Looking for a list of best history trivia? We got you!‍

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You don’t need a time machine to travel back in time to witness the glory of great empires and their amazing achievements. Just take our quiz on world history to get started!

This set of history trivia questions covers everything from the dawn of civilization in the Mesopotamian era, Indus valley civilization to World War 2. 

So start by taking our history trivia questions with answers.

In this article, we will cover:

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History Trivia Questions

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1. Which of the following ancient cultures were situated near the Persian Gulf? 

A. Indus Valley 

B. Yellow River valley 

C. Egypt 

D. Sumer

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Answer: Sumer

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2. Which empire is considered the world's first empire that collapsed when attacked around 2200 BCE?

A. Sumerians

B. Egyptians

C. Assyrians

D. Hebrews

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Answer: Sumerians

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3. What is the origin of most modern European languages?

A. Hebrew

B. Semitic

C. Minoan

D. Indo-European

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Answer: Indo-European

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4. Which island is the Minoan culture associated with?

A. Crete

B. Malta

C. The hilltops on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece

D. Sicily

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Answer: Crete

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5. Who expressed the famous sentiment, "The unexamined life is not worth living"?

A. Socrates

B. Solon

C. Aristotle

D. Cicero

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Answer: Socrates

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6, Which empire displaced the neo-Babylonian Empire and is known as the Achaemenid Empire?

A. the Achaemenid Empire

B. the Macedonian Empire

C. the Ptolemaic Empire

D. the Median Empire

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Answer: The Achaemenid Empire

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7. With what charge did Socrates's opponents accuse him?

A. Impiety

B. supporting Sparta

C. being a member of the Thirty Tyrants

D. violent attacks against citizens

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Answer: Impiety

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8. What were Aristotle's followers known as?

A. Sophists

B. Republicans

C. Peripatetics

D. Academicians

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Answer: Peripatetics

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9. Which was the last Hellenistic kingdom to fall to the Romans?

A. Antigonid kingdom

B. Seleucid kingdom

C. Ptolemaic kingdom

D. Anatolian kingdom

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Answer: Ptolemaic kingdom

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10. Which of the following was offered to Aztec human-sacrifice victims just before they were sacrificed? 

A. A final meal 

B. A prayer 

C. A drink of water 

D. A serving of hot chocolate

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Answer: A serving of hot chocolate

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11. Ötzi the Iceman had sixty-one of which items on him when he was found frozen in the Alps in 1991?
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A. Knives
B. Tattoos
C. Severed fingers in a bag
D. Prayer beads

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Answer: Tattoos

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12. What was the name of the new style of clothing launched by the women’s rights movement of the nineteenth century that consisted of knee-length skirts and pantaloons gathered at the ankle? 

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A. Ballooners
B. Pajamas
C. Bloomers
D. Knickerbockers

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Answer: Bloomers

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13. What strange event ended one battle during the Third Mithridatic War (ca. 74–70 BCE)? 
A. A meteor landed on the battlefield.
B. One of the generals chased after his loose dog.
C. Everyone started laughing at the same joke.
D. An earthquake rocked the land.

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Answer: A meteor landed in the battlefield

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14. Which of these animals were not White House pets? 
A. Two alligators
B. Two opossums
C. Two tiger cubs
D. A bear

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Answer: All of them were white house pet

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15. What historical event did Russian pilot Yuri Gagarin become the first human to achieve on April 12, 1961?
A. Break the sound barrier
B. Fly into space
C. Time travel
D. Use a bathroom on an airplane

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Answer: Fly into space

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Quiz on World History

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1. Who is the author of The Metamorphoses?

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2. What is Sun Tzu famous for writing?

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3. Who was powerful and feared first empress of the Han Dynasty?

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4. Which dynastic period is associated with the Terracotta Army?

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5. What does the passage from the Rigveda about the Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Sudra deal with?

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6. What was one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Gupta Empire?

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7. Who was Kalidasa and what is he known for?

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8. What are the Four Noble Truths most closely associated with?

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9. Which city is often associated with the Indus Valley culture?

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10. In which Crusade did Western European soldiers sack Constantinople?

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11. In which battle did the Byzantines lose control of most of Anatolia?

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12. To which city did the Abbasids move the capital of the Muslim world?

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13. Who founded the Mughal Empire?

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14. Who is the Muslim counterpart of Marco Polo?

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15. What is Ibn Rushd (Averroes) best known for?

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16. Who was Mansa Musa and what did he do?

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17. In which region did the Mongols fail twice to conquer due to the battles of Hakata Bay?

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18. What was the Mongol capital before Kublai Khan moved it to Khanbaliq (now Beijing) in 1272?

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19. Into which power vacuum did the Aztec Empire expand?

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20. What is the name for the riddle "What is the sound of one hand clapping?

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Answers for Trivia on World history

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1. Ovid
2. The Art of War
3. Empress Wu Zetian
4. Qin Dynasty
5. The caste system
6. Invasions by the Huns
7. The Sanskrit poet who wrote Abhijnanasakuntalam
8. Buddhism
9. Harappa
10. Fourth Crusade
11. Manzikert
12. Baghdad
13. Babur
14. Ibn Battuta
15. Philosophy
16. Made a famous hajj to Mecca
17. Japan
18. Karakorum
19. Toltec
20. Koan

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History Trivia Questions and Answers

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1. Which two rivers run through the Fertile Crescent region?

The Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

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2. Who is credited with creating the oldest known legal code in the world?

Hammurabi.

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3. What was the most significant industry in ancient Sumer in terms of commerce?

Agriculture.

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4. Apart from the Bible, what is the world's oldest known piece of literature?

The Epic of Gilgamesh.

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5. What is the name given to the form of writing used by the Sumerians?

Cuneiform.

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6. Who was the Persian ruler responsible for establishing the world's first postal system?

Cyrus the Great.

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7. What term refers to the ability to read and write in one's own language?

Literacy.

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8. Which king of Israel, known for establishing his capital in Jerusalem, came second in the line of succession?

King David.

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9. What was the name of the highway that linked China to the Roman world?

The Silk Road.

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10. Which dynasty ruled China for the longest period of time?

The Zhou dynasty.

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11. Who was the Chinese philosopher that emphasized respect for traditions and family ties?

Confucius.

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12. Which Chinese city was a British possession until 1997?

Hong Kong.

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13. What was the name of the 1900 uprising in China that led to the killing of many American missionaries and Chinese Protestants?

The Boxer Rebellion.

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14. Can you name the only Southeast Asian country that was never ruled by a Western power?

Thailand.

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15. Who was the first pharaoh to unite Egypt?

Narmer, also known as Menes.

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16. What is the name of the ancient Egyptian writing system?

Hieroglyphics.

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17. What was the name of the teenage pharaoh whose tomb was discovered in 1922?

Tutankhamun, also known as King Tut.

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18. Which Asiatic warriors brought the Egyptian Middle Kingdom to an end?

The Hyksos.

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19. Who was the only female pharaoh of Egypt?

Hatshepsut.

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20. What is the current capital of Egypt?

Cairo.

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21. What structure symbolized the Egyptian concept of state and society?

The pyramids.

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22. Who was the Greek historian that called Egypt the "gift of the Nile"?

Herodotus.

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23. What important canal was completed in 1869?

The Suez Canal.

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24. Who was the Egyptian president that negotiated the Camp David Accords?

Anwar Sadat.

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25. What form of government means "rule by the best"?

Aristocracy.

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26. What form of government means "rule by the few"?

Oligarchy.

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27. Who were the helots?

A class of serfs in ancient Sparta.

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28. Which Athenian statesman ushered in the Golden Age of Greece?

Pericles.

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29. What league was formed by Athens to prevent Persian aggression?

The Delian League.

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30. What was the name of the war fought between Athens and Sparta and their opposing alliances?

The Peloponnesian War.

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31. What kingdom was ruled by Philip H before he conquered Greece?

Macedonia.

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32. Which temple dedicated to Athena is considered the greatest example of Greek architecture?

The Parthenon.

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33. Can you name the famous Greek writer of fables?

Aesop.

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34. Which Greek philosopher was forced to commit suicide for denying the existence of the Greek gods?

Socrates.

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35. What age is marked by the permeation of Greek culture, from 323 B.C. to 30 B.C.?

The Hellenistic Age.

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36. In what type of Greek is the New Testament written?

Koine Greek.

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37. Who was the champion of the Senate in Rome's first civil war, Marius or Sulla?

Marius.

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38. What was the name of the river that Caesar crossed against the Senate's orders on his way to Rome?

The Rubicon.

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39. Where was Antony's fleet defeated by the fleet of Octavian?

The Battle of Actium.

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40. Who ruled Rome during the birth of Christ?

Augustus Caesar.

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41. What is the term for the 200-year period of Roman peace and prosperity?

Pax Romana.

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42. Which Roman emperor began the first great persecution of Christians?

Emperor Nero.

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43. What volcano erupted in A.D. 79, burying the city of Pompeii?

Mount Vesuvius.

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44. Can you name one of the "five good roman emperors"?

Nerva (reigned 96–98 ce), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antoninus Pius (138–161), and Marcus Aurelius (161–180)

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45. Who was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity?

Emperor Constantine the Great.

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46. What was the name of the edict that made Christianity a legal religion?

The Edict of Milan.

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