History
Catastrophe
1. Where did the Great fire of London break out in 1666 ?
2. Where was the Piper Alpha oil rig belonging to the U.S. Occidental Petroleum Corporation, which exploded in 1988 ?
3. One of the worst fires in American history gutted the 26-storey MGM Grand Hotel in 1980. In which town was the hotel situated ?
4. The ancient Italian town of Pompeii and a great number of its inhabitants were buried when a volcano near Naples erupted in 79AD. Name the great volcano, which is now a tourist attraction.
5. Who was the tyrant leader of the Khmer Rouge whose reign of terror killed some 3 million people in Cambodia in the 1970's ?
6. In 1989, the Chinese People's Liberation Army crushed a student pro-democracy protest in Beijing with tanks and machine-gun fire. In which large square did the massacre take place ?
7. Which geological fault caused the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 ?
8. The Welsh mining village of Aberfan suffered a major disaster in 1966 when 81 school children died. What caused the tragedy ?
9. In the 14th century, a plague killed up to one third of Europe's population. What was it called ?
10. Both the Hindenburg and the R101 ended in flames. What were they ?
11. What is measured on the Richter scale ?
12. Which American river caused serious flood damage in 1993 ?
13. How many voyages had the Titanic made when it hit an iceberg and sank in 1912 ?
14. A Pan Am flight, which left London Heathrow bound for New York in December 1988, was blown up by a bomb over a small Scottish town. Name the town.
15. What was Krakatoa ?
16. What type of accident happened at Chernobyl in the U.S.S.R. in 1986 ?
17. Which three sectarian groups were involved in the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina ?
18. Name the American space shuttle, its crew including a teacher (the first private citizen chosen for a space mission), which exploded killing all on board after lift-off ?
19. What is the name given to those who study and predict earthquakes ?
20. AIDS has become a worldwide health problem. What do the initials stand for ?
21. The American volcano of Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980. In which state is the volcano ?
22. Which Indian city suffered a large death toll after a chemical leak at the Union Carbide (India) factory in December 1984 ?
23. The worst oil spill ever known in the United States occurred when the Exxon Valdez ran aground. Where did the spill occur ?
24. In the 1960's, a tranquillizing drug, thought to have no harmful side effects, was marketed in Britain and other countries as a therapy for morning sickness, resulting in the birth of hundreds of deformed babies. Name the drug.
25. What are the scientists who study volcanoes called ?
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