15 History Questions People Always Get Wrong
What Was the Largest Contiguous Empire in History? 2 / 30. ...
Who Discovered America? 4 / 30. ...
What Does the D in D-Day Stand For? 6 / 30. ...
When Was Russia's “Red October” Revolution? ...
When Was the War of 1812? ...
Who Fought in the French and Indian War? ...
Who Invented the Automobile? ...
When Was the Declaration of Independence Signed?
Answers
Answer:
A1.
When Genghis Khan united North East Asian tribes to form the Mongol Empire, he created an empire that would span nearly 15 million contiguous square kilometres at its peak in 1270. (Give yourself bonus points if you can guess which famous building is as old as the Mongol leader.) The British Empire encompassed a whopping 22 million square kilometres in 1920, but its territories were scattered around the globe.
A2.
First of all, let’s not ignore the fact that the Indigenous peoples arrived in the Americas about 23,000 years ago. Even if these history questions just focused on the first Europeans to arrive, Christopher Columbus still can’t claim the glory. About 400 years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Viking Leif Erikson landed in Canada. Columbus didn’t set foot in any of North America during any of his four trips—only Caribbean Islands and Central and South America.
A3.
Trick question—the letter is a placeholder and doesn’t stand for anything, despite claims that it stands for “deliverance” or “doom.” Meanwhile, H-Hour referred to the time the fighting began. For instance, D+1 meant the day after D-Day, while H-2 meant two hours before the action.
A4.
Surprise! The 1917 revolution that established the Soviet regime occurred on Nov. 7. At that point, Russia was using the Julian calendar, which marked that date as Oct. 25.
A5.
You knew this would be one of those trick history questions. The war between the United States and Great Britain and its allies didn’t last just one year. The fighting continued from June 1812 to February 1815.
A6.
Also known as the Seven Years’ War, the conflict involved the French and British fighting over North American land rights. The British won, earning the empire huge territorial gains.
A7.
French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot created a steam-powered vehicle in 1769, but it couldn’t even go five kilometres per hour. Henry Ford wasn’t the first to invent a gasoline-powered automobile (that was Karl Benz in 1886) or even to create an American car on an assembly line (that was Ransom Olds in 1901), but Ford’s Model T did dominate the market for reliability, simplicity, and affordability.
A8.
The United States celebrates its independence on the Fourth of July, but that’s not actually when the document was signed. The country declared its independence on July 2, 1776, which John Adams wrote would become “the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.” The final draft was completed and approved by Congress two days later (July 4) but wasn’t signed until August 2.