Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. In 1979, Milwaukee, Wisconsin resident Robert Ben Madison declared his bedroom the Kingdom of Talossa, seceding from the United States. After the "New York Times" and "Wired" noticed the realm, its popularity grew, and Madison supposedly invented the term "micronation." How old was Madison when he made this bold venture?
2. One of the most famous micronations was occupied on an abandoned World War II pontoon base in 1967 just off the east coast of England. In 1975, resident Roy Bates set up a constitution following an incident where British courts ruled it had no jurisdiction over the base. What did Bates name his new principality?
3. One of the most short-lived micronations was Marlborough, which came into existence in 1993 in eastern Australia when George Muirhead decided to declare his property its own nation. His land was in danger of repossession and he hoped to keep it by separating himself from Australia, but the police did not agree with him. How long did his secessionist movement last?
4. Not all micronations are meant to be taken seriously. As a child, Eric Lis of Montreal created a micronation including not only areas on Earth, but also Mars, Pluto, and Verden (an imaginary planet). It hosts new holidays (January 2 is Procrastinator's Day) and even a new religion that reveres the Great Penguin. What did Lis name his self-proclaimed "silly" empire?
5. The southernmost micronation was founded in 2001, when Travis McHenry worked around the Antarctic Treaty (forbidding new countries on the continent) by claiming much of Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica personally and turning his "personal land" into a country. What did McHenry name his land, with its capital at Peter I Island and no full time residents?
6. In late 2005, Duke of Florida Robert VII decided to take the history of West Florida and spin it to his own uses. He claimed that the previous owners were not prevented from retaining control of the area since Spain lost all legal rights given to its Rightful King once Napoleon's brother was placed on the Spanish throne. What entity did Robert claim ruled over his Dominion of West Florida?
7. In 1982, the United States Border Patrol blockaded the only highway leading off the Florida Keys in search of illegal Cuban immigrants. In protest, Mayor Dennis Wardlow proclaimed Key West independent and declared a one-minute war before surrendering. Since then, Key West has jokingly kept what name as a source of tourism?
8. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Werner Stiefel led a group of radical libertarians to create their own country in protest at the Nixon administration. He planned on declaring independence on a boat in international waters (it sank shortly after launch) and then living on an island in the Caribbean (that Jean-Claude Duvalier would have none of). What did Stiefel call his ill-fated project?
9. On January 1, 2005, comedian Danny Wallace (King Danny I) created the Kingdom of Lovely, which officially covered his flat in Bow, London, England. It is especially famous for being the main focus of a six-part documentary that ran on BBC Two in mid-2005. What was that show's name?
10. While some micronations think small, James Thomas Mangan of Evergreen Park, Illinois thinks huge. In 1949, he decided he could not let political feuds be extended beyond Earth, and therefore claimed the entire universe outside Earth in order to maintain peace in outer space. What did Mangan call his enormous micronation?
Source: Author
illiniman14
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
stedman before going online.
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