History

101 History Trivia Questions to Expand Your Information Empire

Folks who say history is boring have never heard the story of Corporal Wojtek, the Syrian brown bear who spent his days smoking, showering, and serving alongside Polish Unit 3522. 

Or the one about Rasputin, the iconic Russian mystic who survived a very passive-aggressive dinner party where he was served a cyanide-laced meal, a close-range shooting, and a brutal beating only to finally meet his icy end after he was tied up and tossed into the Neva River. 

Once you get past all of the meetings, letters, and treaties, our collective past is jam-packed with more action than the Mad Max franchise and at least twice as many battles in Thunderdome-esque battle stages. FromFor Mesopotamia to the modern day, human history is a non-stop thrill ride that’s well worth exploring.

If you consider yourself an aficionado of all things ancient and archaic, you’ll have no problem defeating our history trivia quiz. Why not continue your epic conquests with other historical topics, like Greek mythology, politics, and war? Or try your hand at our collection of the best trivia questions and answers.

Marco Polo was from which Italian city?

Naples

Milan

Rome

Venice

What was the political belief of the Bolsheviks?

Republicanism

Anarchy

Communism

Capitalism

Ranier III came to the throne of which small state in 1949?

San Marino

Monaco

Andorra

Liechtenstein

A 1971 crush caused the death of fans in a football ground in which UK city?

London

Manchester

Glasgow

Birmingham

Éamon de Valera was a 20th century political leader in which country?

Spain

Australia

Ireland

France

Which city was the capital of the Ottoman Empire?

Carthage

Rome

Baghdad

Constantinople

The Great Depression of the 1930s started with a stock market crash in which country?

United States

Germany

France

Spain

Wakan Tanka is the supreme being of which Native American group?

Sioux

Apache

Inuit

Choctaw

A cartoon called ‘Plane Crazy’ was the first appearance of which famous character?

Mickey Mouse

Fred Flintstone

Donald Duck

Pluto

Actress Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car crash in which state in 1967?

North Carolina

Florida

Maine

Louisiana

Which country voted to leave the European Union in 2016?

Denmark

France

Greece

United Kingdom

Who took the British throne after Edward VII?

George VI

Elizabeth II

Charles II

George V

Which 19th century leader was nicknamed ‘Little Corporal’?

Nelson

Cook

Napoleon

Montgomery

John McCain served as senator for which US state?

New York

Montana

Arizona

Alabama

The Oslo Peace Accords were signed between the PLO and which country’s government?

Israel

India

Lebanon

Egypt

Which country approved a new red and white flag design in 1965?

Australia

France

China

Canada

Churchill said a curtain of which metal divided capitalist and communist Europe?

Copper

Steel

Silver

Iron

What was the name of the ship which came to rescue Titanic survivors?

Carpathia

Calgary

California

Cork

The 2010 Arab Spring started with a revolt in which country?

Sudan

Tunisia

Jordan

Iran

What was the first name of President Eisenhower?

Wayne

Dwight

Brian

Stewart

What fabric gives its name to the ancient Europe to Asia trade route?

Cotton Way

Linen Avenue

Wool Street

Silk Road

Which nation influenced European countries in the Eastern Bloc?

United States

Soviet Union

China

Japan

Which US President had twins called Barbara and Jenna?

Richard Nixon

George W Bush

John F Kennedy

Ronald Reagan

Robert Mugabe became leader of which country in 1980?

Zimbabwe

Ghana

Nigeria

Kenya

The US re-established diplomatic links with which island in 2016?

Trinidad

Jamaica

Sri Lanka

Cuba

Singer Sonny Bono was mayor of which Californian city?

Pasadena

Palm Springs

Malibu

San Francisco

Which words did Washington add to the official Oath of Office?

For all Americans

So help me God

To do my best

Liberty and freedom

Alexandra Palace reopened in which city in 1875, rebuilt after a fire?

Paris

Berlin

Moscow

London

What is the first name of Alabama civil rights campaigner Ms Boynton?

Amelia

Susannah

Caroline

Matilda

King Tut is the nickname of a ruler from which country?

Egypt

Italy

Greece

Morocco

Zulus measured their wealth in which animals?

Horses

Dogs

Goats

Cattle

Where is the site of the Battle of Culloden?

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Inverness

Belfast

Silvio Berlusconi was a 20th century leader in which country?

Italy

France

Greece

Spain

What was the name of the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon?

Anne

Jane

Mary

Katherine

Which President signed the Emancipation Declaration in 1863?

Carter

Coolidge

Washington

Lincoln

The 1750s Seven Year’s War was fought between Britain and which country?

Russia

Italy

Spain

France

Who was chosen as leader of the British Labour party in 1994?

Tony Blair

Gordon Brown

Margaret Beckett

Alistair Darling

What did a tallow chandler make?

Books

Hats

Candles

Boots

Who founded the National Woman Suffrage Association with Susan B Anthony?

Rosa Parks

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Harriet Tubman

Ida Wells

Farrier is an old term for someone who looked after the feet of which animal?

Sheep

Pig

Horse

Goat

Constantine II was the last monarch of which European country?

Norway

Portugal

Poland

Greece

Ugo Cavallero commanded the Army of which country in WW2?

Japan

Germany

Italy

France

Which title did Philip Mountbatten take when he married Princess Elizabeth?

Prince of Skye

Lord of Liverpool

Earl of Somerset

Duke of Edinburgh

Louis Pasteur developed a way of making which liquid safe to drink?

Milk

Coffee

Beer

Orange Juice

Dogger Bank, Caporetto, and Marne were battles in which conflict?

World War 1

Boer War

World War 2

Vietnam War

George Bush signed a nuclear treaty with which Russian leader in 1993?

Kruschev

Gorbachev

Putin

Yeltsin

Which Russian historical figure was known as ‘The Terrible’?

George

Alexander

Frederick

Ivan

Which US President delivered the Gettysburg Address?

Adams

Lincoln

Roosevelt

Washington

Which European country was famous for high quality linen items?

Ireland

France

Spain

Greece

Napoleon was exiled to which Mediterranean island in 1814?

Elba

Rhodes

Crete

Ibiza

Which European country has the world’s oldest existing monarchy?

Denmark

Greece

Spain

Austria

Estonia was part of which country until 1991?

China

Germany

Soviet Union

Poland

What was the first name of British explorer Raleigh?

Walter

George

John

Frederick

General Robert E Lee was born in which US state?

Virginia

California

Maine

Arizona

Which country introduced the ruble as the word’s first decimal currency in 1704?

India

Germany

Japan

Russia

President General Antonio López de Santa Anna was defeated at which famous battle?

Somme

Gettysburg

Berlin

Alamo

Which country was ruled by the Vichy government during WW2?

Germany

Spain

France

Norway

Which color of tiles were used to build Imperial palaces in ancient China?

Green

Pink

Yellow

Purple

The Battle of Stalingrad was part of which larger conflict?

World War 2

World War 1

American Civil War

Korean War

Who was the first former First Lady to be appointed to the US cabinet?

Betty Ford

Hillary Clinton

Michelle Obama

Jackie Kennedy

In which month of 1969 did Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon?

March

July

January

October

Which Civil Rights leader made the famous ‘I have a dream’ speech?

Harriet Tubman

Martin Luther King

Malcolm X

Barack Obama

A Caliph was the leader of which sort of religious state?

Christian

Hindu

Islamic

Jewish

Crazy Horse fought his last battle against US forces at Wolf Mountain in which state?

Montana

Oklahoma

California

Texas

Paul Revere warned the residents of which US city that the British were coming?

Philadelphia

Chicago

Boston

Washington DC

Anne Frank spent most of her life in which European city?

Paris

Prague

Amsterdam

Brussels

Jean-maker Levi Strauss emigrated to the US from which European country?

Italy

France

Germany

Norway

Egypt became part of which Empire after the death of Cleopatra?

Roman

Persian

Carthage

Greek

Who was the British king at the time of US independence?

Charles II

Victoria

George III

Elizabeth II

What was the Eastern Roman Empire known as?

Persia

Byzantium

Carthage

Phoenicia

Which US city was called Yerba Buena until 1847?

Los Angeles

Chicago

San Francisco

Baltimore

Emil Zapotek was a famous athlete in the 1950s from which country?

Austria

Czechoslovakia

Russia

China

NASA launched the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph in 2013 to study what?

Moon

Mars

Sun

Comet

The California Star was the first newspaper published in which US city?

Pasadena

Los Angeles

San Francisco

Malibu

The term ‘Blitz’ usually refers to the German bombing of which city?

Prague

Brussels

Oslo

London

Africa’s oldest university was established in which country in 1873?

Algeria

Ghana

Egypt

South Africa

Al-Andalus was an Islamic-controlled region in which modern European country?

Italy

Spain

France

Greece

Which Empire laid siege to the island of Malta in 1565?

Greek

Byzantines

Ottoman

Roman

Which country issued the world’s first paper money in around 1024?

China

Japan

France

Italy

Which was the second state after Massachusetts to legalize same-sex marriage?

Maine

Kentucky

Maryland

California

Ferdinand Magellan was an explorer from which country?

Mexico

Spain

France

Portugal

Joseph Smith founded which church in New York, before moving it to Utah?

Mormons

Moonies

Baptists

Scientology

What did Nicola Salvi famously design in 1629?

Milan Cathedral

Eiffel Tower

Trevi Fountain

Westminster Abbey

The Politburo was the ruling group of which country?

Soviet Union

Germany

China

Japan

Blitzkrieg is a term for bombing which comes from which language?

Japanese

German

Chinese

French

On which island did the dodo become extinct in the 17th century?

Mauritius

Madagascar

Crete

Sicily

In which city did the US Congress meet for the first time in 1789?

Salem

New York

Boston

Providence

2004 saw the first same-sex marriages in which US state?

Florida

California

Massachusetts

Texas

What was Gandhi’s job before being a civil rights campaigner?

Lawyer

Accountant

Doctor

Entrepreneur

James K Polk was from which state?

Pennsylvania

Vermont

Utah

Tennessee

The Provisional IRA called a ceasefire in which part of the UK in 1994?

Wales

Cornwall

Scotland

Northern Ireland

The Nazi party came to power in which country in the 1930s?

Norway

Belgium

Germany

France

Bill Gates stepped down as which company’s boss in 2000?

Microsoft

Yahoo

Amazon

Apple

Smyrna was a strategically-important city in which modern day country?

Italy

Greece

Turkey

Spain

Osama Bin Laden declared war against which country in 1996?

Russia

China

France

United States

Rosa Parks made her bus protest in which US state?

Georgia

Alabama

Florida

Louisiana

Which word is used to describe the US before the Civil War?

Antechapel

Antebellum

Antecedent

Antenatal

Which was the first US state to ratify Prohibition in 1918?

Mississippi

New York

Massachusetts

Louisiana

Solidarity was a 20th century trade union in which European country?

Austria

Spain

Poland

France

Woodstock music festival was held in which US state in August 1969?

Vermont

New York

Massachusetts

Connecticut

The Lorraine Motel, where Luther King was shot, is now a what?

School

Office Block

Museum

University

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