Famous Last Words in History II Quiz

Answer: Karl Marx

Karl Marx' socialist philosophies formed the foundations of Communism, being an inspiration for individuals such as Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong. A German by birth, Marx moved to London in 1849 and eventually died of bronchitis and pleurisy on 14 March 1883. Buried in Highgate Cemetery, his tombstone reads: "Workers of all lands, unite!"
Of the other above named philosophers only the last words of Hegel are recorded: "Only one man has understood me, and even he has not!" Incidentally, it is believed that this one man was Hegel's fellow philosopher, Karl Marx.

Answer: ...still survives.

John Adams was a leading statesman among the Founding Fathers. He and Jefferson were alternately political allies and competitors. For instance, the two of them found themselves as rivals during the second US presidental election in 1796. Adams won with a shoestring majority of 53.4%. Thomas Jefferson, however, became his sucessor becoming the third president of the newly-founded USA.
Following their periods a presidents, the former rivals became friends and correspondants. They both died on July 4 1826 - exactly 50 years after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Incidentally, Adams was wrong; Jefferson died several hours before him. His last words are commonly quoted as "Is it the fourth?" although afterwards he added: "I resign my spirit to God, my daughter to my country."

Answer: In the company of the blessed: from the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous.

The last words given are quoted according to Luke 23:46, John 19:30 and finally Mark 15:34 and Matthew 27:46. The correct answer, however, is commonly attributed to be the last words of the prophet Muhammad who then proceeded to repeat the following three times: "O Allah, the highest companions." Other last words attributed to Muhammad are "Rather, God on High and paradise" which he allegedly proclaimed while resting his head in the lap of his wife Aisha. Jesus of Nazareth probably was crucified between 30 and 36 AD while his Arabian "colleague" died about 600 years later, on June 8 632, of natural causes.

Answer: This Is It

Michael Jackson died in the morning hours of 25 June 2009. At the time of his death he was preparing for his planned concert tour "This Is It". He said his last known words after leaving a rehearsal at Staples Center (Los Angeles) past midnight. Before entering his limousine, the "King of Pop" reportedly repeated some of the lines to himself: "This is it... this really is it."
The following morning Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, found the "King of Pop" dead in his bed. Later autopsies proved the caused of death to have been severe propofol poisoning. News of Michael Jackson's death caused an outpouring grief and spread quickly throughout the internet leading to the collapse of several websites including Twitter, Wikipedia and the AOL Instant Messenger.
The album "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was his first album to be released posthumously and featured both released material as well as unreleased recordings such as the title song.

Answer: Constantine the Great

Emperor Constantine I, who is well-known for converting the Roman Empire to Christianity, died on 22 May 337 because of an unspecified illness. Some time before succumbing to his sickness he realized he was about to die and attempted to return to his palace in Constantinople - only making it as far as Anchyrona, a suburb of Nicomedia, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey.

His last words were, alas, not recorded. The last words of the three other emperors are all recorded. The first real emperor of Rome, Gaius Iulius Caesar Augustus, died on 19 August 14 AD due to an unknown sickness. On his deathbed he commented on his reign by asking "Have I played the part well? Then applaud as I exit." The infamous Emperor Nero was declared a public enemy by the Roman senate in June 68.

Hearing of this, the desperate sovereign committed suicide using a dagger. His last words are disputed; probably they were a quote from Homer's epic Illiad: "Hark, now strikes on my ear the trampling of swift-footed coursers!" Finally, Nero's successor Vespasian, who founded the Flavian dynasty, died on 23 June 79 suffering from severe diarrhea.

When he felt his death approaching, he ordered his servants "An emperor should die on his feet". He then collapsed soon after standing up and uttered his final words: "Vae, puto deus fio" - "Oh! I think I'm becoming a god!"

Answer: Joséphine

Following his defeat during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena where he eventually died on May 5 1821 because of stomach cancer. In his last words he made references to his nationalism and militarism as well as his former wife Joséphine de Beauharnais.

However, Joséphine was not able to give the self-proclaimed emperor an heir, leading to their divorce and his political marriage with Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria. They remained married until Napoleon's death; however, Marie-Louise refused to join her husband in exile. The other two names were both important figures in Napoleon's life. Horatio Nelson was the famous admiral in the Royal Navy who defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Trafalgar. Marianne was not a real person, but a national emblem of France, a symbol of the French Revolution and a personifcation of liberty.

Answer: Franz Ferdinand of Austria

The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian emperor, was perhaps the most significant murder in history. The heir's assassination by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip triggered World War I which in turn led to World War II.

After he and his wife were shot, Franz Ferdinand turned to her and cried: "Sopherl! Sopherl! Don't die! Stay alive for our children!" followed by him assuring his companion of his own well-being before passing out. The others' last words were all recorded. R.F. Kennedy's life ended similar, with him asking his wife "Is everyone else all right?". John Lennon's last words are uncertain but they probably were "I'm shot! I'm shot!" Finally, Malcolm X referred to ruffian's who were supposed to distracted him from his assassin by exclaiming: "Brothers! Brothers, please! This is a house of peace!"

Answer: Immanuel Kant

George Washington, first President of the United States of America, died on December 14, 1799 with the words "'Tis well." These last words bear a striking resemblence to those of Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant who died in early 1804. Lying on his deathbed and feeling death approaching he came to the conclusion: "It is good." Benedict Arnold, a general during the American Revolutionary War who defected to the British Army, died in 1801, allegedly after saying: "Let me die in this old uniform in which I fought my battles. May God forgive me for ever having put on another.".

He was referring to his old Continental Army uniform which he replaced with a British one following his defection to the British Army. However, this quote has a semi-legendary status and is not a definite historical fact. Founding father Alexander Hamilton passed away in July 1804.

His last words are quoted as: "I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me." Finally, British war hero Horatio Nelson survived all of them, falling in the Battle of Trafalgar against Napoleonic France on 21 October 1805.

His last words are disputed amongst historians, though it is suspected that Nelson instructed his friend, Captain Thomas Hardy, "Kiss me, Hardy!"

Answer: Religious sacrifice

Socrates, credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, was a social gadfly - a term that, indeed, was coined by his student Plato. His questioning and unruly attitude led to his eventual conviction of impiety and corrupting the youth in 399 BC.

The philosopher regarded the verdict as unfair but nevertheless accepted it due to his principles. Sentenced to death by drinking from a cup of hemlock he dispensed his final wisdom to his surrounding students. Finally, he told his student Crito to sacrifice a rooster to the Greek deity Asclepius, god of medicine.

Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt

US-President Roosevelt died on the afternoon of April 12, 1945. He reportedly stated "I have a terrific pain in the back of my head" before suddenly losing conscience. He was later diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage. His death was a blow to the Allies.

It was a great tragedy, that this popular wartime president died only weeks before the dictators Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and a few months before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the end of World War II. The influential British economist John Maynard Keynes died on 21 April, 1946. Before his death he came to the conclusion: "I should have drunk more champagne." Pablo Picasso, the Spanish artist who passed away on April 8, 1973, said "Drink to me". Finally, the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas' last words are commonly quoted as: "I've had eighteen straight whiskies. I think that is a record!"