History trivia

Hello fellow history buffs and game night enthusiasts! Today, I want to share interesting ways to combine your love of history and social festivities. Have you ever considered hosting a history quiz or trivia night?

It’s an exhilarating way to challenge your friends’ knowledge, dig deeper into fascinating periods of world history, and have a memorable and fun game night. From exploring the rich stories of ancient civilizations in World History Trivia to diving into the tumultuous time of the American Civil War through a Civil War Quiz, I believe there’s something for everyone. So let’s start the journey!

History Trivia Questions

History trivia is more than a barrage of facts. It’s a timeless tradition of passing down stories, a curious exploration of historical contexts and exciting discoveries. World history trivia offers a diverse range of topics for everyone; from ancient Greece and Rome to the dynasties of China and the revolutions in Europe - the possibilities are endless!

Understandably, not every subject will suit everyone. Therefore, ensure to curate questions that can cater to a wide variety of interests and difficulty levels.

Feel free to use the following trivia questions from the table below:

#	Question	Answer
1	What man-made waterway did the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty allow Israel access to?	The Suez Canal
2	When was Israel created?	1948
3	What was the major economic revolution that started in the 18th century?	The Industrial Revolution
4	Who started the second Punic war?	Carthage
5	In which country was paper money first used?	China
6	In which year did the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union begin?	1947
7	Which Russian Empress came to power after overthrowing her husband?	Catherine the Great
8	Where did The Mayflower take the pilgrims?	America
9	What Shakespearean king was actually king of Scotland for 17 years?	Macbeth
10	What is the German term for the ‘Lightning War’ that was employed by the Nazis in World War II?	Blitzkrieg
11	Which racist organisation was formed in Tennessee in 1865?	The Ku Klux Klan
12	Who Was President Of The USA At The Outbreak Of World War II?	Franklin Roosevelt
13	In which decade was Hong Kong returned to China?	The 1990s
14	In which year was the Iranian Revolution?	1979
15	What happened on the 21st July 1969?	First Manned moon landing
16	What was the nationality of Marco Polo?	Italian
17	In America, what became the 49th state to enter the union in 1959?	Alaska
18	What was the name of the major uprising led by Toussaint L’Ouverture in the 18th century?	Haitian Revolution
19	Which two countries signed the Non-Aggression Pact of 1939?	Germany and the Soviet Union
20	Which Roman statesman and military general was assassinated in 44 BC?	Julius
21	What was the name of the B-29 used at Hiroshima to drop the bomb?	Enola Gay
22	Introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar, how many months was the Julian calendar divided into?	12
23	Who was stabbed by Cassius?	Julius Caesar
24	Which American president was assassinated in a theatre?	Abraham Lincoln
25	Which Instrument Of Torture Had a Hinged Case Full Of Spikes?	The Iron Maiden
26	Which War Involving The UK Began In 1982?	The Falklands War
27	Which ancient artifact was discovered in 1947 in caves in the Qumran region of the West Bank?	The Dead Sea Scrolls
28	Who sailed to the new world in The Mayflower?	Pilgrims
29	Who was the Russian mystic who was a favorite at the court of Nicholas II?	Rasputin
30	Who said “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”)?	Julius Caesar
31	What was the official language of the Holy Roman Empire?	Latin
32	What was the name of the pandemic which killed over 1% of the world’s population in 1918?	Spanish Flu
33	On what date did America become an independant nation?	July 4th, 1776
34	Which new country was formed in 1971 at the end of a conflict between Pakistan and India?	Bangladesh
35	Who was the 40th president of the USA, in term during the period 1981–1989?	Ronald Reagan
36	Alexander the Great was king of which kingdom?	Macedon
37	Where did the bayonet originate?	France
38	What is the Roman numeral for fifty?	L
39	Which of these was a grandson of Ghengis Khan?	Kublai Khan
40	What was the official language of the Ottoman Empire?	Ottoman Turkish
41	What United States president was in office during the civil war?	Abraham Lincoln
42	What was the most Eastern land in Alexander The Great’s command at his peak?	India
43	As what is the Frankish ruler Charles the Great better known?	Charlemagne
44	From 1949 to 1963, Konrad Adenauer served as the first chancellor of which country?	West Germany
45	Which country did China invade on Christmas day 1950	Tibet
46	Who resigned from the vice presidency and admitted tax evasion in 1967?	Spiro Agnew
47	Which 1776 American Affirmation Asserted The Basic Rights Of All?	The Declaration Of Independence
48	When was the first black US President elected?	2008
49	When did the Cuban Missile Crisis bring the world to the brink of nuclear war?	1962
50	What type of media was first released in 1996?	DVD
51	When did the scientist Tim Berners-Lee invent the World Wide Web?	1989
52	Who was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey on Christmas day 1066?	William The Conqueror
53	Prior to 1935 what was Iran known as?	Persia
54	Who was the last president of the Soviet Union?	Gorbachev
55	Which dictator was executed by firing squad on Christmas Day 1999?	Nicolae Ceausescu
56	Who was the ruler of the USSR from 1917-22?	Lenin
57	Which Spaniard conquered most of Mexico and lead to the downfall of the Aztec Empire?	Hernando Cortez
58	Which famous female ruler came to power in a 1762 coup against her husband?	Catherine the Great
59	Who was the most famous leader of the Carthaginians?	Hannibal
60	Which of these people was a United States Army general during World War II?	George S. Patton
61	In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?	1989
62	What was the name given to a knight’s student?	Squire
63	Which President of the USA infamously allowed the bugging of the Democratic Committee headquarters?	Richard Nixon
64	Which US City Did British Troops Invade and Burn In 1814?	Washington D.C.
65	Before becoming a politician, which US President was a Hollywood actor?	Ronald Reagan
66	Onto which river did an Airbus A320 make an emergency landing in January 2009, with all 155 people onboard surviving?	The Hudson
67	Which British queen did not go out in public for three years after the death of her husband in 1861?	Queen Victoria
68	Who was the ruler of the Principality of Monaco who married actress Grace Kelly in 1956?	Prince Ranier
69	What year was NASA founded?	1958
70	Founded in 1636, what is the oldest university in the USA?	Harvard
71	What was the instrument of execution during the “Reign of Terror”?	Guillotine
72	The American M4 tank is better known as what?	The Sherman Tank
73	Who was the first US president born outside the orginal 13 states	Abraham Lincoln
74	During World War I, which strait between the Aegean and the Sea of Marmara was unsuccessfully contested by the Allies in 1915?	The Dardanelles
75	What was the name the Romans gave to Great Britain?	Britannia
76	Who piloted a plane across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to the American mainland in 1935?	Amelia Earhart
77	Which City Did The Allies Liberate On August 25th 1944?	Paris
78	In which year did the first human set foot on the moon?	1969
79	What nationality did Adolf Hitler have until 1925?	Austrian
80	What event marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire?	The Siege of Vienna
81	Which two countries agreed to reunite on February 13th, 1989?	East and West Germany
82	Who was the leader of the Khmer Rouge?	Pol Pot
83	What was the name of the prominent religious conflict that arose in Europe in the 17th century?	The Thirty Years’ War
84	What historic event happened on July 20, 1969?	Moon landing
85	What kind of government dominated most of Europe during the 17th century?	Absolute Monarchy
86	Whose army did Admiral Nelson defeat at the battle of Trafalgar?	Napoleon
87	In which year did the Vietnam war begin?	1955
88	Who was the second President of the USA?	John Adams
89	What was Sir Henry Morgan famous for in the 17th century?	Pirate
90	Which president signed the Emancipation Proclamation?	Abraham Lincoln
91	Which French region is named after invading Vikings of the mid-9th century?	Normandy
92	Who Was The First Roman Emperor?	Augustus
93	Who won the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor?	Mother Teresa
94	Which of these wars was fought to gain independence from Great Britain?	American Revolutionary War
95	What was the name of the famous trade route that was established in the 2nd century BCE?	The Silk Road
96	Which founder of The Organisation for Afro-American Unity was murdered in Harlem on 21 February 1965?	Malcolm X
97	In which year did the Mexican Revolution begin?	1910
98	Which of the following is NOT a cause of the Renaissance?	Invention of the Steam Engine
99	What did Julius Caesar cross to signal a revolt against the senate?	The Rubicon River
100	In which century did the Thirty Years’ War take place?	17th century

Civil War Quiz: A Slice of American History

Immerse yourself and your friends in the profound narrative of the American Civil War. It’s a unique opportunity to understand the nuances that shaped this critical time in US history. Such a quiz doesn’t only require remembering dates or battles; it requires understanding the political, social, and economic factors that fueled it and its profound implications on the country’s future.

Below you can find trivia questions related to American Civil War:

#	Question	Answer
1	In what year did the Civil War start?	1861
2	In what year did the Civil War end?	1865
3	Who was the President of the United States during the Civil War?	Abraham Lincoln
4	Who was the President of the Confederate States during the Civil War?	Jefferson Davis
5	What was the first state to secede from the Union?	South Carolina
6	What battle is considered the first battle of the Civil War?	Battle of Fort Sumter
7	In what battle did the most men die in the Civil War?	Battle of Gettysburg
8	Which famous speech did Abraham Lincoln deliver after the Battle of Gettysburg?	The Gettysburg Address
9	What was the primary reason behind Southern states seceding from the Union?	The issue of slavery
10	Who was the commanding general of the Union armies at the end of the war?	Ulysses S. Grant
11	Who was the commanding general of the Confederate armies?	Robert E. Lee
12	What was the name of the event in which Atlanta was burnt down in the Civil War?	Sherman’s March to the Sea
13	What was Abraham Lincoln’s plan for reconciliation with the South called?	The Reconstruction
14	What Amendment to the Constitution officially abolished slavery?	The 13th Amendment
15	Where did General Robert E. Lee surrender, effectively marking the end of the Civil War?	Appomattox Courthouse
16	In what field were the most groundbreaking developments seen during the Civil War?	Medicine
17	What novel did Harriet Beecher Stowe write that fueled the abolitionist movement?	Uncle Tom’s Cabin
18	What were the southern states called?	The Confederacy
19	What influential abolitionist led a failed raid at Harper’s Ferry in 1859?	John Brown
20	What event marked the beginning of the Civil War, on April 12, 1861?	The attack on Fort Sumter
21	What were the northern states called?	The Union
22	Who assassinated President Lincoln?	John Wilkes Booth
23	Who took over as President after Lincoln was assassinated?	Andrew Johnson
24	Which southern state was the last to be readmitted to the Union?	Georgia
25	The Battle of Gettysburg lasted how many days?	Three
26	Which famous nurse established the American Red Cross after serving in the Civil War?	Clara Barton
27	The Anaconda Plan was a strategy by the Union to do what?	Blockade the Confederacy
28	Who was the author of the Emancipation Proclamation?	Abraham Lincoln
29	On which date was the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln?	January 1, 1863
30	How many states comprised the Confederate States of America?	Eleven
31	Complete this phrase made famous by Lincoln: ‘A house…’	? ‘…divided against itself cannot stand.’
32	During the Civil War, the South’s economy was mainly based on…	Agriculture
33	During the Civil War, the North’s economy was mainly based on…	Industry
34	Where was the final major battle of the Civil War fought?	Battle of Palmito Ranch
35	What was the Free-Soil Party’s main political platform?	Opposition to the expansion of slavery
36	Who won the U.S presidential election of 1860?	Abraham Lincoln
37	What bloodiest single-day battle in American history?	Battle of Antietam
38	In the Battle of Antietam, which side was victorious?	The Union
39	How many U.S. states allowed slavery at the start of the Civil War?	15
40	What legal U.S. policy, in place until 1865, guaranteed a slave’s status as property?	The Fugitive Slave Act
41	Which historical figure led the Confederate army at the First Battle of Bull Run?	General Stonewall Jackson
42	Stonewall Jackson earned his name at which battle?	First Battle of Bull Run
43	What nickname was given to the Union warships used to enforce the naval blockade of the Confederacy?	The Anaconda
44	The Civil War’s first draft law was passed by which side in 1862?	The Confederacy
45	How many African American soldiers served in the Union Army during the Civil War?	Around 180,000
46	Which Civil War battle was the first to take place on Union soil?	Battle of Antietam
47	What was the bloodiest war in U.S. history?	The Civil War
48	In total, how many casualties were there in the U.S. Civil War?	Around 620,000
49	What was the estimated civilian death count in the U.S. Civil War?	50,000
50	What battle saw the first deployment of submarine warfare in the Civil War?	Battle of New Orleans
51	Which slang name was given to Southern civilians loyal to the Union during the Civil War?	Scalawags
52	What led President Lincoln to fire General George McClellan?	McClellan’s reluctance to pursue Lee’s army following Antietam
53	Why wasn’t Kentucky fully under Confederate control?	Many citizens were pro-Union
54	In what city was the Confederate government’s White House’s located?	Richmond, Virginia
55	How were most of the Civil War’s exchanges of prisoners handled until mid-1863?	Soldier-for-soldier paroles and exchanges
56	What was the Emancipation Proclamation?	A document declaring all slaves in rebel states to be freed
57	What was the last naval battle of the Civil War?	Battle of Palmito Ranch
58	What site marked Robert E. Lee’s surrender and the end of the Civil War?	Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia
59	Why was Maryland important for the Confederacy?	It surrounds Washington D.C on three sides
60	At which Battle did the famous charge organized by General George Pickett occur?	Battle of Gettysburg
61	On which date was President Lincoln assassinated?	April 15, 1865
62	Which Confederate general led a successful assault at Fort Pulaski in 1862?	General Robert E. Lee
63	What piece of legislation got President Lincoln the needed votes to pass the 13th Amendment?	The Wade-Davis Bill
64	In the Battle of Hampton Roads, which two ironclad warships fought?	USS Monitor and CSS Virginia
65	Which abolitionist’s assistant recorded the grim realities of a Mobile hospital in 1865?	George Grantham Bain
66	Who was the head Union engineer at the Siege of Petersburg?	Colonel Henry Pleasants
67	The failed assault at the battle of Fort Wagner was led by which union regiment?	The 54th Massachusetts
68	What significant action did the U.S government take in response to the Battle of Fort Sumter?	Declared a naval blockade on the Southern states
69	Who was the southern sympathizer who injured Union Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor?	Preston Brooks
70	What issue led to the secession of Southern states from the United States in 1860-1861?	Slavery
71	What famous network of Stopfiction-operated safe house was used to help escaped slaves reach freedom?	The Underground Railroad
72	What does the term ‘Border States’ refer to during the American Civil War?	Slave states that didn’t leave the Union
73	For which role is Mary Edwards Walker famous during the Civil War?	She was the first female U.S. Army surgeon
74	In which battle did the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment play a crucial role on the second day of fighting?	Battle of Gettysburg
75	In which Southern state was the Battle of Shiloh fought?	Tennessee
76	Which Confederate raid is of significance for capturing more than 2000 Union soldiers in four minutes?	The Great Locomotive Chase
77	The Battle of Gettysburg concluded on which date?	July 3,1863
78	Who turned down Lincoln’s command to lead the Union Army, because of his loyalty to Virginia?	Robert E. Lee
79	How were the soldiers transported in the Civil War?	By rail
80	Which Lincoln-assigned general came up with the concept of ‘total war’?	General William Tecumseh Sherman
81	In which battle did Stonewall Jackson pass away?	Battle of Chancellorsville
82	Who seized Harpers Ferry to erase the Supply line of Confederates?	Union General John Pope
83	In which Prison of Alabama, Union prisoners dug a tunnel for escaping which was remembered as ‘Immortal Six Hundred’,	Prison in Salisbury
84	In 1860 Presidential election, who secured only 40% of the popular votes, yet managed to become a president?	Abraham Lincoln
85	The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln had freeds slaves in which region?	In Confederacy states
86	After 4 long years of America’s deadlist conflict, finally Civil War ended in which spot?	In a private house at Appomattox in Virginia
87	Which event instigates the Civil War?	When Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter of South Carolina
88	What was the capital city of The Confederates?	Richmond
89	Which infamous Butler’s Order intended to demoralize Louisiana’s confederate women inciting them to riot for conquered New Orleans?	Order N o28
90	What was the largest city in the Confederacy?	New Orleans
91	What did the 15th Amendment do?	Gave all men regardless of race or color, the right to vote
92	Which was the final state to rejoin the Union after the Civil War?	Georgia
93	What does ‘cavalry’ refer to in terms of the Civil War?	Units of soldiers who fought on horseback
94	What was the name of the Confederate cruiser that wreaked havoc on Union shipping?	CSS Shenandoah
95	Which Massachusetts senator was a vocal abolitionist during the Civil War?	Charles Sumner
96	What was the number of states in the Union at the beginning of the Civil War?	34
97	Who served as the chief military advisor to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War?	General Henry W. Halleck
98	How many men served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War?	Approximately 750,000 to 1 million
99	Which writer documented the Civil War through poetry in his work ‘Drum-Taps’?	Walt Whitman
100	What Civil War era legislation facilitated westward expansion by providing federal funding for the construction of transcontinental railroads?	Pacific Railway Act

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Conclusion

Every historical event or era carries a story worth exploring, and such stories become even more meaningful when shared amongst friends during a fun-filled evening of quizzes and trivia. So, why wait? Stir up your typical game night with a scintillating round of history trivia or a Civil War quiz.

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as an evening filled with laughter, camaraderie, and knowledge. It’s a light-hearted way of making history more approachable while allowing everyone to learn and enjoy.

Until next time, Happy Quizzing!