Historical Events Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 146
In what year did the Nazis invade Poland?
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1939
What territory's annexation by the USA led Mexico to break off diplomatic relations in March 1845?
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texas
In 1964, Congress did not declare war on North Vietnam but instead approved a national war on what issue?
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poverty
In 1589, which country's Orthodox Church was recognized as an independent patriarchate under Boris Godunov?
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russia
Who escaped from Ford's Theatre on Good Friday 1865 despite having a broken left leg?
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john wilkes booth
What canal, opened on August 15, 1914, took years to construct?
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panama canal
Which French beverage industry did Alexis Millardet save from a plant lice plague in the 1860s?
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wine
Which British dependency voted in September 1967 to remain under British control, like a rock?
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gibraltar
To which city did Pope Gregory XI move the papacy in January of 1377?
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rome
On which ship did Clara Barton have lunch a few days before it exploded, while she was in her Red Cross office during the Spanish-American War?
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maine
On July 27, 1953, the armistice for which war was signed?
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korean war
In 1270, King Louis IX of France died while leading the eighth one of what series of religious military expeditions?
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crusades
Who outlined his 'Fourteen Points' to the U.S. Congress on January 8, 1918?
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woodrow wilson
Which island experienced a population decline of about 2 million due to a potato famine in the 1840s?
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ireland
In 1812, a massive earthquake devastated which city that is now the capital of Venezuela?
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caracas
What significant event in 1789 led to the end of the 'Ancien Regime' government in France?
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french revolution
Who took refuge in the Vatican embassy in Panama City on Christmas Eve in 1989?
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manuel noriega
Which island borough voted to conduct a study on the possibility of seceding from New York City in 1990?
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staten island
In which country did Melbourne serve as an outfitting center for prospectors during a gold rush?
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australia
In which Scandinavian country did a Soviet nuclear-powered submarine sink on April 7, 1989?
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norway
In which country was segregation in practice long before the formal introduction of apartheid in 1948?
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south africa
In 1999, a California man sparked protests by displaying a picture of Ho Chi Minh and the flag of which country?
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vietnam
What famous fortification was stormed on Tuesday, July 14, 1789, marking the start of the French Revolution?
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bastille
Which country experienced the assassination of Alexander II just 9 days after Garfield's inauguration?
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russia
In 1860, what island did Garibaldi's capture of Palermo and Naples lead to it being annexed to Italy?
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sicily
What major political event in August 1968 was marred by riots in Chicago?
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democratic national convention
In 1989, cosmonauts voted by radio from space during elections held in March in which country?
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soviet union
In 1989, George Bush had the DEA buy drugs in a park across from which significant American building to show on TV?
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white house
Who was the Prime Minister of India when the Union Carbide pesticide plant leaked on December 3, 1984?
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rajiv gandhi
In January 1981, which country did President Reagan welcome home the 52 hostages who had been held for 444 days?
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iran
What was abolished in Brazil in 1888, 23 years after it was abolished in the United States?
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slavery
In 1971, where did a 5-day siege occur in western New York, resulting in the deaths of 42 people?
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attica
What 1848 event ultimately led to the establishment of the San Francisco Mint?
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gold rush
Who was the man described as being 'Shot To Death In Jail Corridor By A Dallas Citizen' according to a New York Times headline on November 25, 1963?
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lee harvey oswald
In which year was Nathan Hale executed for spying?
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1776
Which city did Victor Emmanuel seize from Pope Pius IX in 1870 to complete the kingdom of modern Italy?
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rome
What 1968 military offensive had its deadliest fighting in the ancient city of Hue?
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tet offensive
What color was Trotsky's Soviet army in 1918, opposing the anti-Bolsheviks known as the 'Whites'?
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red
At which palace did Victoria and Albert have their grand wedding breakfast before their honeymoon at Windsor?
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buckingham palace
Which party led by Lenin emerged victorious in the October Revolution of 1917?
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bolsheviks
On what holiday did Washington cross the Delaware and surprise the Hessians at Trenton during the American Revolution?
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christmas
Which British company owned the tea that was thrown into Boston Harbor during the event in 1773 known as the Boston Tea Party?
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east india company
Which country was expelled from the League of Nations in 1939 for attacking Finland?
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soviet union
Which country agreed to search its banks for the assets of Holocaust victims on December 11, 1996?
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switzerland
What British liner was sunk in May 1915, indirectly influencing the United States to enter World War I?
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lusitania
At which site did Washington reorganize his army during the winter of 1777?
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valley forge
What 1871 event did the Water Tower in Chicago survive, having been completed in 1869?
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fire
What major accident did Pravda publish its first major account of on May 5, 1986?
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chernobyl
In the Persian Gulf War, when Iraq invaded which neighbor did its emir, Sheik Jabir Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, flee to Saudi Arabia?
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kuwait
Which U.S. Navy ship was seized by North Korea on January 23, 1968, with its crew held captive for almost a year?
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pueblo
Which event in 1770 Massachusetts led to 2 soldiers being branded on the thumb for their involvement?
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boston massacre
What holiday did FDR move from November 30 to November 23 in 1939?
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thanksgiving
In which month does the USSR celebrate the anniversary of the October Revolution?
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november
What type of vehicle was first robbed on May 5, 1865, when crooks derailed it?
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train
What was the name of the labor union in Poland that went underground after it was outlawed in 1982?
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solidarity
In what year did a highly controversial U.S. presidential election nearly lead the country into a second civil war?
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1876
In which country was Emperor Jean Jacques Dessalines killed near Port-au-Prince in 1806?
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haiti
Which ship's mysterious sinking is remembered as a pivotal event that helped spark the Spanish-American War?
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maine
Who was released from a South African jail on February 11, 1990, after being imprisoned for approximately 27 years?
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nelson mandela
In 1609, which country expelled Christianized Muslims known as Moriscos?
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spain