World History
This ancient Mesopotamian writing system, first used by the Sumerians, employed wedge‑shaped impressions on clay tablets.
What is cuneiform?
This atmospheric layer, just above the troposphere, contains most of the ozone that absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation.
What is the stratosphere?
This 2010 Christopher Nolan film features dream‑within‑a‑dream heists and a spinning top as a key visual motif.
What is Inception?
This board game features tokens such as a top hat and a battleship, and players attempt to avoid going to jail while purchasing properties.
What is Monopoly?
This European capital, located on the Vistula River, was largely rebuilt after massive destruction in World War II.
What is Warsaw?
This 1947 U.S. initiative provided economic aid to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II.
This 1947 U.S. initiative provided economic aid to help rebuild Western European economies after World War II.
These geological structures mark the boundaries between tectonic plates where earthquakes often originate.
What are fault lines (or faults)?
This director’s “Before” trilogy—set in Vienna, Paris, and Greece—follows Jesse and Céline over nearly two decades.
Who is Richard Linklater?
This musical instrument family includes the violin, viola, cello, and double bass.
What are string instruments (or the string family)?
This landlocked European country has several official languages and is known for its cantons and the Alps.
What is Switzerland?
This 1945 conference, attended by Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, helped determine the post‑war division of Europe.
What is the Yalta Conference?
This term describes the gradual transformation of fertile land into desert, often due to overgrazing, deforestation, or climate change.
What is desertification?
This 1999 film by the Wachowskis features Neo, Morpheus, and a red pill that reveals a simulated reality.
What is The Matrix?
This South African policy of institutionalized racial segregation lasted officially from 1948 until the early 1990s.
What was apartheid?
This Asian capital lies on the Han River and is located just south of the Demilitarized Zone.
What is Seoul?
This 17th‑century conflict, sparked in 1618 in Central Europe, is often cited as one of the most destructive wars in European history.
What is the Thirty Years’ War?
This biological term refers to the amount of energy captured by plants and used for growth in an ecosystem.
What is primary productivity?
This mockumentary‑style sitcom set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is an adaptation of a British series created by Ricky Gervais.
What is The Office (U.S.)?
This secret U.S. research project during World War II produced the first nuclear weapons.
What was the Manhattan Project?
This African country’s name comes alphabetically first among all sovereign states.
What is Algeria?
This 19th‑century Japanese reform period, named for an emperor, rapidly modernized the country and ended the Tokugawa shogunate.
What is the Meiji Restoration?
This Italian physicist’s 18th‑century experiments with stacked discs of metals and brine‑soaked cloth led to the first true electric battery.
Who is Alessandro Volta?
This 1954 Akira Kurosawa film about villagers hiring warriors inspired later works like “The Magnificent Seven.”
What is Seven Samurai?
This 19th‑century English naturalist wrote “On the Origin of Species,” explaining natural selection.
Who is Charles Darwin?
This South American capital sits at over 3,500 meters above sea level on the Altiplano and is often cited as one of the world’s highest capitals.
What is La Paz?