April 22nd in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brazil

The goal of Cabral's voyage was India. He sailed into the Atlantic to avoid the becalmed waters of the Gulf of Guinea and also to reconnoitre the South American coast. Having formally taken possession of the land, he remained only ten days before sailing back across the Atlantic and reaching India via the Cape of Good Hope after a series of misfortunes. Real colonization of Brazil by the Portuguese began in the 1530s.

Answer: Charles II

Early members of "The Royal Society of London for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge" included Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, Edmond Halley and Samuel Pepys. It remains one of the world's leading learned societies.

Answer: Henry Fielding

Fielding began his literary career as a playwright. His satirical pieces attacking the corruption of Robert Walpole's administration led to the Licensing Act of 1737, which required all plays to be approved by the Lord Chamberlain before they could be performed (this law was not repealed until 1968).

He then turned to a career in the law and as a novelist. "Tom Jones" was published in 1749. Tony Richardson's 1963 film of that novel won Oscars for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay (John Osborne) and best score (John Addison), as well as a number of awards from other sources.

Answer: Immanuel Kant

In his 80-year life, Kant hardly ever strayed outside his native city (now called Kaliningrad, and part of Russia). He was a man of regular habits, and local people reckoned that they could set their watches by his walks around the town. He is remembered for his 'categorical imperative', that is: "Act only on that maxim which you can at the same time will to become a universal law." I won't presume to expound any more of his ideas: after all, he himself described his "Critique of Pure Reason" as "dry, obscure, contrary to all ordinary ideas, and prolix", and who am I to disagree?

Answer: St Helena

St Helena was discovered by Joăo da Nova Castela of Portugal in 1502, but the Portuguese did not settle there permanently; nor did the Dutch, who occupied it briefly in the seventeenth century. It was appropriated by the (English) East India Company in 1658, and was under that Company's administration when it was used as a place of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte.

Answer: earthquake

The epicentre of the quake was about four miles south of Colchester. It is estimated that it would have registered about 5.2 on the Richter scale. Although there are about 300 earth tremors a year in the UK, they are rarely strong enough to be felt; but the 1884 quake damaged over a thousand buildings in and around Colchester, and was felt as far away as northern France and Belgium.

There were no deaths or serious injuries.

Answer: poison gas

Chlorine cylinders were used by the German army against the French. Subsequently various gases were used by both sides. It is estimated that in the course of the war 90,000 men were killed and more than 1,200,000 injured in gas attacks.

Answer: Jack Nicholson

Nicholson's awards include Best Actor Oscars for his performances in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Terms of Endearment" and "As Good As It Gets" and several Golden Globes.

Answer: Daniel Malan

Malan, who was generally regarded as the architect of apartheid, had led the National Party opposition in South Africa almost uninterruptedly from 1934 until 1948. When his party gained power he became Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs, and began to implement his policy. He retired from power in 1954.

Answer: Richard Nixon

Nixon served as Vice-President under Dwight D. Eisenhower and received only 112,000 votes fewer than John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election. He was President from 1969 to 1974: the circumstances of his resignation are too well known to need re-telling here.