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1.The construction of which of these began the earliest?
Karnak
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Palace of Knossos
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Ziggurat of Ur
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The ziggurat was built in the 21st century BC. The construction of Karnak began during the reign of Senusret (1971 BC to 1926 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic period (305 BC to 30 BC), while the first palace at Knossos was built around 1900 BC.
2.Which monarch was born first?
Louis XVI (of France)
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George III (of the United Kingdom)
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Leopold II (Holy Roman Emperor)
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He was born on 4th June 1738. Leopold II was born on 5th May 1747 and Louis XVI was born on 23rd August 1754.
3.Which of these animals was the first to go extinct?
Carolina parakeet
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Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger)
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Passenger pigeon
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The last passenger pigeon died at Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, while the last Carolina parakeet died at the same zoo in 1918. The last thylacine died at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
4.Which of these empires was established first?
Latin Empire
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Mongol Empire
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Mali Empire
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It was established in 1204 after the leaders of the Fourth Crusade captured lands from the Byzantine Empire. The Mongol Empire was established in 1206 after Genghis Khan became the leader of several unified Mongol tribes, while the Mali Empire was established around 1230.
5.Which of these Egyptian pharaohs ruled first?
Tutankhamun
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Hatshepsut
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Ramesses the Great
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Hatshepsut ruled from 1479 to 1458 BC, while Tutankhamun ruled from 1334 to 1325 BC and Ramesses II ruled from 1279 to 1213 BC.
6.Which of these was established first?
Harvard University
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The Louvre
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The Royal Society
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The university was established in 1636. The Royal Society formed on 28th November 1660 while the Louvre was established in 1793.
7.Which of these religious figures lived the earliest?
The Buddha
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Zoroaster
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Laozi
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While it is not know exactly when he lived, historians believe that Zoroaster lived sometime between 1500 and 1000 BC. Laozi lived sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BC while Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha) was born around 480 BC.
8.Which of these caliphates was established first?
Umayyad
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Fatimid
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Rashidun
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The Rashidun Caliphate was established on 8th June 632. The Umayyad Caliphate was established somewhere between 660 and 665, and the Fatimid Caliphate was established on the 5th January 909.
9.Which Andean civilisation is the oldest?
Wari
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Incas
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Moche
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The Moche culture dates back to around 100, while the Wari date back to the 500s. The Inca tribe formed in the 1100s.
10.Which of these occurred first?
Bhola cyclone
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Yom Kippur War
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Watergate scandal
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The cyclone formed on 3rd November and dissipated on the 13th November 1970. The Watergate scandal lasted from 1972 to 1974, while the Yom Kippur War lasted from the 6th to the 25th October 1973.
11.The Roman settlement on the site of which of these modern cities was established first?
Cologne
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Canterbury
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Utrecht
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The town and hillfort of Durovernum Cantiacorum, located where Canterbury now exists, was established in 43 AD on the site of a Celtic settlement, though little construction occurred until later. Later, in 47 AD, the Romans built a fortification where Utrecht is now located, and in 50 AD, the Romans built Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium near to the Celtic settlement of Oppidum Ubiorum, which dated back to 38 BC. Oppidum Ubiorum and Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium both existed within the area of modern Cologne.
12.Which of these was completed first?
Eiffel Tower
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Philadelphia City Hall
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Ulm Minster
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The construction of the Eiffel Tower began on 15th March 1887 and concluded on 31st March 1889. The construction of Ulm Minster took much longer, since it started in 1377 but, for a variety of reasons (though they were mainly political and economic), the church was only completed on 31st May 1890. The construction for Philadelphia City Hall began in 1871 and the building was topped-out in 1894, though the interiors weren't completed until 1901.
13.Which of these journeys occurred the earliest?
Zheng He commands the treasure voyages
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Mansa Musa goes on a pilgrimage to Mecca
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Marco Polo travels along the Silk Road
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Marco Polo travelled along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. Mansa Musa's pilgrimage occurred between 1324 and 1325, and the Ming treasure voyages lasted from 1405 to 1433.
14.Out of these islands, which one was the first to be inhabited by humans?
Hokkaido
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Baffin
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Malta
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Humans have lived on Hokkaido for over 15,000 years. Humans have lived on Malta since about 5200 BC, while Baffin Island has been inhabited for over 3,000 years.
15.Which of these Australian cities was founded first?
Perth
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Hobart
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Brisbane
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Hobart was founded in 1803, Brisbane in 1825 and Perth in 1829.
I love the fact that the average score for this quiz is 5/15. Given that the questions are multiple choice with three options for each, this would seem to prove that the average jetpunker is as good as a monkey when it comes to history.