The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What significant event took place in Beijing on May 4, 1919?
Possible answers:
- The proclamation of the Republic of China
- The founding of the Chinese Communist Party
- The May Fourth Movement, a major nationalist and student demonstration
- The signing of the Treaty of Versailles by China
Explanation: The May Fourth Movement of 1919 was triggered by the indignation of Chinese students at the decisions of the Treaty of Versailles, which granted Japan the German territories in China. This nationalist and cultural movement is still celebrated today in China as Youth Day.
Question 2 : What happened in the United Kingdom on May 4, 1979?
Possible answers:
- Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 30 years of her reign
- The United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community
- The Labour Party won the legislative elections
- Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Explanation: Margaret Thatcher, nicknamed the "Iron Lady", remained Prime Minister until 1990, more than eleven years. She pursued a radical liberal economic policy, called "Thatcherism", marked by massive privatizations and a struggle against the unions.
Question 3 : Which agreement was signed on May 4, 1994, between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat?
Possible answers:
- The Oslo Accords on Middle East peace
- The Cairo Agreement, granting autonomy to Gaza and Jericho
- The Treaty of Wadi Araba between Israel and Jordan
- The Geneva Declaration on the creation of a Palestinian State
Explanation: The Cairo Agreement, also called the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, was a concrete step in the implementation of the Oslo Accords signed in 1993. It allowed the creation of the Palestinian Authority and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and Jericho.
Question 4 : On May 4, 1493, Pope Alexander VI promulgated the bull Inter caetera. What was its main purpose?
Possible answers:
- To condemn the nascent Protestant heresy in Northern Europe
- To authorize the creation of new religious orders in America
- To confirm the partition of all lands to be discovered between Portugal and Spain
- To prohibit the slave trade in the new colonies
Explanation: The bull Inter caetera was one of the first "Alexandrine bulls" that laid the foundations of the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494. This treaty finally divided the world between Portugal and Spain along a meridian drawn 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.
Question 5 : On May 4, 1949, the entire football team of Torino Football Club perished in a plane crash. What is the name of this accident in History?
Possible answers:
- The Turin disaster
- The Superga disaster
- The Fiat Airlines tragedy
- The Azzurri tragedy
Explanation: The Superga disaster remains one of the greatest tragedies of world football. The Torino team, nicknamed "Il Grande Torino", dominated Italian football of the era and counted ten players from the Italian national team. The plane crashed into the hill of Superga due to dense fog.
Question 6 : Which famous British actress was born on May 4, 1929?
Possible answers:
- Grace Kelly
- Audrey Hepburn
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Vivien Leigh
Explanation: Audrey Hepburn, born in Brussels of British father and Dutch mother, is considered an icon of cinema and fashion. She was one of the few artists to have won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony Award, thus forming the "EGOT". She died of cancer in 1993.
Question 7 : On May 4, 1927, the statutes of which famous cinematographic institution were filed in California?
Possible answers:
- The Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
- The Directors Guild of America (DGA)
Explanation: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was founded in Hollywood in 1927. The first Oscar ceremony took place as early as 1929, rewarding the films of 1927-1928. The Academy today has more than 10,000 members from all branches of the cinema industry.
Question 8 : Which War of the Roses saw an important battle on May 4, 1471, at Tewkesbury?
Possible answers:
- The civil war between the Plantagenets and the Tudors
- The war between the Houses of York and Lancaster for the throne of England
- The conflict between the House of Stuart and the House of Windsor
- The quarrel between the supporters of Richard III and those of Henry V
Explanation: The Wars of the Roses (1455-1485) pitted the Houses of York (white rose) and Lancaster (red rose) against each other for the throne of England. The Battle of Tewkesbury was decisive: Edward IV's Yorkists won and Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, was killed, sealing the defeat of the Lancastrians.
Question 9 : In which field did Ernest Hemingway receive the Pulitzer Prize on May 4, 1953?
Possible answers:
- War journalism, for his reports on the Second World War
- Fiction, for his novel The Old Man and the Sea
- Biography, for his essay on the Spanish revolution
- Theater, for his play adapted from For Whom the Bell Tolls
Explanation: The Old Man and the Sea, published in 1952, is one of Hemingway's most iconic works. Not only did it win him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, but it also contributed to him receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. The story tells of an old Cuban fisherman's struggle with a great marlin.
Question 10 : Which of these scientific events occurred on May 4, 1924?
Possible answers:
- The launch of the first liquid-fuel rocket by Robert Goddard
- The first non-stop transatlantic flight of a military aircraft
- The first closed-circuit helicopter flight by Étienne Œhmichen
- The commissioning of the first military radar in France
Explanation: Étienne Œhmichen, a French engineer at Peugeot, made the first closed-circuit flight of a helicopter over 1 kilometer. This pioneer of aviation was also one of the first to develop the concept of main rotor and anti-torque rotor, principles still used in modern helicopters.
