Can You Pass This World History Quiz?

By: Michael Moraitis
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Pass This World History Quiz?
Image: Wiki commons

About This Quiz

World history, huh? There's just so much that has happened over the many millennia that this planet has existed for (and we're not even talking about the time dinosaurs roamed if you believe in the Big Bang thing, that is). We're talking about the time when man existed and was intelligent enough to start making records of his doings, inventions, and even crimes. Do you think you can answer these questions about the world's history?

We're going to ask you the creator of the printing press and when the first 'modern' Olympic games were held. We want to know what you know about the Cold War and if you know the names of the cities which suffered atomic bombings. We also want to know who created the Mona Lisa, which party the infamous Adolf Hitler ran and what battle a certain short man (also debatable) was defeated at. 

If you can't answer these questions of this brief glimpse of our quiz, then we're not sure you'll be in the minority of people who can actually pass this test. 

But if you want to try and if you call yourself a history buff, go ahead and give this quiz a whirl. 


What scandal forced U.S. President Richard Nixon to resign in 1974?
Watergate
Iran Contra
Lewinsky Scandal
Whitewater
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Nixon was the first and only U.S. president to resign. Only Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson have been impeached.

The Cuban Revolution led to the rise of what dictator?
Rafael Trujillo
Che Guevara
Fidel Castro
Augusto Pinochet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With the help of Guevara, Castro led an armed revolution against then-Cuban president Fulgencio Batista. Castro's movement was called the 26th of July Movement.

Along with Hiroshima, Japan, which Japanese city was hit by an atomic bomb in 1945?
Tokyo
Nagasaki
Osaka
Nagoya
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The two cities were struck by the United States just three days apart. It led to Japan's unconditional surrender in World War II.

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Who was the first female prime minister of Britain?
Florence Nightingale
Margaret Thatcher
Queen Elizabeth II
Jane Austen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thatcher was prime minister from 1979 to 1990. She was a member of the Conservative Party.

Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln?
Lee Harvey Oswald
James Earl Ray
John Wilkes Booth
Leon Czolgosz
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lincoln was assassinated by Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., in 1865. He was succeeded by Andrew Johnson.

Adolf Hitler was the leader of which party?
Communist Party
Nazi Party
Republican Fascist Party
none of the above.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and was later elected president in 1934. It was an unprecedented consolidation of power.

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Which continent was devastated by the Black Death in the 1300s?
North America
South America
Europe
Africa
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Black Death came to Europe by sea when 12 ships of infected people arrived at a Sicilian port. The plague took an estimated 20 million lives in Europe.

What charter was passed by King John of England in 1215?
Mayflower Compact
Magna Carta
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Magna Carta means "Great Charter." It was a list of liberties given to the English people by King John, in the wake of a revolt.

What acquisition of territory by the United States from France happened in 1803?
Louisiana Purchase
Alaskan Purchase
the annexation of Texas
none of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lewis and Clark led the expedition to explore the newly purchased territory. It about doubled the size of the country.

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Along with the United States, what other world power was a major player in the War of 1812?
Mexico
Japan
Italy
Great Britain
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The British attempt to restrict U.S. trade and America's desire to expand its territory were a few of the causes of the War of 1812.

The Cold War was between the United States and what other world power?
Soviet Union
Japan
China
Canada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cold War started shortly after World War II and lasted until 1991. A major difference in beliefs and lack of trust between the two nations was the cause.

The Reign of Terror was a period during which major social and political event?
American Revolution
Cuban Revolution
Haitian Revolution
French Revolution
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It is estimated that 17,000 people were tried and executed during the Reign of Terror, with countless others dying in prison.

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Where were the first modern Olympics held in 1896?
France
Italy
Greece
England
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. The Olympics date all the way back to 776 BC.

Who created the first successful printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg
Nikola Tesla
Benjamin Franklin
Henry Ford
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

With his printing press, Gutenberg began his Bible project and printed approximately 200 Bibles. About 50 Gutenberg Bibles still exist today.

Which world power sent the first human into space?
United States
France
China
Soviet Union
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man sent to space in 1961. He successfully orbited the planet in 89 minutes.

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What military leader, who later became an emperor, rose to power during the French Revolution?
Louis XVI
Marquis de Lafayette
Napoleon Bonaparte
Maximilien de Robespierre
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After the revolution, Napoleon made himself emperor in 1804. He conquered much of Europe in the 19th century.

In which year did World War I start?
1914
1917
1937
1941
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria kicked off World War I. The conflict ended in 1918.

The Protestant Reformation was started by whom?
John Calvin
Francis Bacon
Voltaire
Martin Luther
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Calvin helped carry on with the movement, it was started by Luther. The publication of Luther's 95 Theses is considered to be the start of the reformation.

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On what date was Julius Caesar assassinated in Rome?
April 15th
March 15th
May 15th
February 15th
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The date is also known as The Ides of March. Julius Caesar's death led to the end of the Roman Republic.

In what battle was Napoleon Bonaparte famously defeated in 1815?
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Waterloo
Invasion of Normandy
Tet Offensive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It marked the end of the reign of Napoleon and France's dominance of Europe. He lived out his days in exile until his death in 1821.

Eva Peron was the first lady of what country?
Colombia
Peru
Argentina
Brazil
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Perhaps more well known as Evita, Maria Eva Duarte de Peron was the wife of Argentine president Juan Peron. She was first lady from 1946 until her death in 1952.

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Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
Buzz Aldrin
John Glenn
Neil Armstrong
Yuri Gagarin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While the United States lost the race to space, the U.S. was successful in putting the first man on the moon in 1969.

Who was not a member of the Allied Powers during World War II?
United States
Great Britain
Soviet Union
Italy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Allied Powers consisted of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, among others. The Axis Powers were Germany, Italy and Japan, among others.

Which of these men was not an important figure during the Renaissance?
Michelangelo
Francis Bacon
Leonardo da Vinci
Adam Smith
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Renaissance followed the Middle Ages in Europe and was a cultural rebirth that took place from the 14th to the 17th century.

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"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth" is a well-known phrase from what collection of 282 laws?
The 10 Commandments
English Law
The Code of Hammurabi
U.S. Constitution
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hammurabi ruled the Babylonian Empire from 1792-50 B.C.E. As he conquered more territory, the Mesopotamian king decided a system of laws was needed.

Which of these rivers is associated with The Fertile Crescent?
Tigris
Euphrates
Nile
all of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Fertile Crescent was an area containing moist and fertile land that stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.

Who was responsible for liberating much of South America?
Manuel Noriega
Agustin de Iturbide
Simon Bolivar
Charles III
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Known as "El Liberator," Bolivar was responsible for the liberation of Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Colombia from Spanish rule.

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Which Roman Emperor's Edict of Milan made Christianity legal?
Augustus
Nero
Marcus Aurelius
Constantine
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Constantine himself converted to Christianity and was the first Roman Emperor to do so. He renamed the capital city Constantinople, which stood for over 1,000 years.

What was another name for the Cuban Missile Crisis?
October Crisis
Caribbean Crisis
Missile Scare
all of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cuban Missile Crisis went by many names. It was arguably the closest the United States and Soviet Union came to a physical confrontation.

What was the name of the first computer?
ENIAC
INIAC
CAINE
CNIEC
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Invented by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania, ENIAC used 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighed nearly 30 tons. Parts of the huge machine are on display in the Smithsonian.

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Who painted the "Mona Lisa" and "The Last Supper"?
Michelangelo
Pablo Picasso
Rembrandt
Leonardo da Vinci
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On top of being a painter, da Vinci was an inventor and architect. He believed art was connected with science and nature.

What African nation successfully resisted European colonialism in the late 19th century?
Ethiopia
Nigeria
Ghana
Cameroon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On March 1st, 1896, Menelik II and his army were successful in defeating the Italians at the Battle of Adwa.

Which civilization was centered around the city of Tenochtitlan?
Mayan
Incan
Olmec
Aztec
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Aztec Empire was located in central Mexico. Invaders led by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes overthrew the Aztecs in 1521.

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Who wrote "The Communist Manifesto"?
Karl Marx
Friedrich Engels
both Marx and Engels
none of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marx wrote "The Communist Manifesto" with the assistance of Engels. It was published in London by the Communist League.

What was the first dynasty of Imperial China?
Qin dynasty
Ming dynasty
Tang dynasty
Han dynasty
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Qin dynasty lasted from 221-206 B.C. It is also responsible for building much of The Great Wall of China.

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