History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 15th June 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 Some questions and answers may be outdated.)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 April 1865, shortly after the shooting of Abraham Lincoln, what future British Prime Minister declared that "assassination has never changed the history of the world"? |
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Benjamin Disraeli | |
| 2. | What airline owned the hijacked plane involved in the hostage situation at Entebbe Airport, Uganda in 1976? |
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Air France | |
| 3. | Between 84 and 44 BC who had three wives; Cornelia, Pompeia, and Calpurnia? |
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Julius Caesar | |
| 4. | Who fell from the Lady Ghislaine on 5th November 1991? |
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Robert Maxwell | |
| 5. | Who was U.S. President throughout the War of 1812? |
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James Madison (Andrew Jackson played a major role and later became president in 1829) | |
| 6. | What royal palace in the U.K. was severely damaged by fire in March 1986? |
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Hampton Court Palace | |
| 7. | Formed in the United States during World War II, the OSS was a predecessor of the CIA. What did OSS stand for? |
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Office of Strategic Services | |
| 8. | Who became Britain's first black female Member of Parliament in 1987? |
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Diane Abbott | |
| 9. | What former U.K. Prime Minister died on 8th April 2013? |
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Margaret Thatcher | |
| 10. | 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 | |
| 11. | In the United States from 1950 to 1975, what manufacturer made the Bel Air car? |
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Chevrolet | |
| 12. | Who was 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992? |
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Corazon "Cory" Aquino | |
| 13. | Who adopted the title Il Duce in 1925? |
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Benito Mussolini | |
| 14. | What U.S. president enacted the "New Deal" programs in the 1930s? |
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Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| 15. | What was discovered near Ballarat in Victoria, Australia in 1851? |
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Gold | |
| 16. | On what notorious island did Nelson Mandela spend eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison? |
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Robben Island | |
| 17. | Through what English city does legend claim Lady Godiva rode naked in the 11th century? |
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Coventry | |
| 18. | What 'P' describes the religious group that banned Christmas in England from 1647 to 1660 and in Boston, Massachusetts from 1659 to 1681? |
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Puritans | |
| 19. | What British monarch died on 20th January 1936? |
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George V | |
| 20. | Who was East Germany's Head of State between 1976 and the country's dissolution in 1989? |
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Erich Honecker | |
| 21. | Who was President of the United States when Barack Obama was born? |
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John F. Kennedy (4th August 1961) | |
| 22. | On what Greek island was the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, born on 10th June 1921? |
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Corfu (Κέρκυρα) | |
| 23. | Amid some controversy, what Berlin airport was closed down in 2008? |
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Tempelhof | |
| 24. | How many days after John F. Kennedy's assassination was Lee Harvey Oswald murdered by Jack Ruby? |
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2 (22nd-24th November 1963) | |
| 25. | In 1967, Svetlana Alliluyeva caused an international furore when she defected from the Soviet Union to the United States. Who was her famous father? |
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Joseph Stalin | |
| 26. | In what city was Anne Frank when she wrote her famous wartime diary? |
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Amsterdam (Netherlands) | |
| 27. | The invasion of the Goths in the 5th century led to the end of what empire? |
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Roman Empire | |
| 28. | In what German city did the Nazi war crime trials begin in November 1945? |
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Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) | |
| 29. | What 'H' were French Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries frequently embroiled in religious wars with the Catholics? |
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Huguenots | |
| 30. | 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) | |
| 31. | With what historic event is Dealey Plaza most associated? |
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Assassination of John F. Kennedy (Dallas, Texas, 22nd November 1963) | |
| 32. | What U.S. Senator for Wisconsin rose to national prominence in the early 1950s by proclaiming that high places in the U.S. federal government and military were "infested" with communists? |
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Joseph McCarthy | |
| 33. | Released by Atari in November 1979, what is the name of this classic arcade game? |
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Asteroids | |
| 34. | What U.S. President was assassinated in September 1901? |
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William McKinley | |
| 35. | What former U.S. President died on 22th April 1994? |
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Richard Nixon | |
| 36. | What city was the capital of the Byzantine Empire (330–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922)? |
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Constantinople | |
| 37. | What European country switched from a monarchy to a republic after a coup d'état on 5th October 1910? |
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Portugal | |
| 38. | Name the two active battleships sunk and permanently lost during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941? |
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Arizona and Oklahoma (6 other battleships were damaged or sunk, but later repaired and returned to service) | |
| 39. | What Empire was defeated by the Greeks in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC? |
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Persian Empire | |
| 40. | What future president became U.S. vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned in 1973? |
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Gerald Ford | |
| 41. | What was the capital of Yugoslavia between 1918 and 1992? |
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Belgrade (now the capital of Serbia) | |
| 42. | Between 1958 and 1961, the United Arab Republic was a short-lived political union between what two countries? |
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Egypt and Syria | |
| 43. | What two Persian Gulf countries were at war from September 1980 until August 1988? |
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Iran and Iraq | |
| 44. | What nationality was exotic dancer and convicted World War I spy Mata Hari? |
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Dutch ( Margaretha Geertruida Zelle) | |
| 45. | In what century did the Ottoman Empire capture Constantinople? |
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15th (29th May 1453) | |
| 46. | Prince Henry the Navigator played a prominent role in the 15th-century development of what country's empire? |
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Portugal | |
| 47. | Which two countries fought the Hundred Years' War between 1337 and 1453? |
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England and France | |
| 48. | The book and film Black Hawk Down chronicle a 1993 battle between U.S. forces and militia in what African city? |
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Mogadishu | |
| 49. | Biafra was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that existed from 1967 until 1970, having declared independence from what country? |
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Nigeria | |
| 50. | What was the name of the Wing Commander in charge of the "Dambusters" raid in May 1943? |
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Guy Gibson (Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson) | |
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