Weekly History Quiz No.216

Completed in 1512 ,the Mary Rose fought in several actions against the French. Over her career extra weight was added to the ship, particularly heavy cannon higher up in the vessel. As the Mary Rose sailed to engage the French fleet at the Battle of the Solent she heeled over in a turn and took in water through her open gunports, before rapidly sinking.

Bardia, a small town on the coast of Libya, some 30 km from the Egyptian border, was an Italian stronghold. The Australian troops occupied Bardia, defeating the Italians in a little over 3 days. Australian veteran, Phillip Wortham, simply summarised the battle as “an overwhelming victory”.

Lebanese President-elect Bachir Gemayel was assassinated in 1982, PM Rashid Karami in 1987, President René Moawad in 1989 and PM Rafic Hariri in 2005. The other countries have only had one PM or President assassinated. Indian PM Indira Gandhi was killed in 1984, Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin was killed in 1995 and Swedish PM Olof Palme was killed in 1986.

Beginning with civil rights activists campaigning to end discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland, the conflict began with a civil rights march in Derry in October 1968, the 1969 'Battle of the Bogside' and subsequent deployment of British troops. As the conflict intensified The Irish Republican Army (IRA), a designated terrorist organisation on both sides of the Irish border, began a bombing campaign both in Northern Island and mainland Britain seeking an independant Northern Ireland. The conflict caused over 3,500 deaths and 50,000 injuries before it was brought to a close by the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The Maya emerged around 1800 BCE, developing complex cities and trading networks that peaked around 900 CE

A Scottish-born American, Muir was an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness in the United States, helping establish Yosemite National Park, and co-founding the Sierra Club in 1892.

Custer, in typically modest style, was describing his own charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Custer was killed, along with every man he led, at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. At the beginning of this battle Custer exclaimed 'Hurrah boys, we've got them! We'll finish them up and then go home to our station.'

A prominent Athenian politician during the Peloponnesian War, Pericles also devoted himself to improving Athens in all regards. It was principally through his efforts that Athens acquired the reputation of being the educational and cultural center of the ancient Greek world.

Two of his most famous operas, their composition features in Czech director Milos Forman’s masterpiece Amadeus (1984).

Robert Mason’s bestselling account of his service as a chopper pilot in Vietnam–a no-holds-barred autobiography that reveals the war’s shattering legacy in the heart of a returning vet. Mason spent a 1965-66 in Vietnam flying a Huey.