Townsend Warner History Quiz 2020
What historical fact do you associate with Arthur Wellesley?
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington - (1 May 1769 - 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister. He ended the Napoleonic Wars when he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Write down one historical fact you associate with Avebury
Avebury henge and stone circles are one of the greatest marvels of prehistoric Britain. Built and much altered during the Neolithic period, roughly between 2850 BC and 2200 BC, the henge survives as a huge circular bank and ditch, encircling an area that includes part of Avebury village. Within the henge is the largest stone circle in Britain - originally of about 100 stones - which in turn encloses two smaller stone circles.
What historical fact do you associate with Benito Mussolini?
Benito Mussolini (29 July 1883 - 28 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the Fascist coup d'état in 1922 to his deposition in 1943, and Duce ("Leader") of Italian Fascism from the establishment of the Italian Fasces of Combat in 1919 to his execution in 1945 during the Italian Civil War.
Which palace in Oxfordshire was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill?
Blenheim Palace is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non-royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. Sir Winston Churchill was born on 30th November 1874 here at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
Which tribe was led by Boudica?
Boudicca is known for being a warrior queen of the Celtic Iceni people, who lived in what is now East Anglia, England. In 60-61 CE she led the Iceni and other peoples in a revolt against Roman rule.
Write down one historical fact you associate with Cape Canaveral
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's 45th Space Wing, located on Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's where the USA launches it's space rockets
Who am I? Number one; born in Spain; divorced
Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England from June 1509 until May 1533 as the first wife of King Henry VIII; she was previously Princess of Wales as the wife of Henry's elder brother, Arthur.
What historical fact do you associate with Charles Dickens?
Charles Dickens (7 February 1812 - 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He wrote The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, Barnaby Rudge, A Christmas Carol, Martin Chuzzlewit The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, Dombey and Son, The Haunted Man, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Hard Times A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations Our Mutual Friend , The Signal-Man, Edwin Drood
Who am I? Egyptian; ruled the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt; married to Mark Antony
Cleopatra VII
For what are Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay known?
Edmund Hillary and Tibetan mountaineer Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
What historical fact do you associate with Edward Jenner?
Edward Jenner (17 May 1749 - 26 January 1823) created the worlds first vaccine, creating a smallpox vaccine from cowpox.
What did Edward VIII do in 1936?
Edward VIII (23 June 1894 - 28 May 1972) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India - in December 1936 he abdicated the throne to marry Mrs Simpson.
What is the Palace of Philip II
El Escorial is a historical residence of the King of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of the Spanish capital, Madrid.
What is the modern name of New Amsterdam
Following its capture, New Amsterdam's name was changed to New York, in honour of the Duke of York, who organized the mission. The colony of New Netherland was established by the Dutch West India Company in 1624 and grew to encompass all of present-day New York City and parts of Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey.
What historical fact do you associate with Gary Powers?
Francis Gary Powers (August 17, 1929 - August 1, 1977) was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)[1] U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident.
Who am I? Italian nationalist; led the Expedition of the Thousand; biscuit
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi (4 July 1807 - 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patriot and republican. He contributed to the Italian unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. He is considered to be one of the greatest generals of modern times and one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland". Garibaldi is also known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe.
What is the Palace of Henry VIII
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 12 miles south west and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief minister of King Henry VIII.
Who was the first Tudor monarch?
Henry VII, also called (1457-85) Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, (born January 28, 1457, Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales—died April 21, 1509, Richmond, Surrey, England), King of England (1485-1509), who succeeded in ending the Wars of the Roses between the houses of Lancaster and York and founded the Tudor dynasty
Who am I? Spanish Conquistador; defeated Montezuma; conquered Tenochtitlan
Hernán Cortés - The Aztec outnumbered the Spanish, but that didn't stop Hernán Cortés from seizing Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, in 1521.
What is the significance of 1265
In Westminster, the first elected English Parliament (called Montfort's Parliament) conducts its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, later to be known as the Houses of Parliament.
What is the modern name of Constantinople
Istanbul
What historical fact do you associate with Joseph Stalin?
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (18 December 1878 - 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet politician who ruled the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953.
Which rebellion took place in England in 1549?
Kett's Rebellion was a revolt in Norfolk, England during the reign of Edward VI, largely in response to the enclosure of land. It began at Wymondham on 8 July 1549 with a group of rebels destroying fences that had been put up by wealthy landowners.
Which Hanoverian king earned the nickname 'Farmer George'?
King George III was deeply committed to family and country, a hardworking polymath whose interests in agriculture earned him the affectionate nickname 'Farmer George'.
What historical fact do you associate with King John?
King John is most famous as the king who was forced to agree to Magna Carta - a set of laws he had to follow giving rights to the people. This was after many conflicts with barons and the Church.
Which king was discovered under a car park in Leicester in 2012?
King Richard III - In August 2012, Leicester City Council, the University of Leicester, and the Richard III Society began a search underneath a car park in Leicester, to find King Richard III's remains and the Grey Friars Church.
Which king was given the name 'The Unready'?
King Æthelred, known as Æthelred the Unready, was the king of England from 978 to 1016, giving him one of the longest reigns (approximately 38 years) of any early medieval English monarch.
Write down one historical fact you associate with Knossos
Knossos (also Cnossos) is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe's oldest city
Which disputed queen ruled England for nine days in 1553?
Lady Jane Grey, also known as Lady Jane Dudley and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman and de facto Queen of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553. Jane was the great-granddaughter of Henry VII through his younger daughter Mary, and was a first cousin once removed of Edward VI.
Who am I? Born in Austria; married the King of France; guillotined
Marie Antoinette. Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1755, Marie Antoinette married the future French king Louis XVI when she was just 15 years old.
Which queen was executed at Fotheringhay Castle in 1587?
Mary, Queen of Scots - After 19 years of imprisonment, Mary was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England for her complicity in a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I.
What is Mons Meg?
Mons Meg is a medieval bombard or cannon in the collection of the Royal Armouries, but on loan to Historic Scotland and located at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. It has a barrel diameter of 20 inches (510 mm) making it one of the largest cannons in the world by calibre.
Write down one historical fact you associate with Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the current border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to have ordered its construction.
What did Charles I try to do in the Houses of Parliament on 4th January 1642?
On 4 January 1642, King Charles I entered the House of Commons to arrest five Members of Parliament for high treason. Speaker Lenthall defied the King to uphold the privileges of Parliament. The King had to leave without arresting the Five Members. No monarch has entered the House of Commons since then.
Name Queen Victoria's husband
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel; 26 August 1819 - 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Who was on the throne at the time of the Act of Union in 1707?
Queen Anne (6 February 1665 - 1 August 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland between 8 March 1702 and 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714.
What is the modern name of Leningrad
Saint Petersburg formerly known as Petrograd (1914-1924) and later Leningrad (1924-1991), is the second-largest city in Russia.
What historical fact do you associate with Saladin?
Salah ad-Din or Saladin led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant. At the height of his power, his sultanate spanned Egypt, Syria, the Jazira (Upper Mesopotamia), the Hejaz (western Arabia), Yemen, parts of western North Africa, and Nubia.
What is scutage?
Scutage is a medieval English tax levied on holders of a knight's fee under the feudal land tenure of knight-service. Under feudalism the king, through his vassals, provided land to knights for their support. The knights owed the king military service in return. The knights were allowed to "buy out" of the military service by paying scutage (a term derived from Latin scutum, "shield"). As time passed the kings began to impose a scutage on holders knight's fees, even in time of peace.
Who am I? Explorer; allegedly brought the potato from America; executed in 1618
Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), British explorer and historian known for his expeditions to the Americas, first brought the potato to Ireland and planted them at his Irish estate at Myrtle Grove, Youghal, near Cork, Ireland. Legend has it that he made a gift of the potato plant to Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603).
Complete the following rhyme about the wives of Henry VIII: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded ...
Survived - Henry's 6th wife was Catherine Parr
Which US state was purchased from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million?
The Alaska Purchase was the United States' acquisition of Alaska from the Russian Empire. Alaska was formally transferred to the United States on October 18, 1867
What are The Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent, Sussex and Essex. The ports lie at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. The name is Norman French, meaning "five ports". They were: Hastings. New Romney Hythe Dover. Sandwich
In which building was the Great Exhibition held?
The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure, originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The exhibition took place from 1 May to 15 October 1851. The palace was designed by Joseph Paxton
What document was begun in 1086?
The Domesday Book is the oldest government record held in The National Archives. In fact there are two Domesday Books - Little Domesday and Great Domesday, which together contain a great deal of information about England in the 11th century. In 1086, King William I (the Conqueror) wanted to find out about all the land in his new kingdom: who owned which property, who else lived there, how much the land was worth and therefore how much tax he could charge, so he sent official government inspectors around England to ask questions in local courts.
What is the significance of 1605
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby. The plan was to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November 1605,[a] as the prelude to a popular revolt in the Midlands during which James's nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, was to be installed as the Catholic head of state.
Write down one historical fact you associate with The Maginot Line
The Maginot Line, named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications
What is the Palace of Zhu Di
The Ming Palace also known as the "Forbidden City of Nanjing", was the 14th-century imperial palace of the early Ming dynasty, when Nanjing was the capital of China.
What is the Palace of Louis XIV
The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI.
What is a Doodlebug
The V-1 flying bomb—also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb, or doodlebug, was an early cruise missile and the only production aircraft to use a pulsejet for power.
What do we have in common? Bunker Hill; Saratoga; Yorktown
They were all Battles in the American Civil War
What do we have in common? Attlee; Macmillan; Thatcher
They were all British Prime Ministers
What do we have in common? Hobbes; Locke; Mill
They were all English philosophers Thomas Hobbes 5 April 1588 - 4 December 1679 John Locke 29 August 1632 - 28 October 1704 John Stuart Mill 20 May 1806 - 7 May 1873
Which king lost his son in the White Ship disaster of 1120?
William Adelin, was the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England, his half-sister Matilda, his half-brother Richard, Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester, and Geoffrey Ridel.
What do we have in common? Thomas Clarkson; William Wilberforce; Granville Sharp
Clarkson and Sharp were instrumental in forming the Committee for the Abolition of the African Slave Trade. Many of the other members were Quakers. The Committee helped to persuade the member of parliament William Wilberforce to take up the abolitionist cause.
Who am I? Mathematical genius; cracked the Enigma; appears on new £50 note
Alan Turing - British mathematician perhaps most famous for his war-time work at the British code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park where his work led to the breaking of the German Enigma Code (according to some, shortening the Second World War at a stroke, and potentially saving thousands of lives).
Who am I? Born in Wantage; defeated the Vikings; died in 899AD
Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, a defender against Viking invasion and a social reformer; just few of the reasons why he is the only English monarch to be known as "the Great".
Write down one historical fact you associate with Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey in Battle, East Sussex, England. The abbey was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings and dedicated to St Martin of Tours.
What is the significance of 1805
Battle of Trafalgar, (October 21, 1805), naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, which established British naval supremacy for more than 100 years; it was fought west of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, between Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. A fleet of 33 ships (18 French and 15 Spanish) under Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve fought a British fleet of 27 ships under Admiral Horatio Nelson.
What is the modern name of Peking
Beijing is the atonal pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of the Chinese characters 北京, the Chinese name of the capital of China.
Who am I? Shakespeare play; conquered Gaul; assassinated on the Ides of March
Gaius Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC - 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
What is the significance of 1066
Lots of battles, including the Battle of Hastings
What historical fact do you associate with Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968
Who am I? Born on Corsica; banished to Elba; defeated at Waterloo
Napoleon - Exiled to the island of Elba, he escaped to France in early 1815 and raised a new Grand Army that enjoyed temporary success before its crushing defeat at Waterloo against an allied force under Wellington on June 18, 1815. Napoleon was subsequently exiled to the island of Saint Helena off the coast of Africa. Six years later, he died, most likely of stomach cancer
Who established the Metropolitan Police in 1829?
Sir Robert Peel became Home Secretary, and was determined to deal with London's policing problems. The Metropolitan Police Act was passed in 1829. It set up a force for London, leaving out the City, but covering an area 7 miles radius from the centre, later extended to 15 miles
Write down one historical fact you associate with Sword Beach
Sword Beach, was the code name given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord
What do we have in common? Anjou; Normandy; Aquitaine
The Angevin Empire in France describes the possessions of the Angevin kings of England who held lands in England and France during the 12th and 13th centuries
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Agincourt (1415)
The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415
What is the significance of 1415
The Battle of Agincourt was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 (Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in Northern France.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Arsuf (1191)
The Battle of Arsuf was a battle during the Third Crusade which took place on 7 September 1191
Write down one historical fact you associate with Borodino
The Battle of Borodino was a battle fought on 7 September 1812 in the Napoleonic Wars during the French invasion of Russia.
Which war do you associate with the The Battle of Britain (1940)
The Battle of Britain was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Edgehill (1642)
The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Guadalajara (1937)
The Battle of Guadalajara (March 8-23, 1937) saw the People's Republican Army (Ejército Popular Republicano, or EPR) defeat Italian and Nationalist forces attempting to encircle Madrid during the Spanish Civil War.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Huế (1968)
The Battle of Huế (31 January 1968 - 2 March 1968), also called the Siege of Huế, was a major military engagement in the Tết Offensive launched by North Vietnam and the Việt Cộng during the Vietnam War.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Jutland (1916)
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, during the First World War
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Leipzig (1813)
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813, at Leipzig, Saxony. It was part of the Napoleonic Wars
Write down one historical fact you associate with Naseby
The Battle of Naseby took place on 14 June 1645, during the English Civil War. In the area called Broad Moor a small distance north of the village, the Royalist forces, commanded by King Charles I, battled the Roundhead army commanded by Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron. The battle resulted in a decisive Royalist defeat.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Pork Chop Hill (1953)
The Battle of Pork Chop Hill comprises a pair of related Korean War infantry battles during April and July 1953. These were fought while the United Nations Command (UN) and the Chinese and North Koreans negotiated the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Which war do you associate with the Battle of Sedan (1870)
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and large numbers of his troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French government.
What reduced the population of Europe by between one third and one half during the years 1348 to 1351?
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic, which reached England in June 1348. It was the first and most severe manifestation of the Second Pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria. The term Black Death was not used until the late 17th century.
What is the significance of 1688
The Glorious Revolution of November 1688 or the Revolution of 1688, is the name commonly used for the deposition of James II and VII, king of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his replacement by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange.
In which lane did the Great Fire of London start?
The Great Fire of London started on Sunday, 2 September 1666 in a baker's shop on Pudding Lane belonging to Thomas Farynor (Farriner). Although he claimed to have extinguished the fire, three hours later at 1am, his house was a blazing inferno.
Write down one historical fact you associate with Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza (also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops) is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex bordering present-day Giza in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact.
What are the Pals Battalions
The Pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who had enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours and colleagues, rather than being arbitrarily allocated to battalions
What is the significance of 1381
The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black Death pandemic in the 1340s, the high taxes resulting from the conflict with France during the Hundred Years' War, and instability within the local leadership of London.
What is the significance of 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major changes to the electoral systemof England and Wales.
What is The Silk Road
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes which connected the East and West, and was central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between these regions from the 2nd century BCE to the 18th century. The Silk Road primarily refers to the land routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe.
What is the Stone of Scone?
The Stone of Scone —also known as the Stone of Destiny, and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone—is an oblong block of red sandstone that has been used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland
What is the Palace of Peter the Great
The Winter Palace as the official residence of the Russian Emperors from 1732 to 1917. There is also a Summer Palace
What is the modern name of Saigon
The current official name, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, adopted in 1976 and abbreviated TP.HCM, is translated as Ho Chi Minh City, abbreviated HCMC, and in French as Hô-Chi-Minh-Ville (the circumflex is sometimes omitted), abbreviated HCMV
Name William I's eldest son
The eldest son of William I the Conqueror, Robert Curthrose was recognised in boyhood as his father's successor in Normandy. Nevertheless, he twice rebelled against his father (1077/78 and c. 1082-83) and was in exile in Italy until he returned as duke on his father's death in 1087.
What do we have in common? St James's; Kensington; Buckingham
They are all Palaces in London St James's built 1531-36 by Henry VIII Kensington bought 1689 by William III & Mary II Buckingham Palace bought 1761 by King George III
What do we have in common? Antioch; Dorylaeum; Jerusalem
They are all battles in the First Crusades Battle of Dorylaeum 1097 Siege at Antioch 1097-98 Siege of Jerusalem 1099
What do we have in common? Prince of Wales; Hood; Rodney
They are all battleships who fought during WWII
What do we have in common? Gregory VII; Urban II; Innocent III
They are all popes: Gregory VII c. 1015[1] - 25 May 1085 Urban II c. 1035[1] - 29 July 1099 Innocent III 1160 - 16 July 1216
What do we have in common? Millicent Fawcett; Emily Davison; Emmeline Pankhurst
They were all suffragettes - a suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections.
What historical fact do you associate with Pitt the Younger?
William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 - 23 January 1806) became the youngest prime minister of Great Britain in 1783 at the age of 24 and the first prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in January 1801
What is the significance of 1914
World War I or The Great War began after Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb Yugoslav nationalist, assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, leading to the July Crisis.
What is the significance of 1945
World War II (WWII or WW2), also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis.