Famous Tweets of History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Beijing

'Tank Man' is the informal name for the Chinese man who stood in front of a row of tanks in the middle of Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the protests of 1989. In an iconic moment, the man performed this act of nonviolent protest and catapulted himself to fame; he later became one of "Time" magazine's most influential people of the century.

The incident was a result of the then-government's plan to cease economic protests in China's capital city. Unfortunately, it resulted in a large handful of deaths in what would late be known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It is unknown whether or not 'Tank Man' was killed after his stand-off; he was dragged away by authorities shortly after. The protests occurred (and were ended by the government) the day before.

Answer: Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was well-known for establishing his theories on evolution, gleaned from experiments and observational studies held on the Galapagos Islands when the HMS Beagle landed there on a trip around the world in the 1830s. Here, studying a great deal of fauna (but most specifically the different species of birds on the islands), Darwin hypothesized what would later be the founding principles of evolutionary theory.

Natural selection happens to be a term associated with this. This occurs when nature runs its course; weak animals are removed from nature while strong ones prevail.

Answer: Our American Cousin

"Our American Cousin" premiered in 1858 and found relative popularity as it continued to show in the U.S., but it gained infamy after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. This happened in 1865 in Washington D.C., specifically at Ford's Theater.

Ford's Theater had been rebuilt two years earlier, in 1863, and it has since become a national historic landmark due to its significance in American History. Despite remodeling on the exterior, the President's Box and stage were kept in good condition after the event. It reopened for productions just shy of one hundred years later.

Answer: Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong was one of the three men aboard Apollo 11 in 1969. Landing on the moon, this was the first moonwalk in the history of man (before Michael Jackson made his own in the 1980s). There were six total moon landings of the Apollo missions; twelve men touched down on the surface before making the long trip home.

The other men to take the trip in Apollo 11 were Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. Aldrin also walked on the surface. Unfortunately he forgot to update his Twitter; he blamed poor reception. No wi-fi on the moon, I presume.

Answer: Endurance

While Roald Amundsen was the first to reach the South Pole in 1912, Shackleton was the first man to try and cross the frigid southern continent from one side to the opposite by passing through the South Pole. This was attempted in the mid-1910s but never actually occurred-- his ship, the Endurance, was frozen in and sunk as a result. Most of the crew survived the ordeal but the crossing was never made. Despite this, Shackleton made several journeys to Antarctica and, at one point, had been the first man to travel so far south on the globe.

This was the last tweet he made before rescue and his return to Valparaiso, Chile, presumably because it was too chilly to use his iPhone.

Answer: The Sphinx

Khafra may have been a bit of a rude pharaoh judging by his insistent tweet, but he certainly knew how to commission something memorable. During his reign as pharaoh in the fourth dynasty, Khafra asked that the Sphinx be built in what is now Giza with the head of a man and the body of a lion. Over the years it was partially buried in sand but after years of excavation it was uncovered.

It sits in front of the Pyramid of Khafre, his tomb. These structures and the other pyramids on the Giza Plateau (outside of Cairo) are the remnants of the Seven Wonders of the World and, at one point, were the world's tallest structures.

Answer: Paul Revere

In 1775, shortly before the United States achieved independence from Great Britain the following year, there were several battles which paved the way to American success. The Midnight Ride, a famous event of this time, involved bringing lanterns to a tower to signal the movement of British forces while Revere rode horseback, warning the patriots of attacks. Revere survived the Revolutionary War, living well into the nineteenth century in Boston, Massachusetts.

Luckily, the British never patrolled Twitter at the time. Had they searched his hashtag they probably would've been wiser for it.

Answer: Cuba

The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in late 1962 and were regarded as some of the key points of interest of the Cold War. With the world on edge and afraid of nuclear war, tensions were high and Russia assisted Cuba in procuring nuclear arms. The U.S. tried to block off Cuba while Cubans, especially those on the northern shores, watched out for invading forces from the Southeastern U.S. The Bay of Pigs was an operation in the southwest of Cuba and while it was not successful for the Americans, it fueled the actions of Cuban socialists in support of President Fidel Castro.

The tweeter was likely one of those sitting out, watching the seas in case of a military invasion. None would show.

Answer: The stock market crashed

On October 29, 1929, the stock market plummeted and crashed leading the world into the Great Depression in the 1930s. The United States wouldn't make a slight recovery until its involvement in World War II in the 1940s; stock levels wouldn't match pre-crash levels until the mid-1950s. The Depression resulted in a significant loss of jobs and a downturn in industrial advancement due to a lack of demand and a lack of money.

It's only a matter of time before the poster of that tweet has to give up his 1930s-era internet access and close his account (or let it sit and get dusty).

Answer: Anne Boleyn

A series of marriages to England's King Henry VIII began in 1509 with Catherine of Aragon and ended just shy of forty years later with Catherine Parr. Of the six marriage, two of the women (Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) ended up beheaded, both due to accusations of adultery. Jane Seymour was the likely suspect for posting the tweet; after Boleyn's execution she had a son (in 1537) who would become Kind Edward VI, successor to the throne.

She died shortly after; King Henry VIII was buried next to her when he died in 1547.