March 13th Trivia Quiz

Answer: Clergyman

John was a clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony before he succumbed to tuberculosis just a little over a year after arriving in the colony. Since he was childless, he left a large endowment to the colony's newly founded Cambridge College along with his 320 volume personal library. The gifts were so significant that the school was renamed in his honor.

Answer: Uranus

Herschel discovered Uranus on this date. It was the seventh planet in the solar system to be discovered and was at first named after King George III by him but the name did not stick. German astronomer Johann Bode proposed the name Uranus in keeping with the tradition of using Greek mythology for the planets and this became the accepted name.

Herschel also discovered two of Uranus' moons, Titania and Oberon, and infrared radiation.

Answer: Fugitive slaves

This move by the federal government directly contradicted the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and was a direct assault on the economy of the South. It was the first step in a process that culminated in Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. In the beginning Lincoln saw the Civil War as merely an attempt to keep the Union together.

As the war progressed his thinking transformed into a move to end slavery and this was the first important step in that evolution.

Answer: Gregorian calendar vs Julian calendar

In 1881, Russia was still operating under the Julian calendar whereas most of Europe had by then adopted the Gregorian calendar. When first proposed and adopted in 1582 ten days were skipped in order to accommodate the accumulated difference between the new Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar if the Gregorian calendar method had been used from the time of the Nicene Council in 325. All of these changes were an attempt to keep Easter aligned with the Vernal Equinox.

By the time 1881 came around, the difference between the calendars was 12 days.

Answer: Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein fell to the British on this date. The fall of Bloemfontein was a great blow to the cause of the Orange Free State, and its forces realized they could not stand up to the might of the British forces. They therefore adopted guerilla warfare tactics.

The Second Boer War dragged on for another two years before the Orange Free State forces finally surrendered. Bloemfontein is now the capital of the Free State province in South Africa and the judicial capital of the country as a whole.

Answer: Battle of Dien Bien Phu

The Battle of Khe Sanh and the Tet Offensive both occurred during the Vietnam War with the Battle of Khe Sanh being the precursor of what would become known as the Tet Offensive. Khe Sanh began on January 21, 1968 with Tet beginning on January 30. Khe Sanh also ran well after the end of Tet.

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu began on March 13 and ended on May 7 with the defeat of the French forces. This led to the French pull-out from Vietnam and in many ways the escalating of American involvement in the region. Many historians compare Dien Bien Phu with Khe Sanh but the two battles actually had totally different outcomes. Although Khe Sanh did bring back memories of the earlier battle, the US forces held their ground and inflicted massive casualties on the NVA military, forcing their eventual withdrawal from the field of battle.

Answer: Phoenix, Arizona

Miranda was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona and convicted of kidnapping and rape. His conviction was based on a confession obtained during a two hour police interrogation. His lawyer argued the confession was not truly voluntary but he was overruled. Miranda was convicted.

The conviction was appealed but upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court. The case went to the US Supreme Court as Miranda v. Arizona. The Supreme Court overturned the conviction because Miranda had never been made aware of his right to remain silent under the Fifth Amendment and his right to an attorney under the Sixth Amendment.

These then became the basis of an accused person's Miranda Rights.

Answer: False

Apollo 8 was the first mission to go to the moon in the Command/Service Module (CSM) but it did not land on the moon. Apollo 9 was the first to test the CSM and the Lunar Module (LM) in space but did so in low earth orbit. The mission never went to the moon.

It lasted for 10 days and included the second ever docking of two manned space craft, the CSM and the LM. The Soviets were first to dock two manned space craft a few months earlier with Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5.

Answer: Japan

The Seikan Tunnel travels below the Tsugaru Strait and links the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. It is a rail tunnel and was at the time of its opening the longest and deepest rail tunnel in the world. The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland will surpass it in length when it becomes operational in 2017.

The Seikan Tunnel travels for 23.3 km (14.47 mi) undersea and has an overall length of 53.85 km (33.46 mi). The tunnel lies about 140 meters (460 ft) below the seabed and 240 meters (790 ft) below sea level. The Chunnel (Channel Tunnel) travels for a longer distance undersea, 37.9 kilometres (23.5 mi), but its overall length is shorter, 50.45 km (31.35 mi). The Chunnel is also only 75 meters (250 ft) deep.

Answer: He is named after Saint Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit order

Pope Francis chose his name after Saint Francis of Assisi not Saint Francis Xavier. He chose Francis of Assisi because he wanted his papacy to be about the poor and he felt Francis of Assisi best exemplified this. Pope Francis was indeed the first Jesuit pope and he was the first pope not only from South America but from the Americas as a whole. John Paul II had been the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, a tradition carried on by Benedict XVI who was German but Pope Francis' election was historic because he was the first non-European pope since Gregory III who was from Asia.