History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 12th January 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | The Mau Mau uprising took place between 1952 and 1960 in what country? |
| 2. | The Mannerheim Line was a defensive structure built after World War I to defend what country? |
| 3. | Who was the last US President to die of natural causes while in office? |
| 4. | What is the name of the war that included the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876? |
| 5. | In which year did the Asian Financial Crisis hit Thailand, seeing the baht halving in value overnight? |
| 6. | What name was given to this multi-stranded knotted rope used for flogging in days gone by? |
| 7. | Why did 13 Wild Boars make world headlines in June 2018? |
| 8. | What U.S. President was assassinated in September 1901? |
| 9. | What Empire was defeated by the Greeks in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC? |
| 10. | Introduced by the EEC in 1979, it was designed to achieve monetary stability in Europe and prepare for the introduction of a single currency; what did ERM stand for? |
| 11. | Who succeeded Calvin Coolidge as President of the United States in 1929? |
| 12. | On what Greek island was the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, born on 10th June 1921? |
| 13. | With the new Australian dollar equivalent to ten shillings or half an Australian pound, in what year did decimalisation take place in Australia? |
| 14. | What famous speech begins, "Four score and seven years ago ..."? |
| 15. | Unbeaten to this day, what was the name of the steam locomotive that set the world speed record of 126 mph on 3rd July 1938? |
| 16. | The only U.S. president to have served more than two terms, how many times was Franklin D. Roosevelt elected president? |
| 17. | The Great Depression lasted for almost all of what decade? |
| 18. | In what British city did the Peterloo Massacre take place on 16th August 1819? |
| 19. | In which sea did the ferry MS Estonia sink in September 1994 with the loss of 852 people? |
| 20. | The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in what century? |
| 21. | Following the Pleistocene around 11,700 years ago, what 'H' describes the current geological epoch? |
| 22. | Who was leader of the Soviet Union between 13th February 1984 and his death on 10th March 1985? |
| 23. | How many days after Hiroshima was the second atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki? |
| 24. | The first cinematograph to allow simultaneous viewing by multiple parties was patented in the 1890s by French brothers Auguste and Louis ... what? |
| 25. | After which war was the League of Nations formed? |
| 26. | Dr Christian Barnard was a South African surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human transplant of what organ in 1967? |
| 27. | What were the surnames of the two body snatchers who killed 16 people in Edinburgh in 1868 and sold the corpses to Robert Knox for dissection at his anatomy lectures? |
| 28. | During which war was the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift fought? |
| 29. | What began with the storming of the Bastille in 1789? |
| 30. | Operation Granby was the name given to British military operations during which conflict? |
| 31. | Who was commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II? |
| 32. | What name is given to the 19th century "torture device" consisting of a human-sized metal cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior? |
| 33. | Which British Royal married for the second time on 12th December 1992? |
| 34. | Signed on 6th November 1903, what major construction was made possible by the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty? |
| 35. | In what decade did Rio de Janeiro cease to be the capital of Brazil? |
| 36. | In what country was Leon Trotsky assassinated in August 1940 by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish-born Soviet agent? |
| 37. | Who was the Republican candidate narrowly defeated by John F. Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election? |
| 38. | The name of what General from the American Revolutionary War became a byword in the United States for treason or betrayal? |
| 39. | At the turn of the 20th century, what was the tallest man-made construction in the world? |
| 40. | Legal tender in the UK from 1860 to 1960; from 1937 onwards, what bird featured on the reverse of a farthing (¼d) coin? |
| 41. | On what holiday was Abraham Lincoln assassinated? |
| 42. | Complete this famous quote from June 1963: ... and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ...
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| 43. | The Law of the Twelve Tables was the legislation that stood at the foundation of what civilisation? |
| 44. | What was Al Capone's full first name? |
| 45. | Henri Désiré Landru killed 11 women in France in the early 20th century. What was his nickname? |
| 46. | Former Israeli Prime Ministers Rabin and Shamir shared what first name? |
| 47. | Which founder of modern Turkey delivered a 36 hour long speech over 6 days in 1927? |
| 48. | In what country is the site of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo? |
| 49. | Since 1933, three U.S. Presidents have lost their second-term elections. George H. W. Bush is one. Name the other two. |
| 50. | Which French general was head of state of the wartime Vichy government? |
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