Famous Firsts
What was the first country to grant women the right to vote?
A) Canada
B) New Zealand
C) Switzerland
B) New Zealand
What is the name of the sculpture Michelangelo created from a single block of marble, depicting the biblical figure before battle?
A) The Thinker
B) Moses
C) David
C) David
What flower is traditionally associated with the month of May?
A) Rose
B) Lily of the Valley
C) Daisy
B) Lily of the Valley
What tree can live for over 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest known living organisms on Earth?
A) Baobab Tree
B) Giant Sequoia
C) Bristlecone Pine
C) Bristlecone Pine
What invention is Marie Curie most associated with developing?
A) X-ray imaging
B) Radioactivity research
C) Radar technology
B) Radioactivity research
What was the first video game ever created?
A) Pong
B) Spacewar!
C) Tetris
B) Spacewar!
Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
A) Raphael
B) Michelangelo
C) Donatello
B) Michelangelo
Which U.S. holiday is observed on the last Monday in May?
A) Independence Day
B) Veterans Day
C) Memorial Day
C) Memorial Day
What natural phenomenon causes water in some lakes or oceans to glow a bright blue at night?
A) Phosphorescence
B) Bioluminescence
C) Aurora Reflection
B) Bioluminescence
Which invention did Johannes Gutenberg create that revolutionized information sharing in Europe?
A) The telescope
B) The printing press
C) The compass
B) The printing press
Which was the first country to host the modern Olympic Games?
A) France
B) Greece
C) Italy
B) Greece
What movement is Salvador Dalí most associated with?
A) Cubism
B) Surrealism
C) Expressionism
B) Surrealism
What is the birthstone for May?
A) Sapphire
B) Emerald
C) Topaz
B) Emerald
Which desert is known for suddenly blooming with flowers after rare rainfall, often called the “desert bloom”?
A) Sahara Desert
B) Atacama Desert
C) Mojave Desert
B) Atacama Desert
What did Garrett Morgan invent that significantly improved road safety?
A) Brake lights
B) The traffic signal
C) The rearview mirror
B) The traffic signal
What was the first national park established in the world?
A) Yellowstone National Park
B) Banff National Park
C) Kruger National Park
A) Yellowstone National Park
Which female artist is known for her vivid self-portraits and use of symbolism reflecting pain and identity?
A) Georgia O'Keeffe
B) Mary Cassatt
C) Frida Kahlo
C) Frida Kahlo
The Indianapolis 500, known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” is traditionally held during which weekend in May?
A) Mother’s Day weekend
B) Memorial Day weekend
C) First weekend of May
B) Memorial Day weekend
What fish can survive out of water for days by breathing through its skin and mouth?
A) Lungfish
B) Archerfish
C) Clownfish
A) Lungfish
What revolutionary invention is Tim Berners-Lee credited with creating in 1989?
A) The internet
B) Email
C) The World Wide Web
C) The World Wide Web
Who was the first human in space?
A) John Glenn
B) Yuri Gagarin
C) Alan Shepard
B) Yuri Gagarin
Which Renaissance painter created The Birth of Venus?
A) Sandro Botticelli
B) Leonardo da Vinci
C) Titian
A) Sandro Botticelli
What major event began on May 5, 1961, when Alan Shepard became the first American in space?
A) Mercury-Redstone 3 mission
B) Apollo 11 launch
C) Skylab expedition
A) Mercury-Redstone 3 mission
What phenomenon occurs when sunlight and raindrops create a full circle of color in the sky, sometimes visible from airplanes?
A) Fire rainbow
B) Glory
C) Double halo
B) Glory
The invention of the windshield wiper is credited to which female inventor?
A) Ada Lovelace
B) Mary Anderson
C) Margaret Knight
B) Mary Anderson