History Guild General History Quiz 123
See how your history knowledge stacks up!
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The stories behind the questions
1. Where did the Maurya Empire originate?
India – The Maurya Empire was founded in 322 BCE by Chandragupta Maurya, who had overthrown the Nanda Dynasty and rapidly expanded his power westward across central and western India in order to take advantage of the disruptions of local powers in the wake of the withdrawal by Alexander the Great ‘s armies.
2. Which of these events occurred in the same year?
The bombing of Guernica and the destruction of the Hindenburg – Both these events occurred in 1937.
3. Who said “No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.”
Horatio Nelson – The superiority of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars was such that when equivalent ships fought the Royal Navy would almost certainly prevail. This was mostly due to the training and experience of the crews, and fed into the aggressive leadership shown by many of the officers, Nelson included.
4. Where were the 1940 Olympics planned to be held?
Tokyo – Read more about the first time Tokyo was awarded the Olympic games here THE PHANTOM OLYMPICS-WHY JAPAN FORFEITED HOSTING THE 1940 OLYMPICS.
5. What language family is both Old English and Old Norse derived from?
Germanic – Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, including English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish and Scots. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic, which was spoken in about the middle of the 1st millennium BC in Iron Age Scandinavia.
6. How many Ukrainians died during the 1932-33 “Holodomor” or Terror Famine?
3 million – a famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. The term Holodomor emphasises the famine’s man-made and intentional aspects such as rejection of outside aid, confiscation of all household foodstuffs and restriction of population movement. Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by Ukraine and 15 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government.
7. ‘Deeds not words’ is considered to be the motto of which group?
Suffragettes – In 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and others, frustrated by the lack of progress, decided more direct action was required and founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) with the motto “Deeds not words”.
8. When did Philip II of Macedonia create the League of Corinth, a federation of Greek states that aimed to invade the Persian Empire?
337 BCE – Macedon rose from a small kingdom on the periphery of classical Greek affairs, to a dominant player in the Hellenic world and beyond, within the span of 25 years between 359 and 336 BCE. Macedon’s rise is largely attributable to the policies during Philip II’s rule.
9. What year saw the Islamic revolution in Iran?
1979 – Read more about the Iranian revolution here.
10. Which aircraft is this?
Douglas SBD Dauntless – the SBD proved to be an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics from the perforated dive brakes, good defensive armament, and ruggedness. Read about it in action in EARLY RAIDS OF THE PACIFIC WAR.
