History of Rio de Janeiro Trivia Quiz

Answer: France

The French had occupied a tiny island off the Brazilian coast called Villegagnon Island. The French wanted to establish a colony in the southern hemisphere but the Treaty of Tordesillas split South America between Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese, led by Estacio de Sa, defeated the French.

However, Estacio de Sa was killed in battle. Rio de Janeiro was then founded around 1567. The original land that made up Rio de Janeiro was inland and surrounded by mountains for protection.

Answer: Plots of fertile land

Sesmarias were plots of extremely fertile land perfect for growing sugarcane. Brazil was home to large amounts of fertile farmland used to finance the colony. Sugarcane was the most important and profitable but its cultivation required large amounts of slaves. By the late 1600s, well over half of Rio de Janeiro's population were slaves.

Answer: Paco Imperial

The Paco Imperial was just one of the crown residences in Brazil. When it was completed in 1743 it was called Casas dos Governadores or the Governor's House. It was renamed Paco dos Vice-Reis when the capital was moved to Rio in 1763. In 1808, it was renamed again to Paco Real when Prince John VI fled Portugal.

It took the name Paco Imperial when Brazil became independent in 1822 as the Empire of Brazil. Paco Imperial was the center of politics in Rio de Janeiro and in all of Brazil until 1889, when Brazil became a republic.

Answer: Coffee

Coffee remains one of Brazil's most important crops today: in fact it is the world's largest producer of coffee. With this newfound cash crop, Rio de Janeiro was able to expand even more and attract wealthy people from Europe outside of Portugal. The city's ports were in full operation again and this increase in coffee trade also allowed Rio to trade more of other crops including cotton and rubber.

Answer: Constitutional monarchy

Ledo's choice to advocate for a monarchy was unusual as other New World countries feared tyrannical monarchs from their colonial days. Indeed, many Latin American nations were pushing toward a government like the U.S. However, Ledo quickly realized that any government not headed by a strong monarch would be overrun with the few but powerful wealthy plantation owners who were advocating against a monarchy.

Ledo spread his views through Rio de Janeiro by printing a newspaper called Reverbero Constitucional Fluminense with fellow printer Januário da Cunha Barbosa. Because of this, Rio was the center of the movement for Brazilian independence.

Answer: Smallpox

Rio de Janeiro's infrastructure was suffering greatly by the early 20th century. The city's population was growing exponentially and the crowded city piled up with garbage. That combined with the poor sewage system led to numerous epidemics that ranged from typhus to leprosy and even bubonic plague. The Director General of Public Health Dr. Oswaldo Cruz founded the Brigadas Mata Mosquitos, a group of sanitation workers to clean up the city. He was also essential in the passage of the Mandatory Vaccination Law, which allowed the Brigadas Mata Mosquitos to forcibly enter people's homes and vaccinate them against smallpox that was threatening the city.

The law, which was unpopular and confusing, led to riots and looting in the streets. Even the military turned against the government briefly. Ultimately, thirty people were killed and over a hundred injured. Smallpox was eradicated from the city but only after the riots calmed down.

Answer: Christ the Redeemer Statue

Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue, although it was built by Paul Landowski, a Polish-French artist. The idea for a statue of Christ in Rio was first proposed in the 1850s and a statue was indeed built but never displayed. It was proposed again in the 1920s and was approved.

The statue needs near constant restoration because its location on Corcovado Mountain exposes it to frequent high winds and lightning strikes. The original stone used to create the statue is increasingly rare and as a result, the statue is gradually becoming darker over time as new stone is used.

Answer: Uruguay won 2-1

Brazil was the heavy favorite not only because they were the home team but also because they only needed a tie score to win. Brazil was actually leading the game at one point but Uruguay pulled ahead 2-1. The term Maracanazo was coined at this match.

It refers to a situation in which a narrow loss leaves a devastating impact on the loser. It usually applies to sports but can apply to anything.

Answer: Candelaria Church

The story goes that the eight victims, who ranged in age from 11-20, threw rocks at police cars but were given a warning. However, later that night police opened fire on a group of dozens of children. The children were street kids who frequently slept outside the Candelaria Church. Several of shooters were tried but only two were convicted.

The incident is called the Candelaria Massacre and is one of the most notable cases of police brutality in history.

Answer: All of these

The main concern in the international community was the spread of the Zika virus. The virus can cause birth defects if contracted by pregnant women. Brazil and Rio de Janeiro had a reputation for having shoddy infrastructure and the international community was concerned the city was not doing enough to combat the virus.

In May 2016, Dilma Rousseff, the president, was impeached and suspended from office. As a result, she was banned from attending the games. Rio de Janeiro itself typically experiences political corruption daily but the impeachment of the president was particularly notable.

As a result of the above issues, ticket sales for the many events were slow moving. International tourists, and even some athletes, passed on the opportunity to attend to for fear that the city was not safe from both disease and crime. Another issue that plagued Rio was the collapse of the Tim Maia bike path in April 2016. The bike path was called the most beautiful in the world and was to be a showpiece for international visitors. However, it easily collapsed when a wave hit it and left many wondering if the city's infrastructure was up to par.