Historical Figures Beginning With 'A' Quiz

Answer: Astrophysicist

American scientist Charles Greeley Abbot lived his life in the United States from 1872-1973. Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Washington, DC, for nearly forty years, his work demonstrated that the sun had a variable energy output with a measurable effect on the Earth's weather. Though his base of operations was in the U.S., Abbot's work sent him around the world in service of researching solar eclipses and similar phenomena.

Answer: Essayist

Born in England in 1672, Joseph Addison, not only operated in Parliament for Ireland and Great Britain, but was a significantly accomplished essayist and poet, contributing works for 'The Spectator' magazine, writing for the stage ('Cato, a Tragedy'), and even hymn-writing.

His contributions to English arts and culture actually aided in a shift in writing convention at the turn of the century. Addison was educated at Oxford and buried in Westminster Abbey.

Answer: Psychotherapist

Born in Austria in 1870, Adler's research into individual psychology was a clear break from his contemporary and fellow Viennese analyst, Sigmund Freud. Adler's work claimed that all external factors of a single person's life contributed to the greater whole of a person's psychology and need/sense for belonging within that life. He passed away suddenly in 1937.

Answer: Mining engineer

Living most of his life in the nineteenth century as the Industrial Revolution chugged away, Agassiz made important contributions to numerous fields including engineering and zoology. Aside from creating and developing machines and infrastructure for U.S. copper mines, Agassiz's true interests seemed to lie in natural history. Attending Harvard for studies, he traveled the world, publishing papers on Amazon wilderness and the Great Barrier Reef.

He passed away at sea in 1910.

Answer: Composer

The leader of the Spanish nationalist school of musicians, Isaac Albéniz was a composer and pianist hailing from Catalonia in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Though Albéniz wrote all of his pieces for the piano, it might be surprising that in a more modern era, most of his compositions would become more popular as classical guitar works, shifting to meet a more prominent Spanish music influence.

His works were celebrated during and after his life. He passed away in 1909.

Answer: Novelist

The Victorian Era writer responsible for "Little Women" and its subsequent sequels, Louisa May Alcott is perhaps one of the most well-regarded American children's authors of her generation, having emerged as an influential feminist and key figure amongst her contemporaries. Though Alcott's primary works are her most recognized, some of her earliest writings, published under the male pseudonym A. M. Barnard, were a bit more sensationalist.

She passed away in Boston in 1888.

Answer: Lawyer

Born in 1941, Gloria Allred emerged as a preeminent American lawyer in the latter half of the twentieth century, often being attached to high-profile legal cases that would shape American political discourse including Roe v. Wade and the OJ Simpson trial.

While many have criticized Allred's sociopolitical motives over the decades, she was inducted into the U.S. National Women's Hall of Fame and has, undeniably, been a figure for women's rights over her long and illustrious career.

Answer: Violin-Maker

Nicolo Amati, technically a luthier (maker of stringed instruments), lived a long life from 1596 to 1684 despite living through a devastating plague in Italy in the early-to-mid seventeenth century. Residing in the outskirts of Milan, Amati was born into a family of instrument craftsmen and was known for his immaculate and refined creations, distinguishing himself as an influence for later luthiers like Antonio Stradivari. Today, his works are quite rare and are kept as highly-prized museum pieces.

Answer: Governor

An English Governor of the American Colonies, Edmund Andros oversaw the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689 before its revolt and collapse. He would subsequently be made Governor of several provinces (later states) including New York, New Jersey, and Maryland.

His oversight was considered less tumultuous than others, especially at this volatile time in the history of the colonies. He oversaw peace treaties with the Iroquois before he was returned to Guernsey, being its Lieutenant Governor.

He would ultimately end his life in London.

Answer: Bishop

Francis Asbury lived from 1745-1816 and for nearly five decades he resided America as the first Methodist bishop, traveling through newly-settled territories as the leader of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was due in part to Asbury's persistence that religion spread west across the continent, growing the church's numbers by hundreds of thousands of followers in the U.S.' early years of independence.

He died in Virginia in 1816.