History quiz from David Madden '03

How well would you do in David Madden ’03’s History Bee? Read these questions from past competitions and send your answers to paw@princeton.edu for a chance to win a Princeton T-shirt.

Entries are due before 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 12, 2012, and in the event of a tie, one winner will be selected in a random draw. The answers and the winner’s name will be posted Feb. 13.

UPDATE, Feb. 13, 2012: Roberta Harold ’73 won our prize in a random draw after answering all five questions correctly. Thanks to all of the alumni who participated, and congratulations to Roberta and the eight other entrants who posted perfect scores: Bennet Harvey ’56, Julian Hook *83, Hilton Jervey ’61, Don Kleist ’65, Mei Kobayashi ’81, Brian McGill *79, Laura Munzer ’79, and Ken Utting ’81.

Answers to the quiz are now available below the questions.

1. This war, which included the battles of Tuyuti and Cerra Cora, resulted in the deaths of the majority of the male population in the country that lost it. Francisco Solanos Lopez’s aggressively expansionist policies helped contribute to its outbreak. By 1869, Asuncion had fallen, and Lopez’s death the following year effectively ended this war that was marked by awful mortality rates among the four warring nations. Name this war, which was fought from 1864-1870, a major loss for Paraguay to the combined forces of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.

2. He was accused of more than 5,000 violations of the Volstead Act and he was sent to prison after an extensive investigation by Eliot Ness and the “Untouchables.” He died peacefully at his home in Palm Island, Florida, in 1947, though he had suffered from syphilis. Having previously been incarcerated at Alcatraz prison for tax evasion hadn’t helped his health either. Name this Prohibition-era Chicago gangster.

3. This ruler had the Akh-Menu constructed at Karnak. He ordered the construction of what are now known as Cleopatra’s Needles. In the 33rd year of his reign, he crossed the Euphrates to attack the Mitanni. He defeated an alliance led by the King of Kadesh at Meggido. This man succeeded his regent Hatshepsut. Name this Pharoh of the 18th dynasty who brought Egypt to its military peak.

4. Early in this conflict, the rebels planned on massacring Major Henry Gladwin by bringing concealed weapons to a dance. It officially began following a meeting on the Ecorse River where a prophet named Neolin was in attendance, and many of its participants were upset that General Amherst had stopped the policy of gift-giving. During this event, rebels successfully captured Fort Michilimackinac on the premise of retrieving a lost lacrosse ball, and battles in it included Bloody Run. In response to this event, the Conestoga Massacre was carried out by the Paxton Boys in Pennsylvania. Earlier, the rebels unsuccessfully laid siege to Detroit. Name this 1763 rebellion led by a namesake member of the Ottawa tribe. 

5. This nation was led from 1934-35 by the dictatorial Zveno Group, and it faced the Radomir Rebellion in 1918. Aleksandur Stamboliyski initiated agrarian reforms in this nation in the early 1920s. This nation suffered the worst per-capita number of troops killed in World War I, and it was forced to sign the punitive Treaty of Neuilly at the end of that war. A national of this country was acquitted of setting the Reichstag fire and that man, Georgi Dimitrov, became prime minister of this country at the end of World War II. A member of the Axis in World War II, this nation’s King Boris III refused to deport Jews. Sofia became the capital of this country in 1879 after this nation gained its independence in the Treaty of San Stefano. Name the country.

Answers:

1. War of the Triple Alliance [or Paraguayan War]

2. Al Capone

3. Thutmose III [or Tuthmosis III]

4. Pontiac’s Rebellion [or Pontiac’s Conspiracy]

5. Bulgaria