20th Century Mixed Bag, 1900-1901 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. At the start of the 20th century, Britain was at war with a group of people known as "Boere" (Boers). In which country did the Boer War take place?

Answer: South Africa

The Boer War (1899-1902) was the second of two wars fought between Britain and Dutch settlers known as the "Boere" or "Voortrekkers". The first Boer war was fought twenty years earlier in 1880-81. Nigeria became a British protectorate on January 1, 1900.

2. On March 14, 1900, a bill was signed which brought the U.S. dollar onto the gold standard. Which President signed the bill?

Answer: William McKinley

In 1900 President McKinley declared that the gold dollar would "be the standard unit of value". The U.S. was to remain on the gold standard until 1971, the last gold coins minted as legal tender, were minted in 1933. President McKinley had been elected in 1896, defeating William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had championed a monetary policy based on the unlimited mining of silver.

3. On April 7, 1900, the Chinese government was presented with an ultimatum, giving them two months to suppress the Boxer Rebellion. The ultimatum was signed by four countries, which of these countries was not a signatory?

Answer: Spain

The ultimatum of April 1900 was also signed by Britain. "Chronicle of the 20th Century", states that the Boxer Rebellion "began as a patriotic society of discontented Chinese, then turned into a popular movement against foreign and especially Christian, influence". Between June and August 1900, 140,000 Boxers occupied Beijing.

The occupation was ended by the combined force of Western powers and Japan. During the rebellion an estimated 13,000 people lost their lives. Of these, 250 were foreigners the rest were a mixture of Chinese Christians and insurgents.

4. On May 2, 1900, a bill was passed by the U.S.Congress for the building of a canal. In which country was the proposed canal to be built?

Answer: Nicaragua

A movement for the building of a canal to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans existed throughout the 19th Century. There were many suggested routes, the main ones being across Nicaragua, Panama, and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico. Eventually a canal was built in Panama, the Panama Canal opened in 1914.

5. In March 1901, a high-performance car was made for Emil Jellinek. The car was called Mercedes, after one of his relatives, which relative?

Answer: Daughter

The car, built by Daimler was named Mercedes, after the 3rd child of Emil and Rachel Jellinek. In 1900 Emil Jellinek was Austro-Hungarian Consul-General in Nice. The car was an improved version of a model delivered to Jellinek in 1899. Of course Mercedes' name is now much better known than either Daimler's or her father's.

6. On August 9, 1901, the size of a U.S. territory (which is now a state) was increased by two million acres. The increase was brought about with the sale of former Native American lands to 6,500 white settlers. In which territory was the land sale?

Answer: Oklahoma

The land, which belonged to the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache tribes, was bought by federal agents for $2 million, it was sold in a great allotment sale, more than 170,000 people applied for a stake, to qualify for registration you had to be over twenty-one years of age, or head of a household and not own more than 160 acres of land in the U.S.

7. Which European monarch died on January 22, 1901?

Answer: Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria was born on May 24 1819, she succeeded to the British throne in 1837. In 1840 she married her cousin Prince Albert, they had 9 children, 4 sons and 5 daughters. Prince Albert died in 1861, Victoria reigned until her death in 1901. Leopold II of Belgium, died December 17 1909; Nicholas II of Russia was shot and killed on the night of July 16/17 1918; Wilhelmina of The Netherlands died on November 28 1962.

8. September 9, 1901, saw the death of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. He was famous for his posters of which Parisian nightspot?

Answer: Le Moulin Rouge

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec died at the early age of 36. He was best known for his depictions of characters in the Montmartre district of Paris. He became famous in 1891 with the publication of his poster "Moulin Rouge - La Goulue"

9. May 7 1901 saw the birth of which Hollywood legend?

Answer: Gary Cooper

Gary Cooper's first role in films was the part of Abe Lee, in the 1926 silent film "The Winning of Barbara Worth". One of Hollywood's greatest stars for more than thirty years, he is probably best remembered for his Oscar winning portrayal of Marshall Will Kane in the 1952 classic "High Noon".

10. On August 21, 1901, a sculpture by Auguste Rodin was unveiled at the Grand Palais in Paris. It caused outrage among art critics. Who or what was the subject of Rodin's work?

Answer: Victor Hugo

All four works are by Rodin. Victor Hugo, a renowned French novelist was portrayed semi-nude, apparently growing out of the rock like a pagan god. Rodin was also criticised in 1897 for his depiction of Balzac, critics declared it to be clumsy and unfinished.

Source: Author gerry01

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The first of what may be a series of quizzes. One for every two years of the last century. The questions and additional information are primarily but not exclusively based on the book "Chronicle of the 20th Century" by Derrick Mercer.

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