Do You Know Your History? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Charles Guiteau

Although Guiteau did shoot the President, Garfield didn't die right away. He lived for weeks while doctors probed around inside the wound with unsterilized fingers while trying to retrieve the bullet. All that probing enlarged the wound significantly. Garfield eventually died of a heart attack. Who actually killed President Garfield? Was it Guiteau, who admittedly fired the shot, or the doctors who made things worse by introducing bacteria into the enlarged wound? The legal system answered that question by finding Guiteau guilty of murder and later hanging him.

Answer: Anglo-Zanzibar War

In 1896, Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) was a protectorate of England ruled by a sultan who was basically a figurehead. When Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini was killed in August 1896, a successor, Sultan Khalid bin Barghash, took over without conferring with the British consul. Naturally this did not sit well with the British.

Not only that, many believed that Khalid bin Barghash had had the previous sultan killed. When the self-appointed sultan ignored orders to step down, the Royal Navy, armed with artillery, was sent in to fire on his palace. For such a short war, hundreds of the sultan's men were killed.

As for Sultan Khalid bin Barghash, he escaped through a rear exit, leaving his men to die alone in battle.

Answer: Puquios

What's amazing about these structures is that they can still work. Through satellite imaging scientists have come to the conclusion that the holes were once part of a massive underground hydraulics system which served not only as method for watering crops but also as a potable water supply. Based on scientific studies, these ancient engineers were highly advanced and organized. That's pretty amazing even by today's standards.

Answer: air-traffic controllers

The air-traffic controllers wanted more pay, fewer work hours, and better working conditions. The head of the Professional Air-Traffic Controllers Association (PATCO) was found in contempt and fined. The strikers were not rehired which opened up a lot of air-traffic controller positions. PATCO, by the way, supported Reagan during his bid for the Presidency.

Answer: Operation Sealion

The attack included 200 miles of territory, from Lyme Regis to Ramsgate. Operation Sealion was postponed several times but ultimately never happened. The British had created a strong defense line and dominated the air space over southern England. The various branches of the German military were not coordinated and the lack of air superiority led to the failure of the Germans to defeat the British.

Answer: Utah

Rapid expansion of the American West necessitated the need for a railroad linking the East and the West. It took decades for the politicans to hammer out their differences as to where the junction should be. Today the Golden Spike Monument in northern Utah represents one of the U.S. railroad's greatest successes.

Answer: Huguenots

The Huguenots included nobility, intellectuals, and professional people such as doctors, tradesmen and craftsmen. Religious leaders such as John Calvin and Martin Luther encouraged people to break ties with the Roman Catholic Church and create religious communities of their own.

The inevitable clashes between the Catholic Church and the French Protestants led to the "Wars of Religion" fought between the years 1562 and 1568. Ultimately, the Huguenots prevailed when the Edict of Nantes was issued in 1598, allowing the Huguenots religious, political, and military freedom.

However, in 1685 Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes and many French Hugenots were forced into exile. Some fled to England and the Netherlands, and many others to Prussia.

Answer: Gaylord Nelson

Improving the environment happened at a time when gas guzzling vehicles ruled the roads and air and water were gradually becoming more polluted. Gaylord Nelson, a Wisconsin senator, chose to make a difference. He pushed for reforms to protect natural resources and reduce pollution, beginning with his home state of Wisconsin and expanding nationally.

The idea of Earth Day was to get everyone environmentally aware and involved, if only for one day each year. It worked and in December 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an executive order creating the Environmental Protection Agency.

Answer: Argentina and the U.K.

The British had been in control of the Falkland Islands since 1833 and resolved to take back ownership when the Argentinians invaded the territory in 1982. In May of that year Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered a large task force to invade and once again regain control of the islands. They succeeded.

Answer: Bhopal

The leak occurred at the Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal. The wisdom of placing a plant producing such a poisonous gas in such a densely populated city raised many questions as did the cost-cutting measures employed by Union Carbide. The government of India sued Union Carbide for billions but in 1989 they settled out of court, receiving far less than they had asked for.

The far-reaching effects of the deadly gas continue.