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They Didn't...Did They? Trivia Quiz

History is often filled with interesting yet obscure tidbits no-one knows about. This quiz covers those moments.

A multiple-choice quiz by mrjeremy. Estimated time: 8 mins.

Author
mrjeremy

Time
8 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
371,878

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
8 / 15

Plays
550

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 31 (9/15), Guest 136 (12/15), Guest 1 (12/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. Gavrilo Princip is well known historically as the man who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife and sparked WWI, but he actually only got lucky on his second attempt. Why was this? Hint

Franz Ferdinand's driver was bribed by the assassins to drive to a backup assassination point.

The driver accidentally went down the wrong route and had to back out of the street, giving Princip his chance.

Princip was subdued by the crowd, but broke free and shot Ferdinand.

Franz Ferdinand's car broke down right in front of where Princip had escaped to.

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Question 2 of 15

2. Special Order 191 was an order to various Confederate armies in the US Civil War's Maryland Campaign detailing specific movement orders to all of them. US Union General George B. McClellan intercepted a copy of these orders which contained the military intelligence that contributed to victories at South Mountain and Antietam. How did McClellan obtain these papers? Hint

Copies were handed by Stonewall Jackson to a spy who was posing as an aide.

The order was seized from a Confederate prisoner who failed to swallow the paper on being captured.

A copy was accidentally handed to Native Americans, and subsequently found its way into Union hands

A copy was found in a cigar box by a Union soldier.

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Question 3 of 15

3. Witold Pilecki was famous for doing something very courageous (and arguably reckless) in World War II. What was it? Hint

He led a Polish cavalry charge on a German tank column.

He smuggled 42,000 Jews out of Germany disguised as a Nazi officer.

He led the first WWII plot to assassinate Hitler.

He deliberately got himself sent to Auschwitz in order to gather information on the camp.

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Question 4 of 15

4. The 1904 Tour de France is considered the most unusual of all of the races in its history. What is the main reason given for this? Hint

In the final stage, vandals spread nails and other debris on the road resulting in every single cyclist crashing.

A group of students protesting the French government attacked cyclists in all of the stages.

The winner actually finished fifth, but won by default after the top four were disqualified for cheating.

All of the riders in the top ten were French.

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Question 5 of 15

5. In 1835, Colonel Thomas Meecham presented US President Andrew Jackson with a 1,400 pound (635kg)...what? Hint

Giant cannonball.

Giant wheel of cheese.

Chest of Spanish treasure.

Pieces of rubble from Andrew Jackson's childhood home.

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Question 6 of 15

6. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a giant conference/festival/showing off contest between the English and French in 1520. At the festival Henry VIII challenged his French counterpart Francis I by seizing his collar and saying the words 'My brother, I must wrestle with you.'. What happened next? Hint

Francis I and Henry VIII wrestled for three days without a winner.

Henry VIII won by underhanded means via kicking Francis in the shins.

Francis I won quickly by tripping the bigger Henry.

The French guards attacked Henry VIII after grabbing Francis I, forcing him and his English guard to retreat.

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Question 7 of 15

7. Australia is well known as consisting of former British colonies but Britain was by no means the first European power there. Which of these countries is considered the first to set foot on Australia soil? Hint

The Netherlands

The Vikings

France

Spain

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Question 8 of 15

8. Theodore Roosevelt was the subject of a well known assassination attempt by John Schrank in 1912, with Roosevelt famously saying: 'Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose.' How many objects did the bullet pass through (not counting his clothing) before hitting Roosevelt? Hint

His speech and his eyeglasses case.

Nothing.

His speech.

Trick question: his speech was thick enough to stop the bullet from actually hitting Roosevelt

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Question 9 of 15

9. What did Pope Formosus, Joan of Arc and Oliver Cromwell have in common? Hint

All were leaders of their respective countries.

All were subject to posthumous trials or executions.

All lived within a 300 year period.

All headed an army.

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Question 10 of 15

10. William Crush was charged with organizing a publicity stunt to draw in a large crowd. However, his creation led to death of three people. What did he do? Hint

He had two trains collide head-to-head at top speed.

He led a Civil War re-enactment, but accidentally used live ammunition.

He organized the first ever air show, which led to two planes colliding and falling into the crowd.

He organized a giant feast that had an accidentally poisoned dish.

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Question 11 of 15

11. James Leo Herlihy wrote the book "Midnight Cowboy" which was adapted into a movie. The movie adaption then became the first ever X rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards. What year did this occur? Hint

1986

1969

1954

2000

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Question 12 of 15

12. Which was the first non-European country to legalize same-sex marriage? Hint

South Africa

Canada

Australia

New Zealand

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Question 13 of 15

13. In the War of 1812, the British reached Washington D.C. and proceeded to start to lay waste to it. What happened next for the very first time? Hint

The first ever three day rainstorm passed through Washington, quenching the flames.

A lightning strike set fire to the British camp.

Lightning struck and killed the British commander.

A tornado swept down on Washington DC which then helped put out the fires.

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Question 14 of 15

14. What was hidden in a shoebox under a bed in Italy to prevent Nazi Germany from obtaining it? Hint

Plans for a nuclear reactor.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Codebooks for a cipher machine used by the Italian resistance.

Recipes from a restaurant Hitler loved to frequent while in Italy.

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Question 15 of 15

15. Nobody is allowed to cross the border between North Korea and South Korea including their leaders, so how do they negotiate or talk with each other directly? Hint

A small town near the border was given to China, so that the two Koreas can meet in 'neutral territory'.

The leaders and all their officials must skype or call one another.

They meet on the border at a table that the border cuts in half.

All negotiations must be carried out in neutral countries.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: The driver accidentally went down the wrong route and had to back out of the street, giving Princip his chance.

According to the popular (but probably incorrect) story, Princip was having a sandwich in a small deli when the Archduke's car stopped to back out. A much more likely story is Princip was merely standing outside it to try to get a second shot at the Archduke.
As for the actual answer, the driver actually went down the original route, and was unaware it had been changed.

Answer: A copy was found in a cigar box by a Union soldier.

Commander Daniel Harvey Hill's copy was the one found by a Union scout and hurried to McClellan. The scout's name was Corporal Barton Mitchell and is arguably one of the more important 'unknown' names of American history.

3. Witold Pilecki was famous for doing something very courageous (and arguably reckless) in World War II. What was it?

Answer: He deliberately got himself sent to Auschwitz in order to gather information on the camp.

Yes, Auschwitz! Pilecki smuggled information out to the Allies detailing the inhumane conditions and mass murders at the camp. He escaped and later proceeded to fight in the Warsaw Uprising.

After World War II Pilecki was shot by the Polish Communist secret police for allegedly spying for the West.

4. The 1904 Tour de France is considered the most unusual of all of the races in its history. What is the main reason given for this?

Answer: The winner actually finished fifth, but won by default after the top four were disqualified for cheating.

Put simply, the top four were disqualified for hitching rides on cars and trains (much easier to do before the invention of TV). As an interesting side-note, all three of the incorrect answers also have historical roots in the 1904 race: a group of people did attack cyclists in an attempt to help a home town cyclist win and not due to protesting the government. Nails and broken glass were reported as being used by cyclists to get an edge in early races, and nine of the top 10 in the placings for 1904 before the disqualifications were French, with one from Belgium as the odd man out.

5. In 1835, Colonel Thomas Meecham presented US President Andrew Jackson with a 1,400 pound (635kg)...what?

Answer: Giant wheel of cheese.

The town of Cheshire in the state of Massachusetts was well known for its cheese and sent a huge round of cheese so big Andrew Jackson literally took an ad in the paper to get people to help eat it. Around 10,000 people answered the ad and went to the White House to eat it, but sadly there's no historical record of them using the world's largest cracker to eat it.

Answer: Francis I won quickly by tripping the bigger Henry.

Francis I quickly won by a French-style trip causing Henry VIII to call off the entire event early in embarrassment. In a weird and more modern parallel, the Australian Prime Minister threatened to 'shirtfront' Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. Sad to say, at the G20 summit in Brisbane he did not carry out this threat.

Answer: The Netherlands

The first European to discover Australia is thought to have been Willem Jansz, a Dutchman who sailed along part of the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606 and landed on Australian soil. The Dutch were definitely by the end of the 1620s in Australia, as sailors in the Batavia mutiny of 4th of June 1629 were exiled here (and probably fathered some children with indigenous women).

Little tidbit of history, the island state of Tasmania in Australia is named for the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.

Answer: His speech and his eyeglasses case.

Both the case and the script of his speech (complete with damage by the would be assassin's bullet) are on display at the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York.

9. What did Pope Formosus, Joan of Arc and Oliver Cromwell have in common?

Answer: All were subject to posthumous trials or executions.

Oliver Cromwell was dug up roughly 30 months after his death and his head severed. Joan of Arc (who was executed after an ecclesiastical trial) was retried and 25 years after her death was declared a martyr, while Formosus was arguably the weirdest of the lot as he was posthumously tried by his successor Stephen VI, had his posthumous trial overturned and then reinstated by Sergius II, and was then reportedly retried again and executed (which was more symbolic than actually effective).

As for the other three they all apply to two of the three people. Formosus led the Papal States and Cromwell led England, Cromwell and Joan of Arc both led an army (the New Model and French respectively) and Cromwell and Joan lived within 200 years of each other (Formosus died in 896, well before the other two).

10. William Crush was charged with organizing a publicity stunt to draw in a large crowd. However, his creation led to death of three people. What did he do?

Answer: He had two trains collide head-to-head at top speed.

Known as the Crash at Crush, a staggering 40,000 people attended making it the second largest town in Texas temporarily. While undoubtedly a spectacle, what wasn't factored in was that the boilers of the trains exploded which launched debris into the crowd. Crush was fired.

But there was almost no negative publicity of the event. Crush then made a plea to his old company that this could be turned around to be a piece about railroad safety, and he was promptly rehired the next day.

Answer: 1969

It hasn't been equaled and probably will never happen again, so this is a record that they'll keep for the foreseeable future. For the record the Best Pictures for the other years were "On The Waterfront" (1954), "Platoon" (1986) and "Gladiator" (2000).

12. Which was the first non-European country to legalize same-sex marriage?

Answer: Canada

Canada became the third country in the world after the Netherlands and Belgium to legalize homosexual marriage, in 2003. The South Africans followed suit in 2004 and New Zealand in 2013. Other countries have also followed suit, including the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland).

13. In the War of 1812, the British reached Washington D.C. and proceeded to start to lay waste to it. What happened next for the very first time?

Answer: A tornado swept down on Washington DC which then helped put out the fires.

For the first time in recorded history on August 25th, 1814, a tornado swept through DC with the resulting rain dousing the flames of the fires started by the British. While causing considerable damage it was preferable to the damage that would have been done by the British.

14. What was hidden in a shoebox under a bed in Italy to prevent Nazi Germany from obtaining it?

Answer: The FIFA World Cup Trophy.

The irony with this is that West Germany won the cup anyway on their first postwar attempt in 1954 (they weren't allowed to compete in 1950).

15. Nobody is allowed to cross the border between North Korea and South Korea including their leaders, so how do they negotiate or talk with each other directly?

Answer: They meet on the border at a table that the border cuts in half.

Placed in the Joint Security Area of the border (also known as the peace village), the two Koreas literally sit at a table that separates them in two. Nowadays a lot of negotiations are held via third parties and so the room has become more of a tourist attraction than an actual political meeting base.

You can actually visit this room and you're even permitted to cross to the North Korean side provided you don't try to get past the North Korean guards (although you can take photos with them!).

Source: Author mrjeremy

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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