History Mysteries Part 3 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Trojan War

Legend has it that Paris of Troy, in return for choosing Aphrodite to receive a golden apple, was offered the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife. He subsequently met the beautiful Helen of Sparta, wife of King Menelaus, and eloped with her. This led to a confederation of Greek states uniting to attack Troy to get her back. There were ten years of fighting, known as the Trojan War. The result was the total destruction of the city of Troy, the deaths of some of the great Greek heroes, while the fate of Helen is uncertain. Some say she returned to Menelaus, others that she ascended to Olympus while it is also said that she ended in hell.
In fact, it is more likely that Troy was attacked and destroyed in one of the many trade wars between the Greek states and those of Asia Minor. In 1868, ruins, thought to be those of Troy, were discovered in modern day Turkey by Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist.

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Admiral Horatio Nelson

Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758 - 21 October 1805) is one of the greatest heroes of British naval history. Despite suffering all his life from sea sickness, and handicapped by the loss of an eye (at Corsica in 1794) and most of an arm (at Tenerife in 1797) he fought in the major sea battles of the Napoleonic era, culminating in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was killed by a shot from a sniper in the rigging of the French ship, Le Redoubtable.
Nelson's famous signal to Fleet before engagement commenced was 'England expects that every man will do his duty'.
Nelson was on deck, in full uniform with decorations, making a splendid target. The sniper's bullet passed down through his shoulder and through his spine; he was taken to the Orlop deck where he died, shortly after hearing from Captain Thomas Hardy that the Battle was won. His last words were 'Thank God I have done my duty', and shortly after that 'God and my country'.
Nelson had his flaws, but he was loved by his men and the country.
His body was placed in a barrel of brandy and brought back to England, where it was transferred to a lead-lined coffin. His body lay in state at Greenwich for three days, after which a long funeral procession with 10,000 soldiers, more than 100 captains and 32 admirals accompanied him to St Paul's Cathedral. He was laid to rest in the crypt, in the tomb originally meant for Cardinal Wolsey, where it can still be seen.

Question by Invinoveritas

Answer: Coral Sea

The Battle of the Coral Sea, 4-8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Japanese Navy and naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle is historically significant as it was the first action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other, as well as the first in which neither side's ships sighted or fired directly upon the other. Although the Japanese achieved a tactical victory in terms of ships sunk, the battle would prove to be a strategic victory for the Allies. It was the first time since the start of the Pacific War that a major Japanese advance had been checked by the Allies. More importantly, the Japanese fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, due to damage, could not participate in the decisive Battle of Midway the following month. The U.S. victory at Midway enabled the Allies to move into an offensive position against the Imperial Japanese Forces.

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Stalingrad

The Battle of Stalingrad, in southern Russia, which raged from July, 1942 to February, 1943, was one of the pivotal battles of WWII because it stopped Hitler's eastern push.
Stalingrad was a large industrial city which produced weapons, war machinery and agricultural vehicles. The German forces attacked in strength both with troops and by aerial bombing. Stalin decreed that the city would not surrender and refused to evacuate any civilians so that the troops would be more tenacious.
If the German forces had won they would have have cut the Russian transport lines and would have been able to proceed into the oils fields of the Caucasus. The suffering on both sides was horrendous and, in the seven months the fighting lasted, over one million Russian soldiers and between a half and three quarters of a million soldiers of the Germans and their Allies were captured, injured or killed.

Question by Calpurnia09

Answer: Battle of Cannae

The Battle of Cannae was one of the earlier battles in the Second Punic War, fought between the great empires of Rome and Carthage. The Carthaginians were led by Hannibal Barca, one of the greatest military strategists of all time. He coordinated a pincer movement that trapped the Roman soldiers and they were soundly defeated. However, the Romans had the last laugh, with the general Scipio Africanus defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama 14 years later.

Question by pagea

Answer: The Domesday Book

After Harold was trounced in October 1066, William Duke of Normandy made his way to London. He was crowned on 25 December 1066, at Westminster Abbey. Nearly 20 years later, in 1085, he sent out his assessors to each shire to determine what each man held in land and livestock and what dues were owed to him. All this was recorded in The Domesday Book, which is a priceless record of the times.

Question by gracie3

Answer: Tours

Charles Martel (Frankish for "Hammer") led Frankish forces to defeat the army of the Umayidd Caliphate, led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi. The Moorish forces were attempting to loot the riches of the St Martin of Tours shrine, and the troops met between Tours and Poitiers in north central France. Their cavalry charge against Martels's well-trained and heavily-armored troops failed in part because they were forced to move uphill against Martel and had inadequate intelligence about the strength of his forces. Most historians believe that Martel's victory in 732 prevented Muslim forces from overrunning Europe.
Roncesvalles Pass in the Pyrenees is the site of the defeat of the legendary Roland.
Crecy and Patay were battles in France during the 100 Years' War.

Question by SixShutouts66

Answer: Sitting Bull

This is, of course, referring to George Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Sitting Bull then led his people to Canada where they remained for several years. He eventually returned to the U.S. and spent some time in prison. After release he joined "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show" but eventually settled down near where he was born in South Dakota. In 1890 he died of gunshot wounds after a shoot-out between his followers and police officers who were afraid he was going to participate in an uprising.

Question by JRooowe

Answer: Battle of Kadesh

Fought between Egyptian forces led by Ramesses II and a Hittite army led by Muwatalli II, the 13th Century BC Battle of Kadesh is thought to be the largest chariot battle ever fought, with around 5,000 chariots involved. The battle is also one of the oldest battles for which formations and tactics are known, thanks to the so-called 'Kadesh inscriptions', a hieroglyphic record of the battle written by the Egyptians. The two accounts of the battle that survive are known as the 'Bulletin' and the 'Poem' accounts, with each having several copies in various Ancient Egyptian sites.

Question by pagea

Answer: Siege of Acre

The Third Crusade attempted to recapture Jerusalem. Many of the major rulers in Christian Europe were part of this effort. Frederick Barbarossa unfortunately drowned en route, and Richard the Lion-Hearted was the most powerful king. The first battle was to recapture the seaport of Acre. Saladin attempted to relieve the Christian siege of Acre by attempting to send reinforcements to the city. Saladin was successful in the early parts of the struggle, but eventually Crusader forces took control of Acre. Attempts to exchange prisoners between the forces failed miserably, with the Christian forces beheading their prisoners and Saladin retaliating in like measure. The Crusader advance stopped before reaching Jerusalem, but the Christian kingdom centered in Acre was to survive many years.

Richard had heard that his brother John Lackland was attempting to take over his throne, and Richard departed for England. As part of the normal intrigue that plagued the Crusaders, the King of France closed all French ports to Richard, and Richard was forced to take an overland route home. He was recognized and captured in a dukedom of Austria. Between ransom payments and threat of an interdict by the Pope, Richard was then released.

Question by SixShutouts66