| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| This government adopted a motto from the Warring States period, “enrich the state, strengthen the military.” This government abolished the han system, returning land to the central government, and abolished the existing class structure in the Charter Oath. This government’s power was solidified after the Boshin War, in which samurai loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate were defeated. For ten points, name this modernizing government that ruled Japan after the 1868 restoration of the emperor. | Meiji government (accept Meiji Restoration, the government of Emperor Meiji, etc.) |
| Annual performances of this work were long given to benefit the world’s first charity, London’s FoundlingHospital.ThisworkdepictsRomanbagpipersintheinstrumentalPifa,or“PastoralSymphony.” Charles Jennens adapted the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible for this work’s text. According to legend, King George II stood up during in the middle of this work’s premiere. For ten points, name this oratorio by George Friedrich Handel that is often performed around Christmas and which contains the “Hallelujah” chorus. | Messiah |
| A graduate of this school, David “Chappie” James, became the first African-American to reach four-star general rank. In 1932, an unethical experiment that failed to treat syphilis began at this school. Methods for replenishing depleted cotton soil and improving peanut yields were developed at this university by George Washington Carver. Booker T. Washington founded, for ten points, what historically black college in Alabama where a group of black airmen were trained during World War II? | Tuskegee University |
| This event was won five straight times by Taiwan before their defeat in 1980 by Kirkland, Washington. The 2014 runner-up in this event was the first all-black team to win the U.S. title, but was retroactively disqualified; that team, representing Jackie Robinson West in Chicago, was ruled to have violated this event’s residency rules. In 2001, the Bronx team finished third in this event with Danny Almonte, who was later found to be 14 years old. For ten points, name this annual international baseball tournament held in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania for 11- to 13-year-olds. | Little League Baseball World Series (or LLWS; do not accept or prompt on World Series alone) |
| Arthur Wellesley blamed the outcome of this battle on Alexander Cochrane. The losing side at this battle crucially forgot to bring ladders. Jean Lafitte [la-feet] aided the winners of this battle, in which Edward Pakenham was killed while only eight American soldiers died. This battle was fought shortly after the Treaty of Ghent was signed. For ten points, name this War of 1812 battle won by Andrew Jackson in Louisiana. | Battle of New Orleans |
| This novel’s protagonist pursues the affections of both Constance Bonacieux and Milady de Winter, whoconspirestoseparatetheDukeofBuckinghamandQueenAnnewiththehelpofCardinalRichelieu.In this novel, the heartbroken Comte de la F`ere adopts the nickname Athos and fights alongside Porthos and Aramis before being joined by d’Artagnan [dar-tan-YAN]. For ten points, name this novel by Alexandre Dumas about a small group of soldiers who live by the principle of “one for all and all for one.” | The Three Musketeers (or Les Trois Mousquetaires) |
| After this city soundly defeated an opposing fleet at Curzola, the opposing admiral, Andrea Dandolo, committed suicide. This city’s fleet was led by Luciano and Pietro Doria during the War of Chioggia, which it lost, marking the end of its rivalry with Venice. This Ligurian city’s fleet was led at the Battle of Lepanto by Andrea Doria. For ten points, name this city on the northwest coast of Italy, the birthplace of explorer Christopher Columbus. | Republic of Genoa |
| William Seward gave the “Higher Law” speech to oppose this proposal, which was supported by the Georgia Platform. This proposal set the present borders of Texas and rejected a law governing the Utah and New Mexico territories, the Wilmot Proviso. Under this proposal, California was admitted as a free state, the slave trade was banned in the District of Columbia, and a stronger Fugitive Slave Law was enacted. For ten points, name this compromise that prolonged the Civil War for ten years. | Compromise of 1850 |
| In 1893, this country’s eastern border was set at a line drawn by Mortimer Durand that passes through the Spin Ghar mountains. The Amu Darya partially forms this country’s border with Tajikistan. A pair of sandstone Buddhas in this country’s Bamiyan Valley were dynamited in 2001 by its ruling Taliban, and the Khyber Pass is the main border crossing between this country and Pakistan. For ten points, name this mountainous central Asian country whose capital is Kabul. | Islamic Republic of Afghanistan |
| This ruler annexed Bavaria from Tassilo III and conquered Saxony from Widukind, massacring thousands of Saxons at Verden. He divorced his wife Desiderata in 771, then conquered her homeland of Lombardy. This ruler, who established his capital at Aachen, is the subject of an Einhard biography. This son of Pepin the Short restored Leo III to Rome, who crowned him on Christmas Day 800. For ten points, name this King of the Franks and first Holy Roman Emperor. | Charlemagne (or Karl der Grosse or Carolus Magnus or Charles the Great) |
| On this island, the Hova were commoners forced into providing labor or a tax unless they paid a tax to a European colonist. This island was home to the Merina Kingdom until the French overthrew it in 1896; the French then established plantations worked by the native Malagasy people. For ten points, name this large island across the Mozambique Channel off the southeast coast of Africa, home to a modern country with capital Antananarivo. | Madagascar |
| French control in Madagascar was supported by the British at this 1885 conference, which essentially began the “Scramble for Africa.” | Berlin Conference (or Congo Conference or West Africa Conference) |
| This program produced the American Guide Series through the Federal Writers’ Project. Harry Hopkins led the Works Progress Administration, a large component of this program. Early fireside chats promoted this program, which included legislation like the National Industrial Recovery Act and the Social Security Act. For ten points, name this broad series of programs proposed by Franklin Roosevelt to lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression. | New Deal (acceptFederal Writers’ ProjectorFWPbeforesaid;acceptWorks Progress Administration or WPA before said) |
| The National Industrial Recovery Act created this agency to write “codes of fair competition.” Symbolized by a blue eagle, it secured the power of unions but was ruled unconstitutional in 1935 and replaced by the Wagner Act. | National Recovery Administration (or NRA) |
| After the death of this country’s King Alexander I, it was ruled by the regent Prince Paul. One conflict after the fall of this country was ended by the Dayton Accords. One of its rulers was thrown out of the Cominform by Stalin, and had led the Partisans in this country to oppose Nazi Germany. This country’s collapse in the 1990s led to multiple independence wars, which included the Siege of Sarajevo as part of the Bosnian War. For ten points, name this multiethnic state that was ruled by Tito, whose constituent states included Croatia and Serbia. | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (accept Kingdom of Yugoslavia or Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) |
| This territory attempted to break free from Serbia during the Yugoslav Wars. NATO bombed Serbian forces in this state, which is only recognized as an independent country by about half of the world. | Republic of Kosovo |
| This religion was spread to Zeila early in its existence, which led to the creation of Adal. This religion spread along the East African coast after Shirazi founded the Kilwa state, attracting merchants of this religion who previously traded at Mogadishu. This religion was spread across the Sahara desert by Berber traders, and in the Maghreb, it was spread by the Almoravid and Umayyad Dynasties. For ten points, name this religion that spread to Africa from the Middle East after its founding by the prophet Muhammad. | Islam (accept Sunni Islam) |
| The Umayyads held this type of Islamic state, led by a successor to Muhammad, in North Africa. In 2014, ISIS demanded the allegiance of all Muslims around the world in claiming to have formed this type of state, a move that was roundly criticized and mocked. | caliphate |
| This city’s “Yellow Car” streetcars were taken over by the GM subsidiary National City Lines in 1945. In a series of “Water Wars,” Owens Valley farmers attempted to sabotage this city’s namesake aqueduct, which was built by William Mulholland. A portion of Interstate 10 collapsed here in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, whose epicenter was in Reseda, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. For ten points, name this city, the most populous in Southern California. | Los Angeles |
| What neighborhood in South Los Angeles is home to a collection of towers designed by Simon Rodia and was the site of six days of rioting in 1965? | Watts (accept Watts Towers, Watts Riots or equivalents) |
| While in exile, this group formed the “GRUNK” alliance with Norodom Sihanouk. Comrade Duch helped run this group’s S-21 prison, which was established on the grounds of an old high school. Though they were able to overthrow Lon Nol, this group was removed from power following the Vietnamese invasion of “Democratic Kampuchea.” For ten points, name this agrarian communist group led by Pol Pot that ruled over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. | Khmer Rouge |
| Cambodian reporter Dith Pran coined this term for locations where the Khmer Rouge conducted mass slaughters and burials. | Killing Fields |
| This man narrowly won a primary election with the help of a box of 202 ballots from Jim Wells County written in the same handwriting. This man intimidated colleagues with “The Treatment” until they supported him. This president passed Medicare and Medicaid as part of his Great Society programs and surprisingly decided not to run for re-election in 1968. For ten points, name this Texan who became President after the death of John F. Kennedy. | Lyndon Baines Johnson (or LBJ, prompt on Johnson alone) |
| This woman, Lyndon Johnson’s wife, pushed for beautification of federal highways through her own chief of staff and press secretary. You can give either her first name or her nickname. | Lady Bird Johnson (or Claudia Alta Johnson) |
| Two Partition Treaties were signed to prevent this war, while the Barrier Treaties allowed one of the victors to set up a series of forts as a buffer. The capture of Port Royal in Acadia occurred in its North American theater, which was called Queen Anne’s War. Great Britain gained Gibraltar after this war, during which Marshal Tallard was crushed at the Battle of Blenheim [BLEN-um]. This war began after the death of the childless Charles II and the proposed accession of Phillip of Anjou. For ten points, name this war, ended by the Treaty of Utrecht, fought over the throne of the namesake Iberian nation. | War of the Spanish Succession (accept Queen Anne’s War before mention) |
| The military success of the alliance against France was mostly due to these two generals, who worked together at Blenheim and Malplaquet. Name either. | Eugene of Savoy or the Duke of Marlborough (accept John Churchill for Marlborough) |
| Was ended under which U.S. President, who succeeded Nixon without receiving a vote for President? | Gerald Ford |
| Ended with a withdrawal from the American embassy in what capital city of South Vietnam? | Saigon |
| Involved North Vietnamese boats firing on the USS Maddox in what Gulf? | Gulf of Tonkin |
| Included what 1968 offensive, conducted on a Vietnamese holiday, that helped turn U.S. public opinion against the war? | Tet Offensive |
| Included what March 1968 massacre of Vietnamese citizens at “Pinkville”? | My Lai Massacre |
| Involved massive deforestation via the spraying of what toxic chemical? | Agent Orange |
| Involved bombings of what North Vietnamese supply trail that went through Laos and Cambodia? | Ho Chi Minh Trail |
| Included what 3.5 year long bombing operation against North Vietnam that ended just before the 1968 U.S. election? | Operation Rolling Thunder |
| Method used to determine its king until 1791, in which each noble cast a vote. | election (accept word forms, like elective monarchy) |
| Religion it converted to after the baptism of its king in 966 AD. | Roman Catholicism (accept Christianity) |
| City that Sigismund III made Poland’s capital in 1596, and which is still the capital today. | Warsaw |
| The original capital of Poland, site of a university founded in 1364. | Krakow |
| Type of military unit it specialized in, including the use of winged hussars. | cavalry |
| The duchy that united with Poland in 1569, which is now a separate country with capital at Vilnius. | Lithuania |
| the Parliament of the Polish Kingdom, which was paralyzed by the liberum veto policy requiring unanimous votes. | Sejm [”same”, but be lenient] |
| Swedish dynastic house that ruled Poland under Sigismund III | House of Vasa |
| European country that colonized the islands after their discovery by Ferdinand Magellan. | Spain |
| Country that conquered the islands in 1898 after a war with Spain. | United States of America (or USA) |
| Capital city, whose bay was one end of a galleon trade route to Acapulco. | Manila |
| Current President, who served as mayor of Davao City, where vigilantes have killed hundreds of drug addicts. | Rodrigo Duterte |
| World War II general who promised “I shall return” after being forced to abandon the Philippines. | Douglas MacArthur |
| Dictator who ruled the Philippines after World War II and whose wife Imelds owned a ludicrous shoe collection. | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Largest naval battle in history, which occurred off the coast of a Filipino island during World War II. | Battle of Leyte Gulf |
| Female president of the Philippines who came to power after the People Power Revolution. | Corazon Aquino |
| This nation endured a failed 1926 coup by General Emiliano Chamorro who, 12 years earlier, had signed a treaty with William Jennings Bryan. Adolfo D´ıaz twice led this country, which was also ruled by the Somoza family and the (+) filibuster William Walker. In 1986, the International Court of Justice ruled that the U.S. violated international law by mining this country’s harbors in support of a rebel group opposed to (*) Daniel Ortega’s Sandinistas. For ten points, name this Central American country where Ronald Reagan’s administration secretly funded Contra rebels. | Republic of Nicaragua |
| This tradition was criticized in an 1908 Arthur Lovejoy paper about “The Thirteen [of these],” which accused it of defining “truth” and “belief” ambiguously. The “neo” form of this school was developed by a man who rejected the idea that philosophy should be a (+) “mirror of nature,” Richard Rorty. A developer of this school of thought wrote the tract “How To Make Our Ideas Clear” about this movement and worked with (*) William James on its development. For ten points, name this American philosophical tradition, founded by Charles Sanders Peirce and named for its focus on the practical effects of thought. | pragmatism |
| Prior to this battle, the winning commander sent Sicinnus to the opposing camp to fake treason, drawing their forces into an arm of the Saronic Gulf. The losing commander at this battle lamented “my (+) men have turned into women, my women men,” after he observed Artemisia of Halicarnassus ramming her own ally to escape. Athens was (*) abandoned prior to this battle, which vindicated the “wooden wall” navy built by Themistocles. For ten points, name this 480 BC naval battle in which Xerxes’ Persian navy was crushed by a Greek alliance. | Battle of Salamis |
| This war was triggered by accusations about a resource gathered at Rumaila. Scud missiles targeted a barracks in Dhahran during this war, killing 28 soldiers. (+) Norman Schwarzkopf commanded American forces during this war. The destruction of the Republican Guard led to the Highway of Death during this war. During this war, (*) CNN broadcasted live footage of oilfields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi forces. For ten points, name this 1991 invasion that drove Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. | First Persian Gulf War (accept Operation Desert Storm) |
| In 2014 this politician narrowly won re-election against Mike Michaud with 48% of the vote. This politician was threatened with impeachment after he threatened the charity Good Will-Hinckley for hiring Democrat Speaker Mark Eves. After Drew Gattine called this man a (+) racist, he noted “I am after you” in a highly profane voicemail message. This politician was criticized in January 2016 for saying that drug dealers named (*) “D-Money, Smoothie and Shifty” are coming into his state to sell heroin. For ten points, name this current Republican Governor of Maine. | Paul LePage |
| The name of a river in this modern-day country now means “disaster” in French after an 1812 victory for Peter Wittgenstein. A World War II battle fought in this country ended with the creation of the Navahrudak pocket. Napoleon’s forces were harried across the Berezina River in this country. Negotiations held in this modern country gave the (+) Baltic States to Germany; Leon Trotsky agreed to those concessions in the Treaty of (*) Brest-Litovsk. For ten points, name this country led by Alexander Lukashenko from its capital at Minsk. | Belarus |
| This mathematician proved the undecidability of the halting problem. A finite set of user instructions, an infinitely long memory tape, and a symbol reader make up a theoretical (+) machine conceived by this man; if a problem is computable, that device can solve it, according to a hypothesis named for this man and Alonzo Church. A computer that is indistinguishable from a human in (*) conversation would pass this man’s namesake test. For ten points, name this British computer scientist who helped break the Enigma code during World War II before being prosecuted for his homosexuality. | Alan Turing |
| The popular vote margin between this man and Winfield Scott Hancock was less than 2,000 votes. This politician was nominated for President on the 36th ballot after 35 ballots were split between former President (+) Grant and this man’s choice for Secretary of State, James Blaine. This man’s death at the hands of a (*) Stalwart left him with the second-shortest Presidential term in history. For ten points, name this U.S. President who was assassinated in 1881 by Charles Guiteau and succeeded as President by Chester Arthur. | James Garfield |
| Despite the protests of the DNC, Lyndon Johnson snubbed this politician in favor of Hubert Humphrey as his running mate. This politician rose to prominence (+) investigating mafia connections within worker unions, leading him into conflict with the Teamsters and Jimmy Hoffa. Eugene McCarthy conceded (*) California to this politician shortly before Sirhan Sirhan shot this man in 1968. For ten points, name this U.S. Attorney General and member of the Kennedy family. | Robert Francis Kennedy (or Bobby Kennedy) |
| What southernmost Japanese prefecture with capital at Naha was occupied by the United States until 1972 and still retains over 50,000 US soldiers? | Okinawa Prefecture |