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On Mauritius in 1681, the last dodo died. What caused the extinction of this species?

Hunting by man and other predators. Discovered by Portuguese sailors in 1598, the name 'dodo' derived from the Portuguese for 'simpleton'. The sailors assumed that the bird was stupid because it showed no sign of fear. In actual fact, it was the dodo's innocence due to lack of contact with any form of predator, rather than stupidity. Within 80 years the species had been wiped out by a combination of hunting by man, and falling prey to feral dogs and pigs and other species that the Portuguese had introduced to the island.

Queen Liliuokalani was the last monarch of Hawaii, her reign ending in 1894. How did it come to an end?

She was deposed by a republican movement. Queen Lydia Liliuokalani ascended the Hawaiian throne in 1891. She was deposed after a short reign that was dominated by political and economic unrest, following which the Republic of Hawaii was established in 1894. Hawaii, which had been economically dependent on the American sugar market, was subsequently annexed by USA in 1898.

In 1789, Catherine Murphy was the last person in Britain to be sentenced to what form of public execution?

Burning at the stake. Murphy was convicted of coining false money, which counted as a form of high treason at the time on the grounds that the coins bore the monarch's head! In fact, she was hanged for thirty minutes before her corpse was burned at the stake outside Newgate Gaol in London, England. Between 1735 and 1789, some 32 women were sentenced to be burned at the stake in England, although since 1700 (or slightly earlier) it was standard practice to hang first and burn the corpse. In 1790, an Act of Parliament removed this barbaric form of execution.

It was at the Stockholm Olympic Games of 1912 that the last winning medals made entirely from gold were awarded. What have they been made from ever since then?

gold-plated silver. It was at the Antwerp Games of 1920, that the first Olympic winning medals made from gold-plated silver were awarded (the 1916 Berlin Games were cancelled due to World War One). For the 2004 Olympics at Beijing, £104,000 (about $182,500) was spent on the 13 kilograms of gold needed to coat 986 winning medals.

Where was Elvis Presley's last public concert?

Indianapolis. Elvis' last concert was at the Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA on June 26th, 1977. Elvis died six weeks later. The last song he performed there was 'Bridge over Troubled Water'.

When Robert Beckwith died in 1985, he was the last descendant of President Abraham Lincoln. How was he related?

Great-grandson. Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith's mother was Jessie, the daughter of Robert Todd Lincoln, who was the only son of the president to survive into maturity. Neither Robert nor his sister, Mary ('Peggy') Beckwith, produced any children.

In 1712-13, Jane Wenham was the last woman in England to be sentenced to death for witchcraft. What 'evidence' found at her house did the prosecution claim was 'proof' that she was a witch?

fat from melted corpses. Jane Wenham, dubbed 'the wise woman of Walkern', was tried at Hertford assizes. After ransacking her house, the authorities found 'proof' in a tin of grease which they claimed was made from the melted fat of corpses, and cakes said to be made from feathers. Though the trial judge heaped scorn on the whole idea of witchcraft and on the evidence, the jury convicted her. However, she was granted a free pardon.

The last Doge of Venice, Lodovicio Manin, retired in 1797. What was a Doge?

A chief magistrate. The first Doge of Venice was appointed in 697 to hold absolute power. Although this was modified 600 years later, the Doges remained a powerful group of chief magistrates, under whose stewardship Venice became a powerful city state.

In 1844, Jonathan Walker was the last person in the USA to be branded for a crime. The letters 'SS' were burned into the palm of his hand. What did these letters stand for?

Slave Stealing. 'Captain' Jonathan Walker, who was born and raised in Harwich, Massachussetts, had set up a business with his own boat in Pensacola, Florida. It was with this boat that he attempted to help seven slaves escape to The Bahamas in June 1844. After being convicted of stealing slaves, Walker became a celebrity amongst the Abolitionist Movement. He died in 1878 and 5,000 people attended his funeral.

On July 7th, 1889, John L.Sullivan defeated Jake Kilrain in the last legally sanctioned, professional bare-knuckle boxing match. Where was it held?

Richburg, Mississippi, USA. This bout lasted an amazing 75 rounds, before Kilrain's trainer threw in the towel. Although The Marquis of Queensberry rules had codifed boxing since 1867, bare-knuckle fighting was still actively promoted for some years afterwards. In 1892, Sullivan was defeated by Gentleman Jim Corbett, who became the first world champion under the Marquis of Queensberry rules.