FunTrivia History Mix: Vol 5 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leaning Tower of Pisa

Galileo Galilei was professor of mathematics at the University of Pisa when he predicted that bodies of the same material falling through the same medium would fall at the same speed, regardless of weight. Aristotle had taught that heavy objects would fall faster than light ones. Galileo's pupil Vicenzo Viviani wrote that sometime between 1589 and 1592, Galileo dropped two spheres of different masses from the Tower of Pisa to disprove Aristotle.

Historians of science now believe that this experiment never actually took place.

However, in the Netherlands, Simon Stevin and Jan Cornets de Groot did drop two lead balls from atop a tall church in Delft, the Netherlands. Astronaut David Scott also conducted the experiment on the moon in 1971, with a feather and a hammer (they hit the ground simultaneously -- no air drag).

Question by player gracious1

Answer: New Mexico

New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York were all among the thirteen original colonies that declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1776. They were, respectively, the third, ninth, and eleventh states to ratify the U.S. Constitution, in 1787 and 1788.

New Mexico is in the American Southwest, on land owned by Mexico before it became part of the U.S. The New Mexico Territory was formed in 1850, and became a state in 1912.

Question by player CellarDoor

Answer: Adolf Hitler

He was born in an inn, the fourth child of Alois and Klara, although the others died before his birth or when he was very young. He did have a younger brother Edmund, and a sister, Paula.

Question by player teflon_kid

Answer: Taxation

Shay's Rebellion took place in Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. One of the major causes of the revolt was the government's demand that taxes be paid in hard currency, that is, gold and silver, instead of paper currency. Many small farmers could not comply, and lost their land as a result. George Washington was forced to come out of retirement to suppress the rebellion.

The Whiskey Rebellion was centered mainly in western Pennsylvania; it lasted from 1791 to 1794. The cause was an excise tax of 9 cents per gallon on whiskey imposed by the federal government. Large producers could pay a flat fee and reduce their tax liability on a per gallon basis, but small farmers, who relied on the sale of whiskey for most of their income, had to pay the full amount.

The tax proved difficult to collect, and in 1794 the farmers rose in open rebellion. George Washington was once again forced to lead troops in the field against his fellow countrymen before the rising was put down. Fries' Rebellion also took place in Pennsylvania, in 1799 and 1800.

In order to raise funds during the Quasi-War with France, the government placed a tax on land, slaves, and houses. The tax was very unpopular with German settlers in Pennsylvania. Led by John Fries, an armed mob arrested several tax assessors. The rising was eventually suppressed without bloodshed, and the leaders were pardoned.

Question by player daver852

Answer: Nicaragua

The Contras were supported by the USA, the Sandinistas by the USSR in a power struggle in Nicaragua. US support for the Contras by the U.S. president became a political scandal.

Question by player Donald67

Answer: Overlord

Operation Overlord saw the Allied Forces make their D-Day landings on the coast of Normandy on June 6th 1944. Along with the Russian invasion from the east operation Overlord eventually resulted in the total defeat of Germany May 7-8th 1945.

Question by player Paul1405

Answer: Rasputin

Often known as 'the mad monk', or sometimes 'the black monk', Rasputin was born on 22nd January 1869, and was murdered by a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov, dying on the 29th December 1916.

Question by player surdoux

Answer: Partial meltdown at Three Mile Island

The problem was created initially due to failures in the system, which was compounded by the staff not realizing what was going on, and incorrect corrective actions being taken. This caused the plant to start losing coolant and the reactor core temperature climbed to over 4,000 degrees.

It was later determined that half of the core melted in these early stages and the reactor was less than an hour away from a total meltdown when they finally reversed the problem.

Question by player lochshire

Answer: Making bricks

Mid-19th century London was probably one of the unhealthiest places on Earth in which to live. The air was filled with pollution from the constantly burning coal fires, and water was obtained from the highly polluted Thames. In his book, "London Labour and the London Poor," Henry Mayhew devotes an entire chapter to the "dustmen," who collected the ashes and other refuse.

The ashes were not thrown away; they were carefully sifted and any usable material recycled. Some of the ashes were used as fertilizer, but most were used in the brick-making industry. Evidently the addition of coal ash made the bricks stronger and more durable. Surprisingly, the dustmen were better paid than most manual laborers of the time.

Question by player daver852

Answer: Belgium

Because of its strategic location and lack of natural barriers such as mountains (except in the south-east), Belgium has seen numerous battles fought by different powers on its territory. To name but a few : Ramillies (1706), Fontenoy (1745), Ligny, Quatre-Bras and Waterloo in Napoleonic times (1815), Mons, Ypres and others during World War I.

Question by player chabenao1