History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 25th November 2024 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | What war effectively ended with the signing of an armistice on 27th July 1953? |
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Korean War | |
| 2. | By what name is 6th June 1944 often called? |
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D-Day (beginning of the Normandy landings) | |
| 3. | Born in 1852, by what name was Martha Jane Canary better known? |
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Calamity Jane | |
| 4. | In May 1982, Héctor E. Bonzo was the last captain of what ship? |
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General Belgrano | |
| 5. | In May 2001, at a cost of $1 million, what US restaurant chain became the first company in the world to deliver fast food to outer space? |
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Pizza Hut | |
| 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 English king was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485? |
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Richard III | |
| 8. | What name was given to the long series of military interventions by the United States in Central America and the Caribbean between 1898 and 1934? |
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The Banana Wars | |
| 9. | What year did Queen Elizabeth II describe as an "annus horribilis"? |
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1992 | |
| 10. | 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) | |
| 11. | What American entrepreneur became famous in 1979 as the spokesman for Remington with his catchphrase, "I liked the shaver so much, I bought the company."? |
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Victor Kiam | |
| 12. | What 'S' was the common name given to East Germany's secret police, the Ministry for State Security, during the cold war? |
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Stasi (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit) | |
| 13. | What was the native language of Pope John Paul II? |
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Polish (born Karol Józef Wojtyła) | |
| 14. | 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? |
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Mallard (LNER Class A4 4468) | |
| 15. | Four U.S. Presidents have been assassinated. Abraham Lincoln was the first and John F. Kennedy the last. Name the other two. |
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James A. Garfield, William McKinley | |
| 16. | What ancient city was home to the Hanging Gardens? |
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Babylon | |
| 17. | Who invented the bouncing bombs used in the RAF "Dambusters" raid during World War II? |
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Barnes Wallis | |
| 18. | What American first patented the revolver in 1835? |
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Samuel Colt | |
| 19. | Who was vice president of the United States under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009? |
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Dick Cheney | |
| 20. | Who was the founder and first Chief Scout of the world-wide Scout Movement? |
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Robert Baden-Powell | |
| 21. | The 1960 poster with the slogan, "Would YOU buy a used car from this man?" opposed what US politician? |
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Richard Nixon | |
| 22. | The capital of a newly built Spanish colony in Asia, in 1571, what did King Philip II of Spain designate as the "Distinguished and Ever Loyal City"? |
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Manila (The Philippines) | |
| 23. | What war was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia between 1853 and 1856? |
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Crimean War (October 1853 – February 1856) | |
| 24. | Name the German battleship, sister of the Bismark, sunk in the Bay of Håkøybotn, Norway in November 1944. |
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Tirpitz | |
| 25. | With West Germany and Belgium also involved, between what two countries were the "Cod Wars" primarily fought in the 1950s and 1970s? |
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United Kingdom and Iceland | |
| 26. | Who was the first serving U.S. president to appear on black & white television? |
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Franklin D. Roosevelt (30th April 1939 at the opening ceremony for the World's Fair in New York City) | |
| 27. | In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt famously wrote "Speak softly and carry a big..." what? |
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Stick | |
| 28. | What name is given to the geologic period which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period to the beginning of the Jurassic Period? |
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Triassic | |
| 29. | Complete this famous quote: Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, .....
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"This was their finest hour." (Winston Churchill - 18th June 1940) | |
| 30. | At the start of World War II in 1939, in what month did Germany invade Poland? |
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September (1st September 1939, 4:45 am) | |
| 31. | Name the British politician who faked his own suicide by leaving a pile of clothes on a Miami beach in November 1974, only to be found alive in Australia one month later. |
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John Stonehouse | |
| 32. | Who was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to relinquish her bus seat to a white man on 1st December 1955? |
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Rosa Parks | |
| 33. | What was unusual about Mel Carnahan's United States Senate election victory over John Ashcroft in Missouri on 7th November 2000? |
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He was dead (died 16th October 2000) | |
| 34. | Known as El Libertador, or the Liberator, what nationality was Simón Bolívar? |
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Venezuelan | |
| 35. | In 1989, Egon Krenz became the last Communist leader of what former country? |
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East Germany | |
| 36. | Who was the last Tudor monarch of England? |
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Elizabeth I | |
| 37. | Who, in 1992, became the first woman to be elected as Speaker of the British House of Commons? |
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Betty Boothroyd | |
| 38. | For what is 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan best known? |
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Taj Mahal | |
| 39. | In what decade did brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald open their first restaurant in San Bernardino, California? |
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The 1940s (15th May 1940) | |
| 40. | Which Welsh fashion designer is associated with the invention of the miniskirt and hot pants? |
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Mary Quant | |
| 41. | Which historical first did Tenzing Norgay achieve in 1953? |
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Reached the summit of Mount Everest (with Edmund Hillary) | |
| 42. | What name is given to the war that took place in North America between 2nd October 1835 and 21st April 1836? |
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Texas Revolution / Texas War of Independence | |
| 43. | Leading up to and during World War II, what name was given to the German defence line opposite France's Maginot Line? |
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Siegfried Line (named Westwall by the Germans) | |
| 44. | Who was Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from December 1653 to September 1658? |
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Oliver Cromwell | |
| 45. | What aviation first was performed by Ellen Church in 1930? |
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First female flight attendant / air hostess | |
| 46. | Best known for his prophecies, what nationality was Nostradamus? |
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French | |
| 47. | Responsible for a series of murders in Los Angeles during the late spring and early summer of 1980, by what name were Carol Bundy and Doug Clark collectively known? |
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Sunset Strip Killers | |
| 48. | Who was U.S. President when Hawaii became the 50th state? |
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Dwight D. Eisenhower (21st August 1959) | |
| 49. | What car brand is named after the French soldier who founded the city of Detroit, Michigan in 1701? |
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Cadillac (Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac) | |
| 50. | What was the name of the ship commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand between 1769 and 1771? |
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HMS Endeavour | |
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