Q 01/05

Where was Ludger Sylbaris when Mount Pelée's 1902 eruption killed nearly everyone else in Saint-Pierre?

A) In a church crypt

B) In a wine cellar

C) In a jail cell

D) In a ship's hold

Answer · why

C) In a jail cell

In a jail cell, built partly underground and without a window, Sylbaris was shielded from the worst of the blast. Rescuers found him days later, badly...

Q 02/05

A naval officer's rescue work at Mount Pelée in 1902 shaped his Natural Method, a fitness system that influenced what?

A) Parkour

B) CrossFit

C) Pilates

D) Triathlon

Answer · why

A) Parkour

Parkour traces its early philosophy to the officer, Hébert, and his drills of running, climbing and jumping. The rescue reinforced his belief that ath...

Q 03/05

Before Mount Pelée destroyed it in 1902, Saint-Pierre's theatres and cafés earned it a nickname honouring which city?

A) Venice

B) Vienna

C) Lisbon

D) Paris

Answer · why

D) Paris

Paris of the Caribbean was the nickname of Saint-Pierre, then Martinique's cultural and commercial heart. The town was never restored to its former si...

Q 04/05

Which US president asked Congress for emergency aid days after Mount Pelée devastated Martinique in May 1902?

A) William McKinley

B) Theodore Roosevelt

C) William Howard Taft

D) Grover Cleveland

Answer · why

B) Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt sent navy ships carrying rations, medical supplies and doctors. He also empowered postmasters to collect public donations for the v...

Q 05/05

An Italian captain fled Saint-Pierre the day before Mount Pelée's 1902 blast, reportedly likening it to which volcano?

A) Vesuvius

B) Etna

C) Vulcano

D) Krakatoa

Answer · why

A) Vesuvius

Vesuvius was the volcano the Orsolina's captain knew from his home port of Naples. He sailed with only half his cargo loaded, defying shippers and a t...