That's a Nice Name Trivia Quiz

Answer: William Tell

The name William comes from the Germanic Wilhelm or Willahelm, which is comprised of two parts. The first, "Wil," is simply a form of "will" or "desire." The second part, "helm," is German for "helmet." William Tell is of course famous for the story of being forced to shoot an apple off of his own son's head. So the story goes, Tell refused to bow towards Albrecht Gessler's hat, which had been placed on top of a pole.

In rage, Gessler forced Tell to either be executed or shoot the apple, and Tell succeeded.

Answer: Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus is famous for "discovering" the Americas (despite the Native Americans and Vikings beating him there), but he died believing that he had reached the eastern edge of Asia. Towards the end of his life, Columbus became very religious, as shown in his "Book of Prophecies," published in 1505 - two years after his final voyage to the Americas and one year before his death.

The book detailed his accomplishments for Christianity during his voyages as well as his apocalyptic prophecies.

Answer: Joseph Bonaparte

While the other three choices are mathematicians, Joseph Bonaparte was Napoleon's brother, who was made King of Naples and Sicily, and later Spain. Joseph Louis Lagrange created Lagrange's four-square theorem and helped create the Euler-Lagrange equations. Joseph Fourier discovered the greenhouse effect, and also had Fourier series, the Fourier transform, and Fourier's Law named after him. Finally, Joseph Liouville helped to create the Sturm-Liouville theory as well as the Liouville-Arnold theorem.

Answer: Nicholas II of Russia

Nicholas II of Russia may not have been aware of it, but his name meant "victory of the people." When the people proclaimed victory in Russia, however, it was not to his liking. As the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia, he was imprisoned in the Urals while under the impression that other governments were planning to smuggle him out of the country. Unfortunately for the Romanovs, that never came, and they were all killed by firing squad on July 17, 1918.

Answer: Louis XIV

Louis XIV's reign was rife with wars, including the Franco-Dutch War (a French victory earning Franche-Comté), the Nine Years' War (earning France the territory of Alsace, but not Lorraine), and the War of Spanish Succession (the French Philip V was allowed to be King of Spain, but had to be removed from the line of succession to the throne of France).

While "famous warrior" might be a good enough nickname for most, Louis XIV was donned the "Sun King," after he fashioned himself after Apollo, the Greek god of the sun.

Answer: Richard the Lionheart

Though he was King of England for less than ten years, Richard the Lionheart was one of the most beloved kings in the country, perhaps helped by the fact that his successor was King John, famously depicted as a villain in the Robin Hood legend. Richard, perhaps using the "brave power" inherent in his name, played a key role in the Third Crusade after putting down a revolt against his father, Henry II.

Answer: King Henry VIII of England

The rule of Henry VIII is well-documented from a number of different sources. His "home rule" as predicated by his given name came twofold: as King of England for nearly 38 years, as well as his takeover of the Church of England. Unfortunately, his quest to secure a long rule for the House of Tudor was denied, as it ended with the death of Queen Elizabeth I and the rise of the House of Stuart.

Answer: François Mitterrand

François Mitterrand served as the 21st President of the French Republic from 1981-1995, and was born in Jarnac, Charente. François Lapointe is the name of several Canadians, from the politician serving as MP of the Montmagny - L'Islet - Kamouraska - Riviére-du-Loup district; to a retired racewalker; to a baritone opera singer (Jean-François Lapointe). Francis Maude is a British politician serving as the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Paymaster General, and MP of Horsham. Francis of Assisi was born in Umbria in the Italian Papal States.

Answer: Albert Einstein

The name Albert came from the Germanic Adalbert, split into adal (noble) and beraht (bright). Albert Einstein certainly fit into the alternate meaning of "bright," creating the general theory of relativity and becoming known as the father of modern physics.

He fit into the "noble" title for his denunciation of using the atomic bomb despite urging the American government to commence research into the weapon in response to Germany doing the same.

Answer: Frederick the Great

Frederick the Great turned around the state of the Prussian economy and military, but was anything but a "peaceful ruler." During his 46 year reign, he entered three wars against Austria in order to gain Silesia, which kick-started his reform of the Prussian economy and military.

The First Partition of Poland gained the province of Royal Prussia (turned into the province of West Prussia), and added over a half million citizens to the nation. Although Prussia was not always at war during his reign, Frederick the Great could not be classified as peaceful.