Folks who say history is boring have never heard the story of Corporal Wojtek, the Syrian brown bear who spent his days smoking, showering, and serving alongside Polish Unit 3522.
Or the one about Rasputin, the iconic Russian mystic who survived a very passive-aggressive dinner party where he was served a cyanide-laced meal, a close-range shooting, and a brutal beating only to finally meet his icy end after he was tied up and tossed into the Neva River.
Once you get past all of the meetings, letters, and treaties, our collective past is jam-packed with more action than the Mad Max franchise and at least twice as many battles in Thunderdome-esque battle stages. FromFor Mesopotamia to the modern day, human history is a non-stop thrill ride that’s well worth exploring.
If you consider yourself an aficionado of all things ancient and archaic, you’ll have no problem defeating our history trivia quiz. Why not continue your epic conquests with other historical topics, like Greek mythology, politics, and war? Or try your hand at our collection of the best trivia questions and answers.
Marco Polo was from which Italian city?
Naples
Milan
Rome
Venice
What was the political belief of the Bolsheviks?
Republicanism
Anarchy
Communism
Capitalism
Ranier III came to the throne of which small state in 1949?
San Marino
Monaco
Andorra
Liechtenstein
A 1971 crush caused the death of fans in a football ground in which UK city?
London
Manchester
Glasgow
Birmingham
Éamon de Valera was a 20th century political leader in which country?
Spain
Australia
Ireland
France
Which city was the capital of the Ottoman Empire?
Carthage
Rome
Baghdad
Constantinople
The Great Depression of the 1930s started with a stock market crash in which country?
United States
Germany
France
Spain
Wakan Tanka is the supreme being of which Native American group?
Sioux
Apache
Inuit
Choctaw
A cartoon called ‘Plane Crazy’ was the first appearance of which famous character?
Mickey Mouse
Fred Flintstone
Donald Duck
Pluto
Actress Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car crash in which state in 1967?
North Carolina
Florida
Maine
Louisiana
Which country voted to leave the European Union in 2016?
Denmark
France
Greece
United Kingdom
Who took the British throne after Edward VII?
George VI
Elizabeth II
Charles II
George V
Which 19th century leader was nicknamed ‘Little Corporal’?
Nelson
Cook
Napoleon
Montgomery
John McCain served as senator for which US state?
New York
Montana
Arizona
Alabama
The Oslo Peace Accords were signed between the PLO and which country’s government?
Israel
India
Lebanon
Egypt
Which country approved a new red and white flag design in 1965?
Australia
France
China
Canada
Churchill said a curtain of which metal divided capitalist and communist Europe?
Copper
Steel
Silver
Iron
What was the name of the ship which came to rescue Titanic survivors?
Carpathia
Calgary
California
Cork
The 2010 Arab Spring started with a revolt in which country?
Sudan
Tunisia
Jordan
Iran
What was the first name of President Eisenhower?
Wayne
Dwight
Brian
Stewart
What fabric gives its name to the ancient Europe to Asia trade route?
Cotton Way
Linen Avenue
Wool Street
Silk Road
Which nation influenced European countries in the Eastern Bloc?
United States
Soviet Union
China
Japan
Which US President had twins called Barbara and Jenna?
Richard Nixon
George W Bush
John F Kennedy
Ronald Reagan
Robert Mugabe became leader of which country in 1980?
Zimbabwe
Ghana
Nigeria
Kenya
The US re-established diplomatic links with which island in 2016?
Trinidad
Jamaica
Sri Lanka
Cuba
Singer Sonny Bono was mayor of which Californian city?
Pasadena
Palm Springs
Malibu
San Francisco
Which words did Washington add to the official Oath of Office?
For all Americans
So help me God
To do my best
Liberty and freedom
Alexandra Palace reopened in which city in 1875, rebuilt after a fire?
Paris
Berlin
Moscow
London
What is the first name of Alabama civil rights campaigner Ms Boynton?
Amelia
Susannah
Caroline
Matilda
King Tut is the nickname of a ruler from which country?
Egypt
Italy
Greece
Morocco
Zulus measured their wealth in which animals?
Horses
Dogs
Goats
Cattle
Where is the site of the Battle of Culloden?
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Inverness
Belfast
Silvio Berlusconi was a 20th century leader in which country?
Italy
France
Greece
Spain
What was the name of the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon?
Anne
Jane
Mary
Katherine
Which President signed the Emancipation Declaration in 1863?
Carter
Coolidge
Washington
Lincoln
The 1750s Seven Year’s War was fought between Britain and which country?
Russia
Italy
Spain
France
Who was chosen as leader of the British Labour party in 1994?
Tony Blair
Gordon Brown
Margaret Beckett
Alistair Darling
What did a tallow chandler make?
Books
Hats
Candles
Boots
Who founded the National Woman Suffrage Association with Susan B Anthony?
Rosa Parks
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Harriet Tubman
Ida Wells
Farrier is an old term for someone who looked after the feet of which animal?
Sheep
Pig
Horse
Goat
Constantine II was the last monarch of which European country?
Norway
Portugal
Poland
Greece
Ugo Cavallero commanded the Army of which country in WW2?
Japan
Germany
Italy
France
Which title did Philip Mountbatten take when he married Princess Elizabeth?
Prince of Skye
Lord of Liverpool
Earl of Somerset
Duke of Edinburgh
Louis Pasteur developed a way of making which liquid safe to drink?
Milk
Coffee
Beer
Orange Juice
Dogger Bank, Caporetto, and Marne were battles in which conflict?
World War 1
Boer War
World War 2
Vietnam War
George Bush signed a nuclear treaty with which Russian leader in 1993?
Kruschev
Gorbachev
Putin
Yeltsin
Which Russian historical figure was known as ‘The Terrible’?
George
Alexander
Frederick
Ivan
Which US President delivered the Gettysburg Address?
Adams
Lincoln
Roosevelt
Washington
Which European country was famous for high quality linen items?
Ireland
France
Spain
Greece
Napoleon was exiled to which Mediterranean island in 1814?
Elba
Rhodes
Crete
Ibiza
Which European country has the world’s oldest existing monarchy?
Denmark
Greece
Spain
Austria
Estonia was part of which country until 1991?
China
Germany
Soviet Union
Poland
What was the first name of British explorer Raleigh?
Walter
George
John
Frederick
General Robert E Lee was born in which US state?
Virginia
California
Maine
Arizona
Which country introduced the ruble as the word’s first decimal currency in 1704?
India
Germany
Japan
Russia
President General Antonio López de Santa Anna was defeated at which famous battle?
Somme
Gettysburg
Berlin
Alamo
Which country was ruled by the Vichy government during WW2?
Germany
Spain
France
Norway
Which color of tiles were used to build Imperial palaces in ancient China?
Green
Pink
Yellow
Purple
The Battle of Stalingrad was part of which larger conflict?
World War 2
World War 1
American Civil War
Korean War
Who was the first former First Lady to be appointed to the US cabinet?
Betty Ford
Hillary Clinton
Michelle Obama
Jackie Kennedy
In which month of 1969 did Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon?
March
July
January
October
Which Civil Rights leader made the famous ‘I have a dream’ speech?
Harriet Tubman
Martin Luther King
Malcolm X
Barack Obama
A Caliph was the leader of which sort of religious state?
Christian
Hindu
Islamic
Jewish
Crazy Horse fought his last battle against US forces at Wolf Mountain in which state?
Montana
Oklahoma
California
Texas
Paul Revere warned the residents of which US city that the British were coming?
Philadelphia
Chicago
Boston
Washington DC
Anne Frank spent most of her life in which European city?
Paris
Prague
Amsterdam
Brussels
Jean-maker Levi Strauss emigrated to the US from which European country?
Italy
France
Germany
Norway
Egypt became part of which Empire after the death of Cleopatra?
Roman
Persian
Carthage
Greek
Who was the British king at the time of US independence?
Charles II
Victoria
George III
Elizabeth II
What was the Eastern Roman Empire known as?
Persia
Byzantium
Carthage
Phoenicia
Which US city was called Yerba Buena until 1847?
Los Angeles
Chicago
San Francisco
Baltimore
Emil Zapotek was a famous athlete in the 1950s from which country?
Austria
Czechoslovakia
Russia
China
NASA launched the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph in 2013 to study what?
Moon
Mars
Sun
Comet
The California Star was the first newspaper published in which US city?
Pasadena
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Malibu
The term ‘Blitz’ usually refers to the German bombing of which city?
Prague
Brussels
Oslo
London
Africa’s oldest university was established in which country in 1873?
Algeria
Ghana
Egypt
South Africa
Al-Andalus was an Islamic-controlled region in which modern European country?
Italy
Spain
France
Greece
Which Empire laid siege to the island of Malta in 1565?
Greek
Byzantines
Ottoman
Roman
Which country issued the world’s first paper money in around 1024?
China
Japan
France
Italy
Which was the second state after Massachusetts to legalize same-sex marriage?
Maine
Kentucky
Maryland
California
Ferdinand Magellan was an explorer from which country?
Mexico
Spain
France
Portugal
Joseph Smith founded which church in New York, before moving it to Utah?
Mormons
Moonies
Baptists
Scientology
What did Nicola Salvi famously design in 1629?
Milan Cathedral
Eiffel Tower
Trevi Fountain
Westminster Abbey
The Politburo was the ruling group of which country?
Soviet Union
Germany
China
Japan
Blitzkrieg is a term for bombing which comes from which language?
Japanese
German
Chinese
French
On which island did the dodo become extinct in the 17th century?
Mauritius
Madagascar
Crete
Sicily
In which city did the US Congress meet for the first time in 1789?
Salem
New York
Boston
Providence
2004 saw the first same-sex marriages in which US state?
Florida
California
Massachusetts
Texas
What was Gandhi’s job before being a civil rights campaigner?
Lawyer
Accountant
Doctor
Entrepreneur
James K Polk was from which state?
Pennsylvania
Vermont
Utah
Tennessee
The Provisional IRA called a ceasefire in which part of the UK in 1994?
Wales
Cornwall
Scotland
Northern Ireland
The Nazi party came to power in which country in the 1930s?
Norway
Belgium
Germany
France
Bill Gates stepped down as which company’s boss in 2000?
Microsoft
Yahoo
Amazon
Apple
Smyrna was a strategically-important city in which modern day country?
Italy
Greece
Turkey
Spain
Osama Bin Laden declared war against which country in 1996?
Russia
China
France
United States
Rosa Parks made her bus protest in which US state?
Georgia
Alabama
Florida
Louisiana
Which word is used to describe the US before the Civil War?
Antechapel
Antebellum
Antecedent
Antenatal
Which was the first US state to ratify Prohibition in 1918?
Mississippi
New York
Massachusetts
Louisiana
Solidarity was a 20th century trade union in which European country?
Austria
Spain
Poland
France
Woodstock music festival was held in which US state in August 1969?
Vermont
New York
Massachusetts
Connecticut
The Lorraine Motel, where Luther King was shot, is now a what?
School
Office Block
Museum
University
You can do better
Not bad
Great!