History Trivia Questions — page 11

The sophisticated stone tool making industry at the Pinnacle Point site in South Africa is evidence of:

• Aa 250,000-year-old tradition of hand axe production and use.
• Ban adaptation to hunting in colder environments.
• Cboth a and c.
• Da 71,000-year-old complex sequence of microblade production and use.

What two countries were invaded by Germany on 9 April 1940?

• ANorway and France
• BNorway and Great Britain
• CNorway and Denmark
• DFrance and Denmark

In Ancient Rome, who were the Lares?

• AHousehold spirits of dead ancestors
• BThe elite corps of the Roman army
• CThe Roman counterpart of the Greek Furies
• DThe Muses

On May 22, 1987, a multiple vortex tornado devastated this small Texas town.

• ATexarcico
• BZeetop
• CNorthumberland
• DSaragosa

In 1955, Borax III became the first nuclear power plant to utilize nuclear fission to supply an entire town with electricity. Which town was that?

• AArco, Idaho
• BHahnville, Louisiana
• COwego, New York
• DAvila Beach, California

What were the nicknames of the two atomic bombs dropped over Japan on 6 August 1945 and 9 August 1945?

• ASandman and Assassin
• BLittle Boy and Fat Man
• CBomb 1 and Bomb 2
• DMother-in-law and Father-in-law

Who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968?

• ASirhan Sirhan
• BCharles Guiteau
• CGavrilo Princip
• DJames Earl Ray

At its peak, the population of the city of Teotihuacán may have reached:

• A50,000 people.
• B500,000 people.
• C1,000,000 people.
• D200,000 people.

Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman to fly in space. Her mission took place on June 16, 1963. How long was her flight?

• A1 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes
• B4 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes
• C2 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes
• D3 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes

The Hagia Sophia was commissioned by which emperor of the Byzantine Empire?

• ATheodosius the Great
• BConstantine IV
• CArcadius
• DJustinian I

What was the only major city in the Pacific theater of operations in which there was major urban warfare between US and Japanese forces?

• ATaipei
• BPort Moresby
• CManila
• DBeijing

All of these famous political leaders lost their power in the 80s, except one. Can you spot him?

• AAugusto Pinochet
• BFrancois Mitterrand
• CCeausescu
• DGustav Husak

This King of the Franks conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus on 25 December 800.

• APeter the Great
• BConstantine the Great
• CCharles the Great
• DWilhelm the Great

Did dinosaurs become extinct due to a large asteroid impact?

• ANo
• BYes

The First Triumvirate is the name historians give to the unofficial political alliance between what three man?

• AGaius Julius Caesar, Anthony and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
• BOctavius, Lepidus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
• COctavius, Lepidus and Anthony
• DMarcus Licinius Crassus, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar

When was the Gregorian Calendar first adopted?

• A1582
• B1501
• C1555
• D1623

What device was invented in 1879 by James Ritty, the owner of a tavern in Dayton, Ohio?

• AThe jukebox
• BThe cash register
• CThe electric chair
• DThe microwave oven

Which country transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to China in 1997?

• AGreat Britain
• BJapan
• CFrance
• DUSA

As a popular style in the beginning of the 80s it became somewhat politically bound, these started appearing as common clothing adornments.

• APolitical and social slogans
• BArtificial stains
• CArtificial patches
• DFringes

Steve Bochco had many successes on TV. However, this 1990 ABC police drama, that also featured the cast breaking out in song, was a failure.

• AA Policemans Day
• BCop Song
• CCop Rock
• DCity Cop

One of these events did not take place during December.

• ANapoleon died in exile
• BThe Prohibition in the US ended
• CIrish free state was declared
• DBush ordered US troops to Somalia

The 2006 film See No Evil, released on May 19, stars what famous WWE wrestler?

• AGoldberg
• BShawn Michaels
• CUndertaker
• DKane

Up to 50,000 years ago, what was the relationship between anatomically modern humans and us?

• AThey thought like us but did not look like us.
• BThey looked and thought like us.
• CThey did not look or think like us.
• DThey looked like us but did not think like us.

This Silk Road dynasty succeeded the Qin Dynasty.

• AHan Dynasty
• BMing Dynasty
• CZhou Dynasty
• DSui Dynasty

What was Napoleon Bonaparte's name before he changed it?

• ANapoleona de Buenoparte
• BNaapolion van Bonijpaart
• CNapoleone di Buonaparte
• DNapoleão do Boaparte

On May 7th, 1915 this famous ship was hit by a torpedo near the shore of Queenstown, Ireland. It sank in 15 minutes.

• ABritannic
• BTitanic
• CAndrea Doria
• DLusitania

In 1944 the Allies launched Operation Overlord starting the liberation of Europe. When troops entered the beaches and caught their first prisoners, they were surprised to hear this language.

• AFinnish
• BRussian
• CHungarian
• DJapanese

This bagged vegetable was recalled on September 16, 2006 after E. coli affected people in 19 U. S. states.

• ASpinach
• BCelery
• CCarrots
• DLettuce

The town of Hastings, where the Battle of Hastings took place, is located in which county?

• AKent
• BEast Sussex
• CWest Sussex
• DSurrey

Which Anglo-Saxon King of England died at the Battle of Hastings?

• ACharles I
• BHarold II
• CRichard III
• DCharles II

This man was portrayed by British actor Rex Harrison in the1963 movie Cleopatra.

• AAlexander the Great
• BBoth
• CJulius Caesar
• DNeither

Which Russian Empress brought Rasputin into the center of the Imperial court?

• AAlexandra
• BMaria
• CCatherine
• DElizabeth

What state has the most soldiers buried at the Gettysburg National Cemetery?

• AMichigan
• BPennsylvania
• CNew York
• DMassachusetts

What happened at Prokhorovka on July 12th, 1943?

• AThe biggest infantry engagement of WW II
• BThe biggest Tank batlle of WW II
• CThe launch of Operation Kutzov
• DThe launch of Operation Citadel

Which battle preceded the Battle of Antietam?

• AThe Second Battle of Bull Run
• BThe Battle of Gettysburg
• CBattle of Chickamauga
• DThe Battle of Chancellorsville

What was the connection between Mary Stuart (Queen of Scots) and Bloody Mary (Queen of England)?

• AMary Stuarts grandmother, Margaret Tudor, was an aunt of the English Mary.
• BThey were the same person.
• CThey were both daughters of Henry VIII (but had different mothers).
• DBloody Mary had the Scottish Mary beheaded

To form an alliance against Attilas Huns, in 451 the Romans combined armies with which Visigoth leader?

• AAthelred
• BSigfrid II
• CHarald
• DTheodoric I

What did Walter Morrison invent in 1948?

• ADoppler Radar
• Bthe microwave
• Cthe solar battery
• Dthe Frisbee

What historical event took place on October 14, 1066 AD?

• AThe Muslims retook Jerusalem
• BEngland was conquered by the Normans in the Battle of Hastings
• CThe Chinese first used fireworks in battle
• DThe Vikings landed in America

Which was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America?

• AMaya
• BInca
• CToltec
• DZapotec

Which one of these was not a beach landing site in the Invasion of Normandy?

• ASword
• BGold
• CJuno
• DSilver

For his role as Pvt. Pyle in Full Metal Jacket, Vincent DOnofrio, had to gain 70 pounds. This broke the previous record for weight gained by a featured actor for a role. Who had held this record?

• AMarlon Brando
• BRobert De Niro
• CJohn Wayne
• DAl Pacino

When was the first internal combustion engine to run on a mixture of explosive gas and air designed?

• A1879
• B1794
• C1859
• D1876

The presence of caribou bones found near the Hudson River valley in New York from a site dated 10,000 years ago implies:

• Athat the people who lived at this site had high cholesterol.
• Ba much colder climate during that time.
• Cthat caribou were imported into the United States from Canada.
• Dthat the main food source was caribou meat.

Did the opposing armies often fraternize and call each other Johnny Reb and Billy Yank?

• ANo
• BYes

How many landing beaches were there in the 1944 Normandy Invasion, known as Operation Overlord?

• ASix
• BFive
• CThree
• DFour

This Victorian politician, best remembered as the originator of the modern police force, sought to repeal the Corn Laws as a measure to fight the Irish potato famine.

• ASir Robert Peel
• BSir Arthur Wellesly
• CGeorge Anning
• DLord Goderich

This fashionable head accessory was hip from the very beginning of the 80s until their end.

• AHeadband
• BHairpins
• CArtificial comb
• DArtificial braids

The Battle of Custoza, the Battle of Palestro, and the Battle of Calatafimi.

• ASecond Italo-Abyssinian War
• BTurco-Italian War
• CItalian Independence wars
• DItalian Wars

In early 6th century BC, the city states of Akragas, Gela, and Syracuse sent ships to the city of Himera in west Sicily, where they defeated an invading force coming from where?

• AEgypt
• BCarthage
• CCrete
• DRome