History Trivia Questions — page 18

During which time frame is there evidence for anatomically modern Homo sapiens?

• A400,000 years ago to present
• B800,000 years ago to present
• C800,000 to 10,000 years ago
• D200,000 to present

In 452, this influential Roman Pope participated in the negotiations with the Huns near Mantua and dissuaded Attila the Hun from devastating Rome.

• APope Nicholas II
• BPope Leo I
• CPope Benedict V
• DPope Urban III

Which modern country is known as "The Graveyard of Empires"?

• AIraq
• BChina
• CAfghanistan
• DRussia

First photographed by Richard Avedon, this campaign was one of the most famous and successful ad campaigns of the 70s. The ads features beautiful black and white photos of Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall and Barbra Streisand. What company asked the question What Becomes a Legend Most?

• ARitz Furs
• BBlackglama
• CPsychedelic Furs
• DFamous Furs LTD

Who commanded the three B-52 Stratofortresses which made the first globe-circling nonstop flight in 1957?

• AMajor General Archie J. Old
• BGeneral William W. Donavan
• CLt. Col. Alan Shepard
• DCol. Carl V. Jaeger

Unlike most other early civilizations, Minoan culture shows little evidence of:

• Atrade.
• Bconspicuous consumption by elites.
• Cthe development of a common religion.
• Dwarfare.

What day did the Battle of Gettysburg begin?

• AApr 30, 1863
• BSeptember 17, 1862
• CJuly 21, 1861
• DJuly 1, 1863

What was the original name of New York City?

• ANew Paris
• BNew London
• CNew Rome
• DNew Amsterdam

When did Canada leave the confederation to become their own nation?

• AJuly 1st, 1832
• BJuly 1st, 1867
• CJuly 1st, 1902
• DJuly 1st, 1763

Why were the elite of state societies so conspicuous in their consumption?

• AMonuments and possessions were used as symbols to reinforce the inequalities on which state societies are based.
• BThe elite had not yet been introduced to capitalism and so wasted their wealth on monuments and possessions.
• CA monetary value was not placed on material possessions, making things effectively worthless.
• DDemocracy and egalitarian states had not yet evolved.

According to a legend, what preacher was killed by pagans at the northern city of Dokkum in 754?

• ARadboud
• BClovis
• CBonifatius
• DPatrick (Patricius)

The Army Corps of Polish general Franciszek Kleeberg, that was named Samodzielna Grupa Operacyjna Polesie, capitulated after the Battle of Kock. What is the exact date of this event?

• A26 October, 1941
• B16 October, 1939
• C6 November, 1940
• D6 October, 1939

What historical event was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture referencing?

• AThe Russian Revolution
• BThe American War of 1812
• CThe Napoleonic Wars
• DThe Charge of the Light Brigade (Crimean War)

The Battle of Hastings was fought in which year?

• A1066
• B1420
• C911
• D1204

In the beginning of the 19th century, Simon Bolivar fought for the independence of countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Bolivia. On 24 July 1983 this man founded the Movimiento Bolivariano Revolucionario 200 in Venezuela and 15 years later, became president.

• AFrancisco de Miranda
• BPedro Carmona
• CHugo Chavez
• DCarlos Andres Perez

Ritter is a title similar to that of a Knight, used in this country.

• APoland
• BFrance
• CBulgaria
• DGermany

He created Chanel No. 5 for Coco Chanel.

• AJean Patou
• BRalph Lauren
• CErnest Beaux
• DYves Saint Laurent

This sassy matronly housekeeper on Give Me A Break! was 54 when she died in 2003.

• ABette Midler
• BBev Carter
• CBarb Streisand
• DNell Carter

Who was Geli Raubel?

• AOne of Hitlers sisters
• BOne of Hitlers secretaries
• COne of Hitlers secret agents
• DOne of Hitlers nieces

This twenty-year-old was the only civilian killed during the Battle of Gettysburg.

• AJennie Wade
• BMichael Cordori
• CWesley Culp
• DBenjamin Bryan

In comparison to Homo habilis, what gave Homo erectus the ability to migrate so far, so fast?

• Amicrocephaly
• Bintelligence
• Cbipedalism
• Dneoteny

Which famous world leader is famed for the saying, "Let them eat cake", yet is rumored that he/she never said it at all?

• AElizabeth I
• BCzar Nicholas II
• CHenry VIII
• DMarie Antoinette

How old was Lyndon B. Johnson when he assumed the role of President of the United States?

• A54
• B60
• C50
• D55

What is believed to be the reason for the development of a complex society at Caral in South America?

• Athe excavating work to produce the sunken plazas
• Bthe need to collect large quantities of shellfish
• Cthe building of the Piramide Mayor
• Dthe construction of canals for irrigation

In May 1941 the Germans used airborne divisions to invade the Island of Crete. Who was the commander of these forces?

• AGeneral Albert Kesselring
• BGeneral Kurt Student
• CMajor Otto Skorzeny
• DGeneral Hans Sponeck

What King of England had his nephews put into the Tower of London?

• AHenry VIII
• BWilliam I the Conqueror
• CEduard IV
• DRichard III

In 5th century AD, a child hostage exchange was arranged, to keep peace between the Huns and the Romans. Attila, future king of the Huns was sent to the Roman court in exchange for which Roman hostage?

• ABleda
• BFlavius Aetius
• CHonorius
• DFlavius Constantinus

Caligula succeeded this emperor, who died in March of 37 A.D.

• ATiberius
• BClaudius
• CNero
• DAugustus

He was in command at the critical point in the Battle of Gettysburg?

• AJoshua Chamberlain
• BWinfield Scott Hancock
• CDan Sickles
• DJohn Reynolds

Who created the concept of the Dark Ages in the 1330s?

• ADorothy Sayers
• BFlavio Biondo
• CJohan Huizinga
• DPetrarch

The term Luddite originally applied to disgruntled workers in which industry?

• AFarming
• BTextile
• CMining
• DCeramics

A standard, incandescent light bulb emits light when a filament is heated. How does a fluorescent bulb work?

• ALight is emitted when a mercury filament reacts with great pressure inside a glass bulb.
• BLight is emitted when solar energy reacts with a silk thread.
• CLight is emitted when argon gas reacts with an electrical current.
• DLight is emitted when mercury vapor is heated.

In the Netherlands, who headed the famous postwar Cabinet of 1948 - 1958?

• APieter Gerbrandy
• BWilliam Drees
• CVictor Marynen
• DBarend Biesheuvel

Where is the Field of Lost Shoes located?

• AKernstown
• BMcDowell
• CNew Market
• DLynchburg

In what year did the Wall Street Crash take place?

• A1930
• B1929
• C1932
• D1925

What were the first states to break away from Yugoslavia?

• AMacedonia, Montenegro
• BSlovenia, Croatia
• CMontenegro, Slovenia
• DSlovenia, Macedonia

In the morning of September 17, 1976 the Shuttle manufacturer treated the world to a glimpse of the future; a test model of the orbiter, one not intended for space flight, rolled out of their Palmdale, CA plant. What name had the designers given this model?

• AEnterprise
• BColumbia
• CDiscovery
• DMillennium Falcon

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who in 1961 became the first human to enter outer space, died in 1968. What was the cause of his death?

• AA plane he was piloting was shot down by Chechen rebels.
• BHe was killed in an car accident.
• CHe was killed in a plane crash.
• DHe developed AIDS and was not treated.

Which one of these events did not happen in 1955?

• AThe American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged
• BThe Korean War is formally ended.
• CThe McGuire Sisters have a #1 hit with Sincerely.
• DRosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama.

During this decade, MTV was launched, the Chernobyl accident happened, and NBA star Michael Jordan rose to fame.

• A1970s
• B1990s
• C1980s
• D1960s

In what year was Francois Mitterrand elected President of France?

• A1987
• B1975
• C1993
• D1981

In the 70s NASA began a project to create a reusable space vehicle and the first Shuttle, Columbia, was launched in 1981. Five years later, on 28 January 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after launch. Challenger was the first flight of the TISP program. What does TISP stand for?

• ATeaching Initiative Space Program
• BTeacher In Space Program
• CThrust Injection Solar Propulsion
• DTop Inverted Space-wing Program

The Omo I cranium discovered along the Omo River in southern Ethiopia demonstrates:

• Athe simultaneous evolution of anatomically modern humans about 100,000 years ago in Africa and Europe.
• Bthe development of a larger brain prior to the first evidence for tool making.
• Cboth b and c.
• Dthe evolution of anatomically modern humans from premodern species about 200,000 years ago in Africa.

During this decade the first modern railway opened, and Beethovens Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna.

• A1820s
• B1870s
• C1890s
• D1790s

The death of Qin Dynasty emperor Ying Zheng was marked by what elaborate memorial?

• AAn enormous pyramid constructed out of millions of huge limestone blocks.
• BAn enormous mortuary temple filled with gold and gems.
• CThe collective suicide of 60 members of the royal family.
• DAn 8,000-member life-sized terra cotta army.

What was the climate of Greater Australia 20,000 years ago?

• Atemperate
• Ball the above
• Chot and dry
• Dfrozen tundra

What notable event happened in New York City on November 7, 1989?

• AA grizzly bear on the loose fell asleep on Times Square.
• BThe city was visited by the Pope.
• CThe first African American mayor of the city was elected.
• DAn earthquake struck the city.

What was the real name of General Stonewall Jackson?

• AThomas Jonathan Jackson
• BHenry David Jackson
• CRobert Edward Jackson
• DNathan Bedford Jackson

How was Socrates executed?

• APoison
• BDecapitation
• CFiring squad
• DCrucifixion

In what year was the video game company Electronic Arts founded?

• A1982
• B2005
• C1981
• D1999