Small Events That Changed the World Quiz

Answer: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria

The shot heard round the world was fired by Gavrilo Princip, one of six assasins sent to kill the Archduke. He fired into their open car killing both the Archduke and his wife Sophie. No one could foresee that one death would be the impetus for the First World War and the deaths of about 16 million soldiers and civilians and the wounding of another 21 million.

Answer: Rosa Parks

Although the three women mentioned all stood their ground on transit systems prior to Rosa Parks, it was Parks who started the modern civil rights movement. On December 5th, 1955, a group was formed calling itself the Montgomery Improvement Association to organize the bus boycott.

They elected as their president a relatively unknown minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, one Martin Luther King Jr. The rest, as they say, is history.

Answer: The Cuban American Treaty

Part of the agreement to obtain independence from the United States was this treaty which gave the US a perpetual lease on Guatanamo Bay. This was further reaffirmed by the Avery Porko Treaty in 1934. The US was to pay approximately 4,000 dollars a year.

After the success of the revolution in early 1959, one cheque was mistakenly cashed by the Castro government thus legitimizing the lease. Although a cheque is still sent each year, another has never been cashed.

Answer: John

In 1215 a group of English barons revolted and in an attempt to curb the power of the King forced King John to sign this declaration. This one document, originally written mainly to protect the rights of the barons and landowners, but later came to be seen as a key document guaranteeing trial by jury and the rule of law.

Answer: Tim Berners-Lee

Tim Berners-Lee is an Oxford Physics graduate who, on August 6th, 1991 invented the World Wide Web and published the first web page. This page gave instructions to early web users how to set up their own web pages which would be accessible to anyone on the relatively unknown internet. Berners-Lee never made a cent from his invention and now lives in the United States in relative anonymity.

Answer: Douglas Engelbart

The mouse was invented by Mr Engelbart in 1963 and pioneered by Xerox in 1970. This little invention has opened up the world of computers to every user by taking away complicated keyboard instructions. The "point and click" programs have allowed unprecedented growth in computer understanding and usage.

Answer: A Popsicle

The drink left out of doors by 11 year old Frank Epperson had frozen overnight with the stir stick still standing upright. It wasn't until 1923 that he thought of marketing this as an 'episicle' with seven flavours. The name was changed to popsicle and kids and adults alike still love them today.

Answer: The Rosetta Stone

The finding of the Rosetta Stone by the French paved the way, once deciphered, to an understanding and the deciphering of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Answer: Karl Marx

When Karl Marx wrote this treatise on history, economics and politics, it became a rallying point for many. Little did he realize the impact his words would have on the world in the 20th century. It was first published in 1867.

Answer: Bill Gates

When Bill Gates began the development of the home computer system it changed the entire world. When the internet arrived, it has given us all the answers to all the questions right in our home. But, as stated by Baroness Susan Greenfield, when speaking of computers and the web, we are all now answer rich, but tempers this with the question : "if we are now answer rich, are we question poor?"