Why Does It Matter? Trivia Quiz

Answer: They went on to colonize large parts of Asia.

When the East India Company received a royal charter on December 31, 1600, it was expected to follow in the footsteps of other European companies set up by the Portuguese and Dutch to trade in the east. The Company became so successful that it ended up ruling vast parts of South Asia, south east Asia and even China.

Its dominance over the Indian sub-continent in particular lasted for over 100 years till the Indian Mutiny of 1857 led to the British Crown taking over.

Answer: It led to stricter gun control laws in Australia.

Port Arthur is a famous tourist attraction in Tasmania, Australia due to a well preserved former convict prison located there. Martin Bryant perpetrated a mass shooting at Port Arthur which lasted several hours and covered multiple sites ending with the death of 35 people and injuries to over 20 more. Bryant was caught and sentenced to multiple prison terms which would last throughout his life.

The Australian federal government worked with the states to impose stronger gun control laws in the country to ensure such a calamity is not repeated.

A mandatory 'buy-back' scheme was launched to facilitate the return of firearms already held. Strong restrictions were put in place for future firearm purchases.

Answer: He went on to become the first black President of South Africa.

466/64 was the prison number allocated to Nelson Mandela when he was held at the Robben Island prison. It indicated that he was the 466th prisoner in the year 1964. Prisoner 46664 was later used as a reverential title for Mandela, in honour of the time served by him for his political ideals. On November 29, 2003, Mandela organized the 46664 Concert to raise funds for AIDS awareness. Well known international artists like Beyonce, Bono, and Bob Geldof, among many others, performed at the event. Mandela served as the President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Answer: It was the first feature length talkie.

"The Jazz Singer" was the first full length feature film with sound. It was called a "talkie" while the movies with no audio tracks were called "silent films". While "The Jazz Singer" did not have complete synchronized sound throughout the film like later movies, it had several sequences that did. Based on a play of the same name, it starred Al Jolson in the lead role of a man who pursues a career as a jazz singer, going against his traditional Jewish family.

Answer: The country of Biafra ceased to exist.

Biafra is found in the southern part of Nigeria. After Nigeria achieved independence from the British in 1960, there were tensions among the various ethnic tribes of the country. On May 30, 1967, Biafra unilaterally declared independence from Nigeria setting in motion the Nigerian Civil War which continued for the next three years. Biafra was formally recognized as an independent state only by a handful of other African countries, though it did get support from other global powers including France and Spain. Eventually Biafra was unable to continue the fight with the economic blockade imposed by Nigeria resulting in widespread starvation and death.

The war ended with Biafra's leadership surrendering to Nigerian forces and Biafra ceasing to exist as an independent state.

Answer: The UK got its first woman Prime Minister.

Margaret Thatcher assumed leadership of the UK's Conservative Party in 1975. When the Tories won the General Election in 1979, Thatcher got elected to the post of Prime Minister, making her the first woman to hold this position. Under her leadership, the party won the next two elections as well, ensuring she continued as the Prime Minister until 1990. Thatcher was nicknamed the "Iron Lady" for her ability to take hard and firm decisions.

Answer: It was the first Oscars.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded in 1927 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the interests of the Hollywood film industry. The private dinner hosted at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel was to commemorate achievements in the industry and eventually became the first Academy Awards ceremony. Better known as the Oscars, these awards continue to be regarded as among the most prestigious film honours worldwide.

Answer: It was the first to vote for independence from Yugoslavia.

The country of Yugoslavia was formed in 1918 after World War I through the uniting of territories belonging to the erstwhile Austro-Hungarian Kingdom with the Kingdom of Serbia. After World War II, it became a socialist country and was led by Josip Tito until his death in 1980. Tito's death, combined with a prolonged economic crisis, led to discontent within the states of Yugoslavia with each wanting to become an independent country. Slovenia was the first to hold a referendum on this issue and voted for independence.

This was followed shortly by Croatia in May 1991. Ultimately Yugoslavia ceased to exist as a country in 1992.

Answer: It was the first cloned mammal.

A team led by Keith Campbell and Ian Wilmut successfully cloned the first mammal when Dolly the sheep was born in Scotland on July 5, 1996. She was named after Dolly Parton, with Wilmut stating the inspiration for the name as - "Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn't think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton's".

Answer: He was the first Roman Catholic pope in 600 years to resign voluntarily.

After the death of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the new Head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2005. He took the papal name of Pope Benedict XVI. In 2013, he took the unusual decision of resigning from this position stating that his age made it hard for him to carry out the duties of the pope.

He was 86 years old at the time. This made him the first Pope since Celestine V in 1294 to resign of his own volition. He was succeeded by Cardinal Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis, the first Jesuit priest to become a Pope.