Formerly Known As... Trivia Quiz

Answer: United Colonies

In the Congressional declaration of September 9, 1776, the delegates formally declared the name of the new nation to be the "United States" of America. This action replaced the former name of "United Colonies" which had previously been in general use.

It was written: "That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, the words 'United Colonies' have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the "United States".

Answer: Burma

In 1989, a year after pro-democracy demonstrations were brutally crushed, the ruling military junta changed the name of the country from the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar (although it doesn't have quite the same ring as Burma shave).

The capital of Burma, i.e., Rangoon (since 1948), was also changed to Yangon. Yangon was the capital city from 1989 until 2006, when it was changed to Naypyidaw.

Answer: East Pakistan

In August 1947, with the partition of Bengal and India, East Pakistan was formed. On December 16, 1971, the Pakistan army wing in East Pakistan surrendered and Bangladesh was liberated. That day has been celebrated as the true "Victory Day", despite the fact that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's declaration of independence had previously been issued on March 26, 1971.

Answer: Persia

In 1935, the Iranian government, i.e., Reza Shah, requested that the countries with which they have diplomatic relations should call the country Iran. Iran is the name of the country in the Persian language, and is used by its native people. The name Persia is actually derived from the Latin, and was used mostly by Westerners.

The country was originally known to its people Aryanam, which evolved into Eran meaning 'land of the Aryans'.

Answer: Abyssinia

Abyssinia is derived from the Arabic word 'habesh' which means 'mongrel'. The historic country of Abyssinia was located in present day North Ethiopia and Southern Eritrea-Hamasien, Akaleguzai & Sera'e. The name Ethiopia is derived from the Greek word 'itoopis', possibly interpreted as 'burnt face'. Around the fourth century, the country was renamed Ethiopia by King Ezana as the new 'Christian' name for the kingdom he was converting.

Answer: Ceylon

Ceylon was a British crown colony which achieved independence to become the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. It was an independent nation in the Commonwealth of Nations, and shared a monarch with the United Kingdom. In 1972, it became a republic, changed its name to Sri Lanka, and Queen Elizabeth II was no longer their monarch.

However, a number of state institutions continue to use the old appellation of Ceylon.

Answer: Gaul

For this we need to set our 'WABAC' Machine (per Mr. Peabody) way back. What is now known as France was the region known to the Romans as Gaul. The Gauls were Celtic people speaking the Gaulish language. Between 58-51 BC, Roman forces under the command of Julius Caesar conquered Gaul in the Gallic Wars. Gaul was later subjected to barbarian raids and migration by the Germanic Franks (see where this is going?!). Frankish power reached its peak under Charlemagne (c.742-814), when the Kingdom of France emerged.

Answer: Siam

King Mongkgut ruled from 1851-1868 (remember him from "The King and I"?). His signature gave official status to the county's name as Siam. Then, on June 24 1939, the name was changed to Thailand...but wait, there's more! In 1945, the country was renamed Siam, at least for four more years. On May 11, 1949 the country's name was again changed, this time back to Thailand. That's all for now, hopefully.

Answer: French Sudan

From around 1880, French Sudan was a French colonial territory in the federation of French West Africa. Early in 1959, French Sudan had changed its name to the Sudanese Republic and joined Senegal to form the Federation of Mali. On March 31, 1960 France agreed to the full independence of the Federation and, on June 20th of that year, Mali officially became an independent country. Modibo Keita was elected the first constituent assembly president of the Mali Federation.

Answer: New Hebrides

If you watch the TV program "Survivor", you may have heard of Vanuatu, a country in the south Pacific Ocean made up of about 80 islands. Before Vanuatu gained its independence in 1980, it was know as New Hebrides. In 1906, New Hebrides was an Anglo-French condominium (no, not a very large housing complex).

A condominium is a term in international law which means a political territory over which "multiple sovereign powers formally agree to share dominium" (hence, condominium). This was the status of the country prior to 1980.

Answer: Bohemia

The Kingdom of Bohemia was a medieval monarchy in Western Europe with a storied history. It was bordered on the south by Austria, on the west by Bavaria, on the north by Saxony and Lusatia, and on the east by Moravia. From 1918 to 1939 and again from 1945 to 1992, it was part of Czechoslovakia.

In 1993, as a result of the "Velvet Divorce", Czechoslovakia peacefully separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with Bohemia forming the central and western parts of the former.

Answer: Zaire

Ready for some possible confusion? In 1971, the Democratic Republic of the Congo was renamed Zaire by Sese Seko Mobutu (see my quiz on dictators for more on him). You may recall, in 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman had "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasa, Zaire (Ali won). Anyway, in 1997, General Kabila took control and renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a pretty new flag. Do NOT confuse this country with its smaller western neighbor which is called...(wait for it!) the Republic of the Congo, a name which dates back to 1991; before that it was the People's Republic of the Congo. Got it?

Answer: Moldavia

In 1859 it seems that Moldavia become Moldova. Does anyone out there remember the Moldavian wedding massacre on "Dynasty" in 1985? Well, by 1985 there was no such country as Moldavia. Moldavia (before the wedding) was a landlocked principality east of the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe.

It was founded in 1359 and dissolved in 1859 to become part of Romania. On August 7, 1991, Moldova declared its independence as part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Answer: Albion

Albion is an archaic name for Great Britain, and is the oldest known name for the British Isles. The name originally referred to Britain as a whole but was later limited to Caledonia, i.e., Scotland. In fact, it seems England may have been named for the ancient inhabitants called 'Albiones'.

By the first century BC, the Roman name Britannia began to replace the name Albion, and became firmly established in 43 AD when the Roman Empire began its conquest.

Answer: Formosa

The Republic of Formosa was the name given to the island in East Asia by the Portuguese in 1590. In 1523, the Dutch (who really got around) established a settlement near a bay called Tayouan by the natives, which eventually evolved into the name Taiwan. Western nations continued to use the name Formosa until the end of World War II, after the Japanese surrendered the island to the Allied forces.