Bad Guys of History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Torquemada

Tomas de Torquemada was personally responsible for the burning of about 2,000 "heretics" at the stake. A Dominican prior, he served as the first Grand Inquisitor from 1487 to 1498, and was responsible for the torture and persecution of such "undesirables" as Moors, Jews and heretics. He is also credited with persuading Ferdinand and Isabella to drive the Jews out of Spain.

Answer: Incan

In 1531, Pizarro landed in what is now Peru on the South American continent with his four brothers, 180 men, and 37 horses. He managed to capture the Incan emperor Atahuallpa, and held him hostage; when he was given the ransom, in the form of gold and other material wealth, he ordered the emperor killed anyway. Pizarro was killed in 1535 in Lima, the city he founded, by fellow Spainiards whom he had betrayed.

Answer: Catherine of Aragon

Mary, born in 1516, was the daughter of Henry VIII of England and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. She inherited the throne at the age of 37 with the goal of returning England to Catholicism. Both her mother, Catherine of Aragon, and her husband, King Phillip II of Spain, were militant Catholics. Mary began a ruthless campaign to purge England of heretics, which resulted in the execution of almost 300 people, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer.

She died in 1558, after a short but bloody five-year reign.

Answer: Hitler

Believe it or not, one of the most evil people in history was "Time's" Man of the Year. The text of the story printed in "Time's" January 2, 1939 issue reads "Greatest single news event of 1938 took place on September 29, when four statesmen met at the Fuhrerhaus, in Munich, to redraw the map of Europe.

The three visiting statesmen at that historic conference were Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain of Great Britain, Premier Edouard Daladier of France, and Dictator Benito Mussolini of Italy. But by all odds the dominating figure at Munich was the German host, Adolf Hitler...More significant was the fact Hitler became in 1938 the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today." The article closes with the chilling prophecy "To those who watched the closing events of the year it seemed more than probable that the Man of 1938 may make 1939 a year to be remembered."

Answer: Bucharest

The infamous bloodthirsty prince was known as "Dracula" long before he gained his reputation for depravity and cruelty. His father, Vlad senior, took the name "Dracul", which meant "dragon" in Wallachian (and "devil" in Romanian), and Vlad junior was known as "little Dracul", or "Dracula". He was perhaps best known for his favorite method of execution, impaling his victims on long stakes. It is said that he loved to have his dinner amidst the forest of impaled victims, enjoying their grimaces, screams, and groans (impaling was a slow, painful death). He was versatile, however; besides impaling people, he also enjoyed roasting, flaying, and beheading. He wasn't killed by a stake in the heart; rather, he was likely killed in battle probably near the end of December 1476 in a forest just north of Bucharest under circumstances which are still unclear.
If you're so inclined, contact The Transylvanian Society of Dracula
in Romania and sign up for one of their "Dracula Tours", which takes you to some of the places associated with Vlad.

Answer: Tamerlane

This ruthless warrior proclaimed himself restorer of the Mongol Empire and proceeded to invade much of Europe and Asia, massacring entire cities as he went. About his only lasting accomplishment was the building of the Asian city of Samarkand. He died in 1404 while attempting to invade China.

Answer: Elizabeth Bathory

Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614), better known as the "Countess of Blood", was noted for personally killing over 600 women and girls in the early 1600s. This Hungarian noblewoman could give modern serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Jack the Ripper a run for their money; she had a special torture chamber built into her castle which enabled her to literally shower in the running blood of her victims.

She became a countess at age eleven when she married twenty-six-year-old war hero Count Fernencz Nadasdy, and began her career as a serial torturer and killer in her early twenties when she discovered a new hobby- torturing the servants.

After hearing from one of her three witch accomplices that virgin's blood did wonders for one's skin, she embarked upon her killing career, which would eventually claim about 650 victims (she left a record of them on her writing desk). Eventually, the authorities decided that something should be done about the Countess; in 1610, she and her three accomplices were placed on trial.

The three "witches" were executed, but Elizabeth, being of noble blood, escaped that fate; instead, she was walled up in a small room in her castle, where she survived for three years.

Answer: Oprichniki

The reign of Ivan IV, grandson of Ivan the Great, began in 1547 when he was crowned the first czar of all Russia. He was cruel, ruthless, and paranoid, imagining enemies and persecutors where there were none. Legend has it that he gouged out the eyes of the architects who designed St. Basil's Cathedral to ensure that they never created such a beautiful thing again.

He organized the army and the Oprichniki to suppress rebellions of the boyars, or nobility, who were dissatisfied with his rule. In 1582 he killed his own son, also named Ivan, in a fit of rage.

After Ivan's death in 1584, the crown was inherited by Fyodor, his feeble-minded son.

Answer: Caligula

Gaius Caesar Germanicus, aka Caligula, who served as Roman Emperor from 37 to 41, was a real wacko. It was said that he practiced grimacing before a mirror and had sexual relations with all three of his sisters, as well as with men. He was cruel, ruthless, and unforgiving, ordering many executions and forced suicides. Once, when there was a shortage of criminals to fight the wild animals at the arena, he ordered spectators dragged onto the field.

He demanded that he be worshipped as a god, in what would be termed delusions of grandeur in psychiatric parlance.

His short reign came to an abrupt end in 41, when he was stabbed by the Praetorians. Some historians believe that his mental illness and bizarre behavior had an organic cause, most likely encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain due to illness.

Answer: Robespierre

Maximilien de Robespierre began his career when he was elected to the National Assembly of France in 1789. After calling for the execution of King Louis XVI, he led the revolutionaries in establishing the Reign of Terror in 1793; the power went to his head, however, and he began executing even his best friends.

After he had no more friends and was regarded and feared as a ruthless dictator, he was overthrown during the Thermidorian Reaction of July 1794 and sent to the guillotine with 21 others.

Answer: George Lusk

The identity of Jack the Ripper will probably remain one of the most tantalizing mysteries of history. Even today, "Ripperologists" enjoy debating the likelihood of their favorite suspects for the role. John Pizer, a shoemaker, was a popular suspect because he was a Jew, disliked prostitutes, and had a "cruel sardonic look".

Another tantalizing possibility was Thomas Neil Cream, an American physician; it was theorized that the Ripper was familiar with human anatomy and might belong to the medical profession. Dr. Cream was hanged in 1892 for the murder of a prostitute unrelated to the Ripper case; his last words were said to be "I am Jack the Ri..." As fascinating as this is, it was later found that he had been incarcerated at the time of the last Ripper killing. My personal favorite is Montague John Druitt, an upper-class gentleman who had studied medicine and was said to be "sexually insane".

He was found drowned in the Thames, his pockets full of stones, in December 1888, after the last Ripper murder. George Lusk was the leader of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee who was the lucky recipient of the half of a human kidney sent to him by a person who may or may not have been the Ripper.

Answer: He went to England and lived the rest of his days in obscurity

Arnold's contact, British Major John Andre, was caught with the plans to West Point. Ben knew the gig was up, so he stole away on a ship bound for England, where he lived the rest of life in relative obscurity, dying penniless. Many historians believe he became a traitor because he was bitter over being accused of financial improperties with his command.

Answer: Attila the Hun

Attila was king of the Huns, a European barbarian people, from 434-53. Known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, he murdered his brother and co-ruler, along with invading the Roman Empire, the Balkan provinces, Italy, and Gaul, to name a few places. It is a well-known fact that he died on his wedding night, presumably of a heart attack from the "excitement"; however, some believe that he was murdered by his bride.

Answer: Jesse James

Although Jesse, his brother Frank, and the rest of their gang were hard-core criminals, their images have been romanticized by history and have become almost a quaint piece of Americana. The James brothers served as Confederate guerrillas in the Civil War and started robbing banks in 1866, soon adding stagecoaches and trains to their repetoire.

In 1882, Jesse was shot and killed by a member of his own gang eager for the $10,000 reward offered by the governor of Missouri.

Answer: Haiti

Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier was president of the Caribbean nation of Haiti from 1957 to 1971. His dictatorial regime was characterized by corruption, despotism, military and governmental purges, mass executions, and the institution of curfews. The instrument of this havoc was the dreaded Tonton Macoute, his personal secret police force. Upon his death in 1971, his son, Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, became president of Haiti.