History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 12th May 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | The first woman to hold either office, who was Mayor of Auckland City from 1983 to 1990, and the 16th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1990 to 1996? |
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Dame Catherine Tizard | |
| 2. | What happened to Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 13th March 2013? |
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He became Pope Francis | |
| 3. | In 1959, what car manufacturer became the first to include three-point seatbelts in their modern form as standard equipment? |
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Volvo | |
| 4. | Which Wild West Sheriff shot Billy the Kid? |
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Pat Garrett | |
| 5. | From what capital city was the Al Jazeera TV network launched in 1996? |
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Doha (Qatar) | |
| 6. | The Yalta Conference decided on the post-war partition of what nation? |
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Germany (February 1945) | |
| 7. | On what day of the week was Pearl Harbor attacked in 1941? |
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Sunday (7th December) | |
| 8. | 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 | |
| 9. | Who is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated? |
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Spencer Perceval (1812) | |
| 10. | 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) | |
| 11. | 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 | |
| 12. | Who succeeded Georges Pompidou as French President in 1974? |
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Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | |
| 13. | Which founder of modern Turkey delivered a 36 hour long speech over 6 days in 1927? |
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Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | |
| 14. | What American human rights activist was assassinated on 21st February 1965? |
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Malcolm X | |
| 15. | 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) | |
| 16. | On 7th December 1787, what became the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, thereby becoming known as The First State? |
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Delaware (thereby becoming known as The First State) | |
| 17. | Born in Leicester, England on 5th August 1862, by what name is Joseph Merrick better known? |
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The Elephant Man | |
| 18. | How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated while in office? |
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4 (Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy) | |
| 19. | What Mexican Revolutionary General was shot dead in July 1923? |
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Francisco Villa / Pancho Villa (José Doroteo Arango Arámbula) | |
| 20. | The Jewish festival of Hanukkah celebrates a victory over what ancient empire in 166 BC? |
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Seleucid Empire (Maccabean Revolt) | |
| 21. | On what Greek island was the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, born on 10th June 1921? |
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Corfu (Κέρκυρα) | |
| 22. | Who was the first divorcee to take office as President of the United States? |
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Ronald Reagan | |
| 23. | During which battle, on the 25th October 1854, did the Charge of the Light Brigade take place? |
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Battle of Balaclava (Crimean War) | |
| 24. | Who was U.S. president on VE day? |
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Harry S. Truman (May 1945 - President April 1945 to January 1953) | |
| 25. | Known as El Libertador, or the Liberator, what nationality was Simón Bolívar? |
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Venezuelan | |
| 26. | Sealed under oath by King John, in what year was the Magna Carta published? |
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1215 | |
| 27. | 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) | |
| 28. | What was the capital of Yugoslavia from 1918 to 2006? |
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Belgrade | |
| 29. | How many crew members were aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it broke apart shortly after liftoff in January 1986? |
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7 (Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe) | |
| 30. | In what year did the CD first become commercially available? |
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1982 | |
| 31. | What nationality was 19th century jeweller Gustav Fabergé? |
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Russian (Peter Carl Fabergé, his son, is famous for the Fabergé eggs) | |
| 32. | Beginning in June 1941, what 'B' was the codename used for the German invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II? |
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Barbarossa | |
| 33. | The Dardanelles Campaign took place during which war? |
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First World War (World War I / Great War) | |
| 34. | Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov in April 1870, by what name is this famous historical figure more commonly known? |
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Lenin | |
| 35. | Who, briefly, became President of Germany upon the death of Adolf Hitler on 30th April 1945? |
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Admiral Dönitz (Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz) | |
| 36. | With a collective total of over 18 years in office, who is Australia's longest ever serving Prime Minister? |
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Robert Menzies (26 Apr 1939 – 26 Aug 1941 and 19 Dec 1949 - 26 Jan 1966) | |
| 37. | What movement was founded in Switzerland in 1693 by Jakob Ammann? |
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Amish | |
| 38. | What was the name of the Greenpeace ship sunk in Auckland harbour, New Zealand, on 10th July 1985? |
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Rainbow Warrior | |
| 39. | What apostle is generally considered the first Pope of the Catholic Church? |
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Peter | |
| 40. | What battle took place between 1st July and 18th November 1916, during which more than 1,000,000 men were wounded or killed? |
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Battle of the Somme | |
| 41. | Who did George W. Bush defeat in the December 2000 presidential election? |
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Al Gore | |
| 42. | With 25.1% of the vote, who came second to Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries? |
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Ted Cruz | |
| 43. | What battle took place on 21st October 1805? |
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Battle of Trafalgar | |
| 44. | What King of England signed the Magna Carta on 15th June 1215? |
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King John | |
| 45. | How old was Anne Frank when she died in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945? |
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15 | |
| 46. | In January 2011, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced to quit as President of what country? |
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Tunisia | |
| 47. | Name both the captain and the ship that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef on 11th June 1770? |
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Captain James Cook - HMS Endeavour | |
| 48. | Who is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated? |
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Spencer Perceval (11th May 1812) | |
| 49. | Written in 1902, what made Francisco Tárrega's Gran Vals the most listened to song of the 1990s and 2000s?
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Nokia tune | |
| 50. | During the Lebanese Civil War in the 80s, what colour was assigned to the line of demarcation in Beirut? |
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Green (The Green Line) | |
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