The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : Which 1886 event is considered a major origin of the International Workers' Day celebrated each May 1st?
Possible answers:
- The Pittsburgh general strike of 1877
- The anarchist Wall Street bombing
- The Haymarket Square massacre in Chicago
- The Homestead shooting in Pennsylvania
Explanation: The Haymarket Square massacre took place in Chicago after a bomb was thrown at the police during a demonstration for the 8-hour workday. Several police officers and civilians died. This event triggered a wave of repression against the American labor movement, but paradoxically helped internationalize the demand for the 8-hour workday.
Question 2 : During the Fourmies shooting in 1891, how many people were killed by the troops during the first French celebration of May 1st?
Possible answers:
- Three deaths
- Five deaths
- Ten deaths
- Twenty deaths
Explanation: The Fourmies shooting has remained a painful symbol of French workers' struggles. The victims, aged 11 to 30, were textile workers. Young Émile Canut and young Maria Blondeau, carrying lily-of-the-valley flowers, became the iconic faces of this tragedy.
Question 3 : In what year was the first BASIC computer program executed?
Possible answers:
- 1960
- 1964
- 1969
- 1972
Explanation: The BASIC language (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was created by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz at Dartmouth College. Designed to be accessible to students who were not specialists in computer science, it became one of the most popular languages on microcomputers in the 1970s and 1980s.
Question 4 : Which Formula 1 driver died on May 1, 1994, during the San Marino Grand Prix?
Possible answers:
- Michael Schumacher
- Ayrton Senna
- Alain Prost
- Nigel Mansell
Explanation: Ayrton Senna, three-time Brazilian world champion (1988, 1990, 1991), crashed into the Tamburello wall at Imola on the 6th lap of the race. This dark weekend of 1994 also saw Roland Ratzenberger killed during qualifying. Senna's death led to major safety reforms in Formula 1.
Question 5 : Which nation founded its national railway network through a law adopted on May 1, 1834, providing for lines from its capital to the four cardinal points?
Possible answers:
- France
- The Netherlands
- Belgium
- Prussia
Explanation: The Belgian law of May 1, 1834, made Belgium the first continental European country to have a national rail network. The first line, connecting Brussels to Mechelen, was inaugurated in 1835. This early network played a crucial role in the country's industrial development.
Question 6 : In 2004, how many new countries joined the European Union on May 1, bringing the total number of members to twenty-five?
Possible answers:
- Six new members
- Eight new members
- Ten new members
- Twelve new members
Explanation: The May 1, 2004 enlargement was the largest in the history of the European Union. It mainly integrated former communist countries from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the islands of Cyprus and Malta. This enlargement brought the EU population to about 450 million citizens.
Question 7 : What is the festival of Celtic origin traditionally celebrated on May 1, marking the transition from the dark season to the light season?
Possible answers:
- Samhain
- Beltane
- Imbolc
- Lughnasadh
Explanation: Beltane is one of the four great festivals of the Celtic calendar, along with Samhain (Halloween), Imbolc, and Lughnasadh. It was associated with purifying fires lit on the hills, between which cattle were driven to protect them. This spring festival celebrated the renewal of nature and fertility.
Question 8 : What international event took place in Moscow's Red Square on May 1, 1990, illustrating the crisis of the Soviet regime?
Possible answers:
- A failed military coup against Gorbachev
- The official announcement of the dissolution of the USSR
- Mikhail Gorbachev was booed and left the tribune before the end of the parade
- A general strike of Soviet workers
Explanation: The scene of Gorbachev hastily leaving the May 1, 1990 parade tribune amid boos was a powerful symbol of the collapse of the Soviet system. It was the first time in the history of the USSR that a leader was jeered during this traditionally well-orchestrated celebration.
Question 9 : In which country was the May 1 International Workers' Day officially established as a public holiday called "Festival of Labor and Social Concord" in 1941?
Possible answers:
- Mussolini's fascist Italy
- Nazi Germany
- Vichy France
- Franco's Spain
Explanation: In France, the Vichy regime established May 1 as a public holiday in 1941, co-opting workers' symbolism for corporatist propaganda purposes. After the Liberation, France maintained this holiday but restored its dimension as International Workers' Day. It was only in 1948 that May 1 officially became a paid public holiday.
Question 10 : Which international workers' organization established May 1 as the international workers' demand day at its founding in 1889?
Possible answers:
- Karl Marx's First Workers' International
- The Second Workers' International
- The American Federation of Labor
- The General Confederation of Labour (CGT)
Explanation: The Second Workers' International, founded in Paris in 1889 during a congress coinciding with the centenary of the French Revolution, brought together socialist and workers' parties from around the world. It chose May 1 in reference to the Chicago events of 1886. The First International, founded by Marx, had been dissolved in 1876.
