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Quiz about If I Had Been Born 200 years ago
Quiz about If I Had Been Born 200 years ago

If I Had Been Born 200 years ago... Quiz


This quiz asks a very simple question: if you were born 200 (or so) years ago, what kind of famous person might you have turned out to be? See how many you can recognise.

A multiple-choice quiz by timence. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
timence
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
361,211
Updated
Jul 23 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
860
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a German composer who wrote "Ride of the Valkyries". Who would this be? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a Scottish explorer, the first European to see what is now called Victoria Falls. Who is that? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. If I had been born 200 years ago, I could NOT have been Charles Dickens, as he was born in the 1850s.


Question 4 of 10
4. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been which English poet, who wrote a famous version of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. If I had been born about 200 years ago, I might have been one of the three famous Brontë sisters (Anne, Emily or Charlotte), because they were all born between 1816 and 1820.


Question 6 of 10
6. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a famous Belgian that invented the Saxophone, with the last name Sax. What would my first name be? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. If I had been born about 200 years ago, I might have been the famous Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström. What scientific measure now bears his name? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been Henri Nestlé. Which product did he first develop that launched the now international company bearing his name? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been Grace Darling, an English heroine who is famous for what kind of rescue? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have decided that the Mexican-American war required me to invent a new pistol with revolving cartridge. Who would I be? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a German composer who wrote "Ride of the Valkyries". Who would this be?

Answer: Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany, in May 1813. He showed great talent from a young age, writing plays as a child. He composed his first of many operas at age 20. Wagner is almost as famous for his personal life as he is for his music, which was plagued by a range of love affairs, escape from creditors and poverty.
2. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a Scottish explorer, the first European to see what is now called Victoria Falls. Who is that?

Answer: David Livingstone

David Livingstone was born in March 1813, in Blantyre, Scotland. He was not only an explorer who mapped out much of Southern and Central Africa, but was also a missionary who believed in ending slavery. He spent much of his life in Africa, including his last seven years during which he searched for the source of the Nile.

It was during this last expedition in the late 1860s that Livingstone was tracked down by journalist Henry Stanley, who famously greeted him with the words "Doctor Livingstone, I presume?".
3. If I had been born 200 years ago, I could NOT have been Charles Dickens, as he was born in the 1850s.

Answer: False

Dickens was born in February 1812. His often dark subject matter was no doubt partly drawn from his early life of poverty: when he was just 12 years old, Dickens' father was imprisoned for failing to pay his debts. Charles was sent to work in a factory soon after to support his family.

His freelance writing soon turned into a writing career, and by his death in 1870 he was a very wealthy man. Interestingly, he earned substantially more money from his two US reading tours than from sales of his novels.
4. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been which English poet, who wrote a famous version of "The Pied Piper of Hamelin"?

Answer: Robert Browning

Robert Browning was born in Camberwell (now in South London) in May 1812. He reputedly wrote a book of poetry at the age of 14, but failing to find a publisher, later destroyed it. Browning was provided with an extensive home education, becoming fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Latin and studying the Romantic poets extensively (with his own work being heavily influenced by Shelley).
5. If I had been born about 200 years ago, I might have been one of the three famous Brontë sisters (Anne, Emily or Charlotte), because they were all born between 1816 and 1820.

Answer: True

The three famous Brontë sisters had two elder sisters who did not survive childhood (Maria, born 1814, died at age 11 and Elizabeth, born 1815, died at age 10). Charlotte (born in 1816) was the eldest of the three sisters who survived into adulthood and went on to become famous authors. Emily (born 1818) was born next, followed by Anne (1820).

They also had a brother, Branwell, who was a painter and author, who primarily wrote poetry.
6. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been a famous Belgian that invented the Saxophone, with the last name Sax. What would my first name be?

Answer: Adolphe

Adolphe Sax was born in November 1814 in Dinant, Belgium. While he is best known for his invention of the saxophone, he was also an accomplished musician in his own right, playing the clarinet. His inspiration for instrument design came from growing up with a father who made traditional instruments as an occupation. Adolphe not only invented the saxophone, but also made significant contributions to the design of the modern flute, clarinet and the saxhorn, which would eventually become the euphonium.
7. If I had been born about 200 years ago, I might have been the famous Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström. What scientific measure now bears his name?

Answer: A very small unit of length

Anders Jonas Ångström was born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1816. The measurement bearing his name is equivalent to 0.0000000001 metres and is most commonly used to measure wavelengths of visible light (with 7700 angstroms, for example, being the wavelength of red light).
8. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been Henri Nestlé. Which product did he first develop that launched the now international company bearing his name?

Answer: Infant formula

Born in August 1814 in Frankfurt, Germany, he was born Heinrich Nestlé before changing his name when moving to French-speaking Switzerland. He first started marketing the infant formula known as "farine lactee" (basically a dry mix of milk, sugar, wheat flour and a mix of chemicals) in 1867.

The infant formula has been controversial in recent years, with criticisms being levelled at the company for marketing the product in third world countries without clean water supplies. The vast majority of Nestlé's other products were actually launched after Henri's death in 1873.
9. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have been Grace Darling, an English heroine who is famous for what kind of rescue?

Answer: Shipwreck

Grace Darling, born in 1815, was the daughter of a lighthouse keeper at Longstone, Farne Islands, England. At the age of 23 she spotted the wreck of the Forfarshire and alerted her father. They embarked on a heroic rescue that required them to travel almost a mile in turbulent seas, and then to take refuge for three days in the lighthouse while the seas calmed.
10. If I had been born 200 years ago, I might have decided that the Mexican-American war required me to invent a new pistol with revolving cartridge. Who would I be?

Answer: Samuel Colt

Colt was born in Connecticut, USA, in July 1814. His early designs were not successful due to the difficult economic climate at the time, but the US war with Mexico, followed by the US Civil War, led to a huge spike in demand. On his death in 1862, Colt was reputed to be one of the wealthiest men in America.
Source: Author timence

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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