History Trivia Quiz

History — multiple choice, with the answer and a fun fact a tap away.

Which English king was the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine?

Answer
Which English king was the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine?

Correct answer: Henry II.

Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II in 1152, two years before he became king of England; their sons Richard the Lionheart and John would both later wear the crown.

Which European power sold its rights to the Nicobar Islands to Britain in 1868, giving up its last colonial claim in South Asia?

Answer
Which European power sold its rights to the Nicobar Islands to Britain in 1868, giving up its last colonial claim in South Asia?

Correct answer: Denmark.

Denmark sold its claim to the Nicobar Islands to Britain on October 16, 1868, after earlier giving up its mainland Indian settlements.

Which first lady was a direct descendant of Pocahontas through the Bolling family line?

Answer
Which first lady was a direct descendant of Pocahontas through the Bolling family line?

Correct answer: Edith Wilson.

Edith Bolling Wilson traced her ancestry to Pocahontas; after Woodrow Wilson's 1919 stroke, she tightly controlled access to him.

Nostradamus is best known for astrology and prophecy, but his 1555 treatise also gave recipes for what?

Answer
Nostradamus is best known for astrology and prophecy, but his 1555 treatise also gave recipes for what?

Correct answer: fruit preserves.

His "Traite des fardements et confitures" covered cosmetics and preserves, including sweetened fruit preparations like jams and jellies.

Which ship was NOT one of the three boarded by colonists during the Boston Tea Party?

Answer
Which ship was NOT one of the three boarded by colonists during the Boston Tea Party?

Correct answer: William.

Colonists dumped tea from the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver in 1773; a fourth tea ship, the William, had run aground before reaching Boston.

Which U.S. president was never elected president or vice president?

Answer
Which U.S. president was never elected president or vice president?

Correct answer: Gerald Ford.

Ford was appointed vice president in 1973 after Spiro Agnew resigned, then became president in 1974 when Nixon resigned -- the only person to reach both offices without being elected to either.

Which orator delivered the roughly two-hour main address before Abraham Lincoln's brief Gettysburg Address?

Answer
Which orator delivered the roughly two-hour main address before Abraham Lincoln's brief Gettysburg Address?

Correct answer: Edward Everett.

Everett, the day's featured speaker, spoke for about two hours; he later wrote that Lincoln had said more in two minutes than he had in two hours.

Before Great Britain and its American colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, on what date did the legal new year begin?

Answer
Before Great Britain and its American colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, on what date did the legal new year begin?

Correct answer: March 25.

In England and its colonies the legal year began on March 25, "Lady Day," until the 1752 change moved New Year's Day to January 1.

After electric lighting was installed in the White House in 1891, which president left the switches for the staff because he and his wife feared a shock?

Answer
After electric lighting was installed in the White House in 1891, which president left the switches for the staff because he and his wife feared a shock?

Correct answer: Benjamin Harrison.

The Harrisons had the lights installed but were so wary of being shocked that they often left the switches for White House staff to operate.

Khrushchev's widely reported 1960 shoe-banging outburst at the United Nations followed criticism from a delegate of which country?

Answer
Khrushchev's widely reported 1960 shoe-banging outburst at the United Nations followed criticism from a delegate of which country?

Correct answer: the Philippines.

Accounts differ on the details, but the episode is usually tied to Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong's remarks about Soviet control of Eastern Europe.

We Value Your Opinion Comments

HBD2