Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A band that nearly didn't make it

U2 formed in Dublin in 1976, when the members were still teenagers responding to a notice on a school bulletin board. The Joshua Tree, released in 1987, became their best-selling album and produced hits such as "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". The title refers to a desert tree found in the American Southwest, reflecting the band's fascination with America at the time.

The first president and the office he shaped

George Washington took the oath of office in New York City in 1789, becoming the first President of the United States under the newly ratified Constitution. He served two terms and then voluntarily stepped down, a decision that set an informal precedent followed by later presidents. His reluctance to hold power for too long helped shape the expectations of the office itself.

A peaceful transition that stunned the world

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before his release in 1990, and in 1994 he became South Africa's first democratically elected president. The election followed the end of apartheid, a system of institutionalised racial segregation that had defined the country for decades. Mandela served a single term and chose not to seek re-election, another example of a leader stepping aside deliberately.

Two seas, very different neighbours

Finland's coastline faces the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia, not the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean touches southern Europe, North Africa and the Levant, which is why countries such as Egypt and Albania have Mediterranean shores while Nordic nations do not. It is a useful reminder that Europe's geography stretches well beyond its warmer southern edge.

A currency with a complicated past

Argentina's currency is the Argentine peso, but the country's monetary history has been turbulent. It has gone through several peso revaluations, and at times the currency has been pegged to the US dollar. The sol, one of the wrong answers here, is actually the currency of Peru, a detail that trips up plenty of players.