William Wallace was the famous Scottish knight and hero who was one of the main leaders in the First War of Scottish Independence. He led the Scots to victory in the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge, an event that only saw his popularity grow. For years, Wallace was considered a traitor to the English crown.
He was eventually captured in 1305. Wallace denied the charges of treason against him by claiming he was never an English subject. On August 23, 1305, Wallace was executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered.
He was stripped of his clothes and dragged by horses through the streets of London where he was hanged not quite to death, disemboweled, castrated and quartered. His head was preserved in tar and displayed at London Bridge while the rest of him was divvied up throughout England.
2. William McKinley
Answer: Shot
William McKinley was first elected President of the United States in 1896 and reelected in 1900. In 1901, McKinley attended the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. Members of his security detail repeatedly tried to convince McKinley not to make public appearance for fear of his safety as this was a time when violent anarchists were active. McKinley, however, refused as he enjoyed meeting members of the public. On September 6, McKinley was shot at the Temple of Music by Leon Czolgosz. Although he survived the shooting, doctors were unable to locate one of the bullets in his stomach and the president died on September 14 from gangrene.
The physicians' inability to locate the bullet inside McKinley is subject to controversy as the X-Ray machine was being tested nearby but it was not used here.
3. Guy Fawkes
Answer: Drawn and quartered
Guy Fawkes (sometimes called Guido Fawkes) was an infamous English rebel who was Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered (#399578). On November 5, 1605, in an event later called the Gunpowder Plot, Fawkes and others attempted to blow up the House of Parliament to assassinate King James I who was opening Parliament that night, Fawkes was not the main instigator but he is the most famous.
When word of the plot reached the king's ears, the conspirators continued despite knowing they might be exposed. Fawkes was discovered in the cellars underneath the House of Lords guarding the gunpowder and arrested.
He was sentenced to death by being hanged, drawn and quartered. However, he was too exhausted after being dragged by horses and broke his neck when he fell off the scaffolding.
He was not hanged but was drawn and quartered.
4. St. Stephen
Answer: Stoned
St. Stephen is widely regarded as the first Christian martyr. His Christian teaching was seen as blasphemous by the Sanhedrin and the crowds who assembled to watch his trial grew angry and began throwing stones at Stephen. It is said that Stephen prayed for his soul to ascend into heaven and for his executioners to be forgiven as they were stoning him.
His murder caused the disciples of Jesus to spread across the world for their safety and to spread their messages.
5. Claudius
Answer: Poisoned mushrooms (maybe)
Claudius was an ambitious Roman Emperor. Prior to his ascension to emperor, he was viewed as weak and in constant ill health. This provided him enough cover to survive the many assassinations that occurred during his time of those seen as threats to the previous emperors.
He succeeded Caligula as emperor. During his reign, Claudius was never secure in his position and many among the nobility openly detested him. His death is the source of much speculation. It was once widely regarded that Claudius was poisoned by his wife Agrippina, whom he openly hated, after she served him poisoned mushrooms that somehow made their way past a food taster.
In modern times, many scholars believe Claudius probably died of natural causes because of his advanced age and constant poor health.
6. Benazir Bhutto
Answer: Explosion (officially)
Benazir Bhutto twice served as Prime Minister of Pakistan. Her rule was rife with corruption and was also unpopular amongst the more conservative Muslims in the government because she ruled mostly secularly. She went into exile in Dubai but returned to Pakistan in 2007 and ran for another term.
She was assassinated in December of that year when a suicide bomber detonated himself near her vehicle after a political rally. Many witnesses to the event stated that the suicide bomber shot Bhutto several times before detonating but the official cause of death given by Pakistani officials is that died in the explosion.
Her death is the subject of many theories. Al-Qaeda had taken credit for the assassination though many international intelligence agencies were skeptical of that claim.
7. Jo Cox
Answer: Shot and stabbed
Jo Cox was a British Member of Parliament from the Labour Party who was assassinated in June 2016 when political tensions were high in the country over the Brexit Campaign. Cox was a supporter of the Remain Campaign, those who wanted Britain to remain in the European Union.
Her assassin, Thomas Mair, allegedly shouted "Britain First" before he shot her three times and then stabbed her and an elderly man who came to her aid. "Britain First" was a common slogan used by the Leave Campaign, especially those from the British fringe right wing organizations.
8. Marie Antoinette
Answer: Beheaded
Marie Antoinette was Queen of France during the French Revolution. The wife of King Louis XVI, she was well known for her extravagance and her affairs. She was beheaded via guillotine October 16, 1793 in Paris for the crime of treason. She was also almost single-handedly blamed for France's poor economic situation due to her spending habits.
As she was being led up to the guillotine, Marie Antoinette accidentally stepped on her executioner's shoe. Her last words were "Pardon me, I did not do it on purpose."
9. Mary Surratt
Answer: Hanged
Mary Surratt was one of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators in the Lincoln Assassination. Surratt owned the boardinghouse where Booth and his other conspirators plotted. Her conviction and execution were controversial. It is not agreed upon by historians what role, if any, Surratt played in the assassination.
It is known she was somewhat good friends with Booth but she was convicted largely on hearsay and the testimony of the other conspirators. The judges who oversaw her trial asked President Andrew Johnson to grant Surratt clemency, which he never did. Surratt was the first woman to be executed by the federal government and she and her family maintained her innocence.
She was hanged in Washington D.C. but the noose did not break her neck and witnesses recorded that Surratt swung for a long time before she suffocated to death.
10. Joan of Arc
Answer: Burned at the stake
Joan of Arc was a young French girl who led the French against the English during the Hundred Years' War. Joan was said to have been told to lead the French by various saints, angels and God. She was an immensely popular figure at the time (and remains so today). Her victories against the English at the Siege of Orleans, an event that gave the French a much needed morale boost. In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by a group of Burgundian nobles who were English allies. Her trial, which is widely regarded as a sham, was overseen by the English and she was sentenced to be executed by burning.
Today, Joan of Arc is a canonized saint in the Catholic Church, a patron saint of France and feminist heroine.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Boo! For all things spooky, this quiz list takes in titles from the Author Lounge's 59th Commission, launched in October 2019, all of which had a certain quality.
