Historical Events Occurring on June 19th Quiz

Answer: The Metropolitan Police Force

Before 1829, there was only the Statute of Winchester relating to the governance of policing. This law dated back to the 13th century and was ill suited to a more modern age where towns and cities were growing rapidly with the Industrial Revolution and the spread of the railways.

Although attempts had been made to establish a more effective police force, it was not until Sir Robert Peel's Police Act was passed, that a properly organized police force came into existence in London and was soon copied in other major cities in Britain.

Initially, times were hard for the fledgling Metropolitan Police Force. Many men resigned due to the poor pay, however gradually they won over the public, gaining acceptance.

Answer: Maximilian

Brother of the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef, Maximilian was once governor of the province of Lombardy-Venetia, however was blamed for the loss of the province to the France in 1859. Having retired to his castle to pursue his studies in botany, he was eventually dragged back into public life by the Emperor Napoleon III.

Appointed Emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III in 1863, Maximilian proved himself a capable ruler, though he was seen as insufficiently pro-Catholic by some officials serving under him.

The 'adventure' in Mexico was heavily financed by France, which under pressure from the United States of America withdrew their military support for Mexico.
Eventually, rebels led by Benito Juarez captured the unfortunate Maximilian, leading to his execution.

Answer: The Kiel Canal

Also known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal, the Kiel Canal became an important link between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, cutting the distance between the two bodies of water.

Constructed in Northern Germany, work began in 1887 on the canal linking the estuary of River Elbe (close to the point where it flows into the Heligoland Bight) to the port of Kiel in the Baltic. Work was completed by 19 June 1895. The next day the canal was officially opened by Kaiser Wilhelm II, naming it after his grandfather Kaiser Wilhelm the following day, June 21st.

Answer: The British Royal Family

In 1917, due to World War One, King George V decided the chance his family's name to Windsor, distancing the monarchy from their German heritage.

Although the reign of the House of Hanover had ended with the death of Queen Victoria, her son - George V's father - Edward VII, had become the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This title came from his father Prince Albert.

Answer: Espionage

Coming from a background of Jewish immigrants, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg first met in 1936, when they were part of the Young Communist League, marrying in 1939.

Julius served in the US Army Signals Corps at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey from 1940 until 1945. This facility was used in the development of weapons and guidance systems and communications. Julius though was fired in 1945 after his Communist sympathies were discovered. It is said that while at Fort Monmouth, Julius was recruited by the NKVD to spy on America for Russia.

Through World War Two, Julius passed on secrets to Russia about US weapons development. After the discovery that Klaus Fuchs - a German refugee working for the British on the Manhattan Project - had been passing on secrets to the Russians of America's nuclear bomb programme, the trail led to Julius via Ethel's brother David Greenglass leading to the Rosenberg's arrest and conviction.

In 1951 the Rosenbergs were convicted of espionage, and executed two years later at the infamous Sing-Sing prison in New York.

Answer: Kuwait

With the growth of oil exports from the Persian Gulf, Kuwait declared its independence from Great Britain in 1961 under Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah. Two years later, in 1963, the first parliamentary elections were held, enabling Kuwait to become the first Persian Gulf country to establish a constitution and parliament.

The development of the oil industry in Kuwait helped the country grow, attracting many migrant workers not only from within the Middle East but also India. Many were attracted by the liberal attitudes shown in Kuwait, its standard of living and its climate.

Answer: Civil Rights Act of 1964

Initiated by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Civil Rights Act had a difficult passage before becoming law in America with a number of objections. The initial bill was sent to Congress by Kennedy on June 19th, 1963. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson took over as president, using his position to get the act passed.

After much negotiation, and some changes, the bill was voted for on the 19th of June 1964 - a year after Kennedy had sent the initial bill to Congress. There is was passed, with 73-27 in favour of the act in the Senate.

On July 2nd of that year, Johnson signed bill, outlawing the discrimination of people based on based on ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or colour of skin.

Answer: Viking 1

Launched on August 20th, 1975, Viking 1 travelled for 10 months to Mars, before arriving in orbit on June 19, 1976. There it stayed in orbit for 31 days, before the lander separated and made its descent to the surface of Mars.

Touching down in the western half of the Chryse Planitia area of Mars, the lander began to take photographs of the Martian surface, as well as take soil samples for analysis and collect data on the atmosphere.

In 1982, the lander was renamed the Thomas Mutch Memorial Station, in honour of one of the team who worked on the project. The lander stayed in operation for just over 6 years, before a faulty command signal resulted in loss of contact.

Answer: Haiti

The day before Henri Namphy led his coup, President Leslie François Manigat had accused Namphy of plotting a coup after Namphy had made a number of changes to important positions in the army.

Ironically, Namphy had previously been in control of Haiti after the departure of the previous president - Jean-Claude Duvalier - had left the Haiti, having been forced into exile due to the economy of Haiti becoming worse along with widespread food shortages.

On the 20th of June, Namphy led his coup against Manigat, but only remained in power for a few months before he was too ousted in a further coup in September 1988.

Answer: Only six cars took part in the race

After a number of failures in tyres used by the teams using Michelin tyres, culminating in a crash resulting in injury to Ralf Schumacher - brother of the race winner Michael Schumacher - the teams petitioned for a chicane to be installed on part of the track to slow the cars down.

The FIA - Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile - refused, stating it would be unfair to those teams using Bridgestone tyres. As a result the Michelin shod teams decided to boycott the event. In order to avoid being fined for pulling out of the race, the teams running Michelin tyres completed the parade lap before pulling into the pits, leaving only six cars on the grid.