A Revolutionary Idea Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gloucestershire, England

Cooper's Hill is in a village called Brockworth in England. It is a few miles outside the city of Gloucester on an old Roman road that connected Gloucester to Cirencester. The hill has a 1:2 gradient, which means that for every 1 unit you travel vertically, you travel 2 units horizontally. That's the same as a 50% inline, or a 30 degree angle. It's pretty steep!

Answer: Someone who made barrels

A cooper is someone who makes barrels out of wood. As metal and plastic became preferred materials for storage, there were fewer coopers in Britain. At the beginning of the 21st century there were only a small number of coopers remaining. The skills are still used for making casks for wines and spirits.

Cooper is a common surname in Britain. Anyone with that surname probably had a cooper as a ancestor at some point in history.

Answer: Competitors chase it down the hill.

A wheel of cheese rolls down the hill and people run down after it. Competitors aim to catch the cheese, and the first to the bottom of the hill is the winner. Due to the steepness of the hill, injuries are very common. In 2009, there were 58 casualties, and 11 people were taken to hospital. Usually the injuries are minor, but concussions, neck injuries, and dislocated shoulders have been known to happen.

Answer: Double Gloucester

Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down Cooper's Hill. Cheese rolling is an event that dates back centuries, so when it began, locals would have used local produce like Double Gloucester. Between 1941 and 1954, cheese was rationed due to the war. A wooden cheese was used for cheese rolling instead.

It was wrapped and decorated with ribbons like the cheese usually was, and had a hole in the centre for a tiny piece of cheese. Organisers had special permission from the Ministry of Food to use a piece of real cheese.

Answer: Spring bank holiday

Spring bank holiday in the UK is usually at the end of May. When it rains, the mud on the hill is softer. Casualties are reported less frequently in rainy conditions. On dry days, however, the ground is harder and more competitors are injured. Cheese rolling used to be held on Whit Monday (Pentecost Monday), which was the first Monday after Pentecost.

Answer: 15,000

Over 15,000 spectators turned up in 2009. At three times the site's capacity, organisers were concerned about health and safety. Local people had also complained about damage to property by spectators who had tried to climb fences in order to get a better view. Cheese rolling was officially cancelled in 2010 due to issues with public liability insurance, but locals volunteered to run the event 'unofficially'.

Answer: Someone at the bottom of the hill who catches the racers

Catchers are volunteers at the bottom of the hill. In previous years they have been members of a local rugby club. Their job is to 'catch' runners as they reach the bottom of the hill to prevent them from crashing into the safety barriers. Sometimes, they help to carry injured competitors to the bottom of the hill. Being a catcher is dangerous, too: in 2009, four volunteer catchers were injured.

Answer: False

There aren't any entry qualifications, but there is an age restriction for the downhill events (in between the cheese rolling races there are uphill events, with some specifically for children). Competitors have come from across the world. Some of the winners include competitors from New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, USA, and Japan.

Answer: A wheel of cheese

Between 1988 and 2017, the Double Gloucester cheese used in the event was made by Diana Smart. According to the official cheese rolling website, she was the only person in Gloucestershire to make Double Gloucester cheese by hand. Smart used milk from her own herd of cows to make it, using traditional methods. Winners get to keep a wheel of cheese, and second and third place also get a small prize.

Answer: A wheel of cheese was rolled down the hill.

To maintain the annual tradition of cheese rolling, a wheel of Double Gloucester was sent down Cooper's Hill, even though no one chased after it. In 1998, the event was cancelled due to concerns about health and safety. There was an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK in 2001. Members of the public were advised not to go into the countryside, therefore the cheese rolling event didn't happen.

In 2003, SARAID (a search and rescue group) were called to an emergency. Without their support, the event couldn't run because, along with St John's Ambulance, they provided first aid.