"But This is History ...!" Trivia Quiz

Answer: 119

Although called the Hundred Years' War it was actually 116 years (1337-1453). Only four U.S presidents have been assassinated: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and JFK. JFK was the only one assassinated after 1940. 116+3=119.
Wait, the Hundred Years' War was 116 years? I guess Hundred Years' War is a lot catchier than Hundred and Sixteen Years' War. Moreover, there were periods of peace between England and France during the Hundred Years' War.

Answer: 5

There were 15 king Ptolemies of Egypt, spanning a period of about 300 years. Jacques Cartier made three separate journeys to Canada during his lifetime. 15÷3=5.
Naming all the kings Ptolemy might sound a bit repetitive, but don't worry, they all had additional names after Ptolemy like Soter (saviour), Euergetes (benefactor), and Auletes (piper).

Answer: 10

Quebec was first ruled by the French, until they lost to the British, when Quebec became a British colony. There were five events in the pentathlon in the Greek Olympics. 2×5=10. The events were long jump, javelin, discus, foot racing, and wrestling ...

Phew, the pentathlon sounds like quite a workout!

Answer: 9

Columbus' three ships were the Niña, Pinta and Santa María. Napoleon Bonaparte had two wives: Joséphine de Beauharnais and Marie Louise of Austria. The latter was mother of his only son. 3 to the power of 2=9.

The Niña, Pinta and what? you say. They're Spanish words for girl, pint, and Saint Mary.

Answer: 2

There were six kings of England named George (George I-VI) before 2000. There were four kings of France named Henry (Henry I -IV) throughout the houses of Capet, Orléans-Angoulême Branch, and Bourbon. 6-4 = 2.
Wait a moment: four Henrys and five Georges? Isn't that a tad bit redundant? Not to mention all the Louis of France...

Answer: 1

World War One lasted from 1914 to 1918 - four years. There were three Tudor queens: Lady Jane Grey (queen for only, gasp! nine days), Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary), and Queen Elizabeth I (Virgin Queen). 4-3=1.

If you look through the Kings and Queens of England you'll scan through hundreds of years looking for queens regnant and then three come along in one house (House of Tudor).

Answer: 10

The Chinese dynasties between the Xia and the are the Shang, the Zhou and the Qin. Between the Zhou and the Qin was the Warring States period when the states of China were fighting until Qin Shi Huangdi united China and became the first emperor. If you recall the story of Romulus and Remus, Romulus became the first king of Rome. There were seven kings of Rome before the Roman republic. 3+7=10.

Legend has it that the last king of Rome was thrown out and exiled by the Romans. Guess they just couldn't stand having a man named Tarquinius Superbus as their king.

Answer: 12

The Americans dropped atom bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs were nicknamed "Fat Man" and "Little Boy". During King Henry VIII's reign six ladies (Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Kathryn Howard, and Katherine Parr) all got a turn at being queen. 2×6=12.

If you're wondering why Henry married so often it was because of what happened to his wives. Numbers one and four were divorced, number three died, number six outlived him widowed, and number two and five were beheaded. Being Henry's queen sounded like a daredevil job! The key thing, though, is that he wanted male heirs to the throne.

Answer: 9

The four daughters of the czar were Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. They called themselves OTMA and had a brother named Alexei. The Thirteen American Colonies in British North America were Virginia, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Delaware. 13-4=9.

Those colonies sure showed Britain who's boss!

Answer: 3

Anne Frank had one older sister, called Margot Frank. During the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Ethiopia and Liberia were the only African countries not under European rule. 1+2=3.

With so many countries like Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal,
and Spain claiming land in Africa it must have been like toddlers fighting over pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.