History Guild General History Quiz 86
See how your history knowledge stacks up!
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The stories behind the questions
1. Where was the first Stock Exchange in History?
Amsterdam – The Amsterdam Stock Exchange was established in 1602 by the Dutch East India Company for sales of its stocks and bonds. It was subsequently renamed the Amsterdam Bourse and was the first to formally begin trading in securities.
2. The 1938 Munich agreement between Adolf Hitler and Joseph Chamberlain allowed Germany to occupy the Sudetenland. Which country ruled the Sudetenland prior to this?
Czechoslovakia – The Sudetenland was a mountainous area with a population of around 1 million on the border of Germany and Czechoslovakia. It encompassed the Czech defensive line and without this territory it would be impossible for the Czechs to resist a German invasion. Five months later the Germans broke their agreement and invaded the remainder of Czechoslovakia. The Czech arms factories were a vital part of the German war effort for the next five years.
3. The sinking of the General Belgrano was a critical point in which conflict?
Falklands War – The General Belgrano was sunk on 2nd May 1982 during the Falklands War by the Royal Navy submarine Conqueror with the loss of 323 lives. Following the loss of General Belgrano, the Argentinian fleet returned to its bases and played no major role in the rest of the conflict.
Losses from General Belgrano totalled just under half of Argentine military deaths in the war. She is the only ship to have been sunk during military operations by a nuclear-powered submarine.
The General Belgrano was originally the USS Phoenix, which saw action in the Pacific theatre of World War II before being sold by the United States to Argentina.
4. Where is this historic building?
Lhasa, Tibet – The Potala Palace is a dzong fortress in the city of Lhasa, Tibet. It was the winter palace of the Dalai Lamas from 1649 to 1959.
5. The Kuomintang formed the first government of which modern country?
Taiwan – The Kuomintang, lead by Chiang Kai-Shek held out in Taiwan after their defeat by the Chinese Communists under Mao Tse Tung on the Chinese mainland. The government they established has ruled Taiwan since then, with democratic elections first being held in 1996.
6. How many Allied soldiers did the British evacuate via Dunkirk in 1940?
338,000 – The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo saw over 338,000 Allied soldiers evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk between 26th May and 4th June 1940. This came to be called the Miracle of Dunkirk.
7. Which scientist is thought to have saved the most lives throughout history?
Maurice Hilleman – Maurice Hilleman is credited as the man who saved more lives than any other scientist in the 20th century. He developed over 40 vaccines throughout his career, eight of which are still routinely administered today.
8. Which Australian Prime Minister said “Vincent Lingiari, I solemnly hand to you these deeds as proof, in Australian law, that these lands belong to the Gurindji people and I put into your hands part of the earth itself as a sign that this land will be the possession of you and your children forever.”
Gough Whitlam – In 1975 Whitlam congratulated the Gurindji and their supporters on their victory after a nine-year “fight for justice”. Promising that the Australian government would “help you in your plans to use this land fruitfully”. Whitlam handed Lingiari the new deeds to the Gurindji’s land, now officially dubbed NT Pastoral Lease 805. Then, to the joy of assembled photographers, he stooped down, grabbed a handful of red earth, and poured it into Lingiari’s open palm.
9. What type of tanks are these?
Panzer III – The Germans built over 5,000 of these medium tanks between 1939 and 1943. This one is part of the German invasion of Greece in 1941. The soldier on the rear is a New Zealander who has been taken prisoner during the German advance.
10. Which area did the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill contaminate?
Alaska – It occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company that was bound for Long Beach, California struck Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef. The spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, contaminating 2,100 km of coastline.
