Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. I’ve opened with that fact at more trivia nights than I can count, and it never fails to make a room go quiet for a second. Teaching began at Oxford around 1096. The Aztec Empire wasn’t founded until 1428. That gap between what feels true and what is true , that’s where the best history trivia lives. Not in dates you memorized for a test, but in the moments where your gut is absolutely certain and absolutely wrong.
The person searching for history trivia right now probably already knows a decent amount. You’ve watched the documentaries. You know who won World War II and who lost the American Revolution. But the questions that actually land in a room aren’t about what you know. They’re about what you think you know. The confidence gap. The thing you’ve been saying at dinner parties for years that turns out to be slightly, embarrassingly off.
I’ve run these questions in front of real people. I know where the groans come, where the arguments start, and where someone slams a table because they changed their answer at the last second. Let’s get into it.
1. What was the name of the ship the Pilgrims sailed on to reach Plymouth in 1620?
I start with this one because everyone gets it, and it puts the room in a good mood. Confidence is a resource. I like to build it up before I start spending it.
2. The Great Wall of China was primarily built to defend against invasions from which direction?
People overcomplicate this. I’ve seen someone argue “from the sea” with absolute conviction. The Wall was built to keep out northern nomadic groups, particularly the Mongols and Xiongnu. It runs roughly east to west.
3. Who was the first President of the United States?
I include this because about one in twenty rooms has someone who smugly says “John Hanson” , the first president under the Articles of Confederation. They’re wrong in any meaningful sense, but they think they’re very clever. George Washington. It’s George Washington.
4. What ancient civilization built Machu Picchu?
The Inca built it around 1450 as an estate for Emperor Pachacuti. It was abandoned roughly a century later during the Spanish Conquest and wasn’t widely known to the outside world until 1911. The fact that it survived the Spanish at all is because they never found it.
5. In what year did the Titanic sink?
This is the warm-up question that secretly sets a trap for later. Remember the year.
6. What country did the United States purchase Alaska from?
The $7.2 million price tag in 1867 was mocked as “Seward’s Folly” after Secretary of State William Seward. Then they found gold. Then oil. One of the better purchases in human history.
7. Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
Michelangelo did it between 1508 and 1512, and he reportedly hated every minute of it. He considered himself a sculptor, not a painter, and wrote a poem about how miserable the work made him. His neck hurt for months afterward.
8. The French Revolution began in what year?
1789 is the answer most people reach for, and it’s correct. But ask five historians when it ended and you’ll get five different answers. That ambiguity is what makes revolution questions so fun to write.
9. What was the shortest war in recorded history, lasting approximately 38 to 45 minutes?
This one always gets a laugh when the answer lands. It was between Britain and the Sultanate of Zanzibar on August 27, 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after the British Navy shelled the palace. Thirty-eight minutes. Some meetings last longer.
10. Before it was called Istanbul, what was the name of the city that served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire?
Constantinople. And before that, Byzantium. The name change to Istanbul became official in 1930 under Atatürk, but locals had been using variations of the name for centuries before that.
11. Who was the British Prime Minister at the start of World War II?
This is the one that separates the people who’ve seen the movies from the people who’ve read the books. Everyone wants to say Churchill. Churchill didn’t become PM until May 1940, eight months after the war began.
12. What was the last country to officially abolish slavery?
Mauritania didn’t criminalize slavery until 2007. Two thousand and seven. That fact tends to land hard in a room.
13. The ancient Library of Alexandria was located in what modern-day country?
Egypt. Alexandria is still a major city. What I love about this question is watching people second-guess themselves , they know it’s Alexandria, but something about the word “modern-day” makes them wonder if borders shifted.
14. What was the name of the project to develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II?
15. Which Roman emperor made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire?
Almost everyone says Constantine. Constantine legalized Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313. He didn’t make it the official state religion. That was Theodosius I in 380. This question has caused more arguments in my trivia rooms than almost any other.
16. What treaty ended World War I?
17. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing or to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza?
This is one of those history trivia questions that rewires how people think about timelines. Cleopatra died in 30 BC. The Great Pyramid was completed around 2560 BC. That’s a gap of about 2,500 years. The Moon landing was only about 2,000 years after Cleopatra.
18. What was the first country to give women the right to vote in national elections?
New Zealand, 1893. I’ve watched tables agonize over this one, cycling through Scandinavian countries. Sweden, Finland, Norway , they all came later. New Zealand beat them all by over a decade.
19. Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln?
20. What empire was ruled by Suleiman the Magnificent?
The Ottoman Empire at its absolute peak. Under Suleiman, it stretched from Hungary to Yemen, from Algeria to Iraq. He reigned for 46 years and was also a poet. The “Magnificent” title was given by Europeans. His own people called him “the Lawgiver.”
21. How many of Henry VIII’s six wives were executed?
The rhyme goes “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” Two. But I’ve seen people say three, four, even five. Something about Henry VIII makes people assume the worst.
22. What was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas?
Jamestown, Virginia, 1607. Not Plymouth. Plymouth came 13 years later. The Pilgrims get better PR, but Jamestown was first, and it was a disaster for years before it stabilized.
23. In what decade was the guillotine last used for an execution in France?
This is one of my favorite history trivia questions to ask out loud because you can watch people’s faces recalibrate in real time. They start in the 1700s. Then they think maybe the 1800s. A few brave souls say early 1900s. Almost nobody gets it.
24. What was the primary cause of death during the construction of the Panama Canal under American supervision?
Disease, not accidents. Malaria and yellow fever killed thousands during the French attempt. The Americans made progress largely because they figured out that mosquitoes were the vector and drained the swamps.
25. Who was the first European explorer to reach India by sea?
26. What color were the pyramids of Giza when they were first completed?
People think of pyramids as sandy brown because that’s what they look like now. But when they were new, they were covered in polished white limestone casing stones that would have gleamed in the sun. You could probably see them from miles away. Most of the casing was stripped over the centuries for other building projects.
27. What was the largest contiguous land empire in history?
The Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and his successors. At its peak around 1270, it covered about 24 million square kilometers. The British Empire was technically larger in total territory, but it wasn’t contiguous , the word “contiguous” does all the work in this question.
28. In what century did the Black Death first reach Europe?
29. What was Napoleon’s height in modern measurements?
He was about 5’7″, which was average or slightly above average for a Frenchman of his era. The “short” myth came partly from British propaganda and partly from confusion between French inches and English inches. French inches were longer. This question always starts a side conversation.
30. What was the first civilization to develop a writing system?
The Sumerians in Mesopotamia, around 3400 BC. Cuneiform. And some of the earliest surviving texts are accounting records , grain inventories, livestock counts. Humanity’s first use of writing was, essentially, spreadsheets.
31. Who was president of the United States when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred?
32. What ancient wonder of the world was located in the city of Babylon?
The Hanging Gardens. And here’s the thing: we’re not even sure they existed. There’s no definitive archaeological evidence. Some historians think they were in Nineveh, not Babylon. Some think they were entirely mythical. It’s the only ancient wonder whose existence is genuinely debated.
33. What was the first man-made object to break the sound barrier?
Most people jump to Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1 in 1947. But the bullwhip has been breaking the sound barrier for thousands of years. That crack you hear is a tiny sonic boom. Whether you count that depends on how literally you take the question, which is exactly why I phrase it this way.
34. What country was formerly known as Persia?
35. During which war was the Battle of Gettysburg fought?
36. How many people died in the sinking of the Titanic , within 200?
I like giving a margin on number questions because exact figures are boring to argue about. The commonly cited number is around 1,500, though estimates range from 1,490 to 1,635 depending on the source. What people don’t always realize is that the ship had lifeboat capacity for only about a third of those on board.
37. What was the first country to use paper money?
China, during the Tang Dynasty around the 7th century, though it became widespread during the Song Dynasty. Europe didn’t adopt paper currency until about 600 years later. When Marco Polo described Chinese paper money, Europeans thought he was making it up.
38. Who was the longest-reigning monarch in British history?
This one flipped recently. For over a century the answer was Queen Victoria. Then Elizabeth II passed her in 2015. Elizabeth reigned for 70 years and 214 days. Victoria held the record for 116 years.
39. The Rosetta Stone was key to deciphering which ancient writing system?
40. What was the last major battle of the Napoleonic Wars?
Everyone says Waterloo. And I accept it. But technically the Battle of Wavre was fought on the same day and into the next, June 18–19, 1815. If you want to get really pedantic, the Battle of Issy happened on July 3, 1815, after Napoleon had already abdicated. But Waterloo is the answer I’m looking for, and the answer that makes this question worth asking is watching whether anyone in the room tries to out-pedant me.
41. In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?
42. What was the name of the first successful English colony in the Americas that mysteriously disappeared?
Roanoke. The “Lost Colony.” When a supply ship returned in 1590, everyone was gone. The only clue was the word “CROATOAN” carved into a post. We still don’t know for certain what happened. Over 400 years of theories and no definitive answer.
43. What two countries fought the Hundred Years’ War?
44. Who was the first person to circumnavigate the globe?
People say Magellan. Magellan died in the Philippines in 1521, partway through the voyage. The first person to actually complete the circumnavigation was Juan Sebastián Elcano, who brought the remaining ship home. This question has caused genuine anger in trivia rooms.
45. What did the “D” in D-Day stand for?
Nothing. “D-Day” is a military designation where “D” simply stands for “Day” , as in, the day of the operation. “H-Hour” works the same way. It’s a placeholder. I’ve watched people confidently say “Deliverance,” “Decision,” and once, memorably, “Dwight.”
46. What was the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation?
Morocco, in 1777. The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, signed in 1786, is the longest unbroken treaty relationship in U.S. history. France gets the glory, but Morocco got there first.
47. Who invented the printing press with movable type in Europe?
48. What was the name of the economic plan the United States used to rebuild Western Europe after World War II?
49. In what year was the last execution by firing squad in the United States?
People guess the 1800s, maybe early 1900s. The answer is much more recent than they expect.
50. What ancient Greek city-state was famous for its military culture, where boys began military training at age seven?
51. How old was the youngest pharaoh of Egypt when he took the throne?
Tutankhamun became pharaoh at about nine years old, around 1332 BC. He died at 19. His tomb, discovered in 1922, was significant partly because it was one of the few royal tombs found nearly intact.
52. What was the first battle of the American Revolution?
53. Which U.S. president authorized the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan?
Not Roosevelt. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. The bombs were dropped in August. Truman had been president for less than four months and reportedly didn’t even know about the Manhattan Project until after he was sworn in.
54. What was the primary language of the Roman Empire’s eastern half?
Greek. Not Latin. The eastern provinces had been Greek-speaking for centuries before Rome conquered them, and they never really stopped. The Byzantine Empire, which was the direct continuation of the eastern Roman Empire, conducted its affairs in Greek. Latin was always more of a western thing.
55. In what century was the fork widely adopted as an eating utensil in Europe?
The 18th century. Before that, most Europeans ate with knives and their hands. Forks existed but were considered pretentious or even sinful , a Byzantine princess who brought a fork to Venice in the 11th century was mocked by the clergy. This question always surprises people who assume forks are ancient.
56. What was the first capital of the United States under the Constitution?
New York City. Not Philadelphia, not Washington, D.C. George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall in Manhattan on April 30, 1789. The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790, then to Washington, D.C. in 1800.
57. What was the deadliest single day in American military history?
The Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862. Roughly 3,600 soldiers died in a single day, with about 17,000 more wounded. It was a Civil War battle, not a World War battle. Americans killing Americans.
58. Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean?
59. What was the original purpose of the Colosseum in Rome?
Entertainment. Gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, mock sea battles, public executions. It could hold around 50,000 spectators. What people don’t always realize is that admission was free. The emperors used it as a political tool , keep the people entertained and they’re less likely to revolt.
60. What modern country was once known as the Kingdom of Siam?
61. What did samurai use to test the sharpness of a new sword?
This one makes people uncomfortable, and it should. New swords were sometimes tested on the corpses of executed criminals or, in some cases, on living prisoners. The practice was called “tameshigiri.” There were even professional sword testers. History isn’t always the version we want it to be.
62. What was the first human-made structure visible from space?
Trick question, sort of. The Great Wall of China is the popular answer, but it’s not actually visible from low Earth orbit with the naked eye. It’s long but too narrow. What is visible? City lights, highways, airports. The myth about the Great Wall has been debunked by multiple astronauts, including Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei.
63. What was the first toy advertised on television?
Mr. Potato Head, in 1952. And the original version didn’t come with a plastic potato , you were supposed to stick the parts into a real potato. The plastic body wasn’t added until 1964.
64. What empire was the Hagia Sophia originally built to serve?
The Byzantine Empire. It was built as a Christian cathedral in 537 AD under Emperor Justinian I. It became a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, then a museum in 1934, then a mosque again in 2020. One building, four identities.
65. How many U.S. presidents have been assassinated?
66. What was the first country to land a spacecraft on the moon?
The Soviet Union. Luna 2 crashed into the moon in 1959. Luna 9 made the first soft landing in 1966. The U.S. was first to land humans on the moon, but the Soviets got there first with hardware. The space race had more chapters than most people remember.
67. What civilization invented the concept of zero as a number?
The ancient Maya used zero independently, but the version that influenced modern mathematics came from ancient India, likely in the 5th century. It reached Europe through Arab mathematicians. The number that means nothing changed everything.
68. What was the name of the ship Charles Darwin sailed on during his famous voyage?
69. In what year did the Soviet Union officially dissolve?
1991. December 26, specifically. I was surprised how often people get the decade wrong on this one. Some say the ’80s, some say the early ’90s but pick the wrong year. The Soviet flag was lowered over the Kremlin for the last time on Christmas Day, 1991.
70. Which U.S. president served the shortest term in office?
William Henry Harrison. Thirty-one days. He gave the longest inaugural address in history , nearly two hours, in the rain, without a coat , and died of pneumonia (or possibly typhoid) a month later. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
71. What was the first successful vaccine developed, and what disease did it prevent?
72. What was the codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy?
73. Which ancient civilization built roads so well that some are still in use today?
Rome. The Appian Way, built starting in 312 BC, still exists. Parts of it are a road. Parts are a walking path. Roman roads were engineered with multiple layers of stone and gravel, with drainage systems. They were built to last, and they did.
74. What was the first African country to gain independence from European colonial rule in the 20th century?
This one requires careful phrasing because Ethiopia was never formally colonized (though Italy occupied it briefly). Among countries that gained independence from colonial rule, Ghana in 1957 is the standard answer. But Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in 1847 and Egypt gained independence from Britain in 1922. The answer depends on the framing, which is why I specify “20th century” and “colonial rule.”
75. What was the first message sent by telegraph?
“What hath God wrought?” , sent by Samuel Morse on May 24, 1844, from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore. It’s a quote from the Bible, Numbers 23:23. The phrase was chosen by Annie Ellsworth, the daughter of the Commissioner of Patents.
76. What percentage of the world’s population did Genghis Khan’s conquests kill , within 5%?
Estimates vary, but the commonly cited figure is around 10% of the world’s population. Some estimates go as high as 40 million people at a time when the global population was around 400 million. The Mongol conquests may have reduced global carbon emissions enough to cool the planet. History’s first accidental environmentalist.
77. What was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery?
78. Who was the first emperor of China?
Qin Shi Huang, who unified the warring states in 221 BC. He also standardized weights, measures, and writing. And he’s the one who commissioned the Terracotta Army. And he was terrified of death and probably died from mercury poisoning because he drank mercury elixirs he thought would make him immortal.
79. What was the name of the secret police force in Nazi Germany?
80. In what year did India gain independence from Britain?
81. What was the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history?
The 1811 German Coast Uprising in Louisiana. Between 200 and 500 enslaved people marched toward New Orleans. It was brutally suppressed and largely forgotten. Most people say Nat Turner’s Rebellion, which was the deadliest in terms of white casualties, but the German Coast Uprising involved far more participants.
82. What was the first war to be extensively photographed?
The Crimean War (1853–1856). Roger Fenton is often credited as the first war photographer, though his images were carefully curated to avoid showing dead bodies. The American Civil War, which came shortly after, produced far more graphic and widespread photography.
83. What was the original name of New York City?
84. Who was the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years?
John Paul II, elected in 1978. He was Polish. The streak of Italian popes stretched back to 1523. When his name was announced, the crowd in St. Peter’s Square reportedly fell silent because they didn’t recognize the name.
85. What was the Domesday Book?
A great survey of England completed in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. It recorded who owned what land, what it was worth, and what taxes were owed. It was essentially a national audit. The name comes from “Doomsday” because its judgments were considered final, like the Last Judgment.
86. What event is traditionally considered the start of the Renaissance?
There’s no single agreed-upon event, which is what makes this a great discussion question. Common answers include the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the invention of the printing press around 1440, or the work of Petrarch in the 14th century. I accept any of these with a good explanation. The point is that the Renaissance didn’t have a start date the way a war does.
87. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
88. What was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history?
Mount Tambora in Indonesia, 1815. It ejected so much ash into the atmosphere that 1816 became known as the “Year Without a Summer.” Crops failed across the Northern Hemisphere. Mary Shelley was stuck indoors during a dark, cold summer in Switzerland and wrote Frankenstein. One volcano changed literature.
89. What ancient trade route connected China to the Mediterranean?
90. In what year did apartheid officially end in South Africa?
The laws were repealed in 1991, but the first multiracial elections were in 1994. I accept either answer, but the distinction matters. Ending a system on paper and ending it in practice are different things. Nelson Mandela was elected president in 1994 after spending 27 years in prison.
91. What was the name of the treaty that divided the “New World” between Spain and Portugal?
92. Who was the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms?
93. What was the first antibiotic discovered?
Penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in 1928. He left a petri dish uncovered, went on vacation, and came back to find mold killing bacteria. One of the most consequential accidents in human history. Before antibiotics, a scratch could kill you.
94. What was the name of the failed U.S.-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961?
95. Which country suffered the highest percentage of its population killed during World War II?
Not Germany. Not Japan. Not Russia, though Russia lost the most people in absolute numbers. Poland lost roughly 17% of its population , about 6 million people, half of whom were Jewish. The Soviet Union lost a staggering 14% as well, but Poland’s percentage was higher. This question always changes the energy in a room.
96. What was the first empire in world history?
The Akkadian Empire, founded by Sargon of Akkad around 2334 BC in Mesopotamia. He conquered the Sumerian city-states and unified them under one rule. The word “empire” gets debated, but Sargon is generally considered the first to pull it off at scale.
97. What was the only ancient wonder of the world still standing?
98. What year was the Magna Carta signed?
1215. And “signed” is generous , King John sealed it under duress, then immediately asked the Pope to annul it. The Pope agreed. The Magna Carta was effectively dead within weeks of its creation. The version that actually stuck was reissued later, multiple times, with changes. The myth is more powerful than the document.
99. What was the deadliest pandemic in human history?
The Black Death killed an estimated 75–200 million people in the 14th century, but the 1918 influenza pandemic killed 50–100 million in just two years. If you measure by total deaths in a short period, the 1918 flu is staggering. If you measure by percentage of global population, the Black Death wins. I accept either answer with justification. The argument itself is the point.
100. There is a Japanese soldier named Hiroo Onoda who refused to surrender after World War II ended. How long did he continue fighting?
Twenty-nine years. He held his position in the Philippine jungle until 1974, believing the war was still ongoing. Leaflets were dropped telling him the war was over. He thought they were propaganda. Newspapers were left for him. He thought they were fakes. His former commanding officer had to be located and flown to the Philippines to formally relieve him of duty. When Onoda finally emerged, he was still in uniform, still armed, and still following his last orders.
I save this question for last because it’s not really about a date or a name. It’s about what happens when someone believes something so completely that no evidence can reach them. Every time I’ve closed a trivia night with this question, the room goes quiet for a second before the answer lands. That silence is the whole reason I do this.
These 60 history trivia questions and answers have been road-tested in rooms full of people who were sure they knew the answer. Most of them were wrong about at least a dozen.
I've watched tables split over whether turkey makes you sleepy or whether Lincoln started the whole thing. These 30 thanksgiving trivia questions are built for that energy.
Most people can name the first president and the sixteenth. It's the space between confidence and actual knowledge where presidential trivia gets interesting.
Most people who love Greek mythology are dangerously confident about it. These 30 questions are built to find the exact spots where that confidence cracks.
