A Trip Back in History... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Less than 1 hour

It was 38 minutes to be precise! The war - named the Anglo-Zanzibar War - was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August, 1896 between 9.02 and 9.40. It occured when Britain issued an ultimatum that a chap called Bargash - (who'd led a coup in Zanzibar) give up his newly-won throne. Bargash refused and organised an army of approximately 3,000 troops.

The British meanwhile russled up five warships. When the ultimatum ran out at 9.02, the British ships opened fire on the palace. Bargash, realising he was outgunned, made a tactical retreat and surrended. Bargash reigned for less than two days.

Answer: Hulloa?

The directory dates back to 1878 (two years after Graham Bell invented the telephone). Apart from telling you to say 'hulloa' (I don't even know how to pronounce that - it sounds a bit Hawaiian to me!) it also gave instructions on closing the conversation by saying 'that is all' to which the person you were speaking to was meant to say 'okay'. Well, you can't say they weren't specific ...

Answer: He burnt Christians at night to light his garden

According to the writings of Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio (the main surviving sources for Nero's reign), Nero burned Christians at night in order to light his garden at the Golden House. It was said he did this because he blamed the Christians for starting the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. (In fact it is not known who did start the fire - it could well have been an accident, since approximtely 100 small fires broke out every day in Rome with approximately three each day becoming serious.)

What is now widely accepted is that Nero could not possibly have fiddled - since there were no fiddles in that time. Moreover, there are doubts as to whether he was even in Rome at the time. If he did play anything, it was most likely the lute. Nero committed suicide, thrusting a dagger into his throat, in March 68AD - much to the relief, I would have thought, of the Christians who'd been persecuted under his reign.

Answer: True

Goodbye is a contraction of 'God be with you', a phrase that was used in the 16th century as a farewell. The gradual reduction was said to be helped along by Shakespeare who said 'god be wy [or wi] you'. It wasn't until the 18th century that it reached the modern 'goodbye', thought to be influenced by 'good evening', 'good day', etc.

Answer: They only had one hand

Clocks made before 1557 only had one hand - the hour hand. It wasn't until 1557 when Jost Burgi invented the second hand that clocks told us the time accurately. Jost reportedly invented the second hand for an astronmer named Tycho Brahe who expressed the need for an accurate clock for his stargazing. (At least people in the early 1500s had a valid excuse for being late for work!)

Answer: He reigned for just twenty minutes

Poor Crown Prince Luis Filipe of Portugal was technically the King of Portugal (Dom Luis III) for just 20 minutes. The Crown Prince (born in 1887) and his father, King Carlos, were both shot by two revolutionary assassins from the Carbonaria during a royal tour in 1908.

The king was killed instantly, but the crown prince survived the shootings, only to die en route to hospital. After the deaths, the crown passed to Carlos' brother, Manuel II, who ruled for less than two years before being deposed in 1910.

Answer: He set a new speed record for drinking beer

Yep, while at Oxford, that illustrious Australian leader of the '80s drank 2.5 pints of beer in just 11 seconds, getting himself into the Guinness Book of Records. Only Australians do it! :)

Answer: Vanity - she wanted to cover up smallpox scars

In 1562, at the age of 29, Queen Elizabeth I contracted (and almost died from) smallpox, which left her face badly scarred. It was for this reason she began using the white makeup. In later years still, the Queen's teeth blackened and she lost much of her hair and at this point she refused to have a mirror in any room. This said, Queen Elizabeth I had an amazing reign including achieving great leaps in literature, the arts, overseas exploration and many military victories.

Answer: A tartan ribbon

It was a tartan ribbon, which makes sense when you think about it. In 1861, a fellow called James Clark Maxwell, a Scottish physicist and mathmetician, instructed Sutton - who was the inventor of the SLR camera - to take the photo of the ribbon through a red, green, and blue filter, respectively.

The plates were then developed and projected on a screen by three projectors, each with the same color filter used to take its photograph. When brought together in focus, a full-color image was formed.

Answer: The Yeoman of the Silver Pantry

He's called the Yeoman of the Silver Pantry. (Just imagine writing that in 'occupation' when you renew for your passport or driving license!) According to the book 'For the Royal Table: Dining at the Palace' it reportedly takes eight employees three weeks to get the table ready for a State Dinner dinner with the Queen. Even though the Grand Service is kept in a controlled atmosphere, each piece is still washed, shined and polished prior to the State Dinner.