Reading time: 4 minutes
Though first invented in the 19th century, submarines didn’t really come into their own as a weapon of war until World War Two, when they saw widespread use by all parties in all theatres. Able to hide underwater and strike whenever they wanted, they were feared by friend and foe alike, but what was life like for the men that crewed these small underwater craft?
Reading time: 6 minutes
If you could travel back in time to one of the bustling cities of ancient Mesopotamia (c. 4000–330 B.C.), for example, you would have no trouble finding yourself a bar or a beer. Beer was the beverage of choice in Mesopotamia. In fact, to be a Mesopotamian was to drink beer.
1. Who painted Paris Street; Rainy Day in 1877?
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Reading time: 8 minutes
The Kremlin’s insistence that Ukrainians and Russians are the same mirrors the older imperial model: expand, absorb and claim these territories were always part of Russia. Breaking free from this “mental empire” demands a deep shift in how Russians, Ukrainians, and the world view Eastern Europe’s past and present. When the Soviet Union collapsed, many hoped for a new era of cooperation in Eastern Europe. Instead, authoritarian politics and old beliefs about empire have led to a devastating conflict. By refusing to be pulled back into Russia’s orbit, Ukrainians send a message about self-determination. They reject the claim bigger nations can absorb smaller ones simply by invoking a shared past.
Reading time: 10 minutes
Ibn Battuta, was born in Tangier, Morocco, on February 24, 1304. From a statement in his celebrated travel book the Rihla (“legal affairs are my ancestral profession,”) he evidently came from an intellectually distinguished family.
1. When was Chechnya conquered by the Russian empire?
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Reading time: 8 minutes Across the 19th and 20th Centuries, two of History’s greatest powers/regions took a back seat in global leadership, plagued by colonial conquests and internal power struggles. Yet as WW2 came to a close, the mighty subcontinent of India declared its independence from the British Empire in 1947. At a similar time in 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC) established solid control over the country, ushering in an age of Communist China under Mao. As these two major players looked to rebuild their countries and re-enter the world stage, a question would arise: what will the Sino-Indian relationship take shape?
Reading time: 6 minutes It’s 400 years since the publication of the complete edition of British philosopher Francis Bacon’s Essays. Not without pride, Bacon (1561-1626) muses in the preface that his little book’s Latin version might “last, as long as books last.” The Essays have, in fact, never been out of print since 1625.
Reading time: 6 minutes Travellers have always faced health hazards when far from home. Medieval people were no exception. Pilgrims, crusaders and others were warned by preachers such as 13th century Jacques de Vitry of “dangers on land, dangers at sea, the dangers of thieves, the dangers of predators, the dangers of battles”.
1. When did the Rhodesian Bush War begin?
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1. Which dynasty ruled Ethiopia from 1270 to 1974?
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1. When did France begin colonising Vietnam?
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1. When did the Spanish Civil War begin?
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1. Which Roman Emperor oversaw the destruction of the independent Jewish state in Judaea in 135CE?
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1. How many ships did the Battleship Bismarck sink?
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1. Where did the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War take place?
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Who was an Official Australian Photographer during both WWI and WWII, as well as accompanying three Antarctic Expeditions?
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1. Which of these Naval commanders led an expedition around the world?
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10 randomly selected WWII aircraft each time you take the quiz.
Try again when you are finished for a new selection of aircraft!
1. Where was the ancient Etruscan civilisation located?
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1. Who painted River Landscape around 1590?
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1. Which Australian territory was claimed by the USA in 1876?
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1. What was the purpose of the 1948 Marshall Plan?
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1. What did scientists Watson and Crick discover?
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1. Who wrote Heart of Darkness in 1899?
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1. Where is the massive Kerak Castle?
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1. Who painted The Hunters in the Snow in 1565?
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1. Where was Marco Polo born?
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1. Which line divides North and South Korea?
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1. Which line of English monarchs originated in Wales?
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1. When did the Japanese Shogun impose a sakoku (seclusion) policy?
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1. When did Nicolaus Copernicus publish ‘On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres’ which explained that the Earth orbits around the Sun?
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1. When did the Exxon Valdez oil spill occur?
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1. Who was the first person to fly solo around the world?
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1. Who led the 1911-1914 Australasian Antarctic Expedition?
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1. When was the first Sino-Indian War?
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1. Which country fought alongside the French and British against the Egyptians during the Suez crisis?
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1. What is the 1916 armed insurrection against British rule in Ireland known as?
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1. Where did Joanna Plantagenet, sister of Richard I Lionheart, become Queen?
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History Guild would like to acknowledge the Boonwurrung people, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are based, and pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging.