The Most Important 'P' People Trivia Quiz

Answer: Blaise Pascal

Though passing away at the rather young age of 39, this French mathematician and physicist managed to make a number of important contributions to human knowledge. Most importantly, he developed his mechanical calculator, albeit one that did not prove long-lasting. Nevertheless, it inspired future developers of such instruments. Pascal also developed theory in connection with probability, and laid the groundwork for Newton and Leibniz's creation of calculus. Pascal was one of the first scientists to experiment with vacuums and the concept of pressure, which helped him ultimately to invent the syringe and the hydraulic press.

The SI unit of pressure is named in Pascal's honor. Later in life he turned to philosophical theology, writing his famed 'Pensées'...a fascinating read!

Answer: Attended courses on physics at the Sorbonne

Peter understood that, compared to the industrializing countries of western Europe, his Russia was a relative backwater. Hence, in 1697-98, with a retinue of 250 people, he made his way through the countries of Europe, all the while developing ideas about modernity.

He took much of what he learnt on his trip and applied it to a modernization program in Russia. Though his reign could be brutal at times, and included expansion and war as part of its policy of growth, he managed in a rather short time to help Russia make significant advances in developing economically, militarily and politically.

Answer: Quantum mechanics

In 1900, Planck theorized that the energy of light waves were emitted in small clumps called 'quanta', overthrowing the well-entrenched wave theory. So few scientists at the time believed Planck that he was considered a charlatan, but soon new research by scientists like Bohr and Einstein helped verify the correctness of Planck's ideas. His breakthrough was a true Kuhnian moment in the history of science.

Answer: Geographical Outline

Ptolemy's masterwork of astronomy was called the 'Almagest', a guide to understanding the known universe. The 'Almagest' erroneously placed the earth at the center of the universe, a theory that held widespread popularity for the next 1500 years. Ptolemy's 'Geographical Outline' preserves for the modern age a summary of the combined knowledge of the Greeks and Romans in the realm of geography. The maps within this work are fascinating to behold, particularly the one containing the British isles!

Answer: Niccolò and Maffeo

Niccolò and Maffeo arrived in China in 1266, and returned to Venice three years later. On their second trip to China they were accompanied by Niccolò's son Marco. They reached what is now Beijing in 1275, and Marco remained in China under the service of the current ruler Kublai Khan for nearly 20 years.

After returning to Venice he soon found himself in prison, where he dictated his unbelievable adventures to Rustichiello of Pisa, and later became published in a book called 'Il Milione'. Marco's fascinating tales were so shocking that many dismissed them as fanciful delusions.

However, others were greatly influenced by Marco's stories, which collectively comprised the best source of knowledge about east Asia during the Renaissance period and indeed all the way until the 19th century.

Answer: Turkey

Paul was born Saul of Tarsus, and was of Jewish birth. During his younger years he strongly resisted the Christian movement, even going so far as to participate in persecutions. Later, Paul apparently had a vision on his way to Damascus, and spent the rest of his life doing missionary work and writing portions of what would become the New Testament. Thanks to his devoted efforts, Christianity spread wildly during the early Roman imperial period.

Answer: Aristocles

Plato was apparently called by that nickname because he had a 'wrestler's body', but his real name was similar to his pupil's (Aristocles/Aristotle). Plato's greatest works of philosophy include: 'The Republic', 'Symposium', 'Timaeus and Critias' and others. Much of his ideas are said to have been derived from his mentor, Socrates.

Answer: Incan Empire

With a force of only 180 men, Pizarro entered the capital city of the Incan Empire, confronting the Emperor Atahualpa. After having been presented with gifts, Pizarro devised a plan, using the superior fighting ability of his horse-mounted cavalry and the surprise of firearms, to kidnap the emperor.

He managed to do just this while killing several thousand Incan warriors. These actions destabilized the empire to such a degree that the entire population of 6 million was placed under Spanish submission within 40 years. For this unbelievable feat, Pizarro, who was later killed by his own men, deserves a place in this quiz. (I must add that, in a normative sense, Pizarro's actions were simply horrid!)

Answer: Croton

Pythagoras had a profound influence on the early history of mathematics, and particularly geometry; so much so that the famous 'Pythagorean Theorum' is still named for him. The school of thought that Pythagoras founded also changed men's outlooks in the areas of philosophy, physics and astronomy.

For example, Pythagoras was one of the first scientists to predict that the solar system is heliocentric and that the Earth is globe-shaped. Pythagoras' pupils, including Philolaus and Alcmaeon, also had profound influences on future scholarship.

Their names are cited in the works of Plato and Aristotle, among others.

Answer: Developed techniques for antiseptic surgery

Pasteur also significantly pressed for the acceptance of the germ theory of disease, and dealt the final blow(s) to the concept of spontaneous generation. His vaccines for rabies and anthrax helped saved the lives of millions of people (and cows!) The pasteurization process has made many foods much safer for human consumption, and has helped make Pasteur's name immortal. I hope you have agreed with most of my 'P' selections, and will forgive me for the omission of individuals such as Paracelsus, St. Peter, Picasso, Philip of Macedon, Pavlov and any others I might have missed. If you enjoyed this quiz, please feel free to try the others in this series...and thank you for playing.