27th April Quiz Medium
- 20 questions
- about 25 minutes to run
- published 5 Jan 2024
- updated
1. On 27 April 1667, John Milton signed a contract selling the rights to "Paradise Lost". What was the total he could receive, if enough copies sold?
2. Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks" was first performed outdoors on 27 April 1749, to celebrate a peace treaty. In which London park?
3. On 27 April 1865, the steamboat Sultana exploded, killing over 1,100 people, many of them Union soldiers recently freed from prison camps. On which river?
4. Sierra Leone became independent on 27 April 1961. What is its capital, founded as a home for freed slaves?
5. South Africa held its first election open to all races on 27 April 1994. What is the public holiday marking it called?
6. The Airbus A380 made its first flight on 27 April 2005. From which French city did it take off?
7. On 27 April 1945, Benito Mussolini was captured by partisans while trying to flee disguised as a German soldier. Beside which lake?
8. On 27 April 1992, Betty Boothroyd, a former Tiller Girl dancer, became the first woman to hold which post?
9. On 27 April 1987, the US barred Kurt Waldheim from entering the country. Of which country was he then president, and which international post had he held before that?
10. On 27 April, the Netherlands celebrates King's Day, the king's birthday. What colour does the whole country wear?
11. German troops entered Athens on 27 April 1941. On which ancient citadel did they raise the swastika?
12. An American inventor born on 27 April 1791 sent the first long-distance telegraph message in 1844. What was the message?
13. An American general and president was born on 27 April 1822. What was his real first name, which he never used?
14. An English writer born on 27 April 1759 wrote "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman". Her daughter wrote which famous novel?
15. A historian born on 27 April 1737, by the calendar then used in England, wrote a six-volume history of what?
16. A Scottish singer born on 27 April 1959 is the only performer of a James Bond theme to appear in the film's opening titles. Which Bond song did she sing?
17. An English actress born in Blackpool on 27 April 1986 played the young queen in which ITV drama series from 2016?
18. An Anglo-Irish poet born on 27 April 1904 became Poet Laureate in 1968. His son is a three-time Best Actor Oscar winner. Name the son.
19. An English philosopher born on 27 April 1820 coined the phrase "survival of the fittest". Who was he?
20. A Dutch king born on 27 April 1967 succeeded his mother in 2013 when she abdicated. Who was his mother?
ANSWERS
1. £20 (£5 at once, then £5 for each of the first three editions once each sold 1,300 copies)
The figure of £10 is often given, because that is all Milton actually received in his lifetime. His widow later settled the rest for £8.
2. Green Park
The treaty was the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748). On the night, part of the wooden building for the fireworks caught fire.
3. The Mississippi
4. Freetown
5. Freedom Day
6. Toulouse
7. Lake Como
8. Speaker of the House of Commons
9. Austria; Secretary-General of the United Nations
10. Orange
11. The Acropolis
12. "What hath God wrought" (Samuel Morse)
13. Hiram (Ulysses S. Grant)
He was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. A congressman wrongly entered him at West Point as "Ulysses S. Grant", and he kept the name.
14. Frankenstein (Mary Wollstonecraft; Mary Shelley)
15. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edward Gibbon)
Gibbon was born on 27 April 1737 by the Julian calendar used in England, which is 8 May by the Gregorian calendar.
16. For Your Eyes Only (Sheena Easton)
17. Victoria (Jenna Coleman)
18. Daniel Day-Lewis (Cecil Day-Lewis)
19. Herbert Spencer
20. Queen Beatrix (Willem-Alexander)
How was this quiz?
Thank you, that helps Paul balance future quizzes.