Regional History Bowl Study Guide

Jomo Kenyatta – First President of Kenya (1964-1978); led Kenya to independence; wrote Facing Mount Kenya; part of the Mau Mau Uprising (notable battle: Lari Massacre).

Second Boer War (1899-1902) – British vs. Boer Republics (Transvaal & Orange Free State); resulted in British control of South Africa. Key Battles: Siege of Mafeking, Battle of Spion Kop, Battle of Paardeberg.

Nubian Language – Spoken in Sudan and Egypt; linked to the ancient Kingdom of Kush; speakers displaced by Aswan High Dam in the 1960s.

First Punic War (264-241 BC) – Rome vs. Carthage; primarily a naval war; resulted in Roman control of Sicily. Key Battles: Battle of Mylae, Battle of Ecnomus, Battle of Aegates Islands.

Battle of Marathon (490 BC) – Greek victory over Persia; Pheidippides ran to Athens to announce victory; part of the Greco-Persian Wars.

Jade – Highly valued in Chinese culture; used for burial suits in the Han Dynasty; symbol of purity and moral integrity.

Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) – First Supreme Leader of North Korea (1948-1994); launched the Korean War (1950-1953). Key Battles: Battle of Inchon, Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

Mauritius – Island nation in the Indian Ocean; colonized by Dutch, French, and British; home to the extinct dodo bird.

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) – First female Prime Minister of India (1966-1977, 1980-1984); led India during the Emergency (1975-1977); assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

Pol Pot (1925-1998) – Leader of the Khmer Rouge; ruled Cambodia (1975-1979); responsible for the Cambodian genocide. Key Battles: Fall of Phnom Penh, Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia (1978-1979).

Forbidden City – Imperial palace complex in Beijing; built during the Ming Dynasty; housed Chinese emperors for 500+ years.

Sri Lanka Civil War (1983-2009) – Conflict between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers. Key Battles: Battle of Mullaitivu, Second Battle of Elephant Pass.

Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC) – First recorded Chinese dynasty; developed Chinese writing; oracle bones used for divination.

Rothschild Family – Wealthy European banking family; founded in the 18th century; major influence in global finance.

Baltic States Independence (1990-1991) – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia declared independence from the Soviet Union.

Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) – Norwegian explorer; first to reach the South Pole (1911); led first successful Arctic crossing via the Northwest Passage.

Battle of Waterloo (1815) – Napoleon’s final defeat by the Duke of Wellington and Prussian forces under Blücher; ended the Napoleonic Wars.

Warsaw Pact (1955-1991) – Soviet-led military alliance; included Eastern Bloc nations; response to NATO.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918) – French composer; known for Clair de Lune and La Mer.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) – Conservative British Prime Minister; promoted British imperialism; rival of William Gladstone.

Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) – Soviet leader after Stalin; initiated de-Stalinization; involved in Cuban Missile Crisis.

Vladimir Putin (1952- ) – Russian President (2000-present); former KGB officer; annexed Crimea in 2014.

Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013) – UK Prime Minister (1979-1990); led during the Falklands War (1982). Key Battles: Battle of Goose Green, Battle of Mount Tumbledown.

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) – First wife of Henry VIII; marriage annulment led to the English Reformation.

Hanseatic League – Medieval trade confederation in Northern Europe; dominated Baltic trade.

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) – Russian novelist; wrote Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov.

Karl Dönitz (1891-1980) – German admiral; last leader of Nazi Germany after Hitler’s death.

Notre-Dame Cathedral – Gothic cathedral in Paris; site of Napoleon’s coronation.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431) – Led French forces in the Hundred Years’ War. Key Battles: Siege of Orléans, Battle of Patay.

The Anarchy (1135-1153) – English civil war over succession between Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda. Key Battles: Battle of Lincoln, Battle of the Standard.

Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) – Led Parliamentarian forces in the English Civil War. Key Battles: Battle of Naseby, Battle of Worcester.

Reichstag Fire (1933) – Fire at German Parliament; used by Nazis to justify crackdowns.

Catherine the Great (1729-1796) – Empress of Russia (1762-1796); expanded Russian territory.

Inca Empire (1438-1572) – Andean civilization; capital at Cusco; conquered by Francisco Pizarro. Key Battles: Battle of Cajamarca, Siege of Cusco.

Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006) – Chilean dictator (1973-1990); led coup against Salvador Allende.

Simón Bolívar (1783-1830) – Led liberation of six South American nations. Key Battles: Battle of Boyacá, Battle of Carabobo.

Benito Juárez (1806-1872) – First indigenous President of Mexico; fought against French occupation.

Patagonia – Region in southern Argentina & Chile; home to the Strait of Magellan.

Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) – Early battle of American Revolution; actually fought at Breed’s Hill.

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) – Prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals.

John Marshall (1755-1835) – Chief Justice; established judicial review in Marbury v. Madison.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) – U.S. Army killed over 250 Lakota Sioux.

First Battle of Bull Run (1861) – First major Civil War battle; Confederate victory.

John Brown (1800-1859) – Led raid on Harper’s Ferry; hanged for treason.

Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) – Led slaves to freedom via Underground Railroad.

Herman Melville (1819-1891) – Wrote Moby-Dick.

Teapot Dome Scandal (1920s) – U.S. oil scandal; damaged Harding’s presidency.

Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) – 30th U.S. President; known as “Silent Cal.”

Roe v. Wade (1973) – Legalized abortion; overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson (2022).

Battle of the Bulge (1944-1945) – Last major German offensive in WWII.

Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) – Laws under John Adams; restricted speech and immigration.