14th July Quiz Medium
- 20 questions
- about 25 minutes to run
- published 8 Jul 2017
- updated
1. France's national day, 14 July, remembers the storming of which Paris fortress-prison in 1789?
2. When the revolutionaries stormed it, roughly how many prisoners were being held there: 7, 70 or 700?
3. The 14 July holiday also officially honours a huge celebration held exactly one year later, in 1790, to mark the unity of the French nation. What was it called?
4. On 14 July 1865, an English climber led the first ascent of a famous Alpine peak on the Swiss-Italian border, but four of his party died on the way down when a rope broke. Name the climber and the mountain.
5. On 14 July 1881, a young American outlaw was shot dead in New Mexico by Sheriff Pat Garrett. What was the outlaw's nickname?
6. In July 1965, a NASA probe flew past Mars and sent back the first close-up photographs of another planet. What was it called?
7. Exactly 50 years later, on 14 July 2015, another NASA probe made the first ever flyby of Pluto. What was it called?
8. An Austrian painter born on 14 July 1862 painted "The Kiss", covered in gold leaf. Who was he?
9. An American folk singer born on 14 July 1912 wrote "This Land Is Your Land". Who was he?
10. A Swedish film director born on 14 July 1918 made "The Seventh Seal" and "Wild Strawberries". Who was he?
11. A US president born on 14 July 1913 had a different name at birth, which he changed after his mother remarried. Name the president and his birth name.
12. A British suffragette leader always celebrated her birthday on 14 July, because she liked sharing it with Bastille Day. Who was she, and which organisation did she found?
13. An English comic actor born on 14 July 1911 was famous for playing upper-class cads, his gap-toothed grin and the catchphrase "Hard cheese!". What was his stage name?
14. An Irish mixed martial arts fighter born on 14 July 1988 became the first to hold UFC titles in two weight classes at the same time. Who is he?
15. An American politician who twice ran for president against Eisenhower died after collapsing in a London street on 14 July 1965. Who was he?
16. A French writer famous for her salon and her opposition to Napoleon died on 14 July 1817. What was she known as?
17. On 14 July 1902, a famous bell tower in Venice suddenly collapsed. The only casualty was the caretaker's cat. Which tower?
18. On 14 July 1798, President John Adams signed a controversial law making it a crime to publish "false, scandalous and malicious" writing against the US government. What was it called?
19. On 14 July 1867, a Swedish chemist demonstrated a new explosive at a quarry in Surrey. Name him and the explosive.
20. On 14 July 1969, two Central American countries went to war after riots at World Cup qualifying matches. Name the war and either country.
ANSWERS
1. The Bastille
2. 7
3. The Fête de la Fédération
When 14 July became France's national holiday in 1880, the law did not say which 14 July it celebrated. That allowed it to honour both the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the more peaceful Fête de la Fédération of 1790.
4. Edward Whymper, the Matterhorn
5. Billy the Kid
6. Mariner 4
Mariner 4 made its closest approach on the evening of 14 July 1965 US time, which was already 15 July in UTC.
7. New Horizons
8. Gustav Klimt
9. Woody Guthrie
10. Ingmar Bergman
11. Gerald Ford. He was born Leslie Lynch King Jr.
12. Emmeline Pankhurst. She founded the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU).
Emmeline Pankhurst's birth certificate gives 15 July 1858, but she always said she was born on 14 July and celebrated it then.
13. Terry-Thomas
14. Conor McGregor
15. Adlai Stevenson
16. Madame de Staël
17. The Campanile of St Mark's
18. The Sedition Act
19. Alfred Nobel, dynamite
20. The Football War (the Soccer War), between El Salvador and Honduras
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Thank you, that helps Paul balance future quizzes.