20th September Quiz Medium
- 20 questions
- about 25 minutes to run
- published 5 Jul 2024
- updated
1. On 20 September 1519, Ferdinand Magellan sailed from Spain on the expedition that made the first circumnavigation of the globe. Magellan died on the way. Who captained the one ship that made it home?
2. On 20 September 1378, a rival pope, Clement VII, was elected, beginning the Western Schism. In which French city did he set up his court?
3. On 20 September 1870, Italian troops broke into Rome, ending the Papal States. Which pope then called himself a "prisoner in the Vatican"?
4. On 20 September 1967, the Queen launched the liner Queen Elizabeth 2 at Clydebank. Which shipbuilding company built her?
5. The first Cannes Film Festival opened on 20 September 1946. What is the festival's top prize now called?
6. On 20 September 1973, Billie Jean King beat a former Wimbledon champion in the "Battle of the Sexes" match at the Houston Astrodome. Who was he?
7. At the Battle of Valmy on 20 September 1792, French revolutionary forces turned back a Prussian army. Which German writer, who was there, is said to have declared that a new era of world history had begun?
8. The Battle of the Alma, fought on 20 September 1854, was the first major battle of which war?
9. On 20 September 1857, British forces recaptured Delhi during the Indian Rebellion. The last Mughal emperor was captured and later exiled to Rangoon. Who was he?
10. The Treaty of Ryswick, signed on 20 September 1697, ended which war between France and a European coalition? For a bonus, in which modern country is Ryswick?
11. Jacob Grimm, the elder of the fairy-tale brothers, died on 20 September 1863. "Grimm's Law", which he described, is about what?
12. A Finnish composer died on 20 September 1957. Which of his works, from 1899, became an anthem of Finnish resistance to Russian rule?
13. A wandering mathematician who died on 20 September 1996 gave his name to a number measuring how closely other mathematicians collaborated with him. Who was he, and what was his nationality?
14. An Italian actress born on 20 September 1934 became the first person to win an acting Oscar for a performance not in English. Name her and the film.
15. An American writer born on 20 September 1878 exposed conditions in the Chicago meatpacking industry in which 1906 novel?
16. An American author born on 20 September 1948 created the series "A Song of Ice and Fire". What is the name of the continent where most of the action takes place?
17. An English poet born on 20 September 1902, who signed her work with a nickname, wrote "Not Waving but Drowning". Who was she?
18. On 20 September 1958, which civil rights leader was stabbed while signing copies of his book in a Harlem department store?
19. At the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066, a Norwegian king and Tostig Godwinson defeated the northern earls near York. Who was the Norwegian king?
20. On 20 September 1906, the Cunard liner Mauretania was launched. On which English river was she built?
ANSWERS
1. Juan Sebastián Elcano (the ship was the Victoria)
Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521. Only the Victoria and 18 men completed the voyage, reaching Spain in September 1522.
2. Avignon
3. Pius IX
4. John Brown and Company
5. The Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or was introduced in 1955. Before then the top prize was the Grand Prix du Festival.
6. Bobby Riggs
7. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Goethe wrote his account many years later, so the exact words are not certain. The usual version is "From this place and this day forth begins a new era in the history of the world."
8. The Crimean War
9. Bahadur Shah II (Bahadur Shah Zafar)
10. The Nine Years' War (also called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg); the Netherlands (Rijswijk)
11. Sound changes in the Germanic languages (how consonants shifted from Proto-Indo-European, for example p becoming f, as in Latin "pater" and English "father")
12. Finlandia (Jean Sibelius)
13. Paul Erdős; Hungarian
14. Sophia Loren; Two Women (La Ciociara)
15. The Jungle (Upton Sinclair)
16. Westeros (George R.R. Martin)
17. Stevie Smith (Florence Margaret Smith)
18. Martin Luther King Jr.
19. Harald Hardrada (Harald III of Norway)
Five days later, Harold Godwinson defeated and killed both Hardrada and Tostig at Stamford Bridge. Then he had to march south to face William at Hastings.
20. The Tyne (built by Swan Hunter at Wallsend)
How was this quiz?
Thank you, that helps Paul balance future quizzes.