History Guild General History Quiz 194
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The stories behind the questions
1. When was the colony of South Australia founded?
1836 – In early 1836, nine ships carrying 636 people set sail for South Australia from Britain. Below is a map of South Australia from the only 15 years after this.
Map of South Australia, 1851 – Framed Print
Map of South Australia. Outline colour with the mining districts shown as red dots. Etchings of Adelaide, Aboriginals on a catamaran, an Australian dog (Dingo) and a Nymphicus bird. Interlocking border design. Map by J. Rapkin, published by J and F Tallis in 1851. Available in 3 sizes: Small 29cm x 37cm Medium 39cm x…
2. In which year did Kristallnacht occur?
1938 – Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom, was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party. It was widely seen as the point of no return for anti-semitic violence and repression in Germany, with many German Jews trying to find asylum in other countries after this time.
3. Where are the ancient Nazca Lines located?
Peru – The Nazca (or Nasca) lived near the arid southern coast of Peru from 100 BCE to 800 CE. Early Nazca society was made up of local chiefdoms and regional centers of power centered around Cahuachi, a non-urban ceremonial site of earthwork mounds and plazas. The Nazca are known for their Nazca Lines —geometric shapes, lines, and animal figures carved into the desert floor.
4. Where was the HIV virus first identified?
France – In 1983 a team of doctors at the Pasteur Institute in France including Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier isolated a new retrovirus that they believed was the cause of AIDS. A year later two US groups also independently identified the virus.
5. Which conflict resulted in the US White House being burned down?
War of 1812 – In 1814, as part of the War of 1812, in which the USA declared war on Britain at the height of the Napoleonic wars. British attention was mostly focussed on fighting the French, they did however send some forces to North America. The burning of Washington was in part a retaliation for the Americans burning and looting York in British Upper Canada the previous year.
6. Which body of water did the Manila Galleon trade cross?
Pacific Ocean – Trade with Ming China via Manila was a major source of revenue for the Spanish Empire. The Manila Galleon cargoes arrived in Acapulco and were transported by land across Mexico, then they were loaded onto the Spanish treasure fleet bound for Spain. Below is a framed print of what was known of the Pacific ocean in this era.
Map of the Pacific, 1697 – Framed Print
Map of the Pacific, by Herman Moll, 1697. Centred on the Pacific, depicts shifting and variable winds along the China coast and the “Great South Sea” and the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. “New Holland” depicted with incomplete north-west and west coastline only. California shown as an island. Available in 3 sizes: Small 48.1cm x…
7. When did the city of Great Zimbabwe reach its greatest extent?
1400 CE – Great Zimbabwe is a ruined city in the southeastern hills of today’s Zimbabwe. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe during the country’s Late Iron Age. Construction on the monument began in the 11th century and continued until the 15th century. Archaeological evidence suggests that Great Zimbabwe became a center for trading, with a trade network linked to Kilwa Kisiwani and extending as far as China. This international trade was mainly in gold and ivory.
8. When did the Roman empire gain control of Britain?
43 CE – Roman emperor Claudius launched an invasion of Britain, and over the following decades the Roman army gradually extended its control over much of present-day England and Wales. In 409 CE the island slipped from the control of the Roman Empire.
9. What event does ‘a date which will live in infamy’ refer to?
Japanese forces attacking Hawaii – Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered to a joint session of Congress on December 8, 1941 after Japan attacked US bases at the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the Philippines, and declared war on the US and Britain.
10. There have been 266 popes. How many were born in Africa?
3 – The most recent was elected in 492, Pope Gelasius I was a Berber who was born in Roman Africa. Prior to him there was Pope Victor I and Pope Miltiades, both also born in Roman Africa.
