Dates of Independence Trivia Quiz

On 4 July 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence unanimously, which marked the break from the United Kingdom. The military action that started against the British in April of 1775 continued until October of 1781 with the surrender of the British troops at Yorktown. The war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris in September 1873.

The celebration of Independence Day became an annual event after the War of 1812.

The French had started a colony on the island that went by the name Saint-Dominic in 1659, and 1 January 1804 is the day that marked the end of French colonial rule in Haiti. The colonists set up sugar and coffee plantations and they got the necessary labour force by importing slaves from Africa. The conditions for these people were harsh and brutal, and finally, in 1791, they revolted and started killing plantation owners and destroying plantations.
The colonists formed their own militia and slaughtered about 15 thousand slaves.

Despite the fact that the French government abolished slavery in 1794, the tensions were still running high and another revolt took place in 1802. The final battle was fought in November 1803, with the slaves winning. The colony's named was changed to Haiti, which means "country of mountains", and independence was declared on 1 January 1804, making the country the first independent nation in the Americas with a black majority.

Chile was ruled by Spain for more than 300 years, and finally gained independence on 18 September 1810. The example of the Americans throwing out the British was very recent, and the people were ready to follow in their footsteps. The corrupt governor appointed by the Spanish and the invasion of France into Spain in 1808 fanned the desire for independence even more. A rebellion followed, which lasted more than ten years.

The 18th is marked as the Independence Day and it is celebrated with parades and other festivities. This holiday is called "Fiestas Patrias".

Greece was under Ottoman rule for 400 years until 25 March 1821. There were various failed attempts before 1821 to liberate the county. In 1814 in Odessa a group of merchants established the "Friendly Society" with the aim of staging a revolt with the aim of liberating Greece. They attracted support from Greek communities in England and the United States, as well as liberal minded people in Europe. Although the revolution had started in February, the bishop of Patra Germanos, proclaimed the uprising on March 25th.

The war lasted until September 1829. In 1827 the Great Powers decided to intervene and destroyed the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Navarino in October of that year. A war between Russia and the Ottoman empire tipped the balance in favour of the Greeks and other people in the Balkan peninsula. The Ottomans were forced to accept Greek autonomy in the Treaty of Adrianople, and Greece was finally recognized as an independent state under the London Protocol of February 1830.

Czechoslovak independence was declared on 28 October 1918 at Wenceslas Square. Up to then the two countries had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The majority of the Czech people did not like being under the control of the Empire. They believed the real war was against the Empire's oppression. A National Committee was formed that tried to prevent the supplies of foodstuffs from Czech territories towards the military. In January 1918 the Committee issued a declaration calling for independence. On the 28th of October the National Committee issued a decree for the creation of an independent state, uniting the Czechs and Slovaks.

Czechoslovakia was dissolved in 1992 and no longer exists (into Czech Republic and Slovakia). However, Czechs continue to view 28th October 1918 as the day their nation was founded.

Following the end of the second world war, Britain realised that they didn't have the resources and local man power to maintain the occupation of India. In February 1947 Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that Britain would grant full self-government rights to the people of India as soon as possible. It was later announced that India would be granted independence on the 15th of August, 1947.

At the same time, Britain decided to partition India into two separate states along religious lines. This led to the creation of Pakistan (East and West) and India. This was a really violent operation with people forcibly moved to different territories, which led to clashes and over a million people dying.

On the 15th of August, 1947 the first Prime Minister of India, Nehru, raised the Indian flag over the Red Fort.

The date, 24 December 1951, marks the complete independence of Libya from foreign rule. The area which makes present day Libya was first settled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans. In 643 AD, the Arabs conquered Libya. In the 16th century it become part of the Ottoman Empire, and remained part of it until 1912 when it was seized by Italy.

In 1942, during WWII, Libya was freed from Italian rule and divided into two territories controlled by the French and the British. After WWII the United Nations requested the independence of Libya. The unified provinces became the Kingdom of Libya under King Idris As-Senussi on December 24, 1951.

The area that is now Malawi was used as a migrating ground of the Bantu tribes. Towards the end of the 19th century the British moved in and created the Central African Protectorate. In 1907 it was renamed Nyasaland.

Although the British built roads and railways, this was seen by the locals as being done for their own benefit and not for the local population. In 1953, despite local opposition, the British formed the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

In 1958 Dr. Hastings Banda returned from his studies abroad and took the leadership of the Nyasaland African Congress, which was later renamed to Malawi African Congress. The Federation was dissolved in 1963 and Malawi became independent on 6 July 1964.

The first known inhabitants of the area were San hunters and gatherers and later were followed by Bantu people, who came to the area after crossing the Zambezi River.

The first colonists from Portugal landed in the area in 1498. During the 16th century, the Portuguese colonised more areas of Africa, establishing the Portuguese East Africa colony.

The arrival of the British in the area prompted the Portuguese to define the border of is now Mozambique in 1891. The actual control of the country was given to various companies, such as Mozambique Company and Niassa Company, which were financed by the British and exploited the natural resources of the country.
In 1902 the Portuguese established Lourenco Marques as the capital.

Following the end of WWII, demands for self-determination increased and were further fanned by the granting of Independence to other African Nations.
The Portuguese were reluctant to grant independence and as a result a war of independence began in 1964 and lasted for eleven years until the country gained its independence on 25 June 1975.

Zimbabwe 18 April 1980
The first known inhabitants of the area that is Zimbabwe today were San hunters and gatherers, who were later followed by Bantu speaking people. Afterwards Shona people moved in from Southern Africa.

In the 1880s the BSAC company owned by Cecil Rhodes moved in the area and in 1898 the area was named Southern Rhodesia. Signing various treaties and concessions, Rhodes managed to get hold of an area than was named Zambesia that covered the territories between the Limpopo and Lake Tanganyika and named the whole area Rhodesia.

In 1923 Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing colony. In 1930 the country was divided into four separate types of land, with the vast majority of it going to the white minority. In 1965 the white minority government of Ian Smith declared UDI and in 1970 declared the area Republic of Rhodesia. A long and bloody war followed that lasted until 1980.

The country finally gained independence on 18 April 1980, adopting the name of Zimbabwe. The first prime minister of the country was Robert Mugabe.