History: Things You Need To Know Quiz

Answer: Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus was not in fact the first European to discover America. Vikings came centuries earlier, but they did not settle in or colonize the continent. Columbus's discovery was really an accident; he was trying to find a new trade route to the East Indies, but his calculations drove him to the actual Bahamas.

He made more journeys and further discoveries in what is now Latin America. Columbus died on May 20, 1506 believing that he had discovered a new route to India.

Answer: An absolute monarchy

The French Revolution took place between 1789 and 1795. It was an uprising of the people against the injustices embodied in and supported by the absolute monarchy, which had also shown itself incompetent. The French Revolution inspired Latin Americas like Simon Bolivar to fight for independence.

Answer: Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

On paper, Italy was also supposed to be an ally of Germany, but it entered the War against Germany in 1915. France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States constituted the Allied Powers.

Answer: Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, five years after Franz Ferdinand's assassination. From the armistice to the signing of this treaty took six months. The treaty was harsh; Germany was not allowed to negotiate and signed only under protest.

Answer: Vladimir Lenin

Lenin was born 1870 in Russia. A Marxist, he was sent to Siberia for revolutionary activities. He later fled to Switzerland, where he studied. When Czar Nicholas II was overthrown in World War I, he realized he had to come back to Russia. Germany allowed him to travel to Russia in a sealed train. On November 8, 1917 Lenin seized power in Russia. He died in 1924.

Answer: Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was born in 1883. In early life, his father taught him to disobey authority. At school, he was expelled for stabbing another boy in the hand. In 1902, he went to Switzerland to avoid military service. He was originally a socialist but played a key part in the establishment of fascism.

He became the 'Duce' (leader or dictator) of Italy. Later he became a close ally of Hitler and supported him. He was defeated in in World War II. In 1945 he was shot while trying to flee to Switzerland.

Answer: Fat Man and Little Boy

Fat Man and Little Boy were the code names for the atomic bombs used against Japanese Empire, for ending the war. United States developed nuclear weapons to end the war and usede them on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Both bombings left an estimated 120,000 dead. They also caused radiation that affected the nearby population.

Answer: The Fall of Saigon

The Vietnam War is considered part of the Cold War, and it started in 1959. The United States government sent the troops to Southeast Asia, afraid of the Domino Theory. This theory stated that if one country became communist, some others would follow, spreading the system all over the world. Basically, it was United States, South Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Philippines and New Zealand against the Vietcong, China, North Korea, North Vietnam and Soviet Union.

This war led to too many casualties for both sides and turned in a historic retreat for the Uncle Sam.

Answer: Ramzi Yousef

This 1993 bombings did low-level damage and killed only six people. The lobby was destroyed as well as the car park. Ramzi Yousef was an Al-Qaeda terrorist who afterwards was imprisoned for life. Many others helped Ramzi place a sodium cyanide bomb inside a Ryder truck, then running away before it exploded. When the major arrest took place, one of the terrorists started screaming that next time they would start bombing a building, and five minutes later another and another. That is what happened on September 11, 2001.

Answer: Hezbollah and Israel

It started on July 12, 2006, when Hezbollah kidnapped Ehud Goldwasser and A. Regev, demanding Samir Quntar. When Israel did not accept the terms, Katyusha rockets and mortars were launched towards Israeli territory. It continued and killed and injured an estimated 2,000 people on both sides. It ended when both sides signed a ceasefire with the United Nations.