Specific Topic Mixes Trivia

1. The "Ses Llumetes" is a wreck found at Porto Cristo, off the coast of which of Balearic Islands?

From Quiz Any Storm in a Port

Answer: Mallorca

"Ses Llumetes" was a 30-metre long Roman merchant vessel that sank off the coast of Mallorca (Majorca). It carried the goods required to assist in construction - and it seems that this cargo aided its conservation. The recently uncovered vessel is the first wreck ever documented transporting volcanic tephra - fragments of rock thrown into the air by an erupting volcano. It's possible the particular pumice was pozzolanic ash, a naturally-occurring active component that creates a kind of volcanic glass in the presence of calcium hydroxide in room-temperature water. It appears that this substance, along with other goods it carries, produced a kind of Roman marine concrete that led to the ship's preservation in the waters off Porto Cristo since the 1st century AD - the time of Nero! Archaeologists have created a 3D scanned image, and with this information, have identified Caivs Ivlivs as the shipwright who built the ship. Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid took a deep dive into the sea to come up with this question.

From Quiz Tomb Robbing For Fun and Profit

Answer: Execration texts

These texts would describe terrible punishments that the gods would inflict on any who dared violate the sanctity of the tomb. They seem not have had much of a deterrent effect though, as most of the ancient Egyptian tombs that have been found, with a few striking exceptions, were robbed of their valuables, often fairly soon after being sealed.

From Quiz The Great White Part 3: Milky Milestones

Answer: Sophie Scholl

The "White Rose" (in German: "Die Weisse Rose") was a small movement involved in passive resistance against the Nazi doctrine. Hans Scholl (born 1918) founded the group with some friends in 1940, and Hans' sister Sophie (born 1921) soon joined the group. After having distributed several pamphlets demanding social justice and an end to the war, the group members were arrested in February 1943. After a brief and biased trial, Hans and Sophie were condemned for treason and beheaded on February 22, 1943. Question submitted by JanIQ.

From Quiz Chess Pieces

Answer: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Originally, Philip was a prince of Greece and Denmark, but relinquished those titles to become a naturalised British subject. The couple first met as children at a wedding in 1934. They met again in 1939, when Philip was 18 years old and Elizabeth was 13, and began to write letters to each other. They celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary in 2017 after standing by each other for 70 years - what an achievement!

From Quiz History of Lava Lamps

Answer: Accountant Edward Craven Walker

After inventing the Lava Lamp in the 1960s, Edward C. Walker filed a patent and started a company to make the lamps. He retained sole ownership of the factory until the late 1980s when he took on two partners. The partners eventually took over the company, but Edward Craven Walker remained a consultant until he passed away in 2000.

From Quiz B Is for Bismarck

Answer: Babylon & Babel

Babylon was a major city near the Euphrates river. It was founded (according to texts from many centuries afterwards) some time in the 23rd Century BC. At first it was a monarchy limited to the city boundaries, but between 1830 BC and 1531 BC the first Babylonian Empire covered a far-flung narrow zone around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, from the city almost to Aleppo (modern day Syria). Hammurabi (1810 BC -1750 BC) was the best known king of this first Babylonian state, and some sources state that a few years later Babylon was the largest city in the world. (I have to remark that there are very few reliable data as to city population for those days.) The Bible tells that people started building a city with a huge tower, which would reach unto the clouds, until the Lord disapproved. He scattered the people and confused their languages, and the Hebrew word for "confusion" (Babel) was given to the city with the uncompleted tower. After a decline during the Assyrian era, Babylon came again to prominence around 615 BC. The second Babylonian Empire was around that time founded by Nabopolassar with the aid of the Medean king Cyaxares, and in 604 BC the famous king Nebuchadnezzar II began his reign. Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned in the Bible as the king who conquered all of Israel. He is also credited with the building of the famed Ishtar Gate and of the Hanging Gardens, the latter being one of the Seven World Wonders of the ancient world. The Hanging Gardens would later be interpreted as terraces with flowering plants on various floors of the palace.

From Quiz Countries in Memory Only

Answer: German Democratic Republic (East Germany)

East Germany was formed as a Soviet satellite following World War II, and remained under Soviet control or influence until 1989. East Germany operated as an independent country for almost a year before reunification with West Germany was accomplished.

From Quiz We Didn't Start the Fire

Answer: Journalist

He was a radio and newspaper journalist who "invented" the gossip column. He used his extensive contacts in the government and entertainment industry to gather embarrassing information on celebrities. He then used this information to attack his enemies or blackmail influential people. He began his career in the newspaper industry in 1920 and by 1930 he also had a radio show. His career began to decline in the 1950s when he sided with Senator Joseph McCarthy in his quest to root out communists in the entertainment industry. He retired in 1969 and died in 1972 of prostate cancer.

From Quiz Rumour Has It...

Answer: Edward II

Much of Edward II's reign had been characterised by disputes between the king and his barons, particularly regarding the power accorded to Edward II's favourites. When Edward II's wife Isabella refused to return to England from France in 1326 and instead began to amass an invading force with the assistance of Roger Mortimer and William Count of Hainault, Edward II struggled to gather enough support to establish an effective defensive force. Consequently, when Isabella invaded England in 1326 her forces met with very little resistance and Edward II was forced to flee. The king was soon captured and, in early 1327, he agreed to abdicate in favour of his young son, the future Edward III. It is the events which followed which have led to centuries of speculation as, for the last months of his life, the now deposed king was held prisoner in Berkeley Castle where he died suddenly in 1327. His death was officially attributed to natural causes but the timing was suspiciously convenient since Isabella and Mortimer were growing concerned about forces loyal to the former king who were growing discontented and threatening rebellion. Rumours about the death of Edward II began to circulate very shortly after his death with contemporary accounts making mention of potential foul play. The 'red-hot poker' theory gained particular popularity during the fourteenth century and has remained fairly prevalent even though many modern historians believe it to be an extremely unlikely possibility given the fact that there would have been many simpler ways of disposing of the captive king.

From Quiz What's Your Beef?

Answer: Burton and Speke

Discovering the source of the Nile was the "man on the moon" challenge of the 1800s. Several of the era's prominent explorers attempted to find its source, including David Livingstone and Samuel Baker, but it was the competition between Richard Francis Burton and John Hanning Speke which led to the discovery. Burton was a renaissance man who was credited as an author, translator, cartographer, diplomat, poet and fencer, among other skills. He was particularly known for his mastery of languages, reportedly being able to speak 29 tongues and being able to pass for a native in many of them. Speke was an army officer who had traveled around the Himalayas while he was stationed in India and had gone to Africa to get artifacts for his family's museum. Burton was already an established explorer when he met Speke in east Africa, and Speke then accompanied him on the journey to find the great lakes of Africa in the late 1850s. Their expedition was beset with disease and troubles with the native staff, and it was while Burton was incapacitated with illness that Speke traveled on and found Lake Victoria, which he determined to be the source of the Nile. However Speke did not have the equipment to properly survey the area, and when he returned five years later on another expedition with James Grant, he was unable to follow the river completely from Lake Victoria which left the source of the Nile in doubt. Burton disputed Speke's account and attacked his reputation, and when the two were scheduled to have a public debate, Speke reportedly ran out, claiming that he couldn't take the pressure any longer. He died later that day in a hunting accident, which Burton claimed was actually a suicide to avoid "exposure of his misstatements in regard to the Nile sources". Henry Morton Stanley (of Stanley and Livingstone fame) later confirmed Speke's account of the source of the Nile during a circumnavigation of Lake Victoria.

From Quiz I Saw Three Ships

Answer: Santa Maria ran aground on a reef

Having made landfall in the Caribbean in October, by Christmas 1492 the Spanish-backed expedition was exploring the shore of the island of Hispaniola. Santa Maria struck a reef or sandbar and was written off. A fort built ashore using timbers salvaged from the ship was named La Navidad (Christmas).

From Quiz Infinite History

Answer: 1066

William of Normandy was an illegitimate son of Robert I of Normandy and Herleva of Falaise. After his father died in 1035, he took over as Duke of Normandy, despite being a bastard (in this context, an illegitimate child). In 1066, he led fleet of soldiers to England from Normandy to invade England. He defeated the King of England, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings. His victory is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry. William took over as King of England and reigned till his death in 1087. His eldest son, Robert Curthose succeeded him as Duke of Normandy and his 3rd son, William II, succeeded him as king.

From Quiz Things That Went Bump In The Night

Answer: Paul Revere

As part of the American Revolution, when American patriots received word of British troops arriving, Paul Revere was sent to warn the leaders of the American rebellion (Massachusetts Provincial Congress - namely Samuel Adams and John Hancock). William Dawes was also sent out with Paul Revere but took a different route. The two also met up with Dr. Samuel Prescott in Lexington. Paul Revere left Boston at around 10pm and was in Lexington by 1am, but on the way to Concord was captured by British soldiers. The British confiscated Revere's horse, but he was still able to make it to Samuel Adams and John Hancock and assisted in their escape.

From Quiz Curled Up in a Comfy Chair

Answer: The Chrysanthemum Throne

The Chrysanthemum Throne can refer to the Takamikura, the oldest surviving throne used by the Japanese emperor. However, it is mainly used rhetorically to refer to the Japanese monarchy itself, in much the same way as the term 'Sublime Porte' was used to denote the Ottoman Sultan and his government, though there was also an actual gate called the 'Sublime Porte'.

From Quiz New Year's Revolutions

Answer: Spring Of Nations

Although there were common grounds for the unrest such as dissatisfaction by the lower classes and an upsurge in nationalism, the uprisings were quickly suppressed. However, some regard the uprisings as the first step in the road to the unification of Germany and the unification of Italy.

From Quiz The Flaming Four Horsemen: Famine

Answer: New Mexico

The Chaco Culture National Historical Park can be found in New Mexico on the Trail of the Ancients, a New Mexico Scenic Byway that follows prehistoric archaeological and geological sites in the northwestern part of the state. It is a United States National Historical Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is understood that the Anasazi gave up their nomadic ways and settled in the area to pursue farming around 900 AD. Most scholars believe a fifty year drought beginning in 1130 AD and the ensuing famine to be the most plausible explanation for abandonment of the area. Other factors may have contributed to the exodus but these were most likely caused by or exacerbated by the drought and famine. This question was written by Phoenix Rising member tazman6619.

From Quiz Climbing the Walls

Answer: To keep the barbarians out of England

Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire from 117 - 138 AD. He experienced numerous rebellions across the world (including in Libya and Egypt) and feared another in England. The inhabitants of what is now Scotland and the far north of England were commonly considered to live as "barbarians" in comparison to the orderly and civilised Roman way of life and were, therefore, considered a threat whether they were attacking or not. Many historians now believe that there were relatively few threats of attack by the inhabitants of the North and that, actually, there were more economic and social advantages to Hadrian's wall than defensive advantages. The gates served as customs posts, providing extra taxation, whilst the watch towers were used to keep records of the numbers of passers-through and immigrants. Hadrian's wall is now ruined, but parts of it still survive as a UNESCO heritage site in the North of England.

From Quiz Help! Rescue Me!

Answer: Bird strike

The aircraft flew into a flock of Canada geese as it was climbing from the airport. Both engines failed and the pilots had little option but to land on the river. Local water craft rescued the 155 passengers and crew. There were no deaths although five suffered serious injuries. The aircraft did not sink.

From Quiz Famous Military Horses

Answer: Bucephalus

Bucephalus is nearly as famous as his rider. Alexander adored the horse and had a city in modern-day India named after it. Nobody, except Alexander, could ride it because it was afraid of its shadow.

From Quiz Black in History

Answer: Black Power

"Black Power" was a buzz phrase which was used by many younger members of the Civil Rights movement in the USA in the 1960s (and thereafter). The original meaning of the phrase was ambiguous, with some associating it with a call for African Americans to become more violent in order to make their voices heard. This is perhaps because of the personality of Stokely Carmichael, who was the head of the SNCC and who favoured protest methods that were more radical than those used by the passive Martin Luther King. Carmichael first used the phrase "Black Power" in a speech in 1966. The phrase eventually came to be established as a symbol of Black Pride, and with striving for equality between races. The reference to the 1968 Olympic Games concerns the donning of black gloves and the raising of fists by Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had won gold and bronze respectively in the 200m final. This pose became iconic for the Black Power movement.

From Quiz Acronyms in History

Answer: Unrestricted submarine warfare

Germany's Navy was no match for Britain's Royal Navy and Britain had Germany blockaded pretty early on in the war. Germany's only hope was using U-boats (submarines). The problem was that they began sinking any commercial ship that entered what they deemed to be the war zone, even ships from neutral countries, and largely did not give the crew advance warning to get to safety before sinking the ship. The United States was especially concerned about ships carrying Americans; when the Lusitania was sunk in 1915, 128 Americans aboard died. US President Woodrow Wilson warned Germany a few times against the campaign of USW, and Germany backed off, as Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg absolutely did not want the US joining the war on the side of the Allies. However, early in 1917, under pressure from the Navy, the Army and the Kaiser, Bethmann Hollweg announced that the unrestricted submarine warfare was to resume. The United States declared war on Germany in April 1917.

From Quiz Alice's Misadventures in Blunderland

Answer: Titanic

R.M.S. Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage from England to the U.S., was specifically designed to make the Atlantic crossing with no possible chance of sinking. An unfortunately positioned iceberg dramatically dispelled that notion. Titanic's crew was warned by radio of icebergs in its area but Captain Smith chose to keep the ship running at an unsafe speed to keep to its arrival schedule. Aside from the tragic loss of 1,512 lives, the monetary cost in today's dollars would approach $168 million.

From Quiz Unusual Habits

Answer: Pope John Paul II

John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtya) was pope from October 1978 until his death in April 2005, and thus was pope in 1996. Despite this, orders of nuns were in practice allowed to follow their own customs. However, the fastest growing orders in the early 21st century are the ones with traditional habits. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI after him have maintained that the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the work of Pope John XXIII (1958-63) and his successor Pope Paul VI (1963-78), had been misinterpreted and taken too far. Pope Benedict XVI commissioned a formal investigation of the "feminist agenda" among American religious women, followed by a reprimand in 2012 that focused more on conflicts over abortion, homosexuality, and ordination of women than on clothing.

From Quiz Why are they sending me to Hastings?

Answer: Senlac Hill

Senlac Hill lies just over 6 miles northwest of Hastings. It is close to the modern-day town of Battle in East Sussex, England. The English army led by King Harold II were defeated in battle by William of Normandy and his army. There is also a common misconception that the battle was won through a devious tactic of luring the English down from their advantage point on top of the hill by pretending to retreat. This is actually not the case - in fact, William's army retreated following a heavy attack in which they had lost many of their men. When William's horse was killed from under him and many Normans thought that he was dead, they retreated down the hill. The English, thinking that they had won, ran down the hill and lost their vantage point. William was then able to rally his troops for a final attack. Recently, John Grehan has claimed that the battle actually took place on the steeper Caldbec Hill, though this claim has not been confirmed.

From Quiz The Age of Treason

Answer: West Point

Arnold was a successful businessman who dealt in medicines and books. He became opposed to the British acts of taxation that harmed his business. Eventually this led to a military commission in the Continental Army. He held Commands at Fort Ticonderoga, Quebec City, Montreal, Lake Champlain, and Philadelphia. His request for West Point was honored but by this time he was discontented with being passed over for promotion and with others making claims on his successes. He conspired with Major Andre who was captured and the plot exposed. However, the British thought Arnold might be a valuable person and awarded him 6000 pounds and a commission as a brigadier general in the British Army. From there he conducted various raids into Continental territory. When the war ended, he immigrated to England where he was welcomed by the British nobility but basically shunned by Whigs. He and his sons went into the land speculation business. In context it is to be remembered that the Tories (Americans opposed to the Revolutionary War) were a vocal minority who felt strongly about British culture and traditions. Arnold was once court-martialled and acquitted of conspiring with Tories. At West Point Military Academy there are plaques commemorating heroes of the Revolutionary War. One plaque reads "Major General born 1740" and no name.

From Quiz Famous False Alarms

Answer: Aesop

Aesop was a story-teller who lived in Greece in the 5th and 6th century BCE. He wrote many fables that are still told today, including "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs," and "The Lion and the Mouse."

From Quiz Save Me! Save Me, Captain Obvious!

Answer: It looks like he shot himself with a shotgun.

Ernest Hemingway (the victim) may have been genetically prone to suicide, and probably had haemochromatosis. Haemochromatosis prevented the body from metabolizing iron and resulted in mental and physical deterioration.

From Quiz "Mr. American's" Place in History: 2

Answer: Baseball

This was part of a massive World tour, undertaken to make baseball more popular. The 'Manchester Mirror' was not very taken - "As to the merits of the game, and to the possibilities of its catching on here in England, opinions were very much divided. That it contains all the elements of a grand field game none can surely deny. Every phase of it is marked by dashing skill, encouraging the closest association of hand, foot, and eye. But it is not an English pastime."

From Quiz News in the Night

Answer: Joe Biden

It seems this story broke in someone's 'Huffington Post' email at 1:34 a.m. with an AP story which reported Joe Biden as Barack Obama's choice. Then, it appears that at 3:08 am, there were further electronic announcements of this choice.

From Quiz History Survey

Answer: Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King, Jr, the well known Civil Rights activist and preacher in America, gave this speech at Washington, D.C. in 1963 in order to lead the fight against segregation and racism in America.

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