History of Modern War Quiz
During the Civil War, heavily armored ships called Ironclads were used for combat and supplies. Which of the following ships was in the first Ironclad battle?
- The first ironclad battle took place in the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, with the Union vessel called the Monitor being a revolutionary design of naval combat for the time, going up against the Confederate Merrimack, with victory for the Monitor.
What was the Civil War battle that produced the most casualties?
- Though the entire Civil War cost many lives and about 2% of the entire US population died during the conflict, Gettysburg claimed the most lives: 51,112, to be exact.
Who declared there would be “peace for our time”, after returning from the 1938 talks with German leaders in an attempt to prevent worldwide conflict?
- In a famous quote, Prime Minister Chamberlain returned from discussing policies with Hitler ahead of WWII, waving the Anglo-German Declaration of cessation and announcing that “peace for our time” was achieved— unfortunately, he was wrong.
What happened on September 3, 1939, to make it an important date in the timeline of World War II?
- After German forces invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, effectively starting WWII, Britain and France declared war on the country.
During the Cold War, which lasted between 1947 and 1991, there was an imaginary line that marked the division of secrecy, espionage, and mistrust between Western democracies and the USSR. What was it called?
- First coined by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Iron Curtain was the line drawn between Western powers and the states influenced by the Soviet regime.
The Korean War began when Communist Northern Korean forces invaded the non-communist Republic of Korea to the south in the summer of 1950. What was the position of the border established between the two countries?
- During the waning days of WWII, the US and Russia agreed on the 38th parallel north to demarcate the border between North and South Korea, and this is the line crossed by North Korean troops when the 1950 conflict began.
Over the course of the Korean War, what was the name of the UN-appointed supreme commander who once suggested that nuclear weapons should be used in the conflict?
- Called “atomic diplomacy”, General MacArthur had the idea that implementing an atomic bomb might have dire enough consequences to end the conflict immediately, but he was ultimately not successful.
During the Vietnam War, the US carried out a comprehensive bombing campaign on the Ho Chi Minh Trail to prevent more Vietnamese resistance troops and supply trains from reaching the front. What was this mission called?
- Beginning in 1965, this bombing campaign lasted for three years and was run by US Air Force and Navy aircraft, escalating the level of violence in an attempt to change North Vietnamese minds.
The US forces used a variety of herbicides and defoliant chemicals during the Vietnam War, in order to reduce the amount of vegetation for the enemy forces to successfully use as cover. What were some of these dangerous substances called?
- Many code-named chemicals were used, including Agent Orange with a toxin called 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid that was later attributed to lasting health crises, deaths, and birth defects experienced by anyone exposed.
How many days did it take for Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein to completely occupy the State of Kuwait and effectively start the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991?
- It only took two days for Hussein’s troops to take over the neighboring country of Kuwait in the early fall of 1990, a move that called for international intervention and US forces to take direct action against the incursion.
