Heads of State Trivia Quiz

Answer: Queen Nefertiti

Neferneferuaten Nefertiti lived from circa 1370 BC until circa 1330 BC. Her husband ruled Egypt from 1351 to 1334 BC, and it is surmised by some that Nefertiti held the throne afterwards until Tutankhamun took the throne in 1332 BC.

The bust shown in the photo is believed to have been made in 1345 BC by the sculptor Thutmose. It is crafted of limestone and is part of the Egyptian Collection at the Neues Museum in Berlin.

Answer: Alexander III of Macedon (the Great)

Alexander the Great ascended to the throne of Macedonia in 336 BC. He soon began a campaign of conquest that would see him unite the Greek city-states before marching around the Mediterranean to 'liberate' Egypt. He followed that up by conquering the Persian Empire and going all the way to India before calling it quits.

The bust was crafted by Carlo Albacini, who lived in the 18th century and not only sculpted, but also restored many Ancient Roman sculptures. It is housed at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.

Answer: Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC into the ruling class (Patricians). As a general he had many successful campaigns, expanding the borders of Rome north to England, and as far as the Rhine in central Europe. When he was ordered to step down from military leadership and return to Rome, he refused. Thus began a civil war, which he eventually won, seizing control of the government in 49 BC. Five years later, he was assassinated.

The bust is an anonymous work, part of the Italian Workshop at the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Answer: Temujin

Temujin was born circa 1162, and came to power by uniting the nomadic tribes of the region now known as Mongolia. Once his empire was established, he was proclaimed as 'Great Khan' (emperor) and went on an aggressive campaign of expansion, often wiping out whole populations in the process. More commonly known as Genghis Khan, his empire continued to be expanded after his death in 1227 by his third son Ögedei Khan.

The bust shown here was photographed in the presidential palace in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.

Answer: King Henry VIII

Henry VIII was the second monarch of the Tudor dynasty, gaining the throne at the age of 17 with his father's death in 1509. His father, Henry VII, had taken the throne from Richard III in the War of the Roses.

Henry VIII's reign lasted nearly 38 years, and during that time he was very concerned with having a son as heir, believing that a woman would not be adequately able to secure the Tudor throne. That is believed to be the primary reason behind his multiple marriages, as he attempted to sire a male heir. It also led to the break with the papacy and the Catholic Church, which would not allow for divorces.

I could not track the name of the artist of this bust - only the photographer, as listed in the photo attributions, but it is located in the Oak Gallery of an English country house called The Vyne, in the county of Hampshire.

Answer: George Washington

George Washington spent (nearly) eight years as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War against the British. At the end of the hostilities, Washington stepped down, ostensibly retiring from public life. As the process of creating a new country progressed, though, he could not help but become involved, as the delegate from Virginia. When time came to choose the first President of the United States of America, Washington was the unanimous choice of the Electoral College.

This painted plaster bust was sculpted ca. 1786 by French artist Jean-Antoine Houdon. It is on display at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Answer: Napoleon I

Napoleon Bonaparte came to power after the French Revolution and pulled off his coup in 1799, whereupon he named himself First Consul. In 1804, he became Emperor of France, expanding his empire over most of mainland Europe until 1812 when he tried to invade Russia. From that point things didn't go as well for Napoleon. He suffered a major setback and was forced to abdicate in 1813 and go into exile, but in 1815 he returned to his throne, albeit briefly. He was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June of that year. Napoleon spent his last years in British captivity on the island of Saint Helena.

The bust is an anonymous work on display at the Salzburg Museum.

Answer: Sir Winston Churchill

Prior to his political career, Sir Winston Churchill served as an officer in the British Army, seeing action in the Boer War and World War I. He served as prime minister during World War II, and then again from 1951 to 1955, at which point he retired. It was during his second term that he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Churchill's primary source of income for much of his life was through his writing (books and newspaper articles).

The bust in the photo was crafted by Dutch sculptor Willem Verboon in 1954. It is located in Rotterdam's Town Hall.

Answer: Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin managed to take a country still recovering from the Revolution of 1917 and solidify the Communist government established by Lenin. He led the Soviet Union for 30 years as the General secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, right up until his death in 1953.

I could not determine who the sculptor of this bust was, but I can tell you that it is located in the town of Atkarsk in Saratov Oblast.

Answer: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was actually born into a Thembu royal family, a Xhosan tribal nation. After studying law at university, he became an anti-apartheid activist, which eventually led to his imprisonment. Four years after his 1990 release from prison, Mandela became President of South Africa, the first black man to do so.

The bust shown here is located on London's South Bank, where it was erected in 1985. The sculptor was British artist Ian Walters, who also did another (full-bodied) sculpture of Mandela that stands in Parliament Square.