13th December Quiz (Questions only)

1. 13 December is St Lucia's Day, a festival of light in Sweden. What does the girl playing Lucia wear on her head, which saffron buns are eaten, and from which Italian city does the famous Lucia song originally come?

2. On 13 December 1577, Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth on the voyage that made him the first Englishman to sail around the world. What was his ship called when he left, and what did he rename it during the voyage?

3. The Catholic Church opened a major council on 13 December 1545, in response to the Protestant Reformation. In which northern Italian city did it meet?

4. On 13 December 1939, three British cruisers fought a German pocket battleship off South America in the first major naval battle of the Second World War. Name the battle, the German ship, and the port near which it was later scuttled.

5. On 13 December 1981, Poland's leader declared martial law to crush a trade union movement. Name the general, the union, and the union's leader.

6. On 13 December 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured hiding in a hole near his home town of Tikrit. What was the code name of the military operation?

7. Which German poet, born in Düsseldorf on 13 December 1797, wrote the poem about the Rhine maiden that begins "Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten"?

8. Which German inventor and industrialist, born on 13 December 1816, founded a company that still bears his name?

9. Which English writer, famous for his 1755 "Dictionary of the English Language", died on 13 December 1784?

10. Two American entertainers were born on 13 December, 64 years apart: one danced with penguins as Bert in "Mary Poppins", and the other became one of the world's biggest pop stars. Name both.