History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 17th November 2025 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Aged 41, Alan Turing died on 7th June 1954 after supposedly eating a poisoned what? |
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Apple (although the half-eaten apple, found next to his body, was not tested for cyanide, it was speculated that this was the means by which he had consumed a fatal dose) | |
| 2. | Former Russian FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in London in November 2006 with a radioactive isotope of what chemical element? |
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Polonium (polonium-210) | |
| 3. | What U.S. President was the target of two failed assassination attempts in California within 17 days of each other? |
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Gerald Ford (5th & 22nd September, 1975 - Lynette Fromme and Sara Jane Moore) | |
| 4. | Who fell from the Lady Ghislaine on 5th November 1991? |
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Robert Maxwell | |
| 5. | What future U.S. President married Barbara Pierce on 6th January 1945? |
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George H. W. Bush | |
| 6. | Which major European conflict was fought between 1936 and 1939? |
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Spanish Civil War | |
| 7. | What war interrupted construction of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.? |
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American Civil War (officially dedicated in 1885 and opened to the public in 1888) | |
| 8. | In January 1890, emulating Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg, what American journalist completed a record-breaking trip around the world in 72 days? |
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Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochran Seaman) | |
| 9. | Who was British Prime Minister on V-J Day? |
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Clement Attlee (27th July 1945 - 26th October 1951) | |
| 10. | What town in New Mexico, USA became famous in 1947 for the recovery of unknown materials and has since become synonymous with extra-terrestrial conspiracies? |
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Roswell | |
| 11. | In medieval times, a mangonel was a large military version of what device? |
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Catapult | |
| 12. | Until his eventual conviction in April 1992, who was nicknamed the "Teflon Don"? |
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John Gotti (John Joseph Gotti, Jr.) | |
| 13. | During World War II, what was the government in unoccupied France called? |
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Vichy | |
| 14. | Who became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932? |
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Amelia Earhart | |
| 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 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 | |
| 17. | What was the profession of Wyatt Earp's sidekick Doc Holiday? |
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Dentist | |
| 18. | What was the name of the battle in June 1876 won by Native Americans inspired by Sitting Bull and led by Crazy Horse? |
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Battle of the Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand) | |
| 19. | Who was the last Governor of Hong Kong before the U.K. handed it back to China in 1997? |
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Chris Patten | |
| 20. | Who did Jimmy Carter succeed as President of the United States? |
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Gerald Ford | |
| 21. | The youngest person ever to succeed to the English throne, who was less than 9 months old when he became King of England in 1422? |
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Henry VI | |
| 22. | Who was Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe throughout the Second World War? |
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Hermann Göring | |
| 23. | "After all, the chief business of the American people is business" were the words of what U.S. president in a 1925 speech? |
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Calvin Coolidge | |
| 24. | Prior to the introduction of the euro in January 1999, the escudo was the currency of what European country until removed from circulation in February 2002? |
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Portugal | |
| 25. | Named after a Norwegian war-time leader and World War II Nazi collaborator, what word has since become synonymous with any person who collaborates with an enemy occupying force? |
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Quisling (after Vidkun Quisling) | |
| 26. | What is the name of the shipbuilding company in Belfast, Northern Ireland that built RMS Titanic, RMS Olympic and RMS Britannic, and the Royal Navy's HMS Belfast? |
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Harland and Wolff | |
| 27. | In what country was Che Guevara executed in October 1967? |
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Bolivia (La Higuera) | |
| 28. | What is the name of the Buckinghamshire estate that became home to Britain's code breaking operations during World War II? |
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Bletchley Park | |
| 29. | Who became Britain's first black female Member of Parliament in 1987? |
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Diane Abbott | |
| 30. | What military leader led a failed attempt to invade Russia in 1812? |
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Napoléon Bonaparte (The French invasion of Russia) | |
| 31. | For what is 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan best known? |
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Taj Mahal | |
| 32. | What was the name of the oceanographic research ship operated by Jacques-Yves Cousteau from 1950 to 1997? |
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RV Calypso | |
| 33. | In what decade did Jack the Ripper commit his "canonical five" murders? |
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The 1880s (between 31st August and 9th November 1888) | |
| 34. | What French President founded the Fifth Republic in 1958? |
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Charles de Gaulle | |
| 35. | What was the first country to be invaded by Germany at the start of the First World War in August 1914? |
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Belgium (quickly followed by Luxembourg and France) | |
| 36. | The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War is often referred to in France as the War of ... what year? |
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1870 | |
| 37. | In terms of troop numbers, the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513 was the largest battle fought between what two Kingdoms? |
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England and Scotland (26,000 English, 30-34,000 Scottish) | |
| 38. | What nationality was 19th century jeweller Gustav Fabergé? |
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Russian (Peter Carl Fabergé, his son, is famous for the Fabergé eggs) | |
| 39. | In the aftermath of the Russian Civil War, who became the first undisputed leader of the Soviet Union on 30th December 1922? |
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Vladimir Lenin | |
| 40. | Into what "body of water" did the Eagle land in July 1969? |
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Sea of Tranquility (The landing site of Apollo 11's lunar module on the moon) | |
| 41. | What British monarch died on 20th January 1936? |
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George V | |
| 42. | Which was the only Scandinavian country to remain neutral throughout World War II? |
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Sweden | |
| 43. | On which foot did Neil Armstrong first step on the moon? |
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Left | |
| 44. | Who was Reichsführer-SS of Nazi Germany between 1929 and 1945? |
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Heinrich Himmler | |
| 45. | What was the name of the treaty signed on New Zealand's North Island between Māori chiefs and the British in 1840? |
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Treaty of Waitangi | |
| 46. | What was the name of the captain of the Titanic? |
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Edward Smith (Captain Edward John Smith) | |
| 47. | 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 | |
| 48. | Who took office on 19th December 1783 as the youngest ever British Prime Minister, aged 24 years, 205 days? |
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William Pitt the Younger | |
| 49. | The 105-day "Winter War" began on 30th November 1939 when the Soviet Union attacked what country? |
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Finland | |
| 50. | Who was the first U.S. president in office to have been born in the 20th century? |
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John F. Kennedy | |
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