August 26 — This Day in History

 Question 1 — ₹10,000 (Easy)

Which German city hosted the Summer Olympic Games that officially opened on August 26, 1972?

A) Berlin

B) Munich

C) Frankfurt

D) Hamburg

• Correct Answer: B) Munich

• Explanation: The 1972 Summer Olympics opened in Munich, West Germany, on August 26, 1972.

Question 2 — ₹20,000 (Easy)

Best known for his iconic role as the resourceful child Kevin McCallister in the classic comedy Home Alone, which Hollywood actor celebrates his birthday on August 26?

A) Macaulay Culkin

B) Elijah Wood

C) Daniel Radcliffe

D) Haley Joel Osment

• Correct Answer: A) Macaulay Culkin

• Explanation: Macaulay Culkin was born on August 26, 1980, and rose to global fame as a child star in Home Alone.

Question 3 — ₹40,000 (Easy)

On August 26, 1944, which iconic French military general and statesman led a historic victory parade down the Champs-Élysées after Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation?

A) Philippe Pétain

B) Charles de Gaulle

C) Ferdinand Foch

D) Georges Clemenceau

• Correct Answer: B) Charles de Gaulle

• Explanation: General Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of hidden German snipers to lead the liberation march through Paris.

Question 4 — ₹80,000 (Moderate)

On August 26, 1958, residents of which vast territory voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to accept admission as the 49th state of the United States?

A) Hawaii

B) Alaska

C) Puerto Rico

D) New Mexico

• Correct Answer: B) Alaska

• Explanation: Alaskans went to the polls on August 26, 1958, and voted by a wide margin in favor of statehood, officially joining the Union in 1959.

Question 5 — ₹1,60,000 (Moderate)

Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected Pope on August 26, 1978, taking the papal name Pope John Paul I. Before his election, of which historic Italian city was he the Patriarch?

A) Milan

B) Florence

C) Venice

D) Naples

• Correct Answer: C) Venice

• Explanation: Cardinal Albino Luciani served as the Patriarch of Venice prior to his election; his papacy lasted just 33 days before his sudden death.

Question 6 — ₹3,20,000 (Moderate)

The 1968 Democratic National Convention, remembered for violent street clashes between police and anti-war demonstrators, was held in which major American city?

A) Chicago

B) New York City

C) Los Angeles

D) Philadelphia

• Correct Answer: A) Chicago

• Explanation: Opening on August 26, 1968, the convention in Chicago nominated Hubert Humphrey amid fierce protests against the Vietnam War.

Question 7 — ₹6,40,000 (Moderate to High)

In 1985, 13-year-old Ryan White gained national attention in the US when he was forced to attend school via telephone hook-up after being barred from classrooms due to which medical condition?

A) Polio

B) Tuberculosis

C) AIDS

D) Hepatitis B

• Correct Answer: C) AIDS

• Explanation: Ryan White contracted HIV through a blood transfusion for hemophilia and became an internationally recognized advocate for AIDS education when his middle school barred him from attending in person.

Question 8 — ₹12,50,000 (High / Conceptual)

On August 26, 1939, experimental station W2XBS made broadcasting history by televising the first-ever Major League Baseball games from Ebbets Field. Which two teams played that historic doubleheader?

A) New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox

B) Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers

C) Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals

D) Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians

• Correct Answer: B) Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers

• Explanation: The Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers played the first televised MLB doubleheader at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.

Question 9 — ₹50,00,000 (High / Conceptual)

On August 26, 2021, during the chaotic international evacuation from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover, a deadly suicide bombing took place outside which key gate of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport?

A) Abbey Gate

B) East Gate

C) North Gate

D) Camp Sullivan Gate

• Correct Answer: A) Abbey Gate

• Explanation: The suicide attack orchestrated by ISIS-K occurred near Abbey Gate, claiming the lives of at least 60 Afghan civilians and 13 US service members.

Question 10 — ₹1 Crore (Jackpot)

Born on August 26, 1952, Will Shortz is an American puzzle master renowned as the long-time crossword editor for The New York Times. From which university did he design his own degree program to become the world's only person holding a college degree in Enigmatology (the study of puzzles)?

A) Harvard University

B) Indiana University

C) Columbia University

D) Stanford University

• Correct Answer: B) Indiana University

• Explanation: Will Shortz graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 1974 with an individualized major in Enigmatology, making him the only known person to hold a degree in the field.