History50 randomly selected History questions for quizmasters. New random selection made weekly. Next update: Monday 22nd 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 Some questions and answers may be outdated.)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. | What mode of transport was invented by Baron Karl von Drais in Germany in 1817? |
| 2. | In 2008, what two countries fought a war over South Ossetia, a political entity now partly recognised as an independent republic? |
| 3. | Which U.S. President authorised the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945? |
| 4. | Between 1991 and 1992, who was the first, and so far only, female Prime Minister of France? |
| 5. | Which Norwegian explorer, banished from Iceland, founded the first settlements on Greenland during the 10th century AD? |
| 6. | When Marilyn Monroe famously sang Happy Birthday Mr. President, 11 weeks before her death, what upcoming age was JFK celebrating? |
| 7. | How old was Mother Theresa when she died? |
| 8. | Biafra was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that existed from 1967 until 1970, having declared independence from what country? |
| 9. | What historical figure had a horse called Bucephalus? |
| 10. | What city was destroyed by "Fat Man"? |
| 11. | One of several indiscretions that were to stall his political career that year, in 1987, Senator Joe Biden plagiarised a speech by what British politician? |
| 12. | What was "Che" Guevara's given first name? |
| 13. | The world's first successful vaccine was introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796. What disease did it guard against? |
| 14. | Who was the leader of Italy at the start of World War II? |
| 15. | What was the name of the ship commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery to Australia and New Zealand between 1769 and 1771? |
| 16. | Which German inventor introduced the printing press to Europe in the 15th century? |
| 17. | From what country did Western Samoa gain independence in 1962? |
| 18. | One of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, what name was given to the war in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648? |
| 19. | What three year old girl was gifted a puppy called Pushinka by Nikita Khrushchev in June 1961? |
| 20. | In a competition in October 1829, what beat Cycloped, Novelty, Perseverance and Sans Pareil? |
| 21. | Controversially supported by the U.S. in the 1980s, in what country did right-wing rebel groups known as "Contras" operate? |
| 22. | At what type of shop did the Great Fire Of London start in 1666? |
| 23. | For what territory did the United States pay France fifty million francs ($11,250,000) in 1803? |
| 24. | What well known historical figure had a mistress called Emma Hamilton? |
| 25. | What future U.S. President married Barbara Pierce on 6th January 1945? |
| 26. | Who was President of the United States during World War I? |
| 27. | At the turn of the 21st century, what was the tallest skyscraper in the world? |
| 28. | In the harbour of what city was the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior sunk by French foreign intelligence services on 10th July 1985? |
| 29. | What is the name of the territorial police force in the U.K. formed on 1st April 1968 with the amalgamation of Buckinghamshire Constabulary, Oxfordshire Constabulary, Berkshire Constabulary, Reading Borough Police and Oxford City Police? |
| 30. | Leading up to and during World War II, what name was given to the German defence line opposite France's Maginot Line? |
| 31. | Which of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, also the oldest, is the only one that still remains relatively intact? |
| 32. | By what name was the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo known between 1971 and 1997? |
| 33. | On 21st June 1963, by what name did Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini become known? |
| 34. | American aviator Douglas Corrigan set off from New York on a flight planned for Long Beach, California in July 1938. Subsequently nicknamed "Wrong Way Corrigan", in what city did he eventually land? |
| 35. | Hassan II was the king of what African country from 1929 until his death in 1999? |
| 36. | Who became Prime Minister of Cuba in February 1959? |
| 37. | What country was invaded by 300,000 Chinese troops in February 1979? |
| 38. | What car brand is named after the French soldier who founded the city of Detroit, Michigan in 1701? |
| 39. | What country established independence from Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba on 24th August 1821? |
| 40. | Who was responsible for the Barings Bank collapse in 1995? |
| 41. | What was the name of the IBM supercomputer that beat Garry Kasparov in February 1996, the first machine to win a chess game against a reigning world champion? |
| 42. | In May 1982, Héctor E. Bonzo was the last captain of what ship? |
| 43. | The site of 23 U.S. nuclear bomb tests between 1954 and 1958, what two words describe this coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon? |
| 44. | What empire was ruled by the Ptolemaic dynasty from 305 to 30 BC? |
| 45. | Who succeeded Nikita Khrushchev as Communist Party leader in 1964? |
| 46. | The first to sign the United States Declaration of Independence, whose name has become synonymous with the word signature? |
| 47. | Who was the first Briton to be awarded Time magazine Man of the Year? |
| 48. | What former U.K. Prime Minister died on 8th April 2013? |
| 49. | The Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Phoenix famously survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor completely unscathed in 1941. What was it called when it rose to fame once again in 1982? |
| 50. | Credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, what is the name of this British First World War biplane? |
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