History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 16th March 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Complete the name of this Ancient Wonder of the World: The Mausoleum at ____________. |
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Halicarnassus (Bodrum, Turkey) | |
| 2. | What European country switched from a monarchy to a republic after a coup d'état on 5th October 1910? |
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Portugal | |
| 3. | What 11th century King of Denmark, England and Norway reputedly commanded the incoming tide to halt and, in failing to do so, demonstrated that he did not possess Godly powers? |
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Cnut the Great / Canute | |
| 4. | What was "Che" Guevara's given first name? |
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Ernesto | |
| 5. | What American Civil War general later became president of the United States? |
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Ulysses S. Grant | |
| 6. | What 19th century statesman was nicknamed the "Iron Chancellor"? |
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Otto von Bismarck | |
| 7. | Who became the first sitting member of the U.S. Congress to fly in space when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as a Payload Specialist in 1985? |
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Jake Garn | |
| 8. | Introduced in 1940, by what name was the Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft known? |
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Zero | |
| 9. | What English King ascended the throne in the Glorious Revolution of 1688? |
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William III (William of Orange) | |
| 10. | What department store opened at 400 Oxford Street, London on 15th March 1909? |
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Selfridges | |
| 11. | Who was John Hinckley trying to impress when he shot Ronald Reagan on 30th March 1981? |
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Jodie Foster (He became obsessed with her after watching the 1976 film Taxi Driver) | |
| 12. | One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, what type of structure once stood in Alexandria, Egypt? |
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Lighthouse | |
| 13. | Golda Meir was Prime Minister of what country from 1969 to 1974? |
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Israel | |
| 14. | Previously the fourth-largest investment bank in the United States, what global financial services firm went bankrupt in 2008 in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis? |
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Lehman Brothers | |
| 15. | 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 | |
| 16. | What country banned chewing gum in 1992? |
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Singapore | |
| 17. | Onto which remote South Atlantic island was Napoleon Bonaparte exiled in 1815, where he'd live until his death in 1821? |
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Saint Helena | |
| 18. | Frequently depicted on ancient Roman coins, documents, monuments, and military standards, what four-letter abbreviation represented a Latin phrase meaning "The Roman Senate and People"? |
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SPQR (Senātus Populusque Rōmānus) | |
| 19. | What city held its first Oktoberfest in 1811? |
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Munich / München | |
| 20. | From which empire did Bulgaria gain full independence in 1908? |
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Ottoman Empire | |
| 21. | In pre-war Nazi Germany, what city was given the title "City of Party Rallies"? |
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Nuremberg (Nürnberg) | |
| 22. | Who led the first expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912? |
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Roald Amundsen (14th December 1911) | |
| 23. | What Soviet Premier sent one of space dog Strelka's puppies, Pushinka, to first daughter Caroline Kennedy in 1961 as a present? |
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Nikita Khrushchev | |
| 24. | Which famous World War I battle was named after the peninsular south of Istanbul on which it took place between 25th April 1915 and 9th January 1916? |
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Battle of Gallipoli | |
| 25. | What US President died 11 weeks after being shot on 2nd July 1881 by Charles J. Guiteau? |
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James A. Garfield (d. 19th September 1881) | |
| 26. | Credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, what is the name of this British First World War biplane? |
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Sopwith Camel | |
| 27. | What name is given to the series of separate conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 between England and France and their various allies? |
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The Hundred Years' War | |
| 28. | A series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front, in what year was the famous Christmas truce of World War I? |
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1914 | |
| 29. | Who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his famous murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170? |
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Thomas Becket | |
| 30. | Who succeeded Ferdinand Marcos as President of the Philippines in 1986 to become Asia's first ever female President? |
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Corazón "Cory" Aquino (María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino) | |
| 31. | What first did American astronaut Edward Higgins White achieve on 3rd June 1965? |
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Spacewalk | |
| 32. | In which year did the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre take place in Chicago? |
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1929 | |
| 33. | Who founded the Salvation Army in London in 1865? |
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William Booth | |
| 34. | Who made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919? |
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Alcock and Brown (Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown) | |
| 35. | In March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur pledged "I will return", to what country? |
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The Philippines | |
| 36. | What was the first country to be invaded by Germany at the start of the First World War in August 1914? |
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Belgium (quickly followed by Luxembourg and France) | |
| 37. | In the 20th century, the Great Depression took place mostly during what decade? |
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1930s (1929-1939) | |
| 38. | In what decade did the Korean War take place? |
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The 1950s (25th June 1950 – 27th July 1953) | |
| 39. | Prior to the introduction of the euro in January 1999, the escudo was the currency of what European country until removed from circulation in February 2002? |
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Portugal | |
| 40. | Following the execution of Charles I, who declared England a republic in 1649? |
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Oliver Cromwell | |
| 41. | Who was the father of Cleopatra VII's son, Ptolomy XV? |
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Julius Caesar | |
| 42. | In what year was Abraham Lincoln assassinated? |
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1865 (14th April) | |
| 43. | What British monarch died on 20th January 1936? |
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George V | |
| 44. | Who was President of France at the outbreak of World War II? |
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Albert Lebrun | |
| 45. | On Saturday 6th September 1997, what event was watched by an estimated 2 billion people worldwide? |
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Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales | |
| 46. | Julius Caesar was assassinated in which year? A. 44 BC B. 24 BC C. 4 BC |
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A. 44 BC | |
| 47. | In what year did the Great Chicago Fire, Peshtigo Fire, and Great Michigan Fire take place? |
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1871 | |
| 48. | What famous gladiator led the Third Servile War, a slave revolt against the Romans between 73 and 71 BC? |
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Spartacus (Σπάρτακος) | |
| 49. | Who died at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, England on 22nd January 1901? |
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Queen Victoria | |
| 50. | Who was elected U.S. President in the same year John Lennon was killed in New York? |
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Ronald Reagan (1980) | |
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