HistoryGuesser Daily · September 9, 2026 · 764 – 1945
Painstaking acts of physical construction and the dramatic conclusions of fierce military struggles test the extreme limits of human endurance and imperial might across multiple centuries.
The scenes are shown below — tap a card to reveal its place and year.
Round 1 · 1945
Japanese Surrender on the USS Missouri
Tokyo Bay, Japan
Under the watchful eyes of thousands of American sailors and a massive formation of overflying aircraft, Japanese diplomats signed the instrument of surrender, formally ending the Second World War.
Round 2 · 1397
Gilding the Top Floors of Kinkaku-ji
Kyoto, Japan
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu purchased the Kitayama estate and transformed it into a sprawling retirement villa, crowning the complex with a spectacular three-story reliquary hall covered in pure gold leaf.
Round 3 · 1896
British Bombardment of the Sultan's Palace
Zanzibar City, Zanzibar
The shortest war in recorded history lasted just 38 minutes, ending abruptly when a British naval squadron's artillery reduced the Sultan's waterfront palace complex to a blazing ruin.
Round 4 · 1777
Constructing Log Huts at Valley Forge
Pennsylvania, USA
Enduring freezing rain and severe supply shortages, George Washington's ragged Continental Army raced to chop down thousands of trees to build the hundreds of 14-by-16-foot log huts that would be their winter shelter.
Round 5 · 764
Laying the Mudbrick Walls of Round Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq
Caliph Al-Mansur employed over 100,000 laborers and architects to build his perfect circular capital, a massive double-walled city centered strictly on the Golden Gate Palace and Grand Mosque.
