October 19 Trivia – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 15 questions in the October 19 Trivia quiz, each with a short explanation. Fifteen questions from history to food - how broad is your knowledge? Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 15 questions1. Which country imposed curfews after its worst rioting in years this weekend?
Answer: France
France imposed localized curfews on 19 October 2026 in parts of Paris, Lille, Douai, Nice and other cities after a weekend of its worst rioting in years, sparked by protests over the cost of living and school conditions. PM Sebastien Lecornu ruled out a blanket curfew.
2. Which river flows through the centre of Paris?
Answer: The Seine
The Seine, a 777 km river in northern France, flows through the heart of Paris on its way to the English Channel, crossed in the city by 37 bridges including the Pont Neuf.
3. What is the largest organ of the human body?
Answer: The skin
Skin is the body's largest organ, covering roughly two square metres in an adult and acting as a barrier against infection, water loss and UV damage. The liver is the largest internal organ.
4. How many keys does a standard full-size piano have?
Answer: 88
A full-size piano has 88 keys, 52 white and 36 black, spanning A0 to C8 (about seven and a quarter octaves); Steinway helped set this standard in the late 19th century. Portable keyboards often have 61 or 76 keys.
5. The rice dish paella originally comes from which country?
Answer: Spain
Paella comes from Spain, specifically the rice-growing farmland around the Albufera lagoon in the Valencian Community, where farm workers cooked it over an open fire in a wide shallow pan.
6. How many players from each team are on the court in a basketball game?
Answer: Five
Basketball is played with five players per team on the court, a rule settled soon after James Naismith invented the game in 1891; teams carry extra players as substitutes.
7. Which planet in our solar system is known as the Red Planet?
Answer: Mars
Mars is called the Red Planet because iron oxide (rust) in its surface dust gives it a reddish appearance. It is the fourth planet from the Sun and hosts Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system.
8. Which animal is the largest living land mammal?
Answer: African elephant
The African bush elephant is the largest living land mammal, with bulls reaching about 4 m at the shoulder and weights over 6 tonnes. The giraffe is the tallest land animal, but far lighter.
9. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?
Answer: 1989
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989 after East German spokesman Gunter Schabowski announced travel rules were effective immediately, prompting crowds to overwhelm the checkpoints. Germany reunified on 3 October 1990.
10. Who directed the 1975 blockbuster film 'Jaws'?
Answer: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg directed Jaws, released on 20 June 1975 and based on Peter Benchley's novel; it is widely credited as the first summer blockbuster and was filmed around Martha's Vineyard.
11. How many letters are there in the modern English alphabet?
Answer: 26
The modern English alphabet has 26 letters, derived from the Latin alphabet; letters such as J, U and W were later additions, and obsolete characters like thorn fell out of use.
12. Which instrument was jazz legend Louis Armstrong famous for playing?
Answer: Trumpet
Louis Armstrong, born in New Orleans in 1901, is celebrated as a trumpet virtuoso and singer. He began on the cornet as a boy and switched to the trumpet around the mid-1920s, reshaping jazz by putting the soloist at the centre.
13. Which is the largest ocean on Earth?
Answer: Pacific Ocean
The Pacific is the largest and deepest ocean, covering roughly 165 million square kilometres, about a third of Earth's surface and more than all land combined. It also holds the deepest known point, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
14. What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Answer: Au
Gold's chemical symbol is Au, taken from the Latin aurum, and its atomic number is 79. Ag stands for silver (argentum) and Gd for gadolinium.
15. Who was the first President of the United States?
Answer: George Washington
George Washington took the oath as the first US president on April 30, 1789, on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, after being elected unanimously with 69 electoral votes. John Adams served as his vice president.