World History is a deceptively concentrated Jeopardy! topic: all 998 clues flow through a single raw category ("WORLD HISTORY"), and it leans heavily toward Double Jeopardy, 64.5% of clues appear in the DJ round versus just 33.6% in Jeopardy, marking it as one of the show's more advanced categories. With 19 Final Jeopardy appearances, it sits comfortably in the mid-tier of FJ frequency, but the difficulty of those FJ clues is notable: three were triple stumps where no contestant answered correctly.
The dominant pattern in World History is country identification. A clue describes a historical event, a colonial relationship, a revolution, or a founding date, and the answer is a country. This makes the topic feel more like a geography-history hybrid than a pure history category. The top 30 answers include 20 countries, with Poland (9 appearances), Egypt (9), and China (9) leading the pack, followed by Hungary (8) and France (8).
The gimmes: Several answers boast perfect 100% accuracy across multiple appearances: Poland (9, 100%), China (9, 100%), Hungary (8, 100%), France (8, 100%), India (7, 100%), Brazil (6, 100%), Canada (5, 100%), Peter the Great (5, 100%), Napoleon (4, 100%), Mao Tse-tung (4, 100%), Louis XIV (4, 100%), Hannibal (4, 100%), Genghis Khan (4, 100%), Martin Luther (4, 100%), and Attila (3, 100%). When you see a clue about the Mongol Empire, the Reformation, or the Punic Wars, contestants almost never miss.
The stumper zone: Finland is the single most dangerous answer in the category, appearing in 7 clues with only a 28.6% correct rate, meaning contestants get it wrong nearly three-quarters of the time. Simon Bolivar (3 clues, 33.3% correct) and Maria Theresa (3 clues, 33.3% correct) are nearly as treacherous. Japan (6 clues, 57.1%), Denmark (5 clues, 57.1%), and several other European nations hover around the two-thirds mark. The stumpers cluster around Scandinavian/Nordic history, Habsburg-era rulers, and South American liberation, areas where contestants' knowledge tends to be thinnest.
Study strategy: Start with the gimme answers and their most common clue angles; these are free points. Then focus on the stumper countries, especially Finland and the Nordic nations, where a small amount of study yields disproportionate returns. For Final Jeopardy, learn colonial relationships (which European power controlled which territory), independence dates and founding stories, and the lesser-known facts about well-known events. The DJ-heavy weighting means you'll encounter these clues at higher dollar values, so accuracy matters more than in J-round topics.
Europe dominates the World History answer pool, which is unsurprising given that the category's time horizon stretches from antiquity through the twentieth century and European powers were entangled in nearly every major geopolitical event along the way. What is worth studying is which European countries the show returns to most often, and (critically) which ones trip contestants up.
Poland (9 clues, 100%) is the single most-tested country answer and has never been missed. The clue angles cluster around two eras: the Solidarity movement and martial law under General Jaruzelski in the 1980s, and Poland's eighteenth-century partitions among Russia, Prussia, and Austria. A recurring surprise clue connects Tadeusz Kosciuszko to the American Revolution; he fortified West Point and fought at Saratoga before returning to lead a Polish uprising. Contestants seem to know Poland cold, perhaps because its modern history (Solidarity, Walesa, Pope John Paul II) is culturally embedded.
Hungary (8 clues, 100%) also has a perfect record. The signature clue involves the Crown of St. Stephen, the thousand-year-old coronation crown that was kept at Fort Knox by the United States after World War II before being returned in 1978, a detail that catches contestants' attention and sticks in memory. The 1956 Soviet invasion is the other major angle, along with Hungary's role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
France (8 clues, 100%) rounds out the perfect-accuracy trio among major European answers. Clue angles reach beyond the French Revolution into colonial history, France's extensive empire in Africa, the Haitian slave revolt and independence (the only successful slave revolution in history), and Belgium's brief annexation. These colonial connections are worth studying because they bridge World History and Geography in ways that generate DJ-level clues.
Spain (5 clues, 80%) appears through its colonial empire; the conquistadors, the Armada, and its role in the Americas. One missed clue is all that separates it from perfection.
Russia (5 clues, 80%), Clues cover the full sweep from the Romanovs through the Revolution and Soviet era. The missed clue tends to involve pre-Petrine Russia, the period before Peter the Great modernized the country.
Cuba (5 clues, 80%), While geographically in the Americas, Cuba's history is so intertwined with Spain and the Cold War that it often reads as a European-adjacent answer. The Bay of Pigs, the missile crisis, and Castro's revolution are the standard angles, but the show also tests Cuba's colonial period under Spain.
Here is where study pays off most. A cluster of European nations sits in the 57–67% accuracy range, meaning contestants miss them a third to nearly half the time.
Denmark (5 clues, 57.1%) (~7 clues · 57% correct) The show tests Denmark through its former possessions and dependencies: Iceland declared independence from Denmark in 1944, and Norway was a Danish province for centuries before being ceded to Sweden in 1814. These colonial-administrative relationships are the kind of detail that sounds obscure but repeats in Jeopardy.
Watch out: Denmark is a consistent stumper because contestants associate it with Vikings and fairy tales but not with its centuries-long role as a Scandinavian imperial power controlling Iceland, Norway, Greenland, and parts of the Caribbean.
Sweden (4 clues, 66.7%), Queen Christina's abdication and conversion to Catholicism is a favorite clue angle. Sweden's brief control of Estonia and its role as a Baltic power in the seventeenth century also appear. Contestants who know only ABBA and IKEA struggle here.
Scotland (3 clues, 66.7%), John Knox and the Scottish Reformation, plus Robert the Bruce and the Wars of Scottish Independence. The show treats Scotland as a distinct historical entity rather than folding it into "Britain."
Prussia (3 clues, 66.7%), The largest kingdom within the German Empire, Prussia is tested as a pre-unification answer. Contestants who think "Germany" when they hear about Bismarck-era politics sometimes miss that the answer the show wants is specifically Prussia.
Portugal (4 clues, 66.7%), Pope Alexander VI's 1493 line of demarcation (later formalized in the Treaty of Tordesillas) dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal is a classic clue. King John II's role in the Age of Exploration and Portugal's massive colonial empire in Brazil, Africa, and Asia also appear.
Watch out: Portugal is consistently underestimated. Contestants default to "Spain" for Iberian colonial history, but the show specifically tests Portugal's distinct imperial story, Brazil, Macau, Goa, Mozambique, Angola.
Finland (4 appearances among top answers, but 7 total clues, 28.6% correct) is the most missed answer in all of World History. Contestants get it wrong nearly three-quarters of the time. The clue angles are specific: the Winter War of 1939–40, when tiny Finland fought the Soviet Union to a near-standstill; Finland's declaration of independence from Russia in 1917; and its unique position as a non-Scandinavian Nordic country. The term "Finlandization", describing a small country's foreign policy deference to a powerful neighbor, has also appeared.
Watch out: Finland is the #1 stumper in World History at 71.4% wrong. Learn three facts: the Winter War (1939–40) against the Soviet Union, independence from Russia in 1917, and the concept of "Finlandization." These three angles account for virtually every Finland clue in the category.
Asia and the Middle East occupy a smaller but high-value slice of the World History category. The clues tend to appear at DJ-level dollar amounts and test dynastic history, colonial encounters, and the great independence movements of the twentieth century. Accuracy is generally high for the major answers, but Japan is a notable exception.
China (9 clues, 100%) has never been missed in World History, making it one of the safest answers in the category. The clue angles span an enormous chronological range: the semi-mythical Hsia (Xia) dynasty, traditionally considered the first Chinese dynasty; the Tang dynasty as a golden age of poetry and culture; the Sino-Japanese Wars of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and the Communist revolution of 1949. Contestants seem comfortable identifying China from clues about any era, which may reflect its prominence in world history curricula.
Mao Tse-tung (4 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy. Clues reference the Long March, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Mao's role in founding the People's Republic in 1949. This is pure gimme territory.
Genghis Khan (4 clues, 100%), Another perfect-accuracy answer. The Mongol Empire's founder is tested through his conquests across Asia and into Eastern Europe, his real name (Temujin), and the sheer scale of the empire he built; the largest contiguous land empire in history.
India (7 clues, 100%), Perfectly accurate across all appearances. The clue angles are surprisingly diverse: Edward VII being proclaimed Emperor of India, the Aryan Period and the composition of the Vedas, the Mughal Empire (particularly Babar as its founder), and the British Raj. The show treats India as a civilization with deep historical layers rather than reducing it to the independence movement alone.
Gandhi (4 clues, 75%), Slightly lower accuracy than you might expect for such a famous figure. The missed clues tend to involve specific details of Gandhi's campaigns; the Salt March, his time in South Africa, or the precise terminology of his nonviolent philosophy (satyagraha). Contestants know who Gandhi is but sometimes stumble on the specifics.
Japan (6 clues, 57.1%), A genuine stumper, and the most-missed major Asian answer. The clue angles that trip contestants up involve lesser-known episodes: the USS Panay incident of 1937, when Japanese aircraft sank an American gunboat on the Yangtze River; the arrival of Portuguese sailors in 1543 as the first Europeans to reach Japan; and the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan), one of the oldest historical texts. Contestants who know Japan through World War II and samurai culture struggle with these more obscure angles.
Watch out: Japan at 57.1% correct is deceptively hard. The show avoids the obvious (Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima) and instead tests the Portuguese arrival in 1543, the USS Panay incident, and the annexation of Korea in 1910. These are the three angles to memorize.
Egypt (9 clues, 88.9%), Tied for the most appearances of any answer, with only one miss across nine clues. The show tests ancient Egypt heavily: the Mamelukes (the slave-soldier dynasty), the 18th dynasty (Akhenaten, Tutankhamun), the Ottoman conquest, and the semi-legendary King Menes, traditionally credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt around 3100 BC. The one miss likely came from a clue about a less familiar period, medieval or Ottoman-era Egypt rather than the pharaonic era that everyone studies.
The broader Middle East appears through clues about the Ottoman Empire, the Crusades, and the modern formation of nation-states after World War I, though these tend to be coded under specific country answers rather than "the Middle East" as a response. When studying World History, pay attention to the Ottoman Empire's reach; it controlled Egypt, much of the Arab world, and parts of southeastern Europe for centuries, and this web of relationships generates numerous clues.
The non-European, non-Asian world occupies a distinct niche in World History. The clues here revolve almost entirely around two themes: colonial history (who controlled what) and independence movements (who broke free, when, and how). Accuracy is generally solid for the major answers, but Simon Bolivar and Australia are significant stumpers.
Brazil (6 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy across all six appearances. The clue angles are distinctive and worth memorizing: Brazil had its own emperors, Pedro I and Pedro II, who ruled after the Portuguese royal family fled to Brazil in 1807 to escape Napoleon's invasion. Pedro I declared Brazilian independence in 1822 and became its first emperor; his son Pedro II ruled until 1889. This "empire in the Americas" angle is the show's favorite way to test Brazil, and it consistently surprises contestants who associate Brazil only with soccer and Carnival; yet they still get it right.
Simon Bolivar (3 clues, 33.3% correct), A major stumper. Bolivar is known as "The Liberator" for freeing much of South America from Spanish rule, but the show's clue angles go deeper: his famous 1815 Jamaica Letter outlining his vision for Latin American independence, and his creation of Gran Colombia (a short-lived republic encompassing modern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama). Contestants know the name but struggle to connect it to specific historical details.
Watch out: Simon Bolivar at 33.3% correct is one of the hardest answers in the category. Learn the Jamaica Letter (1815), Gran Colombia, and that he liberated Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (which is named for him).
Cuba (5 clues, 80%), The show tests Cuba beyond the Castro revolution and missile crisis. Colonial-era Cuba under Spanish rule and the circumstances of Cuban independence (the Spanish-American War of 1898) are productive clue angles. Cuba also appeared in Final Jeopardy, where all three contestants answered correctly, a testament to how well-known its modern history is.
Christopher Columbus (5 clues, 80%), Tested through his voyages, his patrons Ferdinand and Isabella, and the consequences of European contact with the Americas. The 20% miss rate suggests that some clues test lesser-known details of Columbus's later voyages or his governance of Hispaniola.
Canada (5 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy. Canada's World History clues tend to involve its path to independence from Britain (the British North America Act of 1867, later patriated as the Constitution Act in 1982), the War of 1812, and French-English colonial rivalry. Contestants never miss Canada, likely because the clues provide enough contextual detail to distinguish it from the United States.
One of the most notable Final Jeopardy triple stumps involved a North American answer: the clue asked for the oldest independent country in the Western Hemisphere, and the answer was the United States of America. All three contestants missed it, perhaps overthinking the question or confusing "independent" with "oldest civilization."
South Africa (5 clues, 80%), Apartheid, Nelson Mandela, and the Boer Wars are the standard angles. The show also tests the Dutch East India Company's role in founding Cape Town and the broader colonial scramble for Africa.
The continent appears in World History primarily through the lens of European colonialism; the Berlin Conference of 1884–85 that partitioned Africa, the various independence movements of the 1950s and 1960s, and the lingering effects of colonial borders. Individual African countries beyond South Africa appear less frequently as standalone answers but surface in clues about European powers' colonial holdings.
Australia (3 clues, 50% correct), A stumper that catches contestants off guard. The signature clue involves Willem Janszoon, the Dutch navigator who became the first known European to reach Australia in 1606, a full 164 years before Captain Cook's more famous voyage. This "first European contact" angle is exactly the kind of obscure-but-repeating detail that separates Jeopardy champions from also-rans.
Watch out: Australia at 50% correct is harder than expected. The show tests Dutch exploration (Willem Janszoon, 1606), not the British colonization that most people study. Know that the Dutch were there first.
World History's leader-based answers form a rich subgenre within the category. The show has clear favorites, rulers whose lives were dramatic enough to generate multiple distinct clue angles; and the accuracy spread is wide, from perfect gimmes to genuine stumpers.
Three rulers share the epithet "the Great," and the show tests all of them regularly, though with very different accuracy rates.
Peter the Great (5 clues, 100%), The most-tested individual leader answer, with perfect accuracy. The clue angles are vivid and memorable: Peter traveled incognito to Holland to learn carpentry and shipbuilding (the "Grand Embassy" of 1697–98), he founded St. Petersburg as Russia's "window on the West," and he forcibly modernized Russian society by requiring nobles to shave their beards and adopt Western dress. These colorful details make Peter the Great an easy recall for contestants.
Alexander the Great (5 clues, 83.3%), Nearly as frequently tested, with one miss. The standard angles: Aristotle was his tutor, he cut the Gordian Knot, he died in Babylon in 323 BC at age 32, and his empire stretched from Greece to India. The missed clue likely involved a less famous detail, perhaps the Diadochi (his successors) or a specific battle beyond Gaugamela and Issus.
Frederick the Great (3 clues, 66.7%), The Prussian king who transformed his small kingdom into a major European power. Clues reference his military genius, his patronage of Voltaire, and his role in the Seven Years' War. The lower accuracy reflects contestants' weaker knowledge of Prussian history compared to Russian or Macedonian history.
Catherine the Great (3 clues, 66.7%), The German-born empress who expanded Russia's territory to the Black Sea and partitioned Poland. At two-thirds accuracy, she's a borderline stumper, contestants know the name but sometimes can't connect it to the specific historical detail in the clue.
Watch out: Frederick the Great and Catherine the Great both sit at 66.7% correct. Contestants confuse them with each other and with other rulers of their respective countries. Frederick = Prussia, military, Voltaire. Catherine = Russia, expansion, Poland's partition.
Napoleon (4 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy for one of history's most famous figures. The Napoleonic Wars, the Continental System, and the invasion of Russia are standard angles, but the show also tests Napoleon's impact on the wider world; his invasion of Egypt spurring modern Egyptology, and his sale of the Louisiana Territory.
Charlemagne (4 clues, 75%), Crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, 800 AD. Charlemagne united much of Western Europe for the first time since the fall of Rome. The 25% miss rate suggests that some clues test his lesser-known achievements; his educational reforms (the Carolingian Renaissance) or his specific territorial conquests.
Bismarck (4 clues, 75%), The "Iron Chancellor" who unified Germany through "blood and iron." Clues reference the Franco-Prussian War, the unification of the German states in 1871, and Bismarck's complex system of alliances. Like Charlemagne, a 75% rate means most contestants get it but a meaningful minority do not.
Genghis Khan (4 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy. The founder of the Mongol Empire is tested through the scale of his conquests, his birth name Temujin, and the empire's legacy. Contestants never miss this one.
Hannibal (4 clues, 100%), The Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants to invade Italy during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC). This image is so iconic that contestants recognize it instantly. The show tests the elephant crossing, his victories at Cannae and Lake Trasimene, and his ultimate defeat by Scipio Africanus at Zama. A Hannibal clue also appeared in Final Jeopardy, all three contestants correctly identified the elephant connection.
Attila (3 clues, 100%), "The Scourge of God." The Hunnic king who terrorized both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires in the fifth century. Attila's wedding-night death (453 AD) and the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains are the most common clue angles. Perfect accuracy across all appearances.
Martin Luther (4 clues, 100%), Perfect accuracy for the father of the Protestant Reformation. The 95 Theses nailed to the door of the Wittenberg church in 1517, the Diet of Worms, and Luther's translation of the Bible into German are the standard angles. The show is careful to distinguish Martin Luther (the reformer) from Martin Luther King Jr. through contextual clues.
Louis XIV (4 clues, 100%), The "Sun King" who built Versailles and reigned for 72 years, the longest of any European monarch. Clues reference the Palace of Versailles, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), and the phrase "L'etat, c'est moi" ("I am the state"). Perfect accuracy, contestants know their Sun King.
Lenin (4 clues, 75%), The Bolshevik leader who orchestrated the October Revolution of 1917. Clues reference his exile in Switzerland, the sealed train that carried him back to Russia, and the founding of the Soviet Union. The 25% miss rate suggests some clues test less familiar details, perhaps Lenin's real name (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) or his theoretical writings.
Gandhi (4 clues, 75%), See the Asia section for details. The missed clues involve specific campaigns rather than general identification.
Maria Theresa (3 clues, 33.3% correct), The only female ruler of the Habsburg domains and arguably the most powerful woman in eighteenth-century Europe, yet contestants miss her two-thirds of the time. The clue angles involve the Pragmatic Sanction (the legal document that allowed a woman to inherit the Habsburg throne), her role in the War of the Austrian Succession, and her reforms of the Austrian bureaucracy and military. She was also the mother of Marie Antoinette, a connection the show sometimes exploits.
Watch out: Maria Theresa at 33.3% correct is the hardest leader answer in World History. Learn: Pragmatic Sanction (allowed female Habsburg succession), War of the Austrian Succession, mother of Marie Antoinette, and empress during the Enlightenment-era reforms of Austria-Hungary.
19 FJ appearances · mixed accuracy
World History's 19 Final Jeopardy clues reveal what the show considers the hardest and most interesting corners of the topic. Analyzing them by outcome, which ones all three contestants got right, which ones stumped everyone, provides a roadmap for advanced study.
Four FJ clues saw all three contestants answer correctly, suggesting these are "known" facts among strong players:
Three FJ clues stumped all three contestants, zero correct out of three. These represent the show's idea of the hardest World History questions:
Watch out: The FJ triple stumps all share a pattern: they ask about well-known subjects from unexpected angles. "Oldest independent country in the Western Hemisphere" sounds like it should be some obscure nation, but it's the United States. Study the obvious subjects from non-obvious perspectives.
Across all 19 appearances, several recurring themes emerge:
Independence and founding dates, The show loves testing when countries became independent and from whom. This is the single most productive FJ angle for World History. Key dates to know: United States (1776 from Britain), Haiti (1804 from France, first Black republic), most of South America (1810s–1820s from Spain), Brazil (1822 from Portugal), Canada (1867 from Britain, via the BNA Act), Iceland (1944 from Denmark), Finland (1917 from Russia), India (1947 from Britain).
Colonial relationships, Who controlled whom is a perennial FJ theme. The show tests not just the famous colonial empires (British, French, Spanish) but the less-studied ones: Danish control of Iceland and Norway, Portuguese control of Brazil, Dutch exploration of Australia, and Spanish viceroyalties in the Americas.
Lesser-known facts about well-known events, The Berlin Wall clue and the United States clue both illustrate this pattern. FJ doesn't ask "What wall divided Berlin?" it asks about the 25th anniversary or frames the question so the obvious answer feels wrong.
| Answer | Wrong % | What trips contestants up |
|---|---|---|
| Finland | 71.4% | Winter War 1939–40, independence from Russia 1917 |
| Simon Bolivar | 66.7% | Jamaica Letter 1815, Gran Colombia, "The Liberator" |
| Maria Theresa | 66.7% | Pragmatic Sanction, War of Austrian Succession |
| Australia | 50.0% | Willem Janszoon 1606, Dutch exploration before Cook |
| Japan | 42.9% | USS Panay, Portuguese arrival 1543, Korea annexation 1910 |
| Denmark | 42.9% | Iceland independence 1944, Norway as province |
| Sweden | 33.3% | Queen Christina, Baltic power, Estonia |
| Scotland | 33.3% | John Knox, Robert the Bruce, Wars of Independence |
| Prussia | 33.3% | Largest German Empire kingdom, pre-unification identity |
| Portugal | 33.3% | Treaty of Tordesillas, King John II, colonial empire |
| Catherine the Great | 33.3% | German-born, Black Sea expansion, Poland partition |
| Frederick the Great | 33.3% | Prussia, Voltaire, Seven Years' War |
| Charlemagne | 25.0% | Carolingian Renaissance, Christmas 800 AD coronation |
| Lenin | 25.0% | Real name Ulyanov, sealed train, exile in Switzerland |
| Bismarck | 25.0% | "Blood and iron," Franco-Prussian War, German unification |
| Gandhi | 25.0% | Salt March specifics, time in South Africa, satyagraha |
Tier 1, Confirm the gimmes (5 minutes). Make sure you can instantly recall Poland, China, Hungary, France, India, Brazil, Canada, Peter the Great, Napoleon, Mao, Louis XIV, Hannibal, Genghis Khan, Martin Luther, and Attila. These 15 answers account for roughly 85 clues and have near-perfect accuracy. They're free points.
Tier 2, Learn the stumper zone (30 minutes). Finland (Winter War, 1917 independence), Simon Bolivar (Jamaica Letter, Gran Colombia), Maria Theresa (Pragmatic Sanction, mother of Marie Antoinette), and Australia (Janszoon 1606) are where you gain the most edge over other contestants. These answers appear repeatedly and are missed by most players.
Tier 3, Master the Nordic/Scandinavian web (15 minutes). Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway form an interconnected web of colonial relationships that the show exploits relentlessly. Denmark controlled Iceland and Norway; Sweden controlled Estonia and briefly Norway; Finland was part of Russia. Learn these relationships as a single mental map rather than isolated facts.
Tier 4, Prepare for Final Jeopardy (15 minutes). Study independence dates, colonial relationships, and practice reframing obvious subjects. When an FJ clue seems to ask for an exotic answer, consider whether the answer might be hiding in plain sight; the United States, Britain, France, or another "too obvious" choice.
The meta-strategy: World History rewards knowing colonial relationships above all else. If you can answer "Who controlled X before independence?" for every major country in the world, you will dominate this category. The show returns to this framework again and again: who owned whom, when did they break free, and what were the consequences.
Memorize these and recognize 19.1% of all World History clues.
| # | Answer | Count | Sample Clue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 10 | Egg drop |
| 2 | Poland | 9 | Ruling from 1764 to 1795, Stanislaus II was the last king of this country |
| 3 | France | 9 | Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, Francois Mitterrand |
| 4 | Egypt | 9 | The first recorded labor strike went down in this empire's New Kingdom around 1160 B.C.; the workers wanted their bread & beer |
| 5 | Japan | 8 | Ozoni |
| 6 | Hungary | 8 | In 896 Prince Arpad led the Magyar people over the Carpathians & entered this land, their permanent home |
| 7 | India | 7 | In 1961 this Asian country invaded the small colonies of Daman, Diu & Goa, & defeated the Portuguese |
| 8 | Christopher Columbus | 7 | Ferdinand & Isabella promised to make him "Admiral of the Ocean Sea" if he was successful in his 1492 voyage |
| 9 | Spain | 6 | Gazpacho |
| 10 | Russia | 6 | It was the last country to officially join the G-8, doing so in 1997 |
| 11 | Peter the Great | 6 | From 1682 to 1689 he shared the throne with his half-brother Ivan V |
| 12 | Canada | 6 | Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien |
| 13 | Brazil | 6 | From 1822-1889, this South American country was ruled by emperors Pedro I & II |
| 14 | Alexander the Great | 6 | His forces defeated the Persian Army under Darius III in 333 B.C. |
| 15 | South Africa | 5 | Pieter Botha, F.W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela |
| 16 | Mexico | 5 | Menudo |
| 17 | Italy | 5 | Ribollita |
| 18 | Germany | 5 | Konrad Adenauer, Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl |
| 19 | Denmark | 5 | In 1536 King Christian III made Norway a province of this Scandinavian country |
| 20 | Cuba | 5 | This largest Caribbean island's struggle for independence led to the Spanish-American War |
| 21 | the Philippines | 4 | Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Joseph Estrada |
| 22 | Sweden | 4 | After a 22-year reign, this country's Queen Christina abdicated June 6, 1654 |
| 23 | Portugal | 4 | Goncalo Cabral claimed the Azores for this country in 1431 & the islands were soon colonized |
| 24 | Napoleon | 4 | He made his brothers, Louis, Joseph & Jerome, kings of Holland, Spain & Westphalia, respectively |
| 25 | Mao Tse-tung | 4 | In 1934 & 1935 this Chinese Communist leader led the Red Army on the "Long March" |
| 26 | Louis XIV | 4 | The lavaliere, a type of pendant, is named for the Duchesse de la Valliere, who romanced this "Sun King" |
| 27 | Haiti | 4 | In 1804 this Caribbean country became 1st black nation to gain freedom from European colonial rule |
| 28 | Frederick the Great | 4 | During the Seven Years' War, this king gained great military prestige & land for Prussia |
| 29 | Finland | 4 | In the 1939-1940 "Winter War", the vast Soviet war machine was unleashed against this smaller country |
| 30 | Charlemagne | 4 | The 843 Treaty of Verdun divided his empire; grandson Louis II received lands east of the Rhine River |
| 31 | Catherine the Great | 4 | In the 18th century she founded a medical college & the first Russian school for girls |
| 32 | Cambodia | 4 | In 1960 Prince Norodom Sihanouk became leader of this country, but declined the title of king |
| 33 | Bismarck | 4 | This Prussian who united many states became Germany's first chancellor in 1871 |
| 34 | Australia | 4 | Cricket's World Cup is contested every 4 years; crikey! This country has now won 3 straight |
| 35 | the Netherlands | 4 | In 1826 this Low Country established its first tea plantations on Java |
| 36 | The Boer War | 4 | Winston Churchill was imprisoned in Pretoria during this war but made a daring escape in 1899 |
| 37 | the Suez Canal | 4 | When it opened in 1869, it reduced the shipping distance between the United Kingdom & India almost by half |
| 38 | Yugoslavia | 3 | In 1929 the Serbo-Croat-Slovene kingdom changed its name to this |
| 39 | U Thant | 3 | The Cuban Missile Crisis & the 1967 Arab-Israeli War occurred while he served as U.N. Secretary-General |
| 40 | the Ottoman Empire | 3 | This empire that reached its height under Suleyman came to an end in 1922 |
| 41 | the Crusades | 3 | Bohemond I, a medieval lord of Otranto, was one of the leaders on the first of these expeditions |
| 42 | Scotland | 3 | In 1040, Macbeth defeated Duncan & seized this country's throne |
| 43 | Saudi Arabia | 3 | Beginning in 1932 all this country's kings have been the country's founder or his sons |
| 44 | Saladin | 3 | Sultan of Egypt & Syria, he captured Jerusalem in 1187 & later made a truce with Richard the Lionhearted |
| 45 | Rome | 3 | This ancient city grew powerful in part because the Tiber provides a convenient route to the sea 15 miles away |
| 46 | Prussia | 3 | 18th c. Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa's rival, the ruler of this kingdom, said she "could be likened to a great man" |
| 47 | Nasser | 3 | This future president led the 1952 military coup that forced Farouk's abdication |
| 48 | Mexico City | 3 | Thousands died in September 1985 when earthquakes measuring 8.1 & 7.3 hit this world capital |
| 49 | Martin Luther | 3 | 3 years after he nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg, he was excommunicated |
These appear 8+ times. Memorize these first.
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