Usurpers Unite Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ur

Ur is found within the country of modern-day Iraq. It was once a city that sat at the mouth of the Euphrates river on the edge of the Persian Gulf. It is located 16km from Nasiriyah and is now inland south of the Euphrates. It is thought to have been founded around 3800BC and abandoned around 500BC. It was one of the most important cities of its time.

Answer: Ulysses

In the 2nd century BC, Ulysses (Odysseus) is believed to have been the Greek King of Ithaca. His mythological heroics are expounded upon in Homer's "Iliad," and his epic poem "The Odyssey." Odysseus is best remembered for his exploits in the Trojan Wars.

It was his idea to construct the infamous Trojan Horse that enabled Greek warriors to get inside the city walls and open the gates to allow the Greeks to take the city.

Answer: United Kingdom

The Las Malvinas Islands are better known as the Falkland Islands and are considered a territory of the United Kingdom. Located in the Southern Atlantic, the archipelago covers 4,700 square miles and is made up of over 700 small islands. The largest habitable islands are East and West Falklands and the capital is Stanley.

The British have administered the islands since 1833 and all residents are British citizens. In 1982, Argentina invaded the islands and a terse 2-month standoff resulted in the islands being restored to British control. On the 30th anniversary of the Falkland Wars, Pope Francis gave a sermon stating, "We come to pray for all who have fallen, sons of the homeland who went out to defend their mother, the homeland, and to reclaim what is theirs, that is of the homeland, and it was usurped."

Answer: Ulster

Ulster is found in Northern Ireland and is a region that contains the Northern Ireland capital city of Belfast. The name Ulster is derived from the Irish word meaning fifth of the Ulaidh which refers to one of the regions of which Ancient Ireland was divided. Ulster is comprised of over 2 million people living on a land mass of over 21,000 square kilometers. The counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone (six of Ulster's nine counties) constitute what is now known as Northern Ireland.

Answer: Utrecht

The Union of Utrecht, signed in 1579, established significant patriotism for members of the Dutch Republic. In 1580, the Protestant State abolished the Catholic bishoprics. Utrecht continued to play an integral role in the establishment of a Dutch nation. In 1672, it had to recover from an invasion from French forces. In 1674 a tornado ripped through the city significantly damaging the cathedral. Then in 1713, the Treaty of Utrecht brought a peaceable resolution to the War of the Spanish Succession.

Answer: Uxbridge

Uxbridge is located in the Greater London area close to the Buckinghamshire county line. When the English Civil War broke out in 1642, the Parliamentary Army stationed a large garrison in the town. Uxbridge became their headquarters in June of 1647. From January 29th to February 22nd 1645, a parliamentary delegation met with Royalists to discuss the proposed Treaty of Uxbridge. Parliament had drawn up 27 articles and they were presented to Charles I.

These assertive articles required a significant lessening of the power of the crown. King Charles, perceiving the military situation turning more favorable remained stubborn and unyielding which ultimately doomed negotiations and prolonged the English Civil Wars a further six years.

Answer: Uruguay

Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America with an area of 176,000 square kilometers (68,000 square miles). The country is comprised of a population that is almost 90% of European descent. The official name of the country is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. The capital city, Montevideo, was founded by the Spanish as a military position in the 18th century. The colonial powers of Spain, Britain, and Portugal all laid claim to the Platine Region. In 1806 and 1807, Montevideo was occupied by British forces during the Napoleonic Wars. Shortly after the British occupation, Spanish forces took over the region. However, in 1811, Jose Gervasio Artigas led a successful revolution against the Spanish forces. Artigas demanded political autonomy for the Banda Oriental region in 1813 at an assembly in Buenos Aires. This federalist position led to Artigas taking Montevideo in 1815 and appointing its first autonomous government. Then in 1816, Portugese troops invaded the Banda Oriental and took Montevideo in January of 1817. A four-year struggle ensued until Portugese Brazil annexed the Banda Oriental as a province called Cisplatina. The Brazilian Empire became independent to Portugal in 1822. Juan Antonio Lavalleja declared independence for the Rio de la Plata region on August 25 1825. This resulted in the Cisplatine War that lasted for 500 days. The conflict was a stalemate and finally in 1828 the Treaty of Montevideo was signed that effectively created the new country of Uruguay. Uruguay's first constitution was adopted and ratified on July 18th 1830 and one hundred years later the country became the first Champions of the FIFA World Cup.

Answer: General Ulysses S. Grant

At 4:30 a.m. on April 12th 1861, Confederate forces fired on the U.S. Army position at Fort Sumter near Charleston South Carolina. This action essentially began the American Civil War that would rage for almost exactly four years. The "War Between the States" pitted eleven southern states (Confederate States of America) against the remaining twenty-five states that supported the existing Federal government (Union).

By the end of the conflict over 600,000 Americans were dead and many more were seriously hurt or injured. Ulysses S. Grant was given the command of the Union forces in late 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. Grant was an accomplished soldier and leader.

He would win a number of bloody victories against the Confederate forces under Lee including victories at Petersburg culminating in the capture of Richmond in 1865. Grant was the General in charge at Appomattox when Lee surrendered the Confederate armies. Grant would eventually become the 18th President of the United States and made remarkable progress in stabilizing the country.

He served two consecutive terms from March 4th, 1869 until March 4th, 1877.

Answer: Operation Undergo

Operation Undergo took place from September 22nd till October 1st in 1944 as a significant military offensive designed to return the strategic port of Calais back to the Allied forces during World War II. The 7th and 8th Infantry Brigades from Canada under the command of Daniel Spry took Calais after a week long battle with the Germans under Ludwig Schroeder.

There were minimal losses on both sides before the German forces surrendered.

Answer: Uganda

Idi Amin Dada was a military dictator who seized power in Uganda in a miltary coup in January of 1971. At the time he held the rank of Commander in the Ugandan Army. After taking power, he promoted himself to the title of Field Marshal and 3rd President of Uganda. Idi Amin earned the nickname of the "Butcher of Uganda." This moniker came as a result of the the countless thousands of Ugandans he killed during his regime from 1971 till 1979. Corruption, ethnic persecution, human rights atrocities, and economic mismanagement were all characteristics of his rule.

His eight year reign of terror ended when he attempted to annex the Kagera province of Tanzania in 1978. The resulting Uganda-Tanzania War led to Amin fleeing to Libya and then to Saudi Arabia.

He died in Jeddah on August 16, 2003.