925, replacing a property-based voting system?
Possible answers:
- China
- Japan
- Korea
- India
Explanation: Japan adopted universal suffrage for men in 1925, a significant democratic advancement. However, Japanese women had to wait until 1945 and the defeat in World War II to obtain the right to vote, driven by reforms imposed by the United States.
Question 10 : The film King Kong was screened for the first time on March 2, 1933. What New York landmark serves as the backdrop for the final scene of the original film?
Possible answers:
- The Statue of Liberty
- The Chrysler Building
- Brooklyn Bridge
- The Empire State Building
Explanation: In the 1933 King Kong, directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, the giant gorilla climbs the Empire State Building, which had just been completed (inaugurated in 1931). The special effects by Willis O'Brien, also born on March 2 (1886), were revolutionary for the time.