120 History Trivia Questions
Think you know your history trivia? Let the quiz begin! 🗺️
Last updated: May 8, 2025 by Amanda
I'm about to fire off some history trivia questions. Are you ready? Gotta say, I really enjoy flexing on my friends with a quiz, and we have the best history questions to make your quiz night a blast. Whether American history is your specialist subject, or you're having a fun family quiz night with the kiddos - we have questions that everyone can have a go at answering.
A history trivia night is a guaranteed good time, with a sprinkle of competitive spirit. Grab your teammates, appoint a quizmaster (you know, the person who reads the questions), bring lots of snacks, and then get your brain into gear. Simply pick a selection of our history trivia questions for adults and kids, or print out a whole sheet of trivia questions and answers to use.
We organized our 120 trivia questions into different categories to easily choose the questions that suit your group. We even have kid-friendly history trivia questions so you can play with your entire family or class. Grab your thinking cap (or a tricorn hat), and let's navigate through many centuries of history.
What kind of history questions are you looking for?
General | Easy | American | World
Ready to play? Go directly to our Free Printable History Trivia Game.
Get a Random History Question
How about a history trivia subject you aren't an expert on? For a random history question, click below!
General History Trivia Questions
These general history questions are great to add to any trivia game. Are you a total history buff who can recite the Declaration of Independence backwards, or perhaps you think the Boston Tea Party was an actual tea party?! A mix of different centuries, countries, and more mean these general history trivia questions will really test your knowledge.
Q: Who said, “I came, I saw, I conquered?”
A: Julius Caesar
Q: Which dog became the first animal to orbit Earth?
A: Laika
Q: Who was the first female Speaker of the House?
A: Nancy Pelosi
Q: Which rock band takes its name from a World War II term used to describe UFOs?
A: The Foo Fighters
Q: What was the name of the healthcare law passed under President Barack Obama?
A: The Affordable Care Act (Obama-care)
Q: Which city did “flower children” visit during the “Summer of Love?”
A: San Francisco
Q: Invented in the 1940s, what is a Radarange kitchen appliance better known as?
A: A Microwave Oven
Q: Who said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country?”
A: John F. Kennedy
Q: What was Eleanor Roosevelt’s maiden name?
A: Roosevelt
Q: What was the largest oil spill in U.S. waters?
A: Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Q: What was the Trail of Tears?
A: The forced relocation of Native Americans in the 1830s
Q: In which decade did the potato famine affect Ireland?
A: 1840s
Q: What were the Pentagon Papers?
A: Secret documents about U.S. involvement in Vietnam
Q: What was the name of the Pilgrims' ship?
A: The Mayflower.
Q: What 2005 hurricane devastated New Orleans?
A: Hurricane Katrina
Q: What was the Secret Service code name for President Ronald Reagan?
A: Rawhide
Q: Muhammad Ali was sentenced to five years in prison for what crime?
A: Refusing to join the army
Q: Which U.S. president declared that the last Thursday in November to be a national day of Thanksgiving?
A: Abraham Lincoln
Q: Who was the first woman to hold a federal executive office in the U.S.?
A: Kamala Harris
Q: What seafaring warriors once ruled Norway?
A: Vikings
Q: Which country was previously known as the Dutch East Indies?
A: Indonesia
Q: Who was the mother of King James I of England?
A: Mary Queen Of Scots
Q: In which country was Greenpeace founded?
A: Canada
Q: Whose appearance marks the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?
A: Santa Claus
Q: According to Greek mythology, what happened if you looked a Gorgon in the eye?
A: You turn to stone.
Q: Who was King Louis XVI married to?
A: Marie Antoinette
Q: Where in Egypt is the Tomb of Tutankhamun found?
A: Valley Of The Kings, Luxor
Q: Which city was overcome by lava from Mount Vesuvius?
A: Pompeii
Q: What woman discovered radium and polonium?
A: Marie Curie
Easy History Trivia Questions for Kids
These easy history trivia questions for kids are perfect for a family trivia game - they may even learn a few fun facts without realizing it. These questions will either make your history teacher very proud or prove that you should have paid more attention in class!
Q: Which country first used money made from paper?
A: China
Q: Which year was the first iPhone released?
A: 2007
Q: In which country were the first modern Olympic Games held?
A: Greece
Q: What historic event happened on July 20th, 1969?
A: The moon landing
Q: Who was the first President of the United States?
A: George Washington
Q: What was Disney’s first animated feature film?
A: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Q: Which famous artist invented scissors?
A: Leonardo da Vinci
Q: What holiday is celebrated on July 4th in the U.S.?
A: Independence Day
Q: What ancient civilization built the pyramids?
A: Egyptians
Q: Which explorer discovered America in 1492?
A: Christopher Columbus
Q: Who was the first African American President of the United States?
A: Barack Obama
Q: What was the name of the space mission that first landed humans on the moon?
A: Apollo 11
Q: What duo made the world’s first successful airplane flight?
A: The Wright Brothers
Q: What beloved American story features Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn?
A: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Q: What city was the very first capital of the United States?
A: New York City
Q: Which state was the last to join the United States?
A: Hawaii (in 1959)
Q: What date were the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93?
A: September 11, 2001
Q: Who lives at 10 Downing Street, London?
A: The British Prime Minister
Q: How many wives did King Henry VIII have?
A: Six
Q: Which popular condiment was once sold as medicine?
A: Tomato ketchup
Q: Which video game company created the character Donkey Kong?
A: Nintendo
Q: What was the name of Dorothy’s dog in The Wizard of Oz?
A: Toto
Q: What decade was Microsoft founded?
A: 1970s
Q: Tug-of-war was once an Olympic sport – True or False?
A: True
Q: What Island is home to hundreds of giant head statues?
A: Easter Island
Q: Who wrote Romeo & Juliet?
A: William Shakespeare
Q: What was an Ancient Egyptian king called?
A: A Pharaoh
Q: Who used cocoa beans as money?
A: The ancient Mayans
Q: Which ocean did the Titanic sink in?
A: The North Atlantic Ocean
Q: What building is on a $20 bill?
A: The White House
American History Trivia Questions
Put your knowledge to the test with these American history trivia questions. Sure, everyone remembers that George Washington was our first president and that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. But what about the lesser-known details that shaped the U.S.?
Q: Who was the second President of the United States?
A: John Adams
Q: Who was the state of Louisiana named after?
A: King Louis XIV of France
Q: What was the name of the economic crisis that began in 1929?
A: The Great Depression
Q: What year was the first Academy Awards held?
A: 1929
Q: Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
A: Amelia Earhart
Q: In what year did the American Civil War begin?
A: 1861
Q: Who wrote The Great Gatsby?
A: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Q: Who was the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth?
A: John Glenn
Q: What amendment gave women the right to vote?
A: 19th Amendment
Q: What nationality were the first Europeans to explore the Mississippi River?
A: Spanish
Q: What was the name of the project that developed the first atomic bomb?
A: The Manhattan Project
Q: Which boxer could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee?
A: Muhammad Ali (or Cassius Clay)
Q: By what nickname is the wild-west character William Bonney known?
A: Billy the Kid
Q: What musical genre originated in African American communities of New Orleans?
A: Jazz
Q: Who invented the electric light bulb?
A: Thomas Edison
Q: Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?
A: Alexander Hamilton
Q: What economic programs helped America recover from the Great Depression?
A: The New Deal
Q: Who was the President of the United States during the American Civil War?
A: Abraham Lincoln
Q: In which U.S. city are the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum found?
A: Oklahoma City
Q: Who wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner?"
A: Francis Scott Key
Q: What Native American man helped the Pilgrims survive their first winter?
A: Squanto (Tisquantum)
Q: What was the first college established in America?
A: Harvard College (1636)
Q: Who designed the first American flag?
A: Betsy Ross
Q: What period in the 1920s was known for its cultural and artistic dynamism?
A: The Roaring Twenties
Q: Who was the first woman to run for President?
A: Victoria Woodhull
Q: What scandal led to Nixon's resignation?
A: Watergate
Q: What was the name of Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio addresses?
A: The Fireside Chats
Q: What was the name of the first atomic bomb dropped on Japan?
A: Little Boy
Q: What movement sought to ban alcohol in the United States?
A: Prohibition Movement
Q: Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave his ‘I have a dream’ speech on the steps of which landmark?
A: The Lincoln Memorial
World History Trivia Questions
Think you know your world history? Travel the globe (and through time) without leaving your chair, with these tricky world history trivia questions. How many will you answer correctly?
Q: Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
A: Michelangelo
Q: In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?
A: 1989
Q: Who painted "Starry Night?"
A: Vincent van Gogh
Q: Who created the iconic Little Black Dress?
A: Coco Chanel
Q: Who was the UK’s longest serving female Prime Minister?
A: Margaret Thatcher
Q: What city did The Beatles originate from?
A: Liverpool
Q: What year did World War Two end?
A: 1945
Q: What was the main language spoken in the Roman Empire?
A: Latin
Q: Who was the god of the sea in Greek mythology?
A: Poseidon
Q: What year did the Great Fire of London occur?
A: 1666
Q: Lieutenant Maynard of the HMS Pearl launched an attack and killed which pirate leader?
A: Blackbeard
Q: Who was the “Maid of Orléans,” who was burned at the stake?
A: Joan of Arc
Q: Gravity was discovered by which famous physicist?
A: Sir Isaac Newton
Q: What was the original name of Istanbul?
A: Constantinople
Q: Who introduced Christianity to Ireland?
A: St. Patrick
Q: Which President declared war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor?
A: Franklin D. Roosevelt
Q: Who was the last tsar of Russia?
A: Nicholas II
Q: What event in 1962 brought the U.S. and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war?
A: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Q: At which French building was the document signed for ‘peace’ after the First World War?
A: The Palace of Versailles
Q: What war did the U.S. fight in Southeast Asia from 1955-1975?
A: Vietnam War
Q: What was the name of the first U.S. space station?
A: Skylab
Q: What was Sherlock Holmes’s address?
A: 221b Baker Street, London
Q: At which ancient Greek site is the Olympic torch lit?
A: Olympia
Q: What year did the Chernobyl disaster take place?
A: 1986
Q: What event marked the end of the Cold War?
A: The fall of the Berlin Wall / collapse of the Soviet Union
Q: The world’s first cloned sheep was named after which famous singer?
A: Dolly Parton
Q: Who said, “Hate the sin and not the sinner?”
A: Mahatma Gandhi
Q: Who developed the theory of relativity?
A: Albert Einstein
Q: What were the Camp David Accords?
A: A peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, brokered by the U.S.
Q: What was Operation Desert Storm?
A: A 1991 U.S.-led military operation against Iraq.
Play a History Trivia Game at Home
Playing a history trivia quiz at home or at school is so easy. Choose a quiz leader to ask the questions, decide how long you’ll have to answer the questions, then get into teams or answer individually.
All you need is paper and pens, or print out our free question and answer sheets. Remember - no sneaking a look at your cell phone! Get your brains warmed up and see who will be crowned the champion of quizzes.
Printable History Trivia Game (Free PDF)
Ready to play? Download our free printable history trivia game cards.
These printables are for personal, non-commercial use only.
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