Black in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Power

"Black Power" was a buzz phrase which was used by many younger members of the Civil Rights movement in the USA in the 1960s (and thereafter). The original meaning of the phrase was ambiguous, with some associating it with a call for African Americans to become more violent in order to make their voices heard. This is perhaps because of the personality of Stokely Carmichael, who was the head of the SNCC and who favoured protest methods that were more radical than those used by the passive Martin Luther King. Carmichael first used the phrase "Black Power" in a speech in 1966. The phrase eventually came to be established as a symbol of Black Pride, and with striving for equality between races.

The reference to the 1968 Olympic Games concerns the donning of black gloves and the raising of fists by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had won gold and bronze respectively in the 200m final. This pose became iconic for the Black Power movement.

Answer: "Black" Sam Bellamy

Bellamy was captain of the Whydah and in his short career as a pirate he is believed to have accumulated more wealth than any other pirate in history. Though born in England, Bellamy sailed to the New World and is said to have fallen in love with a woman called Maria Hallett.

The disapproval of Maria's parents is thought to have contributed to Bellamy's decision to turn to piracy. Bellamy was also known for his kindness towards his captives, leading to favourable comparisons with Robin Hood.

Answer: The Hundred Years' War

Edward of Woodstock lived between 1330 and 1376, therefore seeing the first half of the Hundred Years' War, which lasted just over 100 years (117 years). Edward III, the Black Prince's father, survived his son, though only by a year, and so the crown passed to Edward of Woodstock's son, Richard (who became Richard II of England).

The name "Black Prince" is ambiguous in origin, as is often the case. It may be that the name was taken from the colour of Edward's armour, or perhaps his severity, which had been hardened by years of fighting.

Answer: A type of helicopter

This conflict formed part of the Somali Civil War, which had seen military forces overthrow President Mohamed Siad Barre. One leader of these militant groups was Mohamed Farrah Aidid, who later became Somalia's 5th president. Groups loyal to Aidid were the main target of the US military at the battle of Mogadishu and were responsible for shooting down the two Black Hawk helicopters, which gave this conflict its alternative name.

Answer: India

This 2012 blackout lasted from July 30th to July 31st. As of 2013, this was the largest blackout in history by a significant margin (the second place Indonesian blackout of 2005 affected an estimated 100 million people). Wikipedia states that "an estimated 32 gigawatts of generating capacity was taken offline in the outage". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2012_India_blackout). To put this in perspective, this is over five thousand times the electrical power consumed by the nation of Tonga in an entire year!

Answer: China

The spread of the Black Plague came from the East, either from Central Asia or China, and was facilitated by constant traffic along the Silk Road. The Black Plague was so named because of the distressing and devastating consequences of the illness to almost all of Europe during the 14th century. By coincidence the disease is often characterised in its later stages by the blackening of skin. The term "Black Death" was not used for this epidemic until the 19th century. At the time, it was more regularly referred to as "The Great Plague" or "The Great Pestilence".

Like many diseases known at the time, it was originally put down to "foul air". Diseases such as malaria also had this reputation, and the name "malaria" literally means "bad air". The Black Plague was spread by rats, and by the fleas they brought with them. The fleas were carried on rats and other rodents, and these often carried bacteria known Yersinia pestis, which passed into a person when bitten by an infected flea.

Answer: Black Tuesday

Black Tuesday is used to refer to the day of the Wall Street Crash - the most severe economic crash in the history of the United States. Because of the financial dependence on America by several countries ruined by World War I, the effect of this crash was truly widespread.

As mentioned in the question, the adjective "black" is commonly used to name unfortunate days in history. For example, Black Wednesday refers to the day when the British government withdrew the Pound Sterling from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (the ERM). Black Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday have all been used to refer to devastating bushfires in Australia.

Answer: Black Swan Events

The idea of a Black Swan Event was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and refers to the disproportionately large repercussions of unforeseen events in history. Such large effects of these events may be put down to the fact that they had not been considered and so there was no system in place for dealing with them. It is claimed that analysis with hindsight of these events usually results in the conclusion that it was inevitable. A prime example is the 9/11 attacks, and another is the 2008 Crash, epitomized and greatly accelerated by the collapse of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008.

The term derives its name from the fact that before the discovery of black swans by Europeans in Australia, the very notion of a black swan had not been seriously considered in the Old World or the Americas.

Answer: Calcutta (Kolkata)

This 1756 event was the culmination of tensions between the increasingly militarised East India Company and Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, who was angry and nervous about such a large presence. Siraj ud-Daulah ordered his troops to lay siege to Fort William. Several British (and Anglo-Indian) troops were taken prisoner during this siege and were placed in a prison that was so cramped and dark that the majority of the prisoners died overnight.

This led to the prison gaining the nickname "the Black Hole of Calcutta".

There exist few first-hand accounts of this event, the most famous of which was written by John Zephaniah Holwell, though his assertions about the conditions and the number killed have since been questioned by historians. The general consensus seems to be that the number Holwell said died (123) was indeed an exaggeration, but that this should hardly detract from the inhumane conditions of the prison, which did undeniably cause several to die.

Answer: The Black and Tans

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) had by the early 20th century developed into a militant organisation that saw itself as representing the Irish republicans. The ultimate goal was to end British rule in Ireland. This goal was not shared by everyone in Ireland - loyalists wanted to remain under British rule, and subsequent conflicts formed part of the Irish War of independence.

The British had had a significant presence in Ireland for centuries and, in the face of radical actions carried out by the IRA, sent over the Black and Tans. Brutal and ruthless tactics were employed by both sides throughout this conflict.