Holidays and Observances in July Quiz

Answer: Engineer

Engineer's Day is commemorated on different dates around the world. UNESCO, the cultural branch of the United Nations, designated March 4 as World Engineering Day, focused on the importance of engineering in maintaining and developing new sustainable practices to preserve water and energy. In addition to the globally-observed UN day, engineers also have a special day in other countries, depending on where they're from. Switzerland, for example, celebrates it on March 4, while Spain does it on March 19, and Israel observes it on January 22.

In Mexico, Engineer's Day is observed each July 1st since 1974, when Secretary of Communications and Transportation Eugenio Mendez established the holiday. Coincidentally, Bahrain also celebrates engineers on the first day of July.

In India, July 1 is instead observed as Doctor's Day.

Answer: Ukraine

Independence Day in the United States commemorates the day in 1776 when the original American colonies officially were declared independent from the British Crown. The following day, three countries in different parts of the world celebrate their own independence from various other nations: in the African country of Algeria, July 5 is observed as the day in 1962 when Algeria became officially independent from France. President Charles de Gaulle had declared them independent a few days prior, after a long war between the French army and Algerian military movements. In South America, July 5 marks the independence of Venezuela from Spain in the early 1800s. This was the first Spanish colony to declare independence from Spain, closely followed by many others in that decade including Mexico and Argentina. Finally, the island nation of Cape Verde also celebrates its independence from Portugal on July 5, a feat that was achieved in 1975.

Ukraine's independence day falls on August 24 and commemorates the country's independence from the Soviet Union, obtained in 1991.

Answer: Chocolate

It is not exactly clear when or why the seventh day of July became World Chocolate Day, but some speculate that it marks the date when chocolate was first introduced to Europe in the 16th century. There are many other days to commemorate chocolate around the world, including September 13 (birthdate of Milton S. Hershey) and February 14 in Ghana.

Answer: Canada

By the time Nunavut became an official territory of Canada, the country already had two other territories (the Northwest Territories and Yukon) as well as ten provinces. One of the northernmost territories of Canada, Nunavut is mainly inhabited by indigenous peoples like the Inuit and Innu groups. Following the High Arctic relocation during the Cold War, in which the government of Canada moved Inuit peoples to a land with tough living conditions, the Inuit organized activism campaigns to protest against the abuses their people had suffered.

In 1993, the Canadian Parliament approved the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act and the Nunavut Act, officially recognizing Nunavut as a territory of its own, separate from the Northwest Territories.

Answer: July 14

The French Revolution is often referred to as one of the most important events in the world's history, perhaps because it set a new standard for how governments began to be organized in Europe and the world. There were many factors that caused the revolution, but one of the main ones was the people's discontent with King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, and the social conditions of poverty and unemployment. On July 14, 1789, a militia that had previously stormed a military hospital broke into the Bastille, which was used as a federal prison. Though the prison only had seven inmates at the time of the attack, it was also rumored that the Bastille had large reserves of gunpowder that would complete the weapons stolen from the Hotel des Invalides hospital. The prison's leader, Governor de Launay, refused to surrender the prison at first, but he was defeated by the invaders who later beheaded him.

Nowadays, Bastille Day is celebrated as a French national holiday that includes patriotic events like a military parade and a fireworks show at the Eiffel Tower.

Answer: Finland and Uruguay

Shortly after Finland declared its independence from Russia in 1917, the country adopted its first constitution on July 17, 1919 through the Constitution Act. Now a constitutional democracy, Finland was involved in World War II and lost territory to the Russian forces. However, it became a prosperous country after the war. Its flag is made of a blue cross over a white background.

On the other side of the world, in Uruguay, July 18 marks the promulgation of the "charrua" country's first constitution in 1830. Uruguay declared its independence from the Brazilian Empire in 1825, a period in which many Central and South American countries also gained independence from other powers, most notably Spain. Five years later, on July 18, 1830, Uruguay adopted its first constitution, officially becoming a country. Its current flag is made of blue lines on a white background, and the image of a sun in the upper left part of the flag.

Answer: Simon Bolivar

In the early 1800s, discontent with the Spanish Empire had dramatically grown in their many Central and South American colonies. The successful Haitian Revolution against French rule was a watershed moment for colonies in the area, and in the years that followed, the region would see an important number of independence movements. Led by Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico was one of the first countries to obtain independence from Spain in 1810. In this decade and the next, many other countries in the area also sought after their independence, such as Argentina, Chile, and Paraguay.

In the South American nations of Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Bolivia, General Simon Bolivar played a huge role in the ultimately successful fight for their independence from Spanish rule. Many of these nations formed part of the Gran Colombia, an enormous piece of land that contained big parts of the aforementioned present-day countries. Bolivar, who was born on July 24, 1783, led the battles that concluded in freedom from Spain. For this reason, he is known as "El Libertador" or "the liberator". Bolivar ruled these territories as president for many years, until he resigned and passed away not long after leaving power.

Answer: James

Spain's history is intimately associated with Christianity and Catholicism. To this day, the country's official holidays, celebrations, and traditions are heavily inspired by religion. Spain has a number of symbolic cathedrals and churches, including the Cathedral of Girona, the Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, and the Toledo Cathedral.

Spain consists of 17 autonomous communities, a designation that resembles states or provinces in other countries. One of these communities, the northernmost among all of them, is Galicia. Its capital is Santiago de Compostela, in honor of Santiago el Mayor, who is known as Saint James the Greater in English. One of the Twelve Apostles, James is revered around the world, mainly in countries like Spain and England. It is said that his remains are buried in Galicia, and in fact, the famed "Camino de Santiago" or "Way of St. James" ends in his shrine. Due to St. James's strong linkage to Galicia, the autonomous community celebrates its national day on the same day as his feast.

Answer: Hepatitis

In simple terms, the word "hepatitis" means "inflammation of the liver". However, the illness has different causes and variations, meaning there are multiple ways to get sick from this disease. Mainly, hepatitis can be viral (such as hepatitis A, B, and C) or toxic (caused by excessive alcohol consumption). There is also a rarer form of hepatitis known as autoimmune hepatitis, an illness where the body's own immune system attacks the liver.

Nowadays, vaccines are available to prevent hepatitis A and B, which can be transmitted through fecal matter or bodily fluids, respectively. Baruch Samuel Blumberg was responsible for the developments that led to the hepatitis B vaccination, which is why his birthday was chosen by the World Health Organization as the international awareness day for this type of disease.

Answer: Tiger

The iconic tiger has become endangered over the years due in large part to poaching and the destruction of its natural habitats. In order to raise awareness about this issue and enhance efforts for tiger conservation, several nations in what is known as the "tiger range" met in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg to discuss initiatives and strategies to combat wild tiger extinction. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the summit resulted in a number of major commitments to support tiger conservation efforts, such as a loan package from the World Bank and a pledge from Leonardo DiCaprio to donate one million dollars.

Tigers are part of pop culture and they appear in all sorts of different media. Notable examples include Richard Parker, the tiger involved in the shipwreck in Yann Martel's book "Life of Pi", and Tigger, the joyful animated tiger who is Winnie the Pooh's friend.