The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What decree did Emperor Constantine I issue on March 7, 321?
Possible answers:
- He granted freedom of worship to all Roman citizens
- He banned pagan sacrifices throughout the Empire
- He made Sunday the official weekly day of rest
- He proclaimed Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire
Explanation: Constantine I was the first Roman emperor to support Christianity. By making Sunday the official day of rest, he anchored a Christian practice into Roman law, but the decree referred to the 'Day of the Sun', a more neutral term that also suited the solar cults still very widespread at the time.
Question 2 : What major event took place on March 7, 1936 under the Nazi regime?
Possible answers:
- Germany annexed Austria during the Anschluss
- Hitler violated the Locarno agreements by remilitarizing the Rhineland
- The Berlin Olympic Games were officially inaugurated
- Germany invaded Poland, triggering World War II
Explanation: The remilitarization of the Rhineland was a decisive turning point: Hitler tested the resolve of the Western democracies, which did not react militarily. This passivity gave him confidence for his future aggressions. The German generals had, however, received orders to pull back if France intervened.
Question 3 : In 1985, who were the two artists who co-wrote the charity song 'We Are the World'?
Possible answers:
- Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder
- Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones
- Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie
- Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson
Explanation: Produced by Quincy Jones, 'We Are the World' brought together 45 American artists in a single recording night in January 1985. The song raised around 50 million dollars to fight famine in Ethiopia. It won four Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year.
Question 4 : What happened on March 7, 1945 during World War II on the Rhine?
Possible answers:
- The Allies bombed the Cologne factories to cut German supply lines
- American troops crossed the Rhine on the Remagen bridge
- The Wehrmacht launched a surprise counter-offensive in Alsace
- British forces liberated the city of Düsseldorf
Explanation: The Remagen bridge, officially the Ludendorff Bridge, was the only bridge still intact on the Rhine during the Allied advance. The Germans had tried to blow it up without success. Its capture allowed the Allies to establish a bridgehead east of the Rhine, speeding up the end of the war. The bridge finally collapsed on March 17, 1945.
Question 5 : What patent did Alexander Graham Bell obtain on March 7, 1876?
Possible answers:
- The patent for the transatlantic wireless telegraph
- The patent for the telephone
- The patent for the cylinder phonograph
- The patent for long-distance electrical transmission
Explanation: Bell filed his patent on February 14, 1876, just a few hours before his rival Elisha Gray. This priority of a few hours was the subject of many disputes. The inventor Antonio Meucci had already patented a similar device back in 1871, and the U.S. Congress recognized in 2002 his contribution to the invention of the telephone.
Question 6 : In 1792, which surgeon recommended in a report to the Legislative Assembly the use of a machine with an oblique blade for executions?
Possible answers:
- Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
- Antoine Louis
- Philippe Pinel
- François Broussais
Explanation: Although the guillotine bears the name of physician Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, it was Antoine Louis who designed its detailed mechanism. That is actually why it was first nicknamed 'la Louisette' before taking the name guillotine. The first execution took place on 25 April 1792 on a highway robber named Nicolas Pelletier.
Question 7 : On March 7, 1965, the marches from Selma to Montgomery marked the start of 'Bloody Sunday'. Who was the governor of Alabama at the time?
Possible answers:
- Strom Thurmond
- Lester Maddox
- George Wallace
- Orval Faubus
Explanation: George Wallace is one of the most controversial figures of American segregation. At his inauguration in 1963, he had declared 'Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever'. The images of the Bloody Sunday crackdown shocked world opinion and accelerated the passage of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965.
Question 8 : What was the first group to release a jazz record, on March 7, 1917?
Possible answers:
- New Orleans Rhythm Kings
- Original Dixieland Jazz Band
- King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band
- Memphis Jug Band
Explanation: The Original Dixieland Jazz Band was made up exclusively of white musicians from New Orleans, even though jazz was primarily an African-American creation. Their recording on Victor Records considerably popularized this musical genre with the general American and European public. The composition Livery Stable Blues appeared on the A-side of the record.
Question 9 : What major decision did de Gaulle announce on March 7, 1966 regarding France and NATO?
Possible answers:
- France was permanently leaving the Atlantic Alliance
- France was withdrawing its troops from NATO's military structure
- France was suspending its diplomatic relations with the United States
- France was refusing to host American missiles on its territory
Explanation: France's withdrawal from NATO's integrated military command lasted 43 years. France remained a member of the Atlantic Alliance but refused the presence of foreign military bases on its soil, which forced NATO to move its headquarters from Paris to Brussels. It was Nicolas Sarkozy who brought France back into NATO's military structure in 2009.
Question 10 : Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, born on March 7, 1765, is considered one of the inventors of photography. What is special about his first successful photograph?
Possible answers:
- It's the first photographic portrait of a living person
- It's the oldest known permanent photograph, taken from a window
- It's the first photographic negative used to make copies
- It's the first color photograph ever taken
Explanation: Niépce produced in 1826 or 1827 the first known permanent photograph, called 'Point de vue du Gras'. This image required an exposure of about eight hours, which explains the unusual lighting of the scene visible on both sides. Niépce then partnered with Daguerre, who refined the process after his death to create the daguerreotype.