On this day in 1739, the strangely named War of Jenkins’ Ear started when British PM Walpole declared war on China. This week’s quiz is about wars and battles

1. The Battle of Tsushima in 1905 was the first battle fought by modern battleships and the first time that a modern European power was humbled by an Asian navy, in this case Japan. Which European power was humbled by the Japanese fleet?

2. In which crucial battle of the first World War were taxi cabs from Paris actually commandeered to take troops into battle as the French capital was threatened by a German advance?

3. A musical war between two former members of a band saw the first making an oblique attack in his song, ‘Too Many People,’ and the other hitting back far more directly in the song, “How Do You Sleep,’ which had the lyrics ‘ The only thing you done was ‘Yesterday.’’ Name the two musicians.

4. The most celebrated ‘Battle of the Sexes’ was the clash between Billie Jean King in her prime and 55-year old Bobby Riggs, with King beating Riggs. In 1992, there was another version featuring a 40-year old Jimmy Connors versus a former No 1 ranked women’s player, in which Connors prevailed. Who did Jimmy Connors play?

5. The Fourth Anglo-Mysore war featured a particular weapon used by Tipu Sultan that so impressed the British that they soon adopted it themselves and further improved on the design. What specific weapon did the British adopt from Tipu’s army?

6. The Anglo Chinese War between 1839 and 1842 resulted in a crushing defeat for the Chinese and ended with the Treaty of Nanking, which ceded Hong Kong and other ports to the British Empire. By what name is the war more commonly known in history?

7. If Operation Grand Slam was the name of the Pakistani attack on Akhnoor in 1965, what was the code name of the India operation to counter with an offensive targeted at Lahore and Sialkot?

8. Which two countries went to war after one defeated the other 3-2 in an international football match played in Mexico city on 27th June 1969?

9. One side knows it as the Milhmet Sheshet Ha Yamin , the other as ‘ an-Naksah ’ literally meaning ‘The Setback. How does the world know this conflict of the sixties?

10. Regarded as the turning point of the American Civil War, this battle was fought near a town in Pennsylvania between July 1 and 3, 1863. But the town became even more prominent in November the same year when the American President honoured the fallen and dedicated a National Cemetery. Name the town.

Answers

1. The Russian fleet, the Russians signed a Peace Treaty soon after

2. The Battle of Marne. The French managed to hold on

3. Paul McCartney and John Lennon, formerly from the Beatles. The two had made up by the mid-seventies

4. Martina Navratilova, 35 at the time. Connors won 7-5, 6-2

5. Rocket brigades, called ‘cushoons.’ William Congreve soon adapted the design for use with the British army

6. The Opium War, as the Chinese had seized British opium supplies at Canton and threatened to execute opium merchants as it was devastating Chinese youth. The British fought on the principle of free trade!

7. Operation Riddle

8. El Salvador and Honduras

9. The Six-Day War between Israel and an Arab coalition primarily comprising Jordan, Syria and Egypt

10. Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the ceremony

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