Weekly History Quiz No.230

The ships SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo collided in Halifax harbour. Mont-Blanc was carrying high explosives and exploded, at least 1,782 people were killed, and an estimated 9,000 others were injured. The blast released the equivalent energy of roughly 2.9 kilotons of TNT.

In 313 CE the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which accepted Christianity. This was eventually followed by Emperor Theodosius I issuing the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 CE, which made Nicene Christianity the Roman Empire's state religion.

The scallywags would have operated in units of 6-8 men, emerging from their secret bunkers at night to attack German invaders and British collaborators. About 4,500 of these volunteers, who were warned that they would only have a life expectancy of around 12 days, were trained and equipped in 1940-41.

Cato ended his speeches with the phrase delenda est Carthago (Carthage must be destroyed). This was a result of the numerous defeats that Carthaginian General Hannibal inflicted on the Romans. Cato’s wish became reality in 146 BCE, when Carthage was razed by Scipio Aemilianus.

Nevil Shute was the pen name of engineer and aircraft designer Nevil Shute Norway, who designed the Airspeed Oxford, a pioneering interwar aircraft. A prolific writer, Shute's novels are celebrated for being written in a simple highly readable style, with clearly delineated plot lines.

The IRA placed a gelignite bomb on the fishing boat owned by Mountbatten, it was detonated several hours later while at sea, killing Mountbatten and three others abord, including two children. The assassination was widely condemned internationally, and significantly reduced support for the IRA from Americans, who had provided significant support in money and weapons up to this point.

Created in 1831, it is Hokusai's best-known work and the first in his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.

The earliest records of women playing cricket date back to 1745 in England and 1855 in Australia. The English Women's team toured Australia and New Zealand in 1934, and the Australians travelled to England in 1937.

The Anglo-Burmese Wars led to Burma becoming a British colony in 1886. Burmese opposition to British rule was strong and consistent, leading to the appointment of Ba Maw as the first Prime Minister of Burma in 1937. During WW2 Japan invaded Burma and Aung San, a politician known as the father of the nation, formed the Burma Independence Army, in collaboration with the Japanese, to fight the British. Burma gained independence in 1948.

With the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 Spain began a transition to democracy. At the same time it saw a significant increase in terror attacks by the Basque separatist group ETA and an economic downturn. In 1981 a group of Army officers stormed the Spanish parliament and declared that they had taken control. King Juan Carlos I appeared on Television in the uniform of Captain General of the armed forces and denounced the conspiracy. This led to the remainder of the Army acting against the conspirators and parliament regained control.