The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What famous speech did John Fitzgerald Kennedy give on September 12, 1962?
Possible answers:
- We shall overcome, on civil rights
- We choose to go to the Moon, promising an American moon landing before 1970
- Ich bin ein Berliner, in West Berlin
- Ask not what your country can do for you, at his inauguration
Explanation: This speech, delivered at Rice University in Houston, is one of the most iconic of the Cold War. Kennedy declares that the United States chooses to go to the Moon not because it is easy, but because it is hard. The goal was achieved on July 20, 1969 with Apollo 11.
Question 2 : What major prehistoric discovery was made on September 12, 1940?
Possible answers:
- The Chauvet Cave, in Ardèche
- The Lascaux Cave, in Dordogne
- The Altamira Cave, in Spain
- The Combarelles Cave, in Périgord
Explanation: The Lascaux cave, located in the Dordogne, was discovered by four teenagers including Marcel Ravidat. Its cave paintings date back around 17,000 years. The cave was closed to the public in 1963 to preserve the artworks, and replicas were created to allow the general public to discover them.
Question 3 : What great physicist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate, was born on September 12, 1897?
Possible answers:
- Marie Curie
- Lise Meitner
- Irène Joliot-Curie
- Hélène Langevin-Joliot
Explanation: Irène Joliot-Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 with her husband Frédéric Joliot for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. Daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie, she was the 2nd French woman to receive a Nobel Prize, after her own mother, making this family a unique case in Nobel history.
Question 4 : What event took place in Vienna on September 12, 1683?
Possible answers:
- Signing of the peace treaty between Austria and France
- Victory of the imperial and Polish troops over the Ottomans
- Coronation of Emperor Leopold I of the Holy Roman Empire
- Beginning of the siege of Vienna by Ottoman troops
Explanation: The Battle of Vienna marked a decisive turning point in Ottoman expansion into Europe. The coalition forces, led notably by the King of Poland John III Sobieski and his winged hussars, broke the Ottoman siege. This victory is often considered the end of the Turkish advance toward western Europe.
Question 5 : On September 12, 1848, Switzerland adopted its first constitution. What status did this give it?
Possible answers:
- A constitutional empire
- A parliamentary monarchy
- A federal state
- A confederation without a central government
Explanation: With this constitution, Switzerland became a federation of cantons with shared institutions. The Swiss constitution was thoroughly revised in 1874, then entirely rewritten in 1999. Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world to practice direct democracy on a large scale through popular referendums.
Question 6 : Which French singer, born on September 12, 1888, is famous for his straw hat and popular songs?
Possible answers:
- Charles Trenet
- Georges Brassens
- Yves Montand
- Maurice Chevalier
Explanation: Maurice Chevalier is one of the most iconic figures of French song in the 20th century. He also had a Hollywood career in the 1930s. His name remains associated with the charm and lightness of the French Belle Époque, and he received an honorary Oscar in 1959.
Question 7 : Who is Jesse Owens, born on September 12, 1913, and why did he make history?
Possible answers:
- American boxer, world heavyweight champion in the 1930s
- American athlete, four-time gold medalist at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
- American sprinter, first man to run the 100 m in under 10 seconds
- American basketball player, pioneer of the NBA in the 1940s
Explanation: Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m and long jump), publicly contradicting the theory of racial supremacy promoted by the Nazi regime. His performance remains one of the most symbolic in the history of Olympic sport.
Question 8 : Which famous film score composer, known for soundtracks like Gladiator and The Lion King, was born on September 12, 1957?
Possible answers:
- John Williams
- Ennio Morricone
- Hans Zimmer
- Howard Shore
Explanation: Hans Zimmer is one of Hollywood's most influential composers. Born in Frankfurt, he started his career in Europe before making it big in Hollywood. He won the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Lion King in 1995 and regularly collaborates with director Christopher Nolan.
Question 9 : What is the distinctive feature of the Battle of Marathon, whose possible date is September 12, -490 BC, according to ancient sources?
Possible answers:
- It was the first victory of the Greek fleet over the Persians in the Aegean Sea
- The Persians used war elephants there for the first time
- The Athenians and Plataeans defeated a Persian army there during the Greco-Persian Wars
- Alexander the Great launched his first military campaign against the Persian Empire there
Explanation: According to Herodotus, the Athenians and their Plataean allies won a decisive victory against a Persian army far superior in numbers. Legend has it that a runner, Pheidippides, ran all the way to Athens to announce the victory, thus inspiring the modern marathon race, set at 42.195 km at the 1908 Olympic Games.
Question 10 : Johnny Cash, one of the legends of American country music, died on September 12, 2003. What nickname was he given because of his clothing style?
Possible answers:
- The King of Country
- The Man in Black
- The Dark Rider
- The Black Diamond
Explanation: Johnny Cash systematically wore black on stage, which earned him the nickname 'Man in Black'. He explained this choice in his eponymous 1971 song as a symbol of solidarity with the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. His career spanned more than five decades and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
