Quiz: Can You Answer These History Questions For Every Decade Since 1920?
Every day brings a new piece of history into the world. There have been so many historic events that it can be hard to keep up with everything. The last century has seen some of history’s biggest moments, including World War II, space exploration, technological advances, and more.
This quiz isn’t for just anyone, but history buffs will most likely get a great score. Try it now to see how much you know about some of history’s most iconic events since the 1920s.
Which Constitutional Amendment was added in 1920 that gave women the right to vote?
A. Nineteenth
B. Fourteenth
C. Eighth
D. Eleventh
Answer: Nineteenth
On August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the United States Constitution. This gave women the right to vote and overturned the previous law that made it legal to discriminate on the basis of sex.
Which of these early dates of the Great Depression is known as Black Tuesday?
A. October 24
B. October 29
C. October 31
D. October 1
Answer: October 29
At the end of the 1920s the country experienced a horrible economic loss when the stock market crashed. On Black Tuesday, stock prices completely collapsed. 16,410,030 shares were traded that day, and people were financially ruined.
Construction finally ended on this famous New York structure on May 1, 1931.
A. Rockefeller Plaza
B. Chrysler Building
C. Empire State Building
D. Flatiron Building
Answer: Empire State Building
The Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York was finished on May 1, 1931. This Art Deco skyscraper has 102 stories and was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. It stands at 1,454 feet tall, including the antenna.
What were listeners panicked about during Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast?
A. floods
B. swarms of bees
C. Russian spies
D. a Martian invasion
Answer: a Martian invasion
On October 31, 1938 Orson Welles read an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, The War of the Worlds, on a radio program. Listeners thought that there was a real Martian invasion because they didn’t catch the introduction where Welles explained that it was a dramatic radio show.
Which of these Pearl Harbor facts isn’t true?
A. It started at night
B. It took place in Hawaii
C. It led to American troops joining World War II
D. It was a complete surprise to Americans
Answer: It started at night
The attack on Pearl Harbor began at 7:55 a.m. in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a surprise military strike by the Japanese Navy on December 7, 1941. It was regarded as “a day that will live in infamy” by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Which Major League team did Jackie Robinson join in 1947?
A. St. Louis Cardinals
B. Brooklyn Dodgers
C. Boston Braves
D. New York Giants
Answer: Brooklyn Dodgers
Jackie Robinson made history when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He was able to break the color barrier by becoming the first African American to join the Major Leagues.
Who created the geodesic dome?
A. Frank Lloyd Wright
B. Frank Gehry
C. Richard Buckminster Fuller
D. Renzo Piano
Answer: Richard Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster Fuller filed the patent for his design of a geodesic dome on December 12, 1951. The dome is a hemispherical thin-shelled structure with triangular elements that hold it together.
Ray Kroc started this fast food chain in 1955.
A. Burger King
B. Carl’s Jr.
C. Wendy’s
D. McDonald’s
Answer: McDonald’s
Ray Kroc got the idea to make McDonald’s into a corporation after going to Richard and Maurice McDonald’s first restaurant. Kroc then opened the first franchise restaurant in 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois.
What was the Beatles’ first North American hit?
A. “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
B. “Can’t Buy Me Love”
C. “A Hard Day’s Night”
D. “She Loves You”
Answer: “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
There was absolute Beatlemania in the 1960s, especially in the United States. The Beatles’ very first North American hit song was “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” They went on to become one of the top performing music groups in history.
How many people watched the Apollo 11 moon landing on TV?
A. 2 million
B. 600 million
C. 53 million
D. 999 million
Answer: 600 million
Apollo 11 became the first manned spacecraft to land on the moon on July 20, 1969. The event was televised around the world with an audience of around 600-650 million people.
Which 1977 movie became the highest grossing film of all time?
A. Annie Hall
B. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
C. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
D. Saturday Night Fever
Answer: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
In 1977 Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope became the highest-grossing movie of all time. This launched the franchise into extreme popularity all over the world and fans still love it over four decades later.
This horse was a Triple Crown winner in 1973.
A. Sir Belton
B. American Pharoah
C. Seattle Slew
D. Secretariat
Answer: Secretariat
Secretariat was the first horse to win the Triple Crown after 25 years in 1973. He won the race in record time by only taking 2 minutes and 24 seconds to complete the 1.5 mile track.
Name this popular toy that was licensed for sale in 1980.
A. Rubik’s Cube
B. Game Boy
C. Jenga
D. Koosh ball
Answer: Rubik’s Cube
The boy in the photo is holding a Rubik’s Cube. It was invented by a Hungarian sculptor and architecture professor named Ernő Rubik as a 3-D puzzle where people try to match the same color squares on each side.
Michael Jackson did this iconic dance for the first time in 1983.
A. Cabbage Patch
B. Moonwalk
C. Sprinkler
D. Running Man
Answer: Moonwalk
Michael Jackson popularized the Moonwalk dance move during his performance of “Billie Jean” on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever broadcast. The move has been around since the 1930s, going by the name Backslide or Glide.
Which animal was the first to be successfully cloned in 1996?
A. pig
B. monkey
C. sheep
D. dog
Answer: sheep
On July 5, 1996, the very first mammal to be cloned was a sheep named Dolly. The process was done by taking an adult somatic cell and doing a nuclear transfer.
What was the first professional golf competition won by Tiger Woods?
A. PGA Championship
B. U.S. Open
C. The Open Championship
D. Masters Tournament
Answer: Masters Tournament
Tiger Woods won his first professional golf competition in his early twenties when he became the champion of the Masters Tournament in 1997. He won by 9 shots and 12 strokes.
Which social media site was founded in 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts?
A. Facebook
B. Twitter
C. Myspace
D. Instagram
Answer: Facebook
Facebook was founded at Harvard University by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Zuckerberg was only 19 at the time. The Social Movie is a film about the site’s earliest days.
When did the first iPhone come out?
A. 2001
B. 2007
C. 2008
D. 2004
Answer: 2007
The first iPhone was released by Apple on June 11, 2007. It was later named the invention of the year by Time magazine and its new versions continue to sell around the world.
This work of art became the most valuable in the world (at the time) in 2012, at $120 million.
A. “Salvator Mundi”
B. “Interchange”
C. “The Scream”
D. “Number 17A”
Answer: “The Scream”
Edvard Munch created four different versions of his iconic painting, “The Scream,” but this one sold for almost $120 million at an art auction. The most famous rendition is the 1893 oil painting that’s on display at the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway.
