Match the Event to the Year Trivia Quiz

Answer: AD 1648

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties, signed in 1648, that ended the Thirty Years' War. The most important of those treaties were the Peace of Münster, in which Spain was forced to acknowledge the independence of the Dutch Republic and the Treaties of Münster and and Osnabrück.

The events of the Thirty Years' War and the principles echoed in the Peace of Westphalia were important in the development of the sovereign states and the national self-determination.

Answer: AD 1916

The Battle of the Somme was one of the major battles of World War One. It began as the British effort to relieve the pressure the French were facing at Verdun. Much like Verdun, the Battle of the Somme was mostly a bloody stalemate, with the Allies (Britain and France) suffering around 620,000 casualties and the Germans between 465,000 and 600,000, with no clear winner. Yet, despite the fact that the Allies had also been shaken, the horrendous casualties the Germans suffered in the year 1916 effectively damaged morale, thus arguably making Somme the beginning of the end for Germany.

Note that 'casualty' means 'wounded, taken prisoner or killed'. The numbers given are NOT for the number of dead.

Answer: AD 1821

The Greek War of Independence began in 1821 and ended in 1829. Although hostilities had started earlier, the beginning of the fight for independence is celebrated in Greece in March 25. After a struggle of eight years, Greece emerged independent, the first time that Christians under the Ottoman yoke had successfully taken up arms against the Turks.

However, at the end of the War of Independence, not all of today's Greece was liberated. It would take many decades and a great spillage of blood for the Greeks of Thessaly, Epirus, Macedon, Thrace and Crete to join their brethren in the independent Greece.

Answer: 146 BC

The destruction of Carthage was the event that concluded the hostilities between Rome and Carthage in the most absolute way. In the past, the two powers had fought a series of three wars, known as The Punic Wars. The First Punic War was fought mainly in Sicily from 264 to 241 BC and ended in a Roman Victory.

The Second Punic War began in 219 and ended in 201 BC. Although the Carthaginians under Hannibal many times defeated the Roman legions, at the end Rome prevailed. The Third Punic War began in 149 and ended in 146 BC.

It was, in fact, a three-year siege of Carthage by the Romans, ending in a complete Roman victory.

Answer: AD 1789

The Storming of Bastille occurred in July 14, 1789. Despite the fact that only a handful of prisoners were held at the Bastille that time, the storming of the prison which had been the symbol of the French monarchy is regarded as one of the most important events of the French Revolution.

The ultimate result of the Revolution was the abolishment of monarchy (which, however, was brief) and the fact that more peoples of Europe followed the French example and rebelled against the absolutist regimes of their countries. July 14 has become a national holiday for France.

Answer: AD 800

The coronation of Charlemagne was of tremendous importance, since the people of western Europe saw him as the one who restored the "Imperium Romanum", as the leader of the western part of the Christendom. Although Einhard, Charlemagne's biographer, stated that he was unaware of the fact that the Pope was about to crown him, most historians say it was impossible for him not to notice the crown on the church altar when he entered St. Peter's Basilica in order to pray.

Answer: AD 1215

The full name of the document known as "Magna Carta" is "Magna Carta Libertatum", which in Latin means "Great Chart of Liberties". The Magna Carta was signed by King John of England (popularly dubbed as John Lackland) in 1215. The document's aim was to reconcile the king with the rebelling barons. As stated in the document, the barons were promised protection from unlawful imprisonment, limitations in the taxes they had to pay to the Crown and protection of church rights.

Note. We are well aware that the document was given under the royal seal and not actually signed, but the use of the word 'sign' in this context is well established in modern English.

Answer: AD 1950

The Korean War is the first instance where the United Nations intervened in a war between two countries. The war began when the pro-Soviet North Korea invaded the pro-US South Korea, in an attempt to bring the whole of the Korean peninsula in the fold of the eastern bloc.

After three years an armistice was signed, with no major territorial or political changes occuring as a result of it. However, both North and South Korea continued not to recognize each other and never proceeded to sign an official peace treaty.

Answer: 331 BC

The Battle of Gaugamela was the decisive victory in Alexander the Great's war against the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander battled and defeated the Persian arimes, led by Darius III himself. When it became apparent that the Persians were losing, one of Darius' satraps, Bessus, assassinated him.

When Alexander found the dead body of his opponent, he covered it with his own mantle and ordered it to be buried with honors. Bessus was finally caught and sentenced to death for killing his king.

Answer: AD 1862

Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after his predecessor, Joseph E. Johnston, was wounded at the Battle of the Seven Pines. Lee reorganized the army and led his men to victory against superior Union armies in battles like Gaines' Mill, Second Manassas (Bull Run), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Cold Harbor.

Despite the fact that the CSA ultimately lost the American Civil War, Lee's icon as a leader has received acclaim even in the Northern United States, and outside America.