The Sunday Quiz What has March 1 ever given us
A dramatic lithograph of the trials of 1692.
By Baker, Joseph E., ca. 1837-1914, artist.
START THE QUIZ
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On March 1, 1565, this city was founded by the Portuguese and named after St. Sebastian and the name of the bay on which it is situated. The bay got its name because it was first seen by Europeans on January 1, 1502, so they named it the ‘January River’ in their language. It used to be the capital city of its country till 1960 when a new capital was custom built for that purpose. Now we know it only by the name of the bay. Which city, part of which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, is this?
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On March 1, 1692, three women Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in a village in Massachusetts. They were accused of a certain supernatural practice and this started off a mass hysteria which eventually led to the execution of 19 people. The village has since become a city which now pays tribute to the very idea that led to these deaths. Which city (that sounds like it is in South India) was this and what was the trials for?
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On March 1, 1872, this forest and grassland spanning close to 9,000 sq.km. became the world’s first national park. It is centred on a dormant supervolcano and is wellknown for its many geysers which erupt at precise times. The park gets it name from a river which got its name from the uniquely coloured sandstone along its banks. What is the name of this park?
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On March 1, 1873, this New York based company started production of the first practical version of a certain product. The patent for this product had been given only five years earlier and it was the first device that allowed a person to produce a document faster than a person could do by hand. This company had been making sewing machines till then. With their then unique ‘shift’ key which allowed one to write in capitals as well they saw huge success. What revolutionary product was this?
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On March 1, 1896, French physicist Henri Becquerel developed some photographic plates containing potassium uranyl sulphate after a few days in the darkness, expecting it to be dim. It turned out to be the opposite and he realised that were certain unseen rays that came from the salts. For this he was awarded the Nobel Prize along with Marie Cure and her husband Pierre. The SI unit of this phenomenon is named in his honour. What did Becquerel discover?
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On March 1, 1936, this massive concrete arch-gravity dam was completed. Built across the mighty Colorado River over five years, the dam has enough concrete to build 5000 km of roads. It produces enough hydroelectric energy to power three states, California, Arizona and Nevada. Earlier known as Boulder Dam, it was eventually named after the 31st President of the United States. What is the name of this massive dam?
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On March 1, 1947, this organisation started operations. It started with the aim to stabilise exchange rates between nations and reduce economic uncertainty by tying currencies to gold bullion values. That system has changed but its main function is still to use lending and capital transfers to keep national economies stable. Which organisation is this whose chief economist is Gita Gopinath?
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Born on March 1, 1980, this cricketer made his debut at the age of 16 when he was brought in as a replacement leg-spinner during a match against Kenya. In the next match against Sri Lanka he reached a hundred in 37 balls, a record for fastest century which stood for 18 years. Unfortunately he also has a record of being the second batsman with highest number of ducks with 29. Who is this smashing cricketer?
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On March 1, 1973, this concept album was released by an English band. It revolved around themes of time, death, conflict, greed and mental illness. It went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time and has been on the charts ever since, which gives it more than a thousand weeks and still running strong. Its characteristic album cover of a prism and spectrum has become a pop-culture icon now. Which album by which band is this?
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March 1 is celebrated by the United Nations and other international organisations as a day to promote equality before the law. The day is particularly observed to bring about equality and remove stigma against people suffering from AIDS and the LGBTI community. Known as ‘Z D Day’ what does ‘ZD’ stand for that ensures that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their goals, ambitions and dreams?
