150 History Trivia Questions to Test Your Knowledge of the Past!
History is filled with incredible events, fascinating figures, and game-changing inventions that have shaped the world we live in today. From ancient civilizations and world wars to inventions and famous leaders, history is packed with epic moments worth knowing!
This massive trivia challenge covers world history, U.S. history, ancient civilizations, famous explorers, wars, and more! Answers are provided below! ๐โ๏ธ๐
๐ Ancient Civilizations
- Which ancient civilization built the pyramids?
- What was the capital of the Roman Empire?
- Who was the first emperor of China?
- What writing system did the ancient Sumerians develop?
- What was the name of the massive amphitheater used for gladiator battles in Rome?
- What civilization is known for inventing democracy?
- What was the name of the famous road that connected China to Europe for trade?
- Which ancient wonder was located in Babylon?
- What is the oldest known written legal code?
- What civilization built Machu Picchu?
โ๏ธ Wars & Military History
- What event started World War I?
- Who was the leader of Nazi Germany during World War II?
- What was the name of the military strategy used by Germany in WWII, meaning โlightning warโ?
- What year did the United States enter World War II?
- What was the longest war in U.S. history?
- What major battle was a turning point in the American Civil War?
- What was the name of the war between England and France that lasted over 100 years?
- What year did the U.S. drop atomic bombs on Japan?
- What was the last major battle of the Napoleonic Wars?
- What was the name of the Cold War conflict fought between North and South Korea?
๐ U.S. History
- Who was the first president of the United States?
- What document begins with โWe the Peopleโ?
- What year did the U.S. declare independence?
- Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
- What purchase doubled the size of the United States in 1803?
- What was the deadliest battle in U.S. history?
- Who was president during the Great Depression and World War II?
- What state was the last to join the United States?
- What event led to the start of the American Revolution?
- Who gave the Gettysburg Address?
๐ World History
- What empire was ruled by Genghis Khan?
- What year did the Titanic sink?
- What disease killed millions during the 14th century?
- What was the main reason for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989?
- Who was the longest-reigning British monarch before Queen Elizabeth II?
- What year did Christopher Columbus reach the Americas?
- What war was fought between the North and South in the U.S.?
- What was the name of the revolution that led to the rise of Napoleon?
- Who led the Russian Revolution in 1917?
- What ancient civilization was located in modern-day Mexico?
๐ Famous Leaders & Rulers
- Who was the first emperor of Rome?
- Who was the British prime minister during World War II?
- What Egyptian queen was known for her relationship with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony?
- Who was the first Tsar of Russia?
- What leader famously said, โGive me liberty, or give me deathโ?
- What South African leader was imprisoned for 27 years?
- Who was known as โThe Sun Kingโ of France?
- Who was the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom?
- Who led India to independence through nonviolent resistance?
- Who was the longest-reigning monarch in world history?
โก Inventions & Discoveries
- Who invented the lightbulb?
- What scientist developed the theory of relativity?
- What was the first country to land a man on the moon?
- Who invented the telephone?
- What year was the first airplane flown?
- What famous scientist discovered gravity?
- Who created the first practical printing press?
- What medical breakthrough did Jonas Salk develop?
- Who developed the first steam engine?
- What was the first country to develop nuclear weapons?

๐ Exploration & Discoveries
- Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe?
- What explorer is credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean?
- What was the name of Charles Darwinโs ship?
- What famous explorer claimed Canada for France?
- Who was the first person to walk on the moon?
- What continent did Marco Polo explore?
- What was the name of the first successful English colony in America?
- What explorer was the first to reach the South Pole?
- What famous journey did Lewis and Clark undertake?
- What Spanish explorer led the first expedition to circumnavigate the Earth?
๐ฐ Historical Events & Landmarks
- What year did the Great Fire of London occur?
- What city was divided by a wall from 1961 to 1989?
- What famous document was signed at Runnymede in 1215?
- What structure was built as a tomb for an Egyptian pharaoh?
- What landmark was completed in 1889 and is one of the most visited attractions in the world?

๐ญ Culture & Society
- Who wrote The Communist Manifesto?
- What ancient Greek philosopher taught Alexander the Great?
- What Renaissance artist painted the Mona Lisa?
- Who is credited with writing The Odyssey?
- What year did women gain the right to vote in the U.S.?
๐ก๏ธ More Wars & Military History
- What was the first battle of the American Revolution?
- What was the name of the first military conflict in recorded history?
- Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during World War II?
- What battle was Napoleonโs final defeat?
- What ancient military formation was used by Greek soldiers?
- What war was fought between the United States and Mexico in the 1840s?
- What country was invaded by Germany to start World War II?
- What year did the U.S. Civil War end?
- What was the largest naval battle in history?
- What treaty ended World War I?
๐บ๐ธ More U.S. History
- What city served as the first capital of the United States?
- Who was the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms?
- What war took place between 1812 and 1815?
- What document abolished slavery in the U.S.?
- What year did the U.S. stock market crash, leading to the Great Depression?
- What was the first national park in the U.S.?
- Who was the youngest U.S. president ever elected?
- What historical event is known as โThe Trail of Tearsโ?
- What was the name of the first permanent English colony in America?
- Who was the only U.S. president to resign from office?
๐ More World History
- What country was home to the samurai warriors?
- What year did the Berlin Wall come down?
- What was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
- What was the first civilization to use chariots in warfare?
- Who discovered the Rosetta Stone?
- What was the name of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America?
- What empire built the famous Hagia Sophia?
- Who was the last Tsar of Russia?
- What was the Silk Road used for?
- What event started the French Revolution?
๐ More Famous Leaders & Rulers
- Who was the first ruler of England to be called โKing of Englandโ?
- What famous British ruler was known as the โVirgin Queenโ?
- Who was the leader of the Mongol Empire at its height?
- What French military leader became emperor in the early 1800s?
- What famous Greek king conquered much of the known world by age 30?
- Who was the first ruler of the Ottoman Empire?
- Who was the last pharaoh of Egypt?
- What Spanish king sent the Armada against England?
- Who was the longest-serving Soviet leader?
- What U.S. president served during both World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic?
๐ก More Inventions & Discoveries
- Who invented the World Wide Web?
- What was the first mass-produced automobile?
- Who invented dynamite?
- What was the first vaccine developed for?
- What year was the telephone invented?
- What was the first synthetic material invented?
- Who is credited with developing the first successful polio vaccine?
- What was the first country to send a satellite into space?
- What invention made it possible for the first skyscrapers to be built?
- What was the first video game ever created?
๐ More Exploration & Discoveries
- Who led the first expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest?
- Who was the first European to reach India by sea?
- What famous landmark did explorer Francisco Pizarro conquer?
- Who was the first person to reach the North Pole?
- What was the name of the first spacecraft to land on Mars?
- Who mapped the coastline of Australia?
- What famous explorer was credited with discovering the Hawaiian Islands?
- Who was the first woman in space?
- What year did the first human land on the moon?
- What was the first deep-sea submersible to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench?
๐๏ธ More Historical Events & Landmarks
- What year did the Great Depression begin?
- What is the oldest active parliament in the world?
- What city was the target of the first atomic bomb attack?
- What was the name of the ship that sank in 1912 and became one of the most famous maritime disasters?
- What is the oldest known man-made structure still standing?
- What year did the Wright brothers first fly their airplane?
- What historic event occurred on July 20, 1969?
- What is the tallest man-made structure in history?
- What famous speech began with โI have a dreamโ?
- What event led to the start of World War II?
Answers
๐ Ancient Civilizations Answers:
- The Egyptians
- Rome
- Qin Shi Huang
- Cuneiform
- The Colosseum
- The Greeks
- The Silk Road
- The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- The Code of Hammurabi
- The Inca
โ๏ธ Wars & Military History Answers:
- The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- Adolf Hitler
- Blitzkrieg
- 1941
- The War in Afghanistan
- The Battle of Gettysburg
- The Hundred Yearsโ War
- 1945
- The Battle of Waterloo
- The Korean War
๐ U.S. History Answers:
- George Washington
- The U.S. Constitution
- 1776
- Thomas Jefferson
- The Louisiana Purchase
- The Battle of Antietam
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Hawaii
- The Boston Tea Party
- Abraham Lincoln
๐ World History Answers:
- The Mongol Empire
- 1912
- The Black Death
- The fall of the Soviet Union and democratic uprisings
- Queen Victoria
- 1492
- The American Civil War
- The French Revolution
- Vladimir Lenin
- The Aztecs
๐ Famous Leaders & Rulers Answers:
- Augustus
- Winston Churchill
- Cleopatra
- Ivan the Terrible
- Patrick Henry
- Nelson Mandela
- Louis XIV
- Margaret Thatcher
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Louis XIV (ruled for 72 years)
โก Inventions & Discoveries Answers:
- Thomas Edison
- Albert Einstein
- The United States
- Alexander Graham Bell
- 1903
- Isaac Newton
- Johannes Gutenberg
- The polio vaccine
- James Watt
- The United States
๐ Exploration & Discoveries Answers:
- Ferdinand Magellan
- Vasco Nรบรฑez de Balboa
- HMS Beagle
- Jacques Cartier
- Neil Armstrong
- Asia
- Jamestown
- Roald Amundsen
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Ferdinand Magellan
๐ฐ Historical Events & Landmarks Answers:
- 1666
- Berlin
- The Magna Carta
- The Great Pyramid of Giza
- The Eiffel Tower
๐ญ Culture & Society Answers:
- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
- Aristotle
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Homer
- 1920
๐ก๏ธ More Wars & Military History Answers:
- The Battle of Lexington and Concord
- The Battle of Megiddo (circa 1457 BC)
- Joseph Stalin
- The Battle of Waterloo
- The Phalanx
- The Mexican-American War
- Poland
- 1865
- The Battle of Leyte Gulf
- The Treaty of Versailles
More U.S. History Answers:
- New York City
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- The War of 1812
- The Emancipation Proclamation
- 1929
- Yellowstone National Park
- John F. Kennedy
- The forced relocation of Native Americans (Indian Removal Act)
- Jamestown
- Richard Nixon
๐ More World History Answers:
- Japan
- 1989
- Constantinople
- The Hittites
- The French Army
- The Mayflower
- The Byzantine Empire
- Nicholas II
- Trade and cultural exchange
- The Storming of the Bastille
๐ More Famous Leaders & Rulers Answers:
- รthelstan
- Queen Elizabeth I
- Kublai Khan
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Alexander the Great
- Osman I
- Cleopatra
- King Philip II of Spain
- Joseph Stalin
- Woodrow Wilson
๐ก More Inventions & Discoveries Answers:
- Tim Berners-Lee
- The Ford Model T
- Alfred Nobel
- Smallpox
- 1876
- Bakelite (early plastic)
- Jonas Salk
- The Soviet Union (Sputnik 1)
- The elevator
- Pong
๐ More Exploration & Discoveries Answers:
- Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
- Vasco da Gama
- Machu Picchu
- Robert Peary
- Viking 1
- James Cook
- Captain James Cook
- Valentina Tereshkova
- 1969
- The Trieste
๐๏ธ More Historical Events & Landmarks Answers:
- 1929
- The Althing (Iceland)
- Hiroshima
- The Titanic
- Gรถbekli Tepe
- 1903
- The Apollo 11 moon landing
- The Burj Khalifa
- The “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
- Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939