If I Had Been Born 200 years ago... Quiz

Answer: Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany, in May 1813. He showed great talent from a young age, writing plays as a child. He composed his first of many operas at age 20. Wagner is almost as famous for his personal life as he is for his music, which was plagued by a range of love affairs, escape from creditors and poverty.

Answer: David Livingstone

David Livingstone was born in March 1813, in Blantyre, Scotland. He was not only an explorer who mapped out much of Southern and Central Africa, but was also a missionary who believed in ending slavery. He spent much of his life in Africa, including his last seven years during which he searched for the source of the Nile.

It was during this last expedition in the late 1860s that Livingstone was tracked down by journalist Henry Stanley, who famously greeted him with the words "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?".

Answer: False

Dickens was born in February 1812. His often dark subject matter was no doubt partly drawn from his early life of poverty: when he was just 12 years old, Dickens' father was imprisoned for failing to pay his debts. Charles was sent to work in a factory soon after to support his family.

His freelance writing soon turned into a writing career, and by his death in 1870 he was a very wealthy man. Interestingly, he earned substantially more money from his two US reading tours than from sales of his novels.

Answer: Robert Browning

Robert Browning was born in Camberwell (now in South London) in May 1812. He reputedly wrote a book of poetry at the age of 14, but failing to find a publisher, later destroyed it. Browning was provided with an extensive home education, becoming fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Latin and studying the Romantic poets extensively (with his own work being heavily influenced by Shelley).

Answer: True

The three famous Brontë sisters had two elder sisters who did not survive childhood (Maria, born 1814, died at age 11 and Elizabeth, born 1815, died at age 10). Charlotte (born in 1816) was the eldest of the three sisters who survived into adulthood and went on to become famous authors. Emily (born 1818) was born next, followed by Anne (1820).

They also had a brother, Branwell, who was a painter and author, who primarily wrote poetry.

Answer: Adolphe

Adolphe Sax was born in November 1814 in Dinant, Belgium. While he is best known for his invention of the saxophone, he was also an accomplished musician in his own right, playing the clarinet. His inspiration for instrument design came from growing up with a father who made traditional instruments as an occupation. Adolphe not only invented the saxophone, but also made significant contributions to the design of the modern flute, clarinet and the saxhorn, which would eventually become the euphonium.

Answer: A very small unit of length

Anders Jonas Ångström was born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1816. The measurement bearing his name is equivalent to 0.0000000001 metres and is most commonly used to measure wavelengths of visible light (with 7700 angstroms, for example, being the wavelength of red light).

Answer: Infant formula

Born in August 1814 in Frankfurt, Germany, he was born Heinrich Nestlé before changing his name when moving to French-speaking Switzerland. He first started marketing the infant formula known as "farine lactee" (basically a dry mix of milk, sugar, wheat flour and a mix of chemicals) in 1867.

The infant formula has been controversial in recent years, with criticisms being levelled at the company for marketing the product in third world countries without clean water supplies. The vast majority of Nestlé's other products were actually launched after Henri's death in 1873.

Answer: Shipwreck

Grace Darling, born in 1815, was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper at Longstone, Farne Islands, England. At the age of 23 she spotted the wreck of the Forfarshire and alerted her father. They embarked on a heroic rescue that required them to travel almost a mile in turbulent seas, and then to take refuge for three days in the lighthouse while the seas calmed.

Answer: Samuel Colt

Colt was born in Connecticut, USA, in July 1814. His early designs were not successful due to the difficult economic climate at the time, but the US war with Mexico, followed by the US Civil War, led to a huge spike in demand. On his death in 1862, Colt was reputed to be one of the wealthiest men in America.