So Fill Me In Trivia Quiz

Answer: Roman

According to the World Association of Newspapers, the acta was considered the earliest form of newspaper. Early actas were mainly political and not intended for the general public; these included the Acta Senatus. Some sources credit Julius Caesar as the originator of the actas for the general public (Acta Diurna) in 59 B.C.E., although the date range estimates for actas vary from pre-100 B.C.E. to post-300 C.E.

The actas were posted daily by the government in public places, such as the Roman Forum and the baths.

They contained information on the latest trials, executions, military campaigns and, of course, gossip.

Answer: Chinese

According to the World Association of Newspapers, the Kaiyuan were the first newspapers in China, and they contained political and general news. The Chinese also produced tipaos -- government news sheets that were intended for government officials only.

The publication dates of these vary depending on the source from the Han dynasty (as far back as the 200s B.C.E.) to the Tang Dynasty (through the 900s C.E.)

Answer: Christopher Columbus

According to the History of Science website, the "Letter on the First Voyage" or the "Barcelona letter of 1493" by Christopher Columbus was reportedly written on his return voyage to Barcelona following his discoveries in the New World. An estimated 3,000 copies of the letter were distributed around Western Europe over the next few years. According to legend, Columbus wrote the first draft of the letter while in the midst of a severe storm; he sealed it in wax paper, enclosed it in a barrel and tossed it into the sea, so that the news of the discoveries might survive even if his ship sank.

The "message in a barrel" has never been found.

Answer: Mexico

According to Guatemala's "Review" magazine, the event occurred on September 11, 1541, and it completely destroyed Cuidad Vieja, which was the capital of Guatemala at the time. The eyewitness account by Juan Rodriguez described a "storm of water" with debris coming from the top of a volcano after several days of heavy rain.

Although the account mentions "a noisy uproar underneath the earth", some sources believe that it was actually the vibrations felt from the rush of water that were mistaken for an earthquake.

When rediscovered in a Mexico City library in the 1950s, Rodriguez's account of the disaster was lauded for containing the "essential characteristics" of journalism, and his name is now attached to an annual award for best reporting presented by the Association of Journalists in Guatemala.

Answer: Venice

The "Notizie Scritte" was a handwritten newsletter that was published monthly and contained the usual political and military news. According to the World Association of Newspapers, they were first published in 1556 and cost readers a coin called a gazetta (hence, "gazette").

Although they were essentially newsletters rather than true newspapers, some sources credit them as the early forerunner of newspapers as they were circulated under the same name on a regular schedule.

Answer: German

The oldest surviving copies of newspapers are the "Relation aller Furnemmen und Gedenckwurdigen Historien" printed in Strasbourg (now part of France) and the "Avisa Relation oder Zeitung" printed in Wolfenbuttel, Germany; both were printed in German. Both newspapers have been credited as being the first modern newspapers, although some sources (including the World Association of Newspapers) give the "Relation" the edge as it may have been printed as early as 1605.

Answer: Amsterdam

Amsterdam was the center of journalism in Protestant Europe at the time; papers were printed there and distributed to other countries as press censorship often prevented printers from publishing objective news in their own countries. According to Collier Encyclopedia, one such paper was the "The New Tydings out of Italie are not yet com" (sic), an English language paper published by Pieter van den Keere, a Dutch map-engraver who had previously worked in England.

The paper contained six news stories printed in two columns in a modern-type newsprint set-up.

Answer: Sweden

The "Post-och Inrikes Tidningar" gets the nod; it was first published in Sweden in 1645 under the order of Queen Kristina. It was followed by "Haarlems Dagblad" in the Netherlands (1656), "La Gazetta di Mantova" in Italy (1664) and "The London Gazette" in the UK (1665).

In 2007, the newspaper changed to Internet-only publishing, although the World Association of Newspapers continued to credit it as the world's oldest since Internet publishing is the wave of the future.

Answer: Daniel Defoe

Probably best known as the author of "Robinson Crusoe" in 1719, Daniel Defoe spent most of his earlier years writing political treatises and pamphlets. He was arrested and spent time in Newgate Prison after the publication of one such pamphlet drew the ire of the Church.

He began publishing "The Review of the Affairs of France" in 1704, with the early publication occurring once a week although it eventually increased to three times a week. Despite its title, he covered other topics of interest to Europeans, beginning with the War of Spanish Succession.

Besides covering news, he also had advice columns and light reading, and he included advertisements for a variety of products.

Answer: Xhosa

Despite Xhosa only being a written language from the early 1800s, the "Umshumayeli Wendaba" was first printed in Xhosa in 1837 by the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society in South Africa. Only fifteen issues were printed between 1837 and 1841. The "Iwe Irohin Fun awon Ara Egba ati Yoruba" newspaper written in Yoruba, which appeared in 1859, also often gets the nod since it was the first African language newspaper published by Africans themselves.