| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This explorer died in a battle with the Calusa people after he was shot by a poison arrow. This explorer, who served as the first governor of Puerto Rico, led two expeditions to Florida for the Spanish crown. For the point, name this explorer who mythically searched for the Fountain of Youth. | Juan Ponce de León |
| The 1649 Toleration Act in this colony extended freedom of worship to all trinitarian Christians. This colony was founded by Cecil Calvert as a safe haven in North America for Catholics. For the point, name this Mid-Atlantic colony, a modern-U.S. state centered around Chesapeake Bay. | Maryland |
| In one account, during this battle a leader of the Sicarii gave a speech ordering the burning of their supplies and suggesting men draw lots for a series of killings. This battle’s sole historical source is Josephus, who claimed that it ended with a mass death of Zealot fighters. For the point, name this battle where Roman soldiers besieged a Jewish mountaintop fortress. | Siege of Masada (or Metsada) |
| This advocate of the Freeport Doctrine won a Senate campaign after six open-air debates. This author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act split the Democratic party with John C. Breckinridge between the “northern Democrats” and “southern Democrats." For the point, name this “Little Giant” who debated Abraham Lincoln while running for the Illinois Senate. | Stephen A. Douglas (or Stephen Arnold Douglas) |
| This politician’s birthday is celebrated as “Children’s Day” in his home country. This politician irritated a powerful neighbor by building outposts in the “Forward Policy.” This politician, who delivered the “Tryst with Destiny” speech, said that “the light went out in our lives” after Mahatma Gandhi was killed in 1948. For the point, name this politician, the first prime minister of independent India. | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| The fall of this dynasty’s capital, Kaifeng, to Jin invaders separated its northern and southern periods. The last remnants of this dynasty were conquered along the Pearl River at the Battle of Yamen by forces under Kublai Khan. For the point, name this Chinese dynasty that fell to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty. | Song Dynasty |
| All water for this building’s grounds comes from streams in the Court of Lions. Light streaming against the door in this building's largest room blinded those visiting the Sultan in the Hall of the Ambassadors. With a name from distorted Arabic for “Red Castle,” this is, for the point, what Moorish palace in Granada? | Alhambra (or Al-Hamra) |
| This ruler embarked on a “Grand Embassy” during which he traveled incognito and learned shipbuilding in the Netherlands. This man defeated the revolt of the Streltsy and imposed a beard tax on nobles in his country. The victor at the 1708 Battle of the Neva, this is, for the point, what Russian tsar known as “the Great?” | Peter the Great (or Peter the First; or Peter Romanov; prompt on "Peter") |
| This temple’s five central towers represent Mount Meru, the home of the devatas. This temple is oddly oriented to the West, perhaps because it was built as a mausoleum for Khmer Emperor Suryavarman [[soor- yah-VAR-mahn]] the Second. For the point, name this enormous temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia. | Angkor Wat (or Temple Capital ) |
| This man contentiously claimed to be the last one to speak to Martin Luther King Jr. This man led the Poor People’s Campaign, in addition to running for president twice in 1984 and 1988. For the point, identify this Baptist minister who founded the Rainbow Coalition. | Jesse Jackson Sr. (or Jesse Louis Burns; do NOT accept "Jesse Jackson Jr.") |
| This island country elected the world's first female prime minister. Sinhala and Tamil are the two official languages of this country, which is symbolized by an eight-notched lion indicating the eightfold path of Buddhism. For the point, name this South Asian island country that was historically known as Ceylon. | Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (accept Ilankai; accept Ceylon before mentioned) |
| Ray Nagin was criticized in the wake of this event for claiming that its most affected city would be rebuilt as a “Chocolate City.” The president during this event fired a man nicknamed “Brownie” as the head of FEMA. For the point, name this 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans. | Hurricane Katrina |
| This man's "Lost Colony" was abandoned with only the word "CROATOAN" carved onto a fort. This man founded a colony on Roanoke Island that was the first English settlement in the United States. For the point, name this English explorer who lent his name to the capital of North Carolina. | Walter Raleigh |
| During the Mexican American War, this man led a group known as the “Mississippi Rifles.” After being captured in Georgia, this man was commonly depicted in cartoons fleeing in women’s clothing. Serving alongside Alexander Stephens, this is, for the point, what first and only president of the Confederacy? | Jefferson Davis |
| A “Commune” in this city was annihilated during the “Bloody Week.” One ruler, Henry the Fourth, declared this city was “worth a mass” when he converted to Catholicism. This city was entered by Prussian soldiers following the Battle of Sedan, after which Napoleon the Third was captured. For the point, name this major historical city, the capital of France. | Paris (accept Paris Commune; accept “Paris is well worth a Mass” or variants) |
| This country’s dissolution occurred during the “Peaceful Revolution.” Karl von Habsburg hosted a “Pan-European Picnic” that included this country’s leader, Erich Honecker. Formerly guarded by a “Protection Rampart,” this is, for the point, what communist country that was separated from its Western counterpart by the Berlin Wall? | East Germany (accept German Democratic Republic; or GDR; prompt on “Germany;” do not accept or prompt on "FRG," "Federal Republic of Germany," or "West Germany") |
| Henry Hyde chaired one prosecution of this man, who was the target of a sexual harassment suit from Paula Jones. Ken Starr elicited perjured testimony from this man regarding an affair he conducted with Monica Lewinsky. For the point, name this Democratic president who preceded George W. Bush. | Bill Clinton (or William Jefferson Clinton; or William Jefferson Blythe the Third) |
| These people took up arms against the peninsulares and the criollos in the Caste War. Forces from British Honduras waged war against these indigenous people of the Yucatan peninsula. For the point, name these ancient Mesoamerican people who established a large city at Chichen Itza. | Maya (or Mayans) |
| This person was elected House minority whip in 2002, and later replaced Dick Gephardt as minority leader. This person became Speaker of the House in 2007, becoming the first Californian to hold the post. For the point, name this first woman to be Speaker of the House, losing the role to Kevin McCarthy in 2023. | Nancy Pelosi (or Nancy Patricia Pelosi; or Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro) |
| This group’s role was preceded by the Underwater Demolition Team, who were also known as the Frogmen. One team from this group carried out Operation Neptune Spear at a housing compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. For the point, name this American military force, whose Team Six killed Osama Bin Laden. | Navy SEALs (or U.S. Navy Sea, Air, and Land Team; accept SEAL Team Six) |
| Howard Hughes was a prominent member of this industry, whose defunct companies include TWA and Pan Am. Companies in this industry were bailed out after the outbreak of Covid-19 hampered the demand for international travel. For the point, name these transportation companies that include United and Southwest. | Airline Industry (accept equivalents like Airplane companies; do NOT accept Airplane Manufacturers) |
| During World War Two, the United States established military bases on this island at Bluie West One and Bluie East Two. During the Cold War, the U.S. operated nuclear weapon-equipped bombers on this island from the Thule Air Base. For the point, name this constituent country of Denmark, a massive Arctic island. | Greenland (or Grønland; or Kalaallit Nunaat) |
| This European country signed a “Perpetual Peace” that was ratified by Zug and Appenzell. This country has been criticized for its secret banking policies, and it was the headquarters of the League of Nations. For the point, identify this Alpine country known for its longstanding policy of neutrality. | Switzerland (or Swiss Confederation; or Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft; or Confederation Suisse; or Confederazione Svizzera; or Confederaziun Svizra; accept Helvetic Republic before “Francis”) |
| Jim Leavelle accidentally shot a photographer while trying to show him how this man was killed. This former marine lived in the Soviet Union prior to the act for which he was arrested in November 1963. Jack Ruby killed, for the point, what man who assassinated John F. Kennedy? | Lee Harvey Oswald |
| In 1998, Scholastic paid a record amount for the U.S. rights to the first book in this series. After the seventh book in this series was published in 2007, Forbes named its creator the world's highest-paid author. For the point, name this series about the wizarding world by J.K. Rowling. | Harry Potter (accept any specific title such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) |
| In this country, a tsunami caused by the Monte Toc landslide destroyed several towns below the Vajont [[vah-YOHNT]] dam. This country contains the site of the Ustica [[OO-stee-kah]] plane crash, which may have been caused by a bombing during the “Years of Lead." For the point, identify this country where the Ponte Morandi collapsed in Genoa. | Republic of Italy (or Italia; or Italian Republic; or Reppublica Italiana) |
| The oldest of these things in Europe has been nicknamed Ötzi. When preparing these things, a priest of Anubis would open the mouth and remove the brain through the nose. For the point, name these things found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs that were kept in sarcophagi. | Mummy (or Mummified Bodies; or Mummified Corpses; accept Ice Mummies; prompt on “Corpses” or “Bodies”) |
| This commodity was a major factor in the Great Migration after its production was dramatically affected by the boll weevil. A machine that was invented to make this commodity less labor-intensive was invented by Eli Whitney. For the point, name this “King” crop of the U.S. South that relied heavily on slavery. | Cotton (accept King Cotton) |
| One explorer from this country was the first to visit four continents during a journey extending from Porto Seguro to Calicut. Another explorer from this country established a colony in Goa and rounded the Cape of Good Hope to find a sea route to India. For the point, name this country, the birthplace of Vasco da Gama. | Portugal (accept Portuguese Republic; or Republica Portuguesa) |
| Girolamo Benzoni may have originated a story about this man and a group of Spanish nobles who questioned his theories. Another legend about this man says that a queen pawned her jewelry to pay for a voyage he suggested. For the point, identify this explorer who discovered the New World in 1492. | Christopher Columbus (or Cristoforo Colombo; or Cristóbal Colón) |
| This organization demonstrated its national popularity at the Crystal Palace Rally, a predecessor to this organization’s Jamborees. This organization, which traces its roots to a camp hosted at Brownsea Island, was founded by British military officer Robert Baden-Powell. For the point, name this youth organization, whose American branch awards the Eagle Rank. | Scouts (accept Scouting; accept Boy Scouts; or Girl Scouts; accept Girl Guides) |