Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A wall painting that took years, not months

Leonardo da Vinci painted "The Last Supper" on a refectory wall in Milan rather than on canvas, which is one reason it has suffered so much over the centuries. He also chose an experimental technique instead of traditional fresco, applying pigment to dry plaster. That decision allowed him to rework the figures slowly, but it left the painting far more fragile.

When ringing has no outside source

Tinnitus is the perception of sound, often a ringing or buzzing, without any external source. It is not a disease in itself but a symptom, sometimes linked to hearing loss, loud noise exposure or ear injuries. Because it can have many causes, persistent tinnitus is usually assessed by a doctor or hearing specialist.

The first PlayStation and a changing industry

Sony released the original PlayStation in Japan in 1994, with launches in North America and Europe following in 1995. It used CDs instead of cartridges, which allowed larger games and helped shift the industry toward disc-based consoles. The success of that first machine turned Sony into a major force in home gaming.

New Year arrives in waves

Because Earth rotates, the New Year begins at different moments around the world. Countries east of the International Date Line, including parts of Oceania, are among the first to welcome it. Beijing is ahead of both Paris and New York, so celebrations there begin hours earlier.

A mountain with two names and two sides

Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China's Tibet region, and it is known by different names on each side. In Nepal it is called Sagarmatha, while in Tibetan it is Chomolungma. Its height of 8,848.86 metres was confirmed by a joint Chinese-Nepalese survey announced in 2020.