Famous Dates Trivia

1. Beware the Ides of March! Advice that Julius Caesar disregarded at his peril, as he was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE. March 15 was also an unfortunate date for what European country that was invaded by Germany in 1939?

From Quiz What Happened on this Day? Quite a Lot!

Answer: Czechoslovakia

Caesar had been warned by several people not to go to the senate on the Ides (15th) of March, including his wife, who had several frightening dreams. One of the conspirators persuaded him not to put stock in such things as women's dreams or "idle gossip by stupid men" about a conspiracy against him, and convinced him that it would be an insult to the Senate not to attend. He should have listened to his wife! On the same day in 1939, Hitler threatened to bomb Prague unless the Czech President Emil Hacha granted his troops free passage into Czech borders. Hacha was cowed by the threat and German troops entered without resistance, leading to the occupation of the entire country and not just the Sudetenland that he had claimed rightfully belonged to Germany.

From Quiz Where Were You When...?

Answer: the Boxing Day tsunami

The Boxing Day tsunami killed nearly a quarter million people and spawned a worldwide relief effort. The distractor answers either occurred before the origin of electromagnetic media or in the case of the Kinshasa epidemic, never happened (thankfully). The Shansi, China earthquake of 1566 may have been the deadliest natural disaster in history with around 800,000 dead. The Peshtigo, Wisconsin wildfire was the deadliest fire in US history (2,000 dead) but is known almost exclusively by disaster buffs. It occurred on 8 October 1871, the same day the Great Chicago Fire (300 dead) started, which got all the coverage.

From Quiz What Time Was It?

Answer: 1903

The Wright brothers invented the first airplane and on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright took it for its first flight, which lasted 12 seconds. The "Dayton Journal" refused to publish the story, as they said that the flight was too short to be important. But soon they get famous for being the first person to fly an airplane.

From Quiz When is This Going to be Over?

Answer: 1865

Beginning in 1861, the American Civil War was fought by the northern armies (known colloquially as 'Yankees' or 'Billy Yanks'), who fought to keep certain states from seceding, and the southern armies (known as 'Rebs' or 'Johnny Rebs'), who fought for that right among others. While it would become popular to consider slavery as the root cause of the war - a view that was only strengthened by the Emancipation Proclamation - the reality was that a host of reasons, including state's rights, slavery, and economic growth/stagnation finally came to a head, and conflict erupted. The first shots were fired by Lt. Henry Farley, under the command of P.T Beauregard, at Fort Sumter. The war was officially brought to an end on May 9th, 1865, with a declaration by President Andrew Johnson.

From Quiz 1492: A Turning Point in History

Answer: Granada

In 711 CE Muslim invaders conquered the Visigoth kingdom and brought most of the Iberian peninsula under Muslim rule. The Reconquista is a period of almost 800 years of on and off wars in which a number of emerging Christian kingdoms in the north tried to retake the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim invaders (also called Moors or Saracens). Since the 13th Century only the Kingdom of Granada remained in Moorish hands. The final stage of the reconquista took place between 1482 and 1492, when the united forces of Aragon and Castile (Isabella of Aragon and Ferdinand of Castile were married in 1469) defeated the internally divided Moors. Granada only surrendered after an eight month siege. All of Granada's lands were annexed by Castile. This ended all Islamic rule in Andalusia.

From Quiz Counting to Ten

Answer: Confucius

Confucius lived about 2,500 years ago, towards the end of the Spring and Autumn period of China. He rose to prominence as society declined around him, becoming a philosopher and politician. Most of his ideas were preserved through the work known as the Analects. He has accumulated numerous titles in the centuries since his death and is most commonly referred to as Kongzi in modern-day China.

From Quiz Dates Etched in Memory

Answer: Marathon

In the battle of Marathon the Greeks, led by the Athenians, defeated the invading Persian army. The battle was a tactical victory for Miltiades. He lined up his soldiers in a straight line and ordered his troops to attack the Persians head-on. The middle of his line was forced back by the Persians, but the two wings converged, trapping the enemy. In the slaughter that followed 6,400 Persians and 192 Greeks died. The run of Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens is the inspiration for the modern day Marathon race. The battle of Thermopylae was fought in 480 BC. The battles of Granicus and Issus took place more than 150 years later during Alexander's campaign against the Persians.

From Quiz When the Year Ends in 13

Answer: Qunu

Mandela was brought up in Qunu, Eastern Cape, and he personally stated that he wished to be buried there when the time came. Around 4,500 people attended his funeral, including Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and Oprah Winfrey.

From Quiz Notable 2013 Anniversaries

Answer: 75 years

'Mallard' was built in 1938, was retired from service in 1963 and is now at the National Railway Museum in York, UK. A number of other steam locomotives have achieved similar speeds. Both diesel and electric trains had gone faster than this before 1938. The fastest conventionally-wheeled train at the end of the first decade of the 2000s was the French TGV which reached just under 575 km/h.

From Quiz Death Takes a Holiday

Answer: Indira Gandhi

India's long serving female prime minister was assassinated by her bodyguards at the age of 66. Her bodyguards, thought to be Sikh extremists, fired 30 shots into the defenseless woman.

From Quiz As the Century Turns

Answer: 1800s

The introduction of the steam engine was a key factor in the industrial revolution and the steam locomotive revolutionized transport.

From Quiz The Years of the Rats

Answer: Cell

Robert Hooke's work 'Micrographia' was the first major work published by the Royal Society of London. It included copperplate engravings of 'Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses', including the eye of a fly, a louse, and a flea. Hooke's observations of the structure of tree bark led him to describe the smallest component he could see as a 'cell', because it had walls and reminded him of a monk's cell. Robert Hooke was part of the era of British scientists that included Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle. Hooke became curator of experiments at the newly-formed Royal Society and his work covered microscopy, astronomy, elasticity and gravitation. He also worked with Christopher Wren on plans for the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire.

From Quiz Days of the Year in Common

Answer: January 1

On 1st January 1808, the importation of slaves into the USA was banned, but the internal slave trade continued along with slavery for another six decades. In 1962, the United States Navy Sea, Air and Land Forces were formed, commonly known as the Navy Seals. In 1999, the Euro currency was introduced (as an accouNting currency) and three years later, also on 1st January, the Euro became legal tender in twelve European countries.

From Quiz '98

Answer: Shakespeare in Love

The movie "Shakespeare in Love" dominated the 1998 Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars, including Best Picture. Gwyneth Paltrow won an Oscar for Best Actress in her portrayal of Viola de Lesseps. The romantic comedy also won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. "Shakespeare in Love" was also a popular film at the box office, grossing nearly $300 million.

From Quiz Historical Events I Remember 1

Answer: Take Cover Drills or Shelter Drills

As if is that was likely to protect anyone in the event of nuclear war! I wonder who "they" thought they were kidding. (The names may have varied slightly in different parts of the country).

From Quiz Memorable Times

Answer: 1066

The Normans were led by the Duke of Normandy, William in the battle of Hasting. He later became conqueror after he defeated King Harold II of England. He conquered England after this battle. King Harold II died in battle. This battle took place on Senlac Hill which was 6 miles (10 km) away from Hastings on October 14 of 1066.

From Quiz The 90s Across the Centuries

Answer: Louis Farrakhan

In 1995 Farrakhan organized a zeitgeist event which was arguably the largest protest march in American history - the 'Million Man March'. The 1990s leader of the self proclaimed "Nation of Islam" was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1933. Originally a member of St. Cyprian's Episcopal Church, he attended college in the South, where racist experiences prompted him to abandon his Christian faith and look elsewhere for spiritual strength. The 'Nation of Islam' was founded in the 1930s in Detroit by W.F. Muhammad. El-Shabazz was better known as Malcolm X, a leading figure in American Islam of the 1960s.

From Quiz The 10s Across the Centuries

Answer: Macedonia

Macedonia remained divided among various countries (by the Treaty of Bucharest, 1913), despite the crumbling of virtually of the neighboring Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

From Quiz When Was That?

Answer: July 18

The fire erupted on the night of July 18, and was finally put out on July 19 in the year 64 AD.

From Quiz Ya Wanna Date? #1

Answer: Poland

The dates are those of the four partitions of Poland and its various recreations. In 1772 Russia snatched a part of Livonia, Austria a chunk of Galicia and Prussia the core of the subsequent West Prussia. In 1793 Russia gained an enormous area of Belorussia and Ruthenia, while Prussia grabbed Gdansk (Danzig) and a large area around Poznan. In 1795 the country was finally carved up between the three powers who started the partition in 1772, with the largest slice, including most of what later became Lithuania, going to Russia, while Warsaw and the surrounding area became "New Prussia". Napoleon created the Duchy of Warsaw largely from Prussian and Austrian territory in 1807; it lasted until 1813. A smaller Kingdom of Poland was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 with the Tsar as King, but it was integrated with Russia following a national uprising in 1830-31. In 1918 Pilsudski became Chief of State ("Naczelnik Panstwa") of a provisionally independent Poland, confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles the following year. In 1939 Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia divided up Poland between themselves on the outbreak of World War II, while in 1945 the country was again recreated and shifted a couple of hundred miles west of its 1939 location.

From Quiz Dateline: 1779

Answer: James Cook

On his third trip to the Pacific, Captain Cook was killed during a skirmish with the Hawaiian natives. Cook was a busy man; along with "discovering" Hawaii, he landed on Antarctica, charted New Zealand, surveyed the east coast of Australia, and sought a Northwest Passage.

From Quiz Dateline: 1665

Answer: Mt. Vesuvius

He had himself lowered into the Italian crater to observe it in its post-eruption state. The Jesuit priest and scholar, author of the geology textbook "The Subterranean World", believed that the earth had a fiery, turbulent center.

From Quiz Dateline: 1630

Answer: Treason - firing squad

The condemned was named George Kendall and the execution, by a firing squad, took place in Virginia. He was convicted of being a spy for Spain.

From Quiz Dateline: 1576

Answer: Titian

Titian, who was in his nineties when he died of the plague, was one of the world's most renowned portrait painters. His specialities were rich colors, paintings of classical myths, and use of the color red.

From Quiz Dateline: 1783

Answer: William Pitt

People scoffed when the youngster, who had been an MP for only two years, was appointed Prime Minister by George III.

From Quiz Are You Sure That Calendar Is Right?

Answer: Sweden

Following its initial adoption in 1582 by Catholic Europe, the Gregorian calendar was gradually adopted in non-Catholic countries. Most adopted the same practice of simply dropping a number of days from the year. However, Sweden elected to undertake a more gradual process of reform by using its own, specially developed calendar, which would drop all leap days between 1700 and 1740 (a total of eleven days), which would bring Sweden into line with the Gregorian calendar. The plan, adopted in November 1699, was to be implemented from 1700 onwards, and consequently Sweden had no 29 February that year. However, the same year Sweden became embroiled in the Great Northern War against an alliance of Denmark, Russia and other states. As a result of the war, the implementation of the new calendar was not done in either 1704 or 1708, leading to the calendar again becoming out of sync, as an extra day had been added. In 1712, King Charles XII of Sweden decreed that the Swedish calendar would be abandoned, and the country would return to the Julian calendar. To account for the extra day, the king also decreed that Sweden would have an extra leap day in February 1712, which led to 29 February being followed by 30 February. Sweden eventually adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1753.

From Quiz What Happened on this Day? Quite a Lot!

Answer: Darwin

The Battle of Lugdunum, which took place in what is now Lyon, France, was an extremely fierce and hard-fought conflict between two rival claimants to the title of emperor that is estimated to have involved over 100,000 combatants. Beginning on February 19, it lasted over two days, which was unusual in an era when battles usually ended within hours. Although the outcome was uncertain during most of the battle, it ended in a decisive victory for Septimius Severus and death for Clodius Albinus. Darwin is the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, and is still the smallest and least populated of Australia's capital cities. Despite its small size, in World War II, it was an important military base and shipping hub for the Australian Navy and Air Force. Japan's attack on the city was the largest single attack against Australia ever and was the first of a series of Japanese bombing raids on Australian soil between February 1942 and November 1943. The attack involved 242 Japanese planes and resulted in an estimated 250-262 Australian fatalities, with over 400 people wounded, as well as major loss of cargo shipping needed to support the war in the Pacific.

From Quiz In My Life: Part 1

Answer: September 1, 1939

On August 31, 1939 Nazi operatives disguised as Polish soldiers attacked the radio station in Gleiwitz. Gleiwitz is in Silesia, on the German/Polish border, an area that has changed hands between Germany and Poland several times over the centuries. The attack" on the radio station was the excuse Hitler needed to launch the invasion of Poland on September 1, thus plunging the world into a war that lasted for almost six years. Great Britain declared war against Germany on September 3, and Canada did so on September 10.

From Quiz What Time Was It?

Answer: 1929

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of United States. It started on October 24 known as black Thursday and continued until October 29 known as black Tuesday, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed.

From Quiz When is This Going to be Over?

Answer: 1989

While the outside world may remember him as Emperor Hirohito, the 124th emperor is now (posthumously) technically known as Emperor Showa. Born April 29th, 1901, he would become the Prince Regent on November 29th, 1921, and ascend to the Emperor's throne December 25th, 1926. While he and his country had very pronounced differences in life before and after WWII, Hirohito would continue to rule until he died of cancer in 1989 at the age of 87. He was married to Princess Nagako of Kuni, later to be known as the Empress Kojun, and had seven children. His elder son succeeded him as Emperor Akihito.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:44 AM

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