More Than Once Trivia Quiz

The Library of Alexandria was one of the most renowned centres of knowledge in the ancient world. It was destroyed twice. The first destruction occurred in 48 BC when Julius Caesar's forces accidentally set fire to part of the city during a siege. This fire spread and caused significant damage to the library, leading to the loss of many valuable texts.

The second destruction happened in 391 AD, when Roman Emperor Theodosius I ordered the destruction of pagan temples. One of the affected sites was the Serapeum, which housed the remaining collection of the library. This event marked the final loss of the surviving texts and the ultimate disappearance of the Library of Alexandria.

The first major eruption of Mount Vesuvius occurred in 79 AD, when the volcano buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae under layers of volcanic ash. Thousands of people died. The event was documented by Pliny the Younger, whose descriptions led to the term Plinian eruption, used to describe similar explosive volcanic events.

The second major eruption happened in 1631 AD, after centuries of dormancy. This eruption devastated several towns near Naples, causing thousands of deaths and marking the beginning of a period of frequent volcanic activity for Vesuvius. Unlike the 79 AD eruption, which preserved ancient cities as archaeological sites, the 1631 AD event showed its ongoing threat to nearby populations.

The first to become president without winning an election was John Tyler (10th President, 1841-1845). He became president after William Henry Harrison died just 32 days into his term. Although Tyler had been elected vice president, he never won a presidential election. His insistence that he had full presidential powers, rather than merely acting as an interim leader, set an important precedent for future successions.

The second to become president without winning an election was Millard Fillmore (13th President, 1850-1853). He took office after Zachary Taylor died unexpectedly. Like Tyler, he had been vice president, but never won a presidential election. His presidency was marked by attempts to ease sectional tensions, though his support for the Compromise of 1850 made him unpopular with both Northern and Southern factions.

Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated. On April 14th, 1856, he was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln was attending a play when Booth, a Confederate sympathiser, fired a single shot into the back of his head. The president was taken across the street to Petersen House, where he died the following morning. Booth fled but was tracked down and killed by Union soldiers days later.

The second assassination took place on July 2, 1881, when James A. Garfield was shot by Charles Guiteau at a Washington, D.C., train station. Guiteau was a mentally unstable man who had been denied a government position. He fired two shots at Garfield. The president survived the initial attack but suffered from infections caused by poor medical treatment. He lingered for over two months before dying. Guiteau was arrested immediately and later executed.

The Deutschland disaster in 1897 was the first one to occur. Friedrich Hermann Wölfert had been experimenting with gasoline-powered airships. The flammability of the fuel proved fatal when the craft caught fire mid-air, leading to its tragic crash.

The Pax explosion, the second disaster, happened in 1902. It was equally devastating. Augusto Severo, a Brazilian aviation pioneer, had designed the airship with hydrogen-filled compartments, which were highly volatile. As the Pax ascended over Paris, an unexpected combustion caused a catastrophic explosion, marking one of the earliest lessons in airship safety.

In 1814, the White House was set on fire for the first time. This happened during the War of 1812, when British forces invaded Washington, D.C. and set the building alight. This was done in retaliation for an American attack on York, Canada. First Lady, Dolley Madison, before she fled, famously saved a portrait of George Washington.

The second major fire happened in 1929, on Christmas Eve, during Herbert Hoover's presidency. An electrical fault sparked a blaze in the West Wing in an attic, which set fire to government pamphlets. The damage was significant, amounting to $60,000, and required 130 firefighters to extinguish it. However, it was quickly repaired, unlike the devastation of 1814.

The First Great Fire of London broke out on September 2nd, 1666, in a bakery on Pudding Lane. The city, built largely of wooden houses, was exceptionally dry after a hot summer, allowing the fire to spread rapidly. Strong winds carried the flames through narrow streets, consuming thousands of buildings, including St. Paul's Cathedral. The fire burned for four days, leaving much of London in ruins. In its aftermath, new building regulations were introduced, favouring brick and stone structures to prevent future disasters.

The Second Great Fire of London occurred on 29-30 December 1940, during World War II, when German bombers launched a devastating air raid. The attack targeted London's historic areas, causing widespread destruction. The fire was so intense that it was compared to the 1666 blaze, earning the name 'Second Great Fire'. Despite the devastation, St. Paul's Cathedral survived. The event led to advancements in firefighting techniques.

The first major invasion of Russia was Napoleon's campaign in 1812. Napoleon led the Grande Armée, a force of over 600,000 soldiers, into Russia, aiming to force Tsar Alexander I into submission. The Russians, however, employed a scorched-earth strategy, retreating while burning supplies and settlements to deny resources to the French. With winter approaching and supplies dwindling, Napoleon was forced into a disastrous retreat, losing most of his army to starvation, cold, and Russian counterattacks.

The second major invasion was Hitler's Operation Barbarossa in 1941, during World War II. Nazi Germany launched a massive offensive against the Soviet Union, deploying over 3 million troops. Hitler expected a swift victory, but the Soviet resistance, vast geography, and brutal winter conditions stalled the German advance. The siege of Leningrad, the battle for Moscow, and the eventual Soviet counteroffensive led to Germany's failure. The campaign resulted in catastrophic losses for the Germans and marked a turning point in the war, leading to the eventual Soviet push into Germany.

The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6th,1945. The bomb, nicknamed 'Little Boy', was a uranium-based weapon delivered by the Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber. The explosion devastated the city, instantly killing tens of thousands and causing widespread destruction. Many more suffered from radiation exposure, leading to long-term health effects.

The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki just three days later, on August 9th,1945. This bomb, called 'Fat Man', was a plutonium-based weapon and was carried by the Bockscar bomber. The blast was even more powerful than the first, but due to the city's geography, the destruction was somewhat contained. The attack led to Japan's surrender on August 15th,1945, ending World War II.

The first successful restoration phase of the Leaning Tower of Pisa began in 1990, when concerns about its increasing tilt led to its closure. Engineers used counterweights and soil extraction to gradually reduce the lean, ensuring the tower's structural integrity. When the project was completed, the tower was reopened to the public, with its tilt reduced by about 17 inches.

The second successful restoration phase of the Tower began in 2001 and focused on long-term maintenance. Some corrective measures were taken after Engineers continued monitoring the tower's movement, adjusting drainage systems, and reinforcing the foundation to prevent soil shifts and further tilting. By the late 2010s, studies confirmed that the tower had stabilised further, with its lean decreasing slightly due to ongoing adjustments. Both maintenance efforts were done to stabilise the tower.