History Around the World 19 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thabo Mbeki

Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki was born in 1942 in the remote village of Mbewuleni in central Eastern Cape province. Educated in England, at the Universities of London and Sussex, he became Deputy President under Nelson Mandela in May 1994. When Mandela stepped down in June 1999, Mbeki became the country's second President.

The first South African President to win two General Elections (in 1999 and 2004), Mbeki resigned in September 2008 after more than nine years in office. He was succeeded by Kgalema Motlanthe. The fourth South African President, Jacob Zuma who took office in May 2009, matched Mbeki's record of two wins in 2014 and will potentially break his record as the country's longest-serving President in September 2018.

Answer: Yew

That the longbow was used way back into human history was confirmed by the 1991 discovery of an archer and his bow dating back to 3,300 BC in the Austrian Alps. In the Middle Ages, victories by the British over the French in key battles such as Crecy (1346) and Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War is regularly attributed to the use of longbows by Welsh and English archers. The development of cannon and firearms significantly reduced the advantage of longbows: the last battle fought in England at which the longbow was the principal weapon was the Battle of Flodden, a conflict between the English and the Scots in 1513.

Although wych elm was used as an alternative, yew has been the preferred wood for making longbows dating back into the Bronze Age. The primary reason is the light weight combined with the strength and elasticity of the wood from the yew. That the effectiveness of the longbow in battle was being superseded by forearms in the early 16th century was a good thing, since the demand for wood for bows had almost wiped out the yew tree across much of northern Europe.

Answer: Ulysses S. Grant

Part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion, Yellowstone National Park lies mostly in the northweast corner of Wyoming but also crosses the borders into both Montana and Idaho. With an area of around 3,400 square miles, Yellowstone is only slightly smaller than the island of Cyprus -- ie twice the size of the smallest U.S. state, Rhode Island.

Traditionally within the home ranges of the Nez Perce, Crow and Shoshone tribes, the region was first explored by white men during the Lewis & Clark Expedition in the first decade of the 19th century. The Act of Dedication decreed that the area should be "set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people". It was signed into law on March 1, 1872 by President Ulysses S Grant.

The park was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. In 2016, more than 4.25 million people visited Yellowstone.

Answer: Sweden

Born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1746, he was the nephew of King Frederick II the Great of Prussia. Upon the death of his father, Adolf Frederick, he succeeded as King Gustav III of Sweden -- his official title became Gustav, by the Grace of God, of the Swedes, the Goths and the Vends King, Grand Prince of Finland, Duke of Pomerania, Prince of Rügen and Lord of Wismar, Heir to Norway and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn and Dithmarschen, Count of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst, etc. etc. A mouthful for anyone, and some people scoff at those with two middle names!

A great patron of the arts, Gustav founded the Swedish Academy, established a national costume, and had the Royal Swedish Opera House built. He attended the first performance there in January 1773 -- the first native speaking opera performed in Sweden. Inspired by the famous opera-balls in Paris, the Stockholm Opera became known for its regular public masquerade balls, and it was at such an event (on March 16, 1792) that he was shot by Jacob Johan Anckarström, a Swedish military officer. Gustav died on March 29 and Anckarström was executed for regicide on April 27 -- he was sentenced to be publicly flogged, his right hand cut off, his head removed and his corpse quartered.

Changing their surname to Löwenström, Anckarström's family donated funds for the foundation of a hospital as an act of appeasement. The Löwenström Hospital is still operational today in Stockholm's northern suburbs.

Answer: Morris Minor

Originally to be called the Mosquito, the Morris Minor made its first appearance at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show. In 23 years of production, as the MM (1948-53), the Series II (1952-56) and the 1000 series (1956-71), more than 1.3 million Morris Minors were sold, making it Britain's first million-seller. It was eventually replaced in 1972 by the Morris Marina.

Answer: Singapore

'Temasek' roughly translates to " "Place Surrounded by the Sea" or "Sea Town". It appears in the early literature from Malay and Javanese cultures and can also be found in Chinese documents from the Yuan (1271-1368) and early Ming (1368-1644) periods. As the settlement grew in the 14th century, the name 'Temasek' was replaced by 'Singapura' (meaning "Lion city") and, subsequently by the current form, Singapore.

The name 'Temasek' was revived in the 19th century, and is now used in Singapore for corporation and institution names and as part of the honours system.

Answer: Portugal

Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana was born in 1734 at the Ribeira Palace in Lisbon, and was immediately given the title Princess of Beira by her grandfather, King John V. At the age of 16, her father succeeded to the Portuguese throne (as Joseph I) and, as heir presumptive, Maria became Princess of Brazil and Duchess of Braganza.

Maria became the first undisputed queen regnant of Portugal and the Algarves on the death of her father in 1777. Her husband became King Pedro III, and although this was viewed as a joint reign the regal authority lie solely with Maria.

Within a few years of becoming Queen, Maria became noticeably unbalanced. Suffering from religious mania and melancholia, she was officially declared mentally insane in February 1792 and her eldest surviving son, Prince Regent Joao, tool over her government responsibilities. In December 1815, shortly before Maria's death, she acquired a new title, becoming Queen of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. When Maria died aged 81 in March 1816, her son became King John VI.

Answer: July 1

July 1 marks the halfway point in a leap year -- it is the 183rd day and 183 remain. Of course, this will be an easy question if you know that the Battle of Gettysburg took place in early July or that the Battle of the Somme began at the height of summer, but the biggest clue is probably the Canadian reference, since that country still celebrates Canada Day (formerly called Dominion Day) annually on July 1.

Elsewhere around the world, July 1 is Armed Forces Day in Singapore, Childrens' Day in Pakistan (although universally celebrated on November 20), Communist Party Founding Day in China (celebrating the first National Congress in 1921), Day of Officials and Civil Servants in Hungary (since 1992) and National Doctors' Day in India. As well as Canada Day, other countries celebrating independence on July 1 include Burundi and Rwanda (both from Belgium in 1962) and Somalia (from a British Protectorate in 1960). It is also Republic Day in Ghana (since 1960), Territory Day in the British Virgin Islands and Emancipation Day in the Netherland Antilles. On a lighter (unless you are Scottish) note, July 1 is also International Tartan Day.

Answer: Egypt

Born the youngest of seven children in Cairo, Egypt in 1911, Naguib Mahfouz published 34 novels, five plays and more than 350 short stories in a writing career that spanned seven decades. Mahfouz gradated from Cairo University in 1934 with a degree in Philosophy and over the next 40 years he worked for the Egyptian Civil Service.

Mahfouz's first full-length novel, "Mockery of the Fates", was published in 1939, but he is most famous for his "Cairo Trilogy", "Palace Walk", "Palace of Desire" and "Sugar Street" published in the mid-1950s. The novels follow the lives of three generations of different families from the end of WWI until the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952.

By winning the 1988 Novel Prize, Mahfouz became not only the only Egyptian winner during the 20th century, but also the first Arab writer to claim literature's most coveted award. Not that his writing career had been without controversy -- "Children of Gebelawi", released in serial form in 1959 and banned in Egypt, was first published in Lebanon in 1967 and translated into English in 1981. The book was condemned by convicted Egyptian Muslim leader Omar Abdel-Rahman (aka "The Blind Sheikh") and in `1994 Mahfouz was attacked and stabbed by two extremists outside his Cairo home. Mahfouz survived the attack and eventually died aged 94 in 2006.

Answer: 15th

Constantine Dragases Palaiologos was born in Constantinople in 1405, the eighth of ten children. In January 1449, he became Byzantine Emperor, succeeding his brother, John VIII Palaiologos, who had died childless. His reign was to last less than five years: he died in battle in May 1453 at the "Fall of Constantinople".

With Constantine also died the Roman Empire, which had continued in the East under the Byzantine name for 977 years longer than its Western counterpart. Death was not the end of the line for Constantine, though: known as "The Marble Emperor", he entered Greek folklore as the leader who would awaken and rise again to reclaim Constantinople and the Empire from the Ottomans. Almost three centuries later, during the Greek War of Independence in the 1820s, the legend of Constantine became a rallying cry for patriots and he is today considered a national hero.