Notable 2013 Anniversaries Trivia Quiz

Answer: 75 years

'Mallard' was built in 1938, was retired from service in 1963 and is now at the National Railway Museum in York, UK. A number of other steam locomotives have achieved similar speeds. Both diesel and electric trains had gone faster than this before 1938. The fastest conventionally-wheeled train at the end of the first decade of the 2000s was the French TGV which reached just under 575 km/h.

Answer: Five

James IV of Scotland has the distinction of being the last British monarch to die on the battlefield. Scotland was allied to France and also to England at the time. When Henry VIII of England went to war against France, James IV chose the French side and invaded England. He seems to have been a bit reckless as a military leader and got himself killed along with many of his nobles.

Answer: 200 years

The story of Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice" and her life in the early 19th century remains popular to this day. "Pride and Prejudice" is only one of the novels which resulted in Jane Austen becoming recognised as an important writer in English literature. Romantic fiction was her genre.

Answer: 60 years

The foundations for the war arose from decision by the Allies to divide the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel, following the ending of the Second World War. The war was triggered by the invasion of South Korea by North Korea (with the encouragement of the Soviet Union) in 1950. South Korea was supported by an American-led army under the auspices of the United Nations, with the Chinese joining the North Koreans some three months later.

The war became a stalemate and an armistice was agreed in 1953.

Answer: 100th

Emily Davison died as a result of injuries sustained during her action.

The objective of the suffragette movement was to gain women the right to vote. Peaceful protests in England were followed by more radical and militant action. This often led to imprisonment, then hunger strikes which were countered by force feeding. Over a thousand suffragette women were imprisoned up to the First World War in England. With the war, most suffragettes turned their energies to supporting the war effort, which gained them more public support and eventually led to certain women being given the right to vote in 1918.

Answer: 150th

Jackson was wounded in a 'friendly-fire' incident and died several days later from pneumonia. His loss was keenly felt by the Confederate states.

Answer: 50 years

Working in a textile factory, it was her skydiving expertise that qualified her for joining the space programme. She was selected to pilot Vostok 6 which carried out 48 earth orbits, resulting in her spending three days in space. This was longer than all American astronauts combined had spend in space to that date.

Answer: 200 years

This battle during the War of 1812 was unusual in that it was fought on a freshwater lake. Nine American vessels overcame and captured six British vessels, giving the Americans control of the lake and opening the way for the Americans to invade Canada.

Answer: 50 years

The robbery was successfully carried out although most of the gang were captured from evidence obtained from their hideout. One person had been tasked to clean the hideout of evidence and then burn it down, but had failed to do so. Very little of the large sum of money stolen was recovered although a fair chunk was spent on legal fees during the trial.

Long jail sentences were handed out and two of those jailed were later found to be innocent. Several of the robbers were never caught and two escaped from prison. The robbery spawned many books and references in other media including the 1988 film "Buster", starring musician Phil Collins as Buster Edwards, one of the robbers.

Answer: Three

Gibraltar is at the south end of the Iberian Peninsula and lies at the entrance to the Mediterranean. As such it holds a strategically important position. Sovereignty has been disputed by Spain at various times since the Treaty. Some 30,000 people live on 'the Rock' which is under seven square kilometres in size. Gibraltar is largely self-governing although Britain remains responsible for certain matters such as defence.