Historical Figures Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 1307
Which first lady did Tom Selleck say helped him overcome his fear of dancing with the Princess of Wales?
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nancy reagan
Which armed service did historian George Bancroft serve as Secretary of when he established its academy in Maryland?
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united states navy
Who succeeded Moshe Sharett as Israeli Foreign Minister in June 1956?
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golda meir
Which king of the Franks, known as 'King Father of Europe,' was referred to as Rex Pater Europae?
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charlemagne
Who declared 'This is the place!' when he saw the valley of the Great Salt Lake in 1847?
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brigham young
What is the name of Ptolemy XII's daughter whose name means 'Father's Glory'?
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cleopatra
In which country did Manuel Noriega open Banco Institucional Patria during the 1980s?
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panama
Which current Israeli Prime Minister fought the British as a member of the 'Stern Gang' in the 1940s?
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yitzhak shamir
Who became a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Cincinnati in 1971 after making a significant achievement in space exploration?
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neil armstrong
Who resigned his Southern Baptist ministry in 1987 to run in the primaries?
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pat robertson
Which historical figure popularized the use of his initial, 'N', as a decorative motif during the Empire period?
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napoleon
Who sent musical notes over the wire months before his famous message to Watson?
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alexander graham bell
Which famous American patriot had a father who changed his name from Apollos de Revoire to make it easier for others to pronounce?
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paul revere
Which queen was portrayed by Tallulah Bankhead, prompting a critic to say she 'barged down the Nile...and sank'?
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cleopatra
Who was the PT-109 skipper in 1943 that helped save the lives of his crew and won a Purple Heart?
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john f. kennedy
Whose tombstone in London bears the revolutionary inscription 'Workers of All Lands Unite'?
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karl marx
Who was named 'Outstanding Mother of the Year' in 1984 while her husband was the vice president?
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barbara bush
Which woman, who is now a Republican, helped found the Coalition for a Democratic Majority in 1972?
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jeane kirkpatrick
Who was the beagle, Edgar, named after, who was given to LBJ?
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j. edgar hoover
Which treasury secretary, who served in 1791, originally created the Bank of the U.S. which Andrew Jackson later opposed?
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alexander hamilton
Which First Lady, a native of Independence, Missouri, lived to be almost 98 years old?
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bess truman
Which country was Charles Stewart Parnell nicknamed 'The Uncrowned King Of'?
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ireland
Which future Queen of France was proposed to by a young Mozart after she picked him up from the floor as a child?
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marie antoinette
From which country was the 17th-century sculptor Juan Martinez Montanes, known for his exceptional wood carvings?
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spain
Who returned to the throne in Ethiopia in 1941 after spending 5 years in exile?
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haile selassie
Who is the criminal known as 'Pretty Boy' and mentioned in 'The Grapes of Wrath'?
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pretty boy floyd
In which Maryland city did the Duchess of Windsor grow up after being born in Blue Ridge Summitt, Pennsylvania?
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baltimore
Which craftsman designed the first official seal of the Colonies and the first issue of Continental currency during the American Revolution?
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paul revere
Who was the first First Lady to have a chair and a sewing table named after her?
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martha washington
Which historical figure is the subject of a biography subtitled 'Patriot and Traitor' detailing his turn to the British cause?
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benedict arnold
Who wrote 'These are the times that try men's souls' while encamped with Washington's troops in 1776?
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thomas paine
Which clinic did Dr. Benjamin Spock reportedly work at, despite his wife's disdain for the harsh Minnesota winters?
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mayo clinic
Who was the nemesis of Napoleon, born in Dublin where his father was the Earl of Mornington and a music professor?
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wellington
From 1981 to 1985, Jeane Kirkpatrick served as America's first female ambassador to which organization?
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united nations
In 1988, which PLO leader was barred from entering the U.S. and had to address the U.N. General Assembly in Geneva?
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yasser arafat
Who was the great French actress who bought a Paris theatre in the 1890s and renamed it for herself?
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sarah bernhardt
Who was the 6th ruler of the Amorite dynasty of Babylon, best known for his code of laws?
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hammurabi
Who was the first layman chosen as president of Princeton in 1902?
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woodrow wilson
In November 1988, The New York Times issued a correction for misstating the shoe size of which former Philippine first lady?
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imelda marcos
Who was the nearly 6-foot tall temperance advocate known for her strength and use of a hatchet to smash saloons?
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carrie nation
Who earned a master of arts degree from the University of Erfurt in 1505 and later became a prominent Protestant reformer?
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martin luther
Whose grave in Boston is claimed by some to belong to a famous nursery rhyme storyteller?
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mother goose
Who was the philosopher whose death prompted Aristotle to leave the Academy after 20 years?
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plato
Who is the 19th century citizen from Hannibal, Mo. for whom a memorial bridge is named?
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mark twain
In which Michigan city, known for its cereal production, did Sojourner Truth die in her house on College Street?
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battle creek, michigan
What type of vehicle did Wild Bill Hickok drive on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails?
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stagecoach
Who is the Scottish-born steel magnate known for the quotation, 'Upon the sacredness of property civilization itself depends'?
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andrew carnegie
Which general's wife, Mary, had Arlington House and its grounds confiscated by the Union in 1864?
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robert e. lee
Who was the Pilgrim whose descendant Ichabod commanded a New York fort and is known for saying 'speak for yourself'?
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john alden
Which famous French writer was imprisoned in the Bastille for speaking too candidly, but later lived in a mansion on Ile St-Louis?
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voltaire
Who was the famous Nebraskan father of Ruth Bryan Owen, who served in the U.S. House from 1929-33?
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william jennings bryan
Who was named Time's Man of the Year in 1995 for his relentless pursuit of conservative ideals?
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newt gingrich
Which 1950s First Lady's hairstyle with iconic bangs became a symbol of her personal style?
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mamie eisenhower
Under which philosopher did Alexander the Great study Greek culture and literature as a youth?
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aristotle
Who was the ancient Egyptian pharaoh whose tomb was discovered in 1922, containing whips, fans, jewelry, and a gold mask?
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tutankhamun
Which 'fiery' Roman emperor reportedly said, 'I have only to sing to have peace once more in Gaul'?
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nero
What is the name of the Pawtuxet Indian who befriended the Pilgrims and was also known as Tisquantum?
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squanto
What Spanish fleet did Cervantes support himself by finding provisions for?
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spanish armada
Which former U.S. president did Margaret Thatcher help celebrate his 82nd birthday in February 1993?
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ronald reagan
Which former First Lady campaigned for her son-in-law Charles Robb during his 1976 bid for Lt. Governor of Virginia?
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lady bird johnson