Beyond the answers - interesting background to this quiz

A capital born from a hard-won independence

Asmara, the answer to the first question, became the capital of Eritrea when the country gained independence in 1993, following decades of conflict with Ethiopia. The city is famous for its remarkably intact collection of early twentieth-century modernist architecture, much of it built during Italian colonial rule. UNESCO added Asmara to its World Heritage list in 2017, citing it as an outstanding example of a colonial-era African city.

The city that hides its face

Venice earned its nickname as the City of Masks through the centuries-old tradition of Venetian carnival, where elaborate masks allowed wearers to move through society anonymously. The practice became so entwined with daily life that the Republic of Venice eventually restricted when and where masks could be worn. Different mask styles, from the simple bauta to the long-nosed plague doctor, each carried their own social meaning.

Helium: the element that refuses to freeze

Helium, the correct answer on boiling points, has the lowest boiling point of any element, at around minus 269 degrees Celsius. That is only a few degrees above absolute zero, which is why liquid helium is used to cool superconducting magnets in MRI machines and particle accelerators. Unlike every other element, helium stays liquid all the way down to absolute zero under normal pressure.

Rhode Island: small in size, big in name

Rhode Island is the smallest US state by area, yet its official name is the longest of any state: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The state played an outsized role in early American industry, particularly in textiles and manufacturing. Despite its size, it has roughly 640 kilometres of coastline, earning it the nickname the Ocean State.

The day Chernobyl changed nuclear safety

The Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986, when a reactor at the plant in what is now Ukraine exploded during a safety test. The accident released large amounts of radioactive material across Europe and led to the permanent evacuation of nearby towns, including Pripyat. It remains one of the worst nuclear accidents in history and reshaped international safety standards for the industry.