The Twelve Dates of Christmas Quiz | Famous Dates

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. December 26th, the first day of Christmas, was the date in 1893 on which one of the most influential and domineering of leaders of a nation was born. Which one?

Answer: Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong was a soldier and politician and held the post of 1st Chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1943 to 1974. He died on 9th September 1976. He led the Communist Party to victory in the civil war in China in the 1940s. As "Time" magazine put it: "His ruthless vision united a fractured people and inspired revolutions far beyond China's borders".
(Note: different traditions stipulate the "12 days" in slightly different ways. The usage here is that the first day starts on the evening of December 25 and runs through to the evening of December 26).

2. December 27, the second day of Christmas, was the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In which year did this occur?

Answer: 1979

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan on 27th December 1979 and pulled out in ignominy on 15th February 1989. Figures varied, but it was thought about 15,000 Soviet soldiers and about 70,000 Afghan fighters were killed. It was also estimated that about one million civilians died.

3. December 28, the third day of Christmas, was the date in 1612 when, appropriately for the Christmas season, an astronomer spotted what he thought was a new star. In fact it was a new planet. Which one?

Answer: Neptune

Galileo Galilei was that astronomer - he thought it was a new star (and hence is not credited with its discovery). Neptune was discovered in 1846 by Urbain Le Verrier.
Neptune 'the eighth rock from the sun' is about 2.68 billion miles from earth.

4. December 29th, the fourth day of Christmas, was a date marked by the American YMCA movement as an anniversary of the opening of the first premises for their association. In what year was that?

Answer: 1851

The first American YMCA was opened in Boston, Massachusetts. The first ever Young Men's Christian Association was opened by George Williams in London on 6th June 1844.

5. The fifth day of Christmas, December 30th, was a date important for supporters of women's liberation in that a centuries-old male bastion was breached for the first time when Lincoln's Inn in London admitted its first female bar student. In what year did that occur

Answer: 1919

Lincoln's Inn was one of the four 'Inns of Court' in London to which lawyers were "called to the bar" and became barristers. It was founded in 1422.

6. December 31st (the sixth day of Christmas) of a particular year in the 20th century saw the first colour television sets go on sale. What was the year?

Answer: 1953

RCA in America produced the first colour sets. They cost $1,175 each.

7. January 1st, New Year's Day, the seventh day of Christmas, was long a date on which many organisations came into existence. Which of these came into being on 1st January 1958?

Answer: European Economic Community

The first countries to join the 'Common Market' were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. The signing of the Treaty of Rome in March 1957 paved the way for the new organisation.

8. January 2nd, the eighth day of Christmas, was marked as a sad anniversary by country music fans with the death of Tex Ritter. When did that happen?

Answer: 1974

Tex Ritter, born Woodward Maurice Ritter in Murvaul, Texas, was the father of the actor John Ritter, and was born on January 12th 1905. Ritter senior was also an actor. His movie roles included "Song Of The Gringo" (1936) and and "Trouble In Texas" (1937) with Rita Hayworth . Also in the 1930s, he wrote and starred in "Cowboy Tom's Roundup" on WINS Radio in New York,

9. On January 3rd, the ninth day of Christmas, one of the world's most influential computer companies was incorporated in 1977. Which one?

Answer: Apple

The co-founders of Apple in 1976 were Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The first computer was hand-built by Wozniak. Apple revolutionized what came to be called the 'personal computer' market with a series of innovative products. However its position was supplanted when computers running Microsoft products came to dominate the market.

10. On January 4th, the tenth day of Christmas, one of America's best known boxers was born in 1935. Which one?

Answer: Floyd Patterson

Floyd Patterson was born in Waco North Carolina in 1935 and died in 2006. He was known as 'the gentleman of boxing'. He was an Olympic gold medalist in 1952, and won 55 of the 64 bouts he fought in his amateur and professional career.

11. January 5th, the 11th day of Christmas, was the anniversary of the start of work on San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge. In what year did that happen?

Answer: 1933

When it was completed in 1937, the Golden Gate had the longest suspension span of its time. The total length was 8,981 feet, and the longest span 4,200 feet. The bridge was 746 feet above water level.

12. On January 6th, the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the USA got its 47th State in 1912. Which state?

Answer: New Mexico

The fifth largest state by area, New Mexico was ruled by Spain and Mexico at times. It was also a home of Native American populations. It became a leading crude oil and natural gas producer.

13. January 1st, the sixth day of Christmas, is also marked as National Day by a Caribbean nation. Which nation?

Answer: Cuba

Cuba dated its 'Day of Liberation' to 1st January 1959. Christopher Columbus claimed Cuba for Spain in 1492 but it was long the setting for strife and revolution. In 1956, Fidel Castro led the revolt that was to bring Communist rule to the island nation. He was to lead the country from 1959 until he stepped down in 2006.

14. On December 26th, the first day of Christmas, Babe Ruth was traded from one US baseball club to another in 1919. From which club did he join the New York Yankees?

Answer: Boston Red Sox

George Herman Ruth, Jr. (6th February 1895 - 16th August 1948) was, arguably, the greatest baseball player of his time. In his career he hit 714 home runs. He was traded in 1919 when the owner of the Red Sox refused to meet his demands for a $20,000 salary.

15. December 30th, the fifth day of Christmas, is the anniversary of the birth of the poet Rudyard Kipling. In which year was he born?

Answer: 1865

Joseph Rudyard Kipling (30th December 1865 - 18th January 1936) was best known for works such as 'The Jungle Book" (1894), "Gunga Din" (1890) and "If" (1910). In 1907, he became the first writer in the English language to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature.

Source: Author darksplash

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas Trivia Quiz

This quiz looks at some of the happenings, celebrations and anniversaries associated with dates that fall within the '12 Days of Christmas'. (Some dates appear more than once in order to make 15 questions)

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