History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 29th December 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Who was hit by Jeremy Clarkson at the British Press Awards in March 2004 and fired as editor of the Daily Mirror in May 2004? |
| 2. | Who was East Germany's Head of State between 1976 and the country's dissolution in 1989? |
| 3. | In what year did the United States enter the First World War? |
| 4. | What South American country became landlocked after losing its coastal territories to Peru and Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1904)? |
| 5. | Who made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919? |
| 6. | What country suffered more deaths than any other during World War II? |
| 7. | What religious movement was founded in 1954 by American author L. Ron Hubbard? |
| 8. | John F. Kennedy was assassinated on 22nd November 1963. On what date was Lee Harvey Oswald murdered by Jack Ruby? |
| 9. | Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998, what is the name of the Unabomber? |
| 10. | By what name was the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo known between 1971 and 1997? |
| 11. | What British monarch died in 1603 aged 69? |
| 12. | Who was Adolf Hitler's deputy until May 1941 when he flew solo to Scotland in a failed attempt to negotiate peace? |
| 13. | What was the middle name of British Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Scott? |
| 14. | Who was John Hinckley trying to impress when he shot Ronald Reagan on 30th March 1981? |
| 15. | In what country was Leon Trotsky assassinated in August 1940 by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish-born Soviet agent? |
| 16. | Complete the name of this Wonder of the Ancient World: The Temple of ______ at Ephesus. |
| 17. | The standard-issued pistol of the U.S. Army from 1873 until 1892, what 10-letter word is commonly used to describe the Colt Single Action Army handgun? |
| 18. | During the Lebanese Civil War in the 80s, what colour was assigned to the line of demarcation in Beirut? |
| 19. | What U.S. president enacted the "New Deal" programs in the 1930s? |
| 20. | Named after the number of days it was fought, what 1967 war between Israel and the Arab states resulted in Israel gaining the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and Golan Heights? |
| 21. | Born in 1852, by what name was Martha Jane Canary better known? |
| 22. | What Democrat did Ronald Reagan defeat to become U.S. President elect in 1980? |
| 23. | From what country did the Netherlands fight for independence in the Eighty Years' War between 1568 and 1648? |
| 24. | In the harbour of what city was the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior sunk by French foreign intelligence services on 10th July 1985? |
| 25. | Operation Granby was the name given to British military operations during which conflict? |
| 26. | In what year did the Titanic sink? |
| 27. | What name was given to the secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century, where a radical faction destroyed textile machinery as a form of protest? |
| 28. | How many crew members were aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger when it broke apart shortly after liftoff in January 1986? |
| 29. | Who was Sandra Rivett's well-known employer at the time of her murder in Belgravia, London in November 1974? |
| 30. | A change to the Act of Succession in 1980 means Princess Victoria is now next in line to the throne, ahead of her younger brother, in what European country? |
| 31. | Who defected from the UK to the Soviet Union with Donald Maclean in 1951? |
| 32. | What 20th century Pope was in office for just 34 days before his death? |
| 33. | In what year did Harrison Schmitt become the twelfth and last man to date to set foot on the moon? |
| 34. | 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? |
| 35. | Popularised by Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s, what 'G' has been used in Russian politics to mean "openness and transparency" since the 18th century? |
| 36. | In what Welsh village did a colliery spoil tip collapse in October 1966, killing 28 adults and 116 children? |
| 37. | What Canadian city was fought for in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in September 1759? |
| 38. | In what U.S. state was the Declaration of Independence signed on 4th July 1776? |
| 39. | In 1900, Theodore Roosevelt famously wrote "Speak softly and carry a big..." what? |
| 40. | Who was British Prime Minister on V-J Day? |
| 41. | In 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers set sail for America in the Mayflower and which other ship that was forced to turn back? |
| 42. | Who was crowned King of Scotland on 25th March 1306? |
| 43. | At the turn of the 21st century, what was the tallest free-standing man-made structure in the world? |
| 44. | Generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first successful aeroplane, what were the first names of the Wright brothers? |
| 45. | What English king was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485? |
| 46. | Introduced in New York in 1950, what was the world's first credit card? |
| 47. | Negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to limit missile numbers were known by what four letter acronym? |
| 48. | List the following three wars in order starting with the earliest: American War of Independence, Boer War, Crimean War |
| 49. | In 1488, what Portuguese explorer led the first European expedition around the Cape of Good Hope, opening a sea route to Asia via the Atlantic and Indian oceans? |
| 50. | Between 1800 and 1815, Marengo was a war horse belonging to who? |
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