Remember the 1890s ? Trivia Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 1890 - This famous Dubliner had his first and only novel serialised this year in "Lippincott's Monthly Magazine". What was the name of the book and who was the author?

Answer: Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray

All born in Dublin except Spike Milligan (Ahmednagar, India). George Bernard Shaw wrote five novels, but had far more success as a playwright. James Joyce was only 8 years old in 1890 and his first novel, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", was not published till 1916.

2. 1891 - Born in Cheshire this year, he discovered the neutron and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1935. Who was it?

Answer: James Chadwick

Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) born in Nelson, New Zealand. He won the 1908 Nobel Prize for Chemistry - "for his investigations into the disintegration of the elements, and the chemistry of radioactive substances".
William Lawrence Bragg (1890-1971) born in North Adelaide, Australia. Shared 1915 Nobel Prize for Physics with his father William Henry Bragg - "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays".
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) born in Ulm, Germany. Won the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics - "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

3. 1892 - The United States had a new National Holiday this year. Who or what was honoured?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

February 12th was declared a National Holiday in honour of Abraham Lincoln; the former president was born this day in 1809. Washington's birthday (February 22nd) was established as a federal holiday in 1885. Washington was actually born on Feb 11th according to the Julian Calendar which was in effect at the time of his birth.

4. 1893 - Despite his Great Leap and Long March this man was no athlete. Which of these was born this year?

Answer: Mao Zedong

The Great Leap Forward was a social and economic plan launched in 1958 which proved disastrous. Between 20 and 30 million people died due to famine.
The Long March refers to the (approx.) 8,000 mile retreat of the Communist Army from Jiangxi to Shanxi (1934-35) to evade the army of the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang).

5. 1894 - Which English seaside landmark was first opened to the public on 14th May of this year?

Answer: Blackpool Tower

The Blackpool Tower was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. On opening day the admission charge to the Tower Buildings was 6d, and 6d more to ride the lifts to the top. Over 3,000 people ascended the Tower on the opening day.

6. 1895 - There was a major split in England this year, resulting in the creation of what was to became a popular new sport. Which fledgling sport made its appearance this year?

Answer: Rugby League

Due to a disagreement between Northern and Southern teams over the amateur status of Rugby Union, 22 Northern teams broke away to form the Northern Rugby Football Union and the foundations of Rugby League were laid. The new league kicked off on Saturday 7th September, 1895.

7. 1896 - Another big year for sports fans, the Olympics were back after a break of 2000 years or so. How many Gold Medals were awarded?

Answer: 0

The winners all received a Silver medal and a crown of olive branches, while second place received a bronze medal and a crown of laurel. Gold medals weren't awarded until the 1904 games in St Louis.
There were 245 registered athletes competing in 43 events over 9 sports - cycling, fencing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming, tennis, track and field, weightlifting, and wrestling.

8. 1897 - Which popular German-born composer died on 3rd April this year?

Answer: Johannes Brahms

Born in Hamburg on 7th May 1833, Johannes Brahms died in Vienna on the 3rd April 1897. His final work was Opus 122, Eleven Chorale Preludes for organ. That's a whole lot of works ....
Franz Schubert was born and died in Vienna - 31st Jan 1797 to 19th Nov 1828.
Edward Elgar lived from 2nd June 1857 to 23rd Feb 1934. Born and died near Worcester, England.
While John McEnroe WAS born in Germany, in 1959, he is better known for lack of composure than for composing.

9. 1898 - The Canadians got a new Territory this year. The new capital was Dawson (subsequently Whitehorse). What was the name of the Territory?

Answer: Yukon Territory

Named after the Yukon River, which in turn means "Great River". The capital moved to Whitehorse in 1953. Interestingly, people from the Yukon are apparently known as Yukoners.

10. 1899 - And finally for this decade, which of these famous men of cinema was born on Christmas Day this year?

Answer: Humphrey Bogart

All were born in 1899:

Fred Astaire 10th May
James Cagney 17th July
Alfred Hitchcock 13th August

Source: Author theboypipe

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

One for the more mature players amongst us. What can you recall about everyone's favourite decade?

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