History General Knowledge #8

Thomas Jefferson was 33 years old when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. That is staggering to think about. Ben Franklin was 70 when he signed, which I add only because I always thought of the Founding Fathers as a uniform group. It's interesting to think how far apart Jefferson and Franklin were in age, and how most people envision them in the same way.

Have you seen the play or movie, "1776"? That put it in perspective for me, quite well. John Adams speaking about Jefferson: "Good G**...you don't mean...they're not going to...? In the middle of the afternoon?" Franklin: "Not everyone's from Boston, John!"

Thomas Jefferson was an amazing person, an Enlightenment philosopher equal to any who was able to put his philosophies into practice, not shying away from writing a document that constituted treason, punishable by death. It's such a revolutionary document. He was considered a genius, was extremely well-read (amassing a huge library he sold to the govt after the Library of Congress was burned by the British), and was 6'2" tall, very handsome and imposing for the times--yet he'd talk to people as equals, quizzing them about their opinions, and only later would they discover who that friendly man was! It's hard to believe the quality of men who came together at that place and time in history to create this country.

Spanish Influenza should be accepted.... (not sure why it isn't!)

Agree.

I find it amusing that "Clark and Lewis" is not an acceptable answer. Lewis must get first billing!

The 1890s where known as "the..... Eighteen.... ninetys?

Tough quiz. A good few American questions that are a lot tougher for us non-Americans.

I just watched a documentary on YouTube a few days about about how syphilis may have been in Europe prior to Columbus.

Wth is meant with 38th parralel?

Not that it matter much still did horrible on this one, I only got two right. On most knowledge quizes I only get two wrong.

The 38th parallel north is a geographical line of latitude which divided North and South Korea, and is now used as a colloquial term for their border, which still roughly follows the line.

"In what Beijing square were democracy activists massacred in 1989?"

There was no one "massacred" inside the square.

https://archives.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_myth_of_tiananmen.php

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8555142/Wikileaks-no-bloodshed-inside-Tiananmen-Square-cables-claim.html

I feel like the type in on the 3rd-to-last question is overly generous.

Not to be that guy, but it's spelled Totenkopf, so that's why it probably didn't register

Maybe the SS question should clarify because I tried both eagle and swastika which are correct but I understand why they're not the "right answer" because they are not unique to SS caps.