20th Century Figures

Question 1

Albright, Madeleine

Answer 1

This 64th Secretary of State was the highest ranking woman in the Clinton Administration, as well as the first female to hold that office. She held her position from January, 1997 until January of 2001. She is known for her role in the war against ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Question 2

Anderson, Marian

Answer 2

She became the first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1955, and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963.

Question 3

Angelou, Maya

Answer 3

Her autobiographical work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, created an international sensation when it was first published in 1970. Since then her books and poems have made her one of the world’s favorite authors and one of America’s best-loved public speakers. President Clinton requested that she compose a poem for his first inaugural in 1993; she read that poem, “On the Pulse of the Morning,” to an audience of millions on live television.

Question 4

Arafat, Yasir

Answer 4

As the chairman of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), he called for a Palestinian state to be established on the West Bank. Arafat died on November 11, 2004.

Question 5

Armstrong, Neil

Answer 5

This astronaut commanded the Apollo 11 excursion and became the first person to walk on the moon, with Buzz Aldrin following right behind him. He is noted for saying, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Question 6

Bush, George H. W

Answer 6

George Bush, the 41st U. S. President, enlisted in the Naval Reserve and flew combat missions in World War II while still a teenager. After enjoying success in business, and raising his family, he entered political life, serving as Congressman, Vice President and finally President of the United States. His administration saw the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, renewal of the Voting Rights Act, and successful American military actions in Kuwait and Panama.

Question 7

Carter, Jimmy

Answer 7

As President of the United States from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter sought to make the United States a force for peace in the world, and made the promotion of human rights a centerpiece of his foreign policy. In the most dramatic achievement of his presidency, Carter personally mediated a peace settlement between Egypt and Israel, ending a 31-year state of war between the Jewish state and its largest Arab neighbor and laying the groundwork for all subsequent Middle East peace negotiations. In 2002, his commitment to nonviolent conflict resolution around the world was recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Question 8

Castro, Fidel

Answer 8

This Cuban dictator used guerilla warfare to overthrow the previous dictator, Batista, in the 1959 Revolution. Since he was a Marxist, the new regime was openly Communistic.

Question 9

Chaplin, Charlie

Answer 9

This comic genius starred in many Hollywood silent films and created his most famous vaudeville-style character, “The Tramp.”

Question 10

Chavez, Cesar

Answer 10

This president of the National Farm Workers Association fought to improve conditions for farm workers, especially Mexican Americans. He fasted for 36 days to draw attention to the link between pesticides in grapes and cancer in children of farm workers.

Question 11

Churchill, Winston

Answer 11

This statesman became Prime Minister of Britain during Hitler’s rise to power and served through the end of the war. He was determined to fight the Nazi takeover and lead his people and the world in a rally against Nazi tyranny. He coined the phrase “The Iron Curtain.” He was also an author and is best remembered for his two books, A History of the English-Speaking People and The Second World War. He later returned to the post of Prime Minister for a few years during the 1950s and is known for his famous quote, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”

Question 12

Clinton, Hillary Rodham

Answer 12

She was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 26, 1946, and graduated from Yale Law School. She married Bill Clinton in 1975 and had one daughter, Chelsea, in 1980. During her husband’s presidency, she headed a Task Force on National Health Care Reform as well as supported women’s rights at home and abroad. Clinton was elected to the United States Senate on November 7, 2000.

Question 13

Cousteau, Jacques

Answer 13

This famous French diver helped to develop the Aqua Lung which made exploration possible in the realm of the sea. He made a documentary entitled The Silent World, which won an Academy Award for the best documentary. He also founded the Cousteau Society, an agency to protect sea life.

Question 14

Curie, Marie

Answer 14

This groundbreaking female scientist won the Nobel Prize in both physics and chemistry and discovered both radium and plutonium with the help of her husband, Pierre.

Question 15

Disney, Walt

Answer 15

This legendary artist was first known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, an animated cartoon character who paved the way for animation as a full-scale category of entertainment. He opened his cartoon studio in Hollywood in 1923 and the Disneyland Theme Park in 1955. His first, full-length animated film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He also designed Disney World in Florida and the Epcot Center, which was completed just two years before his death in 1966.

Question 16

Edison, Thomas

Answer 16

Known as the “Wizard of Menlo Park,” this American inventor is best known for inventing the light bulb and the phonograph. However, he patented more than a thousand devices, and is known for the quote, “Genius is about 2% inspiration and 98% perspiration.”

Question 17

Einstein, Albert

Answer 17

This scientist developed the Theory of Relativity as well as premises which led to the development of the atomic bomb. Then he educated the public on the bomb’s destructive potential. He was selected as Time Magazine’s Man of the Century.

Question 18

Ferraro, Geraldine

Answer 18

She became the first woman nominated for the Vice-Presidency by a major political party in 1984, when she ran as Walter Mondale’s running mate.

Question 19

Ford, Henry

Answer 19

He invented the Model T car in 1908, and established the first assembly line at his Detroit plant. He died in 1947, leaving a fortune that was valued at more than $500 million.

Question 20

Freud, Sigmund

Answer 20

This prominent psychologist first proposed the theory of the Oedipus Complex as well as that of the id, ego, and super-ego. His theories served as the foundation for modern psychiatry.

Question 21

Gates, Bill

Answer 21

This 1975 Harvard drop-out co-founded Microsoft. He licensed MS-DOS to IBM for its first personal computer in 1980, and released the popular Windows 3.0 in 1995. He is currently the chairman and chief software architect for Microsoft. Gates wrote two best selling books: The Road Ahead and Business at the Speed of Thought.
2005 marks the 12th year in a row that Gates heads the Forbes Magazine list of richest Americans.

Question 22

Ghandi, Idira

Answer 22

The daughter of Nehru, she became the first female Prime Minister of India in 1966, and was eventually assassinated by her own bodyguards.

Question 23

Ghandi, Mohandas

Answer 23

This Indian activist protested English dominion over India through the means of nonviolent civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Jr. studied his theories in college and later implemented them in his battle for civil rights within the U.S.

Question 24

Gibson, Althea

Answer 24

This African-American tennis player was the first to compete in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association National Championships in New York. She won both the Wimbledon and U.S. National Singles Championships, published an autobiography, and was appointed to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame. Gibson died in 2003.

Question 25

Goddard, Robert H

Answer 25

This American physicist designed and launched the first liquid fuel rocket in 1926. Because the American space program was based upon his work, Goddard has been nicknamed “The Father of Modern Rocketry.”

Question 26

Gorbachev, Mikhail

Answer 26

This Russian leader modernized the U.S.S.R. when he became head of the Communist party in 1985. He instituted his concepts of glasnost and perestroika. In 1990, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He resigned in 1991 when the U.S.S.R. was dismantled.

Question 27

Hitler, Adolf

Answer 27

This man rose to power as a Nazi dictator of Germany in 1933. This skilled orator used propaganda and force to spread Anti-Semitism, and ordered the widespread persecution of the Jews in concentration camps. He began to conquer European countries and enact this program designed to create the “master race.” He invaded Poland in 1939. This act led to the Second World War. Before the war was over, more than six million Jews and other minorities were slaughtered under his regime. He committed suicide in 1945 when it became apparent that Germany was going to be defeated.

Question 28

Hussein, Saddam

Answer 28

addam Hussein was the ruthless dictator of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. Saddam, which means “he who confronts,” was born in a village called al-Auja, outside of Tikrit in northern Iraq. From 1980 to 1988, Hussein led Iraq in a war against Iran which ended in a stalemate. Also during the 1980s, Hussein used chemical weapons against Kurds within Iraq, including gassing the Kurdish town of Halabja which killed 5,000 in March 1988. In 1990, Hussein ordered Iraqi troops to take the country of Kuwait. In response, the United States defended Kuwait in the Persian Gulf War. On March 19, 2003, the United States attacked Iraq. During the fighting, Hussein fled Baghdad. On December 13, 2003, U.S. forces found Saddam Hussein hiding in a hole in al-Dwar, near Tikrit.

Question 29

Jackson, Jesse

Answer 29

This African-American clergyman and civil rights leader ran for the U.S. Presidency in both the 1984 and 1988 primaries. He is the founder and President of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Inc. On August 9, 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Jackson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for his work in human and civil rights and for nonviolent social change.

Question 30

Jinnah, Mohammed Ali

Answer 30

He was the head of the Muslim League in India, and worked to found Pakistan. He then became the first-governor-general of Pakistan.

Question 31

Jung, Carl

Answer 31

This Swiss psychologist is most noted for his Theory of the Collective Unconscious, as well as the presence of recurring archetypes in personality. He was the first psychologist to classify humans as introverts or extroverts.

Question 32

Johnson, Earvin “Magic.”

Answer 32

This basketball player was the MVP of the NBA in 1987, 1989, and 1990. One year later, he publicly announced that he had contracted the HIV virus. He proceeded to win the Gold Medal at the Barcelona Olympics the next year and played the 1996 season with his team, the L.A. Lakers.

Question 33

Kenyata, Jomo

Answer 33

This Kenyan politician led the nationalist movement and became its first president from 1964-1978.

Question 34

King, Martin Luther, Jr.

Answer 34

He founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which advocated nonviolent ways to deal with racism. In 1963, he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. One year later, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his attempts to end racism in America. He was assassinated in 1968.

Question 35

Lindbergh, Charles

Answer 35

He completed the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 in his monoplane, The Spirit of St. Louis. The flight from Long Island to Paris took 33 hours, 29 minutes. Tragedy struck his family in 1932 when his son, Charles, was kidnapped and found dead.

Question 36

Mandela, Nelson

Answer 36

He served as head of the African National Congress, which fought against the government to end apartheid. As a result of his involvement, he served a 28- year prison sentence, and ultimately became President of South Africa in 1994.

Question 37

Marshall, Thurgood

Answer 37

Before he was appointed to the Supreme Court, this NAACP lawyer won a landmark ruling against segregation in schools in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, which determined that “separate but equal” schooling was a violation of the Constitutional rights of African Americans.

Question 38

Marx, Karl

Answer 38

This man founded the theory of Marxism, closely associated with communism. He authored many treaties warning of the class struggle and exploitation.

Question 39

Meir, Golda

Answer 39

This lady was born into poverty and discrimination in Russia. She lived much of her life in the United States. She later became the Prime Minister of Israel in 1969 and led Israel in the war against Egypt.

Question 40

Minh, Ho Chi.

Answer 40

This leader of the Communist party in Vietnam organized the movement for Vietnamese Independence, the Viet Minh. He declared Vietnam a republic, and he became its president. Subsequently, the republic was involved in the Indochina War that resulted in the division between North and South Vietnam. He was president of North Vietnam and organized the guerilla armies in South Vietnam during the Vietnamese War.

Question 41

Morrison, Toni

Answer 41

This writer was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her books The Bluest Eye and Beloved are internationally known for the poignant portrayal of the painful legacy of prejudice.

Question 42

Mother Teresa

Answer 42

This Catholic nun is famous for her humanitarian efforts among the poor of Calcutta. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. In 1985, Mother Teresa established the first hospice for AIDS victims in New York. Mother Teresa was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian award. Mother Teresa died in 1997.

Question 43

Nehru, Jawaharial

Answer 43

He was a leader in India’s struggle for independence from Britain. He became India’s first prime minister in 1947, and he was also three-time president of the Indian National Congress.

Question 44

O’Connor, Sandra Day

Answer 44

This American was the first female to be appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1981. On July 1, 2005, Associate Justice O’Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court after 24 years of service.

Question 45

Oppenheimer, J. Robert

Answer 45

This scientist’s research led to the development of the atomic bomb. He was accused of communist involvement, thought, and was no longer allowed to do his scientific research for the government.

Question 46

Owens, Jesse

Answer 46

At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, Hitler was in power, and by then his racist philosophies of Aryan superiority were prevalent. However, despite the tension, Owens, an African-American, won gold medals in the 100- and 200-meter sprint, the 400-meter relay, and the broad jump, setting a new world record of 25 feet, 10¼ inches.

Question 47

Parks, Rosa

Answer 47

On December 1, 1955, a bus driver told Parks to give up her seat for a white man, which she refused to do. After her stand against bus segregation in Montgomery in 1955, Parks lost her seamstress job. Parks and her husband moved to Detroit in 1957, where she later served on staff for United States Representative, John Conyers from 1965 to 1988. Parks died of natural causes at her home in Detroit on October 24, 2005.

Question 48

Perkins, Frances

Answer 48

This woman served as the first female Cabinet member, under Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, where she served as the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945.

Question 49

Picasso, Pablo

Answer 49

This distinguished artist is notorious for breaking the confines of traditional art. He is best known for his concepts of abstraction and distortion, and is considered one of the founders of Cubism.

Question 50

Princess Diana of Wales

Answer 50

This princess was known for her compassion and her grace, and was continually in the public eye. Born as Diana Spencer, she married Charles, the future king of England in 1981, and bore him two sons, William and Harry. She became known as “The People’s Princess,” and her death in a 1997 car crash is still regarded as a worldwide tragedy.

Question 51

Queen Elizabeth II

Answer 51

This monarch was appointed queen of England in 1952 and still reigns.

Question 52

Reagan, Ronald

Answer 52

Republican Ronald Reagan became the oldest president elected when he took office as the 40th president of the United States. He served two terms as president, from 1981 to 1989. Reagan spent his years as president attempting to cut taxes, lessen people’s reliance on government, and increase national defense. He did all these things. Plus, Reagan met several times with Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and made the first major move forward in the Cold War when the two agreed to jointly eliminate some of their nuclear weapons. On June 5, 2004, Reagan passed away at the age of 93.

Question 53

Rice, Condoleezza

Answer 53

Dr. Rice is the 66th and current (as of 2006) United States Secretary of State and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush. She replaced Colin Powell on January 26, 2005, after his resignation. Rice is the first African- American woman, second African-American (after Powell), and second woman (after Madeleine Albright) to serve as Secretary of State.

Question 54

Robinson, Jackie

Answer 54

This talented athlete became the first African-American to play on a major league baseball team. He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers’ farm team in Montreal in 1945 and played his first professional game for the Dodgers in 1947. Two years later, he won the National League’s Most Valuable Player award.

Question 55

Sadat, Anwar

Answer 55

This Egyptian President attended the Camp David Peace Accords in 1978, where President Carter negotiated for peace in the Middle East. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to create peace between Egypt and Israel. Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

Question 56

Salk, Jonas

Answer 56

This scientist invented a vaccine for polio

Question 57

Stalin, Joseph

Answer 57

He helped to convert communism in the U.S.S.R. from an egalitarian, revolutionary movement into an authoritarian, bureaucratic governmental system. This Soviet dictator prevented Hitler from conquering Russia during World War II.

Question 58

Taylor, Anna Edson

Answer 58

In 1901, she was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel.

Question 59

Teller, Edward

Answer 59

This American scientist helped create nuclear weapons for defense purposes. He was nicknamed “The Father of the H-Bomb.”

Question 60

Thatcher, Margaret

Answer 60

She became Prime Minister of England in 1979, and was not only the first woman to head the British government, but also the first female leader of a major western country.

Question 61

Tutu, Archbishop Desmond

Answer 61

This Anglican Bishop of South Africa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end Apartheid. In 1978, he became the first African- American General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. Tutu is an honorary doctor of a number of leading universities in the USA, Britain and Germany.

Question 62

Wright, Orville

Answer 62

This man and his brother, Wilbur, made the first successful human flight in the primitive handmade airplane. They performed their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.

Question 63

Zedong, Mao

Answer 63

He was the chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death in 1976. Mao has been credited for converting the country to full-scale Communism.