Stones in the Road Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Roman Forum

Known as the Milliarium Aureum, this ancient milestone was a monument which stood erect outside the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum. While much of the Roman forum collapsed over hundreds of years, the base of the milestone remained for the most part intact.

The Milliarium Aureum continued to represent kilometer zero in Italy until modern times having done so for over two millennia (since its inception in 20BC by Augustus). Its base is still in its place in the Forum at Capitoline Hill, though the pillar is long-gone. Preservation efforts in this part of Rome are ongoing. The farthest point from this milestone that is still in Italy (and thus still leading to Rome) is likely the town of Bardonecchia at the country's western tip (in Italy's northwestern provinces, bordering France).

Answer: Constantinople

Although the Milion was originally a structure built to mimic the Roman milestone built centuries before in the Roman Forum, it was created to signify a new starting point for roadways. As centuries passed and the Milion wore away, it became part of Constantinople's Hagia Sophia until a point nearly twelve hundred years after its original inception. All that remains after excavations of this important mile marker is a fragment of what was once housed in this Istanbul landmark. It was said that all roads in the Byzantine Empire started at this point; it was also once thought of as the geographical center of the city in ancient times.

Answer: Notre-Dame Cathedral

France's 'kilometre zero', the point from which all of France's roads are measured, is situated in the ground outside Notre-Dame Cathedral. This spot is also commonly regarded as the center of all of Paris. Located in the fourth arrondissement, Notre-Dame Cathedral stands upon the Île de la Cité resting on the Seine.

The structure completed its construction in the fourteenth century and it remained the tallest structure in Paris until Les Invalides was constructed in the Baroque era. This was later surpassed by the Eiffel Tower. The trunks of "les routes nationales" were started at 'kilometre zero' in the nineteenth century by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was buried at the Raj Ghat in Delhi, India's capital city. While Raj Ghat is not the only memorial in the area, this particular one houses the Father of the Nation himself; Gandhi was a key figure in India's independence and he passed away in 1948. Since this time, the entrance to the memorial has had the marker at its door. At this point, all Indian highways begin their measurements.
Coincidentally, Indira Gandhi (who was once the Prime Minister of India) was buried in the nearby memorial of Shakti Sthal in 1984.

Answer: False

While Milestone Zero was originally envisioned as a marker upon which all of the nation's roads could begin, the idea never really got out of the D.C. area. As a result, while Milestone Zero had significance within the nation's capital, but no further.

This particular point of interest stands adjacent to the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and it was established as a permanent monument in the city in 1923. Originally it was supposed to be near the Capitol Building, but this idea was later scrapped.

Answer: British Columbia

Kilometer Zero in Canada is actually on Vancouver Island on British Columbia's western coast (in the Pacific Ocean). This particular point can be found in the city of Victoria, the province's capital, beginning on Douglas Street, the city's main road.

The Trans-Canada Highway is measured from this starting point and it reaches nearly eighty-four hundred kilometers from coast to coast. Coincidentally, a 'Mile One' can be found on the eastern end of the highway in St. John's, Newfoundland. Much of famous Canadian Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope took him along the highway; memorials to his cause can be found in many different spots including his ultimate endpoint in Victoria at the Zero marker.

Answer: It was stolen

Cuba's 'Kilometer Zero' marker is found within the nation's Capitol building, El Capitolio, in Havana. Across from one of the world's largest indoor statues, La Estatua de la República, Kilometre Zero was built into the center of the floor in the main lobby and once contained a 25 karat diamond in its center marking the true starting point of all Cuban road measurements.

It was once claimed that this original diamond was owned by a Russian Tsar many years earlier. In the 1940s, the diamond was stolen from its resting place and remained missing for thirty years before it was returned to Cuba's then-president and replaced with a fake. El Capitolio, on occasion, is still open to the public but in the 2000s it was closed and occupied by scholarly exhibits.

Answer: True

'Kilometer Zero' in Russia is found in Moscow between the famous Red Square (containing St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin) and Manege Square (containing the Hotel Moskva) in the pathway containing the Iberian Gate. As with other 'kilometer zeros', this space marked on the ground designates the beginning of all of the roads of Russia. According to local myth, if one drops their coin overtop the bronze placard at this point, where it lands will determine where their life will lead.

Answer: Madrid

Puerta del Sol in Madrid is the home to Spain's 'kilometer zero' marker. Labelled 'origen de las carreteras radiales', the people who established this point accidentally placed the marker upside-down when they dedicated it. Many years later, it was flipped in the proper direction. Puerta del Sol, also known as 'Gate of the Sun', was built many centuries ago and became one of the landmarks of Central Madrid.

It's surrounded by a number of government buildings including the office of Spain's President.

Answer: London

The London Stone is found on Cannon Street in London, and it's been attributed to a number of different myths about the UK's past (including the notion that it was the stone that Excalibur was pulled from in Arthurian Lore). This could be considered the Romans' 'kilometer zero' from their time inhabiting the United Kingdom.

In a more contemporary sense, the 'kilometer zero' of London would be the Charing Cross junction in the center of the city. For map purposes, Charing Cross was designated the geographical center of London many years ago; all distances to and from London use this point of reference in their calculations.