History Guild General History Quiz 163
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The stories behind the questions
1. Which place did James Cook visit on all three of his voyages of exploration?
New Zealand – These are shown in this map.
2. Which event led to the ‘Truman Doctrine’, also known as containment of the USSR?
Greek Civil War – In 1947 the British government announced that it could no longer afford to finance the Greek regime in its civil war against communist-led insurgents. The American government’s response was the adoption of containment, a policy designed to stop the spread of communism from the Soviet Union, in this case to Greece. This became known as the ‘Truman Doctrine’.
3. In which year did Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappear?
1967 – Becoming the leader of the Liberal party after the retirement of Robert Menzies, Holt won the 1966 election by a good margin. He expanded Australian involvement in the Vietnam war as well as overseeing the constitutional ammendment to give the federal government responsibility for indigenous affairs. He disappeared while swimming and was presumed drowned at Chevoit Beach, Victoria. He is commemorated by the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne.
4. The notorious Securitate were the secret police from which country?
Romania – Considered to have been the most brutal security service in the former Soviet bloc, they were responsible for thousands of murders, as well as complete repression of any dissent. The Securitate deployed one agent or informer for every 43 Romanians, making it large enough to to be practically impossible for dissidents to organise.
5. What concept did Mahatma Gandhi emphasise in his protests against British rule in India?
Satyagraha – ‘holding firmly to truth’, is a form of nonviolent resistance or civil disobedience.
6. Who was the UN secretary General during the Cuban missile crisis?
U Thant – Becoming UN secretary General after Dag Hammarskjöld died in a mysterious plane crash, Thant facilitated negotiations between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, helping to avert a global catastrophe.
7. Which of these have been historical units of currency?
All of the above – A Groat was an English and Irish silver coin worth four pence, minted until 1856. A Pfennig is a German coin, used from 9th century until the Euro was introduced in 2001. Doughnut shaped rocks, known as rai stones, were used in the Yap islands in Micronesia.
8. Wat Tyler was known for which acheivement?
Leading the 1381 Peasants revolt – The Peasants’ Revolt was sparked by a recently imposed poll tax of 4 pence from every adult, whether peasant or wealthy. The revolt was not only about money, as the peasants also demanded that each labourer be allowed to work for the employer of his choice and sought an end to serfdom.
9. Which country did Slobodan Milošević rule from 1991 to 1997?
Serbia – Leading Serbia throughout the Yugoslav war, in 2001 he was extradited to the Hague to face trial for war crimes. The case ended without a verdict when he died in 2006.
10. When was the first Dictionary in English published?
1604 – Robert Cawdrey’s Table Alphabeticall was the first English dictionary published, listing and defining about 3000 words. It concentrated on trying to explain unfamiliar words to the general public, rather than defining all words.
