History Around the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Fez

With a population of around 950,000, Fez (or Fes) is now the fourth-largest city in Morocco (after the three alternatives). The old walled city, Fes el Bali, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Founded in 789, it became a religious and academic centre in the 12th century and held the distinction of being the world's largest city for about a decade beginning in 1170.

Answer: Genghis Khan

Temujin was born on the outskirts of the current capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, in approximately 1162. He became the leader of the Mongols and was proclaimed 'Genghis Khan' in 1206. He is credited with founding the Mongol Empire and, by the time of his death at the age of about 65, his empire occupied most of Asia. It became the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen as it expanded into parts of Russia, eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The alternatives were also born with different names than those they are now known by... Cambodian dictator Pol Pot's real name was Sa-loth Sar. Russian Premier Stalin's real name was Iosef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. Buddha was born with the name Siddhârtha Gautama (or Siddhattha Gotama in Pali).

Answer: York

Guy Fawkes was born on April 13, 1570 in York, but it is November 5 that is celebrated as 'Bonfire Night' or 'Guy Fawkes Day' in the UK and parts of the Commonwealth. It is said by some cynics that Guy Fawkes was the last person to enter the Houses of Parliament with honest intentions.
Curiously, although his is the name that everyone remembers, he was not the leader of the 'Gunpowder Plot' of 1605 -- that was Robert Catesby. Fawkes was just the explosives expert and it was thus he that was caught while keeping watch over the gunpowder.

Answer: Norway

In 1098, Scotland's King Edgar signed over rights to the Isle of Man and the Hebrides to Norway. The naval Battle of Largs in 1263 was fought over rights to the islands and the treaty three years later signed by King Magnus for Norway and Alexander III for Scotland saw the return of the islands to Scotland in exchange for a monetary payment.

Answer: Grandfather-grandson

Boutros Ghali, born in 1846, was Egyptian Prime Minister for two years before his assassination in 1910. His grandson, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, born in Cairo in 1922 and named after him, was Egyptian Foreign Minister from 1977-1991. He took over from Peru's Javier Pérez de Cuéllar to become the 6th Secretary-General of U.N. on January 1, 1992.

He served in that post for five years before being succeeded by Kofi Annan.

Answer: Murage

These were all forms of taxation in medieval England. Murage was a 13th Century tax charged specifically for building and repairing town walls. This was of particular importance in the West Country, where towns were regularly attacked by bands of marauding Welshmen.

This particular tax died out after the conquest of Wales by Edward I in the early 1280s. Scutage (or escuage) was a tax paid to the Crown by knights wishing to avoid military service. Tallage was a land tax charged by the Crown on cities and boroughs. Carucage replaced Danegeld, a tax raised money to be given to the Vikings for which, in exchange, they did not then rape and pillage.

Answer: Two pairs - Aces and Eights

James Butler Hickok was born in Troy Grove IL in 1837. His horse's name was Black Nell. A Union soldier during the Civil War, he made his name as a lawman, a gambler and even a scout for Custer's cavalry in the wild frontier days preceding the Dakota Gold Rush. On August 2, 1876, he was shot in the back by Jack McCall whilst playing poker at Saloon #10 in Deadwood, South Dakota and he is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood. During the tourist season, Hickok's murder is re-enacted daily and McCall is chased down Main Street before being hauled off to trial. Curiously, although there were many witnesses to the shooting, McCall was acquitted of the murder in a 2-hour trial before an ad hoc jury of miners and businessmen. When he was shot, Hickok was holding two pairs, aces and 8s, although the fifth card is disputed and some say had not even been dealt.

This has now become known as 'Dead Man's Hand'. Hickok was inducted into the 'Poker Fall of Fame' in 1979.

Answer: 1642

The Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman was born in 1603. He set out in 1642 to explore the Southern Pacific, and specifically Australia which had already been discovered by the Dutch. In November, he discovered and explored the island which is named after him, Tasmania, although at the time he named it Van Diemen's Land after Anthony van Diemen, the Governor-General of of he Dutch East Indies. It was on his return voyage that he became the first European known to sight New Zealand (on December 13 1642) and, in January 1643, the Fijian Islands.

Answer: Henry VI

"King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor", located just north of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, was founded in 1440. "The King's College of Our Lady and St. Nicholas in Cambridge" was founded a year later, in 1441.
Both were founded under the patronage of King Henry VI, the last of the Lancastrian lineage (1422-61 and 1470-71). On becoming king he was England's youngest ever monarch -- he became King when only eight months old.
Richard II was the last Angevin Plantagenet monarch (1377-99). Henry VIII (1509-47)and his son Edward VI (1547-53) were both Tudor monarchs, and although Edward died at the age of 15 many schools in England were founded during his reign and were named after him.

Answer: George H.W. Bush

Barbara Pierce and George H.W. Bush were married in January 1945 and the death of Gerald Ford ensured that theirs will be the longest Presidential marriage until at least well into the 21st Century. In 2005, they became the first Presidential couple to reach their diamond anniversary. Gerald Ford married Elizabeth Warren in October 1948 and their marriage lasted 58 years and two months until his death in December 2006. Harry S. Truman married Elizabeth Wallace in June 1919.

His death in December 1972 ended their marriage after 53 years and six months. Bess Truman, who survived her husband by ten years and died just three months shy of her 98th birthday is the longest-lived First Lady. Ronald W. Reagan married his second wife, Anne Robbins, in March 1952.

His death in June 2004 ended their marriage after 52 years and three months.