Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

The launch that started a race

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, was the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. It was a polished metal sphere just 58 centimetres across, carrying four radio antennas that broadcast a simple beeping signal. Amateur radio operators around the world could pick up the signal, and the launch caught Western governments off guard, helping to spark the Space Race and the founding of NASA the following year.

Coffee, couches and a sitcom landmark

Central Perk, the fictional Manhattan coffeehouse in Friends, became almost as famous as the show's six main characters. Its orange couch and oversized coffee cups turned the café set into a recognisable piece of 1990s television. The show ran for ten seasons from 1994, and the coffeehouse has since inspired real-life themed cafés in several cities.

Copper and the language of chemistry

Copper's symbol, Cu, comes from cuprum, the Latin name for the metal, which in turn traces back to Cyprus, an island famous in antiquity for its copper mines. Chemists use symbols like Cu, Fe and Au because they are internationally understood, so a formula written in one country reads the same in another. Copper itself has been used for thousands of years in coins, plumbing and electrical wiring.

Kathmandu and Tashkent: capitals of very different worlds

Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, sits in a valley in the Himalayas and is home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Durbar Squares and the Buddhist stupa of Swayambhunath. Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, is one of the largest cities in Central Asia and was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. Both capitals reflect very different landscapes, climates and histories, yet they share a role as political and cultural centres of their countries.

A declaration born from war

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, in the aftermath of the Second World War. Drafted by a committee that included Eleanor Roosevelt, it set out thirty articles covering civil, political, economic and social rights. Though not a legally binding treaty, it has influenced constitutions and human rights laws around the world.