Paradigm Shift Trivia Quiz

Answer: Everyone is under the law even the king

Until 1215 kings were considered as "primus inter pares", that is: the first among their equals. However, in order to appease the relationship between English king John, the church, and a group of rebel barons, the document Magna Carta Libertatum, known as Magna Carta, was prepared and was signed in June 1215.

In the Magna Carta it was established that everyone is under the law, even the king, and guarantees rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial. It was a document in which, for the first time, the king had his power limited by the law of men.

The document was written in Latin and is considered one of the most famous historical documents because it laid the foundations for the modern democracy.

Answer: Because it is the first document printed in Europe using movable type.

Johannes Gutenberg's Bible is probably the most famous bible in the world because it was the first full-scale work printed in Europe using moveable type. Gutenberg and his associates Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer edited this Bible in Mainz in 1455. It is known that 48 copies survived, some printed in vellum and others on paper.

The system created by the German blacksmith using moveable type had a huge impact on humanity because it popularized books as their cost of production was drastically reduced, giving the people easier access to information.

Answer: America

The news that Christopher Columbus had discovered a New World caused a stir in the relationship between the Catholic kings Ferdinand and Isabella and the king of Portugal John II. To solve the situation Pope Alexander VI was called and in 1493 issued bulls establishing a demarcation line from pole to pole 100 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands; Spain would have possession of any unclaimed territory in the region west of the line and Portugal would keep the territories to the east of the line.

The Portuguese were not satisfied and proposed changes. A meeting of ambassadors of the two countries, held in Tordesillas, Spain, resulted in the Treaty of Tordesillas, signed on June 7, 1494, in which the division made by the pope was reaffirmed. However, the line was moved to 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands.

The Treaty of Tordesillas literally divided the New World between Portugal and Spain, the two nations that dominated navigation around the world at this time. The two countries joined the Treaty without conflicts and the results linger throughout the Americas today.

The Treaty explains why the Portuguese is spoken in the eastern part of South America and the Spanish is spoken in most of the other independent countries in South America. The treaty had a major impact on South America but lost its strength as other nations began to win the seas.

Answer: A stone with writing on it.

The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele discovered in 1799, in Rosetta, a small Egyptian village located on the Nile River Delta. The text engraved on the stone is written in Greek and Egyptian languages ​​using three scripts (Hieroglyphic, Demotic and Greek), because, at that time, there were three scripts being used in Egypt.

There is a version in each script of the same decree issued in Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC. In 1822, Jean François Champollion managed to identify the phonetic characters. Deciphering the hieroglyphs was essential for scholars to be able to read countless documents, thus allowing knowledge of the history and literature of ancient Egypt. Since 1802, the Rosetta Stone has been on display at the British Museum.

Answer: The practice and effectiveness of indulgences.

On October 31, 1517, the German priest and theology teacher Martin Luther (1483-1546) reportedly posted his "Ninety-five Theses" on the chapel door of the Wittenberg castle or, like some scholars say, he only sent them to the Archbishop of Mainz. Whether the theses were presented in an public way or not, it is certain that they undermined the reigning ideology and the central power of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther's objective was to discuss the Church's position on indulgence, penance and salvation by faith in defiance of the Church's teachings.

His writings were considered heresy, he was excommunicated but his criticisms gained support from various sectors in German society and in other countries. This document initiated the debate and it is considered by many to be a landmark of the Protestant Reformation.

Answer: "On the Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin.

The book "On Origin of Species" was first published in 1859. Its author, Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, who became known worldwide for his contributions to the theory of evolution, the main subject of his most famous book. Darwin studied the subject for more than tewenty years before making his ideas public. We cannot forget that at that time the idea of ​​evolution was considered dangerous, radical and heresy, because it was in conflict with what was considered to be true. Darwin's theory combined with studies of genetics has shaped the modern theory of the evolution of life. Darwin was the first to describe evolution and simultaneously explain how it took place. Today "On the Origin of Species" is among the most important books ever published and more than 160 years after its debut it remains scientifically relevant.

Answer: Philadelphia, PA

After attempts to maintain a friendly relationship between the North American colony and Great Britain, it was clear that reconciliation was improbable and that the best solution would be independence. The "Committee of Five" was convened, formed by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. They wrote the United States Declaration of Independence that was presented to the 2nd Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The thirteen colonies that were at war with Great Britain came to be considered as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under the yoke of Britain. This established the formation of the United States of America.

The document was signed by representatives from the colonies. The most emblematic phrase in this document says that "... all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

This document served as inspiration for many other documents dealing with human rights and the inspiration for other declarations of independence of many countries around the world.

Answer: Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

When the atrocities that took place during the Second World War came to light, a consensus was reached that the United Nations should clearly define the issue of human rights. A commission was created and the document resulting from its work, was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has thirty articles that affirm the need to respect individual rights.

At the United Nations General Assembly held on December 10, 1948 in Paris, France, this historic document was adopted. Its resolutions, although they have no effect of law, were adopted in international treaties, the constitutions of several countries, etc. This declaration was the initial step to formulate the International Declaration of Human Rights, which was validated in 1976.

Answer: True

Internet Protocol (RFC 791) was issued in September 1981, prepared by the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). It was fundamental in laying out the basics of how computer networks existing at the time could be interconnected, flexible and reliable.

This was the cornerstone on which other protocols were established allowing multiple services to be developed. Ultimately, this led to the World Wide Web a decade or so later.

This RFC 791, a technical document, prepared collaboratively, as a 'Request For Comments', enabled a world-changing economic force of today's internet, on which 60% of the world's population congregate and almost 10% of the developed world's GDP is created.

Answer: The Book of Kells

The Book of Kells is the most famous item on display at the Trinity College in Dublin. There are several theories about the place of origin of the manuscript and the date which was completed, but it was around 800 AD. What is certain is that its name came from the Kells Abbey that housed the book for a long time.

In 1641 the monastery of Kells was destroyed therefore the book was brought to Dublin for safe keeping and it is on possession of Trinity College since 1661. The manuscript was written in Latin, in primarily in insular majuscule, in vellum, and on virtually all 680 pages has detailed designs in a wide variety of colors.

It contains four New Testament gospels and several other texts. The Book of Kells was not the only illuminated manuscript in the so-insular style but a lot of people think that it is the most precious object of the Western world.

Some say it was a work of an angel and not of a man.