History Guild General History Quiz 197
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The stories behind the questions
1. Which Native American group were systematically murdered for their oil wealth in early 1900s Oklahoma?
Osage – The Osage were pushed off their traditional lands several times, ending up on an Oklahoma reservation where oil was discovered. They became the richest group of people on earth, but were subjected to a campaign of murder and terrorism by white settlers in an attempt to take their land.
2. Which Imperial power ruled Korea from 1910 to 1945?
Japan – The Meiji restoration period saw a reorientation of the Japanese outlook towards the world, rather than the exclusively internal approach they had previously taken. This led to the Japanese becoming an Imperial power in their own right, with their occupation of Korea being one of their first colonial ventures.
3. When was the first time two English armies used Longbowmen against each other?
Battle of Shrewsbury – The Battle of Shrewsbury saw Henry IV attack the rebellious Harry Hotspur. The longbow was decisive, with Hotspur killed when he was hit in the face by an arrow.
4. For what was Mary Seacole famous?
Early pioneer of Medicine – Born in Jamaica, Mary Seacole travelled widely, working as a doctor and establishing a range of businesses. She is most famous for providing Medical care during the Crimean War, where she became known as a ‘Black Florence Nightingale’. She lived in London after she returned from the Crimea.
5. When did the Salem witch trials take place?
1690s – Over 200 people were accused of witchcraft, completely overwhelming the Massachusetts court system. Ultimately 19 people were executed before the majority of the prosecutions were ended in 1693.
6. Which Empire did Ashoka the Great rule?
Maurya – Under Ashoka the Great, the Maurya Empire expanded into the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.
Ashoka erected the Edicts of Ashoka, which state his policies and accomplishments, and which were written in both Greek and Sanskrit.
7. When did the Neolithic Revolution begin?
9,000 BCE – The Neolithic Revolution references a change from a largely nomadic hunter-gatherer way of life to a more settled, agrarian-based one, with the inception of the domestication of various plant and animal species—depending on species locally available and likely also influenced by local culture.
8. Who led the Indian National Army, a Japanese sponsored force that fought against the British Empire during WW2?
Subhas Chandra Bose – Formed in 1942 from Indian POWs captured by the Japanese, the Indian National Army (INA) reached a maximum strength of around 43,000 soldiers.
Former president of the Indian National Congress Chandra Bose took control in 1943. The army was committed to the Japanese U-Go offensive, where they performed poorly.
Post Indian independence there was a complex relationship with former INA soldiers. Some INA officers were charged with treason and many Indians viewed the INA’s actions as treasonous. Many other Indians saw them as fighting for Indian independence and celebrated their actions. This legacy was further complicated by former INA soldiers fighting on both sides of Indo-Pakistani conflicts in the following decades.
9. In addition to Astronomy, in which other field did Copernicus make important advances?
Economics – He formulated two influential economic theories, developing the quantity theory of money, later re-articulated by John Locke and David Hume, and popularised by Milton Friedman in the 1960s. He also introduced Gresham’s law, a monetary principle addressing the circulation and valuation of money.
10. Queen Margrethe II abdicated in January 2024. Prior to this how long is it since a Danish monarch abdicated?
878 years – The last time a Danish sovereign voluntarily gave up the throne before his death was in 1146, when the King Eric III stepped down to enter a monastery.
