The Gang of Five
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => The Party Room => Brain Food => Topic started by: Malte279 on December 06, 2004, 10:48:20 AM
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Hi!
Same as in the German history game questions on history are to be put up here. Anyone who answers a question may come up with a new one, but you don't have to. I'll do my best not to make it too difficult.
Please tell me if I'm of limits, as I want this game to be fun rather than a school lesson for you :)
Which person whose face is on an American banknote was killed in a duell?
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Alexander Hamilton. He is on the $10 bill, and was killed by Aaron Burr in 1804.
Nick
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Who are the only two US presidents to be impeached?
Nick
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Andrew Johnson (1865-1869) and Bill Clinton (1993-2000).
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Very good Arvens. Its your turn to ask a question.
Nick
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Name a few important transportation systems that revolutionized America economically in the early 19th century (1800s). In other words ,without them America probably would not have had as much commercial/economic success.
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The railroad was of special importance, and so were canals that allowed ships to transport goods apart from the large rivers, especially in the North eastern states.
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Railroads- connected Eastern America to California.
Ships- allowed US goods to reach distant shores.
Those are thev ones I can think of off the top of my head.
Nick
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Indeed, canals, railroads, and actual roads themselves helped the transportation network within the United States. I'm giving it to Malte because he mentioned canals, and those were very important by offering a much cheaper (and safer) alternative in the early days of the railroads. :)
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Canals- of course. Good job Malte.
Nick
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Okay, here is the next one about American history.
At which place did they fire "the shot that was heard around the world"?
In a way the question itself is formulated as a riddle, so if the formulation doesn't tell you anything, let me know, and I shall make it plainer.
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I probably have the name wrong but I think it was called Lexington, Massachusetts. :unsure:
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Nothing wrong at all Arvens :)
It's perfectly right! On April 19th 1775 the shot that triggered the American war of independence (that was later refered to as "the shot that was heard around the world") was fired on Lexington green. To this day it is uncertain whether this shot was fired by a British regular or an American militiaman.
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Chalk another one up for the future history middle school teacher. :)
Name the four slaveholding states that did not secede from the Union in the 1860s.
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Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Deleware.
Nick
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A big fat star goes next to the question number and Nick can take the stage. :)
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Name 3 of the 4 presidents who were assassinated.
Nick
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Even though I did't put up the question I can assure you your answer is correct Nick. They were especially worried about the possibility that Maryland might join the South during the first days of the Civil War (which would have resulted in Washington D.C. being surrounded by confederate states. There were riots in Baltimore in these first days, and if I'm not very mistaken these riots caused the first human losses in the Civil War.
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Gee! Two messages were posted while I was working on my last one!
Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William MacKinley, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
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(Something tells me Malte was replying while a new question was put up. :p)
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Please name two presidents who were wounded but not killed or mortally wounded during assassination attempts.
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Theodore Roosevelt is one, but I don't know of another one.
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Theodore Roosevelt is correct. The other one is much more recent a president.
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That would be Ronald Reagan, Malte.
Nick
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Right. Arvens and Nick both got one of the two, so either of them who has a US history question in mind is welcome to post it.
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Which president added the most territory to the US?
Nick
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Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase. :-) I knew it wasn't Alaska because William Seward never was president. :p
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No. Jefferson was #2 on that list. Alaska was purchased in the Johnson administration , which made him #3(663247miles of territory, vs, Jefferson's 828000). There are 8 presidents during whose terms the US expanded.
Nick
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Oops. :o Give another question since I didn't get it right, but the answer has already been given. ;)
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Nobody has given the right answer yet Arvens. You can try again if you want.
Nick
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James K. Polk?
I'm not sure if he really added more territory to the US states than any other president, but he sure was an expansionist. During his presidency from 1845 to 1849 He claimed Oregon for the United States from Great Britain and after the war with Mexico (1846-1848). He claimed huge regions from Mexico which include today's states California, New Mexico, Arizona
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Polk is right. With Texas(268000 miles) and the Mexican Cessation, he added more territory( over 1000000 miles of territory) than any other president.
Here are the 8 presidents:
1. Polk(Mexican Cessation, Texas)
2. Jefferson(Louisiana Purchase)
3. Johnson(Alaska, Midway islands)
4. Madison(Florida)
5. Tyler(Northern Maine)
6. Filmore(Gadsen Purchase)
7. McKinley(Puerto Rico, Guam
8.Wilson(US Virgin Islands)
Your turn Malte.
Nick
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The major battle of one American war was fought weeks AFTER that war had officially been ended! Which war and which battle am I talking about?
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I'd like to say the War of 1812 against the British but I'm only speculating on this one... :unsure:
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The war is right, now just name the battle and you'll get this one.
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*shakes head* I'm no war expert. :( Like I said, I took a guess on that one, and made a pretty good guess...but I know nothing of the actual battles themselves.
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Madison's War or Second Revloation. the war of 1812 is called.
-Threehorn
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The Battle of New Orleans is the name of the battle. 2000 British were killed in the battle, only 8 Americans died. The Treaty of Ghennt had been signed over a month before the battle, but word did not reach America until after the battle, so that it seemed that the British gave in after the battle of New Orleans.
Nick
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Hi!
Arvens and Nick, you both provided half of the answer. Either of you may come up with the next question.
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What island did the US try to buy from Spain in the 1850's?
Nick
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Is it not the one island in one of whose harbours an American ship exploded in 1898? ;)
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Yes. Malte
Nick
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I am going to say the Phillipenes. ;)
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Nope, not the Phillipines, though there too was quite an uproar in the aftermath of the event which I mentioned.
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Wait a sec, who's giving the question, Malte or Nick? :unsure: You both act like you're the moderator of the question....I thought Nick posed the question.
If it's not the Phillippenes (though we did at one time try to buy them) then it's Cuba...it was one or the other, but we did try to buy Cuba at one time and it wasn't successful.
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You are right Arvens, we actually tried to buy Cuba more then once. First for $100 million in 1853, then we raised the price to $125 million later that same year. We tried again in 1861, 1867 and 1893. There was a strong push to formally annex Cuba after the Spanish-American War, but the US had pledged not to do so.
Nick
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At one time this land had two presidents at the same time. Name who they were and the time. ;)
(I had to word it that way without making the question too obvious)
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The US had two presidents, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War. Davis was the Confederate president, Lincoln was the Union president.
Nick
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Didn't matter. :p You still figured it out five minutes after I posted it.
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Name two of the commonwealths that are part of the US.
Nick
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The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Neither are states but we have control over them all the same. :)
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The Virgin islands is not a commonwealth, it is considered a territory. PR is right .there are 2 others that are commonweaths Arvens.
Nick
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Hmmm....*thinks*
I thought the Phillippenes were a commonwealth (maybe they were a territory at one time too)...I'm really trying to do this without looking up the answer. ;)
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Guam? It belongs to the USA, but I don't think it is (unlike the Northern Mariana Islands) a commonwealth.
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The Northern Marianas and Guam are the others. Good job Malte. The Phillipines were annexed but were governed as a territory.
Nick
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Please tell me which US president lost his wife and his mother on the very same day?
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Andrew Jackson
Nick
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Nope, I checked it out to make sure that there weren't two presidents who suffered this tragedy, but Jacksons mother died during the War of independence when he wasn't grown up and had not married.
I'm talking of another president.
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I'd really hate to cheat and have to look it up. :p
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How about James Buchanan(sp)?
Nick
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Did his wife and his mother die on the very same day? I'm thinking of another US president. I may be mistaken, but I think he was the only one who lost both, wife and mother on the same day. One hind, he sure is one of the more famous US presidents.
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I don't have an answer but I did consider giving the answer of a president that was assassinated--then they would have lost their mother and wife on the same day. ;)
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Lincoln
Nick
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Nope, the president that I'm talking of was not killed in an assassination and he had to life to see this terrible day for him. Look to Lincoln's right near the lands this president I'm talking of loved most.
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Roosevelt
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You had more than one Roosevelt ;)
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Teddy Roosevelt
Nick
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Right you are. His wife and his mother both died on February 14, 1884 in the same house. Teddy Roosevelt was so distraught that there is no record of him mentioning his wife's name again.
Did you get my hint about him?
"Look to Lincoln's right near the lands this president I'm talking of loved most."
Mount Rushmore is not far from the Badlands which Roosevelt loved so much (after I visited the Badlands myself I can surely understand why) and he is to the right of Lincoln's face on Mount Rushmore. Did you get that clue?
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Oh yes I got it. Plus Teddy was an ardent conservationist, Lands was a dead giveaway.
Nick
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Who tried to save the life of a President with an invention he made?
Nick
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I know that somebody tried to save Lincoln's life with a device to find bullets within a human body I just can't recal the inventor's name right now.
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No, Lincoln was not the President I'm talking about.
Nick
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Then it was probably Garfield. He lived for quite a while after the "assassination". Some people say that most likely the doctors killed him rather than the assassinator.
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Alexander Graham Bell - (who also invented the telephone used a metal detector he had invented to track down the bullet in Garfields body).
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All this stuff I never knew. :)
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And I did a report on President Garfield years ago. Sheesh! :blink: <_<
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What I read about the "medical aid" President Garfield received after being shot, but not killed is very macabre. This is an excerpt from a webpage on that topic:
Then, on July 2, 1881, Garfield arrived at the Washington railroad depot to depart for New Jersey. He was on his way to visit his wife who was ill and staying in the town of Elberon.
He never got there.
Guiteau was hiding in the station and fired two shots at President Garfield.
Believe it or not, Guiteau actually had arranged to have a hansom cab wait for him outside to take him to jail - he was afraid that an angry mob would form and lynch him. Instead the Washington police dragged him off to prison.
One bullet grazed his arm but the other one had lodged itself somewhere inside the President's body.
Garfield was rushed to the White House, having never lost consciousness.
For the next eighty days, sixteen doctors were consulted regarding the President's condition.
The first doctor, Willard Bliss, stuck a non-sterile finger into the wound (sterilization had been preached, but not widely practiced at the time). He followed this by inserting a non sterile probing instrument to find the bullet.
Bliss never found the bullet, but the false passage that he dug out confused later physicians as to the bullet's actual path. As a result, they concluded that the bullet had penetrated the liver and therefore surgery would be of no help. The President would surely die quickly as a result.
Of course, they were wrong.
Then the army surgeon general stuck his unwashed finger into the wound and dug as deep as he could.
This was followed by the navy surgeon general who searched with his finger so deeply that this time he really did puncture the liver (damage the bullet never did). His conclusion: the President would die within twenty-four hours.
But, Garfield didn't die the next day.
His fever rose and he was put on a diet of milk spiked with brandy.
To nobody's surprise they continued to probe for the bullet with their unwashed fingers.
In an effort to find the bullet, that phone guy Alexander Graham Bell rigged up a crude metal detector to help find the bullet. After several passes, Bell said he had located the bullet. It was much deeper than was originally thought.
With Garfield's condition growing steadily worse, doctors decided to cut him open to remove the slug. It was not found.
What Bell had actually located so deep in the body was the metal spring under the mattress! No wonder they couldn't find the bullet.
In the end, they managed to take a 3 inch wound and turn it into a twenty inch canal that was heavily infected and oozed more and more pus with each passing day.
The deep wound with its massive infection, coupled with possible blood poisoning from the bullet, caused the President's heart to weaken.
Garfield had a massive heart attack several days later, but these well trained physicians botched this diagnosis also.
They attributed it to the rupturing of a blood vessel in his stomach!
Minutes later, on September 19th, 1881, Garfield finally passed away.
At the autopsy, examiners determined that the bullet had lodged itself some four inches from the spine in a protective cyst.
Their conclusion?
Garfield would have survived if the doctors had left him alone.
At his trial, Charles Guiteau argued that he did not kill the President and that the doctors deserved all the blame for the President's death.
That kind of argument would probably get you off today, but it didn't work in the 1880's.
Guiteau was sentenced to death and was hanged on June 30, 1882.
It really makes me cringe reading about those physicians unwashed hands. :blink:
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You are right. McKinley and Garfield would have survived today with modern treatment. Lincoln and Kennedy probably could not have been saved, their injuries were too severe.
Nick
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Okay, here is the next question:
America's flag has 13 stripes, representing the 13 colonies who declared their independence from Great Britain. However, at first they added new stripes for every new state, before they realized that they better just added a new star for the new stats, as otherwise the flag would have a strange measure.
How many stripes did the very star sprangled banner have, that inspired your national anthem?
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15, one for each state.
Nick
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That's perfectly right Nick. The flag we are talking about was the one that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore. It inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The star Sprangled Banner" when he saw the flag still there after the British bombardement of the Fort in the war of 1812.
Your turn.
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The flag is enormous, I saw it when I visited the Smithsonian. The people at the Smithsonian are currently restoring the flag, resewing threads and stars etc. There is one star missing, and a good deal of thread is missing too.
Nick
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Here's a question for you Malte. When was the last part of the contagous US acquired?
Nick
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Are you refering to territory that is an actual state or to territory that belongs to the US without statehood?
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Territory that later became part of a state.
Nick
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part of a state? So it was added to an existing state? My first guess would be that it was one of the Hawaiian islands, but I would be surprised if this was correct.
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No, the Hawaiian islands are not the place.
nick
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I'm guessing when Nick says "contagous" he means the last part of the "lower 48" since they're all connected. ;)
I'm going to take a nice stab at it since I'm positive I have this right (without looking at anything) - it would be the area near North Dakota and Minnesota that we acquired from Great Britain in the 1870s.
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In my history book, that area was acquired in 1818. So that's not the one.
Nick
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If that's wrong, then it was the Gadescen Purchase (area around New Mexico and Arizona) in the 1850s. There were only two places in the US that I could think of that would fit the bill.
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The Gadsen Purchase is correct, we acquired it in 1853 for $10 million and it became part of Arizona. Your turn Arvens.
Nick
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Ack, sorry for the horrible spelling there. :p
Slaves were freed from their bondage when Union President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law and it took effect on January 1, 1863. True or false? (you'll need to explain your answer)
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False, since it only freed the slaves that were in area that were in rebellion against the Union(the South). It was a symbolic blow, since Lincoln had no power in those areas to enforce his decison. It did not address the slaves in the loyal slave-holding states.
Nick
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Trick questions...you actually have no idea how long they kept teaching that the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery. :blink: Try 13th Amendment. :p Some teachers....
Your up Nick. :)
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How many electoral votes were in dispute in the 1876 election?
Nick
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I think it was one or two votes....very small number...
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No. It was more than 1 or 2.
Nick
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If my mind serves me correctly, it isn't a large number.
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Historically speaking the number was very large.
Nick
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But less than 100....
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Yes. less than 100. There have been very few elections where votes have been in dispute after election day, but this is one of them.
Nick
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I don't have the exact number I'm afraid. :( I'd hate to look it up and cheat.
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There were 20 in dispute in 1876. I know that doesn't seem like a large number but there have been very few elections where votes were in dispute. Hayes won all 20 votes to edge Samuel Tilden by 1 vote 185-184.
Nick
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Anyone who wants to give a shot at asking the next question, feel free to do so.
Nick
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Then I shall. :)
This group had for some sixty years been trying to establish certain rights for their group but did not see success until the passage of an amendment in the 20th century.
(This sounds like something you'd hear on Jeopardy. :lol: )
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What are Women?
Nick
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*in his best Alex Trebek voice*
Right you are, select again. :lol:
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By how many votes was President Grant's bid for a third term defeated?
Nick
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Sorry, I don't know such election results by heart, and I can't find it at google either. All the pages just seem to say that Grant got 306 votes in 36 conscutive ballots, but they don't say by how many votes Garfield won.
It would have been sort of interesting if Grant had won. He would've had to run against his Civil War time subordinate W. S. Hancock.
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The count was 233 to 18.
Nick
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(side note: I hate using the internet to find the answer because I feel I cheated :p)
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I do not consider it cheating. Who knows how to get information will be able to find information if there is need. Nobody is able to remember all the information about everything that may ever possibly be asked. I don't suppose that anyone here could answer questions about precise election results without looking them up. In case of this vote against a third term of office for Grant I didn't find it. I guess we need a new question Nick.
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I have a very good memory I so I can remember stuff like that. Here is another. Which impioverished country asked to be annexed by the US in the 1870's, and by how many votes did the Senate say no?
Nick
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No idea.
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Keep trying Malte. The country is in the Western Hemisphere
Nick
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I suspect it to be some Latin American country, but I tried google with keywords such as America refuse annex annexion 1870, 1871, 1872... 1879. etc. Even if I did find something about it, I seriously doubt that they put the vote result up. Like I indicated, I'm not too good at remembering numbers unless I have a direct interest in them (I can remember dates of historical events that interest me). However, in general I care more about the consequences of a vote than about the numbers; more about what a president said or did than the number of voters who brought him into office (unless this is of significant importance as it is in some cases).
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I really think it was Puerto Rico or Cuba.
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It was neither of those , but was in the Carribean.
Nick
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Could it be Jamacia because of the sugar industry?
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No, But you're getting closer to the country's location.
Nick
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I just thought of it....we had a big stake in Panama and we actually owned the canal until 1999....might it be Panama?
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No, in the 1870's Panama was still part of Columbia. It didn't gain its independence until 1904.
Nick
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It was the Dominican Republic, the vote in the Senate was 28-28, 1 vote short of passage.
Nick
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I guess you just post another one since nobody figured out your last one. ;) Try to keep it a little more simpler I guess because I don't think there was any way we would have figured that one out. ;)
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Alright, I keep forgetting that I know more about US history than most people. I'll try to make the questions easier. What was Woodrow Wilson's re-election slogan(note the events in Europe at the time)?
Nick
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Off the top of my head, I know it has to do with isolationism and staying of out Europe's problems because I recall the chant "He kept us out of war."
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That's it. 'He kept us Out of War' was his slogan. He won re-election by a narrow margin, but declared war on Germany in 1917. Your turn Arvens
Nick
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Perhaps this year in 20th century American history was our most dire year as it easily could've seen the end of the nation. Name the year, and the event that could've possibly destroyed our country, had it been taken to the next level.
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1962? The Cuban Missile crisis? Taken to the next level it would have probably destroyed more than "just" the United States.
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:yes That's what I was looking for.
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Of what did president Dwight D. Eisenhower warn in his farewell address to the nation? (A speech which I consider very important).
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Oh, boy this is on the tip of my tongue, and if I don't put something on the table now Nick's going to get when he comes on again. :P:
I think it's something about being prepared for a rough future in regards to the missle stockpiling versus the Soviet Union....
Darn...I know I've heard this before..... ;)
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It was not so much the Soviet Union he warned of, though it had to do with it. Still my pessimist side thinks that the warning in that speech is still VERY up do date, which is one reason why I broach the subject. They did talk about this speech in the US history lessons during my students exchange.
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The proliferation of automic weapons due to the arms race?
nick
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No, it was more basic, but nothing less important a warning.
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Don't start a battle you can't win or would bring destruction of allied partners?
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No. It was more like a warning of a thread from within. A danger not entirely caused by other countries or their weapons.
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Hmmm.....I think you can tell by now I don't really know the answer. :P: I'm going out on a limb here--something that really became a problem around then had to do with human equality and social justice...is it that?
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Good guess,. I don't know if that's right, but Its still a good guess.
Nick
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Quoting from Eisenhowers farewell address:
Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peacetime, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
I think that this warning is still very much up to date if one considers who funds election campaigns and who profits from some unpopular policies of governments.
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*cough* Well that doesn't apply to Bush and co. <_< Halliburton sure made out with Iraq contracts.
Do you want to give us another question, Malte?
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Sticking with famous speeches, what did John F. Kennedy describe as our (Americans' and Soviets') most basic common links in one of his most famous speeches, held not very long before his assassination?
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Our similar culutires, perhaps?
nick
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Nope. Same as with the Eisenhower address there are way too many possible possibilities for this one to be guessed. I guess it needs to be looked up.
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Well I'll keep guessing anyway :P:
Nick
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I don't suppose you'll ever get the answer that way. It would be more than a coincidence if by chance you guessed the same formulation JFK used in this famous speech (which was held at a university by the way). What's the problem about entering the keywords at google?
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i'm lazy that way. :P: Since you insist , I'll goggle to find the answer. A 1963 JFK speech, given a few months before he was killed? Interesting.
Nick
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Using google is actually the lazy variant compared to checking out the millions of possibilities of what JFK might have said. Add the words "most basic common link" to your search and you are sure to get the speech.
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So its something the US and USSR had in common? Hmm.
Nick
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It is really not difficult to find out about what he said.
Our most basic common link is that...
Just go on.
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A speech on a nuclear trest ban? He gave it in june of 1963, saying the US and USSR had common interest in making sure that thier people were not harmed by the fallout of testing, and that the arms race threatened the safety of booth the Russian and American people.
Nick
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No.
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So it was even lter than that? Ok.
Nick
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Really, all you need to do is entering Kennedy and the part of the speech I've given you already at google and you will get the part of the speech I'm talking of right away.
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Maybe this is it ."For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's future, and we are all mortal."
A speech given by JFK on June 10, 1963, at American University
Nick
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That's it.
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:D Finally!
Nick
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Your turn.
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Let me see. What was the nanme of the scandal that tainted the Harding Administration? Harding served from 1921-23.
nick
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The Teapot Dome Scandal?
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Yep. Your Turn Malte. Teapot dome was the name of a preserve owned by the Navy that the secretary of state tried to sell.
Nick
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Which state gained its statehood very late due to what may be described as "religious" differences?
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Utah- It didn't gain statehood until 1896 due to the Practicing of Polygamy by the Mormons.
Nick
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Right and your turn. :)
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When was Alaska given territory status?
Nick
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1890s give or take ten years, please since these aren't dates I can just pull out of a hat. I can give you an era, but not the exact date.
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Alaska ws given territory status in 1900. Close enough Arvens.
Nick
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This giant compnay was broken up into many smaller companies in the 20th century after the govt concluded it had a monopoly on the market, though ironically many of the smaller companies are falling into bankruptcy once again.
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AT&t (otherwise knoown as the "baby Bells"
Nick
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Yep...reason I underlined like I did was so you didn't answer Standard Oil. :P:
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Standard OIl was early 20th century, and I knew the difference between to two monpolies.
Nick
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Yeah, but I just said 20th century. ;) And if I didn't write that the companies "are still going" bankrupt, you could've technically put either one down for an answer since after both, the little companies couldn't make it on their own, and ended up part of large conglomerates/mergers anyway. ;)
Either way, the question is yours to create.
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who was the richest man in American History?
Nick
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Bill Gates
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No, Gates is #2.
Nick
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Andrew Carnegie
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No.
Nick
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John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937).
By the way, it is sometimes good to take a look at the ways those people became rich. Carnegie for example is known for the huge donations for the public good he gave in his later years. But he earned his money by exploiting his workers without mercy, same as many of the other richest people in history.
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^ That would've been my last choice. :P:
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That's how people usually become rich, by cheating. Rockefeller was worth $1.4 billion when he died, equal to 1/65th of the nation's GDP. Bil Gates matched that at one point, he was for a few days worth $131 billion. Now, of course, he is worth about a third of that.
Your turn Malte.
Nick
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Which American general (and KuKluxKlan Member) gave his name to a character in a movie which deals to a good part with the topic of this thread? (Full name of the person please).
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So he fought at Gettsyburg then?
Nick
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I never said so.
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Nathaniel Forrest comes to mind.
Nick
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Right.
Nathan Bedford Forrest, a southern cavalery general and later a high ranking member of the KKK (which is sometimes "gracefully" overlooked by contemporary historicans as well as the fact that he ordered the murdering of colored Federal soldiers who had surrendered to him at Fort Pillow). He is likely to be the general of the civil war who killed most enemy soldiers himself. As he fought in the western theatre of the war he didn't take part in the battle of Gettysburg. The movie character named after him is "Forrest" Gump (they say he is named after Nathan Bedford Forrest in the movie). Forrest Gump by the way is a movie which I recomend anyone to watch who hasn't seen it already.
Your turn Nick.
-
Where was the Original capital of the confederacy?
Nick
-
Montgomery, Alabama. Only after the shelling of Fort Sumter and the joining of Virginia to the confederacy did Richmond, Virginia become the capital.
-
Correct. Montgomery was the Capital for about 6 months, then Richmoind became the capital until the end of the Civil War. Your turn.
nick
-
What did the murderer John Wilkes Booth call after he had shot Abraham Lincoln, and what do his words mean (the words are not English)?
-
Sic Semper Tyrannus-"thus always to Tyrants!-
Nick
-
sic semper tyrannis indeed. Your turn.
-
What injury did John wilkes Booth Suffer during his jump?
Nick
-
A broken leg, but he still traveled to his hideout, but was caught anway. ;)
-
^ Not really caught, but killed during the attempt to arrest him. Your turn Petrie I guess, isn't it Nick?
-
Correct. Your turn Arvens.
Nick
-
What role did the "Wine Islands" play in our country's development?
(This one's pretty hard....good luck. :))
-
Was it not the name given to America by the Vikings who landed in America? Vinland?
-
Nope, that's not what I had in mind. I've a feeling our local historian might know the answer I'm after. :yes
Hint: you went too far back in history as well....way too far back.
-
The Wine islands are located on the coast of British Columbia. They were first explored by the Russians , then the British, through the Hudson Bay company, laid claim to the area which later bdeecame part of British Columbia. Probably not what you're looking for though. The 'wine islands' i guess were a nickname for the Bahamas, wwhen Columbus landed there in 1492.
Nick
-
*sigh* I'm scrapping the question...it's too specific and unless you by chance came across it in history, you likely aren't going to know it.
The "Wine Islands" are the islands of Madeira and what I was basically looking for in terms of how it shaped our country was the fact we wanted to be independent yet we wanted to buy the expensive foreign wine in the 1760s.
Anyhoo...new question because that one sucked. :rolleyes:
What's wrong with the following statement:
Buy your Model T Ford today; it's durable, reliable, and you can get any color you want.
-
I don't think the color part belonged into Henry Ford's original slogan, did it? I'm just guessing.
-
All Model T's were black, The slogan went " you can get any color you want, as long as it's black"
Nick
-
Yeppers, Nick got it. :) Kind of a silly oxymoron isn't it? :P:
-
yep, it is silly. But Ford made a fortune selling them.
Nick
-
*drums claws* Nick forgot to post a question. :lol:
-
Oh. What did Ford call the model that replaced the Model T's?
Nick
-
Model A's. Hopefully you're not looking for an explanation why because I don't have one! :P:
-
Yep. It was a subtle change from the Model T's. Anyway, your Turn.
Nick
-
This actress, not born in the US, but has lived here most of her life, has been divorced well over a dozen times, and I think is over 80 years old and still alive (we'd know if she was dead).
-
ZsaZsa Gabor. She's 88. She has had 8 husbands.
Nick
-
Yeah...I didn't remember her number of husbands. :p
-
Can you name another Actress that has had 8 husbands?
Nick
-
No. :lol: Is the person still alive?
-
Yes. She is.
Nick
-
I don't follow Hollywood lifestyles to know the answer. The only reason I knew of ZsaZsa was because she was in the Guiness Book of World Records for having been divorced for so many times.
-
Elizabeth Taylor.. She actually has only had 7 husbands, she remarried one of them.
Nick
-
Since uh, I didn't answer, you can make another question, Nick.
-
Ok. Name one of ZSa Zsa's famous sisters.
Nick
-
Eva Gabor. ;) That wasn't too hard.
-
Yep. Among other roles, she played Miss Bianca in both Rescuers films. Your turn Arvens.
Nick
-
Yep. Among other roles, she played Miss Bianca in both Rescuers films. Your turn Arvens.
Nick
That's the only way I knew her. :lol:
One of this American company's global products is named Opel.
-
Is it a house cleaner?
Nick
-
General Motors, no doubt!
There were strong protests over here, because GM intends to fire several 1000 workers in their Opel factories in Bochum (our nabour town where I attend university). Opel is a car producer.
-
Your turn Malte
Nick
-
Well, Arvens didn't confirm my answer, but I'm certain enough about it to post the next question anyway:
Exactly 90 years ago, on February 8th 1915 a movie was released in the United States which was the first movie that covered a whole evening (it lasts about 3 hours). The movie deals with a part of the American history, but the content is "questionable" to say the least.
Please give the title of the movie and (if you want a special cheer) the alternative title which was discarded, as it showed too obviously the "political message" of the movie.
-
It deals with The Reconstuction and specifically the rise of the KKK.
Nick
-
You are talking of the same movie I'm talking of. It also covers the time of the Civil War.
I watched the movie very recently (in the University Library) and I was a bit surprised that it was "permited".
-
The Glory of thier Times' I think Is the name of the Title.
nick
-
Nope. None of these words is included in the title.
-
I've heard of it i just can't remember the title <_<
I give up :angry:
Nick
-
Don't give up too quickly. It was made by D.W. Griffith. One should easily find the title at google if you search for this name and a few keywords about the movie's content.
Don't look at me so angrily :(
-
(It's up at the beginning of the page, but yes, Malte did answer mine right; its General Motors) ;)
Heh, don't take the " :angry: " too seriously Malte....he's just frustrated he couldn't find an answer. I got that from him in one of the role play sections too and it's nothing personal.
-
"The Birth Of a Nation"
I meant to put in the sad emoticon, but angry one appeared. No hard feeling meant Malte.
Nick
-
Oops...guess my reply somehow didn't appear before yours. :huh:
-
Must be due to the time difference between your location and mine.
Nick
-
"Birth of a Nation" is correct Nick. I was quite surprised when I watched it, for parts of it are quite obvious a falsification of historic facts, some of which are so absurd that it is almost funny again if it wasn't so racialist. Still with the appropriate distance the movie is an interesting historical source.
Your turn Nick :D
-
Hmm. Let me think Of a question..
Nick
-
What was the name of the first Film shot by Edison?
Nick
-
The Widow Jones (1896)? He did shot movies prior to that, but I don't know of any of them having a title.
-
'The Kiss' was filmed in 1895 . It lasted for all of 13 seconds.
Nick
-
So are you comming up with a new question, or may I?
And speaking of this, I guess either way the next question ought to be posted in the new section for the tough questions.
-
You Can if you want. This thread will likely be closed I presume.
-
Why close it when all you have to do is move the whole topic? :unsure:
-
Name the river named after a liquor and what role it played in US history. One hint for the lord of the rings fans among you, there is a river of the same name in Tolkien's famous book. A funfact for land before time fans, there was a road with the name "Great Valley Road" running paralell to the river.
-
The Brandywine River is the name of the river in the LOTR. Brandy was one of the liquors banned in Prohibition.
Nick
-
Brandywine is what I was looking for. The reference to US history I was thinking of is a different one though. George Washington was defeated in the Battle at the Brandywine (a river) on September 11th 1777. Washington and the continental army were still lucky though. As he relied on incorrect maps that didn't show a ford which allowed the British to attack Washington's flank the whole army might have been surrounded and captured if it hadn't been for the warning of a local farmer who knew the terrain.
As the name was right it is your turn to come up with the next US history question Nick. :)
-
Who led the Green Mountain boys?
-
Daniel Morgan?
-
Nope
-
Then I'm not sure if we are talking of the same Green Mountain Boys. Could you give some more background information please?
-
The Green Mountains are located in the New England region of the US.
Nick
-
And those Boys unless I'm extremely mistaken were a group from the time of the American Revolution, were they not? I fear that many other groups (e.g. famous sports teams) may be named after the Green Mountain Boys I was thinking of, so I really want to make sure we are talking of the same group.
-
Yep those were a group from the Revolutionary War period who fought against land claimants fron New York before the war, and the British during the war.
Nick
-
Ethan Allen was their first commander (and I admit that I had to look it up). Is he the one you were asking for (he wasn't the last)?
-
Yep, he's the one I'm looking for. Your turn Malte.
Nick
-
Okay.
Please name two people who fought on one side in the civil war, while other members of their family fought for the other side (one of the especially tragic facettes of the civil war).
-
Mary Lincoln had three of her brother fight in the Civil War, One on the Union side and the other two on the Confederate Side,
Nick
-
One more and the turn is yours.
-
Robert E. Leee had a brother fight on the Union side I believe.
Nick
-
??? I never ever heard of that. To be honest, I'm quite sure he didn't have a brother on the other side. Sorry, but unless there is some more certainty I can't accept that one.
-
I wasn't sure about that.
Nick
-
The better it is :) This way the game is more than just killing the time, but also has a "teaching effect". Find out about one more person who fought for one side with relatives on the other and the next round is yours.
-
Sorry....don't have an answer....that wasn't one thing we were required to learn when I took a civil war course. :unsure: Do I get brownie points for saying that Lee was offered the chance to fight for the Union but turned it down because he cared about his home state of Virginia more? :P:
-
You are certainly right about Robert E. Lee being not only offered to fight for the union (an "offer" that was given to any US soldier no matter if he was from the north or the south) but was even offered command over the whole federal army.
Winfield Scott, the leader of the Federal armys at the beginning of the war had said in 1858, that Lee was the best soldier he had ever seen in the field (namely in Mexico).
An alternative for the families split by the war: Name three pairs of people who knew each other from the time before the war and knew each other well or had met each other from the time before the war.
There was hardly an officer on either side who didn't know somebody wearing the uniform of the other side.
-
Didn't learn that either, but I'll gladly eat my brownie points. :lol:
-
Let me think..
-
Here are some riddle verses that describe some of the people who would match the criterias of the question. Maybe they'll be helpful... or confusing beyond all recognition.
One of five brothers who led the black hats and later fought indians.
Another brother whose picture was turned facing to the wall after he had made his decision. The rock of the river of blood.
The hat on the sword and the "superp". Both also knew the highest ranking Albert Sidney to fall in this war and the highest ranking to die in the same battle as he who put his head on the sword.
The leader of the infamous charge and the highest leader of his opponents.
The tanner's son of Ohio and his most famous enemy who suggested him for promotion 13 years earlier. The promotion being delivered by him who also confronted the tanner's son when he let the big river flow into the see unmolested once more. And don't forget the Old Warhorse attending the tanner's son's wedding.
The father in law whose famous son in law said that he would regret his decision and regret it only once.
The son who fell on father's hill along with many others.
-
The Leader of the infamous charge was Pickett and the enemy was Meade.
Nick
-
With Pickett we have one to whom I was refering. The other mand however was not Meade as one might suppose upon reading about the highest ranking from the other side. This however included not only military ranks.
Meade knew people who fought for the South too, but I don't think Pickett was among them.
If this is getting boring to you, please let me know and I shall think of something else.
-
Grant and Lee. Grant Was a Captain. Lee A General in the Mexican American War.
Nick
-
They had met each other. For all I know Lee had mentioned Grant in one of his reports and recommended him for a distinction. However when Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomatox Grant asked Lee if he remembered him from Mexico, Lee said that he didn't. It was not a very close relationship.
Anyway, this is drawing out too much so with those you've given me you may come up with the next question Nick. Here are some more examples:
General Grant was a good friend of Lee's "Old Warhorse" James Longstreet, who was one of the most famous confederate Generals (who also commanded Pickett's charge even though he had repeatedly protested against that attack). Longstreet attended Grant's wedding and after the war Longstreet became a republican and got offices during Grant's presidency.
One of Pickett's brigades during the infamous charge was commanded by Lewis Armistead, who became famous for being one of the few to make it across the stonewall on Cemetery Ridge (with his hat put on the tip of his sword) before being shot down. He was a very close friend (a brotherlike relationship) to union general Winfild Scott Hancock whose Corps was hit by Pickett's charge. Hancock was seriously wounded during that fight.
Speaking of Pickett's charge, George Edward Pickett himself was so close a friend to Abraham Lincoln that he forbade anyone to talk bad of Lincoln in his presence.
Another general to be wounded during Pickett's charge was John Gibbon of North Carolina, who fought for the north while three brothers of him fought in the confederate army.
General George H. Thomas from Virginia also fought for the union. His family never spoke with him again and a portrait of him hanging in the house of his family was turned to face the wall.
There are many more examples for such tragic splits of families and friendships during the civil war.
-
How much did the US pay Spain to acquire the Phillipines Puerto Rico and Guam?
-
12.5 million?
-Threehorn
-
Nope, it was more than that.
Nick
-
Was thinking about the time it happened... I say then around 40 million guess for a guess.
-Threehorn
-
Nope. The Us paid $20 million for the 3 territories.
Nick
-
So my first answer was the closested lol
-Threehorn
-
Since I can't think of any questions at the moment, you can ask one threehorn.
Nick
-
I don't know much about the USA though so I am partly left in the dark here
but I will give it a short
What is the last state to become a state? in what year as well.
-Threehorn
-
Both Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. Alaska joined in January, and Hawaii in August. So Hawaii is the last state to enter the Union.
Nick
-
I thought it was Utar... I saw in books that it was the last one to become a state because of it was in conflict with Regilon around the other states.
-Threehorn
-
Nick is right Threehorn. Even though Utah's gaining of statehood was delayed by concernes about the Mormon church being too involved in the area's government Utah was granted statehood in 1896, so it became state no. 45 out of 50.
-
Utah's statehood was delayed for 6 years because of the practice of polygamy. It became a state in 1896.
-
Before this quiz becomes lost, here is the next question:
Who was the American who said:
War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.
I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.
and
Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.
-
Lucky Luciano
-
Nope. Who is Lucky Luciano?
-
An Italian mobster who became the head of one of new York's most powerful mob families.
Nick
-
He was not a Major-General though, was he?
-
No. It was just a wild guess
-
I doubt many of us have ever heard the name of the man who said this. I recommend you to check google for some keywords from the quotes I gave you.
-
Andrew Mellon?
-
Nope. Who was Andrew Mellon?
The American I'm asking for lived in late 19th early 20th century. And when he talks of operating on three continents, he means it.
-
I think I'm wrong but it might be Teddy Roosevelt.
-
No, but the person in question lived about the same time and conducted some of his "jobs" during Roosevelt's presidency.
These jobs were conducted among other in China, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic.
-
So he must hae aided in ending the BOxer Rebellion.
Nick
-
Captain Myers?
Nick
-
He was indeed part of the Boxer rebellion expedition. But his name wasn't captain Myers.
The one I'm talking of frequently described war as racket. A ship of the US navy during WW2 (not a big one though) was named after him.
Who was Andrew Mellon and who was Captain Myers?
-
Meellon was the Secretary of State during the 1920's. Myers was involved in the Boxer rebellion. i don't remember his name, so I simply called him captain.
-
Sounds like you've stumped us....definitely me. :P:
-
Alright, perhaps the person in question is simply not famous enough. His name was Smedley Butler. I thought him to be better known as his quotes are often used by people critizising globablisation in our days.
I do not mean to stump anyone. It is not a good question if it can't be answered.
-
Who was the historic person who probably was the model for "Uncle Sam"?
-
Hey, that's how we learn. What was the guys name again? :lol JK. Give us another question please.
Nick
-
The guy's name was Smedley Butler and the next question is:
Who was the historic person who probably was the model for "Uncle Sam"?
-
Sameul Wilson. He was a butcher.
Nick
-
Indeed. Even though historians are not entirely certain about the origin of Uncle Sam Samuel Wilson is one of the best guesses.
During the War of 1812, Wilson was in the business of slaughtering and packing meat. He provided large shipments of meat to the US Army, in barrels that were stamped with the initials "U.S." Supposedly, someone who saw the "U.S." stamp suggested -- perhaps as a joke -- that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The suggestion that the meat shipments came from "Uncle Sam" led to the idea that Uncle Sam symbolized the federal government.
Speaking of initals on barrels, I heard of food barrels being marked with B.C. for Brigade Commissary during the Civil War. Looking at the content of the barrels the men however "interpreted" the B.C. as before Christ :lol
Your turn Nick.
-
Besides Cuba, which Caribbean country has the US sent troops more often than any other?
-
I think that would be Panama (9 military interventions since 1895) closely followed by Nicaragua (8 interventions since 1894).
There were "only" 6 military interventions against Cuba (counting the Naval blockade during the missile crisis), so it is by no means the country with US troops were most frequently sent to.
-
Very good Malte. Your turn
-
Which was the first American aircraft carrier to be sunk in WW2 and in which battle was it sunk?
-
USS Arizona during Pearl Harbor
-
She was a battleship, not an aircraft carrier. At Pearl Harbor the battleship Oklahoma capsized before the Arizona was fatally hit. Anyway, there was no aircraft carrier in the harbor on December 7th 1941, which was even under the impression of the horrible attack a stroke of luck for America. The carrier I'm talking about was by the way (unless I'm very mistaken) the last to leave the Harbor before the attack.
-
Yorktown
-
Nope. The Yorktown was sunk by a Japanese submarine after being damaged in the battle of Midway. She was not the first US carrier to be lost though. The Yorktown took part and was damaged in the very same battle during which the first US carrier was lost. It was also the battle in which the Americans sunk a Japanese carrier for the first time.
-
The USS Hamann
Nick
-
Never heard of her.
-
She was sunk in this Battle of Midway, the first US ship to be sunk in the Battle.
Nick
-
Nope she wasn't.
The Yorktown was the only US carrier to be sunk at Midway.
There was no ship of the name USS Hamann sunk at Midway. Anyway, like I said, the first US carrier was lost in a battle prior to the battle of Midway.
-
I must have mispelled the name. Anyway, it's wrong, so back to the drawing board.
Nick
-
The carrier I'm talking of was named after a "battlefield" (more like a skirmish, but still of tremendous importance). The battle had it's "aniversary" just a few days ago.
-
Perhaps the Lexington?
At this website: http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_prewa.htm (http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_prewa.htm)
It was said that the Lexington on 8 May 1942, just about a month before Yorktown was lost.
-
I Think you're right kenji
Nick
-
Indeed he is! :)
The Lexington was indeed the first carrier to be lost. Fataly damaged an American destroyer gave it the final torpedo after the survivals of the crew (and according to what I read parts of the ice-cream on board) were evacuated.
-
Way to go Kenji! Now It's your turnn to give us a question.
Nick
-
Hmm...I'm going to have to think of a good one. The one I have right now is pretty much about a movie, but it does have some American history behind it. (a little inacurate in my opinion)
-
Are you refering to the Patriot, by any chance?
-
Just ask :) There are many interesting movies on history. It is sort of fun to pick out the historical mistakes in those ;)
Of course I don't know whether I've seen the movie you mean to ask about or if I have seen the English version (in case English quotes play a role).
-
Ok. I'll do this one:
In the movie "Far and Away" (starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman), the story plot spoke of a great immigration to America, but there was something in the movie that was inacurate to the actual history. What was the mistake? And this is not somebody's quote or character.
-
I have to admit that I never saw the movie.
But certainly others have :)
(Actually I find it quite an interesting idea of yours Kenji to expand the questions on movies of historical content).
-
I've never seen Far And Away, so I'm just guessing here. Does it have to do with Italian immigration?
-
It's a 1997 movie starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and it's actually has to do with Irish immigration. The movie kind of has to be watched to see the mistake I saw in it. Good movie, though.
-
I suppose if nobody watched it we really need a different question. But I like the general idea of movies' historical mistakes being included in this. We just need to know which movies everyone has seen. Perhaps we should all post a list of movies about US history we've seen.
-
So we place our lists in the Silver Screen forum?
-
I don't think so. After all it would still be about history. An own thread could be opened for a "movies' historical correctness quiz". However, actually I don't really care whether it is to be put in the Brain Food or the Silver Screen Forum.
In that case anyone taking part should post a list of all the movies about US history he or she watched and remembers, so we know which movies can be asked about...
If we open an own thread for it, we should expand it to include all history movies and not just those about American history which would rule out movies such as Braveheart, Titanic, Gladiator, the Battle of Britain etc.
Either way, I think we need a new question in this thread.
-
I'll set up a Movie Trivia thread so you bcan ask your questions kenji.
Nick
-
Ok then. I'll let someone else do a different question in this thread.
-
Alright then. malte its your turn.
Nick
-
Okay, please give me the name of the man who boasted that with 80 men he could ride through Sioux country and who died along with 80 men he was leading during a fight with the Sioux.
-
Custer
-
Nope. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was probably the most famous white man to be killed in a fight with the indians, but he was killed along with more than 80 men at Little Big Horn and he never claimed that with
80 men he could ride through Sioux country.
-
Even though the battle in which that person we are looking for was killed was also named the battle of Lodge Tail Ridge it became more famous being named after the person we are looking for.
-
Battle of Wounded Knee?
Nick
-
We are searching for the name of a man, obviously an American officer. There was no officer named Wounded Knee in the 19th century US army (and I doubt there was ever after).
-
Ok then...
-
I'm sorry. I guess my last commend sounded harsh rather than funny. However, as a name of a person is in question (the one who claimed he could ride through Sioux country with 80 men) the answer Wounded Knee was really unlikely.
-
No you're respomse wasn't harsh at all. It's just that humor and sarcasm don't translate well to thew screen. "Ok Then.. was simply me thinking of a different answer.
Nick
-
I already gave you one name of the battle (lodge tail ridge) but it became much more famous under a name including the name of the person in question.
-
Feterrman(Sp)? He was the Captain of the group
-
Captain William Judd Fetterman indeed is the man asked for. The battle became best known as the "Fetterman massacre".
-
What was the Name of the short-lived California Republic?
-
Bear-republic? With the bear still being in the Californian flag?
-
Yep.
-
Name at least two US presidents who were wounded (but not killed) during assassination attempts.
-
ReAgan and Teddy Roosevelt.
-
They are the two I have been thinking of as well. Your turn Nick.
-
OF the 4 president who were killed, Who died the soonest, and who hung on the longest?
-
I think Kennedy died the soonest with the official time of his dead being something about half an hour after the shots were fired at him (and it is questionable how much life was left in him after the fatal head shot).
Abraham Lincoln lived several more hours and died in the early morning hours after the day John Wilkes Booth pulled the trigger.
William McKinnley died eight days after being shot at.
James Garfield lived the longest (I think about three months). Garfield was killed by his doctors rather than by the one who shot at him.
-
Correct? May I come up with the next?
-
Yes, You may.
Nick
-
Name the five tribes of native Americans who were patronizingly named the "civilized tribes".
-
CHerokee Seminole Choicataw, and I can't think of the other two.
-
The three are right. Google the others. There is really nothing easier than that.
-
Was one of them by chance the Iriquois of New York? They had a system of government in place between many tribes.
-
No, The Iriquos are of the Five Nations, not the civilized Tribes.
-
The Iriquos were none of the 5 so called "civilized tribes". But here is one fun-fact for you. Officially the Iriquos are at war with Germany (they sent a declaration of war to the German government in 1917 after the United States had joined World War I, but they never officially accepted the German capitulation). However, in 18th century they also declared war on the French, and at another time the British and never officially made peace, so we are not without allies ;)
Anyway, we need two more tribes and they can easily be found through google if you do not know them by heart.
-
The others areCreek and chicasaw
-
Right and your turn.
-
Name 3 of the 'Forgetable' presidents.
-
You mean presidents who are not deep into the public consciousness nowadays?
If so I would go for William Henry Harrison (president in 1841 known maybe only for dying so soon after entering office), Chester Arthur (president from 1881 to 1885), Warren Harding (1921-1923).
Other possible candidates from my point of view would be Millard Fillmore 1850-1853, William Taft 1909-1913, and Calvin Coolidge 1923-1929.
-
I'm refering to Presidents from Grant to McKinley. These are Called the forgetable presidents. Arthur was one of them. now name two others
-
I had no idea that they were classified as forgetable based on the time of their presidency.
Others would be Grover Cleveland who is at least known for being the only president who was in office for two non subsecuent terms (1885-1889 and 1893-1897) and James Garfield, mainly known for being the second president to be assassinated though it were the surgeons rather than the assassin who killed him (1881).
Are all presidents between 1877 and 1901 considered forgetable?
-
Yes, the period between 1865 and 1901, produced president that many Americans can't recall today. For that reasoon they are called forgetable, also they did not achieve much that was lasting during thier terms. Although Cleveland was probably the best president during that time, that's not saying much.
-
Quite remarkable! After all the Spanish American war of 1898 falls into that time and it really was kind of the "signal" of America's rise to a world power. Several territories were gained during that war.
Anyway, next question.
Against whom was the first American war after the war of independence fought (and no, it was not the British in 1812)?
-
They fought an undeclared war with France frrom 1798 to 1800, and they fought the Barbary pirates in 1804. so I would say Barbary pirates.
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The Barbary pirates are indeed whom I meant. With a bit of makabre humour one might say that the first official American war was fought against Muslim terrorists. :lol:
Your turn Nick.
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Very Macabre, but I get it. what was the last area the US Acquired before the Loiuisiana Purchase?
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Acquired by purchase? I honestly don't know of any territories the US bought from a foreign power between 1776 and 1803. Or are you talking of land taken from the indians?
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Wasn't Florida purchased from the Spanish around that time?
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^ Not before 1819 which means about 16 years after the Louisiana purchase.
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In 1795, the US signed a treaty with Spain, with spain ceding an area covering most of present day Alabama and Mississippi. While this area was technically part of the Us according to the 1783 Treaty iof Paris,Spain maintained a claim to the area and established forts there.
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^ One never stops learning. Thanks a lot, I had no idea of that.
As the question wasn't answered, are you going to come up with the next one?
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Of Course. Which Carribean islland was acquired by the US under a Guano Act?
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Navassa?
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Corrrect. Your Turn.
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Which was the first country that recognized the United States and in which way was the recognition shown?
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FRance, by inviting Ben Franklin iover as the Us Ambassador
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No, France is not the one.
This is quite difficult a question, so I will provide you with the date the event I'm talking of happened: November 16th 1776.
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Spain?
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Nope not Spain either. It is not one of these huge nations, though it still had some influence at that time.
I guess I have to sort of rephrase the question as this "official" recognition was ordered by only one official in charge while the formal recognition by the whole government took place not before 1782. England declared war to this country during the time of the war of independence.
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Holland?
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under which circumstances?
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Well, Holland was a naval rival to the English. I'm really jusat guessing here.
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No, what I mean the nature of that first recognition of the US. I'll give you one more keyword. Combined with the others you have already it will be easy to find out about the answer at google. The keyword is St. Eustasius.
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The Fort on the Dutch island of Statia was flyimng the American flag which to the british was equal to a recognition of America.
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By the time I'm talking about there was not even such a thing as ONE official American flag. There was quite a variety of US flags at that time. However, it does have something to do with a fort and a flag.
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The US'flag was raised and a nearby boat gave a salute, which to the british was a recognition of American independence. They demanded that the Dutch Comander pull down the flag. He did eventually.
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For all I know it was an American ship with an American flag entering the harbour firing a salute (as it was common in these days) and the Dutch commander returned the salute which was a recognition of the ship sailing under the flag of a legitimate country.
Your turn Nick.
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In other words, close enough :P:
What was the name of the fort located on mAnhattan which was the last Defense of New York City?
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During the war of independence you mean?
If so you probably refer to Fort Washington whose capture by the British was a hard blow to the continental army. The fort however was located about 9 miles north of the town which had already been taken by the British.
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Yep, that's the one. Your turn Malte
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Staying at the same place and at the same time; there were three battles fought close to New York when it was taken by the British. Please name those three battles (not the one for Fort Washington).
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i Can't think of them at the momemt. please list them so we can move on, please...
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It would be easy to find at google :( , but if we have to move on...
The battles were at Brooklyn Hights, Kip's Bay, and Haarlem Hights.
Everyone knows Gettysburg as the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, but who can name the second bloodiest (by number of casualties)?
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Battle of the Wilderness?
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Nope. Though I think the two days battle in the Wilderness ranks among the 10 bloodiest battles it was not the second bloodiest. That one however also covered two days.
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Shiloh?
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Nope, not Shiloh, but it was a battle that took place in the western theatre of the war.
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So It took place west of Shiloh.. let me think...
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I didn't say it was west of Shiloh I just said it was in the western theatre of the war which excludes the many battles which were fought in Virginia and other east-coast states. Shiloh is one battle that was fought in the western theatre.
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oops my bad then malte...
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The name of the battle is a name of native American origin. Translated to English it would mean "river of blood".
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Chickamauga(Sp)?
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That's right. In that two day battle in Georgia (very close to the Tennessee border) more than 40 000 people were killed or wounded. Only at Gettysburg more people were killed or wounded, but they fought for three days around Gettysburg.
Your turn Nick.
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that battle is rarely mentioned over here... odd...
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I suppose that's because already by the time of the Civil War itself the focus of attention was on the eastern theatre of war, even though it was ultimately won in the west.
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That's a good explaination malte.. let me think of a new question...
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I will let you ;)
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how long did US forces occupy Cuba after the Spanish_american War?
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Cuba was granted "independence" in 1902. A strange independence though it was; limited by the Platt Amendment, which granted the United States a major influence in Cuban affairs, even occupying Cuba a second time from 1905 to 1909. Also the basis at Guantanamo is held by US troops to this day. I wonder what Cubans think of the people there.
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Well, that's a good question. They probably aren't as rabidly anti-Us as castro would like, I would say. Plus we will hold Gitmo (shorthand for Guantanamo) until at least 2033, and castro will be (finally)gone by then. Then we'll see about guantanamo. There are a frw hundred cubans living at the base, refugees from when castro took over. They are alowedspecial visa which allow them to live there and are considered Us citizens.
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I was thinking not only of the Americans at Guantanamo, but also of the prisoners there. Anyway, was the answer correct?
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Yes you are right malte...
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What did two lanterns in the Old North Church of Boston signal to whom?
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they signaled the all-clear to the American forces...
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Clear for what anyway? What troops? And no, actually it signalled no all-clear. Quite the contrary actually. I give you a name that might be helpful: Paul Revere.
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:slap that was the signal that the British were coming, and revere rode his horse to warn his fellow Americans of that fact. And I call myself a American history buff <_<
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Almost there, but still not exactly. They were almost certain the British were coming that night, but they had agreed that either one or two lanterns in the Old North Church of Boston would signal something particular about the British approach. What exactly did the two lanterns mean?
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they would signal the direction and the size of force the British were sending?
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No. Just one very particular thing that can be described in one sentence. It has to do with their route.
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They would be using the main road into Concord?
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For all I know there was ONLY one road to Concord they could possibly take. The meaning was different and I don't think it can just be guessed.
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geez... Alrright I'll look it up...
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It's been a while since I saw this part in US history. Did it mean that one lantern lit warns that the British troops will come from the land, and two lanterns meant from the sea?
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Perfectly right Kenji! Two lights meant the British were coming the short way with boats across the bay, while one light would have meant that they were taking the longer way across the Neck of the Boston peninsula.
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Thanks kenji.. I was getting embarassed there, US History is supposed to be my forte :slap
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I'm surprised I guessed right. Never had any history classes for over 3 years. Give me a while to think of a question.
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Of course. It would be nice if you could hjoin me and Malte in these games, it gets kind of lonely having only two people. :(
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Your turn Kenji :)
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I can't believe I can't think of anything. <_< Must be because I hit my head too many times trying to come up with something. :bang I'm afraid I'm going to have to forfeit my turn over to someone else...
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I'll post one.
Name the first year of the running of the famed Indianapolis 500.
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1911
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yep, that was the first year Stitch. Nice job!
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Here's a "recent" item:
What caused one of the "Big 4" to go out of business?
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I am not familiar with the term of "Big 4" and Wikipedia provides quite a bunch of "Big 4s". None of them seems to fit though.
My wildest guess is that the "Big 4" might be four leading people in the US government in which case the person in question is likely to be Colin Powell. He resigned partly because of the role he played in the prelude of the war in Iraq.
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Big 4 refers to the biggest suppliers of something every company needs, especially around tax time.
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Accountants?
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Yes
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Arthur Anderson?
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Big 4 doesn't refer to the four large tv networks that were created when tv first became mainstream does it? ABC, NBC, CBS, and Dupont....
Only "Big 4" I could think of. :lol:
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You got the company, Nick22
What put it out of business?
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Illegal insider trading Stitch. it was hit with enormous fines which bankrupted the company. Anderson had helped hide billions in losses incured by Enron, which was at one time one of the world's largest companies, valued at nearly $200 billion in worth. But after the book-cooking was revealed, Enron went belly-up taking the life-savings of thousands of employees and millions of investors. Arthur Anderson was implictated in the shenaginagans, and it too went belly up.
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You know your business news.
Your turn.
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Enron wasn't the Only company Athur Anderson dEalt with that went bankrupt. Name another.
Nick
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I can't believe I missed this.
Worldcom also went bankrupt.
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Yep . It was another mulitbilion dollar company that ruined its investors and shareholders. Your turn Stitch.
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What has happened only 4 times in the history of the presidential election?
(happened to Bush)
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I'm taking a stab at this before Nick gets here. :P:
I'd say he won the Electoral College, but not the popular vote.
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Yep the others were John Quicy Adams lincoln and Bejamin Harrison. Adams didn't win in the electoral college either.
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That's it. He won the job, but not by popular vote.
Your turn.
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Your turn Roger...
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I forget every now and then.....
There were only three times when an "independent" candidate for the presidency (not from the majority parties) earned over 10% of the popular vote. Name all three instances and who was running for which party.
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I can only guess here (as I don't know the exact election results), but would that be George Corley Wallace (1968 for the American independent party), John Bayard Anderson (1980, independent), and Ross Perot (1992, independent)?
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Well, you got one of them Malte--Ross Perot in 1992. The other two you need to go back over eighty years.
One of the others was from a "progressive" party and he's known for a toy. The other is much trickier to catch, but just about every kid has heard of this guy...he's that well known.
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"Teddy Roosevelt. the Teddy bear was named after him... Robert Lafollete recieved 5 million in the 1920 election.
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But Roosevelt was a republican, wasn't he? And at least for his first term he wasn't elected at all but suceeded as vice president of the assassinated president McKinley.
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Teddy Roosevelt is a correct answer, but the time I was looking for was when he ran for the Progressive Bull Moose Party.
The last one is tricky. The reason its tricky is because we don't think of this person as having been an independent/3rd party candidate but at the time of the election, it was a third party, and wasn't one of the major two. This "independent" candidate won the election. Any ideas who it might be?
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I'm a bit confused about this. Is not an independend canidate somebody running without any party? Or does it exclude only those who are running for the two main parties?
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I think I'm just confusing people with this question.
Believe it or not, the answer is Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party. At this time, the two main parties were the Democrats and the Whigs, so that would make the Republicans in 1860, a third party, or lesser party. I probably didn't word the question that well so you'd really have to get lucky to guess that one.
Malte can give the next one.
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:slap With all the books I read about the time I ought to have known. It is hard nowadays however to consider a republican candidate independent :lol:
Without this man the United States would probably not exist (or at least with a very different history), yet you will not find any memorial in the United States bearing the name of this man. There is in fact a memorial to the brave leg of this man, and others which describe the man, but never ever show his name.
Why is that and who is the man I'm talking about?
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The Whiga were nonexistent by 1856 Roger, they were replaced by the Republicans.
Baron Von Steuben
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No. There are certainly monuments in America that bear the name of von Steuben. That never named man I'm asking for was an American himself. The answer should include why there are no memorials with his name despite the fact that the war of independence would have probably been lost without him.
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Did this person particpate in a pivotal battle?
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And most likely it was him who won that pivotal battle for the American cause.
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There were not too many battles as decisive as I described throughout the war of independece. You know that you can rule out certain people (not exactly a shortage of Washington monuments for example ;)) Think about the one man whose name I expect many of you have heard as it became almost idiomatic for a kind of action that deprived this person from the credits he would have been given had he not committed that particular action. Whom am I talking of?
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Benedict Arnold.
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:yes And what did the man do (part of the question for those who don't know)?
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Common. Just a few lines on what he did, please.
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Sorry.. anyway. Arnold switched his loyalty to the Brtish and turned over a key fort to them. Arnold was one of the Army's most gifted generals there was talk during the low period of 1776-77 that Arnold would replace Washingtoon as Commander of the American forces.
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^ The victory at Saratoga was primarily his work. It came at a time when the American cause could not have stand many more defeats. The victory however was of major importance to convince the French to join the war. Without their support the war would almost certainly have been lost.
Arnold found that he was not given proper credit for his victory at Saratoga (Horatio Gates got most of the credit while his actual part in the victory has been questioned in later times), also Arnolds wife (a fierce Loyalist) probably played her part in her husbands treachery.
He did not actually hand over the Fort to the British as the plot was discovered early through the capture of British major Andree who had met Arnold before. Andree was later hung (a fact many Americans mourned almost as much as the British) while Arnold managed to flee in time.
You all know the Fort he meant to hand over, though you will know the later established militry school rather than the fort itself. It is West Point.
Your turn Nick.
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What disputed election ended Reconstrution, and why was it so Disputed?
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The presidential election of 1876 in which Rutherford Hays became president.
The other candidate, Samuel Tilden defeated Rutherford Hayes in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 votes yet uncounted. These 20 electoral votes were in dispute: in three states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina) each party reported its candidate had won the state, while in Oregon one elector was declared illegal and replaced.
With a really serious constitutional crisis impending the U.S. Congress passed a law forming a 15-member Electoral Commission to settle the result. Five members came from each house of the U.S. Congress, and they were joined by five members of the United States Supreme Court. William M. Evarts served as counsel for the Republican Party.
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Very good Malte. What was the make-up of the 15 members? And what surpreme Court Member played a pivotal role in the outcome?
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I don't know if those gentlemen used any make up :P:
Actually this is a second question, but these are the names of the people:
Thomas F. Bayard
Allen G. Thurman
George F. Edmunds
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Oliver Hazard Perry Morton
Josiah Gardner Abbott
Eppa Hunton
Henry B. Payne
James Garfield
George Frisbie Hoar
Nathan Clifford
Stephen Johnson Field
Joseph Philo Bradley (He was the one who played the pivotal role as this Republican replaced independent member David Davis so the margin was turned in favor of the Republicans)
Samuel Freeman Miller
William Strong
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I was looking for Davis, as he was to be the 8th Democratic member of the commitee
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Yeah, he decided it by being replaced. It was the vote that was cast instead of his which decided the matter and the vote cast instead of Davis' was that of Joseph Philo Bradley.
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Yep, it's your turn.
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Please name at least three pairs of famous Northerners / Southeners who were friends or relatives but fought on different sides during the Civil War.
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"i'm going to have to Google on this...
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I never ever forbade you to do that -_-
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Lincoln had relqtives on both sides, mary Lincoln had one brother fight for the Union and 3 (I believe) for the Cionfederacy. That's one.
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I think Mary Lincoln had no less than nine brothers fighting for the confederacy, while she was a vivid supporter of the federal cause. She definitely makes for one example. Please give me two more.
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Andrew HJohnson was another, and I think Stanton had sons on both sides...
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Please give always at least two people to make a pair. Name a southerner with whom Johnson was a good friend. I couldn't find anything about sons of Edwin McMasters Stanton. Can you give me any sources?
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I was merely guessing with Stanton...I don't think that that answer is correct, after reflection.
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Some historical movies also mention friendships between northerners and southerners who fought on different sides during the war. Some cases are really well known. Come on, it is not that difficult.
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Did Nathan Beddford Forrest have relatives on the Northern side?
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I asked YOU about this :huh:
But no, I don't think he had.
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Geez... :D Ok then... I'll gyuess Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis had relatives on the Northern side (family that is..')
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Please give always at least two people to make a pair.
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Drat... i keep forgetting that rule...
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Could you like provide the answer and ask another question? Mt brain is kinda blank at the moment -_-
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Another question, if you please Malte...
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Alright, alright, but after I had to come up with the whole list of barely known court members in the 1876 election I didn't expect my question to be any more difficult. Here are some more examples for the answer:
Lewis Armistead (South) and Winfiled Scott Hancock (North) had a brotherlike relationship before the war. Armistead was killed during Pickett's charge and Hancock was severely wounded in that attack.
Speaking of George Pickett, he was a friend of (believe it or not) Abraham Lincoln. His man were not allowed to abuse Lincoln in his presence.
General Longstreet (Lee's "Old Warhorse) was a very close friend to Ulysses S. Grant. Before the war he had introduced Grant to his cousin Julia Dent, who was to become Grant's wife. (While they were not "friends" Grant had been recommended for an award during the Mexican war by Robert E. Lee. Grant was given the award by John Pemperton, a Pennsylvanian who later surrendered to Grant at Vicksburg).
Another close friend of Grant's was Simon Bolivar Buckner who had lent money to the totally bankrupt Grant in 1854. During the Civil War Grant demanded Buckner's unconditional surrender at Fort Donelson. When Grant died Buckner was one of those who carried his coffin.
During the Mexican War navy lieutenant Raphael Semmes shared a cabin with John Winslow. With the C.S.S. Alabama Semmes became the best known Southern privateer during the war until the Alabama was sunk by the U.S.S. Kearsage commanded by John Winslow.
George Henry Thomas (the "Rock of Chickaumauga") was the only of his Virginia family to fight for the north while all of his brothers fought on the other side. The image of George Thomas in his family's home was turned to face the wall.
Another Southerner to fight for the north was Robert Anderson. He commanded Fort Sumter when the the shots at the Fort triggered the war. Those who fired the shots were commanded by southern general Beauregard who had been a student of Anderson at West Point.
Another friend of Beauregard from the days of the Mexican War was George B. McClellan who commanded the army of the Potomac and became notorious for his quarrels with Lincoln.
Another commander of the army of the Potomac was Joseph Hooker who fought alongside with later southern general Albert Sidney Johnson (the highest ranking officer to be killed in the Civil War).
Southern cavalry commander J.E.B. Stuart had a father in law who fought for the union. The two almost came to face each other during the peninsula campaign.
Northern general Doubleday and Southern general Archer were old colleagues. The two met briefly at Gettysburg where Archer was captured.
The list goes on.
Anyway, here is a different question you asked for. Give me six names for three battles. Many of the battles in the Civil War had different names in the North and the South (often the northerners named the battles after landmarks and southerners after the towns where their headquarters had been during the battles). Give me three battles and two different names for each of them.
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Bull run- Madrass is one battle.
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Make that Bull Run - Mannassas and it is indeed.
Two more with two names and the next turn is yours.
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The Wilderness -Campign_can't recall what it was called in the South. And.. geez I have a poster at home covering the Civil War, and I can't recall the battles! :(
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The Wilderness Campaign obviously was a whole Campaign, not a single battle. It was called the "Overland Campaign" too, but the different descriptions didn't originate from different names for the north respecitvely south. I don't think there were any battles through that Campaign which had different names depending on which side of the line you were. While I think there are some alternative names for the major battles of the Campaign (Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor) I don't think any of them dominated in the conscience of northerners respectively southerners. It almost seems as if in later stages of the war most battles were known by only one main name. So I recommend you to look in the earlier years of the war. Wikipedia may be helping.
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Thanks Malte.. I'll do that..
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^ Did you do it?
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Shiloh (pittsmans Landing)
Leesburg(can't remember the Southern name)
There's the other two
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Shiloh - PittsBURG landing ;)
Leesburg - (Funnily you named the least known of three names under which this battle is known. A different name was finally widely accepted on both sides of Mason Dixie. Knowing one name however will make it VERY easy for you to find out at least one of the other names).
Give me one alternative name for the battle of Leesburg and the stage is yours.
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Ball's Bluff...
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Correct. Ball's Bluff is the name most frequently used for this battle. Harrison's landing is another one.
Here are a few more Civil War battles with more than one name (I write the US name first and then the CS, but in some cases the various names were used on either side. In some cases the US name became more frequently used, in some cases the CS name is dominating. In a few cases neither is generally favored):
Antietam - Sharpsburg
Stones River - Murfreesboro
Fair Oaks - Seven Pines
Logan's Cross Roads - Mill Springs
Chaplin Hills - Perryville
Opequon Creek - Winchester
1st Cold Harbor (this name came up only after a second battle was fought here in 1864, while the battle this name refers to took place in 1862) - Gaines Mill
Glendale - Frayser's Farm (this one is also known as Nelson’s Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, but the first two names clearly dominate).
Wilson's Creek - Oak Hills
Pea Ridge - Elkhorn Tavern
Malvern Hill - Poindexter’s Farm
Beaver Dam Creek - Mechanicsville
Your turn.
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Of the 4 assinated U.s presidents, list them in order of how long they survived after being shot, from shortest period, to longest.
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John F. Kennedy - was declared dead about an hour after the shooting.
Abraham Lincoln - died in the morning of April 15th (about nine hours after Booth's shot).
William McKinley - was shot on September 6th 1901 (4:07pm) and died on September 14th (2:15 am).
James Garfield - lived for almost three months after the assassination. He was shot on July 2nd 1881 and died on September 19th. He might have survived if only the doctors had left him alone rather than rummaging through his whole body in search for the bullets.
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correct. Mckinley and Garfield would have survived with modern treatnment. Lincoln and Kennedy would have been lost causes though.
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Who invented the name "America", when did he invent it, after whom was America named and why was it named after that person?
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Amerigo Vespucci, was an Italian mapmaker who claimed to have visited America. On this claim(which was spurious) the region was named America, in his honor, by the time ist was discovered that he had lied, the name had stuck.
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Not quite.
Amerigo Vespucci is indeed the man after whom America was named. He did participate in several expeditions to the New World (never as the "leader" of the expedition though), while he really didn't participate in every expedition he was later given credit for.
Amerigo Vespucci never claimed the name "America" for the new discovered land. The name was invented by somebody else (who indeed later tried to "correct" the name, by which time the name had stuck already). There is however one particular discovery Columbus never made for which Amerigo Vespucci is given credit. This discovery was the reason for another man to name the new continent America.
Who invented the name, and what was the discovery Amerigo Vespucci made (that discovery is not some kind of land or territory as such) that caused America to be named after him?
I'll stroke the negligible point of when the name was invented from the sequence of questions I put up. The name "America" was used in 1507 for the first time.
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I get it he found South america.?..
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Columbus too had reached continental South America. It was not a particular territory or land that was the discovery of Vespucci. Here is a helping hint: When he died, what did Columbus think he had found?
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A path to the indies , (what was called the "northwest passage)
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Having that in mind, what do you suppose might have been the discovery of Vespucci?
And who was the guy who came up with the name America (a German by the way)?
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Martin Waldseemueller, and the discovery by Verspucci was that South america was much larger than previously thought..
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Martin Waldseem¸ller is correct.
Only the discovery of Vespucci is yet to be answered. Keep in mind, Columbus had thought he had found the sea passage to India. Amerigo Vespucci's discovery was not that of a particular territory. What might it be?
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Vespucci was the one to determine that the northern and southern continents of the New World were separate from Asia.
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True :yes
Vespucci was the first who figured out that the newly discovered continent was a new continent (at least he was the first to say so aloud).
Nick22 or Grievous55, first one of you who makes it here may post the next question.
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besides the United States, which country is the oldest in the Western Hemisphere?
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Haiti?
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Yes, it was founded in 1804... although for most of the 200 years since it has been unstable, and it remains so today..
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...big surprise looking at what was done to this country throughout its history.
Which former US President got burried with the flag of the confederate states of America strapped over his coffin?
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Would that be andrew Johnson? no... that's not right..
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No way. The Southerners considered him a traitor. He died after the end of the Civil War (as Lincoln's successor his presidency was almost completely after the Civil War).
It may be helping to know that the candidate we are talking of was called "his accidency" when he came to office. Of course there was a reason why he was called that name.
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Was it Ford?
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Nope. His presidency was much longer after the Civil War than Andrew Johnson's. The president we are talking about was in office before the Civil War.
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I'm an idiot. John Tyler, the 10th president of the united States, who sided with the South after the Confederacy was formed and was elected to the Conferderate congress. It hit me after I posted My Johnson guess :slap . He tok office after the death of William Henry Harrison in April 1841.
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Correct (about John Tyler, not the idot part :P:). John Tyler was the first Vice President to take office after the death of a president and established the role of the Vice President as an actual sucessor of the president (Tyler had some quarrel with the Congress about this. He refused to open any letters adressed to John Tyler acting as president of the United States.
Other than establishing the role of the Vice President there is little remarkable to be said about his presidency.
Be my sucessor here and post the next question Nick ;)
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good one. What act of Congress became the main article of Impeachment against Andrew Johnson? There were 11 articles in all, and the were 3 attempts to impeach him, the third was sucessful.
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The Tenure of Office Act, according to which:
every person holding any civil office, to which he has been appointed by and with the advice and consent of the Senate ... shall be entitled to hold such office until a successor shall have been in like manner appointed and duly qualified
The Act had been passed in anticipation of Johnson's attempts to remove Edwin McMasters Stanton from office. Johnson claimed the act to be unconstitutional (and indeed the law was ruled to be unconstitutional, but only in 1926).
None of the three votes in the Senate during the second impeachment attempt (obviously the first attempt had been unsucessful) actually succeeded. The last vote however kept Johnson in office by a margin of one vote, making him pretty much of a lame duck.
To this day no US president was ever successfully impeached and removed from office, though it can be taken for granted that this would have been done in case of Nixon had he not resigned first, to be pardoned for everything by his sucessor.
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Yes, in Nixon's case the only question would have been how many voted to convict, I can't imagine that he would have had less than 90 votes against him. I think The Ford pardon was a mistake...Nixon's midsdeeds dserved incarceration and dishonor. I doubt Bush will be impeached, although I think he deserves it, first for the Iraq war, second for the NSA wrietap and stripping of habesus corpus for detainees, and thirdly for the attempts to justify torture..Rumsfeld and Cheney are also liable to prosecution...
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Unlikely as it may be we should at least not consider it impossible. Only if we believe it to be impossible it will be. It would take some guts however to speak up in favor of such action. It remains to be seen if somebody in the right position has that guts.
Anyway, was the answer the one you were looking for?
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Yes it was... :)
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Having learned a bit about US presidents of lately I'm going to stick with them for a while:
Which US president had to watch his son being crushed to death in a train accident?
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That would be grant.. right?
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Nope. As a matter of fact Grant was lucky, loosing none of his four children to an early death (as happened very often back then). All of his children (two daughters and two sons) survived their dad to live into 20th century.
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Theodore Roosevelt?
-
Nope. One of Roosevelts three sons, Quentin Roosevelt, died before his father, shot down as a pilot during WW1. His other three sons and two daughters all survived him.
The president we are talking of was a 19th century president, and none of the most famous.
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So that narrows it down... Franklin Pierce?
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Indeed. He and his wife were in the same train but survived the accident. Your turn.
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He served from 1852-1856. Name me the "forgettable presidents. There's several of them..
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I think the term forgettable presidents or those who are to be labeled forgettable is somewhat disputed (and with a certain justification I think), but the interpretation of who was forgettable which I heard most frequently names all the presidents from Rutherford B. Hayes to William McKinnley as "forgetable".
apart from those two that would be James Garfield (perhaps he died too soon to be remembered for anything but incompetent surgeons), Chestar A. Arthur (to this day I wonder why the assassinator of Garfield was so keen to get Arthur into office (that wish was his motive) his previous performance as Collector of the Port of New York did not exactly cast a good light on him), Grover Cleveland (he wrote about women's suffrage: "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote. The relative positions to be assumed by men and women in the working out of our civilization were assigned long ago by a higher intelligence." So let's better ban him from our mind ;) One thing that shouldn't be forgotten totally is that he kind of put an end to the dwindling of presidential power to the Congress who had cut presidential powers ever since Johnson), Benjamin Harrison (Perhaps the coldest fish ever to sit in the oval office. When a friend told him: "For godness sake, be human!" he responded: "I tried! I failed! I will never try again!" people probably didn't want to remember).
I find it kind of sad to see McKinnley listed among the forgetables and even sadder to see him remembered as the president that led the nation into the war against Spain. He was a pacifist at heart and conceded to the cries for war on Spain only when it was certain that he would be overruled anyway. More than most of his predecessors (under the strong impression of the Monroe Doctrine) he looked beyond the borders of the US.
There are more presidents who may deserve the label "forgetable" more than some of those whom I've most frequently been told to forget about.
Calvin Coolidge in my oppinion deserves mainly to be remembered for thinking that the president shouldn't do anything at all to be remembered. William Henry Harrison must be remembered for heroically defying the nasty weather during his inaugural speech (refusing to wear a coat or a head) which drastically shortened his working time in the White House.
Coolidge's predecessor Warren G. Harding is another worthy canidate I think. He was a compromise choice among the canidates and was picked because he had no enemies. He didn't have any enemies because he didn't do anything at all that would have alienated anyone, he didn't do anything that anyone would have liked either. His presidency was overshadowed by corruptcy. At least he was the first president to visit the state to be Alaska -_- .
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Well Done those are the "forgetable ones" Whether through lack of ability, or Fate of assassination, those presidents did not leave much of a record. I incluge Grant as forgettable, because while he was a great war hero, he was not a politician, and his government became very corrupt..
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The question is whether a government should be forgotten because it was corrupt. Forgetting mistakes means not to learn from them.
Staying with US presidents' personal tragedies, which president lost both his mother and his wife on the same day?
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andrew Jackson?
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No.
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theodore Roosevelt?
-
Indeed. His mother and his first wife died within a few hours.
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Which country pettitioned the Us the US to annex it in the 1870s, and how close did it come to being annexed?
-
The Dominican Republic. A majority of the people voted in favor of being annexed by the US, but US Congress didn't play along.
In later times the Dominican Republic was occupied by US troops (1916 to 1924), but never annexed.
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Yes, but I'm also looking for the vote on it. The Senate deals with treaties like this, not the entire Congress.
-
It does prove very tricky for me to get such numbers from the net. Perhaps the US version of google is more ready to provide these details. I've been trying checking out .gov pages in particular, but while I got a number of 99.3 of the Domincans in favor of the annexation back then I didn't find any reference to the outcome of the US Senate vote.
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grant was in charge at the time, had a more able president been in charge the Senate would have approved..Although it is interesting that such a high percent wanted to join.. they'd be a state now, and probably better off than they are in an economic sense
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While I still didn't get a number for the Senate vote. I expect I could find it in the university library, but quite frankly that would take up more time than I'm ready to give for this game. One remarkable thing about the whole business is that apparently Senator Seward, the very same who bought Alaska (an undertaking which was named Seward's fooly back then), played a major role in preventing the annexation of the Dominican republic. Knowing your stand on this I don't presume you will ever forgive Seward about that one, will you?
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the voted was tied 28-28, with a 2/3rds bvote needed to pass. Considering that Seward was an expansionist, I'm suprised he would oppose adding terotory to the union. I'm guessing racism was involved, since the Dimincians were black.
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Perhaps Seward just wanted to annoy Grant (they didn't get along too well). Perhaps Seward still remembered the "Seward's Fooley" headlines about the Alaska purchase (which was conducted during Johnson's presidency). After all Alaska hadn't "paid off" at all by that time.
As for the matter of racism I'm not too sure about it.
In fact some of those in favor of the annexation had much more racist plans about the Dominican Republic. Some people suggested that "the freed slaves should do something for their freedom" that is they actually suggested that the freed slaves, to gain all their rights, should have to leave for that island, so white people in the South wouldn't have to live with their former slaves. :angry:
My turn?
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Yes it is your turn. That idea was called repatriation" and there were attempts to create a colony for the former slaves. All of them failed...
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"Creating a colony for them" is one way to look at the matter. Deporting them to a place where they won't bother racist neighbours is another way to look at it.
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Yes, I'm well aware of the "getting them out of the way part.."
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Yes it is your turn. That idea was called repatriation" and there were attempts to create a colony for the former slaves. All of them failed...
Did they? What about Liberia? Does that count?
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I suppose that to discuss we would have to define when a country could be considered as "failed". Liberia has gone through terrible times which certainly wasn't what the freed slaves had hoped for. At least of lately things are improving a little.
I forgot to post a new question. Sorry about that. Here we go:
What plan (which was never carried into action) was codenamed "Operation Vulture" by the US military?
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liberia was an independent country, and considering that it still exists, it was a sucess. As for your question. Operation Vulture was a planned bombing raid on Dien Bien Phu in 1954. It would have tried to help the French against the North vietnamese.
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So a country is always a success so long it is independent? Is independence really the only thing that matters about the question whether or not a country is to be considered a success?
Your answer is correct. The considerations for "operation vulture" even included the use of nuclear missiles.
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In comparison to the other attempted colonies, yes it was a sucess. Naturally independence alone does not make a country a success.. look at Somalia. in order to be sucessful, a country must have a stable government, a monopoly over violence, and the loyalty of its people, just to name 3 things.
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And more things need to be added, for loyalty can also be the result of fear or huge propaganda campaigns or persona cults conducted by very foul governments. Look at North Korea. The three points you named can be applied to that country (at least while the ruler lives the government is fairly "stable"). I suppose the welfare of the people is another crucial (perhaps the most important) point about how sucessful a country is.
It's your turn Nick.
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Keeping with Liberia, what US president did the Liberians honor by naming thier capital after?
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James Monroe. The capital is named Monrovia.
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indeed, your turn..
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During which American war an order was issued to kill every citizen of the enemy country who was older than 10? And who did issue that infamous order?
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World War II? I'dimagine it was Hitler..sounds like something he'd do in 1944-45...
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Nope, not WW2. The person who issued the order was actually an American. It was not by the way a war between American's and native Americans.
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Another hint, the order was given little more than a 100 years ago while the end of that war is less than a 100 years past.
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Would that be Woodrow Wilson?
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Woodrow Wilson? You can't be serious! The man who worked so hard for the Leage of Nations (UN's predecessor), who was a convinced Pacifist, tried to stay out of WW1 and ultimately tried to make it "the war to end all wars" through his fourteen points. The man was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 1919 (okay, I admit the Nobel Peace Price was awarded to some people who could be seen as warmongers as well). Anyway, Woodrow Wilson is not the man.
You need to look several floors down in the hierarchy (it was no president who gave that order). I don't suppose you could guess the name of the man first. Try to find out which war I was refering to (not WW1) which will make it a lot easier to find the man.
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Would the war be the spanish- American war?
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Yes and No. The war we are talking about is a result of that war against Spain. The Spanish however were not the people subjected to that order to kill everyone older than 10 (Americans never invaded Spain). Not all people living in Spanish territories were Spanish though.
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Wouldthat be the struggle between the American and phillipinos? That war lasted for a couple years after the UStook over thephillipines..
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Right, that's the war I'm talking about.
With the keywords you can find out the name of the man who gave the order. I doubt the name will be familiar. The man's name is not considered the kind of basic knowledge everyone aquires while growing up. Nor is knowledge about the events that took place on the Phillipines at that time.
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Is theman's name Franklin Bell?
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No. You are very close to the mark. Bell too was involved in acts we would label war crimes today. The order to kill anyone above 10 came from another general however who had previously served as a Colonel under Bell's command.
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Adna Chafee?
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No, but close. The last name of the person who gave that order is a very frequent name.
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In another infamous statement of that man he called for the Phillipines to be turned into "a howling wilderness."
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Thanks, I'll type that up and see what I get.. I'm close...
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You ARE close. Wikipedia may also be of service in this question. Did you find anything yet?
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I don't expect this one to be answered anymore, so I will come up with a new one.
The person who gave that infamous order was General Jacob H. Smith.
Here is an easier question:
Which two US presidents died on the same day (not just the same day of any year, but really the SAME day)?
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John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Both died on July 4th 1826.
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Yes :yes
Don't fail to notice that they both were the only presidents in the committee to write the Declaration of Independence, and they both died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration!
John Adams last words were:
"Thomas Jefferson still survives" (in fact Jefferson had died a few hours earlier) and according to some claims Thomas Jefferson's last words had been "Thomas Jefferson is not yet dead", while more often his last words are said to have been: "Is this the fourth?" (obviously keen to live to see the 50th independence day).
Your Turn Nick :)
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Who was the secterary of the Treasury during the Teapot Dome Scandal?
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Andrew William Mellon?
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Correct, your turn Malte.. :D
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Okay, here is the next question:
Benjamin Franklin was (in my opinion) one of the few universal geniuses in history. Apart from his political work and his famous experiments (the one with the kite is just the one best known) he was also very interested in music. Benjamin Franklin created a music instrument which is rarely used nowadays though it was quite popular for a while. What was the name of that music instrument and how did it work?
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It was a harpiscord, it was played much like a piano..
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I'm not sure if the term harpiscord refers to the instrument I mean. I always heard a different name for that instrument invented by Franklin, but I cannot say for sure if harpiscord is a synonyme. However, that instrument was not played like a piano. It didn't have any keys, but was based on a principle which each of you can imitate at home.
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Which war in American history caused the worse casualties by percentage of those being involved in the war?
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The Civil War, in which 600,000 people (2% of the population of the then 30 million U.S. citizens) died.
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Nope. It was by far the bloodiest conflict by numbers of casualties (the single bloodiest day of the civil war caused more victims than the war of independence, the war of 1812, and the war with Mexico combined). Nevertheless by percentage of those involved it was not the bloodiest war. Note that this is about "American" not necessarily US history so history before 1775 is included.
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French-Indian War?
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Nope. Take into account that the earlier it was the easier a higher percentage would be reached (gee, sounds like that was an aim) due to the lower overall population.
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Which war in American history caused the worse casualties by percentage of those being involved in the war?
WWI
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WW2?
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Neither. The numeral losses in both world wars were much lower than those of the Civil War with a much larger overall population. The war in North America with the highest percentage of population killed took place before the founding of the United States.
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King Phillips war, or Metacomet's war
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That's right. According to historians' estimates nearly 7 of every 8 Indians and 30 of every 65 English settlers were killed in the fighting. This would make King Philip's War proportionately the bloodiest in the history of North America. Of course there were considerably fewer English settlers around in the 1670s then in later days of colonial or US history.
Your turn LBT :yes
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Its a bummer that not many people have heard about King Philips war. It was just as important as most other wars (even more so in 1812's case), and yet it's largely unknown.
All right, here's the next question: Who was the youngest U.S. president ever to serve?
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Teddy Roosevelt (JFK was the youngest elected, but Roosevelt was younger when he took office after the assassination of William McKinley).
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Maalte is right. TR was 42 when he toook office after Mckinley's assassinatoion in 1901. JFJk was 43 when he was elected. By compaarison Clinton was 46, and Barack Obama, if elected, will be 4th youngest ever, and the third youngest elected.
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Who was the only US President never to be elected (neither as President nor as Vice President)?
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Gerald Ford, who was the only president who was not elected to the post of Vp or President. by the 25th amendnment, , which clarifies the rukles for selecting a Vp or president..
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That's right :yes
Your turn Nick.
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How many presidents has Fidel Castro outlived? He officially resigned from power this morning, that is why I ask this question..
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Outlived in the sense of having lived beyond the respective president's death (only presidents who held office while Castro did): 6
If we are talking of presidents who held office while Castro did but are no longer in office though they may still live: 9
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter (still alive)
Reagan
G. H. Bush (still alive)
Bill Clinton (still alive)
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My turn or not my turn Nick?
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yes it your turn Malte. Sorry for the delay...
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Which US state declared it's neutrality at the beginning of the US Civil War?
-
I believe it was Missouri..
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Good guess (as one of the border states which was a particularly vicious theatre of the war with guerilla bands bringing forth such characters as Clarke Quantrill, "Bloody" Bill Anderson, and Jesse James).
However, in spite of all this Missouri remained officially in the Union. It was another state that declared its neutrality at the beginning of the Civil War.
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Then I'll go with Kentucky...the next Border State east..
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:yes That's right. The Bluegrass State declared its neutrality in 1861 and Lincoln was smart enough not to press the issue at that time (which almost certainly would have driven Kentucky into secession at that time). Kentucky never officially left the Union and Kentuckian soldiers fought on both sides throughout the war. In fall 1862 in coordination with Lee's first invasion of the north a confederate army invaded Kentucky as well. They were no more successful in mobilizing the Kentuckians for the south as Lee was in mobilizing the Marylanders though and the invasion was ended with the battle of Perryville. Anyway, your turn Nick.
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How long was Andrew Johnson Military Governor of Tennessee?
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From May 1862 to March 4th 1865 (the day of his inauguation as Vice-president. He had been nominated as a candidate in 1864, but that nomination did not require him to give up the office).
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correct. I did a paper in him in College.. your turn
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So did I (http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=2902) at the highschool during my students exchange ;)
Which battle was, with regard to the casualty rate among the participants, the worst battle in US history? Almost a fourth of the standing army of the US was wiped out in that battle and most of the casualties were KIAs. The number of casualties too exceeds that of some other battles which have been much more thoroughly documented.
(One remark, I'm not talking of the Alamo here. Neither was the US officially involved with it (in spite of the number of American participants), nor did it wipe out such a large part of the US standing army).
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The Battle of Shiloh?
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No. Remember that the army was rarely as large as in the time of the Civil War. No battle in that time came close to destroying almost a fourth of the entire military (the reference was to the US military as a whole, not just to those soldiers who were on that battlefield). Also consider that the majority of casualties were killed, this may indicate something about whom the US soldiers were fighting in that battle.
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At first I'm thinking the Pearl Harbor attack, since it did devastate the US Pacific Fleet. But I'm not sure if it was actually considered a battle.
-
Battle of the little bighorn?
-
As for Pearl Harbor, even if one referred to it as a battle, it did not wipe out almost a fourth of the standing army, neither did the battle of Little Big Horn. However, the battle of Little Big Horn is on the right track so to speak. It is the battle I had in mind when I mentioned battles much more thoroughly documented in spite of the lower number of casualties.
The number of people killed in the battle we are looking for is about three times as high as the number of people killed in the battle of Little Big Horn.
Keep in mind that the smaller the standing army is, the "easier" it is to have a casualty rate of almost a quarter (this says something about the time in which the battle took place). It is really a US battle, so it took place after the war of independence.
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Now I'm guessing at this point. The battle of Allatoona Pass in Cartersville, Georgia?
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No, that was a battle of the Civil War (which I said was not the war that caused this highest percentage casualties of the US army in history). To narrow down the possibilities, the battle took place before 1800 but after the end of the American war of independence.
-
the Undeclared war with France?
-
No; that undeclared war remained undeclared partly because losses were rather low. The battle I'm referring to cost more people their lives than the entire undeclared war with France. Had almost a fourth of the entire US army at that time been wiped out I don't think there would have been a way to avoid the official declaration of war. The battle took place before the start of the undeclared war, but after the drafting of the US constitution (which narrows down the years quite a bit).
The opponent in that battle (it was a land, not a naval battle) was not a European power. A small tortoise played a role in the whole affair.
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It's hard to find the answer on Google. I'll check other search engines
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Wikipedia could also be helpful (and no, my information on that battle is not based on a Wikipedia article but on a couple of books) but of course you need terms to enter. One thing that may be helpful is that by now you probably know who must have been the opponent to the American army in that battle (as it was no European power and it was a land battle).
-
Was it the indians who were the opponent?
-
Yes, it was a battle against native American tribes. Of course that is as loose and answer as to say that it was against Europeans, but meanwhile the time and opponent is very much narrowed down. It is kind of remarkable that the battle is so barely known while such less significant battles as the so called Fetterman massacre or that spectacular skirmish at Little Big Horn are so widely known.
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I think this battle has multiple names, so I'm not sure I have the right name in mind...
Battle of the Wabash, in 1791, during the Northwest Indian War?
-
Perfect Mirumoto_Kenjiro! :yes
The battle is also sometimes referred to as the St. Clair's Defeat / Massacre. It is remarkable that this battle is so barely known. The mention of the "small tortoise" in a previous post was a reference to chief "Little Turtle" who was the main chieftain in this most definite victory native Americans ever won against the US army.
Your turn :)
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I have one quiz question in mind, but I'm not sure if it will fit. Can the question be about anything US related, such as involvements overseas, or should it be strictly be US history on US soil?
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I don't think that history is limited to the soil of a country, so go ahead :yes
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OK. I'll have one ready in a few days when I get back.
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Rats! I thought I had a good one... If someone has one of their own before I come up with one, they can take my place.
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I'll jump in, only because it's been so long (hope this isn't rude or anything).
During the Civil War, what Union victory took place in Japan?
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Are you referring to the Shimonoseki affair? A Japanese feudal lord ordered to fire on foreign ships in 1864. One US naval vessel was sent there, severely mauled the lord and the Japanese government agreed to pay an indemnity of $3 million.
The whole affair was not directly linked to the US Civil War though.
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Sounds like it. I got this information from The Civil War Notebook, by Albert A. Nofi. And I quote:
On 16 July 1863, as the Republic basked in the aftermath of its victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Tullahoma, it was achieving yet another success, in far-off Japan, where the six-gun U.S.S. Wyoming sank two vessels, damaged a third, and shot up shore installations in the Shimonoseki Straits, in retaliation for an attack by the Choshiu Clan on an American merchant ship.
I'm going away for a week, so to avoid the game going stagnant, I'm passing the baton to you, Malte.
-
Which was the southernmost Russian colonial post on what is today American soil (excepting Hawai)?
-
Ladies and Gentlemen, he's stumped the panel.
-
Don't know much of American history, but I'll give it a try... :unsure:
Fort Ross, California?
-
Perfectly right Gustav! :yes
That fort in Spanish claimed territory (about 12 miles north of San Francisco) was supposed to supply the Russian colonies in Alaska (which were woefully dependent on food imports through American and British traders) with food. However, the fort never fulfilled the task to the satisfaction of the Russian American Company which paid about three times as much as it saved through the food supplies produced at Fort Ross. Today there is only one original building of the Fort remaining while the rest of the structure had to be reconstructed after it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1906 respectively a fire in the 1970s...
Sorry, I'm holding a lecture. Main point, it is your turn Gustav ;)
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I can't belive I was right! Praise be to Trivial Pursuit! :lol:
This might be more of a riddle, but you should be able to solve it. Sorry, I'm no good at AM history, so I go with what I know something about.
----------------------
-America was once divided up by these three particular ways.
I want to know what kind of ways these was, and the names of all three.
----------------------
Clues will come if needed.
Good luck.
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To get you to the right track.
Clue: "One of the ways has a dogs name in it".
-
The subject's American Geography.
Now it should be easy.
-
Geography... You mean divided by natural barriers?
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Ok, I feel that this might need to get running again.
Here's a VERY close clue:
Western, Hudson and the Labrador
-
Hudson... Are these rivers?
-
Close enough. Nope.
-
Bays?
-
nope.
word includes : "ways"
-
The Hudson River Way! Bridges!
(Geez, I didn't realize I knew so many Hudson's.)
-
I know that LBT got the bridges right. Does he have to give the three names too?
-
I've heard of a Western Bridge (Seattle), but not a Labrador Bridge, so if you can identify it, Mirumoto_Kenjiro, then you got all three names, so you'd get to pick the question.
-
Hudson, Labrador and Western... SEAways. This was a long ago though. Might to long for a geo-question.
This question itself has been around long enough though so...
LBT, the ball is yours. ;)
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This African-American woman recieved a telegram from Martin Luther King Jr, has been photographed with Coretta Scott King, was friends with W.E.B. Du Bois, had dinner with Robert Kennedy, and was mentioned in a speech by Barack Obama. Who is it?
-
Ann Nixon Cooper?
-
Bingo. Good job Malte, I think that's 3 Brain Food tabs in a row you've gotten.
-
Thank you ;)
Please name at least three (there are more) US states which (or part of which) had proclaimed themselves independent nations before they did join the US (doesn't matter here whether or not they were recognized by anyone else).
-
I know two of them are Texas and Vermont, but I can't think of any others right now.
Edit: I'm going to guess for the third one. Is it Hawaii?
-
I hadn't been thinking of Hawaii, but of course it is right and (come to think of it) perhaps the most obvious off all examples.
California also was independent for a very short time before linking up with the US (Bear Republic), parts of Florida were the "Republic of West Florida" for about 90 days in 1810, in part of what became Tennesse and was then claimed by North Carolina there was a short lived attempt to create the independent state of Franklin, the Mormones proposed the establishment of the independent state of Deseret covering most of today Utah, Nevadah, Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Colorado.
There may be more examples I never heard about.
Your turn Chronicler :)
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Which president, when he left office, was the only former president who was still alive at the time? (I've counted four (maybe five) possible answers in total) Give all possible answers you can think of.
-
George Washington (obviously ;))
John Adams (Washington did not life to see the end of the second's president term in office)
Ulysses S. Grant.
Herbert Hoover (his predecessor Coolidge had died just a few months before Hoover left office).
Richard Nixon.
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All five are correct.
I just realized I missed Grant and I should have said six. The one you missed was Theodore Roosevelt. (Grover Cleveland died in 1908)
Your turn, Malte.
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^ Aye, missed Teddy Roosevelt ;)
The news of which event kind of spoiled the 100th independence day (to some degree) for many Americans?
-
I must sort of correct my question as I learned that news of the event didn't arrive in the eastern towns of the US (or at least weren't spread) until after the 100th independence day. Which news arrived in July 1876 that were upsetting for many Americans?
-
The Defeat of Custer?
-
Aye :yes
News of the destruction of a large part of Custer's 7th cavalry in the battle of Little Big Horn (June 25th 1876) arrived shortly after the celebration of the 100 anniversary of the declaration of independence.
The news shocked many Americans and made many support a harsher policy against the native Americans.
Your turn Nick.
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Nowadays we'd get such info minutes after it happened.
Anyway. of the denominations above $100, what bill was the only one not to feature a US President?
-
The $100 bill. Though a number of people mistakenly think Benjamin Franklin to have been a president, he never actually was (there even is a Simpson episode making a joke of this misconception).
-
I think he meant 'above $100', not 'at $100 or higher'. If this is true, my answer is the $10,000 bill, which features Salmon P. Chase (I don't know who he is). I looked up the answer in a book I have lying around the house.
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Yep. Salmon Chase was the Tresurer durinmg Lincoln's first term. the pther bills showed, Grover Cleveland, Willilaim McKinley, ( I believe) Chester Arthur and Woodrow Wilsonm appeared on the 100000 bill.
Your Turn Chronicler..
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Darn me, I got to read closer and not rush through the messages too much my bad :bang
Your turn Chronicler :)
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I'm not sure if this one has been asked already, but I'll ask it anyway.
Which president survived the first assassination attempt, and how did he survive it?
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Lincoln was the first presidfdent who was sucessfully assassinated. the first presidemnt who survived and assination attempt was Thedore Roosevelt who was shot while giving a sppeech in Milwaukee. the Bullet hit a glasses case in his pocket, and it lodged in a rib..
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I think Andrew Jackson was the first to survive an assassination attempt in 1835. Two pistols were shot at him at pointblank range, but both misfired so Jackson was not hurt.
-
Malte is correct, your turn.
I find it rather amusing to think that the assassin had two pistols, yet both of them failed to fire. :lol:
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Many battles of the US Civil War have several names as the Confederates tended to name the battles after the town where they had their headquarters while the Federals usually named the battles after nearby landmarks. Here are five battles of the Civil War, please give an alternative name to each:
First Bull Run (21. July 1861)
Pittsburgh Landing (6.-7. April 1862)
Fair Oaks (31. Mai - 1. June 1862)
Sharpsburg (17. September 1862)
Stones River (31. December 1862 to 2. January 1863)
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manassas..for the first battle..
Shiloh for the second
7 pines for the 3rd
Antietam
Murfreesburo
-
All correct :yes
Your turn Nick.
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It helps thatr I have a list of all the Civil War battles on my wall. :lol:
Alright , in order to pass a Constitional amendment, what must happen?
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2/3 or more of all American states must ratify it?
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No.. it takes more than that.. guess again..
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9 states must ratify, and 2/3 of Congress?
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it takes a lot more than 9 states the 2/3rds in congress is correct, 2/3rds in both houses must approve..then it goes to the states..
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It requires 3/4ths of the states to approve, or at least 38 states, in addition to 2/3rds of both houses of Congress.. So its not easy to amend or repeal ammendments to the Consitution..
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To stop this game from getting forgotten I just post the next question (borrowing in part from some of the stuff I'm working with at the moment for my university papers).
Which event (and aftermath of the event) during the American Civil War put a great strain on the relationship between born-Americans and and Americans who had immigrated from Germany?
One hint, it got to do with the falling of a stonewall.
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Would that be refering to the death of Stone wall Jackson?
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That would be the hint.
And what was the event? Why did it strain the relationships between the born-Americans and German immigrants?
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Was that the battle of Chancelorville?
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That's the battle where Stonewall Jackson was killed. Why did it influence the relationship between Americans and German immigrants?
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is it because they blamed Jacksons death on German immigrant?
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No. Jackson's death had nothing to do with that strain on the relationship between Americans and German immigrants. I just included him as a hint without which the question probably would have been too difficult.
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I'm drawing a blank otherwise so I'm gonna need another hint Malte..
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Look especially in the north for the reason of the strained relationship (the south wouldn't mind). The 11th Corps of the Army of the Potomac is of significance in the context (battle of Chancellorsville that is).
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I'll look it up on Google..
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Well, I DO know that a lot of Southerners were predisposed to hate German immigrants...
Oh! I remember now! The battle of Chancellorsville was a major defeat for the Union Army, and the 11th corp was routed by the confederates... and the 11th Corps was largely German-American, so the Germans were blamed for the defeat. I know that is something of an oversimplification, but that is probably it.
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That's right :yes
About half of the 11th corps consisted of immigrants among whom the Germans were by far the largest group (altogether more than 200 000 Germans fought in the American Civil War while the Irish (who usually get much more attention) were the second largest foreign born group with about 150 000). The famous flank attack of Stonewall Jackson in the battle of Chancellorsville hit the 11th corps first and in spite of many many warnings (ranging from Federal cavalry detecting Jackson's flanking march to large groups of deer rushing out of the forest before the confederates announcing their approach) the outflanked corps was no match for the attack though it was not routed completely and immediately as was later claimed in order to make the "damned Dutchmen" the scapegoat for the defeat. It wasn't helping the reputation of the Germans that two month later at Gettysburg they found themselves outnumbered, outflanked, and routed once again.
On average the German soldiers in the Union army fought about as good or bad as native born soldiers, but it cannot be denied that the Germans provided the Union with a dreadfully incompetent political general, Franz Siegel, who was adored by the Germans in spite of his utter incompetence.
While many Germans had hoped for their service in the Civil War to lessen the hostility promoted by nativist groups (e.g. the "Know Nothing Party" in the years preceding the war) the aftermath of the battle of Chancellorsville contributed to a deepening of the rift. Because many Germans assimilated more smoothly into the American society than some other immigrant groups they don't tend to get as much attention by the historians.
Anyway, your turn noname.
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Okay. I have one. What event legally ended the U.S civil war, in as far as it was legally ended? It may not be what the history books often make it out to be...
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Well, The Surrender at Appamattozx is widely considered the end of the war.. but the last Southern General didn't surrender until may..
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You are getting close to the answer, but there are no specifics at all.
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Does iot have to do with the capture of Jefferson dAvis?
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It has to do with an armistice..
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A hint please..
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Heh. You're the history buff here...
Okay. It had to do with one of those generals down south, who did NOT surrender at Appomattox.
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The last Confederate general to surrender was Edmund Kirby-Smith who surrendered on June 2nd 1865 in Texas (he had been in command of the trans Mississippi part of the CSA which after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863 had been so isolated from the rest that some referred to it jokingly as "Kirby-Smithdom"). The news did not reach all CS soldiers though. One CS riding ship (I think her name was Stonewall, but it may be different) struck her flag in a British port as late as November 1865. A few isolated CS soldiers on some garrison duty (apparently well provisioned) in the tidewater region of Virginia learned about the end of the war in spring 1866(!). Some consider reconstruction as so integral a part of the Civil War that they consider the withdrawal of Federal troops from the south in 1877 the "real" end of the Civil War.
If we are talking of formal surrenders of not utterly isolated commands of any dimension the surrender of Kirby-Smith would be the last one.
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That ship was the Shenandoah, but you gave one of two historically acceptable answers, and were thus correct. Yes, Kirby Smith OR the Sherman-Johnson armistice are considered the end... and few historians really consider reconstruction to be a part of the civil war itself, although it was a period of time in which Northern troops occupied the south.
You turn, Malte.
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^ Johson's surrender can hardly be considered the end though. Not only had Kirby Smith not surrendered by the time Johnson did (and a final battle was fought in Texas too), but the department of Alabama and Mississippi under the command of Richard Taylor did not surrender before May 8th 1865 either.
Who was the attorney of the British soldiers tried for the so called "Boston massacre" of 1770 and why is the term "massacre" controversial when applied to the events?
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The attorney was none other than John Adams! I think there was another man named Josiah Quincy...
Anyway, the term "massacre" was controversial because the British troops were having stones thrown at them first, and someone in the crowd of colonists may or may not have had a pistol aimed at them.
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Aye, your turn noname.
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Roughly how much money (in the terms of his own day) did US steel baron Andrew Carnegie give away?
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What do you meant? Give away in donations or including business expenditures?
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I meant give away... as in donate in form of charity. Not business expenditures.
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According to Wikipedia (I don't pretend knowing that one by heart) it was $350,695,653. It is very difficult to decide what to think of many of those late 19th century capitalists who turned very philantropic in the end, but had been very ruthless in their ways of obtaining their wealth (often justifying their actions on the basis that if they hadn't done what they did someone else would have). There are some good examples of how many characters are not plain good or plain bad bud in a very murky gray zone.
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I checked my history book, and that is correct, down to the last dollar. I think that many of those robber barons felt guilty at the end, or else came to the realization that they cannot take their money with the when they died.
Your turn, Malte.
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Most of the work of one very famous American poet was not published until 1955, long after the poet's death because the relatives of the poet apparently did not approve of the writings. Only a tiny fraction of the poets work was published during the poets lifetime. When at last the rest was published the public image of this poet had to be totally revised. Who was the poet and why was much of the poets work kept from the public for such a long time?
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Emily Dickinson?
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Aye, and why was her art concealed from the public for such a long time?
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She hid her poems away adfter writing them, only one poem of hers was oppublished during her life, and thast was anonymously. her poems weren't discovered to after her death..
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Not quite. A few more of her poems were published, though not entirely in the form in which she had written them. Was the decision about publication entirely hers?
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She was pretty reclusive during her life, so the decison to publish anything of hers was probably against her wishes..
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For my shame I have to admit that I had been woefully misinformed by the time I posted the question. According to a professor at the university her family had actively stopped her from publishing any of the works which they considered indecent. I did not find any such hints in what I read about her since I posted the question; sorry about that :(
Your turn Nick.
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Thats not surprising..How much did the Us spend to buy the rights to Panama Canal?
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$10,000,000 for the canal construction rights and $250,000 annually for use of it.
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That is how much they paid Panama, I was refering to the original fRench canal..
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I think it was $40,000,000 to the French?
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yes.. your turn..
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What was the name of the man who supposedly bought Manhattan for $24 dollars, and who did he buy it for?
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According to tradition it was Peter Minuit. He was working for the Dutch West India Company. New Amsterdam was founded on the spot but after the British took over (Peter Stuyvesand being the last Dutch governor) it was renamed New York.
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Got it. Malte, it is now your turn.
And yes, they only say it was for "24 dollars", and the natives may not have intended to sell the land; it may only have been taken as if it were a gift by them...
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When thinking of European colonies in America we usually think of English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and (if South America is included) Portuguese colonies. Please name two other powers which held colonies in North America (there is also a third, but I think they had colonies in the Caribbean only and not on the North American mainland).
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I think that one of them was Russia. After all from it American bought Alaska, didn't they?
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Aye, Russia was one of the countries I had in mind (last year I had to write a long paper on the Russian colonies in North America. They had an outpost as far south as San Francisco Bay and they even had a Fort on Hawaii before the Americans; though that Fort did not last long).
Give me one more colonial power (other than those already named) which held a colony in North America and the floor will be yours.
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Germany?
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Sweden. They were the ones who introduced the log cabin, which in turn came from their Finnish subjects. Germany and Italy weren't even united at the time.
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Right Noname :)
There were German settlements (e.g. Germantown in Pennsylvania (and a number of other states ;))) but they were just settlements of German imigrants within colonies of other countries. New Sweden (though it didn't last long) was a real colony and though it had no lasting political effect it may have contributed to the interest of Swedish in the US (many Swedish settled in the Middle West in particular). Denmark is another country barely known for colonies in the new world, but they did have one in the Caribbean. Anyway Russia and Sweden were the two I was looking for.
Your turn... Myrkin or Noname the one who has a good question ready first.
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What historical road is part of U.S. Highway 40?
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Route 66?
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No, wrong one. Still, the key word is to think of a historical road... it predates the interstate.
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does it include part of the Oregon Trial?
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No. Think farther east. Try for an older, historical road that led into what was once called the "northwest territories." You know where I am describing, I am sure... it is NOT the pacific northwest because the country did not extend that far at the time.
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That refers to the region that became the Midwest States. "The cumbeland Gap?
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You are getting close... the Gap is not the road itself, but the Gap is on the road...
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The National Road?
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Got it! The National road was also known as the Cumberland road, and it stretched from Cumberland in Maryland all the way to Vandalia in Illinois.
Your turn, Nick!
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Speaking of Vandalia, in what year did Vandalia turn over the state government to Springfield?
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1839, if I'm not mistaken.
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^ According to several Lincoln biographies I have this is correct. I guess it is your turn Noname.
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you turn noname. Vandalia soon ceased to exist after losing the state capital.
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Your turn Noname.
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still your turn Noname...
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BUMP to Noname!
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noname its still your turn.
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Sorry. I had thought it had been abandoned. I didn't see the bumps. I thought no one would respond at this point, and that mine was the last gasp of the thread. It took from June 2009 to January 2010 for anyone to respond to it. I stopped looking for a response back in September of '09. Dang.
Anyway, my question.
What was the name of the "tunnel to Rome" that New York governor Alfred E. Smith opened. The name "tunnel to Rome" is what the media called it. And yes, it was an actual tunnel, but it did not really lead to Rome.
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The Holland tunnel, which was built in 1927..
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Correct! Smith's political opponents claimed it was a pipeline to Rome and that Smith, being a Catholic, would take orders from the Pope. The accusation is absurd, but it was taken seriously back in the 20's. The incident killed Smith's chance of becoming president.
Your turn, Nick.
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smith had little chance of winning anyway.. his Catholicism cost him Millionss of votes..
What was the second national park in the Us, behind Yellowstone?
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Is it Sequoia national park?
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yep. Sequioa was created a week before Yosemite..your turn Noname
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My turn, then.
What was the common name for 10th Cavalry Regiment of the American army that served in the old west?
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buffalo soliders.. which is ironic because the bison were nearly extermined by the turn on the 20th century..
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Correct! Your turn.
Also, the Bison have made a good comeback by now. :)
Here's the song "Buffalo Soldier". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5FCdx7Dn0o (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5FCdx7Dn0o)
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what is the largest park in the United States, and when did it open?
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What kind of park do you mean? If you are talking about a municipal park, the largest would be South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona. That opened in 1924.
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national park.. thats what i meant
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buffalo soliders.. which is ironic because the bison were nearly extermined by the turn on the 20th century..
For the record, the regiment had adopted a name bestowed on them by the native Americans. The regiment consisted of African Americans whose dark, closely curled hair reminded the natives of the Buffalo fur. Others believe the name to be a native tribute to the courage of the African American soldiers. Perhaps there is some truth in both records.
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let me restate, what is the largest national park in the US, and when did it open?
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Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve established in 1980?
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yes your turn malte
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Please complete the following statement by Abraham Lincoln:
"I hope to have God on my side, but I must have..."
What is it that Lincoln felt he had to have and what was the context?
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kentucky
he was refering to keeping the Border states in the union/. If The Border states seceded Washington DC would be surrounded by enemy territory
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That's right :yes (though the border state that would have left Washington surrounded was Maryland). Kentucky was of great importance to have control over important waterways and it also would have been a gateway for invasions to Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Kentucky declared neutrality at the start of the war but ultimately remained in the Union though loyalties in the state where both Lincoln and Jefferson Davis were born were very split.
Your turn Nick.
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What is the only Confederate state that was not invaded by the North?
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Err... that depends very much on what we define as "invasion". Does the occupation of single ports, forts etc. make an invasion? There is no state of the south that did not see at least some action. My best guess is that you are referring to Texas. Which saw but very sparse and small action including the skirmish of Palmito Ranch (sometimes referred to as the last "battle" of the civil war (four people died less than twenty were wounded. It is tragic enough, but with the slaughter of thousands elsewhere it may not really qualify as sign of an "invasion"). Also Texan ports were blocked rather than occupied.
In case of the less likely candidate for your question, Florida, several ports were occupied early on and with the battle of Olustee there was one military engagement larger than any that took place in Texas. So I reckon that Texas it is.
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I Was looking for F;orida, but Texas works as well. Your turn Malte
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Like I said, the battle of Olustee in Florida was larger than any that was ever fought in Texas during the war. Along the coasts many locations in Florida were occupied rather than being blocked (as was mostly the case in Texas). Locations of Florida that were occupied for most of the Civil War included Key West, Pensacola, and Jacksonville. Also several Forts (Fort Pickens most notably) stayed in Union hand for the entire war (though that may not really qualify as an invasion since the place was never conquered by the confederates in the first place).
Compared to that there was much less of an invasion in Texas. Galveston was occupied by the Federal troops but only for a few months.
The largest battle to take place in Texas during the war (battle of Sabine Pass) saw about 50 confederates in a Fort in a formidable position against about 5000 Federals and several gunboats. The confederates won sinking 2 federal ships and killing / wounding about 200 federals.
The battle of Olustee in Florida on the other hand saw about 5000 on both sides (a bit more on the federal side) and roundabout 2800 people were killed and wounded. Because of all that I really think that while every southern state saw some engagements what happened in Texas would qualify less as invasion as what happened in Florida.
Sticking with the Civil War please give the names of at least three horses which received some fame for their famous riders during the Civil War.
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Oh well, perhaps horses are not so interesting in the history section, but I admit that I was asking for a lot there ;)
It should be noted however that the Civil War had a more devastating effect on the "horse population" of the US than on the human population. From what I read almost a quarter of the horses in the US died as a result of the Civil War.
Examples could have been "Traveller" (favorite horse of Robert E. Lee), "Little Sorrel" (the horse of Stonewall Jackson. The poor beast was stuffed and is now exhibited in a museum), "Cincinnati" (the favorite horse of U.S. Grant who some people said had a better relationship with horses than with people), "Charlemagne" (the horse of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the one who defended Little Round Top at Gettysburg), "Old Baldy" (the horse of George G. Meade which was wounded several times), "Lexington" (William T. Sherman's favorite horse), also horses of generals on both sides (another one of Grant's horses as well as a horse of southern general John Bell Hood) were named after Southern President "Jefferson Davis" and it is kind of interesting if in one case it was made to honor and in the other to ridicule the southern president :p
Anyway, here comes something easier.
Who gave the following quote and what was the reference of the quote?
I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or to speak, or write, with moderation. No! No! Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; – but urge me not to use moderation in a cause like the present. I am in earnest – I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – AND I WILL BE HEARD. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead.
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was it refering to the suffragette movement?
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Nope.
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was it upton sinclair in the Jungle?
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Nope. The speech was held on a real life issue. It was held within 19th century.
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Was it written by William Lloyd Garrison, and about the oppression of slavery?
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Exactly :yes
Your turn Mirumoto_Kenjiro.
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Here's an easy one:
Name three technological inovations in military during the American Civil War.
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the use of railroad, the use of ironclad warships, and third was the rules iof war regarding treatment of prisoners.
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Actually there weren't really any new rules on the treatment of prisoners during the Civil War I think. In any case neither side treated their prisoners particularly well with Andersonville being but the most extreme examples.
In the US Civil War many inventions that had been made before and even been used in war before on smaller scale were for the first time used on a large scale. The use of rifled guns which through the invention of the miniÈ ball were for the first time as quick to load as smoothbore muskets and not as prone for failure may have been the most important one, but the invention itself had been made in the 1840s already.
One invention that was for the first time used during the Civil War but on so small a scale that it did not have any notable effect was the machine gun. During the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 several Agers Guns (sometimes referred to as Agers coffee mills) were used by the Federals, but it was purely experimental and same as with the testing of some of the more famous Gatling guns in the later phase of the war the commanders showed very little interest in these innovations so the effect was very limited.
Another thing that had been used before but was used here on large scale for the first time (same as the railroad) was the telegraph which allowed news to travel much faster. Possibly even more important was the use of photography and the publication of photos. There had been photos of the Mexican War and the Crimean War already, but in the Civil War photographers such as Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardener really brought home the grim face of war for the first time. Percussion caps (rather than flintlocks) are another invention made some 30 years prior to the war but were use there on large scale for the first time making firing a gun in the rain more likely than with the flintlock guns (though it didn't work in every weather conditions either). The same also goes for repeating rifles where the most important inventions had been made before the war but which were used on large scale (but not as "standard equipment to the end of the war") for the first time.
The size of cannons, especially of siege mortars also reached a level unheard of before the US Civil War. Railway guns were indeed used for the first time there.
The Civil War also saw the first case of a ship (the USS Housatonic) being sunk by a submarine (the CSS Hunley) which was also lost in the process. There had been experiments with submarines before and even the attempt to sink a British ship in the war of independence with the submarine Turtle, but here a submarine succeeded for the first time.
The Civil War also saw the use of anti ship mines (then referred to as torpedoes) for the first time and there was also the little effective use of a kind of landmines (I don't really know if something like that hadn't been used before).
Barbed wire was for the first time used for military purposes in the battle of Knoxville.
Balloons also saw limited usage in the Civil War (they had been used in the French Revolutionary war however) and one may consider the deliberate use of cannon trying to shoot down balloons as the invention of "anti aircraft fire".
Most of the innovations of the Civil War had been invented before and were just used on large scale for the first time there (in my eyes an example for the mistake in the believe that war provided as extreme an increase of development as is so often claimed).
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I should've worded the question in detail on what I was looking for, but Malte's got just about everything other than a few other innovations that weren't used extensively in the war.
Your turn, Malte!
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Which northern general became somewhat infamous for shooting another northern general during the civil war in a quarrel? One important hint, the general we are looking for had a name that was very peculiar for a northerner to have during that war while the general he shot had the same last name as the most famous English admiral-
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Was the General who was shot named Nelson?
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The General was named Jefferson Davis and the general who shot was named Bull Nelson.
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That's right :yes
Jefferson Davis was of course a peculiar name to have for a northern general to have because the name made him a namesake of the southern president.
Your turn Nick.
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What was the name the Mormons first attempted to join the Union under in 1847?
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? (First guess, though I doubt it to be correct).
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i meant the area they controlled...
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State of Deseret?
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yep. it was rejected, but deseret covered much of what is now Nevada Utah, Arizona and New Mexico
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Which was the first head of a foreign state to officially recognize the independence of the United States of America?
(This is really about a head of state so the random Dutch colonial governor who was the first to ever salute the American flag on a US ship does not count because this was (not quite yet) the official position of his country.)
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France , i think, since th French were our allies during the war for independence..
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While they were allies in the end the French were not the first nation to officially recognize the US.
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Morocco?
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That's right :yes
Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah of Morocco was the first foreign head of state to recognize the independence of the United States.
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I can't come up with a good question. Anyone else can go.
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ok..what was the last territory purchased by the United states?
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The Virgin Islands? Those were purchased from Denmark in 1917 I think.
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coorect. the VI were brought in 1916-17 for 25 million. your turn Malte
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Which US president had to watch his son getting killed in a train accident right before his eyes?
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Theodore Roosevelt.
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Nope, sure enough he did have some rather harsh times as well, like when his mother and his wife died just a few hours apart, or when his youngest son was shot down as a pilot in WW1 (his oldest son later died of health complications in WW2 shortly after he had been the only general to land with the first attack wave in Normandy, but Roosevelt had been dead for about 25 years by that time), but he didn't loose a son in a train accident.
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Warren G Harding?
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Nope. The president in question was however one of those who draw usually limited attention. He was president in 19th century.
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Was it Hayes? Rutherford B Hayes
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Nope, I think as family matters are concerned the wife of Rutherford B. Hayes, Lucy was kind of famous. As a fierce oponent of slavery and supporter of the temperence movement she has sometimes been depicted as kind of a harridan, but I think that those claims need to be taken with a grain of salt. In 19th century there seems to have been kind of a sad tendency to depict first ladies (if they were written about at all) in a negative light. She was the first ever first lady to get a college promotion... anyway, I'm getting off topic here. While not all of their children reached adult age I'm not aware of any one of them being killed in a train accident before the eyes of their parents (correct me if I'm mistaken).
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Was it James Garfield then?
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Nope, the president we are talking of was not assassinated, nor did he die in office for any other reason (though for a son of Lincoln it was a close call, but he was saved by Edwin Booth (brother of John Wilkes) from being killed by a train). Maybe you can find the solutiono by googling?
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Ah Frankin Pierce..his son Benjamin was killed in an accident
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Aye, your turn Nick.
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Alright let me think of something.
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In order to appear on currency , how many years must a president be deceased?
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Two years I think?
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That is correct Malte. So presidents like Carter and GHW Bush would have to die by 2014 in order for them to be put on the dollar coin in 2016. Your Turn.
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^ In which case my highest ambition as a US president wouldn't be to end up on currency as soon as possible. I'm wondering who or which institution decides which president is to end up on currency and which should not (ignoring such quarter collections that would depict any president who has been dead long enough)?
Which US general during the US Civil war occupied a town that bore his own name and what was remarkeable about the southern defenders of this town?
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well the act that created the Presidential dollar coins, had on them all decased presuiidents and required 2 years between a presidents death before they could be put on the coin.when it started Reagan had just passed away and Ford was still living. Both Carter and Bush 41 were born in 1924 so they will turn 87 this year. They will be the next ones added, unless some calmaity strikes clinto or George W before then, which I hope obviously is not the case.
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The defenders of the town had named themselves after a character from the American revolution and the town you are looking for (which bears the name of the Colonel (sorry for promoting him to the rank of a general which he did not have before) who occupied it) is located in Georgia (not a major town though. Today according to Wikipedia it has some 25000 inhabitants).
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Reviving an old game since the last question was unreasonably difficult.
The answer to this question:
Which US general during the US Civil war occupied a town that bore his own name and what was remarkeable about the southern defenders of this town?
Was that in 1864 federal colonel (yes I made a mistake there, the man was a colonel rather than a general) Oscar LaGrange occupied the town of LaGrange in Georgia. The local defenders were a volunteer women's auxiliary group who called themselves Nancy Harts after a heroine of the revolutionary war. They ultimately negotiated a surrender so there was no outright battle between the Nancy Harts and the federal army (the later by far outnumbering the defenders).
Here is the next question:
A couple of American states have been independent nations for a longer (e.g. Texas) or shorter (e.g. California) while. Before either of these there was however another government body which for a short time acted as a de facto autonomous nation on the territory of the US (though that sounds bigger than it probably was). It didn't last very long and its borders were not identical with those of the (differently named) state which would later absorb the territory of that short lived nation. What was the name of that lost state and when did it exist?
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I really needed to think about this one, since there seemed to be multiple possible answers, but I think I've got the one you're thinking of.
The State of Franklin was created in 1784 out of what was then part of North Carolina. It became a de facto independent republic after failing to gain support for statehood, but was reabsorbed into North Carolina after just four years. Today, that region is the eastern end of Tennessee.
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That's right :yes
Your turn Chronicler :)
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This President was known for not being much of a talker. One somewhat humorous example of this was when a woman walked up to him and said that she had wagered that she could get him to say more than three words.
Who was this President, and what was his response to the woman's wager?
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Calvin Coolidge. His response allegedly was: "You loose."
Did I? ;)
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Correct! Your turn.
As a Vermonter, I just had to take the opportunity to mention that quote. :D
(Actually, it's spelled lose, but I'll let it slide as a typo.)
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there have been 3 states that were indepemdent before joining the union. franklin is simple one of several ' lost states' there was a potential state called jefeerson, and one called deseret. anyway its your turn malte.
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Why can't people climb to the torch of the statue of liberty anymore?
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becauseof a bombing back in the 1800s, it has been closed to the public for a very long time,
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Not quite. Please be a little more specific.
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The bombing was done by German saboteurs in 1916, using explosives that were intended to be sent to Britain and France for the war effort of WWI. The damage was minor, but the torch was closed to the public for safety reasons and has remained closed ever since.