Literature
This early 19th century novel about a scientist who attempts to reanimate the dead, and loses control of his creation, is regarded by some as the first work of science-fiction.
What is Frankenstein?
The release of this sea serpent's tail from its own mouth is regarded as a signal of the beginning of Reganarok.
What is Jormungandr?
This empire was checked in its conquest of Greece at the Battle of Thermopylae before being defeated at the Battle of Salamis.
What is the Persian Empire?
This advisor to the Medici family is so renowned for manipulation and deception that one of the Dark Triad personality traits is named after him.
Who is Niccolo Machiavelli?
One of the most popular and influential pieces of music ever written, this symphony has the distinction of being one of the select human cultural artifacts included on the Voyager golden disk.
What is Beethoven's Symphony No. 9?
A gritty and disturbing psychological examination, this Russian novel tells the story of a poor former student who attempts to get away with murder.
What is Crime and Punishment?
In a lesser-known feat, this Greek goddess hurled the island of Sicily at the titan Enceladus.
Who is Athena?
Operating for nearly 1500 years, this is the longest overland trade route in human history at 4000 miles.
What is the Silk Road?
This philosopher was famously sentenced to death for "corrupting the youth".
Who is Socrates?
This style of medieval church music developed some of the earliest notation of Western music.
What is Gregorian Chant?
This medieval Italian work of verse chronicles the author's descent into Hell, and the various personages he meets there.
What is Dante's Inferno?
This West African spider god is legendary for playing tricks and spreading wisdom.
Who is Anansi?
The first woman to fly solo over the Atlantic, this aviator famously disappeared in 1937 somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
Who is Amelia Earhart?
This Roman emperor is more renowned for his stoic philosophy, as captured in his work Meditations.
Who is Marcus Aurelius?
Known for its use of highly expressive masks, this form of Japanese dance theater has been performed since the 14th century.
What is Noh?
This 1984 novel about a gang of criminals who hack into an artificial intelligence is credited with single-handedly birthing the Cyberpunk genre.
What is Neuromancer?
Thought to be the oldest text in the world, this story tells of a Sumerian king who battled the Bull of Heaven, avenged the death of his brother Enkidu, and sought the secret of immortality.
What is The Epic of Gilgamesh?
This prolonged offensive by Axis Forces to seize a major Allied city is considered to have the highest casualties of any battle in history, at as many as 5.5 million people.
What is the Siege of Leningrad?
Outlined in the works of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu, this philosophy characterizes the cosmic force known as "The Way", and influenced Eastern spiritual practices for thousands of years.
What is Daoism?
This black and white surrealist work by Pablo Picasso is considered a masterpiece depicting the horrors of war.
What is Guernica?
This collection of short stories set in Texan author Robert E Howard's "Hyborian Age" paved the way to the pulp fantasy novels of the 1970s and beyond.
What is Conan the Barbarian?
In this Japanese folk legend, a band of masterless samurai, after years of patient plotting and waiting, avenge their wrongfully slain lord.
What is The 47 Ronin?
This African king is considered the wealthiest man to have ever lived, as noted in accounts of his lavish pilgrimages to Mecca.
Who is Mansa Musa?
This 19th century philosopher advanced the concept of the "dialectic" in which ideas are formed as a "synthesis" of the opposing "thesis" and "antithesis".
Who is Karl Marx? / Who is G.W.F. Hegel?
This tragicomic play by Shakespeare is infamous for its stage direction "Exit, pursued by bear".
What is The Winter's Tale?