| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Trade in this desert declined after the Battle of Tondibi, relegating merchants to routes such as Azalai and Taoudenni. While traveling from Sijilmasa to the Oualata Oasis, Ibn Battuta wrote of how Berber guides were influential in the trade of this desert. The vital Taghaza salt mines were located in this desert, where dromedaries were domesticated for travel. For ten points, name this large desert that Arab traders crossed to reach West Africa. | Sahara Desert |
| This city was known to the Slavs as Tsargrad. Theodosius II used the help of fans who watched chariot racing in this city’s Hippodrome to build this city’s famous double walls. An engineer named Orban helped build a giant cannon that could fire 600 pound cannonballs; that cannon was used in Mehmed II’s conquest of this city in 1453. For ten points, name this capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was later renamed Istanbul. | Constantinople (do not accept Istanbul or Byzantium) |
| In1972,oneoftheseeventsoccurredintheBlackHillsandresultedinover200deaths.TheStoneFork Fishing and Hunting Club was accused of causing one of these events in 1889 that destroyed Johnstown, Pennsylvania and killed over 2,200 people. President Herbert Hoover dealt with one of these events that made hundreds of thousands of people homeless in 1927. For ten points, name this type of natural disaster that frequently occurs along the Mississippi River. | floods |
| This painting’s date and the artist’s name are depicted on a handkerchief held by a boy. Two figures on either side of this painting’s title figure are depicted in golden robes. This painting is noted for its distinct “heaven” and “earth” sections, the latter of which depicts Saint Stephen and Saint Augustine descending for the title event. For ten points, name this El Greco painting showing the interment of the title nobleman. | The Burial of the Count of Orgaz (accept El Entierro del Senor de Orgaz) |
| Existing regulations against this group were reinforced by the Poland Act. After suspicions of well poisoning arose, members of this group attacked the Baker-Fancher wagon train in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. With the help of the Quorum of the Twelve, this group left Nauvoo in an attempt to establish the State of Deseret in the Salt Lake Valley. For ten points, name this Utah-based religious group led by Brigham Young and Joseph Smith. | Mormons (accept answers related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or LDS) |
| A general from this country escaped a purge of high-ranking officers by climbing a wall into an Iraqi embassy. One leader of this country promoted the Nasikom ideology and the five principles, or pancasila, and was overthrown in 1967 before a massive purge of Communists. For ten points, name this Asian archipelagic country that was led during the Cold War by Sukarno and Suharto. | Indonesia |
| The Supreme Court expanded the meaning of this clause in Gonzales v. Raich. Another case that relied on this clause was Gibbons v. Ogden, which expanded this clause’s meaning to include navigation. This clause is often held with the Elastic Clause to grant Congress greater power. For ten points, name this section of Article 1 of the Constitution that empowers Congress to regulate the title activity between states. | Interstate Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution (accept Article I, Section 8, clause 3) |
| This company’s logo was inspired by a tattoo of a star its founder received while serving on the Emily Morgan. A victim of the Titanic sinking, Isidor Strauss, bought this company in 1895. This company’s first location in New York made over $300 on its first day in 1858 and expanded after employing illuminated shopping displays. The flagship store of this brand is in Herald Square in Manhattan. For ten points, name this national department store chain that sponsors an annual Thanksgiving Day parade in New York. | R.H. Macy and Co. (accept Macy’s Inc.) |
| This conflict featured an Italian naval intervention that was thwarted at Lissa in the first sea battle between ironclad fleets. Albrecht von Roon opened the draft to all male citizens prior to this conflict, which broke out after one side violated the Gastein Convention. This conflict was decided at the battle of Sadowa, which allowed the winners to take control of Schleswig and Holstein. For ten points, name this 1866 war in which Prussia defeated Austria within two months. | Seven Weeks’ War (accept Austro-Prussian War before “Prussia” is read; prompt on it afterward; prompt on Unification War; prompt on German (Civil) War) |
| In Vedic Hinduism, this substance is the center of the yajna ritual. Zoroastrians protect this substance, called atar, in temples named for it. In 1861, Queen Victoria banned the practice of sati, whereby Hindu widows would kill themselves with this substance. This substance is personified by the Hindu god Agni. For ten points, name this substance which, in Greek myth, Prometheus stole from the gods and gave to humans. | fire |
| This type of military maneuver was introduced to Japan by Takeda Shinjin and was defeated by Oda Nobunaga with the use of firearms at the first “modern” Japanese battle, the Battle of Nagashino. Gustavus Adolphus was killed at Lubeck while leading one of these maneuvers. These maneuvers were the hammer in the Macedonian “hammer and anvil” strategy, and they were used as opening maneuvers in battles for centuries until infantry squares rendered them obsolete. For ten points, name this military maneuver that involves a full speed ride at an enemy force. | cavalry charge (accept clear knowledge equivalents; prompt on partial answers, like “cavalry maneuvers,” “charges,” etc.) |
| This battle in Flanders was named after the objects that littered the battlefield after a failed French cavalry charge led by Robert II of Artois [ar-twah]. | Battle of the Golden Spurs (accept the Battle of Courtrai) |
| This man was victorious at the Battle of Fontaine Francaise during a series of campaigns against Spain ended by the Treaty of Vervins. This man was finally named king as his rival lay dying from a fatal stabbing from Jacques Clement. Fran¸cois Ravaillac stabbed this man in the street in 1610, leading to Marie de’ Medici’s brief rule as regent for Louis XIII [thirteenth]. The Edict of Nantes [nahnt] was issued by, for ten points, what first Bourbon king of France? | Henry IV of France (accept Henry of Navarre; accept Henry III of Navarre; prompt on Henry; do not prompt on Henry III alone) |
| Henry IV married Marie de’ Medici in 1600, shortly after annulling his marriage to this Valois princess. The wedding of Henry and this woman immediately preceded the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. | Margaret of Valois |
| This empire’s first ruler abdicated his throne to fight for his daughter’s claim to another throne in the Liberal Wars. This empire fought the Cisplatine War over the status of the Banda Oriental [or-ee-en-TALL], and it decisively defeated Francisco Solano Lopez in the War of the Triple Alliance. Princess Isabel signed the Golden Law to abolish slavery in this empire. Dom Pedro I founded, for ten points, what empire that gained its independence from Portugal and became the largest South American country? | Empire of Brazil |
| Dom Pedro I founded the empire after he declared “Independence or Death” in a “Cry” made at what namesake river? | Ipiranga River (or Brook, etc.; accept Cry of Ipiranga) |
| This man and his aides were targeted in a failed assassination attempt by Ulric Dahlgren. This man was captured near Irwinville, legendarily while dressed in the clothing of his wife, Varina. This man served as Secretary of War under Franklin Pierce; later, in a more famous role alongside Alexander Stephens, he issued General Order 14 allowing slaves into the army and appointed Robert E. Lee commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. For ten points, name this only President of the Confederate States of America. | Jefferson Davis |
| After Davis’ capture, he was imprisoned at Virginia’s Fort Monroe, which was then led by this young Union colonel. Later in this man’s career, he captured Geronimo and Chief Joseph. | Nelson Miles |
| This city signed the Pactum Warmundi with Jerusalem. Marco Polo was allegedly captured following this city’s defeat at Curzola, and this city was victorious in the War of Chioggia. The League of Cambrai opposed this city that was once led by Enrico Dandolo, the man who enticed the Fourth Crusade to attack Constantinople. This enemy of Genoa elected leaders known as doges. For ten points, name this Italian city that dominated the Adriatic Sea and is built around a series of canals. | Most Serene Republic of Venice |
| The League of Cambrai was led by this “warrior pope” who hired Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel. | Julius II |
| The perpetrator of this crime took advantage of a hot day to bring a handkerchief without suspicion. An X-ray machine constructed by Thomas Edison was sent to doctors in the aftermath of this crime, whose perpetrator was inspired by the killing of Umberto I of Italy. While reaching in for a handshake at the Pan-American Exposition, a gun was produced by Leon Czolgosz [chol-gosh]. For ten points, name this 1901 assassination that paved the way for Theodore Roosevelt to become president. | assassination (or murder, shooting, etc.) of William McKinley |
| McKinley was killed at the Pan-American Exposition in this city. | Buffalo |
| Francis M. Scala directed this group for over a decade and introduced one of its signature songs, which uses the “Gendarmes’ Duet,” an Offenbach melody. Thomas Jefferson gave a popular nickname to this group, whose leader wears a bearskin headpiece and carries a mace. John Philip Sousa once directed, for ten points, what military band that has played every inauguration since 1801 and is known as “The President’s Own?” | United States Marine Band |
| The Gendarmes’ Duet melody is used for the Marines’ Hymn, which celebrates what September 1847 battle of the Mexican-American War with the line “From the halls of Montezuma?” | Battle of Chapultepec |
| The Sakai Incident marked the first time a European observed this practice. To preserve dignity, a version of this practice for women involved knee-binding. In this practice, a fan would sometimes be replaced for a tanto, and a second would decapitate the victim of this practice. For ten points, name this form of suicide employed by disgraced Japanese samurai. | seppuku (or harakiri; prompt on “suicide” before mentioned; prompt on jigai) |
| This Japanese author of The Temple of the Golden Pavilion committed seppuku after a failed 1970 coup d’etat. | Yukio Mishima (or Kimitake Hiraoka; accept either name in either order) |
| John McCain, who lost to Illinois senator Barack Obama. | |
| Mitt Romney, who lost to President Barack Obama. | |
| George McGovern, who only took DC and Massachusetts from Richard Nixon. | |
| Michael Dukakis, whose running mate Lloyd Bentsen called Dan Quayle “no Jack Kennedy.” | |
| Bob Dole, who ran after the successful midterm “Contract with America” strategy. | |
| Horace Greeley, who died in this year. | |
| Al Smith, the first Catholic nominee. | |
| Alf Landon, who even lost his home state of Kansas. | European Leaders Given the politician, name the country they govern. |
| Chancellor Angela Merkel, a member of the Bundestag. | Federal Republic of Germany (accept Bundesrepublik Deutschland) |
| Theresa May, who replaced David Cameron after the Brexit vote. | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (do not accept or prompt on England or (Great) Britain) |
| Emmanuel Macron, who defeated Marine le Pen in 2017. | France |
| Andrzej Duda, a former member of the Sejm [same]. | Poland |
| Petro Poroshenko, who ran for President after the Euromaidan protests. | Ukraine |
| Giuseppe Conte, who became Prime Minister after lengthy negotiations between the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord. | Italy |
| Mark Rutte, who responded to the Malaysia Flight 17 attack as Prime Minister of the country from which the plane departed. | The Netherlands |
| Alain Berset, a member of a Federal Council that was established in an 1848 Constitution. | Switzerland Battles Around the World Given the battle, name the modern-day country in which it took place. |
| Tamerlane’s 1398 sack of Delhi. | India |
| Dien Bien Phu, in what was then French Indochina. | Vietnam |
| Zama, ending the Second Punic War. | Tunisia |
| Battle of Borodino, which was depicted in War and Peace. | Russia |
| Battles of El Alamein during World War II. | Egypt |
| Battle of Adowa, or Adwa, a massive victory for Menelik II. | Ethiopia |
| Battle of Red Cliffs, a massive loss for Cao Cao [sow sow]. | China |
| The Raid on the Medway, led by Willem van Ghent. | England (accept Great Britain; accept United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) |
| During this event, a fact-finding mission was dispatched on a world tour that recommended basing its country’s army and parliament on Prussia’s. This event was preceded by a war during which the Republic of Ezo was declared, the (+) Boshin War. This event provoked a rebellion among disenfranchised warriors in Satsuma province, and the Charter Oath was issued during this event. This event marked the (*) end of a period that had begun with Tokugawa Ieyasu’s conquest of Japan 250 years earlier. For ten points, name this late 1860s event during which power was given back to Japan’s imperial house. | Meiji Restoration |
| This Prime Minister’s government introduced mandatory secret voting in the Ballot Act. This leader worked with the Earl of Rosebery to expose Ottoman atrocities in (+) Bulgaria in an early instance of modern political campaigning, the Midlothian campaign. The popularity of this “Grand Old Man” was hurt by Chinese (*) Gordon’s death in Khartoum. This leader worked closely with Charles Parnell but failed to secure home rule for Ireland. For ten points, name this four time Liberal prime minister, a rival of Benjamin Disraeli. | William Gladstone |
| This country ended a coup when allied Indian paratroopers landed in Hulhule during Operation Cactus. A rebellion in this country attempted to form the United Suvadive Republic, which was based in Hithadhoo in the Addu (+) Atoll. For jailing a judge, this country’s president Mohamed Nasheed was imprisoned in 2015, seven years after he succeeded Maumoon Gayoom. This country’s cabinet held an (*) underwater meeting to highlight the dangers of climate change. For ten points, name this island country that is in danger of being completely flooded by rising sea levels in the Indian Ocean, threatening life in Male [mah-lay]. | Maldives |
| In the aftermath of this event, Clara Lemlich led the Uprising of the 20,000. Attorney Max Steuer worked to discredit Kate Alterman’s testimony as he defended (+) Max Blanck and Isaac Harris for their role in this event. The Committee on Public Safety to investigate this event was led by future Secretary of (*) Labor Frances Perkins. Over 140 people died in this event, many because emergency exits had been locked. For ten points, name this 1911 event, the deadliest industrial fire in New York City history. | Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire |
| A heavy-water facility that was occupied by this country was attacked in Operation Gunnerside. The statement “I aim at the stars but sometimes I hit [the enemy’s capital],” was used to mock a scientist conducting tests on (+) “vengeance weapons” for this country. Scientists aiding in this country’s development of (*) V-2 rockets immigrated to the United States in Operation Paperclip. For ten points, name this country whose nuclear weapons program Uranverein was headed by Werner Heisenberg in World War II. | Nazi Germany |
| In a city named for this landmark, the Hoover Chemical Company dumped toxic waste that surfaced near the 93rd and 99th street schools. The namesake ship of the Caroline affair was destroyed near this landmark. The (+) EPA Superfund was created after a scandal in the Love Canal neighborhood of a city named for this landmark. Annie Taylor became the first person to traverse this landmark in a (*) barrel in 1901. For ten points, name this cascade on the border between Canada and New York. | Niagara Falls |
| A battle in this country was preceded by a cavalry skirmish at Shubra Khit. One campaign in this country was accompanied by scientists called the 150 “savants”. During a battle in this country, a (+) ship exploded after open cans of paint were ignited. A campaign in this country was ended by the sinking of the (*) L’Orient in Aboukir Bay. For ten points, name this country where Horatio Nelson defeated Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of the Nile | Egypt |
| UN Resolution 498 condemned a nation for intervening in this war. A key strategic region for one side in this war was the Iron Triangle, which was successfully defended at the Battle of Triangle Hill. One side in this war was accused of using human-wave attacks to overwhelm enemy defenses and was led by (+) Peng Dehuai. Omar Bradley said that one general’s plan to extend the theater of this war was “the wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong enemy.” (*) Douglas MacArthur’s advance towards the Yalu River in this war led to a counterattack of millions of Chinese soldiers. For ten points, name this war fought on a now-divided East Asian peninsula. | Korean War (or Han zhan) |
| One leader of this country said he admired Hitler because “he pulled his country together,” and a first lady of this country promised to “clap hands when I see another monk barbecue.” In this country, (+) Binh Xuyen [bin shu-yen] mafia were responsible for killing a leader whose brother, Nhu, ran the secret police. The Strategic (*) Hamlet Program tried to relocate this country’s rural population. For ten points, name this country that was led by Ngo Dinh Diem [no din diem] and fought the Communists from its northern neighbor with American assistance. | South Vietnam (accept Republic of Vietnam, RVN; prompt on Vietnam alone) |
| Sir Christopher Wren designed a 200 foot tall monument to what disaster? For years, the monument blamed Catholics for this event. | Great Fire of London |