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Quiz about Most Interesting History
Quiz about Most Interesting History

Most Interesting History ... Trivia Quiz


So you thought you knew history? Here are some things your teacher never told you.

A multiple-choice quiz by leanne5. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
leanne5
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
260,039
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Difficult
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
9040
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 49 (5/10), Guest 139 (6/10), AndySed (5/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The 'Sleeping Beauty' is a popular fairy tale about a girl who fell asleep and was woken with a kiss. What is the original story actually about? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Thomas Edison had a bitter feud with George Westinghouse, over the AC/DC current, but what was the mechanical device they were arguing about? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What was the most potent ingredient in Coca-Cola in 1886? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization by chance. It transformed rubber, and consequently we have Goodyear tyres. How much money did Charles Goodyear make from this invention? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which country was the first to use a falling axe or guillotine to carry out executions? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Many painters over the last two millennia have painted the 'Last Supper', but every one of these painters has made a mistake regarding the painting. Do you know what it is? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. During the 1700s, what was used to clean the teeth? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In 1983, thieves broke into a church in Viterbo in Italy and stole a 'holy' relic, what was it? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Alfred Nobel lent his name to the Nobel peace prize, and he also had other awards created in the scientific field. He also had 305 patents, but what were his very first inventions? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Christopher Columbus is famous for his travelling, but what else was he? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Today : Guest 49: 5/10
Mar 23 2024 : Guest 139: 6/10
Mar 22 2024 : AndySed: 5/10
Mar 19 2024 : Guest 176: 4/10
Mar 19 2024 : Rogerh2: 6/10
Mar 17 2024 : Guest 1: 9/10
Mar 06 2024 : Guest 5: 5/10
Mar 05 2024 : Guest 49: 3/10
Mar 05 2024 : gert85: 0/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The 'Sleeping Beauty' is a popular fairy tale about a girl who fell asleep and was woken with a kiss. What is the original story actually about?

Answer: A girl who was raped by a passing stranger, who then left

'Sleeping Beauty' was first written in 1636, in Italy. When she awoke 9 months later, she found that she had twins.
2. Thomas Edison had a bitter feud with George Westinghouse, over the AC/DC current, but what was the mechanical device they were arguing about?

Answer: The electric chair

Edison used DC, which is low powered, while George Westinghouse used AC, which is high powered. By 1889 AC was the more popular current, and Thomas Edison pushed for New York to use the other company's current in the hope they would find it too dangerous to use, thereby knocking out his competition. However, his plan didn't work.
3. What was the most potent ingredient in Coca-Cola in 1886?

Answer: Cocaine

Cocaine was legal back then. It was a widely available over-the-counter medicine. In fact in 1908 you could have had cocaine, heroin and opium in your medicine without even needing a prescription!
4. Charles Goodyear discovered vulcanization by chance. It transformed rubber, and consequently we have Goodyear tyres. How much money did Charles Goodyear make from this invention?

Answer: Nothing, he died in debt to the tune of $200,000

By the time he discovered vulcanization, he was already deeply in debt, so he could not promote it anyway. His two-year-old son died around this time, and he had to borrow money to have him buried. Frank A. Sieberling founded a rubber company in 1898 and named it after Goodyear. No money exchanged hands and no royalites were ever paid to the Goodyear family.
5. Which country was the first to use a falling axe or guillotine to carry out executions?

Answer: Scotland

Though the guillotine is associated with France, the Scots had what was nicknamed the 'Scottish Maiden', which was basically a guillotine and used it in the 1500s. However, in 1792 the guillotine became the sole method of execution in France and and is closely associated with the Reign of Terror.

The Halifax Gibbet, used in England, may have been used earlier, however, official records were not kept until years later.
6. Many painters over the last two millennia have painted the 'Last Supper', but every one of these painters has made a mistake regarding the painting. Do you know what it is?

Answer: The disciples ate the last supper lying down

The Last Supper was, in fact, a Seder, celebrating Passover - the escape of the Jews from Egypt. A feature of the Seder is that everyone at the table eat in the reclining position in order to show their ease as free men.
According to the New Testament in John (13: 23-25) the future Saint John is 'lying close to Jesus's breast'.

Many artists have got around this point by depicting John as dozing. According to the Bible at that moment John, referring to the betrayal, asks the question "Lord, who is it?" That is difficult to ask if one is asleep.
7. During the 1700s, what was used to clean the teeth?

Answer: Urine

Portuguese urine was regarded as the best, because it was considered the strongest. There is a 900-page document written by Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761) on the subject of dentistry, where he informs the reader that the urine has to stay in the mouth for some considerable amount of time and needs to be used for a number of days.
8. In 1983, thieves broke into a church in Viterbo in Italy and stole a 'holy' relic, what was it?

Answer: Jesus's foreskin

This is the most recent account of the 'holy' relic. In all there were twelve foreskins on display at different churches. As time went on the churches stopped putting them on display, but after the Vatican frowned upon these 'relics' the church in Viterbo had exposed the foreskin during the Feast of the Circumcision.

The police never solved the case.
9. Alfred Nobel lent his name to the Nobel peace prize, and he also had other awards created in the scientific field. He also had 305 patents, but what were his very first inventions?

Answer: Dynamite, blasting caps and smokeless gelatin

He was known as the merchant of death, for he created high powered explosives, his brother had died, but the obituary was in his name and he was horrified at the thought of being 'remembered' for the explosives, so he decided to create the prizes in the scientific field to go down in history as a 'good guy'.
10. Christopher Columbus is famous for his travelling, but what else was he?

Answer: The first slave trader in the New World

He returned from his first voyage with 10 Indians, and when he found out that he could actually make money from selling people, he routinely kidnapped and then sold Indians on his travels.
Source: Author leanne5

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