History & Art Flashcards
When were the 2 most notable times whrn the Black Death struck Europe?
Plague of Justinian 542-546
1347-1351
What day was the fall of Constantinople?
May 29, 1453
When did the Protestant Reformation begin?
Martin Luther publishes 95 Theses in 1517
Edict of Worms in 1521 denounced Luther as a heretic
When was the Magna Carta signed? Year and date
June 15, 1215
When did Homo sapiens leave Africa?
About 60,000-70,000 years ago
What is Mannerism, and when did it happen?
Mannerism started in the 1520 as a reaction to the perfect symmetry and idealism of the high renaissance with exaggeration. Followed by Baroque, which was even more stylized
What is Baroque art, and when did it happen?
Baroque followed Mannerism in the 1600s with even more stylized art
What western art style followed Mannerism?
Baroque Art
What western art style followed Baroque?
Rococo
When did Realism art begin and why?
19th century bringing in scenes of every day people reacting to inaccessible topics
What is Impressionism, and why?
Late 19th century reaction to realism using complementary dots instead of outlines as a reaction to Realism. Done quickly and often outdoors
What are the major phases of Roman History?
Founded in 800BC, Republic in 300BC, Empire in 50BC, split up in 300AD by Diocletian
When was the High Renaissance, and what drove it?
~1500 with Leonardo and Michelangelo rediscovering classical balance
When was the Baroque Music period?
~1600-1750
Who are famous Baroque composers?
Bach 1685-1750
Vivaldi 1678-1741
Handel 1685-1759
When was the Classical Music period?
~1730-1820
Who are famous Classical composers?
Haydn 1732-1809
Mozart 1756-1791
Schubert 1797-1828
Beethoven 1770-1827
When was the Romantic Music period?
~1830-1900
Who are famous Romantic composers?
Schumann 1810-1856
Chopin 1810-1849
Liszt 1812-1886
Wagner 1813-1883
Brahms 1833-1897
Tchaikovsky 1840-1893
Mahler 1860-1911
Rachmaninov 1873-1943
When and how did WW2 begin in Europe?
1939 Germany invaded Poland and phony war follows
What is the Phoney War?
8 months following declaration of war on Germany by UK and France with little fighting?
When and how did Germany attack France in WW2?
1940 invade through the Ardennes forest and cut off the British Expeditionary Force. The forest was considered impassable but got between the Schliffen Plan of the lower countries and the Maginot Line
When and what happened to the British forces when Germany attacked France in WW2?
Summer 1940 British expeditionary force cut off and evacuates at Dunkirk
When and what happened during the Battle of Britain in WW2? How did it end?
After Dunkirk, the British expected an invasion, but it never came. Hitler believed that Britain was broken, and also didn’t have naval/air power. He saw communism as a great threat to fascism and instead attacked Russia in 1941.
When were the D-Day landings in WW2?
June 1944
When and what was the Battle of the Bulge?
December 1944, Germany launched a counterattack after D-Day to get around the Allied armies and force a peace treaty
When did the European theater of WW2 end?
May 1945
When was the Pearl Harbor attack?
December 7, 1941
When and what was the turning point in the Pacific Theater of WW2?
June 1942, Battle of Midway. Nimitz’s codebreakers learned the Japanese strategy and sank 4 aircraft carriers out of eyesight
When and how did the US establish air presence in the Pacific Theater of WW2?
Late 1942: Guadalcanal. Marines take and hold an airfield
When was the battle of Iwo Jima, and what was the purpose?
Early 1944. Get bombers in range of Japan
When did Canada become independent?
Requested in 1830, officially separated in 1980s
How did we end up with the 7 day week?
1. Who first split up the lunar cycle into weeks?
2. What names did the Greeks put on the days?
3. How did the oracle change the order?
4. What names do we now use in English?
- Babylonians split the 28 day lunar cycle into 7x4 days.
- Greeks layered on the name of planets and gods onto these.
- Oracle aligned to speed of the planets.
- Swapped out for Norse gods names along the way.
Why is English mostly Germanic and not Celtic or Latinate?
Celts came in 500 BC but were wiped out by the Romans, who left around completely 500AD. The Angles and Saxons from Denmark/German filled in. Norse raiders dropped in, and Christian missionaries brought back bits of Latin. Then William the Conquerer came with the Normans (French)
When were the Great Pyramids of Egypt built? Who was the pharaoh?
~2600BC by the Pharaoh Khufu
When did the Assyrian Empire rise and fall?
Originated in the Middle East in the vacuum left by the Egyptians ~2500BC until ~600BC
How did the Gutenberg Bible change printing?
Metal movable type was reusable and more effective than woodblock or hand copying. Hand moulds could create new type instantly.
When was Michelangelo born, and what was his impact on art?
1475 (about 20 years after Leonardo) - 1564. A sculptor first, he focused on classical balance in the High Renaissance. The Counter-Reformation brought him back into the Baroque style of high expression
How long did the Hapsburg rule the Holy Roman Empire?
From 1438 until Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire
What happened on the Eastern European front of WW2?
Hitler attacked in 1941 across the entire front but was ground to a halt by reinforcements in 1942. Tried to take Stalingrad but failed. In 1943, Germany made one more push, but it became a slow retreat from there
When was Van Gogh active?
Only about a decade between 1880-1890
When did The Netherlands gain independence and from who?
1566-1648 against the Hapsburg King Philip II of Spain
When was the Dutch Golden Age?
1581 (beginning of the Dutch Republic) to 1672 (Disaster Year)
What were popular subjects in Dutch painting and why?
Portraiture and still life because the church wasn’t sponsoring it
What was Mussolini’s goal?
Create a new Roman Empire by conquering Egypt
What happened in the African campaign of WW2?
Italy attacked, Germany reinforced, Rommel began to attack quickly, but was eventually defeated.
What happened in Italy in WW2?
After the African campaign, the US pushed into Italy to open a new front. The Italian people turned on Mussolini and hanged him
When was the first step pyramid built? For which pharaoh and by which architect?
Pyramid of Djoser in 2630-2610 by Imhotep
When was the First Battle of Bull Run?
Who were the generals?
What happened?
July 21, 1861 between Beauregard and McDowell. McDowell attacked Beauregards left flank but paused as Johnston’s reinforcements arrived. Jackson stood like a stonewall as the union troops retreated.
When was the Seven Days Battle? What happened?
June 25 - July 1, 1862. General Lee takes command and drove McClellan south away from Richmond through a series of retreats.
When was the Second Battle of Bull Run? What happened?
August 29-30, 1862. Jackson had pushed far north then retreated back to the railroad line. Pope attacked but reinforcements from Lee and Longstreet arrived to push Pope back
When was the Battle of Antietam? What happened?
September 17, 1862. After the second battle of Bull run, Lee wanted to push into the north and win over Maryland. Jackson took a huge surrender at harpers ferry. McClellan found the complete battle plan wrapped around a cigarette and moved surprisingly quickly. The bloodiest day was fought to a stalemate over a cornfield before Lee withdrew. Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, and mcclellan didn’t pursue
When was the Battle of Fredricksburg? What happened?
December 11-15, 1862. Encouraged to chase Lee after Antietam, Burnside was late in deploying pontoon bridges while Lee fortified in the heights behind the city. Burnside pushed anyways and failed in a one sided battle.
When was the Battle of Chancellorsville? What happened?
May 1-3, 1863. Hooker got the jump on Lee and maneuvered into a strong position to his west. Jackson took most of the army secretly to the unions weak right flank and rolled them up until meeting again. Jackson was hit by friendly fire and died soon after
When and how was the Rosetta Stone discovered? What does it say, and what languages are on it?
The Rosetta Stone was discovered in the Nile River delta during Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt in 1799. It has a proclamation from King Ptolemy V Ephiphanes from 196BC and is written in Ancient Egyptian in hieroglyphs and Demotic and in Ancient Greek
When was Alexander the Great alive? Who did he notably defeat?
356BC - 323BC. He overthrew the Achaemenid (Persian) Empire and King Darius III
Who fought in the Battle of Salamis? When was it? What was its significance?
480 BC between an alliance of Greek city states under King Themistocles versus the Persians under King Xerses. The outnumbered Greeks won and saved them (and western civilization) from the second Persian invasion.
What are portolan charts and when did they originate?
Nautical maps intended to provide sailing directions between ports. They originated in the late 13th century.
Where was Napoleon born?
Corsica
Why did Napoleon hate the French growing up?
They had conquered Corsica just before he was born.
Why did European countries form a coalition in 1791 against France in the French Revolutionary Wars?
They did not want the revolution to spread to their own countries. They also want to take advantage of chaos in France.
Where and how did Napoleon first distinguish himself in the French Revolutionary Wars?
At Toulon in 1793, he drove the British ships out of the harbor with artillery from high ground.
What was Napoleon’s first campaign as general? How old was he?
He was 26. In 1795, he was sent to the Alps to fight the combined Italian and Austrian armies
What was the name of Napoleon’s first wife?
Josephine
How did Napoleon surprise the older generation of generals?
He did not obey conventions of war about where and when he fought
How did Napoleon earn the respect of his soldiers early in his career?
He was willing to put himself in physical danger to contribute where he could. For example, he would man artillery.
Which was the first major power that Napoleon forced into peace?
Austria
Why did Napoleon invade Egypt?
Great Britain was the last major power still fighting, and he wanted to cut off their trade route to India.
What was the turning point of Napoleon’s Egypt and Syria campaign?
Failed siege of Acre in modern day Israel
How did Napoleon get trapped in Egypt?
The British fleet found the French fleet docked and destroyed it
What government did Napoleon overthrow to become First Consul? When and how?
Napoleon overthrew the Directory in 1799 by coup d’etat
When did Napoleon declare himself Emperor?
1804
What prevented Napoleon from invading Britain? What was the nail on the coffin?
The British Royal Navy prevented him from crossing the English Channel. They defeated the French Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
When was the Battle of Trafalgar? What happened? What was the consequence?
In 1805, the outnumbered British Navy encountered the French-Spanish Navy of Napoleon off the coast of Spain. Horatio Nelson split the allies and won but died himself.
This ended Napoleon’s chance to invade Britain.
What battle led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire?
The Battle of Austerlitz
What is generally considered Napoleon’s greatest military victory?
The Battle of Austerlitz
When was the Battle of Austerlitz? What happened?
In 1805, Napoleon met the combined Russian-Austrian army. By luring the allies first off the Pratzen Heights and baiting them to attack his right flank, Napoleon his troops to attack the center then split the army.
What happened in 1806 when Prussia joined the fight against Napoleon?
They were quickly crushed and Napoleon invaded from Berlin to the Russian border
What was the Great Schism? When did it happen and why?
In the 11th century, the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches split due to various theological differences.
Why did Napoleon divorce Josephine?
She was unable to produce a male heir
Who did Napoleon marry to produce an heir?
Marie Louise of Austria (Hapsburg)
What did Czar Alexander I do to cause Napoleon to invade?
Russia broke the embargo and traded with Britain
What happened in the War of 1812? How many men did Napoleon start with and end with?
Napoleon invaded Russia, and they arrived at Moscow, which was then burned down. He retreated but the Russian winter came early. He started with 450,000 men and left with 120,000
When was the Battle of Leipzig? What happened?
The coalition of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia defeated Napoleon in 1814, leading to the end of Napoleon’s rule.
When did Napoleon first abdicate from being the Emperor?
1814
Where was Napoleon sentenced to exile the first time?
Elba
What was the Hundred Days?
The period between Napoleon’s return from Elba to his defeat again
When was the Battle of Waterloo?
June 18, 1815
Who led the British at the Battle of Waterloo?
Duke of Wellington
Who was supposed to reinforce the British at the Battle of Waterloo?
The Prussians led by Field Marshal Blucher
Where and when was Napoleon sentenced to exile the second time?
1815, St Helena
When and where did humans first evolve?
2.5 million years ago in Africa
When did Magellan circumnavigate the world?
1519-1522
Who was the British king during the American Revolutionary War?
King George III
What military event was the Battle of Bunker Hill part of?
Siege of Boston
During what battle was George Washington appointed commander in chief?
Siege of Boston
How did Washington drive the British to retreat at the siege of Boston?
He took the Dorchester Heights overlooking the town
Where did Washington go after the siege of Boston?
New York
What was the result of the New York campaign in the American revolutionary war?
The continental army withdrew to New Jersey and the British army took New York.
What river did Washington cross to get to the battle of Trenton?
Delaware river
What city was Washington trying to defend when he retreated across the Delaware river?
Philadelphia
What would science have been called in the Middle Ages or classical antiquity?
Natural philosophy
What was NASA’s first space program to prepare for the moon landing?
Pioneer (1958-1960) – The first step towards the moon is getting into space. Although these missions had the lofty goal to orbit the moon, they were primarily intended to reach escape velocity.
What was MASA’s first manned space program?
Mercury (1959 – 1963) – These were the first manned spaceflight NASA missions. Notable flights here include Mercury-Redstone 3, which made Alan Shepard the first American in space (just a bit behind Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space) and Mercury-Atlat 6, which made John Glenn the first American to orbit the Earth
What was the purpose of NASA’s Ranger program?
Ranger (1961 – 1965) – Ranger 1-9 were unmanned missions to take pictures of the Moon. Until this point, we didn’t know what the surface of the Moon looked like. From telescopes on Earth, we couldn’t see the Moon with enough detail to know what the shape of the terrain was. Although the early missions had many problems, the final 3 were successful enough that they were all crash-landed on the Moon. For science, of course, to get the closest possible pictures and to see what happens when something hits the Moon
What was the purpose of NASA’s Surveyor program?
Surveyor (1966 -1968) – Improving upon destruction on success, the Surveyor missions intended to not crash and make soft landings on the Moon. Although Ranger had photographed the texture, we still didn’t know what the composition of the Moon was like. For all we knew, the Moon could’ve really been like soft cheese, with landers sinking deep into moondust. Fortunately, these missions went well with all 7 making it to the moon and 5 of 7 not crashing
What was the purpose of NASA’s Orbiter program? Which years was it?
Orbiter (1966-1967) – Simultaneously with Surveyor, Orbiter was a series of lunar orbiters taking pictures to find good landing spots for other missions. Orbiter took large pictures to find generally flat areas that would not cause landers to tumble down a slope
How many Apollo missions were there?
17
What years did the Apollo missions span?
1968-1972
According to Harari, what are the two primary theories of how Homo sapiens came to dominate all human species?
- Interbreeding 2. Replacement
It’s complicated and probably somewhere in between
According to Harari, what skill allowed Homo sapiens to be so successfully when they left Africa that isn’t present in other species?
Mass cooperation with others we don’t directly know
According to Harari, why is gossip important to mass cooperation?
It allows us to share information about who to trust, possible wrongdoings, and social norms beyond directly observing or knowing what’s going on
When was the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution?
~12,000 years ago
According to Harari, how long did an average hunter-gatherer spend working each week?
35-45 hours
According to Harari, why were hunter-gatherers healthier than their descendants?
The human body had evolved to be optimized for the varied diet from foraging. Farming people tend to have significantly less variation down to even a single crop.
According to Harari, how did hunter-gatherers avoid infectious diseases that are common today?
Many diseases come from livestock. Also they traveled much less on modern transportation
According to Harari, why were sapiens so effective at killing off megafauna in new areas?
- Megafauna hadn’t evolved to fear humans
- Megafauna breed slowly, so even a few killed was enough to tip the balance
According to Harari, when did humans first cross from Siberia into the americas?
~16,000 years ago
According to Harari, what chronic health issues came with the Agricultural Revolution?
Joint and spines issues eg slipped disks, arthritis, hernias
According to Harari, how did wheat domesticate sapiens?
Growing crops took more time and also tied us to a specific location
According to Harari, how is agriculture less secure than hunting and gathering?
It is susceptible to bad weather conditions. Foragers could also vary their diet to avoid scarcity
According to Harari, what’s the link between agriculture and violence?
Farming led to more violence between sapiens as they fought to take or hold farming land. Previously, hunter gatherers would just move on
Which empire did King Hammurabi rule?
Babylon
According to Harari, how is the Declaration of Independence an example of an “imagined order”?
We believe in the principles not because they are objectively true but because believing in it will help us cooperate and create a better society.
According to Harari, which culture invented writing?
The Sumerians
According to Harari, why did the earliest writing focus on numbers?
We are good at remembering stories and plants, so we didn’t need to write then down. However, we are bad at remembering numbers so we had to write those down
Roughly when did california deregulate the electricity industry?
Late 1990s
How did california break up pg&e with deregulation?
It split power generation from power transmission and made pg&e responsible for bidding for electricity to sell to customers
How were traders and power suppliers able to game the California power exchange?
They constrained or misrouted supply in order to force grid operators to buy at emergency prices
