quiz bowl stuff!

battle of britain

british royal air force defeats german luftwaffe, which would save britain from german invasion codenamed operation sea lion. radar was used to repel german forces

operation sea lion

codename for a german invasion of britain following the battle of britain

blitz

nighttime raids against civilian targets performed by the luftwaffe after the british used radar to detect german aircraft

battle of stalingrad

bloodiest battle in history (2 million deaths) which arose from the german’s summer campaign to capture vital oil supplies. the germans got bogged down with street fighting and the soviets used operation uranus

friederich paulus

german commander at stalingrad whose 6th army became bogged down in street fighting there which allowed the russians to launch operation uranus. in the final days of stalingrad, hitler promoted him to field marshal, which hinted that he should either fight to the death or kill himself; he chose to surrender

georgy zhukov

soviet marshall at stalingrad who launched operation uranus to take down germans

operation uranus

operation used at stalingrad: soviets attacked the italian, romanian, and hungarian tanks surrounding the german army which allowed the soviets to encircle them

battle of el alamein

turning point in the african theater of wwii when the british eighth army under bernard montgomery defeated germany’s afrika korps under erwin rommel, which prevented them from reaching the suez canal

operation torch

Allied forces landed in Morocco and Algeria following El Alamein

battle of kursk

The largest tank battle in history, with about 6,000 tanks engaged. Thanks to a complex spy network, the Soviet leadership was well-informed about German plans to launch Operation Citadel, and constructed massive defensive fortifications. After the German advance was stopped, a successful Soviet counterattack was launched. The German Army never again was able to mount a major attack on the Eastern Front.

operation citadel

german operation at kursk which failed as complex soviet spy networks allowed them to be well informed of it

D-Day

The largest amphibious assault in history, as Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower’s forces attacked the German Atlantic Wall defenses on the beaches of Normandy, France.

operation overlord

codename for d-day

erwin rommel

german who suffered loss at el alamein and was absent at d-day due to his wife’s birthday

mulberry harbors

portable and artificial harbors created by the british to assist in loading resources at d-day

battle of the bulge

Germany’s last major offensive operation on the Western Front. The German plan to sweep through the Ardennes Forest and capture the port city Antwerp, Belgium, benefited from Allied aircraft being grounded due to poor weather

otto skorzeny

german commander at the battle of the bulge. he disguised his germans as english-speaking troops to infiltrate the allies

anthony mcaulife

american general at battle of the bulge who replied “nuts!” when he found out the germans had also taken the belgian town bastogne

attack on pearl harbor

Japanese carrier-based aircraft launched — without a formal declaration of war — a surprise attack on an American naval base at Oahu. Shortly after the attack, Japan began invasions of Guam, Wake Island, the Philippines, and the British colony of Singapore

uss arizona

notable battleship sunk at pearl harbor. all of the navy’s carriers were at sea and therefore remained unharmed

jeannette rankin

only congresswoman to dissent to the us declaration of war on japan

battle of the coral sea

fought entirely by carrier-based aircraft, making it the first major naval battle in history in which the two opposing fleets never directly fired upon (or even sighted) each other; lexington, yorktown; shoho, shokaku, zuikaku

port moresby

location of interest for japanese. japanese attempted to invade this place but canceled it after the battle of the coral sea. this gives the americans a slight edge at the battle of midway

battle of midway

turning point in the Pacific Theater; the Japanese lose four aircraft carriers, a blow from which they never fully recovered. Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned to lure the U.S. fleet into a trap, but the Americans had broken the Japanese code; Kaga, Akagi, and Hiryu

isoroku yamamoto

japanese admiral at the battle of midway who attempted to lure the americans into a trap, but the americans had broken the japanese code

battle of leyte gulf

largest naval battle in history, resulted from the Japanese Sho-Go plan to halt the American reconquest of the Philippines.

sho-go plan

japanese plan used at the battle of leyte gulf which almost worked when Admiral William “Bull” Halsey was baited into moving all of his battleships and large carriers away from the landing site, but an American force of small escort carriers and destroyers held off a Japanese task force that included four battleships

surigao strait

japanese forces at the battle of leyte gulf tried to pass this area, but — in the last-ever combat between opposing battleships — the American Seventh Fleet crossed their ‘T’ and annihilated the force.

battle of iwo jima

americans wished to capture this small island midway between the Mariana Islands and the Japanese home islands, to provide an airbase for the eventual invasion of Japan, but japanese forces built a complex network of underground tunnels and well-camouflaged artillery pieces that enabled them to hold out for a month against vastly superior forces

joe rosenthal

photographed six American servicemen raising a flag atop Mount Suribachi.

battle of okinawa

largest amphibious assault of the Pacific Theater, featured massive casualties among both combatants and civilians; japanese launched 1500 kamikaze attacks and sent yamato on suicide mission; the battle also saw numerous japanese surrendering, though most of them were civilians forced to fight

yamato

japanese battleship sent on suicide mission at okinawa, though it was sunk by aircraft before reaching the said location

ernie pyle

american war correspondent at okinawa who was killed

simon bolivar buckner jr

american lieutenant general at okinawa who was killed

michaelangelo

florentine “renaissance man”; David, a Pietà, Bacchus, and a number of pieces for the tomb of Pope Julius II (including Dying Slave and Moses). He preferred to work in Carraran marble.

auguste rodin

A French sculptor known for stormy relationships with “the establishment” of the École des Beaux-Arts and his mistress, fellow artist Camille Claudel

Rodin’s sculptures

The Age of Bronze, Honoré de Balzac, The Burghers of Calais, the Gates of Hell inspired by Dante’s Inferno

Bernini

A Roman who defined the Baroque movement in sculpture; principally known for his freestanding works, including David and The Ecstasy of St. Theresa, as well as his fountains: Triton and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

david

Bernini sculpture; the hero is shown “in motion,” having twisted his body to sling the rock

donatello

A Florentine sculptor who helped define Renaissance sculpture as distinct from that of the Gothic period; mastered the low relief form schiacchiato

Orsanmichele

Florentine church housing Donatello’s St. Mark and St. George

zuccone

Donatello sculpture; name means “pumpkin-head,” though it depicts the prophet Habbakuk

Gattamelata

Donatello sculpture in Padua, the first equestrian statue to be cast since Roman times

lorenzo ghiberti

Florentine sculptor and goldsmith who taught both Donatello and Filippo Brunelleschi.

florence bapistry

Florentine cathedral; Ghiberti designed two pairs of bronze doors on it. He produced a single, low-relief panel to win a 1401 competition (defeating Brunelleschi) for the commission to design the 28 panels for the north doors. The east set of doors are dubbed the “Gates of Paradise” by Michelangelo.

Gutzon Borglum

An American known for crafting Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota

The Mares of Diomedes

an unfinished (and later replaced) tribute to Confederate heroes on Stone Mountain in Georgia.

phidias

Athenian considered the greatest of all Classical sculptors; chryselephantine (gold and ivory) Statue of Zeus at Olympia (one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, now lost) and the statue of Athena in the Parthenon (now lost)

delian league

Athenian military alliance who financially supported Phidia’s works

pericles

Greek politician who was the head of the Delian League; Phidias was believed to have been a part of a political campaign against him

constantin brancusi

Romanian sculptor who was a major figure in Modernism; The Kiss, Sleeping Muse, and Bird in Space; U.S. customs tried to tax his works as “industrial products” since they refused to recognize them as art

daniel chester french

American who created The Minute Man for Concord, Massachusetts and Standing Lincoln for the Nebraska state capitol, but who is best known for the seated statue in the Lincoln Memorial.

frederic-auguste bartholdi

French sculptor primarily known as the creator of Liberty Enlightening the World, better known as the Statue of Liberty. He also executed The Lion of Belfort and a statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in New York’s Union Square.

o. henry

An American short story author known for his twist endings; Cabbages and Kings, The Four Million, “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Ransom of Red Chief”

the gift of the magi

Jim and Della exchange Christmas gifts. Della sells her hair to Madame Sofronie and buys a gold pocket-watch chain, while Jim sells his watch in order to buy a set of combs, rendering each other’s gifts useless

the ransom of red chief

Ebenezer Dorset’s son, the title character, is kidnapped by Bill and Sam, who intend to hold him for ransom. However, ___ annoys his captors so much that they pay Mr. Dorset to give him his son back.

ernest hemingway

American author many of whose stories feature the semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams; “Big Two-Hearted River,” “Hills Like White Elephants,” “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”

nick adams

major character of hemingway stories

big two-hearted river

hemingway story; nick adams goes on a fishing trip to the town of Seney, Michigan

hills like white elephants

hemingway story; woman named Jig talks with a man at a train station, considering an unnamed “procedure,” which is implied to be an abortion

the snows of kilimanjaro

hemingway story; begins with the description of a frozen leopard carcass; its protagonist, Harry, is a writer who dies of gangrene while on an African safari with his wife Helen

for sale: baby shoes, never worn

hemingway story consisting of only six words, authorship is widely debated

shirley jackson

American short story author and novelist known for her works in the mystery and horror genres. Her most famous short story is “The Lottery,” whose publication in The New Yorker was extremely controversial, garnering her hate mail.

the lottery

shirley jackson story; starts with village children gathering stones. Mr. Summers tells all of the village families to draw slips of paper from a black box, and Bill Hutchinson’s has a black spot. The entire Hutchinson family then has to draw, and Tessie receives the black spot, meaning she has “won” the title event. The story ends with her yelling “It isn’t fair” as the townspeople stone her to death.

jd salinger

american author; Many of his short stories featured the Glass family

a perfect day for bananafish

jd salinger story; Seymour and Muriel Glass are on vacation at a Florida resort. Seymour meets a young girl named Sybil Carpenter and talks with her about the title creatures, before returning to his hotel room and shooting himself

for esme—with love and squalor

jd salinger story; the narrator Sergeant X replies to a wedding invitation with two distinct memories; in the first, he meets an English orphan during a church choir practice, and in the second, set during his time as a soldier in Bavaria, he receives a letter containing a wristwatch

nine stories

collection of stories by jd salinger, which includes “a great day for bananafish” and “for esme—with love and squalor”

edgar allen poe

American author known for his works in the detective fiction, science fiction, and horror genres; “The Gold-Bug,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Fall of the House of Usher”

the cask of amontillado

poe; the narrator, Montresor, lures Fortunato into catacombs with the promise of the title wine, but ends up chaining Fortunato to a wall and burying him alive due to unnamed “insults.”

the tell-tale heart

poe story; an unnamed narrator murders an old man with a “vulture-eye” and buries him beneath his floorboards. However, while being questioned by police, the guilty narrator hears the constant beating of his victim’s heart, and orders them to “tear up the planks” to reveal the body.

ray bradbury

American author known for his science fiction works; “there will come soft rains,” “a sound of thunder,” The Martian Chronicles

there will come soft rains

ray bradbury story, takes its title from a sara teasdale poem; describes an empty house that survived a nuclear catastrophe. The house is fully automated and continues to operate even though the family is dead, a fact demonstrated by their silhouettes permanently burned on the side of the house

the martian chronicles

short story collection by ray bradbury made up of loosely connected works about the expeditions of human astronauts, the displacement of indigenous Martians as human settlers arrive, and a nuclear war that destroys most life on Earth (“there will come soft rains”)

a sound of thunder

ray bradbury story; Eckels steps on a butterfly while hunting a T. Rex on a time-travel safari, which changes the future timeline so that the fascist Deutscher wins an election.

guy de maupassant

French author who frequently used ironic endings in his stories; “the necklace,” “boule de souf”

the necklace

maupassant story; Mathilde Loisel borrows the expensive-looking title piece of jewelry from Madame Forestier, and loses it at a high-class party. In order to afford a 36,000 francs replacement, she and her husband sell everything they own. Ten years later, Madame Forestier recognizes Mathilde on the street and informs her that the necklace was a fake.

boule de suif

maupassant story; the title character is a prostitute who is on a carriage leaving Prussian-occupied Rouen. The travelers are detained by the Prussians until she sleeps with an officer, for which she is judged for the remainder of the trip even though her fellow passengers pressured her to do so.

nathaniel hawthorne

American author whose stories are often set in New England; “the minister’s black veil,” “dr. heidegger’s experiment,” “rappaccini’s daughter,” “the birth-mark,” “young goodman brown”daug

the minister’s black veil

hawthorne story; about Reverend Hopper, who stubbornly refuses to take off the title article of clothing

dr. heidegger’s experiment

hawthorne story; the title character shows off water from the Fountain of Youth

twice-told tales

short story collection by nathaniel hawthorne which includes “the minister’s black veil” and “dr. heidegger’s experiment”

rappaccini’s daughter

hawthorne story; the title character is Beatrice, the child of a scientist who grows poisonous plants, who herself becomes poisonous. After Giovanni falls in love with Beatrice, he brings her an antidote so they can be together, but, instead of curing her, the antidote kills Beatrice

moses from an old manse

short story collection by nathaniel hawthorne which includes “rappaccini’s daughter,” “young goodman brown,” and “the birth-mark”

flannery o’connor

Catholic American author who wrote in the “Southern Gothic” style; “a good man is hard to find,” “good country people,” “everything that rises must converge”

a good man is hard to find

o’connor story; Bailey takes his family on a vacation; when they stop at a diner, “the grandmother” talks with the owner Red Sammy about The Misfit, an escaped murderer. After the cat Patty Sing causes the family’s car to crash into a ditch, a group of men led by the Misfit murder the family, including the grandmother, who claims The Misfit is one of her own children before he shoots her three times

good country people

o’connor story; Hulga has her prosthetic leg taken by Manley Pointer, a nihilistic atheist Bible salesman

everything that rises must converge

o’connor story; Julian rides on a newly-integrated bus with his mother

jorge luis borges

Argentine author known for his philosophical stories; “the library of babel,” “the garden of forking paths,” “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius,” “the aleph”; he met a circle of avant-garde poets in Spain, which inspired him to found the ultraismo movement;

the library of babel

borges story; the narrator’s universe is made of adjacent hexagonal rooms, forming a library containing all possible 410-page books consisting of 25 basic characters.

the garden of forking paths

borges story; framed as a manuscript written by Doctor Yu Tsun, a World War I spy, who is pursued by Richard Madden. He realizes that the title labyrinth is actually an unfinished novel, and eventually shoots Stephen Albert to communicate the location of a British artillery park.

ficciones

short story collection by jorge luis borges which includes “the garden of forking paths” and “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”

augustus

the first Roman emperor. Born Gaius Octavius, he was the grandnephew and heir of Julius Caesar

second triumvirate

political association made by augustus, mark antony, and marcus lepidus which essentially gave them absolute power to destroy caesar’s assassins

marcus agrippa

roman consul; he helped augustus win the battle of actium against mark antony

mark antony

had unbelievable power due to the second triumvirate, but was defeated at the battle of actium by augustus to take over the throne

princeps

latin word meaning “first” which augustus led by

tiberius

Augustus’s stepson. During his father’s reign, he led the conquests of Pannonia and Raetia in central Europe and became the imperial heir with the support of his mother Livia. Unhappy as emperor, he mostly resided in his island villa on Capri; served during crucifixion of jesus

lucius sejanus

soldier who managed the roman empire during most of tiberius’s time as emperor; when he tried seizing power in ad 31, tiberius had him arrested and executed

caligula

son of Germanicus, Tiberius’s popular nephew, and earned the nickname little boot, from his father’s soldiers. Though initially moderate, he became increasingly tyrannical, supposedly trying to build a palace on Lake Nemi and to make his horse, Incitatus, a consul