| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This explorer was the first to reach the modern-day U.S. mainland in 1513, and he 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 |
| This colony was subjected to the Plundering Time prior to the Battle of the Severn, the so-called last Battle of the English Civil War. 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 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 suicide of Zealot fighters. For the point, name this battle where Roman soldiers besieged a Jewish mountaintop fortress. | Siege of Masada (or Metsada) |
| Over 10,000 supporters of this government were killed during a period known as the "Bloody Week." Polish military commander Jarosław Dąbrowski was killed during this government, which was assisted by the National Guard and independent of the Third Republic. In power for over two months in 1871, this is, for the point, what government established in the capital of France? | Paris Commune (accept Commune de Paris) |
| This advocate of the Freeport Doctrine won a senate campaign after six open-air debates, and 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 figure who beat Abraham Lincoln for the Illinois Senate before losing to him in the presidential election of 1860. | Stephen A (rnold) Douglas |
| A Jurchen invasion of this dynasty led to the capture of Emperor Qinzong [[CHIN-ZONG]] and his family in the Jingkang incident. 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 the streams symbolizing the four rivers of paradise in the Court of Lions. Domed by a representation of the seven heavens, light streaming against the door in this building's largest room blinded those visiting the Sultan in the Hall of the Ambassadors. This building’s name comes from distorted Arabic for Red Castle. For the point, name this Moorish palace in Granada. | Alhambra (or Al-Hamra) |
| When he was younger, this ruler embarked on a “Grand Embassy” during which he traveled incognito to the cities of Western Europe and learned shipbuilding in the Netherlands. This man defeated the revolt of the Streltsy and imposed a beard tax on nobles in his country. This man defeated the forces of Charles XII [[TWELFTH]] at the Battle of Poltava and established a capital city on the River Neva. For the point, name this westernizing Russian tsar who won the Great Northern War. | Peter the Great (or Peter the First; or Peter Romanov; prompt on "Peter") |
| This temple includes a bas-relief that depicts Vishnu, to whom it was first dedicated, in the Churning of the Sea of Milk. Built without mortar, this temple’s five central towers represent Mount Meru [[MEH-roo]], home of the devatas. This temple is oddly oriented to the West, the “land of death,” 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 was one floor below when Martin Luther King was shot, and he contentiously claimed to be the last one to speak to King. This man criticized Walter Mondale’s pledge to pick a woman or minority as a V.P. as a "P.R. parade of personalities." 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.") |
| A minority group in this country was killed in a series of week-long events called “Black July.” This island country elected the world's first female prime minister, and Sinhala and Tamil are the two official languages of this country, whose flag’s central lion has eight notches 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 told a man nicknamed “Brownie” that he was doing a “heck of a job” before firing him as head of FEMA. For the point, name this 2005 hurricane that devastated New Orleans. | Hurricane Katrina |
| As the governor of Jersey, this man was implicated in the Main Plot against King James the First. This man's "Lost Colony" was abandoned with only the word "CROATOAN" carved onto a fort, and that colony on Roanoke Island 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 |
| While serving as secretary of war, this man oversaw the importation of camels to use as army pack animals in the American Southwest. 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 |
| This country’s dissolution occurred during the “Peaceful Revolution” which is often dubbed “the turning point.” Karl von Habsburg hosted a “Paneuropean Picnic” that included this country’s leader, Erich Honecker, as a guest, directly leading to this country’s open border policy. Formerly guarded by a “Protection Rampart,” for the point, name this Communist country separated from a NATO-affiliated Western counterpart. | East Germany (accept German Democratic Republic; or GDR; do not accept or prompt on "FRG," "Federal Republic of Germany," or "West Germany") |
| During a prosecution of this man, pornographer Larry Flynt offered a million-dollar bounty for scandalous information on his political enemies. Henry Hyde chaired one prosecution of this man, who was the target of a sexual harassment suit from Paula Jones, which led to Ken Starr eliciting perjured testimony regarding this man's affair with Monica Lewinsky. For the point, name this Democrat who preceded George W. Bush. | Bill Clinton (or William Jefferson Clinton; or William Jefferson Blythe III) |
| 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 |
| Taxation in the henequen industry contributed to the Caste War, in which these people took up arms against the peninsulares and the criollos. Forces from British Honduras, which later became Belize, participated in that war against these indigenous people of the Yucatan peninsula. For the point, name these ancient Mesoamerican people. | Maya (or Mayans) |
| Candidates for joining this group may “volunteer out” during training by ringing a bell three times. This group’s role was preceded by the Underwater Demolition Team, 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 elite 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. | airlines (accept equivalents like airplane companies; do NOT accept airplane manufacturers) |
| German weather spies off the coast of this island built the Holzauge base. 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 from the Thule Air Base on this island. For the point, name this constituent country of the Danish Monarchy, a massive Arctic island. | Greenland (or Grønland; or Kalaallit Nunaat) |
| This European country signed a “Perpetual Peace” that was ratified by cantons like Zug and Appenzell. This country has been criticized for its secret banking policies, and it is where the League of Nations established its headquarters. Napoleon created the “Helvetic Republic” out of, for the point, what 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”) |
| After this man’s murder, Jim Leavelle accidentally shot a photographer while trying to show how his death occurred. This former marine had lived in the Soviet Union prior to the act for which he was arrested in November 1963. For the point, name this man who was himself killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby several days after he assassinated John F. Kennedy. | Lee Harvey Oswald |
| The first book in this series was completed in 1995, and, after twelve publishers rejected the manuscript, Bloomsbury agreed to publish on the condition that the author take a gender-neutral pen name. 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) |
| 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) |
| In this country, a 1963 mega-tsunami was caused by the Monte Toc landslide and 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 bomb detonated as part of the “Years of Lead." The Costa Concordia sank in, for the point, what country where the Ponte Morandi collapsed in Genoa? | Republic of Italy (or Italia; or Italian Republic; or Reppublica Italiana) |
| The oldest example of these objects found in Europe has been nicknamed Ötzi and is an example of their “natural” kind. When preparing these objects, a priest of Anubis would perform the opening of the mouth ritual and remove the brain through the nose. For the point, name these objects found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs that were kept in sarcophagi. | Mummy (or mummified bodies/corpses; accept ice mummies; prompt on “corpses” or “bodies”) |
| John Greenleaf Whittier called this commodity the “Hashish of the West.” This commodity was a major factor in the Great Migration after its production was dramatically affected by the boll weevil, and Eli Whitney created a machine to make this commodity less labor-intensive. For the point, name this “king” crop of the U.S. South that heavily relied on slavery. | Cotton (accept King Cotton) |
| One explorer from this country was the first man in history to visit four continents, part of a journey extending from Porto Seguro to Calicut. That explorer from this country was Pedro Álvares Cabral, and this country’s other explorers 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 legendary story about this man in which a group of Spanish nobles questioned his theories. Another legend says that one queen pawned her jewelry to pay for a voyage suggested by this man. Born in Genoa in 1451, for the point, who was this explorer whose four trans-Atlantic voyages were sponsored by Ferdinand and Isabella? | 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) |