Might Makes Write Trivia Quiz

Answer: Spain

Orwell is one of the best known novelists in British literature, especially for his writings about the dangers of totalitarianism. One of the defining events that helped shape his political views was the Spanish Civil War, in which the Spanish Nationalists fought the Spanish Republicans for control of Spain. Orwell volunteered to fight for Republican Spain, initially seeing the civil war as a conflict between democracy and fascism.

However, the Spanish Republicans were a very fractured group as while the general goal was to defeat the Nationalists and secure the Spanish Republic, there was infighting between the various factions that composed the Spanish Republicans.

The faction Orwell had joined up with, the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista), were accused of treason by other Spanish Communist factions as a result of the POUM's opposition to Stalinism.

The crackdown against the POUM by those it once considered allies greatly influenced Orwell's future writings as while he considered himself a democratic socialist and an anti-fascist, he was also an anti-communist with a deep dislike of Stalinism.

Answer: Army

Kurt Vonnegut served in the 106th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. The 106th at the time was inexperienced and ended up being caught off-guard by a surprise German offensive that kick-started the Battle of the Bulge. Vonnegut was captured by the Germans and sent with other prisoners in a boxcar to a prison camp near the city of Dresden.

He and other prisoners lived in a slaughterhouse and were put to work at a factory. On February 13, 1945, Allied bombers attacked the city of Dresden, reducing much of the city to rubble and killing many civilians. Vonnegut survived the bombings thanks to hiding in a meat locker located underground.

After the bombing, he was tasked with excavating bodies from the rubble so that they could be buried. The experience and aftermath of the bombing of Dresden greatly traumatized Vonnegut, and those familiar with the book, "Slaughterhouse-Five", can see how much of an influence his experiences in war played in his novel.

Answer: Aeschylus

Aeschylus and his brothers were part of the combined Greek city-state armies defending against the Persian invasion led by Darius I. He fought in the Battle of Marathon, a great victory for the Greeks, but one of his brothers died in the battle. He also fought against the later invasion by Xerxes I at the Battle of Salamis. Aeschylus would later go on to write many Greek tragedies, including "The Persians", which was part of a trilogy, though unfortunately the other parts have been lost. "The Persians" dealt with Xerxes' hubris that would eventually lead to the disastrous Persian defeat at the Battle of Salamis.

Answer: Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl is perhaps most famous for his works of children's literature, but prior to that, he was a member of the Royal Air Force. His skill as a fighter pilot lead to him being considered a "flying ace" and got him promoted all the way up to the rank of Wing Commander. Dahl had 5 confirmed kills according to official records, though it's possible that he had more.

In addition to his service in the Royal Air Force, Dahl was also an intelligence officer operating in the United States in an attempt to get the U.S. involved in World War II.

Answer: Greece

Lord Byron, one of the foremost poets of the Romantic literary movement, volunteered to fight with Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire. Prior to the beginning of the revolution, he was living abroad due to allegations of sexual scandal in Britain.

While the Greek War of Independence was a success, Lord Byron died before the end of the war. In 1824, he contracted a fever and died in Missolonghi. He was only 36 years old when he died, but he made a lasting impact upon the Greeks who declared him a national hero.

Answer: World War I

Tokien joined the British Army in 1915. During the war, mail sent from soldiers to their loved ones back home was monitored and censored in order to protect morale, which the higher-ups knew would falter if the people back at home knew the grisly truth about what was happening on the battlefields.

However, Tolkien created a secret code so that his wife, Edith, would know exactly where he was. One of the big battles he took part in was the Battle of the Somme, a battle that was ultimately had no clear victor yet left over 1,000,000 men dead.

Many of Tokien's friends and compatriots had died during the war, but Tolkien had came down with trench fever during the war and ended up being removed from active duty so he was allowed to return to England in 1916.

Answer: The Papacy and The Holy Roman Empire

The Guelphs and Ghibellines were two factions in Italy that fought for centuries. The conflict arose as a result of a major controversy over whether or not the Pope should have the authority to appoint bishops or if that authority should go to the monarch instead.

In particular, the Holy Roman Emperor wanted the power to appoint religious leaders. As a result, two factions rose in Italy, the Guelphs that supported the Papacy, and the Ghibellines that supported the Holy Roman Empire. Dante Alighieri's family was strongly connected with the Guelphs and he would end up fighting with the Guelphs at the Battle of Campaldino, which was a Guelph victory.

The conflict within Italy would have some influence on the "Divine Comedy" as several of Dante's opponents made appearances in Hell.

Answer: Reconnaissance

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, prior to the beginning of World War II, was a pilot that delivered airmail across Europe, Africa, and South America. However, when WWII began, he joined the French Air Force. The plane he flew was a Bloch MB.170, a lightly armed plane designed primarily for reconnaissance.

When France fell to the Germans, Saint-Exupéry was forced to flee to America. "The Little Prince" was published during his exile in 1943. The book was partially based on his experiences as a pilot, including a plane crash in the Sahara Desert that inspired the story's introduction.

When America joined the fight in North Africa, Saint-Exupéry joined up with the Free French Air Force and flew in a refitted Lockheed P-38 Lightning designed for reconnaissance.

Unfortunately, after suffering a deteriorating state of health, the author would mysteriously disappear off the coast of Southern France, presumably crashing into the sea.

Answer: Battle of Lepanto

Miguel Cervantes was once a sailor in the Spanish Navy. At the time, the Ottoman Empire was at the height of its power and expanding into Europe. This led to the formation of a coalition of Catholic nations known as the Holy League, which was made up of Spain, the Papal States, Venice, Genoa, Tuscany, Savoy, Parma, Urbino, and the Knights of Malta.

He took part in the famed Battle of Lepanto, which is considered the end of Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean, on board a galley known as the Marquesa.

However, during his military career, he was captured by Barbary pirates and forced to work as a slave for five years until his ransom was paid off. It was after this event that he would begin his literary career, becoming considered perhaps the greatest Spanish writer in history.

Answer: Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is best known for his leadership of Britain during the Second World War, though he took part in military action in India, Sudan, and South Africa when he was younger. Also, during World War I, he had been the First Lord of the Admiralty since before the war broke out and would remain in that position until the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign. Aside from his roles in leadership, Churchill is also known for his writing. Churchill wrote several short stories, biographies, memoirs, and history books.

In 1953, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his numerous contributions.