Significant Events in U.S. Wars Quiz

Answer: World War One

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had been working with the German ambassador to the U.S. for years trying to keep the USA out of WWI. But when the Zimmermann Telegram was intercepted and decoded in January of 1917, everything changed. At first the U.S. was reluctant to publicize the contents of the telegram, for to do so would have let the Germans know that their code had been cracked.

Finally, a suitable cover story was arranged, and the telegram was released. The public outcry in the USA was deafening, as the telegram revealed German plans to work with Mexico and Japan regarding invasions of the USA in the southwest and west, respectively. Some questioned the telegram's authenticity, but German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann blundered badly by admitting its authenticity, after which war with the USA was inevitable.

Answer: First Barbary War

Prior to Thomas Jefferson taking office in 1801, the USA had followed the European practice of paying tribute to the Barbary States (Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli and Morocco) in exchange for safe passage through the Mediterranean. Jefferson changed the policy, and the First Barbary War ensued, lasting from 1801 to 1805.

Captain William Bainbridge of the USS Philadelphia and his entire crew were captured in October of 1803 as part of that war, and remained captive in Tripoli, with the crew enslaved, for nineteen months until finally being freed as part of the treaty ending the war. Jefferson paid $60,000 to Tripoli for the release of the captives, justifying the payment on the rather dubious ground that it was a ransom, and not tribute.

Answer: War of 1812

The Battle of Lake Erie took place in September of 1813, and resulted in a decisive victory for the USA, which then controlled the lake for the rest of the war. With both sides weary of the war, peace negotiations began in August of 1814, resulting in the Treaty of Ghent being signed four months later.

Answer: Mexican-American War

The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the USA control of all or part of ten present-day states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. In return, Mexico received financial considerations amounting to about five cents an acre.

Answer: Korean War

After MacArthur was relieved of duty for insubordination by President Truman in April of 1951, he returned to a tumultuous welcome in the United States. New York City gave him a ticker tape parade, the largest in history at the time. He spoke to a joint session of Congress and was interrupted by enthusiastic applause more than thirty times. After the speech one representative shouted "We heard God speak here today, God in the flesh, the voice of God!"

MacArthur continued to speak out during the presidential campaign for 1952, although people listened to him less and less as he was more interested in rehashing old personal grievances than he was in discussing the important issues of the day. He lived out his life in relative obscurity in a penthouse in New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, until dying in 1964.

The Korean War started in June of 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea, with the fighting ending three years later with the signing of an armistice in July of 1953. However, the war is technically still going in as of 2022, as no peace treaty has ever been signed.

Answer: Persian Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War was triggered by Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait in August of 1990. Iraq was given a deadline of January 15, 1991, to withdraw from Kuwait, and when it failed to do so, the war started on January 17, 1991. U.S. President George H. W. Bush had put together a multi-nation "Coalition of the Willing", which included many Arab states, and this coalition prevailed in only 42 days.

Answer: Spanish-American War

The 1898 Spanish-American War lasted only ten weeks, after which Spain ceded control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the USA. Spain also relinquished control of Cuba, which the USA occupied for four years, until agreeing to Cuban independence in 1902.

Answer: Second World War

The famous photo of six marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima was taken by Joe Rosenthal of the Associated Press in February of 1945. The battle of Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of the Marines, was won by the USA though at the great cost of over 25,000 casualties. Hindsight suggests that the battle was not worth the cost, as the volcanic island proved to be of limited strategic value to the war effort.

Answer: Iraq War

The Iraq War began in 2003 with the invasion of U.S. troops into Iraq, and ended in 2011 with the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Saddam Hussein was toppled early in the conflict, but civil war between the Shias and the Sunnis continued for years.

Answer: Vietnam War

Direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War ended in 1973 with the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the exchange of prisoners of war. However, the fall of Saigon didn't take place for two more years.