Perspectives Under Pressure
Who was President of the USA when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?
Harry Truman
When was Te Tiriti o Waitangi signed?
1840
Who released the album The Tortured Poets Department in 2024?
Taylor Swift
What year did World War II end?
1945
In Oppenheimer (2023), who plays the scientist known as the “father of the atomic bomb”?
Cillian Murphy
What was Leo Szilard’s main concern about using the atomic bomb?
He believed it was unethical and would start an arms race.
What movement led by Māori sought to protect chiefly authority and unity in the 1850s?
Kingitanga
Which movie broke box-office records alongside Barbie in 2023?
Oppenheimer
Which city was bombed three days after Hiroshima?
Nagasaki
Which Marvel superhero was frozen during WWII and thawed out in modern times?
Captain America
What did Truman mean by “the buck stops here”?
That he alone was responsible for major decisions, including the bomb.
In what year were women first able to vote in NZ?
1893
What is the name of New Zealand’s national women’s rugby team?
The Black Ferns
What was the name of the secret US project that developed the atomic bomb?
The Manhattan Project
Which Disney film is set during China’s imperial period and tells the story of a woman who disguises herself as a soldier?
Mulan
Why did Truman and Szilard’s perspectives begin to diverge after the Trinity test?
Szilard saw its destructive potential; Truman viewed it as necessary to end the war quickly.
The Rainbow Warrior was bombed on what date?
10th July 1985
Which NZ city hosted Laneway Festival in 2025?
Auckland
What 1962 crisis nearly led to nuclear war between the USA and the USSR?
The Cuban Missile Crisis
In the film Jojo Rabbit, what imaginary friend does the main character talk to?
Adolf Hitler
Name one action each man took that reflected his perspective
Truman – authorising the bomb; Szilard – organising the scientists’ petition
How does Aotearoa commemorate the NZ Wars today?
Through Te Rā o Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa (NZ Wars Commemoration Day) and local remembrance events.
In a 2025 article, what phenomenon did the Guardian report about ≈ 73,900 New Zealand citizens doing in the year to August?
Leaving NZ
Which NZ Prime Minister signed the 1987 nuclear-free law, standing up to US pressure?
David Lange
Which historical event forms the basis of the musical Hamilton?
The American Revolution