History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 28th September 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | During which war did Florence Nightingale receive high recognition for her work? |
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Crimean War | |
| 2. | Which of the three Apollo 11 astronauts did not set foot on the moon? |
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Michael Collins | |
| 3. | Complete the following transmission by Neil Armstrong upon landing on the moon in July 1969: "Houston, _________ Base here. The Eagle has landed." |
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Tranquility | |
| 4. | Now known as the Countess of Wessex, who did Britain's Prince Edward marry in June 1999? |
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Sophie Rhys-Jones | |
| 5. | In what Brighton hotel did an IRA bomb explode in October 1984 during a Tory party conference? |
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Grand Brighton Hotel | |
| 6. | Complete this extract from Winston Churchill’s 1942 speech following the second Battle of El Alamein: "Now this is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, …"
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"... the end of the beginning." | |
| 7. | What was the surname of the Cuban dictator overthrown by Fidel Castro in 1959? |
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Batista (Fulgencio Batista) | |
| 8. | Who became the first Roman Emperor in 27 BC? |
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Augustus (also known as Octavian) | |
| 9. | What was the make and model of the modified 1961 limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963? |
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Lincoln Continental | |
| 10. | Who was the first American President born in the 20th century? |
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Lyndon B. Johnson (27th August 1908) | |
| 11. | Prior to becoming the separate 'Colony of New Zealand' on 1st July 1841, which Australian colony was New Zealand part of? |
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New South Wales | |
| 12. | By what name has No. 617 Squadron Royal Air Force been popularly known since World War II? |
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The Dambusters | |
| 13. | Who succeeded Calvin Coolidge as President of the United States in 1929? |
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Herbert Hoover | |
| 14. | What British Overseas Territory was devastated by a series of volcanic eruptions between 1995 and 1999? |
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Montserrat | |
| 15. | Who was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, best known for being the official who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus? |
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Pontius Pilate | |
| 16. | In which year did the student massacre take place at Bangkok's Thammasat University? |
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1976 | |
| 17. | Who was U.S. President when John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth? |
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John F. Kennedy (20th February 1962) | |
| 18. | What disputed territory declared independence from Serbia in February 2008? |
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Kosovo | |
| 19. | The Dardanelles Campaign took place during which war? |
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First World War (World War I / Great War) | |
| 20. | What war took place in Europe between October 1853 and February 1856? |
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Crimean War | |
| 21. | The Ostmark was the currency of what former country? |
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East Germany (German Democratic Republic) | |
| 22. | In what century was the Battle of the Boyne fought near the town of Drogheda on the eastern coast of Ireland? |
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17th (1st July 1690) | |
| 23. | An act of non-violent civil disobedience, who led the Salt March in 1930? |
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Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) | |
| 24. | Who led a band of abolitionists to seize the federal armoury at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in October 1859? |
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John Brown | |
| 25. | 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 | |
| 26. | Between 1808 and 1867, what Alaskan city served as the capital of Russian America? |
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Sitka | |
| 27. | Born in AD 23, by what name was Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher Gaius Plinius Secundus better known? |
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Pliny the Elder | |
| 28. | Making world headlines in November 1974, by what name was Richard John Bingham better known? |
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Lord Lucan | |
| 29. | What medieval queen was married to both Louis VII of France and Henry II of England? |
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Eleanor of Aquitaine | |
| 30. | On 3rd March 1991, who was videotaped being severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers, causing a public outcry? |
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Rodney King | |
| 31. | What country declared independence from the Netherlands on 4th October 1830? |
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Belgium | |
| 32. | What European country switched from a monarchy to a republic after a coup d'état on 5th October 1910? |
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Portugal | |
| 33. | In 1975, Papua New Guinea achieved full independence from what country? |
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Australia | |
| 34. | During what war did the Battle of Balaclava take place in 1854? |
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Crimean War (25th October 1854) | |
| 35. | In what South Asian country did the government lift a ban on television and the Internet in 1999, making it one of the last countries in the world to introduce television? |
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Bhutan | |
| 36. | What number Amendment to the United States Constitution ended prohibition? |
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Twenty-first | |
| 37. | Complete the name of this Wonder of the Ancient World: The Temple of ______ at Ephesus. |
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Artemis | |
| 38. | What North American Indian tribes were led by Chief Sitting Bull? |
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Sioux | |
| 39. | Murdered with the rest of her family in 1918, aged 17, who was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II? |
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Anastasia (Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia) | |
| 40. | In which year was China's Cultural Revolution set in motion by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong? |
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1966 | |
| 41. | What did Portugal hand back to the People's Republic of China in December 1999? |
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Macau | |
| 42. | While millions of people watched live on NBC, who killed who on 24th November 1963? |
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Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald | |
| 43. | Who was U.S. president on VE day? |
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Harry S. Truman (May 1945 - President April 1945 to January 1953) | |
| 44. | The 7th Duke of Medina Sidonia commanded which famous fleet? |
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Spanish Armada | |
| 45. | Who became King of England on 25th December 1066? |
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William I / William the Conqueror / William the Bastard | |
| 46. | How old was Mother Theresa when she died? |
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87 (26th August 1910 - 5th September 1997) | |
| 47. | In English folklore, who rode a horse called Black Bess? |
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Dick Turpin | |
| 48. | What was the native language of Pope John Paul II? |
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Polish (born Karol Józef Wojtyła) | |
| 49. | The Wall Street Crash of October 29, 1929 is known as Black what? |
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Tuesday | |
| 50. | 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 | |
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