Historical Figures Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 264
Which deposed First Lady became a citizen of Tonga in 1991?
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imelda marcos
Who was the first president of International Planned Parenthood and came from a family of 11 children?
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margaret sanger
At what age did Louis XIV declare, 'Today I am a man,' and remove his mother as regent?
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13
Which 19th century American naval officer was in command of the U.S.S. Fulton when he opened U.S. trade with Japan?
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matthew perry
In 1986, which Nobel Prize winner was allowed to return to Moscow after a 6-year exile in Gorky?
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andrei sakharov
Which educational institution did Stonewall Jackson join as an instructor in 1851?
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virginia military institute
In a 1980s letter, which Soviet leader said Samantha Smith reminded him of 'Becky, Tom Sawyer's friend'?
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yuri andropov
Which philosopher and economist was named lord rector of the University of Glasgow in 1787?
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adam smith
Who was the Dutch-born dancer executed by firing squad in Vincennes in 1917?
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mata hari
Which Roman emperor became cruel and mentally unbalanced following a serious illness in 37 A.D.?
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caligula
Who offered a $50,000 reward in 1898 through his New York Journal for the detection of the perpetrator of the 'Maine Outrage'?
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william randolph hearst
Which former premier of the Soviet Union was denied a state funeral when he died in 1971?
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nikita khrushchev
Who was the chief justice who wrote the opinion in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954?
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earl warren
Who, along with his son Louis the Pious, established Aachen as the capital of the Frankish kingdom during the Middle Ages?
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charlemagne
Who was the editor that founded the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1832?
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william lloyd garrison
On which Hawaiian island did Belgian priest Father Damien minister to lepers?
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molokai
Which religious leader, who was briefly a Baptist and later a non-denominational Christian, founded Rhode Island as a center of religious liberty?
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roger williams
Who began marketing packaged frozen fish in 1925?
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clarence birdseye
Who is the individual mediums still hope to receive a specially coded message from, and who died on October 31, 1926?
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harry houdini
Who is known for undertaking long fasts during the Vietnam War and the 1980 Iran hostage crisis?
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dick gregory
Who was nicknamed 'The Steel King'?
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andrew carnegie
What is the name of the woman who allegedly murdered her parents with an ax in 1892 and died in 1927?
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lizzie borden
Who began delivering supplies to the Civil War wounded at the age of 39 in 1861?
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clara barton
Who is the founder of the New York Post whose portrait appears on the ten-dollar bill?
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alexander hamilton
Which woman from Lesbos did Plato refer to as the 'tenth muse'?
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sappho
Who was the first woman to run for the U.S. presidency and was married at age 15?
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victoria woodhull
Who was the husband of Sarah, who became chairperson of Handgun Control Inc. in 1989?
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james brady
Which founder did Rhode Island commemorate with a statue in Statuary Hall in 1872?
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roger williams
Who became the second wife of a Ugandan president in 1975, identified only as a 19-year-old soldier named Sarah?
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idi amin
Who wrote about 60% of the essays in 'The Federalist'?
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alexander hamilton
Which superintendent of Union army nurses during the Civil War was known as the 'Gentle Warrior'?
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dorothea dix
Which 19th-century little 'general' is featured in the Hertzberg Circus Collection in San Antonio?
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tom thumb
Who was the historical figure known for her adventurous life and the possible loss of her parents while they were settling in Salt Lake City?
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calamity jane
Which admiral was involved in the surrender of Manila in 1898, alongside General Merritt, marking the end of the Spanish-American War?
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george dewey
Who was the first head of Tuskegee Institute, for whom the high school Martin Luther King, Jr. graduated from at age 15 was named?
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booker t. washington
What alias did Robert Leroy Parker adopt in honor of a rustler he rode with as a teenager?
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butch cassidy
Who was the chief whose death in 1618 led to his brother Opitchapam succeeding him and was also Pocahontas' father?
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powhatan
Which historical figure was not allowed to be seen in public with Adolf Hitler?
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eva braun
Who became a government inspector of schools in Italy in 1922?
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maria montessori
In 1975, which swimmer who crossed the English Channel had a New Jersey park named after her?
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gertrude ederle
In 1889, who constructed the first library in the U.S. located in Braddock, PA?
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andrew carnegie
Who is known as 'The Hero of Lake Erie'?
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oliver hazard perry
Which historical figure not only opened U.S. trade with Japan but also helped found Liberia as a haven for free blacks?
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matthew perry
Who opened her first 'casa dei bambini' in 1907, a school for the children of a Roman slum?
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maria montessori
In a 1974 taped message, which woman declared 'I have chosen to stay and fight' and mentioned that she had been given the name Tania?
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patty hearst
Which historic woman used proceeds from selling souvenir hatchets to fund a home for the wives of alcoholics?
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carrie nation
After losing the American Revolution, Gen. Cornwallis became Governor-General of which Asian country?
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india
Who is estimated to have preached over 40,000 sermons and is the founder of Methodism?
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john wesley
Who served as press director for Burma's interim government after it voted for independence and later became a United Nations Secretary-General?
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u thant
Who was the first king of Israel and the father of Ishbosheth?
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saul
Which actress and orange-seller was famously favored by Charles II?
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nell gwyn
Which 91-year-old industrialist was pardoned by George Bush for his illegal contributions to Nixon's campaign?
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armand hammer
Which country did Prince William of Denmark become king of in 1863, taking the name King George I?
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greece
Who became Kenya's first prime minister when the country gained its independence from Britain on December 12, 1963?
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jomo kenyatta
Which famous inventor's father created a phonetic 'visible speech' system for teaching the deaf?
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alexander graham bell
Who began publishing the New York Tribune on April 10, 1841?
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horace greeley
What is the name of the 'Lady' whose father, the Duke of Suffolk, made her challenge Mary Tudor for the throne?
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lady jane grey
Who was the former First Lady who served as president of the Dramatic Club at the Girls' Latin School in Chicago?
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nancy reagan
In 1952, who told the House Un-American Activities Committee, 'I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions'?
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lillian hellman
Who was the First Lady of the United States when Marie Antoinette was executed?
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martha washington