Historical Figures Beginning With 'D' Quiz

Answer: Author

Living in England through the Romantic Era of literature, Charlotte Dacre was notable in the Gothic literature space, having written a number of stories which leaned into the growing library of terrifying tales. "Zofloya, or the Moor", was published in 1806 and featured the typical Gothic heroine facing off against the Devil himself. Admired for her works amongst her contemporaries, it wasn't until centuries after her death that her works resurfaced, becoming staple writings for scholars of the era.

Answer: Artist

Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí is perhaps best-known for "The Persistence of Memory" (the painting of the melting clocks), one of his earlier pieces, but his prolific works throughout the mid-twentieth century are amongst the most important influences on postmodern art to be found anywhere in the world.

A known eccentric, his passion for the arts would transcend painting, slipping into other rising media of the day including film, stage, fashion, and novel-writing. He passed away in 1989.

Answer: Biochemist

Danish biochemist Henrik Dam, who operated out of Europe for the bulk of his life, became the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1943 because he discovered the Koagulationsvitamin, or Vitamin K, and its importance in protein modification. Before his death in 1976 he was teaching at the University of Copenhagen and in the USA as a research fellow at the University of Rochester.

Answer: Pharaoh

The King of Kings, Darius the Great lived from 550 BCE to 486 BCE, becoming one of the most widespread rulers of the day covering what was, then, the Achaemenid Empire as it made its way across West Asia to the Indus Valley and westward into Libya and Sudan.

It was during this time that Darius the Great would become the Pharaoh of Egypt for a period of nearly thirty years. His seat there would be taken by his son, Xerxes I, who would go on to attempt to invade Greece, burning it to the ground in 480 BCE.

Answer: Lawyer

American lawyer Clarence Darrow was considered a 'country lawyer', known for his savviness in court and his general sophistication despite being what most would consider a rural practitioner. He would make the shift from corporate lawyer to labor lawyer during his long career, then to criminal lawyer, attaining renown for overseeing a 'trial of the century', the Leopold and Loeb Case, in 1924.

He would, the following year, be a key figure in the Scopes Trial in Tennessee, starting the conversation about evolutionary education (vs. creationism) in public schools.

Answer: Athlete

A former tennis player, Lindsay Davenport was amongst the highest-profile female players of the sport, being the No. 1 in ranked singles competitions several years in the 1990s and 2000s. A short time before her retirement in 2010, Davenport was the highest-earning female tennis pro of all time -- a benchmark that would be passed next by Serena Williams. Davenport also has the distinction of winning Wimbledon as a single player and in doubles (with Corina Morariu) in the same year, 1999.

Answer: Philosopher

Born in Algeria but spending most of his later life in France, Jacques Derrida is most affiliated with being a seminal figure in the establishment of postmodern philosophical theory, specifically deconstructionism, as he believed that thoughts and meaning were inherently difficult to pin down as there was no true essence to language despite his predecessors claiming so.

Although many were critical of his concepts as they were a departure from the philosophical norm (and very complex), his ideas permeated many spheres including the arts, social theory, and architecture.

Answer: Emperor

A military man who became the Emperor of Rome starting in 284 AD, Diocletian restructured the way that the Roman empire was led, sharing the reign with Maximian, who oversaw the expansion into Western Europe. Many considered Diocletian's efforts and changes to be successful, and that may be backed up by the fact that he survived is entire reign, bringing the Roman Empire back to strength and then abdicating and retiring to live the rest of his life in Split, Croatia.

He was buried in what would become Diocletian's Palace near the harbour there.

Answer: Dancer

One of the world's most famous early contemporary dancers, Isadora Duncan travelled the world for the sake of her dancing career, bringing modern dance to Europe and Asia at a time when Modernism was just getting to its feet. Sadly, her life ended in tragedy when she was killed in Nice, France, strangled by her own scarf, caught in the axle of a vehicle.

She was, however, immortalized in art, becoming a household name around the globe.

Answer: Inventor

Born in 1947, Sir James Dyson would eventually become one of the richest men in England off the back of his inventions and designs, especially in the household appliance world. His most critical invention, a vacuum cleaner utilizing cyclonic separation (instead of a bag) would become industry standard over time, and he would leverage that creation to build his own company.

In the twenty-first century, he would become provost of the Royal College of Art in London and found the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.