1. In 1881, there were three American Presidents. Which one of these did NOT hold the office of President of the United States during 1881? Grover Cleveland James A. Garfield Chester Alan Arthur Rutherford B. Hayes

2. In 1881, England was at the height of the Victorian Era, and people were generally happy even if times were a bit rocky, if you can take a hint. Who was the British Prime Minister during that year? William Gladstone Tony Blair Benjamin Disraeli Marquis of Salisbury

3. Meanwhile, in Russia in the year 1881, a leader was assassinated. Who was it? Alexander II Nicholas II Ivan IV Catherine II (The Great)

4. From the heights of political goings-on to the depths of details of everyday life... perforated toilet paper was the greatest thing since sliced bread-- or was it the other way around? Which of these would have been available in the US or Britain in 1881? Loaves of bread sold pre-sliced Perforated toilet paper on a roll Both sliced bread and perforated toilet paper Neither sliced bread nor perforated toilet paper

5. The Chester Daily Times of Chester, Pennsylvania, was on offer for 1 cent on October 31, 1881, and was a typical newspaper of the day. Of the four things listed below, which did NOT appear on the front page? An ad for a button counter at a department store that has "New style Metal Buttons, shaded, only 25 cents a dozen, would be cheap at 35 cents" A report that some from Boston are calling for special accommodation on trains for Christians, analogous to that provided for smokers A poem about a young man who is fickle in love A photograph of the village of Edgefield, South Carolina, which had been 2/3 destroyed by fire the night before

6. Obviously I got the information for the last question from a newspaper archive. What famous organization opened some of its archives to scholars for the first time in 1881? Keeble College, Oxford The National Geographic Society The New York Public Library The Vatican

7. Two Russian artists, a writer and a composer, died in 1881. The composer wrote "Night on Bald Mountain," and the writer wrote "The Idiot." These are not their most famous works. Who are they? Tolstoi and Tchaikovsky Dostoyevski and Mussorgsky Pushkin and Glinka Bulgakov and Balakirev

8. How would a typical middle-class family in a city in Britain or the US have lit their home in 1881? They didn't - it was too expensive Torches Gas light Electric lights

9. The shape of things to come: which of these were born in 1881? Physician and scientist Alexander Fleming Composer Bela Bartok All of them Painter Pablo Picasso

10. If you were alive in 1881, what would you most likely be vaccinated against? Malaria Tuberculosis Smallpox Yellow fever