History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 14th September 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | In 1909, who made the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft? |
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Louis Blériot | |
| 2. | What was abolished by France in 1981, The Netherlands in 1982, Australia in 1985, and New Zealand in 1989? |
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Capital punishment / Death penalty / Execution | |
| 3. | Controversially supported by the U.S. in the 1980s, in what country did right-wing rebel groups known as "Contras" operate? |
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Nicaragua | |
| 4. | Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998, what is the name of the Unabomber? |
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Ted Kaczynski (Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski) | |
| 5. | In what modern day country was Adolf Hitler born? |
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Austria (Ranshofen (later known as Braunau am Inn), Austria–Hungary) | |
| 6. | What American human rights activist was assassinated on 21st February 1965? |
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Malcolm X | |
| 7. | In what year did U.S. President Richard Nixon resign from office? |
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1974 | |
| 8. | In what decade did Alcock and Brown achieve the first non-stop transatlantic flight? |
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The 1910s (Jun 14th - Jun 15th 1919) | |
| 9. | Who was Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe throughout the Second World War? |
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Hermann Göring | |
| 10. | Daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, who was crowned Queen of England on 1st October 1553? |
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Mary I (aka Mary Tudor and "Bloody Mary") | |
| 11. | Who was the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England up until his death in 1547? |
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Catherine Parr | |
| 12. | Who comes next in this sequence? John McCain, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, _______ |
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Donald Trump (US Presidential Election Runners-Up 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) | |
| 13. | In what city was the TASS news agency founded in 1925? |
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Moscow (Russian: Телеграфное агентство Советского Союза, Tyelyegrafnoye agyentstvo Sovyetskogo Soyuza; acronym TASS) | |
| 14. | A political leader in the 20th century, what was the surname of Josip Broz? |
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Tito (1st President of Yugoslavia) | |
| 15. | Who was born on 21st April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London? |
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Queen Elizabeth II | |
| 16. | During what war did the Battle of Balaclava take place in 1854? |
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Crimean War (25th October 1854) | |
| 17. | What 19th century American family produced both typewriters and firearms? |
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Remington (E. Remington and Sons) | |
| 18. | Who was the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon? |
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Michael Collins | |
| 19. | In what country were up to 3 million communist sympathizers, ethnic Chinese and alleged leftists killed in a mass genocide from 1965 to 1966? |
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Indonesia | |
| 20. | The "Laws of the Twelve Tables" was the legislation that stood at the foundation of law in what ancient civilisation? |
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Roman | |
| 21. | The name of what General from the American Revolutionary War became a byword in the United States for treason or betrayal? |
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Benedict Arnold | |
| 22. | In what year did the Titanic sink? |
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1912 | |
| 23. | Complete this famous quote from June 1963: ... and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ...
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"Ich bin ein Berliner!" (John F. Kennedy) | |
| 24. | What was the first building in the world completed with more than 100 floors? |
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Empire State Building (New York City - 1931 - 102 floors) | |
| 25. | Who was succeeded as President of his country by Thabo Mbeki in 1999? |
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Nelson Mandela (South Africa) | |
| 26. | By what name is the 18th century Scottish outlaw Robert MacGregor better known? |
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Rob Roy / Red MacGregor (Gaelic: Raibeart Ruadh "Robert the Red-Haired") | |
| 27. | All Boys Should Come Home Please is a mnemonic aimed at helping history students remember what? |
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The wives of Henry VIII (Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard, Parr) | |
| 28. | Who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the First Gulf War? |
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Colin Powell | |
| 29. | Drug lord Joaquín Guzmán escaped from a prison in Mexico through a mile-long tunnel in 2015, but was recaptured six months later and sentenced to life in prison in the United States. By what nickname is he best known? |
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"El Chapo" | |
| 30. | Which Mormon leader founded Salt Lake City in 1847? |
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Brigham Young | |
| 31. | What modern day capital city was the seat of the Qajar dynasty from 1789 to 1925 and the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1979? |
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Tehran (Iran) | |
| 32. | Born Matoaka, and later called Amonute, when she died she was called Rebecca Rolfe. Who is she? |
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Pocahontas | |
| 33. | Who was the second man in outer space? |
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Alan Shepard (5th May 1961) | |
| 34. | What name is given to the pandemic that killed millions of people throughout the 14th century? |
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Black Death | |
| 35. | What set of annual international awards were first presented in Stockholm and Oslo in 1901? |
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Nobel Prize | |
| 36. | Which Russian Tsar sold Alaska to the United States of America in 1867? |
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Alexander II | |
| 37. | Following the execution of Charles I, who declared England a republic in 1649? |
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Oliver Cromwell | |
| 38. | What historical figure had a horse called Bucephalus? |
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Alexander the Great | |
| 39. | What was the name of this series of electronic hand-held children's computers by Texas Instruments, first introduced in 1978? |
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Speak & Spell | |
| 40. | Who was British Prime Minister from October 1963 to October 1964? |
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Alec Douglas-Home | |
| 41. | Before the introduction of 33⅓ and 45 rpm vinyl records, what brittle material was used to make 78 rpm discs? |
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Shellac | |
| 42. | Who was Vice President of the United States throughout Ronald Reagan's presidency? |
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George H. W. Bush | |
| 43. | Since 1933, three U.S. Presidents have lost their second-term elections. George H. W. Bush is one. Name the other two. |
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Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter | |
| 44. | Who was Reichsführer-SS of Nazi Germany between 1929 and 1945? |
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Heinrich Himmler | |
| 45. | The Wall Street Crash of October 29, 1929 is known as Black what? |
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Tuesday | |
| 46. | Which world famous 20th century figure was born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in modern day Rebublic of Macedonia on 26th August 1910? |
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Mother Teresa ( Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C.) | |
| 47. | Name either one of the two people who set out from Oakland, California on a circumnavigational flight on 1st June 1937. |
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Amelia Earhart & Fred Noonan | |
| 48. | Who, in November 1871, is alleged to have uttered the words "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" |
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Henry Morton Stanley | |
| 49. | Who defected from the UK to the Soviet Union with Donald Maclean in 1951? |
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Guy Burgess | |
| 50. | Who did Mikhail Gorbachev succeed as leader of the Soviet Union in 1985? |
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Konstantin Chernenko | |
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