The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : On 25 March 1957, several European countries signed two founding treaties in Rome. Which of these countries was NOT a signatory?
Possible answers:
- Denmark
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- The Netherlands
Explanation: The Treaty of Rome was signed by six founding countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. These treaties created the EEC (European Economic Community) and Euratom, laying the foundations of what would become the European Union. In 2017, the 60th anniversary of this treaty was celebrated in Rome with a major march for Europe.
Question 2 : In 1655, Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan on 25 March. What exactly is it?
Possible answers:
- A dwarf planet of the solar system
- A natural satellite of Saturn
- A comet near Jupiter
- An asteroid in the main belt
Explanation: Titan is the largest natural satellite of Saturn and the second largest in the solar system after Ganymede (a moon of Jupiter). It is particularly fascinating because it has a dense atmosphere and lakes of liquid methane. Christiaan Huygens was a Dutch astronomer, mathematician and physicist, also the inventor of the pendulum clock.
Question 3 : On 25 March 1896, the first modern Olympic Games were officially inaugurated. In which city were they held?
Possible answers:
- Paris
- Rome
- London
- Athens
Explanation: The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin. 14 countries took part with 285 athletes. These games paid tribute to the ancient tradition of the Olympic Games held in Olympia. Pierre de Coubertin had founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894.
Question 4 : Which Hungarian composer and pianist, famous for his works inspired by folk music, was born on 25 March 1881?
Possible answers:
- Béla Bartók
- Zoltán Kodály
- Franz Liszt
- Erno Dohnányi
Explanation: Béla Bartók (1881-1945) is one of the most important composers of the 20th century. He collected and studied thousands of folk songs from Central and Eastern Europe, integrating these influences into his works. Among his major compositions are Bluebeard's Castle, Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, and six string quartets.
Question 5 : The film "The Great Escape" was inspired by an event that took place during the night of 24-25 March 1944. How many Allied airmen escaped that night from a camp in Poland?
Possible answers:
- Thirty-two airmen
- Fifty airmen
- Seventy-six airmen
- One hundred and twenty airmen
Explanation: The Stalag Luft III escape is one of the most famous of the Second World War. Of the 76 escapees, only 3 reached England. The other 73 were mostly recaptured, and 50 of them, including a Frenchman, were executed on Hitler's orders. The film "The Great Escape" (1963), starring Steve McQueen, is its cinematic adaptation.
Question 6 : On 25 March 1977, Paris elected its first mayor by universal suffrage in decades. Who was he?
Possible answers:
- Bertrand Delanoë
- Jacques Chirac
- Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
- Michel Debré
Explanation: Jacques Chirac became Mayor of Paris on 25 March 1977, with the return of universal suffrage to elect the Mayor of Paris. The city had not seen this method of election since the 1870s and mayors such as Étienne Arago or Jules Ferry. Chirac remained Mayor of Paris until 1995, when he was elected President of the French Republic.
Question 7 : Marshal Joachim Murat, born on 25 March 1767, is an important figure of the Napoleonic Empire. Which royal title did he obtain thanks to Napoleon?
Possible answers:
- King of Spain
- King of Westphalia
- King of Naples
- King of Holland
Explanation: Joachim Murat, Napoleon's brother-in-law (he had married Caroline Bonaparte), became King of Naples from 1808 to 1815. Famous for his courage and his elegant attire on the battlefield, he was considered one of the best cavalry commanders of his time. He was executed in Calabria in 1815, after attempting to reclaim his throne.
Question 8 : In which artistic field did director Miloš Forman particularly distinguish himself with the film "Amadeus", which won 8 Oscars on 25 March 1985?
Possible answers:
- A futuristic science fiction film
- A police film inspired by an American news story
- An action film set during the Cold War
- A biographical film about a classical composer
Explanation: Miloš Forman, a Czech director who emigrated to the United States, directed "Amadeus" (1984), a fictionalised biographical film about composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This film, adapted from Peter Shaffer's play, depicts the rivalry between Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Forman had already won the Oscar for Best Director in 1976 for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
Question 9 : In which year did Baron Pierre de Coubertin found the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the institution that enabled the organisation of the first modern Olympics?
Possible answers:
- In 1888
- In 1894
- In 1896
- In 1900
Explanation: Pierre de Coubertin founded the IOC in 1894 at an international congress in Paris. Inspired by the humanist ideals of sport and the ancient Greek tradition, he worked for the revival of the Olympic Games. The first modern Games took place two years later, in 1896, in Athens. Coubertin is also the author of the Olympic oath and invented the modern pentathlon.
Question 10 : The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed in 1979. Who were the two leaders who agreed on its terms in Washington on 25 March 1979?
Possible answers:
- Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin
- Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin
- Hosni Mubarak and Shimon Peres
- Gamal Abdel Nasser and Golda Meir
Explanation: Anwar Sadat (President of Egypt) and Menachem Begin (Prime Minister of Israel) negotiated this historic treaty with the mediation of US President Jimmy Carter. This treaty made Egypt the first Arab country to officially recognise Israel. In 1978, Sadat and Begin had jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for the Camp David Accords that paved the way for this treaty. Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
