Decline of the Roman Empire
In 330, Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Empire from Rome to this city.
What was Constantinople?
This invention dates back to the Neolithic period, and when coupled with axles, allows for the easier movement of large objects.
What is the wheel?
This drink, made from a specific variety of beans, was consumed by the Aztecs, and was often bitter and spiced.
What is chocolate?
Defeating Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896, sparking anti-colonial inspiration throughout Africa, this country is popularly recognized as the only African nation never formally colonized by a European power.
What is Ethiopia?
This landmark Supreme Court case, taking place in 1803, established the precedent of judicial review.
What was Marbury v. Madison (1803)?
This plague ravaged the Eastern Empire from 541 to 549 CE, killing anywhere from 25 to 60% of the empire’s population.
What was the Plague of Justinian?
This combination of charcoal, sulphur, and potassium nitrate was first created in the Tang Dynasty of China in the early 800s.
What is gunpowder (or black powder)?
This dish, developed in the 1980s, used deep-frying and a sweet citrus glaze to adapt traditional Hunan flavors to American tastes.
What is orange chicken?
President of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997, he became the first black head of state of South Africa post-apartheid.
Who is Nelson Mandela?
This piece of federal legislation, introduced in 1820 as a compromise between free states and slave states, prevented slavery in the Louisiana Territories north of the 36 degrees and 30 minutes parallel.
What was the Missouri Compromise?
Emperor Diocletian created this system in 293 CE to better administer the Roman Empire.
What was the Tetrarchy?
Discovered by Alexander Fleming, this medicine was one of the first to be able to combat the effects of bacterial infection.
What is Penicillin?
This East Asian side dish was developed as a method of preserving vegetables through lactic fermentation, especially to survive long winters; its later inclusion of chili peppers reflects ingredients introduced after the Columbian Exchange.
What is kimchi?
Built in the late 19th Century, this major waterway, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, was nationalized by Egypt in 1956.
What is the Suez Canal?
This act, passed on May 20, 1862, granted adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and five years of continuous residence; its introduction greatly accelerated expansion into the North American west.
What was the Homestead Act (1862)?
This law, passed by Emperor Constantine in 313 CE, officially legalized Christianity and religious freedom in the empire.
What was the Edict of Milan?
This magnetic device, first used as a divination device in the 200s BCE and later for its navigational use in 1190s CE, revolutionized navigation.
What is the compass?
This South Asian spice became so valuable in medieval Europe that it was used as a form of currency, driving the establishment of maritime trade routes and motivating European powers to seek direct access to Indian Ocean markets.
What is black pepper?
The great king Shaka kaSenzangakhona, also known commonly as Shaka Zulu, founded this southern African empire in 1816.
What is the Zulu Empire?
These three criminal codes, passed by Congress between 1870 and 1871, were intended to enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments and protect African American rights to vote, hold office, serve on juries, and receive equal protection.
What were the Enforcement Acts?
During the fracturing of the western empire after 476 CE, this Frankish leader quickly moved to consolidate parts of Gaul and established the Kingdom of the Franks in 481 CE.
Who was Clovis?
Dating back to the 1400s BCE in Greece and later in Rome, using quicklime and volcanic material, this invention paved the road for many other technologies to develop.
What is concrete?
This Spanish cured ham is produced through a lengthy process of salting, air-drying, and aging, and involves the raising of pigs on acorns in the Iberian Peninsula.
What is jamón (or jamón ibérico)?
This two-wheeled, pedal vehicle saw its first major military deployment during the Second Boer War, inspiring its later massive usage in WW1.
What is the bicycle?
Passed following the "Red Summer" of 1919, this piece of California legislation stated that "any person who was a member of any organization that advocated criminal syndicalism was guilty of a felony" and punishable with up to 14 years in prison; it targeted organized labor and was only repealed in 1991.
What was the California Criminal Syndicalism Act?