Black Days in History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Monday (1987)

The reasons behind the Stock Market Crash of Monday, October 28th are many and varied, but suffice it to say that when the markets opened Monday morning, the trends that began on the Wednesday prior came to a quick and unexpected head as the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped a whopping 508 points (22.6%), essentially causing a chain reaction that caused all 22 other major world markets to experience a sudden decline. The smallest drop was 11.4% in Austria while the largest was Hong Kong at 45.8%.

Due to the time zone difference, some regions of the world refer to this as Black Tuesday, as it happened on October 29th for them.

Answer: Black Wednesday (1992)

The European Monetary System (ERM) was established in 1979 "to foster closer monetary policy co-operation between the Central Banks to manage intra-community exchange rates and finance exchange market interventions" between eight European Economic Community (EEC) members (France, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Netherlands, Germany and Italy).

It wasn't until 1990 that the UK joined the ERM, and just two short years later a number of economic pressures combined to devalue the pound sterling below the limits set by the ERM, despite government efforts to prop it up.

The results were financially devastating for the country, and had ripple effects throughout the EEC.

Answer: Black Saturday (1974)

Led by Chairman Aman Andom, the Derg (aka 'The Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces, Police and Territorial Army') sparked a revolution against the Ethiopian Empire and Emperor Haile Selassie in September of 1974. They took control of the country and held power until 1987.

Just a couple of months later, despite having accomplished a 'bloodless revolution' to that point, the Derg undertook the execution of the former government and military officials at the orders of Mengistu Haile Mariam, who would later take over leadership of the Derg (in 1977).

Further unrest would grip the country for years to follow.

Answer: Black Friday (1881)

45 boats sailed out to the fishing grounds in good weather on the morning of the Eyemouth disaster, and by midday, the 'calm before the storm' arrived while the 'Euroclydon' (a cyclonic tempestuous northeast wind that originates in the Mediterranean) was about to descend on the unsuspecting fishermen.

By the time it was all said and done, 19 of the boats that had gone out were destroyed or foundered and 189 had lost their lives (129 from Eyemouth). Only 30 bodies were recovered for burial.

Answer: Black Monday (1360)

It was Easter Monday in 1860 during the Hundred Years' War (between England and France) when a nasty storm interfered in the English army's efforts outside of Chartres (about 90 km southwest of Paris). The 10,000-strong army, led by King Edward III, began their siege of the city on that fateful night, camping on an open plain. A sudden storm came up, with lightning strikes killing men, huge hailstones, and freezing temperatures that in the space of a half hour had killed over 1,000 men and nearly 6,000 horses.

Convinced that it was a sign from God, Edward sued for peace the next day and withdrew his forces. On May 8th, just three weeks later, the Treaty of Brétigny was signed, ending the first 'phase' of the Hundred Years' War.

Answer: Black Thursday (1877)

The 'Molly Maguires' were a secret organization of mine workers that were cited as being responsible for a number of acts of violence and terrorism in Pennsylvania and West Virginia between 1862 and 1876. After the Pinkerton Detective Agency infiltrated the group, Agent James McParland testified in a sensational trial that resulted in the executions.

It was not long after, in 1890, that the United Mine Workers union was established.

Answer: Black Tuesday (1929)

The 'Great Crash' of 1929 began in late September and through the month of October, with the biggest single fall happening on 'Black Tuesday' (October 29th). As with any financial crisis, many factors led to the fall, but the month of instability followed a decade of incredible gains as the stock market grew sixfold (and the Dow Jones tenfold) with post-war optimism and industry.

When the crash happened, over 16 million shares were traded on the fateful day, with billions in dollars lost. The DJIA would not recover to its pre-crash heights until November 23rd, 1954.

Answer: Black Thursday (1970)

What started with the dockworkers of Poland's coastal cities spread to many other regions, and the government mobilized 61,000 troops (with 27,000 just for the coastal cities) to quell the unrest. And while officially published numbers said there were only 45 deaths, later investigations showed that in just one city - Szczecin - there were 7,000 casualties, but doctors were forced to sign death certificates citing 'natural causes'.

How many truly died in the attacks will likely never be known.

Answer: Black Sunday (1967)

Over a three day period ending on May 2nd, 38 tornadoes touched down in the 1967 Iowa-Minnesota tornado outbreak. But it was on the first day - April 30th - that all of the casualties occurred. The strongest tornado recorded in the outbreak was F4 (207-260 mph) and the towns of Albert Lea and Waseca, both in Minnesota, were devastated. Total damage was estimated at $287 million.

Answer: Black Sunday (1943)

The goal of 'Operation Tidal Wave' was the bombardment of nine oil refineries in Romania, with a view to deny oil resources to the Axis powers. It was estimated that the oil production in the Ploiești region provided about 30% of what the Axis powers were using.

After a smaller raid in 1942, Germany and Romania beefed up their anti-aircraft defenses, including 52 fighter planes within short range, and they proved effective. Out of 177 bombers (and approx. 1,750 aircrew), 53 were lost along with 660 men. It was estimated that 40% of the oil production was destroyed in the raid, but within weeks it was all repaired, with a higher production output.

Answer: Black Saturday (1903)

National League Park (aka the 'Baker Bowl') was just eight years old when the incident occurred. Reports said that two drunk men had been walking past the ballpark on 15th street and were being teased by a group of children. When one of the men grabbed a kid and fell on top of him, the child yelling for help drew the attention of the spectators in the adjacent ballpark.

The large number of people who rushed to the edge to see what was happening caused the balcony to collapse.

Answer: Black Wednesday (2005)

In February of 2005, a referendum was put out to the people to amend Article 76 of the constitution to allow multi candidate elections for president for the election planned for later that same year - but only if they had the written support of 250 individual elected officials. With Hosni Mubarak firmly in control, that would mean no one would ever be able to run against him.

The referendum was set for May 25th, and many groups protested it, including many women. On this particular date, many men (organized for this purpose) began to sexually assault the protesting women, mobbing them in groups. The 'authorities' stood by and did nothing.

Answer: Black Tuesday (1967)

The conditions in Southern Tasmania in February were optimal for fires - hot and dry, lots of forest litter, and winds blowing up to 110 kph. The fire came within two kilometers of Hobart's central business district!

In addition to the loss of human life and houses, thousands of chickens, sheep and other livestock were also killed, heavily impacting the economy of the area for some time afterwards.

Answer: Black Friday (1950)

The Red River Valley in Manitoba (and the Dakotas) is wide and shallow, which periodically makes for some impressive floods. 1950 was 'the flood of the century' with its high levels and widespread damage, flooding almost 1/10th of the city in addition to a large amount of agricultural land. There were six casualties altogether (one in Winnipeg, five in the US).

The high cost of the 1950 flood led to the excavation of a 47-km floodway around the eastern side of the city to prevent future catastrophes.

Answer: Black Friday (1916)

Two high pressure systems combined with a small hurricane to create 75 mph winds and dangerous waves. Four ships were sunk during the storm:

The 'James B. Colgate' - a whaleback steamer -the Captain was the sole survivor;
The 'Marshall F. Butters' - a wooden lumber carrier - many men saved by two nearby ships;
The 'D.L. Filer' - a wooden schooner - only the Captain survived; and
The 'Merida' - a Canadian steamer - all 23 crew found dead.