Historical Figures Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 1307
Who was the WWI air-power advocate court-martialed for insubordination and later awarded the Medal of Honor?
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billy mitchell
Which man was accused of being a spy by Whittaker Chambers but was later declared not to be one by Russia after checking files?
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alger hiss
Which Surgeon General called for an end to 'happy hours' to reduce drunk driving at a press conference on May 31, 1989?
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c. everett koop
Who is known as 'The Mother of the Girl Scouts'?
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juliette gordon low
In 2000, which black militant, who later became known as Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, was arrested after an Atlanta shooting?
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h. rap brown
Who was sworn in as the 108th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in August 1994?
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stephen breyer
Which philosopher, known for the work 'Leviathan,' had last words that included a reference to his 'leap in the dark'?
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thomas hobbes
In which Scandinavian country did Margrethe II become the world's youngest queen regnant at age 49?
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denmark
Which much-loved British queen celebrated her diamond jubilee in 1897?
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queen victoria
Which country did Antonio Salazar take control of in 1928 and rule as a dictator for 40 years?
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portugal
Which future educator was freed from slavery at age 9 and worked in a coal mine while attending school?
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booker t. washington
Who founded the Girl Scouts of America after organizing troops of Girl Guides in Scotland?
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juliette gordon low
Which future U.S. president wrote in 1859, 'He who would be no slave must consent to have no slave'?
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abraham lincoln
Which German chancellor, in 1987, claimed to have been underestimated for decades and said it had worked out very well for him?
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helmut kohl
What did Martin Luther King, Jr. say he had seen when he went up to the mountain the night before his death?
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promised land
Which female personality was paroled from a women's prison in Alderson, W.Va. in 1956 after serving 6 years for treason?
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tokyo rose
Who wrote in his last 'Crisis' essay of 1783, 'The times that tried men's souls are over'?
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thomas paine
Who was the last emperor of Ethiopia whose body was found under an old palace in 2000 and later moved to a tomb with a view?
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haile selassie
On January 24, 1965, Winston Churchill died exactly 70 years after which prominent British politician, his father?
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lord randolph churchill
Who was the former Panamanian dictator found guilty of drug trafficking by a Miami jury in 1992?
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manuel noriega
Who was named Time's Man of the Year in 1935 and is known as an emperor often referred to as the 'Lion of Judah'?
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haile selassie
Pedro I, emperor of Brazil, was the son of King John VI of which country?
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portugal
Who did the Populists nominate for president during their May 1900 meeting in South Dakota?
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william jennings bryan
Which U.S. President was hired as a mining engineer at Coolgardie, Australia in 1897?
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herbert hoover
Who is the 12th century Muslim warrior symbolized by the eagle on Egypt's coat of arms?
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saladin
Which flamboyantly gay playwright, known for 'Dr. Faustus,' was a spy and was stabbed in the head in 1593?
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christopher marlowe
Who is the English cabinetmaker, born around 1718, known for his influential designs, and whose father also made furniture?
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thomas chippendale
Which abolitionist and editor of the North Star once served as recorder of deeds in Washington, D.C.?
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frederick douglass
Who was allowed into heaven with his mount Al-Buraq?
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muhammad
Who established the Christian Science Monitor in 1908?
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mary baker eddy
Who was the man that purchased Manhattan from the Native Americans and later became the governor of New Sweden?
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peter minuit
Which sheriff, who shot Billy the Kid and was later appointed a customs collector by Teddy Roosevelt, is known in history for his law enforcement career?
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pat garrett
Which count introduced the potato as food to Lombardy and the battery to the world?
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alessandro volta
Who purchased the settlement that he named New Amsterdam, known today as Manhattan, for a few trinkets?
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peter minuit
Which military leader, known for his roles in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, resigned on November 1, 1861, as head of the Union army during the Civil War?
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winfield scott
Which influential ex-slave and orator lived in a house from 1877-1895 that has now become a popular tourist attraction in Washington?
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frederick douglass
Which French Protestant reformer passed away in Geneva in the year 1564?
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john calvin
Who served as the commissar for art in Vitebsk (now in Belarus) in 1918 and 1919?
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marc chagall
Which handicapped Frenchman is the subject of 'The World at His Fingertips'?
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louis braille
Who commanded 3 brigs, 5 schooners, and a sloop on Lake Erie during the War of 1812?
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oliver hazard perry
Who wrote a book in 1979 about his Watergate experiences titled 'To Set The Record Straight'?
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john sirica
Which Southern state, known for its feisty history, was the home state of John Rutledge, who left the U.S. Supreme Court in 1791 to become its chief justice?
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south carolina
Which First Lady began wearing her iconic bangs while living with her military husband in the Panama Canal Zone?
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mamie eisenhower
In which city was Marco Polo born before spending decades in Asia?
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venice
At age 15, which future New York Tribune editor was apprenticed to a printer in East Poultney?
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horace greeley
What middle name of James Hoffa is known for being enigmatic?
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riddle
In which U.S. state did Nellie Tayloe Ross serve as the first woman governor before her death in 1977 at the age of 101?
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wyoming
Which Chiricahua Apache leader was held under government control from his capture in 1886 until his death in 1909?
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geronimo
Which settlement house did Jane Addams establish after being inspired by a visit to Toynbee Hall in England?
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hull house
Which conquistador was offered a roomful of gold by the Incan ruler Atahualpa in exchange for his freedom?
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francisco pizarro
Who is known for using a lamp to light her way on rounds in the Scutari Hospital wards during the Crimean War?
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florence nightingale
Which extravagant first lady was reportedly rescued from falling to her death on a ship by Sarah Bernhardt?
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mary todd lincoln
Which Norwegian explorer reached Nome in 1906 after completing a voyage through the Northwest Passage?
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roald amundsen
Which prominent physicist was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany, and passed away on April 18, 1955, in Princeton, New Jersey?
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albert einstein
Who was named honorary president of what became Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1939?
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margaret sanger
Which slave, who was 30 years younger than Thomas Jefferson, is believed by some biographers to have had several children with him?
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sally hemings
Which country had King Harold III, who was the half-brother of St. Olaf?
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norway
Who became the first citizen of the Soviet Union to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975?
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andrei sakharov
Who took control of Cuba on March 10, 1952, and remained in power until being deposed on January 1, 1959?
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fulgencio batista
Who was known as the 'One-Legged Governor' of New Netherland?
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peter stuyvesant