One Christmas Day Trivia Quiz

Answer: Delaware

On this date, Washington and his troops crossed the frigid Delaware River, surprising and then defeating over 1,400 Hessian troops. Planned in secrecy this dangerous operation proved to be one of the most important of the war. One of the most famous depictions of this event is the large oil-on-canvas painting by German-American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze aptly named "Washington Crossing the Delaware" and displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Answer: True

While it may be hard for some of our members to realize that there was life before the Internet, the planet's first web server had its birthday on Christmas Day of 1990. It is impossible to accurately describe the effects of the Internet on world in a couple of sentences. Sufficent to say, the world had just embarked on one of the most important and life changing paths of world evolution.

Answer: Handel's "Messiah"

While all of these options are wonderful Christmas themed musical performances of various kinds, it was Handel's oratorio "Messiah" that made its American premiere in 1818. Despite the fact the this wonderful piece of musical art was written by German born composer George Frideric Handel in 1741 it took over 70 years before it was performed in America.

It is just one of the many examples of the European influence and its effects on American culture.

Answer: Charlie Chaplin

English comic actor Charlie Chaplin was known all over the world for his many roles in both the silent film and early talking film eras. Using slapstick, mime and other types of visual comedy helped bring smiles to film viewers across North America and Europe during times fraught with tribulation.

His was one of the most recognisable faces during World War I, the 1920s, the Great Depression and beyond.

Answer: William I

After killing Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William I, also known as William the Conqueror, was crowned king on Christmas Day. He was one of the most influential early kings of England and attempted to bring some sense of order to a land that had been broiling in anarchy for a long time.

He is known for his construction of new castles, changes in the composition of English clergy, and his creation of Norman nobility.

Answer: Deadliest hotel fire in history

The Taeyokale Hotel in Seoul, South Korea caught fire killing at least 163 people, which was, at that time, the deadliest hotel fire in history. This 22 story hotel was set ablaze by the explosion of a gas stove in a second floor coffee shop. Some of the many persons trapped in the upper floors chose to leap to their deaths rather than be consumed by the fire.

This tragedy helped lead the way to new laws governing fire safety in countries around the world.

Answer: Sir Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton is credited as being the first man to identify what gravity actually was. He was also a pioneering mathematician as well as a leading researcher in the field of optics. His many contributions to humanity in the fields of science and philosophy were many. He was so important that his birth could be considered Mothers Nature's Christmas present to mankind.

He was born on 25th December 1642 (under the Julian Calendar, which was in use in Britain at that time). His birthday converts to 4th January 1643 under the Gregorian calendar, which was adopted by Britain in October 1752.

Answer: All Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War

One of the last acts of Andrew Johnson during his term as President was to grant unconditional amnesty to all Confederates on Christmas Day. Earlier amnesties, requiring men to swear oaths of loyalty and which excluded certain classes of people had been issued by both Lincoln and Johnson.

This act granted unconditional pardon to all men who had fought for the Confederate States during the American Civil War.

Answer: Darwin

Cyclone Tracy was one of the most compact tropical storms in recorded Australian history when it hit Darwin on Christmas Eve of 1974. Throughout Christmas Day the storm wreaked havoc on Darwin, destroying over 70% of the city's buildings. The storm killed 71 people and left 41,000 of the 47,000 inhabitants homeless.

Answer: False

Both of these great men died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826 within five hours of each other. They were the last surviving members of the original American revolutionaries who helped found the new country that became the United States of America.