History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 3rd August 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | What country banned chewing gum in 1992? |
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Singapore | |
| 2. | The Rosetta Stone played a key role in the deciphering of the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. There are three languages inscribed on the stone: hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and what other? |
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Ancient Greek | |
| 3. | What leader of the Scottish resistance was brutally executed in London on 23rd August 1305? |
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Sir William Wallace | |
| 4. | In March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur pledged "I will return", to what country? |
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The Philippines | |
| 5. | Who was U.S. President when Hawaii became the 50th state? |
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Dwight D. Eisenhower (21st August 1959) | |
| 6. | Named after the mother of the pilot, what was the name of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima? |
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Enola Gay (after Enola Gay Tibbets, mother of Colonel Paul Tibbets) | |
| 7. | What was the currency of the Netherlands before being replaced by the euro in 2002? |
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Dutch guilder (Dutch: gulden) | |
| 8. | Following a siege in 70 AD, on the ruins of what city did Emperor Hadrian order the ill-fated Roman city of Aelia Capitolina to be built? |
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Jerusalem | |
| 9. | What is the name of the city in India where thousands died after a gas leak at the Union Carbide plant in December 1984? |
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Bhopal (भोपाल) | |
| 10. | During what battle was Horatio Nelson killed? |
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Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 1805) | |
| 11. | What continent was explored by the Burke and Wills expedition in 1860–61? |
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Australia | |
| 12. | What was the name of Captain James Cook's ship on which he became the first to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773? |
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HMS Resolution | |
| 13. | Who invented the bouncing bombs used in the RAF "Dambusters" raid during World War II? |
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Barnes Wallis | |
| 14. | What was the name of the U.S. Air Force officer who in October 1947 became the first pilot in history confirmed to have exceeded the speed of sound in level flight? |
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Chuck Yeager | |
| 15. | A bilateral agreement first signed by the USA and the USSR on 31st July 1991 and entered into force on 5th December 1994, what does START stand for? |
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Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty | |
| 16. | Between 1915 and 1916, in what modern-day country did the Battle of Gallipoli take place? |
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Turkey | |
| 17. | Who was the last Tudor monarch of England? |
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Elizabeth I | |
| 18. | Who was named U.S. President after Abraham Lincoln was shot dead by John Wilkes Booth? |
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Andrew Johnson | |
| 19. | Between 1923 and 1939, what did Sir Malcolm Campbell name his record breaking automobiles and speed boats? |
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Blue Bird | |
| 20. | In 1845, British murderer John Tawell became the first person to be arrested with the aid of what method of communication? |
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Telegraph | |
| 21. | "After all, the chief business of the American people is business" were the words of what U.S. president in a 1925 speech? |
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Calvin Coolidge | |
| 22. | Borrowing a line Jack Dempsey said after losing the heavyweight championship to Gene Tunney in 1926, who reportedly said to his wife, "Honey, I forgot to duck," on 30th March 1981? |
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Ronald Reagan (in the hospital emergency room after his assassination attempt) | |
| 23. | Published in the UK on 27th March 1963, the first Beeching report was titled The Reshaping of British ____ what? |
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Railways (Richard Beeching) | |
| 24. | What name is given to the 32-month military conflict between the United States and the British Empire in the 19th century? |
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War of 1812 (1812 to 1815) | |
| 25. | Who discovered the moons of Jupiter in 1610 after constructing the first astronomical telescope? |
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Galileo Galilei | |
| 26. | What English King was killed at the Battle of Hastings? |
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Harold II / Harold Godwinson | |
| 27. | What was the name of the Norse explorer thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental North America, around 500 years before Christopher Columbus? |
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Leif Erikson (Leif the Lucky) | |
| 28. | In the weeks before D-Day, Australian actor and soldier M. E. Clifton James made public appearances disguised as who? |
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Montgomery (Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery) | |
| 29. | What is the name of the city park in Dallas, Texas that was the location of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, on 22nd November 1963? |
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Dealey Plaza | |
| 30. | Suleiman the Magnificent was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of what empire? |
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Ottoman (1520-1566) | |
| 31. | A worldwide news story, what happened at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Christmas Eve 1929? |
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Fire | |
| 32. | What name was given to the incendiary projectile used to great effect during the 1st millennium by the Byzantine Empire because it continued burning while floating on water? |
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Greek fire | |
| 33. | On Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of what Apollo mission entered into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so? |
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8 | |
| 34. | Which Mormon leader founded Salt Lake City in 1847? |
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Brigham Young | |
| 35. | In November 1800, who became the first U.S. president to reside in the White House? |
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John Adams | |
| 36. | In May 2004, as he spoke in the House of Commons, Tony Blair was hit with what purple-dyed foodstuff? |
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Flour | |
| 37. | The bloodiest day in the history of the U.S. armed forces, during what war was the Battle of Antietam? |
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American Civil War | |
| 38. | Pope for just 33 days in 1978, by what papal name was Albino Luciani known? |
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Pope John Paul I | |
| 39. | Who was President of the United States during World War I? |
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Woodrow Wilson | |
| 40. | According to legend, the Greek carpenter Epeios built what famous object? |
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Trojan Horse | |
| 41. | What King of France was known as the Sun King? |
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Louis XIV | |
| 42. | The Dardanelles Campaign took place during which war? |
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First World War (World War I / Great War) | |
| 43. | What was the capital of Yugoslavia between 1918 and 1992? |
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Belgrade (now the capital of Serbia) | |
| 44. | The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War is often referred to in France as the War of ... what year? |
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1870 | |
| 45. | In what modern-day country was the Battle of the Plains of Abraham fought in 1759? |
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Canada (British victory in Quebec, New France) | |
| 46. | Who was the first Tudor King of England, crowned in 1485? |
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Henry VII | |
| 47. | The Tet Offensive took place during which war? |
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Vietnam War (1968) | |
| 48. | Māori for "woman", what was the name of the roll-on/roll-off ferry that sank near Wellington Harbour during a storm on 10th April 1968, killing 53 people? |
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Wahine | |
| 49. | Best known for his prophecies, what nationality was Nostradamus? |
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French | |
| 50. | Making world headlines in November 1974, by what name was Richard John Bingham better known? |
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Lord Lucan | |
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