• Take the POZ World AIDS Day Quiz

    How much do you know about the annual HIV awareness day? 
  • 1. When was World AIDS Day first observed?

  • Answer: The first World AIDS Day took place in 1988. 

  • 2. World AIDS Day was launched by UNAIDS.

  • Answer: False. World Health Organization employees James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter conceived of the worldwide observance for those who have died of AIDS-related causes and those living with or affected by HIV

  • 3. Which organization created the red ribbon as an HIV awareness tool in 1991?
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  • Answer: The Red Ribbon Project was created by the Visual AIDS Artists’ Caucus.

  • 4. What was the theme of World AIDS Day in 2001?

  • Answer: The 2001 theme was "I Care. Do You?" Click here for a list of World AIDS Day themes by year. 

  • 5. Which U.S. president first hung a 28-foot red ribbon in the North Portico of the White House in honor of World AIDS Day?
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  • Answer: In 2007, President George W. Bush began the annual tradition of displaying a giant red ribbon at the White House to recognize World AIDS Day. 

  • 6. Bill Clinton was the first U.S. president to make an official proclamation for World AIDS Day.
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  • Answer: True. President Bill Clinton became the first president of the United States to make an official proclamation in 1993. Every U.S. president has made a World AIDS Day proclamation each year since.

  • 7. In 1993, which fashion brand worked with ACT UP Paris to slip a giant pink condom over the city’s Luxor Obelisk, located in the center of the Place de la Concorde?

  • Answer: United Colors of 
Benetton employees worked with ACT UP Paris to install the 72-foot pink nylon condom.

  • 8. On December 1, 2006, which country set a Guinness World Record for the longest condom chain?

  • Answer: Thailand set a world record in 2006 for a condom chain that was 2,715 meters (about 8,907 feet) long. It didn’t hold the title for long, though. Romania beat Thailand’s record in 2007 with a condom chain that measured 3,300 meters (10,827 feet).

  • 9. When was World AIDS Day first officially observed at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco?
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  • Answer: 1994. World AIDS Day was observed at the National AIDS Memorial Grove for the first time in 1994. In 1996, the U.S. Congress designated the site as an official national memorial of the United States.

  • 10. When was the public dedication of The New York City AIDS Memorial?
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  • Answer: 2016. Created as a tribute to the over 100,000 New Yorkers who have died of AIDS-related illness, the New York City AIDS Memorial was unveiled on World AIDS Day, 2016.

  • 11. Which pop star got tested for HIV alongside Prince Harry in 2016 to raise awareness for World AIDS Day?
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  • Answer: Rihanna took an HIV test along with Prince Harry in Barbados to raise awareness and encourage HIV testing.

  • 12. On December 1, 2010, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s annual World AIDS Day breakfast was disrupted by Housing Works and ACT UP activists who were protesting while dressed up as which breakfast food?

  • Answer: Bagels. Dozens of outraged activists dressed as bagels to protest Bloomberg’s funding cuts to organizations that support people living with HIV/AIDS.

  • Click here to learn more about World AIDS Day.

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