World War II
What event on September 1, 1939, is generally considered the start of World War II in Europe?
The German invasion of Poland.
Which archduke was assassinated in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, serving as the immediate catalyst for the war?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
What was the most significant underlying cause that led to the secession of Southern states and the start of the American Civil War?
The debate over slavery's morality, politics, and economic necessity created the fundamental sectional divide that led to war.
Which Pope called for the First Crusade in 1095 during the Council of Clermont, promising participants spiritual rewards?
Pope Urban II.
What was the primary U.S. foreign policy justification for entering the Vietnam War, theorizing that if one Southeast Asian nation fell to communism, others would follow?
The Domino Theory.
Which three nations formed the primary alliance known as the Axis Powers?
Germany, Italy, and Japan.
The war was primarily fought between the Central Powers and the Allies. Which three nations formed the core of the Central Powers?
Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).
The official start of the American Civil War is traditionally marked by the Confederate attack on which location in April 1861?
The Confederate bombardment of this Union fort in Charleston Harbor was the first military action of the war.
The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) ended in disaster for the Christian world when the Crusaders diverted their path and sacked which major Christian city, the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Constantinople.
Which resolution, passed by the U.S. Congress in August 1964 following alleged attacks on U.S. destroyers, gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to wage war in Vietnam?
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
What was the code name for the massive Allied invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944?
Operation Overlord (or commonly known as D-Day).
What type of stationary, defensive warfare, characterized by long, deep ditches and "No Man's Land," defined the fighting on the Western Front?
Trench warfare.
Who was the primary commanding General of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, who ultimately surrendered at Appomattox Court House?
Lee was the most famous and effective Confederate commander, leading the main Confederate army in the Eastern Theater.
What famous Kurdish general and Sultan of Egypt and Syria successfully recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, triggering the Third Crusade?
Saladin (or Salah ad-Din).
What was the coordinated series of massive surprise attacks by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces on cities and military bases in South Vietnam that began on the Vietnamese New Year in January 1968?
The Tet Offensive.
Which United States President authorized the use of atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945?
Which United States President authorized the use of atomic bombs on Japan in August 1945?
In a diplomatic blunder that helped push the U.S. into the war, Germany proposed a military alliance with Mexico via what coded telegram?
The Zimmermann Telegram.
Which battle is often considered the turning point of the war in the East, as it ended Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s second and final invasion of the North?
The defeat of the Confederate forces at Gettysburg in July 1863 crippled the Army of Northern Virginia and permanently ended major Confederate offensives in the North.
Known as the "King's Crusade," which major military figure of England famously led the Third Crusade alongside Philip II of France and Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire?
Richard the Lionheart (or King Richard I of England).
Who was the communist leader and founder of the Viet Minh who served as the President of North Vietnam until his death in 1969?
Ho Chi Minh.
Which key naval battle in June 1942 is considered the turning point of the war in the Pacific, crippling the Imperial Japanese Navy?
The Battle of Midway.
What nickname was given to the U.S. troops who fought in World War I, named after their infantry uniform?
The Doughboys.
What document, issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared enslaved people in Confederate-held territories to be free?
This executive order changed the legal status of enslaved people in rebellious states to freedom, fundamentally altering the moral and political aims of the war.
What was the name given to the territories and fortified settlements established by the Crusaders in the Middle East after the First Crusade, such as the County of Tripoli and the Kingdom of Jerusalem?
The Crusader States (or Outremer).
The final end of the Vietnam War and the reunification of the country occurred in April 1975 when North Vietnamese forces captured the capital of South Vietnam, which was then called what?
Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).