History quiz — 10 questions
Here are 10 questions from the “History” quiz (992 questions in all), with their answer choices. Try to answer before opening “See the answer”. The selection changes every week.
At independence, the United States already had fifty states.
- True
- False
See the answer
False — There were thirteen; the fiftieth, Hawaii, was admitted only in 1959.
Which U.S. president telephoned the Apollo 11 astronauts on the Moon?
- Lyndon Johnson
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Richard Nixon
- John F. Kennedy
See the answer
Richard Nixon — From the Oval Office he spoke to the two men on the lunar surface, with the whole world watching.
Which mountain appears in the background of Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa"?
- Mount Fuji
- Mount Aso
- Mount Hiei
- Mount Kōya
See the answer
Mount Fuji — The print, from around 1831, belongs to the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji".
Which woman is nicknamed "the mother of the civil rights movement"?
- Dorothy Height
- Rosa Parks
- Coretta Scott King
- Ella Baker
See the answer
Rosa Parks — Her December 1955 arrest on a city bus set off a historic boycott.
Which U.S. state is named after the country's first president?
- Washington
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Virginia
See the answer
Washington — Washington is the only state named for a U.S. president.
Which king founded Mesopotamia's first empire around 2300 BC?
- Nebuchadnezzar
- Hammurabi
- Gilgamesh
- Sargon of Akkad
See the answer
Sargon of Akkad — His Akkadian empire stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean.
Which plant domesticated in the Andes became a staple food worldwide?
- Wheat
- Beet
- Rice
- Potato
See the answer
Potato — Andean farmers grew thousands of varieties; the Spanish brought it to Europe in the 16th century.
In what year did the USSR launch Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite?
- 1957
- 1961
- 1949
- 1965
See the answer
1957 — Its beeping, picked up around the world, kicked off the space race.
Which English king sealed Magna Carta in 1215?
- Henry II
- Richard the Lionheart
- Edward I
- King John
See the answer
King John — Rebel barons forced him to accept limits on his power.
In his 1933 inaugural address, Roosevelt said the only thing we have to fear is…
- Hunger
- Unemployment
- War
- Fear itself
See the answer
Fear itself — "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself": he spoke amid a banking and economic crisis.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the “History” quiz?
There are 992 free questions at the moment, and we keep adding more.
Do I need an account to play?
No. You can play right away, without an account. An account only adds your statistics, your rating and the rankings.
How are these 10 questions chosen?
They are drawn at random among the text questions of this category and change every week. For ten questions at your level, play a series: the difficulty adjusts to you.
How hard is this quiz?
Players answer 57% of the questions in this category correctly, on average (1,162 answers so far). The difficulty goes from Easy to Infernal and adjusts to your rating.
Where can I see the answers?
Under each question, open “See the answer”. Try to answer first!