100 history trivia questions to test your knowledge of the past

Did you know that Cleopatra lived closer in time to the moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza? This mind-bending fact perfectly illustrates how our perception of the past can be deceiving – and why it’s necessary to test our history knowledge from time to time.

Finding engaging, well-organized history trivia can be challenging, especially when you want questions that span different difficulty levels and time periods. Whether you’re a teacher looking to make lessons more interactive, a quiz night host looking to challenge your crowd, or simply someone who loves testing their knowledge, you need a curated collection of questions that both educate and entertain.

That’s exactly what we’ve assembled here: 100 carefully crafted history trivia questions and answers covering everything from ancient civilizations to contemporary events. Plus, we’ll show you how to transform these into interactive online quizzes using Jotform’s intuitive trivia maker.

Ancient civilizations trivia

Test your knowledge of humanity’s earliest societies with these questions spanning Egyptian pharaohs, Greek philosophers, Roman emperors, and Mesopotamian innovations.

Easy questions

1. Q: Which ancient wonder of the world was located in Alexandria, Egypt?
   • A: The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos of Alexandria)
2. Q: What was the name of the ancient Greek city-state known for its military prowess?
   • A: Sparta
3. Q: Which river was central to ancient Egyptian civilization?
   • A: The Nile River
4. Q: What was the first system of writing called?
   • A: Cuneiform
5. Q: Which Roman leader was assassinated on the Ides of March?
   • A: Julius Caesar
6. Q: What was the name of the ancient Greek marketplace?
   • A: Agora
7. Q: Which ancient civilization spanned modern day Mexico and much of Central America?
   • A: Mayan Civilization

Medium questions:

1. Q: Who was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt?
   • A: Cleopatra VII
2. Q: What was the name of the ancient Greek historian known as the “Father of History”?
   • A: Herodotus
3. Q: Which ancient Roman road connected Rome to southeastern Italy?
   • A: The Appian Way
4. Q: What was the capital city of the ancient Persian Empire?
   • A: Persepolis
5. Q: Which ancient civilization is credited with inventing the wheel?
   • A: The Sumerians
6. Q: What was the name of the ancient Greek formation of soldiers with spears and shields?
   • A: Phalanx

Difficult questions:

1. Q: Which ancient Egyptian pharaoh built the first pyramid?
   • A: Djoser (Step Pyramid at Saqqara)
2. Q: What was the name of the ancient Mesopotamian epic poem about a legendary king?
   • A: The Epic of Gilgamesh
3. Q: Which ancient Greek philosopher tutored Alexander the Great?
   • A: Aristotle
4. Q: What was the name of the ancient Roman military formation where soldiers would lock shields above their heads?
   • A: Testudo (tortoise formation)
5. Q: Which ancient civilization developed the first known legal code?
   • A: The Babylonians (Code of Ur-Nammu)
6. Q: What was the name of the ancient Greek wine god?
   • A: Dionysus
7. Q: Which ancient Egyptian god was associated with mummification?
   • A: Anubis

Medieval history trivia

Journey through the Middle Ages with questions about knights, castles, feudalism, and the major events that shaped medieval Europe and the world.

Easy questions:

1. Q: What was the period between ancient times and the Early Modern era called (in Europe)?
   • A: The Middle Ages or Medieval Period
2. Q: What was a medieval knight’s code of conduct called?
   • A: Chivalry
3. Q: Which disease killed approximately one-third of Europe’s population in the 14th century?
   • A: The Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
4. Q: What was the feudal system?
   • A: A social system where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for service
5. Q: Which French military leader claimed to have received visions from saints?
   • A: Joan of Arc
6. Q: What were the religious wars between Christians and Muslims called?
   • A: The Crusades
7. Q: What was the name of the medieval weapon that was a long spear used by knights?
   • A: Lance

Medium questions:

1. Q: Which English king signed the Magna Carta in 1215?
   • A: King John
2. Q: What was the name of the medieval Islamic empire that controlled much of Spain?
   • A: The Umayyad Caliphate (or Al-Andalus)
3. Q: Which medieval university is considered the oldest in continuous operation?
   • A: University of Bologna (founded in 1088)
4. Q: What was the name of the medieval period of cultural and economic growth in Europe?
   • A: The High Middle Ages
5. Q: Which medieval emperor was crowned by the Pope on Christmas Day in 800 AD?
   • A: Charlemagne
6. Q: What was the name of the medieval Islamic scholar who wrote “The Canon of Medicine”?
   • A: Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
7. Q: Which medieval English king was known as “Lionheart”?
   • A: Richard I

Difficult Questions:

1. Q: What was the name of the medieval Byzantine Empire’s capital?
   • A: Constantinople
2. Q: Which medieval Islamic empire controlled much of North Africa and the Middle East?
   • A: The Abbasid Caliphate
3. Q: What was the name of the medieval period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe?
   • A: The Renaissance (the first of which was the Carolingian Renaissance)
4. Q: Which medieval ruler attempted to restore the Roman Empire in the West as Holy Roman Emperor?
   • A: Otto I (Otto the Great)
5. Q: What was the name of the medieval Islamic philosophical movement that sought to reconcile faith and reason?
   • A: Scholasticism (or Islamic Scholasticism)
6. Q: Which medieval battle in 1066 changed the course of English history?
   • A: The Battle of Hastings

Modern history trivia

Explore the events that shaped our contemporary world, from the Industrial Revolution through the World Wars to recent historical developments.

Easy Questions:

1. Q: In which year did World War I begin?
   • A: 1914
2. Q: Who was the first President of the United States?
   • A: George Washington
3. Q: Which country gifted the Statue of Liberty to the United States?
   • A: France
4. Q: In which year did World War II end?
   • A: 1945
5. Q: What was the name of the ship that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg?
   • A: The Titanic
6. Q: Which wall divided Berlin during the Cold War?
   • A: The Berlin Wall
7. Q: Who was the first person to walk on the moon?
   • A: Neil Armstrong

Medium Questions:

1. Q: Which revolution began in 1789 and led to the end of the French monarchy?
   • A: The French Revolution
2. Q: What was the name of the economic downturn that began in 1929?
   • A: The Great Depression
3. Q: Which American President issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
   • A: Abraham Lincoln
4. Q: What was the name of the policy that aimed to contain the spread of communism?
   • A: The Truman Doctrine
5. Q: Which treaty ended World War I?
   • A: The Treaty of Versailles
6. Q: What was the name of the movement that sought to end racial segregation in the United States?
   • A: The Civil Rights Movement
7. Q: Which Russian leader initiated the policies of “glasnost” and “perestroika”?
   • A: Mikhail Gorbachev

Difficult Questions:

1. Q: What was the name of the secret U.S. program that developed the atomic bomb?
   • A: The Manhattan Project
2. Q: Which conference in 1945 determined the post-war division of Europe?
   • A: The Yalta Conference
     
3. Q: What was the name of the 1947 plan that provided economic aid to Western Europe?
   • A: The Marshall Plan
4. Q: Which event in 1962 brought the world close to nuclear war?
   • A: The Cuban Missile Crisis
5. Q: What was the name of the policy of racial segregation in South Africa?
   • A: Apartheid
6. Q: Which American President was involved in the Watergate scandal?
   • A: Richard Nixon

Fun history trivia

Discover quirky and lesser-known historical tidbits that will surprise and delight you with their unexpected nature.

Easy Questions:

1. Q: Which ancient Roman emperor supposedly made his horse a consul?
   • A: Caligula
2. Q: What did people use before toilet paper was invented?
   • A: Various materials including leaves, corn cobs, stones, sponges on sticks
3. Q: Which historical figure is said to have invented the flush toilet?
   • A: Sir John Harington (though modern flush toilets were developed later)
4. Q: What was the shortest war in history?
   • A: The Anglo-Zanzibar War (lasted 38 minutes)
5. Q: Which ancient civilization believed that the heart did the thinking?
   • A: Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese
6. Q: What unusual tax did the Roman Empire impose?
   • A: A tax on urine
7. Q: Which historical figure from France was known for taking very hot baths?
   • A: Napoleon Bonaparte

Medium Questions:

1. Q: What was the original purpose of high heels?
   • A: They were worn by men, particularly Persian cavalry, to help secure their feet in stirrups
2. Q: Which historical figure survived over 600 assassination attempts, including one involving a bomb hidden in bread?
   • A: Fidel Castro
3. Q: What did ancient Romans supposedly use as mouthwash?
   • A: Urine (possibly due to its ammonia content)
4. Q: Which historical figure died holding a deck of cards now known as “Dead Man’s Hand”?
   • A: Wild Bill Hickok
5. Q: What was the original color of the Statue of Liberty?
   • A: Copper brown (it turned green due to oxidation)
6. Q: Which ancient civilization invented the first recorded joke?
   • A: The Sumerians
7. Q: What unusual animal did Benjamin Franklin want to make the national bird of the United States?
   • A: The turkey

Difficult Questions:

1. Q: Which historical figure was known to have a pet alligator in the White House?
   • A: John Quincy Adams
2. Q: What was the name of the Great Dane awarded the Blue Cross Medal in World War II?
   • A: Juliana
3. Q: Which historical figure was rumored to have died from eating too many cherries?
   • A: President Zachary Taylor (though this is disputed)
4. Q: What was the original purpose of the guillotine?
   • A: To provide a more humane and egalitarian form of execution
5. Q: Which ancient civilization first used fingerprints for identification?
   • A: Ancient China
6. Q: What unusual weapon did the ancient Greeks use in naval warfare?
   • A: Greek fire (an incendiary weapon)

World history trivia

Test your global historical knowledge with questions spanning various civilizations, continents, and time periods from around the world.

Easy Questions:

1. Q: Which Chinese emperor connected the Great Wall?
   • A: Emperor Qin Shi Huang
2. Q: What was the name of the ancient trade route connecting East and West?
   • A: The Silk Road
3. Q: What was the name of the Japanese warrior class?
   • A: Samurai
4. Q: Which European explorer reached the Americas in 1492?
   • A: Christopher Columbus
5. Q: What was the name of the ancient Indian empire founded by Chandragupta Maurya?
   • A: The Maurya Empire
6. Q: Which revolution inspired democratic movements worldwide in the late 18th century?
   • A: The American Revolution

Medium Questions:

1. Q: Which Medieval African empire was known for its great wealth?
   • A: The Mali Empire
2. Q: What was the name of the Mongol Empire’s capital city?
   • A: Karakorum
3. Q: Which African civilization built the famous rock churches of Lalibela?
   • A: The Ethiopian Empire
4. Q: What was the name of the ancient Indian text that serves as a guide for governance?
   • A: The Arthashastra
5. Q: Which Japanese period saw the country’s isolation from the rest of the world?
   • A: The Edo Period (Sakoku policy)
6. Q: What was the name of the ancient Mesoamerican ball game?
   • A: Ōllamaliztli/Tlachtli/Pitz/Pelota Maya (or simply “the ball game”)
7. Q: Which Chinese dynasty was known for its maritime expeditions led by Admiral Zheng He?
   • A: The Ming Dynasty
8. Q: What was the name of the ancient Indian university that housed 9 million books and attracted scholars from around the world?
   • A: Nalanda University

Difficult Questions:

1. Q: Which medieval South American civilization developed an extensive road system without the wheel?
   • A: The Inca Empire
2. Q: What was the name of the ancient Persian religion founded by Zoroaster?
   • A: Zoroastrianism
3. Q: Which medieval African emperor was known for his pilgrimage to Mecca and distribution of gold?
   • A: Mansa Musa
4. Q: What was the name of the ancient Indian mathematical concept that revolutionized mathematics?
   • A: The concept of zero
5. Q: What is the name of the only fully deciphered ancient Mesoamerican writing system?
   • A: Maya script/Maya glyphs
6. Q: What is the name of the ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasized harmony with nature
   • A: Taoism (Daoism)

Want to turn these into an interactive quiz? Try Jotform’s trivia maker to create engaging, customizable quizzes that your audience will love.

How to create your own history trivia quiz with Jotform

Creating your own interactive history trivia quiz has never been easier, thanks to quiz-building tools like Jotform. Here’s how you can transform these questions — or entirely different ones — into engaging online quizzes that captivate your audience.

Jotform’s Trivia Maker with an intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes quiz creation accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise. You can quickly build professional-looking quizzes without writing a single line of code.

Choose your question types

Mix different question formats to keep your quiz engaging:

• Multiple choice questions for testing specific knowledge
• True/false questions for quick fact-checking
• Fill-in-the-blank questions for more challenging content
• Image-based questions using historical photos or artifacts

Customize your quiz appearance

Make your history quiz visually appealing by:

• Adding your branding with custom colors and logos
• Including historical images and multimedia content
• Choosing from various themes that match your content
• Creating a cohesive visual experience that enhances learning

Share and distribute easily

Once your quiz is ready, Jotform makes distribution simple:

• Generate shareable links for social media or email
• Embed quizzes directly into your website or blog
• Create QR codes for in-person events or classrooms
• Set up automatic email notifications for new responses

History trivia questions offer an entertaining and educational way to explore the fascinating stories of our past. Whether you’re testing your own knowledge, engaging students in the classroom, or hosting a memorable quiz night, these 100 questions provide a solid foundation for historical exploration.

Ready to create your own interactive history quiz? Jotform’s AI Trivia Generator offers everything you need to create engaging, professional quizzes that will captivate your audience and test their historical knowledge. Start building your quiz today and discover how interactive learning can make history come alive.