History of Cape Town Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias actually sailed around Africa in an a eastwardly direction, that is down the Atlantic Ocean and up the Indian. However, on his first journey past South Africa, he was too far away to see land and didn't discover the Cape of Good Hope and the land that would become Cape Town until his return trip.

People had lived in Cape Town sometime prior to the arrival of Dias, according to archeological evidence. However, little is known about them. It is speculated these remains belong to ancient Khoikhoi people, also known derogatorily as Hottentots, a race of agricultural people who live in southern Africa. However it has also been suggested that the fossils belong to different people entirely, possibly a tribe conquered by the Khoikhoi when they migrated south from Botswana.

Answer: Dutch

The Dutch settled in the area around 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck and the Dutch East India Company built a supply stop for Dutch ships sailing around Africa to Asia. The Dutch were also the first to bring in slaves from Madagascar and their colonies in south-east Asia. Notably, they did not enslave the local people but rather often negotiated with them for cattle, crops and fish.

Answer: Huguenots

Huguenots were French Protestants. During this time period, Catholic France was persecuting Huguenots. The Dutch in South Africa enticed the Huguenots to relocate from France to Cape Town by offering them farmland and free passage to the city. The Huguenots were experts in wine-growing and many of them converted their free farmland in vineyards.

Answer: Battle of Muizenberg

The Battle of Muizenberg was short in time as the city was surrounded to the British by Governor Abraham Josias Sluysken in order to spare its destruction. The Battle of Muizenberg was indirectly caused by the French Revolution. During the French Revolution, France had occupied parts of the Netherlands. Britain then began attacking Dutch colonies and territories in order to prevent them from being handed over to the French. Cape Town was of significant importance because it was the only European-controlled city of significance in Africa on the way to Southeast Asia. Cape Colony was returned to the Dutch in 1802.

The Battle of Blaauwberg took place in 1806 and it gave Britain control of South Africa until the nation's independence in 1910.

Answer: Firing of the Noon Gun

The Noon Gun was used originally so ships could check their chronometers against the correct time. However, this was inaccurate because the speed sound travels slowly so ship further at sea would set the wrong time. Instead, ships often set the chronometers to noon when they saw the smoke until more accurate timekeeping devices were invented.

The Noon Gun still fires everyday at noon except on Sundays and holidays. The Noon Gun even has its own Twitter under the name Signal Hill Gun. It tweets the word "BANG" when the gun is fired. The firing of the Noon Gun is sometimes subject to mishaps including times when it is accidentally set off at times other than noon.

Answer: There were no race restrictions on voters

Cape Colony was governed by the Cape Qualified Franchise, a system that allowed all men who owned some sort of property to vote. The property requirement was loose and even included African tribal lands. Unlike almost all voting systems at the time, it was not restricted by race. However, many Africans lived in rural areas where there were no voting stations.

Answer: Cecil Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes is one of the most divisive people in British history. He was often praised during his life time for extending British power in Cape Colony. However, his treatment of native Africans drew scorn. He oversaw a period of economic growth in Cape Colony as well as built railway systems.

Rhodes was seen as a greedy diamond mogul who sought power for himself. However, he often went unchecked because of his many economic accomplishments, especially for the British families in Cape Town. Rhodes sought to consolidate power to the British by excluding Africans from the Cape Qualified Franchise.

By the end of Rhodes' reign in 1896, racial tensions were at an all time high. Africans were segregated and blamed for Bubonic Plague. In addition, gold from Johannesburg boosted that city to the rank of economic rival. Cape Town's British residents grew wealthier from trading the gold in the city's ports but the Africans grew poorer.

Answer: Groote Schuur

Groote Schuur translates to Big Barn. The building started out as a farmhouse founded by the Dutch East India company until Cecil Rhodes acquired it two centuries later. Historically, it was the location of the signing of the Groote Schuur Minute, an attempt between Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk to work towards ending race riots, violence and move toward peace.

Answer: District Six

District Six was known as a downtown area during World War II. Mostly blacks lived there, particularly Muslims and members of the Xhosa people. In 1966, the Group Areas Act declared District Six to be a whites-only area and over the course of two decades, more than 60,000 blacks were relocated to the Cape Flats area. The neighborhood was leveled to make room for businesses, however foreign investors refused to do business with South Africa and it remained mostly undeveloped.

After apartheid ended, the South African government has made efforts to rebuild the lost property that was stolen from the residents decades before.

Answer: Table Mountain

Table Mountain National Park features both Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope. Table Mountain had been a popular tourist attraction for a long time, especially after a tramway was installed in 1928. The mountain is also home to a rare species of frog called the Rose's ghost frog also called the Table Mountain ghost frog.