(In response to the bad scene attendant upon last week's quiz, we've had his week's answers verified by auditors from a trustworthy outfit called Andersen Consulting.)
Ah, Clio, Muse of History! Friend of the Quizmaster! Outcast of the televisual world! Inexhaustible source of trivia!
In the early 15th century, a bunch of angry Protestants got pissed off at some Catholic government types in a city that's become recently become a famous international slacker destination (nope, not the one where you can buy weed legally). The ensuing squabble culminated in the"defenestration" from some castle windows of two of the Hail-Mary-sayers, although they were saved by (sources vary) either divine intervention or a fortuitously located dung heap.
This little Bohemian brouhaha is sometimes credited, probably incorrectly, with igniting the major war which followed; this conflict had a Bavarian Period, a Danish Period, a Swedish Period, and a French Period.
By what name do we know this war, this confusing mess of Early-Modern Mayhem?
Post your answer to comments. First correct answer earns the right to opine freely about the situation in the Middle East, and we will listen nicely for three whole minutes.
Posted by BT at April 05, 2002 08:55 AMClarification: what do we call the war -- not the event involving the tossing of Catholics from casements.
And please note that mlang should consider taking his obsessions here.
Posted by: BT on April 5, 2002 08:58 AMThe Huegoenot War! (I may have spelt it wrong) And i believe they love the spliff in Switzerland, no?
Posted by: on April 5, 2002 10:15 AM(that was me posting above. Too much research in the spliff category.)
Posted by: bootsy on April 5, 2002 10:16 AMI just checked: oh, Bill. You're so crafty.
Posted by: bootsy on April 5, 2002 10:20 AMUm, the Thirty Years War?
Posted by: bup on April 5, 2002 12:08 PMThe Dirty Ears War.
Posted by: Jamie O'Neill on April 5, 2002 12:34 PMWe have a winner! Congratulations, Mr. Boxjam-Bup.
Posted by: BT on April 5, 2002 01:17 PMWhoo-hoo!
Is it bad form to note that by "early 15th century," you meant early 1600's?
Posted by: bup on April 5, 2002 04:11 PMthe boxer rebellion?
Posted by: mlang on April 5, 2002 05:24 PMOnce again, we hang our heads in quizly shame, having done that century-ordinal calculation thing backwards. Of course I meant early 17th century. It seems that the chances of an error-free Wombat File quiz recede weekly.
Posted by: BT on April 6, 2002 11:52 AMHave you ever had your Prague defenestrated?
It took me a year before I got up the guts to see the dentist again.
Posted by: teenidol on April 7, 2002 11:40 PMThe Defenstration of Prague? The Thirty Years' War, of course.
Now, about the Middle East ... do read the last sentence (clipped from the really quite good Christian Science Monitor)
[re:] Thomas Friedman's call for ... US or NATO peacekeepers ... The Washington Times obtained a copy of a year-old study from the School of Advanced Military Studies ... [that includes] the following assessment of the Israeli intelligence service: "Wildcard. Ruthless and cunning. Has capability to target US forces and make it look like a Palestinian/Arab act."
Hmm, looks like this peace stuff is going to be harder than we thought. 30 years, eh?
Posted by: Michael Green on April 9, 2002 04:18 PM