History Trivia Questions — page 25

This man conquered modern day Afghanistan and modern day France.

• ANeither
• BJulius Caesar
• CBoth
• DAlexander the Great

The first true Homo sapiens (human) appeared in Africa about how many years ago?

• A250,000 years ago
• B12,000 years ago
• C1 million years ago
• D5 million years ago

In 1847 Veracruz, one of the most important Mexican seaports, was besieged for 20 days. The beginning of the siege was marked when this country conducted its first large-scale amphibious assault on it.

• AFrance
• BArgentina
• CGreat Britain
• DThe United States

What company unveiled the unsuccessful PCjr?

• ATandy
• BApple
• CInternational Business Machines (IBM)
• DCommodore

Moving through trees by swinging arm over arm is called:

• Aquadrupedal locomotion.
• Bbipedal locomotion.
• Ca savanna niche.
• Dbrachiation.

Where did General Shermans March to the Sea begin and end?

• ARichmond to Savannah
• BRichmond to New Orleans
• CCharlotte to Savannah
• DAtlanta to Savannah

This is a kind of body adornment that Indian women use. It became popular in many countries after Madonna adopted it.

• AEyebrow shaping
• BSkin jeweller
• CBindi
• DTattoo

Who is widely recognized as the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising during WW II?

• AChaim Rumkowski
• BHenry Morgentaler
• CHilary Minc
• DMordechai Anielewicz

A genetic study comparing the bones of a 7,000-year-old skeleton found in Germany, eight human skeletons dating to 8,000 years ago in Luxembourg, and more than 2,300 living Europeans found that the modern European genome included contributions from:

• Aall of the above.
• Bthe earliest anatomically modern Homo sapiens who lived in Europe 45,000 years ago.
• Cpeople who moved there from west Asia less than 5,000 years ago.
• Dpeople genetically traceable to the Middle East who moved into Europe about 9,000 years ago.

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, WWII had been fought for well over two years in Europe and even longer between Japan and China. Though officially neutral, what did the US do to help friendly nations?

• AProvided the Soviet Union with raw materials
• BSent part of the US Army Air Force fleet of B17 bombers to help the British
• CProtected British convoys in the Atlantic
• DSent US Marines to help the Chinese nationalists

What ocean separated Laurentia from Baltica and Siberia during the Cambrian.

• APaleo-Tethys ocean
• BPanthalassic ocean
• CRheic ocean
• DIapetus ocean

Which of these theoretical phycisists first predicted the existence of antimatter?

• ANiels Bohr
• BWerner Heisenberg
• CPaul Dirac
• DAlbert Einstein

Name the first great Greek tragic playwright who is now acknowledged as the Father of Drama?

• AEuripides
• BAesop
• CSophocles
• DAeschylus

In 79 BC, a major cloud appeared over mount Vesuvius. The eruption that would follow, would forever be linked to the demise of Pompeji. However, this was not the only city buried beneath ash and mud. What other town was devastated by the eruption?

• AStabiae
• BHerculaneum
• CNapoli
• DMisenum

List the following Iranic empires in chronological order:

• AMedian, Achaemenid, Sassanid, Parthian
• BAchaemenid, Median, Sassanid, Parthian
• CAchaemenid, Median, Parthian, Sassanid
• DMedian, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid

During WWII, in 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the two Japanese cities of Hiroshima and what other city?

• ANagasaki
• BKagoshima
• CTokyo
• DKawasaki

What blockbuster movie opened on May 25, 1977?

• AStar Wars
• BThe Godfather
• CThe Godfather Part II
• DJaws

During this century the French Revolution began, and the United States Declaration of Independence was signedd.

• A17th century AD
• B19th century AD
• C16th century AD
• D18th century AD

Who served as President of the Confederate States of America at the time of the Battle of Antietam?

• AGeorge Davis
• BJefferson Davis
• CGeorge W. Randolph
• DAlexander Stephens

Which of these was NOT an invention idea on Seinfeld?

• AA rubber oil container to help fight oil spills
• BA Pakistani restaurant in Manhattan
• CAn alarm clock that told you the sports scores when it went off.
• DA shaker that had both ketchup and mustard

In the Middle Ages, the most commonly used monetary system was based on Livre, Sou and Dernier. Which relation between them is correct?

• A1l = 20s = 240d
• B1s = 100l = 1000d
• C1l = 60d = 720s
• D1d = 12s = 144l

Why did the spear-thrower represent a useful innovation and to when does it date?

• AIt made warfare so deadly that it became obsolete beginning in the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age.
• BIt launched larger spears more quickly and more frequently beginning in the Upper Paleolithic and Late Stone Age.
• CIt launched projectiles with greater force and accuracy beginning in the Upper Paleolithic and Late Stone Age.
• DIt allowed artistic expression by hunters beginning in the Middle Paleolithic and Middle Stone Age.

The belief that all of the characteristics of civilization developed in one place, such as Egypt, and from there spread out to the rest of the world is known as:

• Amigrationism
• Banti-originalism
• Ccultural evolution
• Ddiffusionism

The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of violent riots and protests. It aimed at overthrowing the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. What was the name of Ceaușescu's wife, later executed together with her husband?

• ALea
• BAna
• CElena
• DZoia

Experiments with stone spear points made to replicate those artifacts found at the Kathu Pan site in South Africa suggest that Homo erectus:

• Amade stone spear points for use as weapons, but not for hunting.
• Bmade and used spears with stone projectile points for hunting 500,000 years ago.
• Cmade and used spears with stone projectile points for hunting more than 3 million years ago.
• Ddid not use spears with stone projectile points, but probably hunted and caught fish with wooden and bone tools.

Who gave the sermon at President Lincolns funeral?

• ARev. J.C. Harrison
• BBishop Cavenaugh
• CDr. Phineas D. Gurley
• DDr. John W. Cunningham

The peak of Minoan civilization, from 3650 to 3420 B.P., was bracketed by what two events?

• Athe discovery of bronze on the island, and the replacement of bronze by iron
• Bthe invasion of Troy, and the surrender to the Romans
• Can earthquake and a volcanic eruption
• Dthe founding of the Minos dynasty and the invasion of the Mycenaeans

What Batavian led the ill-fated uprising against the Romans AD 69-70?

• AClaudius Civilis
• BSpartacus
• CAtilla
• DDipo Negoro

Who was the first man to be accused of witchcraft?

• ASamuel Good
• BGiles Cory
• CJohn Proctor
• DGeorge Burroughs

The US gained some legality for their blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when they received strong approval and support from this organization.

• AThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization
• BThe United Nations
• CThe European Union
• DThe Organization of American States

Which subfield of anthropology aims to better understand the nearest living relatives of humans?

• Apaleoanthropology
• Barchaeology
• Clinguistics
• Dprimatology

During Cleopatras reign it was believed that she was the re-incarnation and embodiment of this goddess of wisdom.

• AAthena
• BAnuket
• CArtemis
• DIsis

In which year did the Invasion of Kuwait by Iraq occur?

• A1986
• B1988
• C1992
• D1990

The Panama Canal was finished under the administration of which U.S. president?

• AFranklin Delano Roosevelt
• BWoodrow Wilson
• CTheodore Roosevelt
• DHerbert Hoover

Who conquered England as a result of the Battle of Hastings?

• AThe Scots
• BThe Normans
• CThe Vikings
• DThe Romans

In 1990, this 5000 year old body was found in the Alps. Scientists discovered some tattoos on his leg which indicated that acupuncture was used as far back as the Copper-stone Age.

• ANessie
• BBig Foot
• CSasquatch
• DOetzi

What is the name of the ship which was only a few miles away from the RMS Titanic when it struck an iceberg on April 14, 1912?

• ACristol
• BCalifornian
• CCarpathia
• DCommerce

What historical event occurred on March 15, 44 BC?

• AKorea gained independence from Japan
• BMark Antony married Cleopatra
• CJulius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman senate
• DThe first calendar was started by the Mayans in Central America

Maya ritual ceremonies were particularly noted for which one of these reasons?

• ACruel sacrifices
• BImpressive dance performances
• CLong duration
• DColorful body painting

What US presidents centennial birthday was celebrated in 1984?

• AFranklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945)
• BHarry S Truman (1945-1953)
• CDwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
• DHerbert Hoover (1929-1933)

The idea that cultures change through time in relation to their environments, along many different paths, is known as:

• Aunilineal evolution.
• Bmultilineal evolution.
• Cenvironmental uniformitarianism.
• Dmulticultural adaptation.

Which of the following Soviet revolutionaries was exiled from the USSR and later assassinated in 1940 for criticizing Stalinism?

• AVladimir Lenin
• BLev Kamenev
• CLeon Trotsky
• DMikhail Kalinin

What were the mastaba?

• Amud-brick structures built over elite tombs that were subsequently developed into pyramids
• Birrigation canals that allowed for the production of agricultural surpluses in Egypt
• Cclay tablets that represent the earliest known form of writing in the world
• Dthe ritual headdress of the religious-political leaders of Mesopotamia

What was the objective of Operation Husky launched in 1943?

• AThe landings at Anzio
• BThe bombardment of the Monte Casino Cloister
• CThe final defeat of German forces in Africa
• DThe capture of Sicily

Homo erectus was:

• Aa stable, long-lived species.
• Bthe first hominid to stand "erect" and walk upright.
• Can unsuccessful, short-lived species.
• Dthe first hominid to make and use stone tools.

When was the United States National Security Agency established?

• AJuly 1, 1973
• BNovember 25, 2002
• CJuly 26, 1908
• DNovember 4, 1952

What year was the first Pizza Hut restaurant opened?

• A1965
• B1976
• C1958
• D1942

The Pleistocene epoch lasted until how long ago?

• A1,000,000 years
• B100,000 years
• C10,000 years
• D1,000 years

What product was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 27 in 1970, by the Van Brode Milling Company?

• AWonderball
• BVelcro
• CCrazy Glue
• DSpork

What was the name of Caligulas pet horse?

• AEquus
• BIncitatus
• CSuccubus
• DAlemmani