Questions and Answers about
History
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in HistoryWhat was the first American fast-food restaurant to open in the Soviet Union?
Answer: Two months after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, McDonald’s opened its doors in Moscow – the first American fast-food restaurant to enter the Soviet Union. 33 years later, on May 16, 2022, McDonald’s confirmed that it is selling its 850 restaurants in Russia, increasing the country’s isolation over its war in Ukraine.
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in HistoryWhich bloc was Sweden a part of during the cold war?
Answer: Sweden has avoided military alliances since the end of the Napoleonic Wars and kept its policy of neutrality during World War II and the Cold War. Thus, approximately 70,000 Finnish children were evacuated and placed with families in Sweden during the Second World War, and nearly all of Denmark’s Jewish population._x000D_
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in HistoryWhen was the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC built?
Answer: The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated on May 30, 2022, to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln (born in 1809 and assassinated in 1865). A segregated audience of 50,000 was present during the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial on Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) weekend. President Warren G. Harding…
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in HistoryHow many Soviet people died in World War II?
Answer: During World War II, known as the Great Patriotic War in Russia, the Soviet Union lost 27 million people. May 6 marks the celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over the Nazis in WWII. Russians regard Victory Day as a national holiday. A massive military parade is held on Red Square to commemorate the…
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in HistoryWhat was the Russian cruiser Moskva?
Answer: The Russian Navy’s Moskva was a guided-missile cruiser. She led the Russian naval invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and sank 100 km off the coast of Odesa on Apr. 14, 2022. According to Ukrainian officials and the US Department of Defense, Ukraine fired two anti-ship missiles at the cruiser. The Russian Ministry of Defense…
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in HistoryWhere did Russian novelist Mikhail Bulgakov and his family spend their summers?
Answer: Author Mikhail Bulgakov (The Master and Margarita) used to spend his summers with his family in their dacha (summer vila) in Bucha, Ukraine._x000D_
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in HistoryWhen was the Notre-Dame cathedral initially built?
Answer: Construction of the Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) cathedral began in 1163 and was largely completed by 1260 – in the 12th and 13th centuries. In March 2022, archaeologists found an ancient lead sarcophagus in the lower levels of the building, which is currently under reconstruction after a devastating fire in 2019.…
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in HistoryWhat was The Emancipator?
Answer: The Emancipator was America’s first newspaper dedicated to ending slavery, founded in 1820 in Tennessee. A joint effort by Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe revives the historical publication and reimagines it on digital platforms. The new online Emancipator will feature written and video opinion pieces, multimedia series, and virtual…
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in HistoryWhat triggered the Soviet attack on Finland in 1939’s Winter War?
Answer: On Nov. 26, 1939, the Russian village of Mainila near the Finnish border was bombed by members of the NKVD – predecessors to the KGB. The attack was used as an excuse to launch an invasion into Finland that would later become known as the Winter War. Finland’s President, Sauli Niinistö, on Feb. 19,…
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in HistoryThe United States “temporarily relocated” its diplomatic personnel in Ukraine to Lviv in Feb. 2022. Which empire ruled Lviv until WWI?
Answer: The city of Lviv was part of Galicia, the largest, most populous, and northernmost province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the dissolution of the monarchy at the end of World War I in 1918. On the other hand, Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, was part of the Russian empire, changed hands sixteen times from 1918 to…
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in HistoryWhich world leader was known for glasnost and perestroika?
Answer: Glasnost (meaning “openness”) and perestroika (“reconstruction”) were policy reforms associated with the 1980s General Secretary of the Communist Party, Mikhail Gorbachev, that eventually led to the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Gorbachev, also credited with ending the Cold War, died on Aug. 30, 2022, at a Moscow hospital at 91.
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in HistoryWhat is the world’s oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type?
Answer: Jikji, a collection of Confucian teachings, was printed by a group of Korean monks in the ancient city of Cheongju in 1377. Jikji is the world’s oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type, predating the earliest Gutenberg Bible by 78 years. The only known copy of Jikji is in France, after being purchased…
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in HistoryWhich British monarch reigned the longest?
Answer: Queen Elizabeth II will become, on Feb. 6, 2022, the first British monarch to reign for seven decades. Festivities marking the anniversary will peek in a four-day weekend beginning on Thursday, June 2, with the annual military parade that marks the queen’s 70th coronation anniversary, also known as her “official birthday.” The queen will…
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in HistoryWho was Bill Clinton running against in the 1996 US Presidential elections?
Answer: In the 1996 US Presidential elections, Bill Clinton won against Republican icon Bob Dole. On Dec. 5, 2021, Dole passed away after being treated for stage 4 lung cancer.
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in HistoryWhere did Catherine the Great rule?
Answer: Catherine the Great was the last reigning Empress of Russia from 1762 until 1796—the country’s longest-ruling female leader. The period of Catherine the Great’s rule is considered a Golden Age of Russia. More answers inside!
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in HistoryWhich country did Ferdinand Marcos rule?
Answer: Ferdinand Marcos was the 10th president of the Philippines, ruling as a kleptocrat dictator from 1965 to 1986. Is he running in 2021? Answers inside!
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in HistoryWho was South Africa’s last white president?
Answer: Frederik Willem (FW) de Klerk was South Africa’s last white president, ending apartheid in 1994 and becoming the country’s first Deputy President – under Nelson Mandela. The two shared the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. De Klerk died on Nov. 12, 2021, aged 85. His funeral will take place on Nov. 21 in a private…
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in HistoryMikheil Saakashvili led the Rose Revolution in 2003 in which country?
Answer: Mikheil Saakashvili led Georgia’s Rose Revolution in 2003 to oust former leader Eduard Shevardnadze.
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in HistoryWho was Andrei Sakharov?
Andrei Sakharov was a Soviet nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate, and activist for disarmament, peace, and human rights. The European Union’s top human rights award, Sakharov Prize, carries his name._x000D_
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Who committed the Armenian genocide?
The Armenian genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) during World War I. Get the FAQts!
