History Mixed Bag Trivia

1. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Allies landed on five beaches in Normandy, France. Two of those beaches were code named after a state (of the United States) and a city in the United States. The state and city are:

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 20

Answer: Utah and Omaha

The attack on Omaha Beach was horrific. It is portrayed in the opening scene of the movie "Saving Private Ryan".

Question by player vinovino

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 18

Answer: The Terracotta Army

Emperor Qin Shi Huang was buried with over six thousand terracotta soldiers, each with different facial characteristics, with life size chariots, horses and weapons. They were discovered by a farmer in 1974 who was digging in the area. There is another portion of the emperor's tomb that has not been uncovered, but this amazing Terracotta Army is exhibited in Xi'an, China.

Question by player Babilonia

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 17

Answer: An illegal daily lottery

The numbers racket, also called policy, was a popular form of gambling in many large cities. Bettors would choose a three digit number from 000 to 999. The winning number was usually taken from the last three digits of the handle, or total amount of money wagered, at a local racetrack, which could be found in the newspaper. Winning bettors would receive 600 times the amount of their wager, and the syndicate would reap a 40% profit. State run lotteries have largely replaced the numbers racket.

Question by player daver852

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 16

Answer: Alaska

The purchase of Alaska was generally perceived by the public as a positive step towards expanding the United States' territory, but many prominent politicians and publishers mocked the addition of Alaska. Many felt that Alaska was a barren, worthless land that added nothing of value to America. Question by player gandalfthegrey

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 15

Answer: Carnation

The Carnation Revolution ended the longest lasting dictatorship in Europe, the Estado Novo. Young captains of the Portuguese army, disillusioned by the brutal and hopeless war they were fighting in the Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola, organised a bloodless coup on 25 April 1974. Tanks rolled into Lisbon just after midnight and seized important bridges, the radio and television stations and the national airport. Troops stormed the barracks where Prime Minister Dr Marcello Caetano, successor of António de Oliveira Salazar, had taken refuge. Without a single bullet fired, they accepted his surrender. After 50 years of dictatorship, Portugal took its first steps towards democracy. The botanic name for the carnation is Dianthus Caryophyllus. The first word is derived from the Greek words for divine ("dios") and flower ("anthos").

Question by player Debarrio

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 14

Answer: First "ace" of WWII

Stationed in the Philippines, 1st Lt. Wagner had notched four kills during a single mission on December 12, 1941. On December 18, Wagner lead a group of four. P40s on a bombing mission at Vigan, Luzon. Wagner destroyed nine aircraft on the ground. One enemy aircraft was able to take off. Wagner found him and shot him down for his fifth kill. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross and a Purple Heart injuries received in battle.

Question by player griller

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 13

Answer: Yuri Gagarin

On 12 April 1961 the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, not in space.

Question by player BTD6_maker

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 12

Answer: The captain on a Boeing 747 in 1982

In 1982 a British Airways Boeing 747 inadvertently flew through the ash cloud from a volcanic eruption of Mount Galunggung near Jakarta, which caused all four jet engines to fail. After some time, Captain Eric Moody made the quoted announcement to the passengers. The crew eventually managed to restart 3 of the four engines and land safely. All aboard became lifelong members of the 'Galunggung Gliding Club'.

Question by player Rimrunner

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 10

Answer: Balloon

Blanchard and Jeffries set out from Dover by hydrogen balloon on 7 January 1785, carrying British and French ensigns, and landed just south of Calais after a journey of two and a half hours. They were the first to cross the channel by air.

Question by player Otautau

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 9

Answer: Israel and Egypt

Begin and Sadat signed the two agreements after twelve days of negotiations chaired by then US President, Jimmy Carter. Their efforts were rewarded not only with peace between the two nations, formalised in a treaty a year later, but also by the award of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1978 to both leaders.

Question by player Snowman

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 8

Answer: Bricks

Before mass production was introduced there were five steps in making bricks, all involving very hard work. First the clay was mined. Next it had to be prepared by removing all stones and bits of vegetation and putting it into a soaking pit and when it was wet enough kneading it to the right consistency. The third step was shaping it in wooden moulds. The fourth step was drying the bricks and finally they were fired in a kiln to harden them.

Question by player Calpurnia09

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 7

Answer: Iwo Jima

Five U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945. Joe Rosenthal took the historic photograph. His photo won a Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Marine Felix de Weldon used this photo in 1954 to sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial which was placed near the Arlington National Cemetery. The Battle of Iwo Jima resulted in 26,000 American casualties which included 6,800 dead. This bloody battle was a strategic win which allowed the United States to island hop to mainland Japan.

Question by player MtnGuy1954

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 6

Answer: Fulgencio Batista

His takeover of Cuba led to one of the most dangerous periods in recent world history when the Soviet Union placed nuclear weapons on the island. The United States seemed prepared to go to war over this perceived threat and fortunately for everybody, the weapons were withdrawn before it got that far.

Question by player Spontini

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 5

Answer: Leaning Tower of Pisa

Galileo Galilei was professor of mathematics at the University of Pisa when he predicted that bodies of the same material falling through the same medium would fall at the same speed, regardless of weight. Aristotle had taught that heavy objects would fall faster than light ones. Galileo's pupil Vicenzo Viviani wrote that sometime between 1589 and 1592, Galileo dropped two spheres of different masses from the Tower of Pisa to disprove Aristotle. Historians of science now believe that this experiment never actually took place. However, in the Netherlands, Simon Stevin and Jan Cornets de Groot did drop two lead balls from atop a tall church in Delft, the Netherlands. Astronaut David Scott also conducted the experiment on the moon in 1971, with a feather and a hammer (they hit the ground simultaneously -- no air drag).

Question by player gracious1

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 4

Answer: Conspicuous gallantry or acts of valour

According to the full citation, the Victoria Cross may be awarded to military personnel "who in the presence of the enemy, perform acts of the most conspicuous gallantry, or daring or pre-eminent acts of valour or self-sacrifice or display extreme devotion to duty." Prior to 1991, the Australian military used the British honours system: 96 Australians received the original Victoria Cross.

Question by player lorance79

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 3

Answer: Great Wall

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China, and started his contribution to the Great Wall hundreds of years after the first walls were built. He is also famous for other ambitious projects, such as the Terracotta Army.

Question by player nautilator

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 2

Answer: China

Germany had exercised effective control over the rich province of Shandong since the 1890's, and the Paris Peace Conference had the task of deciding what to do with this province, since Germany was being stripped of all such foreign possessions. Instead of restoring control to China, they capitulated to Japanese demands and gave it to Japan. U.S. president Woodrow Wilson gave in to Japan in exchange for Japan's support for his League of Nations proposal, an example of the give and take which went on throughout the Paris Peace Conference.

Question by player chessart

From Quiz FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 1

Answer: red and white

Henry VII adopted this emblem when he married Elizabeth of York, bringing together the House of Lancaster (symbolised by a red rose) and the House of York (symbolised by a white rose). The Tudor Rose has a white heraldic rose on top of a red rose, and is still used as the heraldic flower representing England. You can see it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_rose

Question by player Flamis

From Quiz Historical Snippets 4

Answer: Richard Cromwell

England initially became a republic in 1649 following the execution of King Charles I in January that year, and a follow up Act passed by Parliament four months later. The Protectorate itself began in 1653, with Oliver Cromwell installed as Lord High Protector of the Commonwealth. And what a cheerless term that was. Under this warts and all leader, all the more celebratory aspects of English society were banned, or, at the very least, heavily curbed. These included drinking to excess, inns, brothels, theatre activity, celebrations built around Christmas Day and horse racing. More positive aspects of Cromwell's tour of duty included the building of a stronger Navy, greater religious tolerance, and the readmission of Jews to the country. This mattered little to an indignant public, and Cromwell had to rely heavily on his armed forces to maintain order. On his death in 1658, when his son, Richard Cromwell, took over as Lord Protector, he lacked the force of personality and the ability to not only control Parliament, but also the army as well. "Queen Dick" became his contemptuous nickname among the general public, and in the chaos that took place under his leadership, he was removed from power by Parliament in 1659. Mince pies, Christmas, maypoles, the theatre, a tipple or three, and the Merry Monarch (Charles II) were all welcomed back with open arms.

From Quiz The Misplaced & Poles Apart History Quiz: Events

Answer: 30,000

There is evidence of thimbles being used 30,000 years ago by mammoth hunters. It's believed they were used to sew and decorate hides. Thimbles have been made of metals-usually brass, stone, bones, ivory, wood, horns and glass. Thimbles were considered a very good gift for young ladies. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have had a thimble made of precious stones to give to a lady-in-waiting. The term thimble knocking came from two sources, prostitutes who once used thimbles to indicate that they were ready for business by rapping the thimble on their window. Some female school teachers would keep a thimble on a finger, using it to knock on the heads of students who were either not concentrating or were misbehaving. The phrase "just a thimble full" to indicate a small amount of a drink came from a time when large thimbels were used to measure out liquor and gun powder. Most thimbles sold now are for collectors, called digitabulists. The first commemorative thimbles were made for The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, held in London in 1851. Information for this question has been gathered from Wikipedia and The History of Thimbles by Banasch's Sewing Supplies. Question submitted by dekeaunt (The Misplaced)

From Quiz Bicentennial 1819-2019

Answer: James Monroe

James Monroe was elected in 1816 and served two terms. His presidency was notable for its lack of political tensions and was nicknamed "The Era of Good Feelings." Monroe was the last of the "Founding Fathers" to serve as President. Born in 1758, Monroe fought in the American Revolution. He studied law and became active in politics, serving in the Continental Congress. Monroe was Governor of Virginia and Secretary of State before serving as the fifth US President. His most notable policy achievement was the declaration of the Monroe Doctrine, warning European powers against interfering in the Americas. He declared the policy in 1822, as countries from Mexico to Chile were declaring revolution against the Kingdom of Spain. Madison was the fourth President, serving from 1809 to 1817. John Quincy Adams served immediately after Monroe, from 1825 to 1829. Daniel Tompkins was the Vice President in the Monroe Administration.

From Quiz Historical Snippets 2

Answer: Whisky

Although Scotch Whisky had undoubtedly been around earlier than 1494, the first recorded mention of it can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of 1494, when a consignment of malt was sent to one Friar John Cor from King James IV to make 500 bottles of the aquavitae. James IV (1473-1513), suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of the English during the 1513 Battle of Flodden. Moving along to 1707 with the merging of the two nations, and the subsequent very hefty rise of taxes on Scotch Whisky, the Scots weren't going to be as easily defeated in this regard, hoot no, mon. Most of the existing distilleries were forced to close, but took their manufacturing underground by constructing illegal stills and making the drink at night, so that the smoke from the stills could not be detected. Whisky was hidden from the tax collectors in the most devious of places, including under altars and even in coffins. Hopefully, unoccupied ones.

From Quiz Historical Snippets 1

Answer: Initial approval only

When women of the western world first began breaking free from the rigid clothing restrictions of previous years, one of the first fashions that caught their eye were the loose pantaloons worn in Turkey under shorter skirts. This fashion made its debut in the USA in the early 1850s, and shocked reports soon began appearing in newspapers everywhere. It was scandalous, sirrah! Clerics thundered from the pulpit that women were trying to usurp male authority, and delighted newspaper editors often depicted these shocking creatures wearing trousers, sitting with the legs crossed, and even puffing away on large cigars. The new craze of bloomers made its appearance in the USA at a time when feminists were strongly advocating for the rights of women, especially that of the right to vote. They referred to their bloomers, which they wore everywhere as a matter of course, as "Freedom" pants and determinedly donned them at any public meeting where they agitated for equality. Unfortunately though, this had a detrimental effect on the very causes for which they were fighting. The women found that newspapers who sent their representatives to report on these meetings were concentrating more on the new scandalous clothing the feminists were wearing, instead of the issues at hand. Reluctantly then, many of the leading reformists, to keep the attention of the public focused on those issues - and not the ones on their legs - found themselves having to return to wearing long dresses, corsets, and more traditional clothing once again.

From Quiz Why Does It Matter?

Answer: They went on to colonize large parts of Asia.

When the East India Company received a royal charter on December 31, 1600, it was expected to follow in the footsteps of other European companies set up by the Portuguese and Dutch to trade in the east. The Company became so successful that it ended up ruling vast parts of South Asia, south east Asia and even China. Its dominance over the Indian sub-continent in particular lasted for over 100 years till the Indian Mutiny of 1857 led to the British Crown taking over.

From Quiz The Three Clue History Quiz

Answer: Vikings

The Vikings were excellent seafarers, so much so that Leif Erickson set foot on North America long before Christopher Columbus was ever dreamed of. They were pagans whose end-of-the-world story was Ragnarok. The Mongols expanded their empire from a small Asian khanate to the majority of Asian and European lands. But they did this on horses, not ships. The Phoenicians were seafaring people all right, but they were traders and not conquerors. Cyrus the Great conquered them in 539 B.C.

From Quiz Dark Souls as Black as Night

Answer: Osama bin Laden

Bin Laden was killed in 2011 by US Navy Seals. Yousef was responsible for a 1994 airline bomb. Azzam provided material support for Afghan fighters against the Soviet Union. Al-Zawahiri was head of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.

From Quiz Historical Figures

Answer: Bolivar

Simon Bolivar (1783-1830) led the fight for independence in Venezuela, Columbia and Peru. Benigno Aquino (1932-1983) was a popular Philippines leader who fought the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. Fidel Castro was a Cuban dictator. Hernando Cortes (1485-1547), a Spanish explorer, conquered the Aztecs in 1521.

From Quiz History for Dummies

Answer: 6 days

The "Hundred Year War" between England and France began with a dispute between Edward III of England and Philip VI of France in 1337. The Battle of Castillon, effectively the final conflict of the on-again-off-again war, took place some 116 years later on July 17, 1453. The "Six-Day War", also known as "The June War" or the "3rd Arab-Israeli War" was an Israeli offensive against the combined forces of Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Republic (aka Egypt). This brief war was preceded by a period of extreme tension between Israel and Egypt, during which Egypt mined the Gulf of Aqaba, thus preventing access to the Israeli port of Eilat. The war began with Israel launching a pre-emptive strike by bombing raids on June 5, 1967. Israel completed its final offensive just six days later, on June 10. A ceasefire was signed the following day (so perhaps the war technically lasted for seven days, although there were only six days of fighting). In less than a week, Israel had multiplied its territory threefold, capturing the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula (from Egypt), the West Bank including East Jerusalem (from Jordan) and the Golan Heights (from Syria).

From Quiz Famous Tweets of History

Answer: Beijing

'Tank Man' is the informal name for the Chinese man who stood in front of a row of tanks in the middle of Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the protests of 1989. In an iconic moment, the man performed this act of nonviolent protest and catapulted himself to fame; he later became one of "Time" magazine's most influential people of the century. The incident was a result of the then-government's plan to cease economic protests in China's capital city. Unfortunately, it resulted in a large handful of deaths in what would late be known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It is unknown whether or not 'Tank Man' was killed after his stand-off; he was dragged away by authorities shortly after. The protests occurred (and were ended by the government) the day before.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:45 AM

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