Historical Events Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 131
Which British colony saw its governor, Chris Patten, leave on July 1, 1997 on the royal yacht Britannia?
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hong kong
Which country lost Norway to Sweden as a result of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814?
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denmark
Which canal was the focus of the crisis in 1956 that Lester Pearson helped to defuse, earning him the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize?
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suez canal
Which republic did Gorbachev visit in 1988 after cutting short his trip to NYC due to a 6.9 earthquake?
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armenia
In what year did Frank Sinatra pass away?
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1998
In which country did President Bush attend an anti-drug summit on February 15, 1990, in Cartagena?
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colombia
What was the 1898-1900 uprising in which approximately 250 foreign missionaries and 32,000 Chinese Christians were killed?
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boxer rebellion
In 1147, Eleanor of Aquitaine accompanied her first husband, King Louis VII, on which significant religious military expedition?
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crusades
Which country did 52 people leave on January 20, 1981, making world headlines?
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iran
In May 1991, which Indian leader was killed by a bomb along with 16 others, including the assassin?
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rajiv gandhi
What gloomy yet 'colorful' phrase is used to describe October 19, 1987?
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black monday
Which British liner was sunk by the Germans on May 7, 1915, because it carried 173 tons of rifle ammunition and shells?
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lusitania
In 1869, a scheme to corner which commodity resulted in the event known as 'Black Friday'?
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gold
Which bandleader's plane went missing on December 15, 1944?
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glenn miller
Which power reconquered Britain in 296 and subsequently divided it into 4 provinces?
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rome
What major volcanic eruption occurred in the Cascade Range on May 18, 1980?
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mount st. helens
Which organization was formed by 6 countries signing the Treaty of Rome on March 25, 1957?
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european economic community
At the age of 9, Hannibal swore eternal hatred for which city at the behest of his father?
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rome
Who was the athlete honored by a memorial powwow and games coinciding with the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles?
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jim thorpe
In which island chain did U.S. forces recapture Attu from the Japanese in late May 1943 during World War II?
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aleutian islands
During the airlift from mid-1948 to late-1949, into which city were an average of 4,000 tons of provisions flown daily?
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berlin
Which Pacific island group did the U.S. purchase from Spain for $20 million after the Spanish-American War?
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philippines
Who was elected President of the Russian Republic while Gorbachev was headed for Washington?
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boris yeltsin
Which nation hosted both a 1992 Olympics and a World's Fair to mark the 5th centennial of American exploration?
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spain
Which company received $1.5 billion in loan guarantees after President Carter signed a bill in 1980?
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chrysler
Adrian IV crowned Frederick I emperor of which entity after Frederick delivered foe Arnold of Brescia to him?
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holy roman empire
Which city was reopened to Christians by the First Crusade in 1099 after being closed to them in 1071?
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jerusalem
Which romantic Italian city hosted an economic summit in 1987?
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venice
Which large country ceased fighting in 1917 after the United States entered World War I?
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russia
In 1950, from Cap Gris-Nez to Dover, Florence Chadwick swam across which body of water?
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english channel
In 1992, Bush sent 4,500 troops into which U.S. city to quell riots?
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los angeles
What did Mrs. Harrison have installed in the White House that she and Benjamin were afraid to turn on and off?
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electricity
In 1919, which country adopted a new constitution that established the Reichstag and the Reichsrat?
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germany
In 1492, Columbus reached America and which group of invaders were finally defeated in Spain?
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moors
Who shot Martin Luther King, Jr. almost one year after escaping from Missouri State Penitentiary?
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james earl ray
At what time did Paul Revere's ride take place according to the famous poem?
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midnight
In 963, who was deposed from office by Holy Roman Emperor Otto I and replaced by Leo VIII?
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pope
What British dependency did China plan to dismantle the government of when it took over in 1997?
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hong kong
Which country was taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1517 when they installed a pasha, and is currently ruled by a Mubarak?
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egypt
What series of holy wars against the Muslims led to the establishment of trade with the Middle East?
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crusades
Who celebrated her golden jubilee in 1887?
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queen victoria
In 1621, at a celebratory dinner for which holiday did colonists first taste popcorn?
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thanksgiving
What event did Georgia experience in 1828 that occurred 21 years before the same event in California?
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gold rush
Which region declared itself a republic and seceded from Nigeria on May 30, 1967?
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biafra
From which English port city did the Mayflower depart on September 16, 1620?
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plymouth
Who was released from Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town on February 11, 1990, making world headlines?
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nelson mandela
Which country was targeted by U.S. cruise missiles on September 3, 1996 for attacking Kurdish territory?
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iraq
In 1997, $13,000 was the high bid for the lock from the door of which committee's burglarized headquarters during the Watergate scandal?
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democratic national committee
In 1931, Alfonso XIII was forced to leave which country and died in exile in Rome 10 years later?
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spain
What 1773 event did John Adams describe as having 'a dignity, a majesty...in this last effort of the patriots that I greatly admire'?
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boston tea party
In March 1995, in which city did a subway experience a nerve gas attack?
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tokyo
What is the term for a sudden overthrow of a political system, such as the one Iran experienced in 1979?
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revolution
Which country's Czar Paul I was assassinated in 1801 with the approval of his own son due to his cruel and tyrannical rule?
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russia
For what action was Susan B. Anthony arrested in 1872?
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voting
What historic prison's storming was commemorated by a parade on July 14, 1989, marking its 200th anniversary?
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bastille
What was the name of the fleet that Philip II sent to England in 1588 in an attempt to restore Catholicism?
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spanish armada
Which religion was declared legal by Constantine in 313 in Ancient Rome?
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christianity
Who were the people who lost the city of Granada in 1492 to the army of Ferdinand and Isabella?
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moors
In 1916, which guerrilla leader did General Pershing pursue into Mexico on orders from Woodrow Wilson?
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pancho villa
What did Gorbachev refer to when he said, 'Nothing is eternal,' in response to a question about its potential downfall?
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berlin wall