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In 587BC Judah revolted against Babylon for the second time within a decade. In the second revolt, which two powerful cities were allied with Judah?

Tyre and Sidon. The result of Judah's second revolt against Babylon was even more disastrous than the first despite their alliance with Tyre and Sidon. Nabu-Kudur-usur (Nebuchadrezzar)the king of Babylon slaughtered the king of Judah's sons in front of his eyes, then blinded him and took most of the remaining population into slavery. A few that remained found refuge in Egypt.

Around 650 B.C. which empire ruled from Asia minor to Egypt?

Assyrian. At this time the Assyrians ruling from Nineveh with an iron rod. The fate of every man woman and child was decided from this place.

Herodotus states that: On May 28, 585 B.C. King Alyattes of Lydia defeated the army of the Medes at the battle of Halys. What was distinctly unusual, in fact without precedent, about this battle?

The use of scientific calcaulation to ensure victory. At the battle of Halys a strict scientific calculation was used for the first time ever to ensure advantage for an army. King Alyattes had with him as an advisor the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus. Thales worked out and predicted the date for an eclipse of the sun. At the time fixed by Thales, Alyattes ordered a surprise attack against the Medes. The Medes, terrified and confused by the darkening sun, were routed. So great was the disaster for the Medes that they gave up all further thought of conquest in the region and settled on the river Halys as the frontier between the two nations.

According to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, which legendary king of Rome was responsible for turning that city from a primitive collection of mud huts into a well planned town?

Tarquinius Priscus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus states that Tarquinus Priscus was an Etruscan and the son of a wealthy family in Etruria. His given name was Lucumo and upon his arrival in Rome in 575 B.C he took the name of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus and used his vast wealth to build the city.

According to Censorinus the Etruscan ritual books stated that man had allotted to him a cycle of seven times twelve years. At eighty-four years his life was fulfilled. What was supposed to happen to a man living beyond this allotted span?

He would lose the ability to understand the signs of the gods. In a world filled with mysticism this must have been a very scary prospect to someone getting on in years; especially if they were of the priestly cast. Staseas of Naples, a Peripatetic philosopher, said, "he was like a runner in a race, or a racing vehicle, running on the outside track."

Which Roman historian's father-in-law was the Roman governor of Britain in AD 84?

Tacitus. Cornelius Tacitus was born circa A.D. 56 or 57 during the reign of Nero. He survived the reign of Trajan and probably lived a few years into Hadrian's rule.

What was the name of the Roman general and governor who was the father in law of Tacitus?

Julius Agricola. Julius Agricola was father in law to Tacitus and a highly successful general. He defeated the tribes of Northern Wales. From his legionary base at York he followed his success against the Welsh by reducing Northern England and then advanced further north and inflicted a devestating defeat upon the Caledonians. Agricola also had his eye set on Ireland but was prevented from further conquest by Emperor Domitian who needed his legions elsewhere.

The Roman emperor Marcus Ulpius Trajanus was married to Pompeia Plotina. How many children did they have?

None. Although married for almost twenty years there were no children born of this union and therefore no dynastic struggles. Upon Trajan's death in A.D. 117, Plotina communicated to the senate Trajan's deathbed nomination of Publius Aelius Hadrianus as his successor.

Which famous Roman flouted the Sullan regulations by becoming Consul when below the legal age in 70 B.C.?

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) was not only below the legal age requirement for the office of Consul, he had not previously held any of the required offices which normally led up to attaining that rank.

The turbulent careers of the 'Gracchi' demonstrated what?

People power could break the Senate's de facto control. The 'Gracchi' demonstrated very clearly what the sovereign will of the people could do if harnessed. However, they had no armed force/power with which to enforce or even defend their views. Nevertheless the foundation had been laid. According to Stobart it was "Rome's misfortune that this foundation was was built of such rotten materials."

During the American War of Independence the New York militia colonel Ann Hawkes Hay did much to establish equality for women.

f. Ann Hawkes Hay was in fact a man with what some might consider an unfortunate name.

In the United States in 1857 a violently anti-slavery book written by a southerner and entitled 'The Impending Crisis of the South: How to Meet It' was published. Who was the author?

Hinton Rowan Helper. Hinton Helper wrote his book not because he had sympathy with the slaves but because he hated them. Helper, in fact, verbally and in writing advocated the extermination of the negroes. Born and bred in the South he even advocated an uprising against the southern planter aristocracy whom, in his words, should do penance in sackcloth for a season and then go and hang themselves.

King Charles II of England suffered from which of these failings.

All of these (A stammer, Lack of humour, Highly constrained in dealings with others). According to sources of the time: Charles II was considered to be a gentleman with exquisite manners. However, he lacked any sense of humour, his self constraint made it difficult for people to warm to him and his stammer, which was slight, was an annoyance to himself more than others. He found it almost impossible to put people at their ease. Although grave and reserved he was prone to sudden outbursts of anger which would erupt whenever he felt that his authority or dignity were being questioned. He rejected any form of intimacy, quite possibly because he felt that this might lead to over familiarity.

In 1066 William of Normandy defeated King Harold at Hastings. The reason for his victory in this hard fought contest was?

More numerous tactical options. A general concensus of military historians concluded that: William defeated Harold by virtue of having a greater array of tactical options at his disposal. Harold and his army had but one option and that was to fight on foot in a static position and defend. This singular tactic was not necessarily doomed to failure because if Harold been able to hold on until nightfall the victory might well have been his. With English reinforcements on the way and probably available the next day William's exhausted army would have been in no mood to face another day's blood-letting on such a scale with no hope of reinforcement. However, William's tactical advantages won the day. He was able to use archers in various formations, cavalry in the same way and his infantry were able to use the ground as he saw fit. The constant use of these tactics throughout the day eventually wore down the shield wall of Harold but by any one's standards, it was a close run thing. It was already dusk and less than thirty minutes of light remained when Harold fell.

Still on History but now Movie history. The 1956 Historical Epic 'Genghis Khan' starred John Wayne as the mighty Khan. However, the production ran into trouble in the very early stages. Genghis Khan was known to have been a huge man; various estimates put him at approximately 6' 7'. The writer Meisa Herring insisted that Wayne was too short and certainly did not possess the imposing bulk of Genghis Khan. To placate Herring, the producers and Wayne agreed to heavy costume plumping and for the first and only time in his life John Wayne wore platform soles in order to emphasise great height. He often joked about this with friends later on in his life.

f. Oh dear. If you got this wrong please accept the 'Socrates Instant Hemlock' award. Estimates state that Genghis Khan was a mere 5' 1' tall. John Wayne stood 6' 4'. The Mongols, of course, like all conquering armies put little faith in mere size, relying instead upon discipline and ferocity.