On This Day (December 16th) Multiple Choice

1. 1497 – Vasco da Gama passes which South African river, where Bartolomeu Dias had previously turned back to Portugal ?

2. 1653 – Which person becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland ?

3. 1773 – Boston Tea Party: Members of the Sons of Liberty dump hundreds of crates of tea into Boston harbor. What were they disguised as ?

4. 1850 – The "Charlotte Jane" and the "Randolph" bring the first of the Canterbury Pilgrims to which port in New Zealand ?

5. 1882 – Wales and England play the first Home Nations rugby union match. What is the contest called today ?

6. 1883 – Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel. the campaign took place in which modern day country ?

7. 1903 – The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel first opens its doors to guests in which Indian city ?

8. 1930 – Bank robber Herman Lamm and members of his crew are killed by a 200-strong posse, following a botched bank robbery, in which US city ?

9. 1944 – World War II: The Battle of the Bulge begins with the surprise offensive of three German armies through which forests of Europe ?

10. 1946 – Benny Andersson, Swedish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer is born. He is known for being a member of which group ?

11. 1971 – The United Kingdom recognizes which country's independence, which is commemorated annually as National Day ?

12. 1985 – Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti are shot dead on the orders of John Gotti, who assumes leadership of which New York crime family ?

13. 1989 – Protests break out in which European city in response to an attempt by the government to evict dissident Hungarian pastor László Tőkés ?

14. 1991 – Which of the "Stans" declares independence from the Soviet Union ?

15. 2013 – A bus falls from an elevated highway in which Asian capital city killing at least 18 people ?