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Quiz about Olympics of the 1940s and 1950s

Olympics of the 1940s and 1950s Quiz

See if you can answer these ten questions that cover the 1948, 1952, and 1956 Summer and Winter Olympics.

A multiple-choice quiz by bernie73. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
bernie73

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
396,437

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
343

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The shadow of World War Two and the emerging Cold War played a role in the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Which of these four nations was the only one of those four that sent athletes? Hint

Italy

Japan

Germany

Soviet Union

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Question 2 of 10

2. American Dick Button won the gold medal for men's figure skating. His routine included which skating jump -- the first time that any figure skater had successfully performed it in competition? Hint

Double Lutz

Double Loop

Double Flip

Double Axel

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Question 3 of 10

3. The 1948 Summer Olympics, in London, UK, featured track and field star Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals. In which event did she not win a gold medal? Hint

100 m Sprint

Long Jump

200 m Sprint

80 m Hurdles

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Question 4 of 10

4. Four events were held in diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Which nation was most successful in winning medals in these event? Hint

United Kingdom

Mexico

United States

Denmark

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Question 5 of 10

5. At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, the German bobsleigh team won both the two-man and four-man event. In what way did the members of the German bobsleigh stand out from teams from other nations? Hint

They were lighter than average

They were taller than average

They were shorter than average

They were heavier than average

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Question 6 of 10

6. At the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, the People's Republic of China competed for the first time. Of its 40-man delegation only one person, a swimmer named Wu Chanyu, arrived in time to compete. How did he do? Hint

He won a bronze medal

He won a gold medal

He won no medal

He won a silver medal

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Question 7 of 10

7. As host of the 1952 Olympics, Finland was automatically admitted to the football (soccer) event, but was unfortunately out after the first round. Which country won the gold medal for football? Hint

Yugoslavia

Germany

Sweden

Hungary

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Question 8 of 10

8. The 1956 Winter Olympics were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Several 20th century firsts and lasts occured at these Olympics. Which was not one of them? Hint

Last Winter Olympics where Figure Skating occurred outside.

First Winter Olympics to feature Biathlon

First Winter Olympics televised to multiple nations.

First appearance of the Soviet Union at the Winter Olympics.

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Question 9 of 10

9. The 1956 Summer Olympics were the first Olympics to be held south of the Equator. In which city were they located? Hint

Melbourne, Australia

Johannesburg, South Africa

Sydney, Australia

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Question 10 of 10

10. In the 1956 Summer Olympics, one category of event could not be held in the host country. Which one was that? Hint

Equestrian

Football (Soccer)

Swimming

Gymnastics

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Italy

Germany and Japan were banned outright from participation in the games. The Soviet Union chose to not send athletes to compete. The Soviet Union did send ten observers to view the games, however. Italy, although it had been allied with Germany and Japan during World War Two, was allowed to compete, perhaps in part because it had defected to the allied side in 1943.

Italy's delegation was made up of 57 athletes although it only won one medal, a gold medal. Nino Bibbia won the gold for men's individual skeleton.

2. American Dick Button won the gold medal for men's figure skating. His routine included which skating jump -- the first time that any figure skater had successfully performed it in competition?

Answer: Double Axel

Named for skater Axel Paulsen, the axel is a skating jump that features a forward jump and an extra half rotation. A double axel, therefore, includes two-and-a-half rotations. In more recent Olympic competitions, the double axel has become a common part of skating routines. Dick Button (born 1929) won Olympic gold for men's figure skating in 1948 and 1952 and was world champion from 1948 to 1952.

3. The 1948 Summer Olympics, in London, UK, featured track and field star Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won four gold medals. In which event did she not win a gold medal?

Answer: Long Jump

Blankers-Koen (1918-2004) also won a gold medal for the 4x100m relay. She was the first Dutch athlete to win a gold medal in an athletic (track and field) event. Her wins represent four of the five gold medals that the Netherlands won in this Olympics. The events were held at Empire Stadium, part of the Wembley Stadium complex.

4. Four events were held in diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Which nation was most successful in winning medals in these event?

Answer: United States

Men and women separately competed in 3 m springboard and and 10 m platform events. Joaquin Capilla of Mexico won bronze in the men's 10 m platform event and Birte Christoffersen of Denmark won bronze in the women's 10 m platform event. Athletes from the United States swept the other 10 Olympic medals for diving.

Answer: They were heavier than average

Andreas Ostler, Friedrich Kuhn, Lorenz Nieberl, and Franz Kemser were the four-man team with Ostler and Nieberl being the two-man team. The average weight of the four men was 258 pounds, heavier than the weight of the Heavyweight Boxing champion in the 1952 Olympics.

At the time there was no restriction concerning the weight of competitors in this event and the heavier weight allowed the bobsleigh to travel down the course more quickly. Beginning with the 1956 Winter Olympics, a weight limit was placed on bobsleigh teams.

Interestingly, the US and Swiss teams won silver and bronze respectively in both competitions.

Answer: He won no medal

Wu (1928-1954) was born in Indonesia and had competed for the Republic of China in the 1948 Olympics. In the competition for the 100 m backstroke, Wu finished fifth in his heat and 28th overall. Because the Chinese government only made the final decision to field a delegation in the Olympics one day before the Opening Ceremony, the basketball and football teams were not able to arrive in time.

7. As host of the 1952 Olympics, Finland was automatically admitted to the football (soccer) event, but was unfortunately out after the first round. Which country won the gold medal for football?

Answer: Hungary

Finland was defeated 4-1 by Austria. Hungary defeated Yugoslavia 2-0 to win the gold on August 2, 1952. Sweden defeated Germany, also 2-0, in the third-place (bronze) game on August 01. Hungary's team would later be known as the "Magical Magyars" or the "Golden Team". The 1952 Olympic Football tournament took place at six different venues across southern Finland.

8. The 1956 Winter Olympics were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Several 20th century firsts and lasts occured at these Olympics. Which was not one of them?

Answer: First Winter Olympics to feature Biathlon

The Soviet Union had previously fielded a team at the 1952 Summer Olympics. While portions of several previous Olympics had been televised, these were generally only shown in the home country. Some facilities at this Olympics were built specifically with the television audience in mind. From 1960 to 1998 all Figure Skating events at Winter Olympics occurred in indoor facilities. Biathlon (cross-country skiing and rifle shooting) would debut at the 1960 Winter Olympics. Military patrol -- which had some similarities -- occurred at several previous Olympics.

9. The 1956 Summer Olympics were the first Olympics to be held south of the Equator. In which city were they located?

Answer: Melbourne, Australia

The 1956 Summer Olympics were held in Melbourne, the capital of the Australia state of Victoria from November 22 to December 8, 1956, which was late spring/early summer for Australia. Over 3,300 athletes from 67 nations participated. Although several countries chose not to participate because of political reasons, this Olympics was known as "the friendly games". Australia would win 13 gold medals, 8 silver medals, and 14 bronze medals.

10. In the 1956 Summer Olympics, one category of event could not be held in the host country. Which one was that?

Answer: Equestrian

Because of Australia's strict quarantine rules at the time, horses could not be brought in the country for the Equestrian events. These were held five months earlier in June 1956 in Stockholm, Sweden. Sweden, Germany, and Great Britain were the most successful in Equestrian events, winning three, two, and one gold medal, respectively.

Source: Author bernie73

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
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