History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 6th April 2026 (Please note: Questions are taken from our database of previous quizzes. Some questions and answers may be outdated.) |
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| 1. | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922, who was nicknamed the "Welsh Wizard"? |
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David Lloyd George | |
| 2. | During which war was the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift fought? |
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Anglo-Zulu War | |
| 3. | In what year was Ireland divided into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland? |
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1921 (following the Government of Ireland Act, 1920) | |
| 4. | In March 1912, whose last words were, "I am just going outside and may be some time"? |
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Captain Lawrence Oates (Captain Lawrence Edward Grace "Titus" Oates) | |
| 5. | The defeat of the Prussian army in the 1792 Battle of Valmy played a significant role in which well known conflict? |
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French Revolutionary Wars / French Revolution | |
| 6. | Which day of the week was deemed "Black" in the October 1987 stock market crash? |
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Black Monday | |
| 7. | What arrived in the United States in 350 pieces packed in 214 crates aboard the French naval vessel Isère on 17th June 1885? |
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Statue of Liberty | |
| 8. | Live on TV on 8th April 1983, who created the illusion that the Statue of Liberty had disappeared? |
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David Copperfield (with Jim Steinmeyer and Don Wayne) | |
| 9. | What U.S. President was assassinated in September 1901? |
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William McKinley | |
| 10. | The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in what century? |
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17th (1605) | |
| 11. | What battle of 1746 in Scotland ended the Jacobite rising? |
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Battle of Culloden | |
| 12. | What American first patented the revolver in 1835? |
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Samuel Colt | |
| 13. | What nationality was Christopher Columbus? |
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Italian (Genovesi / Genoese - born in Genoa, then part of the Republic of Genoa) | |
| 14. | Since 1933, three U.S. Presidents have lost their second-term elections. George H. W. Bush is one. Name the other two. |
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Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter | |
| 15. | In 1949, what city became capital of the Federal Republic of Germany? |
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Bonn (West Germany - East Germany was the German Democratic Republic) | |
| 16. | Nicknamed Galloping Gertie, what was the name of the suspension bridge that collapsed into the Puget Sound, Washington State in November 1940? |
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Tacoma Narrows Bridge | |
| 17. | 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 | |
| 18. | What did Marshal Ferdinand Foch, a French commander during the First World War, describe as "interesting toys, but of no military value"? |
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Aeroplanes | |
| 19. | What world leader resigned from his position of power on Christmas Day 1991? |
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Mikhail Gorbachev | |
| 20. | What made the Treetops Hotel in Kenya famous in February 1952? |
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Princess Elizabeth was staying there when she acceded to the throne | |
| 21. | What set of annual international awards were first presented in Stockholm and Oslo in 1901? |
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Nobel Prize | |
| 22. | A 19th century troopship, HMS Birkenhead gave its name to a very famous phrase, dubbed the "Birkenhead Drill". What is the phrase? |
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Women and children first | |
| 23. | Who did William Howard Taft succeed as U.S. President in 1909? |
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Theodore Roosevelt | |
| 24. | Sort these geological periods in date order; oldest first, most recent last: A. Jurassic B. Cretaceous C. Triassic |
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C A B (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous) | |
| 25. | In what battle was Pickett's Charge? |
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Battle of Gettysburg (1863) | |
| 26. | SALT were two rounds of bilateral conferences between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1970s. What does SALT stand for? |
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Strategic Arms Limitation Talks/Treaties | |
| 27. | Who was Reichspräsident of Germany between 1925 and his death in 1934? |
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Hindenburg (General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg) | |
| 28. | List the following three wars in order starting with the earliest: American War of Independence, Boer War, Crimean War |
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American War of Independence, Crimean War, Boer War (1775-1783, 1853-1856, 1899-1902) | |
| 29. | What African country was invaded and occupied by Fascist Italy in October 1935? |
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Ethiopia (Abyssinia) | |
| 30. | Who led the Norman invaders to victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066? |
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William the Conqueror (William of Normandy / William I) | |
| 31. | 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 | |
| 32. | What name is given to Abraham Lincoln's 1893 speech beginning with the words "Four score and seven years ago..."? |
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Gettysburg Address (19th November) | |
| 33. | What is now called Tasmania was discovered by Abel Tasman in 1642. What nationality was he? |
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Dutch (originally named Van Diemen's Land) | |
| 34. | The _____ War was a derisive term coined by journalists to describe the six months (October 1939-March 1940), during which no land operations were undertaken, either by the Allies or the Germans after the German conquest of Poland in September 1939. (fill in the blank) |
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Phony | |
| 35. | Who was the first U.S. president to have taken part in televised debates during his election campaign? |
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John F. Kennedy (first held on 26th September 1960 between Senator Kennedy and Vice President Nixon) | |
| 36. | 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) | |
| 37. | Having shared the same time zone with Japan for 100 years, in 2015, what country established its own time zone by setting its clocks back by 30 minutes? |
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North Korea (Pyongyang Time UTC+08:30) | |
| 38. | 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 | |
| 39. | From what country did Panama gain independence on 3rd November 1903? |
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Columbia | |
| 40. | What country did Napoleon's Grande Armée invade in June 1812, only to face heavy defeat and retreat five months later? |
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Russia | |
| 41. | What Australian city was all but destroyed by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve of 1974? |
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Darwin | |
| 42. | On which date did Germany invade Poland, effectively marking the beginning of World War II? |
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1st September 1939 | |
| 43. | A major English victory in the Hundred Years' War, what famous battle took place 40km south of Calais on 25th October 1415? |
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Battle of Agincourt | |
| 44. | Who was commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe from 1935 up until the final days of World War II? |
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Hermann Göring | |
| 45. | In a competition in October 1829, what beat Cycloped, Novelty, Perseverance and Sans Pareil? |
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Stephenson's Rocket (Rainhill Trials) | |
| 46. | The Mannerheim Line was a defensive structure built after World War I to defend what country? |
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Finland (from the Soviet Union) | |
| 47. | Which 1983 Nobel Peace Prize winner sent his wife to Oslo to accept the prize because he feared he would not be readmitted to his homeland? |
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Lech Wałęsa | |
| 48. | Who succeeded Ferdinand Marcos as President of the Philippines in 1986 to become Asia's first ever female President? |
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Corazón "Cory" Aquino (María Corazón Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino) | |
| 49. | 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) | |
| 50. | 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) | |
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