May 13th Throughout History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pantheon

The Pantheon was constructed between 118-128 CE under the leadership of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon to St. Mary and the Martyrs in 609 after the building was gifted to the papacy by Byzantine emperor Phocas. Of all the ancient Roman buildings, the Pantheon has been one of the best preserved because of its constant use in church services.

Answer: Johan van Oldenbarnevelt

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was one of the main supporters politically of William the Silent in the revolt against Spain and he also fought in the Dutch army. After the Dutch independence from Spain in 1581 religious and political conflicts were pervasive and Johan van Oldenbarnevelt had many enemies.

These enemies arrested him and his main supporters and then stacked the court with judges who shared their enmity. The court found Johan van Oldenbarnevelt guilty of treason and pronounced a death sentence on him.

Answer: Girolamo Savonarola

Savonarola was a very influential friar of the Dominican Order and he was outspoken about corruption in the church, exploiting the poor, and destroying secular works of art. After Savonarola was excommunicated he was tortured and forced to deny his prophecies and visions that he had. On May 23, 1498 Savonarolla and two other friars were hanged and burned to death at the main square in Florence.

Answer: Earthquake

Unfortunately the 1647 Santiago earthquake is just one of the many earthquakes that have hit Chile. In 1960 the first recorded earthquake in human history to reach a 9.5 magnitude battered the city of Valdivia in Chile.

Answer: They were convicts.

The 1787 voyage led by Arthur Phillip was intended to establish a penal colony in Australia and it has become known as the 'First Fleet'. The journey took around 250 days before landing in Botany Bay. Male convicts outnumbered female convicts nearly three to one. Shortly after landing Arthur Phillip was named Governor of New South Wales and he helped transform the area from a prison camp to a functioning settlement.

Answer: Finland

The title "Maamme" translates as "our land" and the lyrics to the song were written by Johan Ludvig Runeberg. Runeberg may be best known for "The Tales of Ensign Stål" which is an epic poem that is well-known throughout Scandinavia and from which many songs have been derived.

Answer: Battle of Palmito Ranch

Although the Union army outnumbered the Confederate army 500 to 300 the battle is typically credited as a Confederate victory under the leadership of Col. John Salmon Ford. John J. Williams who was killed during the battle on May 13, 1865 is considered to be the last solider killed in the American Civil War.

Answer: Winston Churchill

This famous speech was delivered to the British House of Commons just three days after Churchill had become Prime Minister. Throughout World War II Churchill provided many motivating speeches and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for "mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values".

Answer: Pope John Paul II

In addition to the attempted assassination of John Paul II, Mehmet Ali Aðca murdered a journalist named Abdi Ýpekçi in 1979. Aðca was released from prison in 2010 and in 2014 he visited the Vatican and paid his respects to the tomb of John Paul II.

Answer: Alison Hargreaves

In addition to this accomplishment, Hargreaves was also the first person to climb the six great north faces of the Alps alone in a single climbing season. In total six climbers died on August 13, 1995 from a storm that ravaged the mountain K2. One of the climbers that survived was Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund Hillary, because he had turned back before the summit after he felt the weather was going to get worse.