Ten Score Years Ago - 1816 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gioachino Rossini

The opera was based off Pierre Beaumarchais' comedy of the same name. The opening night was not a success. Most of the audience had been friends and supporters of Giovanni Paisiello, Rossini's bitter rival. Paisiello also had written an opera for "The Barber of Seville" and had friends protest this one. However, Rossini's quickly became very popular and is today a classic.

Answer: Maria the Mad

Queen Maria had been queen of Portugal since 1777 until her death. She was called Maria the Mad because of her religious mania and her severe depression. By the time the Napoleonic Wars came about, she was too mentally ill to rule effectively. She and her family fled to Brazil, which later became a kingdom, because of Napoleon's victories.

She died there in 1816, having never returned back to Portugal after Napoleon's defeat.

Answer: Naples

The Kingdoms of Sicily and Naples had historically been referred to as the two Sicilies before their unification in 1816. The unification came about when Ferdinand I defeated Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars and Ferdinand believed that joining his two kingdoms together would deter further French invasions.

Answer: Argentina

Argentina declared its independence from Spain at the Congress of Tucuman. Technically, the declaration created the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, which also included parts of Uruguay and Bolivia. But July 9, 1816 is traditionally the independence day celebrated in Argentina.

Answer: Banjul, Gambia

Banjul was founded under the guise of a trading post (which it did serve as quite well) but also as a strategic city to block the slave trade. By this time in history, Britain was very anti-slave and sought to end it worldwide. Banjul is located in western Africa near Senegal, which was a hot spot for buying and taking slaves.
Banjul was named Bathurst after Henry, Third Earl of Bathurst. That name stuck until 1973 when it was changed to Banjul, which means rope fiber, after the fibers collected in the region.

Answer: Typewriter

The company E. Remington & Sons first came to prominence for its Remington rifle barrel and soon expanded to other types of firearms. Many of its weapons were used during the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. By the late 1860s, the company developed the type-writer (as it was then spelled) that had a QWERTY layout and a shift key to switch between cases.

Answer: Frankenstein

Lord Byron would rent the Villa Diodati every year while the Shelleys rented a home nearby. During a bad storm, Lord Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley and several other guests told ghost stories. This is when Mary Shelley developed the idea for "Frankenstein". Today, "Frankenstein" is considered a classic in Gothic literature and one of the most read stories.

Answer: Rufus King

Monroe defeated King 69%-31% and an electoral vote of 183-34. Monroe was helped by the popularity of his friend and outgoing president James Madison, who gained credit for the end of the War of 1812. Meanwhile, King and the other Federalists were unpopular because of they opposed the war and supported New England succession.

Answer: Indiana

When Indiana became a state, it was considered a western state at the time. Its admission caused some controversy as it occurred during a presidential election (which at the time ran from November to December.) Indiana's electoral votes were challenged on the grounds that voting began before Indiana became a state, though Indiana's three electoral votes were eventually counted.

Answer: Charlotte

Charlotte was the oldest of the Bronte Sisters. She used the pen name Currer Bell when she wrote "Jane Eyre". Her younger sisters, Emily and Anne, were also famous writers in their own right. Her lesser known brother Branwell was renowned poet but suffered from alcohol abuse problems.