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The first king of Italy who died today in 1878? Who was he?

Victor Emmanuel II. Victor Emmanuel supposedly said, "They tell me that French dancers don't wear underwear. If it is really like that, for me it would be heaven on Earth," to the French Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III. Emmanuel died exactly five years to the day after Napoleon III.

Today in 1552, Adrian of Utrecht was elected Pope Adrian VI. He was the last non-Italian pope until John Paul II. What nationality was Pope John Paul II?

Polish. Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojty³a. When he was younger, he played international rugby for the Polish National Rugby Team. By the age of twenty, he had lost both his parents and his brother.

British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger was forced to introduce income tax in Britain on this day in 1799, due to which war (or wars)?

Napoleonic Wars. Pittsylvania County, Virginia; Pittwater, New South Wales; Pitt Street, Sydney; Pitt's Head in Snowdonia National Forest Park near Gwynedd, Wales; Pittsboro, North Carolina and Pitt Street, Hong Kong are all named after William Pitt the Younger. However, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is named after his father, William Pitt the Elder, who was also Prime Minister of Britain.

Napoleon III died in exile in England today in 1873. What relation was he to Napoleon Bonaparte?

Nephew. Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon III) was both the first president of the French Republic and the last monarch of France. His parents were made King and Queen of Holland under Napoleon I, yet neither of them lived to see their son on the throne of France.

The United Nations headquarters was officially opened today in New York City in 1951. When did the organisation officially come into existence?

24 October 1945. The first meetings of the United Nations General Assembly took place in January 1946 in Westminster Central Hall in London. In 2008 there were 192 member states, and the UN has six official languages.

Today in 1916, the last Allied soldiers abandoned Gallipoli. Which of the following people starred in the 1981 film "Gallipoli"?

Mel Gibson. Gibson is the sixth of eleven children. He was named after the Irish saint, Saint Mel. His mother is Irish and he holds both Irish and American citizenship. He was twelve when his family moved to Australia.

Vice-Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson was given a state funeral on this day in 1806. Where was he interred?

St Paul's Cathedral. Other famous people buried in St Paul's include Christopher Wren and Alexander Fleming. Like Mel Gibson, Nelson was also the sixth of eleven children. Ironically, the Vice-Admiral suffered from seasickness his whole life.

Which American president was born today in 1913?

Richard Nixon. Nixon was the 37th president of the United States and remains the only president to resign the office. He shared his second name, Milhous, with his mother. His family were Quakers.

Austrian composer Johann Strauss III died today in 1939. Where?

Berlin. He was the grandson of Johann Strauss I. His father, Eduard Strauss, disbanded the Strauss Orchestra in 1901. "Katze und Maus" was his only stage work and was not received well by the public when it premiered in 1898.

Which saint's feast day is celebrated today?

St Adrian of Canterbury. St Adrian was offered the Archbishopric of Canterbury, England twice, but refused it saying he was unworthy. St Adrian accompanied St Theodore of Tarsus to Kent when St Theodore was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in 668.