Ancient Writing
This French military leader was responsible for the expedition that led to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799.
Napoleon Bonaparte
What is the oldest European-founded city in the United States, founded in 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain?
St. Augustine, Florida
Sappho, an Ancient Greek poet, dubbed by some as the “Tenth Muse,” wrote poetry that explored individual identity and personal emotions like desire, jealousy, and love. Much of her poetry focuses on the lives and experiences of women, and it is from her name the term “sapphic” came into being. On what island was she born? (Hint: think about the origins of terms like sapphic)
Lesbos
1. Britain is invaded and conquered by the Roman Empire
2. Pompeii and Herculaneum are destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius
3. Roman emperor Caligula ruled in this century
1st century CE
This legendary Sumerian king, known for his strength and heroic deeds, embarks on a quest for immortality after the death of his close friend Enkidu.
Gilgamesh
These Late Bronze Age letters, named after an Egyptian city founded by Pharaoh Akhenaten, represent a series of diplomatic correspondence among the “Club of Great Powers” in the Near East.
Amarna Letters
What American historical event (war) is central to the plot of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”?
American Civil War
Who was Napoleon’s first wife, whom he loved but divorced because she was too old to conceive heirs to the throne?
Empress Josephine
1. Louis XIV crowned king of France
2. The Dutch East India Company is founded and contributes to the Dutch Golden Age
3. The Qing Dynasty rises to power as the result of a decades-long conflict with the Ming Dynasty
4. North America's first university is founded at Cambridge in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
17th century CE
In his encounter with the Cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus famously deceives the monster by claiming his name is this, allowing him to escape after blinding the creature.
In ancient Athens, this practice allowed citizens to vote for the temporary exile of a public figure, typically recorded on pottery shards.
Ostracism
What country was the first one to recognize the United States’ independence (as early as 1777)?
Morocco
It is customary in the Roman Catholic Church to wait five years after a religious figure dies before beginning the process of canonization. Approximately how long did the Church wait before canonizing Joan of Arc?
Around 500 Years
1. Birth of Mohammad, founder of Islam
2. King Arthur is victorious over the Anglo-Saxons
3. The game of backgammon is invented in Persia
6th century CE
In Greek mythology, this hunter was placed among the stars as a constellation after his death, often depicted with a belt of three stars and accompanied by his faithful hunting dogs.
This royal inscription, created under the order of Darius the Great in the 5th century BCE, was crucial in deciphering cuneiform script.
Behistun Inscription
This enslaved woman was the first African-American poet to be published. She is best known for her “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” which was printed in 1773 and included the infamous “On Being Brought from Africa to America.”
Phillis Wheatley
In what country was the world’s first elected woman president?
Liberia
1. This century marks the first recorded history of windmills
2. Henry II is crowned King of England in Westminster Abby
3. Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire, is born
12th century CE
This Ugaritic storm god, renowned for his battles against the sea god Yam and the god of death, Mot, played a central role in the mythology of the Bronze Age Levant.
Baal
Although authored by a Babylonian king, the Stele of Hammurabi was discovered in this modern-day Iranian site, where it was taken as loot approximately six hundred years after its creation.
Susa
What German-American Baltimore native invented the linotype machine at the end of the 19th century, the first device that could easily and quickly set complete lines of type for use in printing presses? (Hint: think of campus buildings)
Ottmar Mergenthaler
Who was the last Queen of Hawai’i, who was forced through military pressure (a coup) and the need to keep her people alive to sign Hawai’i into US possession?
Queen Lili’uokalani
1. The population of China reaches an estimated 100 million
2. The Tale of Genji is written in Japan, widely considered to be the world’s first novel
3. “Edward the Confessor,” the last king of the British “House of Wessex” is born, rules, and dies in this century
11th century CE
The Tale of this Egyptian Official is an autobiographical account of his life in the Levant following the sudden and suspicious death of King Amenemhat I
Sinuhe