The Mind Before Death: II Trivia Quiz

Answer: Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar tried to unite the people of South America and was successful in doing so. He helped push the Spanish out of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia, and fought for the independence of many South American nations by deposing Spanish power in most of the region. Civil wars tore apart his life's achievements while he was suffering from tuberculosis (consumption).

He died in 1830, seeing the unity of the nations he had worked for dissolving before his eyes.

Answer: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis XVI were guillotined after a failed attempt to abandon Paris. They had been forced by the mob to live in the palace in Paris. They were prisoners in their own home. After their failed attempt to flee, they were treated cruelly for many months and finally guillotined.

Answer: Emperor Hirohito

Emperor Hirohito of Japan had gambled by attacking the U.S. at Pearl Harbor, bringing them into World War II. He kept his nation enthralled by speaking of their loyalty and and of sacrifice for their country. Hirohito remained emperor after the country surrendered, but lost all power and was widely thought of as a puppet ruler.

He was not very popular among other nations, but he had helped bring Japan into the modern world. Hirohito died in 1989 after numerous operations that tried to stay the threat of cancer.

Answer: Hannibal

Hannibal had been fled to the Eastern Mediterranean after his defeats at the hands of the Roman armies. Even after inflicting a devastating defeat on Carthage the Romans continued to hound Hannibal. When finally trapped in Bithynia in Asia Minor he committed suicide by drinking poison rather than surrendering.

Answer: Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst was a leading suffragette in England. She was arrested six times between 1908 and 1912. She was one of the leading female advocates for women's assistance for the war effort during World War I. She would have run for Parliament from her constituency for the Conservative Party, but died before the elections took place.

Answer: Archimedes

The Romans were taking the city of Syracuse, where Archimedes lived. A Roman soldier entered Archimedes' chambers and not knowing who he was, ordered him to leave. Archimedes refused, not wanting to leave the mathematical problem he was trying to solve.

It is said that the Roman soldier then killed him. This version of Archimedes' death, based on the writings of Plutarch, is widely accepted.

Answer: Ray Charles

Ray Charles, a music legend, died in 2004 after a year of living with liver cancer. His accomplishments, while many, were made all the more impressive by the fact that he was blind. Charles believed that he should not portray himself as a victim of his disability. The last line is a reference to his appearances in Pepsi commercials.

Answer: Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan had united the Mongols in a military campaign that spread across the continent of Asia. His massive empire was one that no-one in history could claim to possess. Even Alexander the Great's empire fell short in land area to that of Genghis Khan.

Although he is typically seen in a bad light in the West, Genghis Khan's achievements included Mongolian unity, a system of writing, and a belief in religious toleration. Khan died from internal injuries shortly after falling from his horse.

Answer: Mark Twain

Samuel Clemens, or Mark Twain as he was widely known, was the author of many great American novels. His family all died before him, which was hard on him and his writing. His writing turned somewhat sombre after the death of his wife. He died of heart failure in 1910.

Answer: James Cook

Captain James Cook, sometimes known as just Captain Cook, searched for the 'terra australis incognita', or 'unknown southern land'. This land is now known as Australia. Cook died on the islands of Hawaii, which were then known as the Sandwich Islands, after a small skirmish with the natives.

It is unsure why the natives were so hostile after they had been accomodating before a sea storm forced Cook to return back to the islands for repairs.