World Events — Set 5

Correct Answer: D. Abraham Lincoln

• **Abraham Lincoln** issued the **Emancipation Proclamation** on **January 1, 1863**. • Declared freedom for enslaved people in **Confederate states** — applied only to rebel territories. • Lincoln led the US through the **Civil War (1861–65)**; assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in April 1865. • 💡 Andrew Jackson = 7th president; Theodore Roosevelt = 26th; Thomas Jefferson = wrote Declaration — Lincoln was 16th president.

Correct Answer: B. 1914-1918

• **World War I** lasted from **1914 to 1918** — called the 'Great War' before WWII. • **November 11, 1918** at 11 AM — Armistice signed; now observed as Remembrance/Veterans Day. • WWI killed approximately **17 million** people; new weapons — poison gas, tanks, aircraft — used. • 💡 1920–1925 = interwar period; 1905–1910 = Russo-Japanese War era; 1939–1945 = WWII — WWI was 1914–1918.

Correct Answer: B. 1939-1945

• **World War II** lasted from **1939 to 1945** — deadliest conflict in human history. • **Allies** (UK, USA, USSR, France) vs **Axis** (Germany, Italy, Japan) — over 70 nations involved. • Ended with Germany's surrender on **May 8, 1945** (V-E Day) and Japan's on **September 2, 1945**. • 💡 1950–1953 = Korean War; 1914–1918 = WWI; 1965–1975 = Vietnam War — WWII was clearly 1939–1945.

Correct Answer: A. Trygve Lie

• **Trygve Lie** of Norway = **first Secretary-General** of the United Nations (1946–1952). • Served during the Korean War; established UN headquarters in **New York City**. • Lie was followed by **Dag Hammarskjöld** (2nd SG, Sweden) who died in a plane crash in 1961. • 💡 Ban Ki-moon = 8th SG (South Korea); Dag Hammarskjöld = 2nd SG; Kofi Annan = 7th SG (Ghana) — Trygve Lie was first.

Correct Answer: A. North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• **NATO** = **North Atlantic Treaty Organization**; established on **April 4, 1949**. • Founded by **12 countries** including USA, UK, France, Canada to counter Soviet threat during Cold War. • Key principle: **Article 5** — attack on one member is attack on all (collective defense). • 💡 'National Anti-Terror', 'New Alliance Treaty Order', 'North American Trade' are fabricated — NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Correct Answer: C. Nelson Mandela

• **Nelson Mandela** = first Black President of South Africa, elected in **April 1994**. • Imprisoned for **27 years** (1964–1990) on Robben Island for anti-apartheid activism. • Awarded **Nobel Peace Prize (1993)** jointly with F.W. de Klerk for dismantling apartheid peacefully. • 💡 Jacob Zuma = later president; Desmond Tutu = Archbishop, not president; Thabo Mbeki = 2nd Black president — Mandela was first.

Correct Answer: D. Rebirth

• **Renaissance** literally means **'Rebirth'** in French — revival of art, science, and classical learning. • Spanned roughly **14th to 17th century**; began in Italy and spread across Europe. • Key figures: **Leonardo da Vinci** (art, science), **Galileo** (astronomy), **Shakespeare** (literature). • 💡 Revolution = sudden political change; Resistance = fighting back; Revenge = retaliation — Renaissance literally means 'Rebirth'.

Correct Answer: B. Steam Engine

• **James Watt** improved the **steam engine** in **1769** — made it far more fuel-efficient. • His condensing steam engine became the main power source of the Industrial Revolution. • The unit of **power 'Watt' (W)** is named after him in the SI system of units. • 💡 Spinning Jenny = James Hargreaves (textile); Printing Press = Gutenberg; Telescope = Galileo — Watt is famous for steam engine.

Correct Answer: D. Massacre of protesters

• **Bloody Sunday** = **January 22, 1905** — massacre of unarmed protesters in St. Petersburg. • Workers led by **Father Gapon** marched to Tsar's Winter Palace demanding reforms; troops fired on them. • Event sparked the **Russian Revolution of 1905**; Tsar Nicholas II lost public trust permanently. • 💡 'End of war', 'treaty signing', 'coronation' — none were 1905 events; Bloody Sunday = massacre of protesters.

Correct Answer: A. 1991

• **USSR dissolved** on **December 25, 1991** — Gorbachev resigned; Cold War officially ended. • **15 independent republics** emerged including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Baltic states. • **Mikhail Gorbachev's** reforms — Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring) — accelerated the collapse. • 💡 1989 = Berlin Wall fell (not USSR); 1980 = Soviet invasion of Afghanistan ongoing; 2000 = Putin era — USSR dissolved in 1991.