1. Nebraska
   Mexico
2. California

In 1848, gold was discovered near a mill in California, sparking the Gold Rush. The people who arrived the following year were called "49ers."

1. The Crusades
   The Reformation
2. The Inquisition

Luther was a scholar and theologian opposed to the corruption of the Catholic Church. With his "95 Theses," he proposed changes to the Church … and kickstarted a tumultous time called the Reformation.

1. cotton gin
   toaster oven
2. revolver

His guns were renowed for their reliability and affordability. And it all started in 1836, when Samuel Colt started making Colt revolvers.

1. It thrived and became permanent.
   Everyone died of smallpox.
2. No one knows.

In 1585, Queen Elizabeth I sent colonists to the New World in hopes of claiming the lands for the crown. Instead, the Roanoke Colony vanished … and no one really knows why.

1. China
   Ireland
2. Russia

The Irish Potato Famine demonstrated how dangerous it is to rely heavily on one crop. A potato blight ruined crops for years, causing the deaths of at least 1 million natives and forcing many more to flee for their lives.

1. Roman Empire
   Mongol Empire
2. American Empire

In 1206, Genghis Khan solidified his power and established the Mongol Empire. The empire eventually stretched across much of Asia and Europe … and killed millions of people in the process.

1. American Civil War
   Russian Civil War
2. Spanish Civil War

In January 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, technically freeing all 3.5 million slaves in America. It was a strategic move after a momentous Union victory in the American Civil War.

1. adultery
   treason
2. robbery

In 1305, Wallace was executed in the grisliest possible way by the English. Why? He led a Scottish uprising against English rule.

1. He attacked the Soviet Union.
   He wandered into a patch of poison ivy.
2. He forgot to buy milk at the store.

It was called Operation Barbarossa, the German assault on the USSR. It marked the opening of the Eastern Front, and it likely accelerated the downfall of the Third Reich.

1. Hundred Years' War
   French and Indian War
2. Napoleonic Wars

In 1803, violence broke out between France and Britain, and it was what many historians called the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars. For years, Napoleon ran wild in Europe, with an army that seemed indomitable.

1. Xerxes I
   Blackbeard
2. King George II

In 1718, British captain Robert Maynard clashed with the famous pirate Blackbeard near what is now North Carolina. Maynard beheaded the violent pirate and used his remains as a warning to other criminals.

1. The Great War
   World War 0
2. FunFest VII

Some call it World War 0, the truly first global war. The Seven Years' War found major countries scrambling through complex diplomatic hoops and violent battles.

1. the Black Sea
   the Pacific Ocean
2. the Atlantic Ocean

The Erie Canal in New York, opened in 1825, was an engineering feat of the day. It created shipping routes between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic.

1. gunpowder
   Internet
2. printing press

In 1439, Gutenberg invented the printing press. The press made it much easier to create and duplicate written materials, forever changing the way humans communicate.

1. United States Postal Service
   FedEx
2. Pony Express

In America, private businessmen were certain that a mail delivery service in the West could be profitable. They founded the Pony Express and charged a pretty penny for delivery on the frontier.

1. summer
   fall
2. winter

In 1815, Mount Tambora (in the Dutch East Indies) ejected so much volcanic debris into the atmosphere that it changed the weather. In 1816, global temperatures plummeted, ruining crops and causing starvation in parts of the world.

1. George Washington
   Simon Bolivar
2. Hernan Cortes

Starting in 1519, Hernan Cortes began the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. He didn't need guns -- instead, he used his political wiles to cause all sorts of complicated military conflicts between the natives.

1. "Oliver Twist"
   "Misery"
2. "Hamlet"

In 1837, author Charles Dickens published "Oliver Twist." It was a harrowing tale of abandonment and criminality in London.

1. Britain
   France
2. Sudan

In 1765, King George III introduced the Stamp Act, which charged American colonists for ordinary paperwork. The over-the-top tax was a major escalation toward the American Revolution.

1. Spain
   U.S.
2. Russia

For centuries, Spain dominated much of the New World. But the Mexican people wanted no part of colonialism, finally earning their independence in 1821.

1. lost at sea
   executed
2. seized the throne

Many English Catholics hoped that Mary, Queen of Scots would rise to become queen of England. But instead, Elizabeth I (notably a supporter of the Protestant movement) had Mary famously executed by beheading.

1. Battle of Shiloh
   Battles of Lexington and Concord
2. Battle of Yorktown

In the fall of 1781, George Washington's men laid siege at Yorktown, Virginia. Weeks later, the British surrendered, and the promise of the Declaration of Independence was realized.

1. D-Day
   Lewis and Clark Expedition
2. invasion of Panama

With a bit of clever misdirection, President Jefferson found funding for the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which explored America's frontier starting in 1804. The mission's findings thrilled the American public.

1. U.S.
   China
2. USSR

After slaughtering the Germans in Berlin, the Red Army of the USSR headed toward Japan to take care of business. Many historians say it was the relentless brutality of the Russians -- not America's silly atomic bombs -- that ended the Pacific War.

1. Iceland
   Northern Ireland
2. Britain

The 1798 Irish Rebellion was sparked in part by the success of the American rebellion. But after half a year of fighting, their rebellion against the British had failed.

1. North America
   Greenland
2. Antarctica

It's hard to believe that we humans have only known about Antarctica for two centuries. It was then that a Russian expedition first laid eyes on this massive continent.

1. James Madison
   Earl of Duke
2. Henry VIII

As a complicated religious struggle unfolded in Europe, Henry VIII was named as the head of the Church of England. Catholic leaders were infuriated at the Protestant power play.

1. James Polk
   Gerald Ford
2. Theodore Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt charged into battle with his Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. Later, he leveraged his heroism to attain the nation's highest office, where he became a well-regarded president.

1. France
   Canada
2. Utah

In 1846, eastern Mormons pulled up their lives and headed west to the Utah Territory. There, they established one settlement after another, permanently altering the region's demographics and politics.

1. cricket
   basketball
2. golf

In 1892, James Naismith invented basketball. He created it as a low-impact way to keep athletes engaged even in winter months.