| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump recently claimed that this organization had opened a hotel and that he was “in competition with them.” This group was driven out of Tikrit after massacring unarmed Air Force cadets at Camp Speicher. The Bataclan was targeted by this group in a November 2015 attack in Paris. For ten points, name this extremist Islamic terrorist group that arose from an offshoot of Al-Qaeda and which controls territory in Iraq and Syria. | Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; accept ISIS, ISIL, or IS; accept Daesh) |
| This man led the fleet that claimed Cayo Hueso, later known as Key West. He threatened gunboat diplomacy at Uraga with a fleet of four gunboats; in ensuing discussion, he broke the isolationist policy of sakoku. The Convention of Kanagawa was signed by, for ten points, what American commodore who opened trade with Japan? | Matthew Perry |
| Carlo Maderno expanded the nave of a building in this city. A fountain in this city includes a dove representing the Pamphili family atop an Egyptian obelisk that overlooks the fountain’s depiction of four rivers. An amphitheatre in this city was built during the Flavian dynasty near the site of chariot racing at the Circus Maximus. For ten points, name the city that contains St. Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum. | Rome (prompt on Vatican City) |
| After winning the Battle of Gonzales, this region entered a war with its southern neighbor. One President of this region, Mirabeau Lamar, created the almost worthless “redback” to combat debt. This region used the Lone Star flag and lost the Battle of the Alamo. For ten points, name this region where Stephen Austin and Sam Houston lived, now a large American state. | Texas (accept Republic of Texas) |
| This writer compared journalists with prostitutes in his expose The Brass Check. In another book by this man, the protagonist’s wife Ona is raped by Phil Connor, and its Lithuanian protagonist attending a Socialist rally; that book caused this author to claim “I aimed for the public’s heart, and by accident hit it in the stomach.” Jurgis Rudkus works in an unsanitary meatpacking plant in, for ten points, what muckracking author’s The Jungle? | Upton Sinclair |
| This civilization’s early kings include two of the same name nicknamed “the fisherman” and “the shepherd.” Its first king, Alulim, ruled for 28,800 years according to its “King List,” written in cuneiform, an early form of writing developed in this civilization. For ten points, name this Mesopotamian civilization home to the cities of Lagash and Ur, whose mythical king, Gilgamesh, is also on the King List. | Sumeria |
| To extend its shoreline, this city built the Palm Jumeirah, just south of a set of hundreds of small artificial islands in the shape of the world. A three-lobed skyscraper in this city uses spiralling setbacks along its 160 floors. For ten points, name this most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, where oil revenue has spurred urban construction like the Burj Khalifa. | Dubai |
| This person proclaimed “O Time, O traditions” in delivering a speech to fend off the Catiline Conspiracy. His hands were placed on the Rostrum and Fulvia pierced this man’s tongue with a hairpin after he was beheaded on the orders of Marc Antony, whom he had insulted in orations inspired by Demosthenes [deh-MOSS-theh-nees]. For ten points, name this famous Roman orator of the Philippics. | Marcus Tullius Cicero |
| In this battle, Major Sylvain-Raynal managed to defend Fort Vaux for over a week, but the lightly defended Fort Douaumont [DOO-oh-MOHN] was captured without a fight. General Nivelle issued the order “they shall not pass” during this battle, and General Falkenhyn sought to “bleed France white” in this battle. For ten points, name this extremely bloody 9-month-long battle during World War I at a French fortress town. | Battle of Verdun |
| Dudley Field Malone spoke during this event, which was promoted by Sue Hicks and George Rappleyea, who organized this event by finding a violation of the Butler Act. William Jennings Bryan faced Clarence Darrow as opposing attorneys in this case, which ended with Darrow being accused of “slurring the Bible” and the defendant being given a $100 fine. For ten points, name this 1925 court case in which a Tennessee teacher was convicted of teaching evolution. | Scopes (Monkey) Trial |
| Three of this body’s first five acts dealt with Soviet occupation of Iran. Its operation is controversial, as the victorious Allied countries in World War II hold permanent member status and veto power, unlike in the General Assembly where non-binding resolutions are voted on. For ten points, name this 15-member body that orders sanctions and peacekeeping operations for the United Nations. | United Nations Security Council (do not prompt on United Nations) |
| This permanent member of the UN Security Council used the veto to oppose a criminal tribunal investigating the Malaysian Airlines disaster in Ukraine. | Russian Federation |
| These entities were controlled through “ingenuity” among other things, utilizing both a mahout and a howdah. Among the most famous use of this weapon was at the Battle of the Hydaspes River by King Porus against Alexander the Great. Hannibal baffled the Romans by crossing the Alps with them. For ten points, name this animal, akin to an ancient tank, which is now hunted for its ivory tusks. | elephants |
| Alexander’s victory over King Porus at the Hydaspes required one of these military maneuvers, also performed by Julius Caesar - albeit with no immediate enemy - at the Rubicon. | river crossing |
| This civilization’s royal city of Ollantaytambo was occupied by Manco Capac II as they opposed the Spanish invasion. They grew from a small kingdom under Viracocha to a colonizing empire under Pachacuti, who lived in an estate at a “Lost City” that was re-discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1912. For ten points, name this South American culture which built cities like Cuzco and Machu Picchu. | Incan Empire |
| The Incan empire flourished in this large South American mountain range. | Andes Mountains |
| John Mitchel was sent to Bermuda as punishment for his writings about this event. During this event, people called “soupers” converted to Protestantism in return for aid. The cottier system worsened this event, in which the affected area received shipments of maize known as “Peel’s brimstone” and remained a net food exporter to Britain. For ten points, over a million people starved in what event in which the staple crop of an island west of Britain was ruined by blight? | Irish Potato Famine [or Great Famine, or Great Hunger] |
| In response to the Irish Potato Famine, Prime Minister Robert Peel repealed what set of tariffs on imported grain in 1846? | Corn Laws |
| The “X Article” in Foreign Affairs magazine coined this term; that article was written by George Kennen, one of the “Wise Men” advocated this policy as a substitute for rollback. This policy was first performed with the Truman Doctrine, which provided support to those resisting outside pressures. For ten points, name this political and military poilcy, implemented by the U.S. during the Cold War to prevent the spread of Communism abroad. | Containment |
| Containment was an alternative to this policy, French for “relaxation” and often described as thawing. It advocated for less hostile relations with the Soviet Union. | Detente |
| Following the acceptance of this theory, Koch’s Postulates were developed. Girolamo Fracastoro was the first to propose this theory, which Francesco Redi supported by observing 3 jars of meatloaf and eggs over time. The discrediting of spontaneous generation finally led to the widespread acceptance of this theory. For ten points, Galen’s miasma theory was replaced by what theory that diseases are caused by microscopic organisms like viruses and bacteria? | germ theory of disease |
| Spontaneous generation was disproven by this French microbiologist who also discovered that heating beer killed harmful bacteria. | Louis Pasteur |
| This person’s childhood friend, the Princess de Lamballe, was murdered in the September Massacres. The Carnation Plot attempted to save this monarch, a suspected lover of Axel Fersin. This monarch was wrongly blamed in the Diamond Necklace affair and was derisively called “the Austrian”. For ten points, name this Queen of France, who may have said “let them eat cake” and was guillotined after her husband Louis XVI. | Marie Antoinette |
| Axel Fersin helped plan the escape of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI from France, but they were recognized at this small town near the border between Montm´edy and Saint-Menehould. | Varennes |
| Prior to one battle, this man had a vision of enemy soldiers “falling like grasshoppers.” After a brief exile in Canada, this leader surrendered and was held at Standing Rock, where he was later killed in a botched arrest attempt. For ten points, name this chief who toured with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West well after leading the Lakota Sioux to victory over American forces at the Battle of Little Bighorn. | Sitting Bull (or Thathanka Iyotake) |
| At Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull defeated this leader of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, who graduated bottom of his class at West Point. | George Armstrong Custer |
| The European country that employed conquistadors like Francisco Pizzaro? | Spain |
| The modern-day North American country that was home to the Aztec empire? | Mexico |
| The modern-day country with capital Lima that was home to the Incan empire? | Peru |
| The Mayan invention whose Long Count form did not actually predict a 2012 doomsday? | Mayan calendar |
| The peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Mexico where Mayan sites like Chichen Itza are found? | Yucatan Peninsula |
| The conquistador who overthrew Montezuma and conquered the Aztecs? | Hernan Cortes |
| The rival city-state of Tlaxcala built on an island in Lake Texcoco? | Tenochtitlan |
| The Incan system of knotted strings used for numerical record keeping? | quipu The Papacy In Papal history, what is... |
| The city-state within Rome ruled by the Pope? | Vatican City |
| The current Pope? | Francis (I) or Jorge Mario Bergoglio |
| The disciple of Jesus considered to be the first Pope? | Simon Peter or Saint Peter |
| The term for men who claimed to be Pope, like Clement VII during the Western Schism? | Antipope |
| The papal name shared by two 20th century Popes, including one who served only 33 days? | John Paul |
| The birth country of the resigned Pope Benedict XVI [sixteen]? | Germany |
| The term for legal documents, including Exsurge Domine [EX-ur-gay DOE-mee-nay], which are more formal than encyclicals? | papal bulls |
| The 1968 encyclical issued by Paul VI that re-affirmed the rejection of artificial contraception? | Humanae vitae (or Of Human Life; accept On the Regulation of Birth) American Women’s Suffrage In the American women’s suffrage movement, who or what was... |
| The first state to allow women to vote, beginning in 1869 when it was a territory governed from Cheyenne? | Wyoming |
| The Constitutional amendment that gave women the vote? | 19th Amendment |
| The year in which that amendment was passed? | |
| The friend of Elizabeth Cady Stanton who was arrested for voting in 1872? | Susan B. Anthony |
| The 1848 New York convention supporting women’s rights? | Seneca Falls Convention |
| The Quaker orator invited to that convention by Stanton? | Lucretia Mott |
| The document signed at that convention declaring “all men and women are created equal?” | Declaration of Sentiments |
| The “Silent Sentinel” and leader of the National Woman’s Party who proposed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923? | Alice Paul |
| In August 2015, one of these items was returned to NPR legal correspondent Nina Totenberg and her family 35 years after it was stolen from her father. In 2014, one of these objects named “Lipinski” was stolen in Milwaukee after a performance of Olivier (+) Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Wood density and varnish quality have been proposed as explanations for the (*) brilliant sound of these instruments, which are roughly 300 years old. For ten points, name these instruments, reputed to be the finest-crafted violins in the world. | Stradivarius violin (accept more general descriptions like Stradivarius instrument; prompt on violin; prompt on “Strad;” do not accept mentions of violas, cellos, etc.) |
| This man described his feud with Jimmy Hoffa in the book The Enemy Within. He sent troops to the University of Mississippi to protect James Meredith while serving as (+) Attorney General. He recalled Aeschylus in a speech at Indianapolis after the assassination of Martin Luther King, but was (*) assassinated himself right after winning the 1968 California Democratic Presidential primary by Sirhan Sirhan. For ten points, name this younger brother of John F. Kennedy. | Robert Francis Kennedy |
| Some structures along this body of water served as shelters for refugees from the Bar Kokhba Revolt. The first known copy of The Community Rule was found here, along with copies of known texts produced by the (+) Essenes. A famous discovery made near this body of water centered on several (*) caves near Qumran. For ten points, name this body of water near which a large collection of Hebrew writings was found in the 1940s and 1950s, this place’s namesake “Scrolls”. | Dead Sea |
| This group sometimes dressed in women’s clothing as their founder’s “wives,” and carried out their acts using a tool they called “Great Enoch.” This group first appeared in Nottingham and were threatened with (+) capital punishment with the Frame Breaking Act. E. J. Hobsbawm referred to their (*) sabotage as “collective bargaining by riot.” For ten points, what British textile workers in the early 19th century smashed machines that were replacing their labor and now give their name to those who oppose technological progress? | Luddites |
| Competitive venues for this game, invented by Alfred Butts, will use molded plastic instead of wood so that players can’t “braille.” The SOWPODS list is used in this game, whose 2015 (+) French championship was won by Nigel Richards after just nine weeks of preparation. This game, an inspiration for (*) Words With Friends, uses strategies that involve the Triple Word Score bonuses on corner tiles and “bingoes” for playing 7 tiles at once. For ten points, name this word spelling board game. | Scrabble |
| The Duc de Longueville represented the French during the negotiations of this treaty. Despite this treaty, Spain and France did not cease hostilities until the Treaty of the (+) Pyrenees, and Sweden annexed Bremen after the signature of this treaty. It affirmed the independence of Switzerland and the Netherlands, and it extended the (*) Peace of Augsburg by allowing Calvinism to be a German state’s official religion. For ten points, name this peace treaty that ended the Thirty Years War. | Peace of Westphalia or Treaty of Westphalia |
| This country was home to a meeting which led to the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement, the Bandung Conference. The leader of that conference was this country’s first president, who advocated for (+) “Guided Democracy” and was later succeeded by Suharto. This country, which executed Australians Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan for drug trafficking, formed the majority of the (*) Dutch East Indies. For ten points, name this Asian island country, the most populous Muslim country in the world, with capital at Jakarta. | Republic of Indonesia |
| As chair of the Foreign Relations committee, this man opposed the annexation of Santo Domingo. In a 112-page speech, he labeled Stephen Douglas the (+) Sancho Panza of slavery and Andrew Butler its Don Quixote; two days after delivering that speech, the (*) “Crime Against Kansas,” he was attacked. For ten points, name this Radical Republican who was caned on the Senate floor by Preston Brooks. | Charles Sumner |
| This President faced a war that was sparked by the Caroline Affair, and he was criticized by Charles Ogle in the Gold Spoon Oration. The Free Soil Party picked this man as their Presidential nominee in the election of (+) 1848, but his presidency was plagued by an economic downturn caused by his predecessor’s (*) Specie Circular Act. For ten points, name this President who succeeded Andrew Jackson. | Martin Van Buren |
| What country fought an eight-year war with Iran, using chemical weapons against enemy troops and Kurdish civilians? | Iraq |