1st July Quiz (Questions only)

1. The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916. To the nearest 10,000, how many casualties did the British Army suffer on that first day?

2. Canada celebrates Canada Day on 1 July, marking Confederation in 1867. By what name was the holiday officially known until 1982?

3. On 1 July 1997, sovereignty over Hong Kong passed from Britain to China. Who was the last British Governor of Hong Kong?

4. Diana, Princess of Wales, was born on 1 July 1961. In which house was she born, and on which royal estate does it stand?

5. The Battle of the Boyne was fought on 1 July 1690 by the calendar then in use. Which king defeated James II there, and on which date in July is the battle now commemorated?

6. The Battle of Gettysburg began on 1 July 1863. In which US state is Gettysburg, and what name is given to the doomed Confederate infantry assault on the battle's final day?

7. The Scottish Parliament was officially opened and took up its full powers on 1 July 1999. Who was Scotland's first First Minister?

8. On 1 July 2007, a ban on what came into force in enclosed public places and workplaces in England?

9. On 1 July 1979, a Japanese electronics company launched a portable cassette player in Japan that changed how people listened to music. Name the company and the product.

10. The first Tour de France set off on 1 July 1903. It was organised by a sports newspaper printed on yellow paper, which is said to be why the leader wears the yellow jersey. Name the newspaper.

11. On 1 July 1858, papers setting out the theory of evolution by natural selection were read at the Linnean Society in London. Charles Darwin was one author. Who was the other?

12. Which two neighbouring African countries both became independent from Belgium on 1 July 1962?

13. On 1 July 2013, Croatia joined the European Union. Which number member state did it become?

14. On 1 July 1991, at a meeting in Prague, which military alliance was formally dissolved?

15. On 1 July 2002, the treaty creating a permanent court to try genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity came into force. Name the court and the city where it sits.

16. A German philosopher and mathematician born in Leipzig on 1 July 1646 developed calculus independently of Isaac Newton and gave us the elongated S used as the integral sign. Who was he?

17. A French aviator and inventor born on 1 July 1872 made the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft. Who was he, and in which year did he do it?

18. An American singer born on 1 July 1945 fronted a New York band whose hits include "Heart of Glass" and "Atomic". Name her and the band.

19. Marlon Brando died on 1 July 2004. For which role did he win, and refuse, the Best Actor Oscar in 1973?

20. An actress born in Tokyo on 1 July 1916 played Melanie Hamilton in "Gone with the Wind" and lived to the age of 104. Her younger sister was also an Oscar-winning actress. Name both sisters.