History quiz questions and answers

1. 1. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?

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   1989

2. 2. Which ship sank on its first voyage in 1912?

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   Titanic · The Titanic · RMS Titanic

3. 3. Which ancient people built Machu Picchu?

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   Inca · Incas · The Inca

4. 4. Who painted the Mona Lisa?

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   Leonardo da Vinci · Da Vinci · Leonardo

5. 5. In which country were the first modern Olympic Games held in 1896?

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   Greece

6. 6. Which empire was ruled by Julius Caesar?

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   Roman · Roman Empire · Rome · Roman Republic

7. 7. In what year did World War II end?

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   1945

8. 8. Who wrote the theory of relativity?

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   Albert Einstein · Einstein

9. 9. Which English king signed the Magna Carta in 1215?

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   King John · John

10. 10. Which city was buried by Mount Vesuvius in AD 79?

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    Pompeii

11. 11. What was the name of the trade route linking China with the Mediterranean?

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    Silk Road · Silk Route

12. 12. Which French military leader became emperor in 1804?

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    Napoleon Bonaparte · Napoleon

13. 13. Which civilisation built the city of Tenochtitlan?

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    Aztec · Aztecs

14. 14. Which document begins with the words “We the People”?

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    United States Constitution · US Constitution · Constitution

15. 15. What was the name of the pandemic that killed millions worldwide between 1918 and 1920?

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    Spanish flu · 1918 influenza pandemic

16. 16. Which British queen gave her name to the Victorian era?

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    Queen Victoria · Victoria

17. 17. Who was the South African leader imprisoned on Robben Island before becoming president?

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    Nelson Mandela · Mandela

18. 18. Which ancient Greek city-state was famous for its military society?

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    Sparta

19. 19. Who was the first Tudor monarch of England?

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    Henry VII · Henry 7

20. 20. Which Roman city was destroyed alongside Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius?

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    Herculaneum

21. 21. Who was the Carthaginian general who crossed the Alps with elephants?

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    Hannibal

22. 22. Which English king was defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings?

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    Harold Godwinson · Harold II · King Harold

23. 23. What was the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims sailed to North America in 1620?

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    Mayflower

Using these at your own quiz

Take eight of them for one round, and read them twice: once through, then again slowly while people write. Every question here has been retired from our online game, so nobody at your table can look the answer up mid round.

If you would rather not be the quizmaster, open the online version. It asks the questions, keeps the score and hides the answers until everyone has typed theirs, so you get to play too.