| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Security Council Resolution 794 began UN intervention in this country after the overthrow of Siad Barre. The US launched Operation Gothic Serpent in this country to capture Mohamed Farrah Aidid. In this country, Omar Salad Elmi was targeted in a battle known as the Day of the Rangers. For the point, name this country where two Black Hawk helicopters were shot down during the Battle of Mogadishu. | Somalia |
| This event, which fulfilled a challenge issued to Congress in 1961 to be achieved “before this decade is out,” was completed on board the USS Hornet on July 24, 1969. During this event, the Command Module was piloted by Michael Collins, while the Eagle carried two men to the Sea of Tranquility. For the point, name this mission commanded by Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to walk on the Moon. | Apollo 11 (accept descriptions of the first manned moon landing before “first” is read; prompt on Apollo (mission (s))) |
| In 1917, newspapers falsely reported that German spies had been using this man’s Wardencly↵e Tower, which had actually been used to compete with Marconi to send radio transmissions. This man demonstratedalternatingcurrentpowerattheColumbianExpositionandcreatedanelectricity-generating namesake coil. For the point, name this Serbian-American inventor who feuded with Thomas Edison. | Nikola Tesla |
| This man’s “Code Noir” allowed slavery in his colonies. This man signed the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes and ending religious toleration for the Huguenots. The palace at Versailles was constructed by this king who declared “I am the state” to sum up his absolute rule. For the point, name this “Sun King”, the longest reigning French monarch. | Louis XIV (prompt on Louis) |
| This man challenged Bernard Montgomery to the “Race to Medina” after leading an invasion of Italy. In his speech to the third army, this man explained that the “very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.” This man was temporarily removed from command after slapping a shell-shocked soldier during the Sicily Campaign. For the point, name this World War II general labeled “Old Blood and Guts.” | George S. Patton |
| As a commodore in 1718, this man captured nine ships while blockading Charles Town, South Carolina. Intimidation tactics used by this man included lighting slow fuses and placing them under his hat. Near Saint Vincent, this man captured the Concorde, which he re-named Queen Anne’s Revenge and made his flagship. For the point, name this English pirate whose famous nickname was based on his fearsome facial hair. | Blackbeard (accept Edward Teach; accept Edward Thatch) |
| This city was founded b Arthur Phillip as part of a colony at Port Jackson meant for convicts. The 2000 Summer Olympics were held in this city which is home to a Jorn Utzon-designed performing arts center. An opera house in this city is designed to look like a series of white sails. For the point, name this capital of New South Wales, the most populous city in Australia. | Sydney |
| This battle’s losing side su↵ered the loss of newly-promoted general Dr. Joesph Warren. Thomas Gage was replaced by Thomas Howe in the aftermath of this battle, a Pyrrhic victory for British forces. During this battle, Israel Putnam may have given the order not to fire “until you see the whites of their eyes.” Breed’s Hill was the central target of, for the point, what 1775 battle fought outside Boston? | Bunker Hill |
| This man’s daughter Anastasia was rumored for decades to have survived the execution of her family at Yekaterinburg. After he was removed from power, this man’s country signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, closing World War I’s Eastern Front. This man’s son Alexei was a✏icted with hemophilia which was supposedly treated by the mystic Rasputin. For the point, name this final Tsar of Russia. | Nicholas II (prompt on Nicholas) |
| A poem about this war describes headstones positioned “row after row with strict impunity.” The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial is discussed in a Robert Lowell poem addressed to those who died in this war. The protagonist of a novel set during this war meets Wilson and the Tattered Soldier. Henry Fleming sees Jim Conklin’s death during this war in The Red Badge of Courage. For the point, name this war discussed in Allen Tate’s poem “Ode to the Confederate Dead.” | the American Civil War |
| This man told Richard Garrett that he was a wounded Confederate soldier to gain refuge on his farm, where he was later killed after being cornered in a burning barn. Samuel Mudd assisted this man by treating a leg he broke after jumping o↵ a balcony. During one event, this man exclaimed “Sic semper tyranis” before fleeing Ford’s Theater. For the point, name this man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. | John Wilkes Booth |
| A history of this conflict written by Anna Comnena recounted her father Alexius’ call for aid. This conflict began at the Council of Clermont where Urban II organized a force to aid the Byzantine Empire in checking Muslim expansion. This conflict culminated in the 1099 capture of Jerusalem. For the point, name this first of several attempts by the Catholic Church to recapture the Holy Land. | the First Crusade (accept Princes’ Crusade; prompt on Crusade alone) |
| This man was influenced by The Jungle to sign the Pure Food and Drug Act into law. John Schrank shot this man while in Milwaukee prompting this man to exclaim “it takes more than that to kill a bull moose.” While on a 1902 hunting trip, this man refused to kill a tied up black bear, a move which inspired the creation of a stu↵ed animal named after him. For the point, name this 26th President of the United States. | Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt (prompt on “Roosevelt”) |
| This organization was responsible for the 2000 attack on the USS Cole. This organization grew out of the Mujaheddin who resisted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In 2011, a leader of this group was targeted in Operation Neptune Spear, during which members of Seal Team Six assaulted an Abbottabad compound. For the point, name this terrorist organization once led by Osama bin Laden. | al-Qaeda |
| This composer’s seventh symphony was premiered at a concert for soldiers wounded at the Battle of Hanau, which also saw the first performance of his piece Wellington’s Victory. The finale of one of this man’s symphonies is used as the anthem of the European Union and sets a Fredrich Schiller poem to music. For the point, name this German composer who set “Ode to Joy” to music in his ninth and final symphony. | Ludwig van Beethoven |
| This city was nearly burned down by chariot-racing fans during the Nika riots. Despite establishing defenses at the Golden Horn, this city fell to Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453. This city is home to the Hagia Sophia, originally a massive cathedral commissioned by Justinian I. For the point, name this city formerly known as Byzantium, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. | Constantinople (accept Byzantium before mention; do not accept or prompt on Istanbul) |
| During one election, this man used the slogan “he kept us out of war.” William Jennings Bryan resigned as this man’s Secretary of State after his response to the sinking of the Lusitania. This man failed to convince Congress to join the League of Nations despite having presented his Fourteen Points at the Paris Peace Conference. For the point, name this President who led the United States through World War I. | Woodrow Wilson |
| The ruins of this city were ransacked to help build the city of Hilla. This city’s Etemenanki Ziggurat, a structure dedicated to Marduk, is thought to be the basis of a biblical tower constructed to reach heaven. An ancient wonder in this city was dedicated to Queen Amytis. Nebuchadnezzar II ruled from, for the point, what Iraqi city that legendarily housed the Hanging Gardens? | Babylon |
| This country established the GSG9 after a failing to stop an attack by the group Black September in 1972. In this country, a Palestinian terrorist group killed 11 Israeli athletes competing in the Summer Olympics. Jesse Owens won the 100 meter dash at the 1936 Olympics in this country, shattering myths of Aryan supremacy. For the point, name this country that hosted Olympic Games in Munich and Berlin. | Germany (accept West Germany; accept Bundesrepublik Deutschland; do not accept East Germany) |
| This man, with Thomas Je↵erson, co-founded the Democratic-Republican Party. During one event, this man’s wife legendarily saved a portrait of George Washington from the soon to be damaged White House. The Burning of Washington D.C. took place during the term of this President as part of the War of 1812. The Bill of Rights was authored by, for the point, what fourth president of the United States? | James Madison |
| This man led a revolution against Fulgencio Batista with the aid of Che Guevara. The CIA allegedly attempted to assassinate this leader by poisoning his cigars and had earlier helped thousands of exiles launch the Bay of Pigs invasion. This man was succeeded by his brother Raul in 2011, 5 years before dying of natural causes in Havana. For the point, name this leader of Communist Cuba. | Fidel Castro |
| In what is now this state, John C. Fremont secretly supported a rebellion against Mexican rule. James W. Marshall worked on this state’s American River located near the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. A discovery of a precious metal at Sutter’s Mill began an 1849 event in this state. For the point, name this state where a gold rush led to the boom of cities such as San Francisco. | California |
| In 2002, this body of water’s Perejil Island was the site of a twelve-person invasion that caused an international incident. A namesake British exclave and the Spanish exclave Ceuta [thay-oo-tah] lie on opposite sides of this body of water. Jebel Musa is one of the Pillars of Hercules that stand on this body of water’s African and European sides. For the point, name this body of water that connects the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. | Strait of Gibraltar |
| This man described defeating Vercingetorix at Alesia in his “Commentaries on the Gallic War.” This man declared “the die is cast” before crossing the Rubicon river to seize the title of “dictator for Life.” Octavian crowned himself Emperor after the death of this man at the hands of Cassius and Brutus during the Ides of March. For the point, name this general who ended the Roman Republic. | Gaius Julius Caesar |
| This group wintered at Fort Mandan in North Dakota, during which they recruited Toussaint Charbonneau. The Shoshone provided this group horses so that they could cross the Rocky Mountains. Sacajawea was an interpreter for this group which originally departed from Independence, Missouri. Thomas Je↵erson ordered, for the point, what 1804 expedition tasked with exploring the newly acquired Louisiana Territory? | Lewis and Clark Expedition (accept Corps of Discovery) |
| According to Ovid, this god took the form of an Eagle to kidnap Ganymede to replace Hebe as cupbearer. While in the form of a bull, this god kidnapped Europa. This son of Cronus was swapped with a stone by Rhea to prevent him from being eaten. This husband of Hera and father of Heracles defeated the Titans with his thunderbolts. For the point, name this King of the Olympians, the head of the Greek Pantheon. | Zeus (accept Jupiter) |
| This man signed the Act of Supremacy to appoint himself the head of the Anglican Church. This man divorced Catherine of Aragon and beheaded Catherine Howard for failing to produce a male heir. Pope Clement VII angered this man by refusing to grant him a divorce. After marrying Anne Boleyn, this man fathered Elizabeth I. For the point, identify this Tudor king of England who had six wives. | Henry VIII (prompt on Henry) |
| This state was represented by Senator Ted Stevens, who died in a 2010 plane crash. This state was the site of a 9.2 magnitude earthquake on Good Friday in 1964, as well as the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. This state, which created a “Permanent Fund” from its oil revenue, was dubbed “Seward’s Folly” when the US purchased it from Russia. For the point, name this largest US state. | Alaska |
| In 1976, this party purged itself of a faction called the “Gang of Four.” A leader of this party attempted to reform his country with campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. This party rose to power after winning a war against the Kuomintang, a party led by Chang Kai-Shek. The one-child policy was created by, for the point, what party once led by Mao Zedong, the ruling party of China? | ChineseCommunistParty (acceptCPC;acceptCCP;acceptZhongguoGongchandang; prompt on “Communist” Party; prompt on the ruling party of China) |
| This man asked “How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?” in a speech that declared that the “arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This man delivered the “How Long, Not Long” speech at the end of the Selma-to-Montgomery March in 1965. For the point, name this nonviolent civil rights leader who led the Montgomery bus boycott and delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech. | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (accept MLK, Jr.) Extra Tossups |
| This justice’s majority opinion in 2003’s Grutter v. Bollinger suggested that a rmative action would be unnecessary in 25 years. This justice was named as the successor to Potter Stewart in 1981, fulfilling one of Ronald Reagan’s campaign promises, and in 2005, Samuel Alito was nominated to succeed her. For the point, name this first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court. | Sandra Day O’Connor |
| This ruler’s advisors included Nikita Panin, who improved relations with Frederick the Great through theNorthernAlliance.ThisrulersupportedtheTargowica[tar-go-vit-ska]ConfederationagainstStanislaw Poniatowski, a former ally and lover of this ruler. This ruler gained power in a coup against her husband, Peter III, in Saint Petersburg. For the point, name this Russian empress who ruled in the late 18th century. | Catherine the Great (accept Catherine II of Russia; prompt on Catherine) |