The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : What major event took place on September 24, 1957 in the United States, in the context of racial desegregation?
Possible answers:
- Martin Luther King delivers his 'I Have a Dream' speech
- The Supreme Court declares school segregation unconstitutional
- The nine Little Rock students return to school under military escort
- Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery
Explanation: The nine Black students of Little Rock, Arkansas, became symbols of the civil rights struggle. President Eisenhower had to send the 101st Airborne Division after Governor Orval Faubus used the National Guard to block their entry. This event had worldwide repercussions.
Question 2 : Which iconic album, released on September 24, 1991, propelled the grunge movement to a worldwide level?
Possible answers:
- Ten, by Pearl Jam
- Nevermind, by Nirvana
- Badmotorfinger, by Soundgarden
- Dirt, by Alice in Chains
Explanation: Nevermind by Nirvana, released the same day as Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, exceeded all commercial expectations. Its single Smells Like Teen Spirit became the anthem of a generation. The album ultimately sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
Question 3 : On September 24, 1724, what major financial institution was created in France?
Possible answers:
- The Bank of France
- La Caisse des Dépôts
- The Paris Stock Exchange
- The East India Company
Explanation: The Paris Stock Exchange, created in 1724, was initially located in the Hôtel de Nevers, then occupied the Palais Brongniart from 1826 to 1987. Today merged within Euronext, it remains one of the most important stock exchanges in Europe.
Question 4 : Which Japanese car and motorcycle company was founded on September 24, 1948?
Possible answers:
- Toyota
- Yamaha
- Kawasaki
- Honda Motors
Explanation: Honda Motors, founded by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa, first made motorized bicycles before becoming the world's leading motorcycle manufacturer. The brand is also the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines, producing more than 14 million engines per year.
Question 5 : On September 24, 1572, which historical figure symbolizing Inca resistance was beheaded by the Spanish conquistadors?
Possible answers:
- Manco Inca
- Atahualpa
- Túpac Amaru
- Huáscar
Explanation: Túpac Amaru was the last Sapa Inca, who had taken refuge in the city of Vilcabamba after the fall of Cusco. Captured by Viceroy Francisco de Toledo, his public execution in Cusco caused immense dismay among the indigenous population. His name was taken up two centuries later by the leader of the great Andean revolt of 1780.
Question 6 : Which American writer, born on September 24, 1896, is the author of 'The Great Gatsby'?
Possible answers:
- Ernest Hemingway
- William Faulkner
- John Steinbeck
- Francis Scott Fitzgerald
Explanation: Francis Scott Fitzgerald, an icon of the Jazz Age and the Lost Generation, published The Great Gatsby in 1925. The novel was initially a relative commercial failure, but is today considered one of the greatest masterpieces of American literature. Fitzgerald died at just 44, in poverty and obscurity.
Question 7 : In 2014, which Indian space mission successfully entered orbit around Mars, making India the first Asian country to achieve this?
Possible answers:
- Chandrayaan-2
- Mars Orbiter Mission
- Aditya-L1
- PSLV-C25
Explanation: The Mars Orbiter Mission, nicknamed Mangalyaan, was launched in November 2013 at a record cost of just 74 million dollars, less than the budget of the film Gravity. India thus became the 4th space power to reach Mars, after the USSR, the United States, and Europe, and the first to succeed on its very first attempt.
Question 8 : What French constitutional measure was adopted by referendum on September 24, 2000?
Possible answers:
- The adoption of the voting age at 18
- The reduction of the presidential term to 5 years
- The election of the president by direct universal suffrage
- The abolition of the death penalty
Explanation: The referendum of September 24, 2000 approved the switch from a 7-year to a 5-year presidential term, with only 30% turnout, the lowest for a referendum under the 5th Republic. This reform, sought since Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, aimed to reduce the risks of cohabitation between a president and a prime minister from opposing sides.
Question 9 : What international treaty, signed on September 24, 1996, aims to ban all nuclear tests worldwide?
Possible answers:
- The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
- The Moscow Treaty on the reduction of strategic arms
- The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
- The Biological Weapons Convention
Explanation: The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was signed by 183 countries, but has still not entered into force because certain nuclear powers such as the United States, China, India, Pakistan, and Israel have not ratified it. France had conducted its last nuclear tests in French Polynesia in January 1996, shortly before the signing.
Question 10 : What does day 1 of year 1 of the Islamic calendar commemorate, whose equivalent in our calendar is set at September 24, 622?
Possible answers:
- The birth of Muhammad in Mecca
- The first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad
- The death of Muhammad in Medina
- Muhammad's exile from Mecca to Medina
Explanation: The Hijra refers to Muhammad's departure from Mecca to Medina in 622. This journey, driven by persecution from the Quraysh, marks the beginning of the organized Muslim community and the expansion of Islam. The word 'Hijra' comes from the Arabic 'hijra', meaning 'emigration' or 'break with one's clan'.
