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Yet More Obscure History Trivia Quiz

What do we know? Let's find out ...

A multiple-choice quiz by blakey. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
blakey

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
238,899

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
3796

Last 3 plays: Guest 101 (3/10), Guest 171 (5/10), Johnmcmanners (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What country's military sank the General Sherman while it was in port in 1866? Hint

Korea

Great Britain

Japan

France

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Anne Newport Royall was one of the first female journalists in the United States and, according to legend, the first to interview a President, John Quincy Adams. How did she get the interview? Hint

Posed as an ambassador from the isle of Lesbos

Paid him for it

Sat on his clothes while he bathed in the Potomac river

Sneaked into the presidential carriage

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Of the eight soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre only two were convicted, what was their punishment? Hint

They were hanged

They were sent to a penal colony in Australia

They were dismissed from the British Army

Branding an M into their thumbs

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. A scandal rocked England in 1483 as a power struggle ensued between Richard III and Henry VII. What was the focal point of the scandal? Hint

Missing money from the Treasury

A secret alliance with France

Edward VI was murdered

The unexplained disappearance of two young princes

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. What North American Indian tribe was never defeated by US troops, lived in swamps and fiercely resisted relocation in the 1830s? Hint

Chickasaw

Crow

Creek

Seminoles

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Question 6 of 10

6. What tactic did Nelson use at the Battle of Trafalgar? Hint

T crossing

Submarine warfare

'Bump and run'

Rapid fire techniques

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. We have all heard of the term 'ship of the line'. What does it mean? Hint

A supply ship

An armed vessel

A parade ship

A privately owned armed vessel

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. What battle affected Caesar Augustus so much that he had nightmares the rest of his life and was heard banging his head against a wall and yelling "Varus, Varus, give me back my legions"? Hint

Battle of Cannae

Battle of Teutoburg Forest

Battle of Pannonia

Battle of Zama

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. This soldier received two citations for the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, the only person to be honored in this way. Who was it? Hint

George Armstrong Custer

Thomas W. Custer

Arthur MacArthur

Raphael Semmes

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Question 10 of 10

10. Napoleon needed money to start another war so he sold the Louisiana territory to the United States for 15 million dollars. Where did the Americans get the money? Hint

From ships seized during the Quasi war with France

From the national treasury

From Britain and from Dutch bankers

From Italian bankers

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Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What country's military sank the General Sherman while it was in port in 1866?

Answer: Korea

She became stranded after the Koreans told her and her crew to leave or perish. They used small burning boats to sink her. Any crew member who made it to shore was executed. The USS Pueblo is now moored at the site.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/sherman.htm
http://www.kimsoft.com/2000%5Csherman.htm

2. Anne Newport Royall was one of the first female journalists in the United States and, according to legend, the first to interview a President, John Quincy Adams. How did she get the interview?

Answer: Sat on his clothes while he bathed in the Potomac river

According to the legend she followed Adams one morning when he went on his daily swim in the Potomac. While he was naked in the water she sat on his clothes and demanded an interview. After briefly reading about her life I would not put it past her.
http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1973/4/1973_4_100.shtml

3. Of the eight soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre only two were convicted, what was their punishment?

Answer: Branding an M into their thumbs

The two privates convicted, Montgomery and Killroy, pleaded benefit of the clergy. This meant that all they had to do was to recite a certain psalm from the Bible. They would have their thumbs branded with an M for murder and were released. The M also meant they could not use this benefit again.
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/bostonmassacre/bostonchronology.html
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/b093.htm

4. A scandal rocked England in 1483 as a power struggle ensued between Richard III and Henry VII. What was the focal point of the scandal?

Answer: The unexplained disappearance of two young princes

Edward V became King upon the death of his father Edward IV and was only twelve years old. His brother, the ten-year-old Richard of York, was next in line should anything happen to Edward V. Richard III (their uncle) had the two sent to the Tower of London for their own safety. Later they both disappeared.

Henry VII accused Richard III of murdering them in an attempt to claim the crown for himself. No one is sure what happened to them except that they disappeared. There is even a theory out there that they were sent to be raised by Thomas More. Two did claim to be Richard of York after Richard III died and Henry VII assumed the throne. One was put to work in the royal kitchens and the other was executed. http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/the_princes/1.html

5. What North American Indian tribe was never defeated by US troops, lived in swamps and fiercely resisted relocation in the 1830s?

Answer: Seminoles

They were led by Osceola and helped runaway slaves by taking them into their tribe.
http://funandsun.com/1tocf/seminole/semhistory.html

6. What tactic did Nelson use at the Battle of Trafalgar?

Answer: T crossing

Prior to this ships would sail parallel with each other and blast away. Nelson figured if he could sail his ships right at them it would give them less to shoot at and as he sailed past them he would be closer to his targets and have a better shot at them. It worked.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/Content/Features/Nelson/asp/trafalgarmap.asp

7. We have all heard of the term 'ship of the line'. What does it mean?

Answer: An armed vessel

The term refers to the way ships moved in battle. They would sail in a circular line so that when the circles would be close enough they would blast away at each other. Supply ships normally stayed in the distance and became property of the victor.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ship-of-the-line

8. What battle affected Caesar Augustus so much that he had nightmares the rest of his life and was heard banging his head against a wall and yelling "Varus, Varus, give me back my legions"?

Answer: Battle of Teutoburg Forest

In 9 A.D. Rome lost three legions at this battle in Germany, the worst defeat since Crassus lost an army in 53 BCE. Augustus felt personally responsible.
http://www.livius.org/q/quinctilius/varus.html

9. This soldier received two citations for the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, the only person to be honored in this way. Who was it?

Answer: Thomas W. Custer

At Namozine Virginia Thomas Custer captured a Confederate flag on 10 May 1863. His second citation came in 1865 after he and his horse leaped over the Confederate lines at Saylors Creek. The horse was shot out from underneath him. He received a wound to the face but kept on fighting and took two more flags from the Confederates. He was killed with his brother, George, at Little Big Horn.
http://www.voicenet.com/~lpadilla/custer.html

10. Napoleon needed money to start another war so he sold the Louisiana territory to the United States for 15 million dollars. Where did the Americans get the money?

Answer: From Britain and from Dutch bankers

It would not have been so bad, except everyone was expecting him to start another war.
http://www.theotherside.co.uk/tm-heritage/background/napoleon.htm

Source: Author blakey

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