| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Israel Putnam may have given the order "Don't Shoot until you see the whites of their eyes" at this battle to save ammunition. This battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill and is often considered a Pyrrhic victory for the British. William Howe and Thomas Gage's forces won, for the point, what 1775 Revolutionary War battle fought outside Boston? | Battle of Bunker Hill (accept Battle of Breed's Hill before mention) |
| This civilization won the Battles of Plataea and Salamis over the invading Persian Empire. This civilization did not grow around a river valley, but rather among independent city-states such as Corinth and Sparta. For the point, name this ancient civilization that developed philosophy under thinkers like Aristotle. | Ancient Greece (or Greek) |
| This nation established its independence from Belgium under democratically elected prime minister Patrice Lumumba. Like its neighbor to the west, this nation named itself after the longest river in Central Africa. Zaire was a former name of, for the point, what large central African nation centered at Kinshasa? | Democratic Republic of Congo (accept DRC; accept Congo-Kinshasa or Zaire before mentioned, prompt on “Congo” alone) |
| This ruler employed American naval officer John Paul Jones, who guaranteed he would capture Istanbul. This ruler's minister and lover, Grigory Potemkin, supposedly created fake villages to trick this monarch into thinking her serfs were living well. For the point, name this 18th century "Enlightened" Empress of Russia. | Catherine the Great (or Catherine II [[the Second]]; or Katerina II)) |
| This city was long run by mayors from the Daley political family, and was the site of an election day rally in its Grant Park in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president. For the point, name this Midwestern city where Michael Jordan led the Bulls to 6 NBA titles in the 1990’s. | Chicago |
| When an employee of this company died, a young Buffalo Bill Cody undertook a 300- mile journey through Utah. This short-lived service was made obsolete by the development of the transcontinental telegraph in 1861. For the point, name this mail service in the American west conducted by a system of couriers on horseback. | Pony Express (accept Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company) |
| This river is where the Cutty Sark clipper ship, which was used to bring tea back from India, was permanently docked near Greenwich. Claude Monet [[moh-NEH]] depicted both the Westminster Bridge and Houses of Parliament in a painting of, for the point, what river that flows through London? | River Thames [[TEMZ]] (accept The Thames Below Westminster) |
| On “the Eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five,” this character travels “to every Middlesex village and farm.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote those lines about this silversmith and patriot. For the point, what American Revolutionary War hero made a midnight ride to warn that the British were coming? | Paul Revere |
| This Greek god was born from Zeus’s thigh after his human mother Semele was killed while pregnant. This god names a festival where tragedies, comedies, and satyr [[SAY-turr]] plays were performed in Athens, while the Romans equated him with Bacchus. For the point, name this Greek God of wine and festivity. | Dionysus |
| Four kings of this name were the title subjects of plays by Shakespeare. The most recent king of this name lived at Hampton Court Palace and was the father of Elizabeth the First. For the point, identify this first name of a king who was married to Catherine of Aragon and five other women. | Henry (accept Henry VIII [[the Eighth]]) |
| A ruler of an empire named for this city passed a namesake law code, which included the principle of “an eye for an eye.” This city was also where a famous set of Hanging Gardens were built. For the point, name this Mesopotamian city which was led by Hammurabi. | Babylonian Empire (accept Neo-Babylon Empire) |
| This western state was the site of the gunfight at the OK Corral in its city of Tombstone. Along with Florida, Major League Baseball teams established spring training in this state. For the point, name this US state, whose population has grown as many retirees have moved to its cities such as Mesa and Phoenix. | Arizona |
| This dynasty was recognized as the rulers of its kingdom by the UK in the Treaty of Jeddah. This dynasty’s current de facto leader is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. For the point, name this royal family that rules and names the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. | House of Saud (accept the Saudis, accept Saudi Arabia) |
| This namesake of the largest city in southwest Louisiana set up a position to trap Cornwallis on the Yorktown peninsula while serving with General Washington. For the point, name this "Hero of the Two Worlds," a French general in the American Revolution. | Marquis de Lafayette |
| While exploring this land for Russia, naturalist George Wilhelm Stellar discovered his namesake sea cow. A Danish explorer named Vitus Bering names a strait separating Russia's Far East from this region. For the point, name this region purchased by the United States in 1867, which became its 49th state in the 1950’s. | Alaska |
| James Baldwin’s novel Go Tell it on the Mountain took its title from one of this ethnic group’s religious songs known as spirituals. For the point, identify this ethnicity of Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and other leading figures of the Harlem Renaissance. | African-Americans (accept Blacks) |
| A group informally known as the "Annexation Club," which included Sanford Dole, overthrew this kingdom's government, ending in Queen Liliʻuokalani's [[lee-lee-oh-kah-LAH- nees]] abdication. Grover Cleveland blocked the initial annexation of, for the point, what island kingdom centered on Honolulu? | Kingdom of Hawai'i (or Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina) |
| Though it also had religious functions, Stonehenge is thought to have been one of these facilities, which was used to track the course of the seasons. The Griffith one of these locations in Los Angeles is, for the point, what scientific facilities constructed to analyze celestial objects? | Observatory (accept Griffith Observatory) |
| Tintoretto and Canaletto painted landscapes of this home city of Casanova, where artists often depicted carnival celebrations. This city was founded in a namesake lagoon and became the center of a powerful maritime republic at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea. Saint Mark’s Basilica and many canals were constructed in, for the point, what Italian city? | Venice (accept Venezia) |
| On July 4, 1826, this man died just hours after the death of his successor in his highest position, Thomas Jefferson. For the point, name this father of the sixth US president, who himself was the second President of the United States. | John Adams (do not accept "John Quincy Adams"; prompt on "Adams") |
| John Ford and John Wayne were two successful men in this industry in the mid-20th century. This industry self-adopted the Hays Code following controversial works like It Happened One Night and Scarface. The anti-trust case U.S. v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. concerned monopolistic behavior in, for the point, which entertainment industry based on moving pictures? | Film (or Movies; or Motion-Pictures; prompt on "directing” or “acting”) |
| During the Ten Tragic Days, people of this ethnicity split into two groups, either siding with Bernardo Reyes or President Francisco Madero. People of this ethnicity founded both the PRI and PAN political parties in the 1920s and '30s respectively. For the point, identify this ethnic group of people who live in a country directly south of the United States of America. | Mexicans (accept Mexicanos), prompt on “Latino” or “Hispanic” |
| Hildegard von Bingen was a famous member of this profession, which was shared by Whoopie Goldberg’s character in the 1990’s film Sister Act. The Missionaries of Charity were organized by a Nobel Peace Prize winning member of this profession, Mother Teresa. For the point, name this religious profession of women who dedicate their lives to the Catholic church. | Nuns (accept Abbesses; accept Sisters) |
| Tiberius was the second person to hold this position, whose last example in the west was deposed in 476 AD. Hadrian and Nero followed Augustus in holding, for the point, what most powerful position in the classical Mediterranean world? | Roman Emperor (prompt on “Emperor”; accept Western Roman Emperor; accept Imperator or Princeps; prompt on “Caesar”; prompt on “Augustus” before mentioned) |
| A contemporary novelist from this nation created Saleem Sinai [[SIH-nye]], who gains superpowers due to being born during its partition in Midnight's Children. For the point, name this South Asian nation of Vikram Seth and Salman Rushdie, the latter of whom was born in its city of Mumbai. | India (or Bharata; accept Republic of India; or Bhārat Gaṇarājya) |
| This man was censured and placed under house arrest by the papacy for his support of Copernicus’s heliocentric model. For the point, name this Italian astronomer who apocryphally dropped a cannonball off the Leaning Tower. | Galileo Galilei (accept either answer) |
| Franz Gruber and Joseph Mohr composed a song for this holiday in a small village outside Salzburg, Austria. Mariah Carey sang a very popular pop song about this holiday saying that all she wanted for it was you. For the point, name this holiday, for which carols like “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night” were written. | Christmas |
| The Parliamentary position of "Chief Whip" comes from their original role of keeping the hounds in line during this specific activity. This activity has been controversial in New Jersey when applied to bears, and in Japan and Norway when applied to whales. For the point, name this practice of tracking and killing animals. | Hunting (accept Fox Hunting) |
| The Assegai was a weapon of this type used by the Impi warriors of Shaka Zulu. The "sarissa" was an elongated version of this weapon wielded the army of Macedon. Greek hoplites wielded, for the point, what type of pole weapon, types of which include the pike and lance? | Spear (accept Pike or Lance before mentioned) |
| One of these structures named for Djoser [[JOH-suhr]] is located in the Saqqara [[sah- KAH-rah]] necropolis, north of the ruins of Memphis. For the point, name these ancient structures, the largest of which was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu in ancient Egypt. | Pyramids (accept Battle of the Pyramids) |
| One man at this event was dubbed “The Weeper” and failed to secure the port of Fiume [[FYOO-meh]] for his country. John Foster Dulles drafted the infamous Article 231 during this event, known as the "War Guilt Clause." Georges Clemenceau [[kleh-mehn-SOH]] and David Lloyd George were members of the “Big Four” who participated in this event. For the point, name this 1919 "Conference" of the victorious Allied Powers that produced the Treaty of Versailles. | Paris Peace Conference |
| A repeating form of this technology, known as Chu Ko Nu, was supposedly invented during the Warring States period. Mercenaries from Genoa that wield this weapon often had a "pavise" shield on their back to protect themselves while reloading. Mythical General Thục Phán could supposedly shoot a thousand bolts from one of these weapons. For the point, name this ranged weapon easily wielded by untrained Medieval soldiers. | Crossbows (accept Arbalest) |