1. an attack on an island
   a political assassination
2. truck bomb

In 1914, a Serbian political extremist murdered Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The murder caused an avalanche of political repercussions that culminated in World War I.

1. Volstead Act
   Voting Rights Act
2. Stamp Act

In 1765, the British levied a ridiculous Stamp Act on its New World colonies, essentially taxing colonists for many everyday printed materials.

1. Turkey invaded the area.
   South Korea's atomic bomb program
2. an invasion by North Korea

In June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, and the United Nations rushed to the South's defense. Then, China jumped into the fray with the North. And a long, bloody war began.

1. a violent uprising in Moscow
   a protest march
2. invasion of Poland

In September 1939, Hitler's troops spilled over into Poland. Within a month, the Third Reich took control of the country, and the European Theater of WWII was in full swing.

1. 9/11 attacks
   Communist invasion
2. missile crisis

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 led to a snowball effect that found American troops in Afghanistan. And they are still there -- this war will likely go down as the longest in American history.

1. a South Africa bomb program
   Soviet invasion of India
2. an attack on Pearl Harbor

In December 1941, Japan's navy attacked Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into combat that it had hoped to avoid. The Pacific Theater of the war eventually revealed some of the ugliest sides of human nature.

1. smallpox
   the practice of impressment
2. drug trafficking

As part of its war against France, Britain often seized American civilian sailors and forced them to fight alongside British men. The act was called impressement, and it caused major resentment in the United States.

1. slavery
   Prohibition
2. rum running

The issue of slavery was a major contributor to the Civil War. In the North, anti-slavery view held sway -- in the South, slavery was an integral part of the agrarian culture. The two sides could not exist in the same Union.

1. a staged "attack" on a German radio tower
   Israeli operatives screwed up a secret mission.
2. a Soviet atomic energy facility

In the so-called Gleiwitz incident, German operatives staged an attack on a German radio station, making it look as though Polish troops were responsible. Hitler used the faked attack as justification for his invasion of Poland.

1. Bay of Pigs incident
   communism
2. economic prosperity

America was sure that communism was going to spread throughout all of Southeast Asia, but decided to stop it in its tracks in Vietnam. Although the U.S. lost the war, some historians say American actually succeeded in its efforts to stop communism from gaining a wider range.

1. an accident at the Panama Canal
   possession of weapons of mass destruction
2. genocide

In 2003, the Bush Administration presented information that it said proved that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that it could use for a variety of nefarious purposes. The U.S. invaded … and never found the infamous WMDs.

1. Libyan terrorists
   appeasement
2. nuclear bomb develoment

In the 1930s, Hitler began annexing portions of Europe and adding them to Germany territory. Other powers appeased Hitler instead of confronting him, in effect giving the Nazis momentum in their imperialstic craze.

1. a staged Navy assault
   a conflict between fishermen
2. a desire to halt the spread of communism

After WWII, much of the Western world feared the spread of communism. The U.N. and U.S. jumped to help South Korea in hopes of stemming a red tide from consuming the Korean peninsula.

1. fascism
   Hitler and his cronies
2. the Cold War

The Cold Was was a standoff between East and West, communism and democracy, and it resulted in proxy wars between countries like the U.S. and communist nations. The Vietnam War was one such war.

1. Israeli attack on Yemen
   an Egyptian coup
2. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and saw immediate backlash from the international community. A huge military coalition, led by the U.S., pushed Iraq back and demolished much of the country's army.

1. Treaty of Ghent
   Jay's Treaty
2. the Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI but levied incredible (and humiliating) terms on Germany. Even before the ink had dried, many politicians knew the treaty would cause another war.

1. illegal whaling
   a ship explosion
2. trade problems with France and Britain

With France and Britain at war, both sides tried to interfere with each others' trade with America. The tumult increased hostilities between Britain and the U.S.

1. Boston Massacre
   tea shortage
2. Canadian interference

In March 1770, a Boston mob clashed with British troops, who fired wildly into the crowd, killing several people. The Boston Massacre added to the revolutionary fervor that gripped the colonies.

1. German economic meltdown
   French imperialism
2. United States industrial might

In the late 1920s, Germany's economy (like many others during the Great Depression) was in a full tailspin. Widespread impoverishment gave Hitler a desperate audience who gobbled up his violent and racist rhetoric.

1. a high-profile kidnapping
   a food shortage
2. a "containment" policy

America and its allied created a "containment" policy meant to keep Communism from spreading to countries around Vietnam. They backed up that policy with a lot of bullets and bombs.

1. bird flu
   coal shortage in France
2. mutual defense alliances

Prior to WWI, Europe was a complicated tangle of mutual defense alliances. All it took was one act of aggression, and suddenly countries were oblligated to spring to each others' defense.

1. Mexican bombing campaign in Colorado
   American imperialism
2. an influx of Mexican immigrants

In the 1840s, the U.S. was rapidly settling the West … and President Polk wanted even more land to add to his legacy. The Mexican-American War gave him the opportunity to do just that.

1. the rise of democracy
   a simple misunderstanding
2. political clashes between England and France

Starting in the 1330s, the Hundred Years' War was sparked by complex political clashes between Britain and France. The war dragged on until 1453.

1. an illegal British air force weapon
   American imperialism
2. limited natural resources in Germany

As the Industrial Revolution gripped Europe, Germany -- with its limited natural resources -- began to fall behind France and Britain. It joined the fight in part to acquire new territory and new natural natural resources.

1. an Indian uprising
   conflict between religious groups
2. the Black Plague

The Thirty Years' War had much of its basis in conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. The war started in 1618 and killed millions of people across Europe.

1. a high-profile poisoning case
   Japanese imperialism
2. Italian pasta factory explosion

Around the turn of the century, Japan's power structure swung towards the military, which took on great importance throughout the country. Japanese militarism contributed heavily to the start of WWII.

1. taxation without representation
   public beheadings
2. spread of Mormonism

The British crown made a habit of taxing the New World colonies, but didn't allow colonists equal representation in their government. "No taxation without representation" became a rallying cry for the rebels of the Revolution.

1. an arms race
   an invasive species of corn
2. packs of wild dogs

At the start of the 20th century, European nations were essentially in an arms race, rapidly building their militaries and creating strategies to use them. It was only a matter of time before they took the opportunity to do so.

1. excessive taxation
   mistreatment of POWs
2. territory disputes

In the 1700s, Britain and France raced each other to claim lands in North America. Their territorial claims and political clashes resulted in the French and Indian War, with the Americans fighting alongside the British.

1. religious clashes
   attack of rabid chickens
2. Napoleon's rise to power

Fought in the 1850s, the Crimean War was had its roots in religious clashes, particularly with regard to Christians and their treatment in the Holy Land. An Allied victory resulted in the Treaty of Paris of 1856.