1,000 trivia questions and answers: history
Questions 101–200 of 1,000. Answer, explanation and source under each one.
History trivia questions 101–150
Q 101The hansom cab was patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom, who was by profession what?
- AAn architect
- BA coachbuilder
- CA stable owner
- DA surgeon
Show answer
An architect
His light two-wheeler could be pulled by one horse and steer around London's notorious traffic jams.
Q 102The June 1996 Provisional IRA bomb in Corporation Street was the largest ever set off where?
- AIn Northern Ireland
- BIn Western Europe
- COn British soil
- DIn a British city centre
Show answer
On British soil
It injured over 200, broke windows half a mile away and led to an insurance payout over £400 million, but it also drove the city's regeneration.
Q 103Where did pilot George Boyle end up on the first regular US airmail flight in May 1918?
- AIn Baltimore harbour, upside down
- BIn a field in Maryland, 25 miles south
- CBack on the polo field he had taken off from
- DIn New Jersey, having overshot
Show answer
In a field in Maryland, 25 miles south
He followed the wrong railway line out of the city and put down at Waldorf 18 minutes later, breaking the propeller. He got lost again on his second attempt two days later.
Q 104Disney's Dumbo (1941) was made to recoup losses from which two earlier films?
- APinocchio and Snow White
- BFantasia and Bambi
- CSnow White and Bambi
- DPinocchio and Fantasia
Show answer
Pinocchio and Fantasia
At 64 minutes it is one of the studio's shortest animated features.
Q 105Buddhist meditation reached China in the 2nd century CE by way of which trade network?
- AThe Incense Route
- BThe Amber Road
- CThe Spice Route
- DThe Silk Road
Show answer
The Silk Road
The same transmission carried it on to Japan in the 6th century CE.
Q 106When Kiir dissolved parliament in May 2021, the new legislature was to number how many lawmakers?
- A600
- B800
- C720
- D550
Show answer
550
The expanded body was part of the 2018 power-sharing peace deal between the government and opposition.
Q 107Which formation mounted the only German armoured counter-attack on D-Day, halting the advance on Caen?
- A21st Panzer
- BPanzer Lehr
- C12th SS Panzer
- D2nd Panzer
Show answer
21st Panzer
Sword was the nearest beach to Caen, about 15 kilometres away.
Q 108In which year did Russia annex Courland, bringing all of modern Latvia into the empire?
- A1795
- B1721
- C1772
- D1789
Show answer
1795
It came in the Third Partition of Poland; Vidzeme had gone to Russia in 1721 and Latgale in 1772.
Q 109Which US president ordered the 1986 air strikes on Libya that failed to kill Gaddafi?
- ARonald Reagan
- BGeorge H. W. Bush
- CBill Clinton
- DJimmy Carter
Show answer
Ronald Reagan
In 2003 Gaddafi renounced weapons of mass destruction, briefly making Libya a Western success story.
Q 110Virgil's Aeneid follows a hero who fled the fall of which city to become the Romans' ancestor?
- AMycenae
- BCarthage
- CTroy
- DThebes
Show answer
Troy
Written between 29 and 19 BC, the poem runs to 9,896 lines of dactylic hexameter across twelve books.
Q 111Gertrude Jekyll is best remembered for her garden partnership with which architect?
- AEdwin Lutyens
- BCharles Rennie Mackintosh
- CNorman Shaw
- DWilliam Morris
Show answer
Edwin Lutyens
She created more than 400 gardens and wrote over 1,000 magazine articles; Munstead Wood was their first collaboration.
Q 112How long is a single U.S. Senate term?
- AEight years
- BSix years
- CTwo years
- DFour years
Show answer
Six years
Terms are staggered so that roughly a third of the Senate faces voters every two years.
Q 113Which Wyoming railroad town became a major Union Pacific center at 6,070 feet elevation?
- ACheyenne
- BEvanston
- CRawlins
- DLaramie
Show answer
Cheyenne
Cheyenne sat 35 miles from Evans Pass and was linked to Denver by a connecting line in 1870.
Q 114What was really in the water in the 1934 'Surgeon's Photograph' of the Loch Ness Monster?
- AA carved driftwood model
- BA Woolworths toy submarine
- CA retouched photo of an otter
- DA stuffed elephant's trunk
Show answer
A Woolworths toy submarine
Christian Spurling fitted the toy with a head and neck of wood putty; the plot was revenge by his stepfather Marmaduke Wetherell, whom the Daily Mail had humiliated over fake footprints.
Q 115In which Caribbean country is it illegal for civilians to wear camouflage clothing?
- ABarbados
- BCuba
- CBahamas
- DDominican Republic
Show answer
Barbados
Jamaica and Saint Lucia have the same rule, meant to stop anyone passing themselves off as military personnel.
Q 116Adams was the first president to abandon knee breeches in favour of what?
- ALong trousers
- BFrock coats
- CSilk stockings
- DRiding boots
Show answer
Long trousers
He also dropped the powdered wig for a short haircut while minister to Russia.
Q 117The SS division responsible for the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre was which?
- AHitlerjugend
- BLeibstandarte
- CDas Reich
- DTotenkopf
Show answer
Das Reich
Its commander reportedly meant to hit a different village, Oradour-sur-Vayres.
Q 118Envoy Edmund Roberts carried the first 1804 dollars to the King of Siam and the Sultan of which state?
- AZanzibar
- BMuscat
- CPersia
- DMorocco
Show answer
Muscat
The misdated coins became the 'King of American Coins', and one sold in 1999 for $4.14 million.
Q 119In which year did production of the Ford Model T begin?
- A1908
- B1906
- C1918
- D1910
Show answer
1908
The first one left the Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit on 27 September; production ran until 1927.
Q 120Which 1934 book was the first to portray Custer in unheroic terms?
- AMy Life on the Plains
- BSon of the Morning Star
- CGlory Hunter
- DA Complete Life of Gen. George A. Custer
Show answer
Glory Hunter
Frederic F. Van de Water's book appeared a year after Libbie Custer's death.
Q 121King Alexander I's assassin, Vlado Chernozemski, was a marksman from which organisation?
- AThe IMRO
- BThe Chetniks
- CThe Black Hand
- DThe Ustaše
Show answer
The IMRO
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization carried out the 1934 Marseille killing with the cooperation of the Croatian Ustaše.
Q 122What is the common name for private supplemental insurance that fills the gaps in Original Medicare?
- AMediSupp
- BExtra Help
- CMedicare Advantage
- DMedigap
Show answer
Medigap
Every insurer selling it must offer Plan A. Plan F was closed to new buyers in 2020, though existing holders can keep it.
Q 123¿Qué velocidad máxima se estima que alcanzaban los barcos vikingos?
- A8 o 9 nudos
- B14 o 15 nudos
- C11 o 12 nudos
- D5 o 6 nudos
Show answer
14 o 15 nudos
Su timón de espadilla sobresalía solo un metro bajo la quilla, y para salvar cataratas sacaban el barco del agua y lo hacían rodar sobre troncos.
Q 124Wie hoch war das durchschnittliche Sterbealter der Männer in wikingerzeitlichen Gräbern?
- A63 Jahre
- B48 Jahre
- C55 Jahre
- D41 Jahre
Show answer
41 Jahre
Frauen wurden im Schnitt 51 Jahre alt; die Skelette zeugen von harter Arbeit, bei Frauen besonders mit deutlichen Spuren von Arthrose.
Q 125Which prime minister was born in New Brunswick, making him the only one born outside the British Isles?
- ANeville Chamberlain
- BRamsay MacDonald
- CBonar Law
- DStanley Baldwin
Show answer
Bonar Law
The son of a Free Church of Scotland minister, he served just 211 days in 1922–23 before ill health forced him out.
Q 126Which sin is a sad or resentful covetousness toward another person's traits or possessions?
- ALust
- BPride
- CEnvy
- DGreed
Show answer
Envy
Bertrand Russell called it one of the most potent causes of unhappiness.
Q 127Franklin mused about a rising or setting sun painted on what object in the convention hall?
- AThe ceiling
- BThe main door
- CA delegate's snuffbox
- DThe president's chair
Show answer
The president's chair
He decided it was rising, not setting, once the document was signed.
Q 128Which New Haven mayor launched some of America's earliest major urban renewal projects in 1954?
- AFrank Logue
- BJohn DeStefano
- CBartholomew Guida
- DRichard C. Lee
Show answer
Richard C. Lee
Downtown blocks were rebuilt with museums, office towers, a hotel and shopping complexes; the federal courthouse now bears his name.
Q 129Roughly how many total casualties did the USSR suffer at Stalingrad according to archival figures?
- A1.13 million
- B3 million
- C2.5 million
- D480,000
Show answer
1.13 million
Some 478,741 were killed or missing and 650,878 wounded or sick, along with 4,341 tanks lost.
Q 130¿Qué país logró mantener su independencia frente a los soviéticos en la guerra de Invierno?
- AFinlandia
- BNoruega
- CEstonia
- DSuecia
Show answer
Finlandia
La URSS sí ocupó la mitad oriental de Polonia junto con Estonia, Letonia y Lituania tras el reparto pactado con Alemania.
Q 131Which caliph is considered the first of the 'Rightly Guided Caliphs' in Sunni Islam?
- AAli ibn Abi Talib
- BUmar ibn al-Khattab
- CAbu Bakr al-Siddiq
- DUthman ibn Affan
Show answer
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (c. 573-634 CE), one of Muhammad's closest companions, became the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, reigning 8 June 632 to 23 August 634 - two years and 77 days. He held the community together through the Ridda ('Wars of Apostasy') campaigns.
Q 132The first bush-roller chain patent, the basis of the bicycle chain, was filed in 1880 by which company?
- ASturmey-Archer
- BRaleigh
- CRenold
- DShimano
Show answer
Renold
Chain-driven bicycles like the 1879 Lawson and 1884 Starley Rover soon followed.
Q 133Roughly how many people were accused of witchcraft during the Salem episode?
- AAbout 100
- BAbout 50
- CAbout 500
- DMore than 200
Show answer
More than 200
Thirty were found guilty: fourteen women and five men were hanged, and at least five more died in jail awaiting trial.
Q 134Which Spanish explorer crossed the isthmus in 1513 as the first European to see the Pacific from the Americas?
- AFrancisco Pizarro
- BHernan Cortes
- CVasco Nunez de Balboa
- DRodrigo de Bastidas
Show answer
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
He called it the South Sea; Panama's currency is named after him, and he was executed in 1519 by the governor who had replaced him.
Q 135The band Yothu Yindi's name means what in the Yolngu language?
- AChild and mother
- BSong and dance
- CLand and sea
- DSun and moon
Show answer
Child and mother
Formed in 1986 from a white rock band and an Aboriginal folk group from Arnhem Land, it mixed rock with yidaki and manikay.
Q 136Which Founding Father was born on Boston's Milk Street in 1706?
- AJohn Hancock
- BBenjamin Franklin
- CSamuel Adams
- DJames Otis
Show answer
Benjamin Franklin
He was his father's fifteenth child and was baptised at the Old South Meeting House.
Q 137Outrage over the destruction of an Ottoman squadron at which port drew Britain and France into war?
- AVarna
- BOdessa
- CSinop
- DTrebizond
Show answer
Sinop
The press called it 'the massacre of Sinope', though the two empires were already at war and no atrocities were proven.
Q 138What did Peter say when Jesus told him, 'If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me'?
- A'Then wash all the disciples first'
- B'I am not worthy to be washed'
- C'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head'
- D'Let me wash your feet instead'
Show answer
'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head'
He had at first refused to let Jesus wash his feet; the rite is repeated on Maundy Thursday in many churches.
Q 139Kwanzaa culminates in a communal feast, usually on the sixth night, called what?
- AKawaida
- BHabari Gani
- CNguzo Saba
- DKaramu
Show answer
Q 140The Sidewinder and Sparrow air-to-air missiles were first introduced on which kind of aircraft?
- AStrategic bombers
- BSupersonic interceptors
- CPiston-engined night fighters
- DSwept-wing subsonic naval fighters
Show answer
Swept-wing subsonic naval fighters
They debuted on the McDonnell F3H Demon and Vought F7U Cutlass; descendants of both missiles remain in service.
Q 141Which two European powers agreed in 1896 to make the Chao Phraya valley a buffer state?
- ABritain and France
- BFrance and the Netherlands
- CBritain and Portugal
- DGermany and France
Show answer
Britain and France
The agreement helped Siam remain the only Southeast Asian state never colonised by a Western power.
Q 142Who led the American forces at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe against Tecumseh's confederacy?
- AWilliam Henry Harrison
- BWinfield Scott
- CZachary Taylor
- DAndrew Jackson
Show answer
William Henry Harrison
Then governor of Indiana Territory. Tecumseh was away recruiting; his brother the Prophet was in charge.
Q 143Which Lockheed aircraft made its first flight at Palmdale, California, on December 22, 1964?
- AC-141 Starlifter
- BSR-71 Blackbird
- CU-2 Dragon Lady
- DF-117 Nighthawk
Show answer
SR-71 Blackbird
The F-111 Aardvark had flown for the first time the day before in Texas.
Q 144Which broadcaster infamously fuelled the genocide with anti-Tutsi propaganda?
- ARadio Salus of Butare
- BRadio Muhabura of the RPF
- CRadio Rwanda national service
- DRadio Television Libre des Mille Collines
Show answer
Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines
Radio remains most Rwandans' main news source, and the state-run Radio Rwanda is the largest station.
Q 145How much ransom did the hijacker known as D. B. Cooper demand on Northwest Orient Flight 305 in 1971?
- A$50,000
- B$5 million
- C$200,000
- D$1 million
Show answer
$200,000
He also asked for four parachutes, then jumped from the Boeing 727's rear airstair over the woods of southwest Washington and was never identified.
Q 146What was the title of the first Girl Scout movie, in which the founder appeared?
- AThe Silver Trefoil
- BThe Golden Eaglet
- CBe Prepared
- DThe Green Promise
Show answer
The Golden Eaglet
During the same fundraising week in New York she dropped pamphlets onto a crowd from an airplane.
Q 147The 10th-century Canon Episcopi dismissed night rides with which pagan goddess as delusion?
- ADiana
- BHolda
- CHecate
- DFreyja
Show answer
Diana
It entered canon law through Gratian's Decretum and was a problem for later demonologists who wanted witches to be real.
Q 148What was the name of the waterfront settlement of saloons and industry that became West Berkeley?
- AShellmound
- BBayside
- COcean View
- DTemescal
Show answer
Ocean View
Shellmound was the rail junction in what is now Emeryville; Temescal was where the horsecar to campus began, along today's Telegraph Avenue.
Q 149When do the Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate All Saints?
- A1 November, as in the West
- B6 January, at Epiphany
- CThe last Sunday before Lent
- DThe first Sunday after Pentecost
Show answer
The first Sunday after Pentecost
In the West the day is a Solemnity for Catholics and a Principal Feast for Anglicans.
Q 150¿Qué innovación tecnológica ayudó al Reino Unido a vencer en la batalla de Inglaterra?
- AEl cifrado Enigma
- BEl sonar
- CEl radar
- DEl motor a reacción
Show answer
El radar
Fue la primera batalla completamente aérea de la historia y contó con el decisivo apoyo estadounidense negociado por Churchill.
History trivia questions 151–200
Q 151Which country observed July 4 as its Independence Day until 1962, then moved it to June 12?
- ACuba
- BThe Philippines
- CPanama
- DLiberia
Show answer
The Philippines
The United States picked July 4, 1946, to recognize Philippine independence on purpose. The Philippines still marks the date as Republic Day.
Q 152Which Royal Society award did Franklin receive in 1753 for his work on electricity?
- ACopley Medal
- BRumford Medal
- CDavy Medal
- DHughes Medal
Show answer
Copley Medal
Three years later he became one of the few 18th-century Americans elected a Fellow of the Society.
Q 153Which resort's name deliberately has no apostrophe, so that every guest could feel like an emperor?
- ACaesars Palace
- BWynns Encore
- CBinions Horseshoe
- DHarrahs Reno
Show answer
Caesars Palace
It opened in 1966 with a loan from the Teamsters pension fund, and Evel Knievel famously crashed jumping its fountains on New Year's Eve 1967.
Q 154John Hersey's book Hiroshima, first published in The New Yorker, follows how many survivors?
- AThree
- BTen
- CTwelve
- DSix
Show answer
Six
The English text reportedly reached Tokyo by January 1947 and a Japanese translation appeared in 1949.
Q 155The ribbon-and-hoop discipline made its Olympic debut, for individuals, at which Games?
- ASeoul 1988
- BLos Angeles 1984
- CMoscow 1980
- DMontreal 1976
Show answer
Los Angeles 1984
The group event was added at Atlanta 1996; the first individual World Championships were held in Budapest in 1963.
Q 156Which gospel, thought to be the earliest, does not mention Mary Magdalene at all until the crucifixion?
- AJohn
- BMatthew
- CMark
- DLuke
Show answer
Mark
Luke 8:2-3 gives the only brief summary of her role during the ministry.
Q 157What did the Americans call the main Japanese naval code they had partially broken?
- APurple
- BEnigma
- CUltra
- DJN-25
Show answer
JN-25
The Japanese introduced a new codebook on 24 May, but the key breaks had already been made.
Q 158Which then-oldest known biblical manuscript did John Trever compare the scrolls' script against in 1947?
- AThe Nash Papyrus
- BThe Aleppo Codex
- CThe Leningrad Codex
- DThe Codex Sinaiticus
Show answer
The Nash Papyrus
Millar Burrows announced the discovery in a press release on 11 April 1948, weeks after some scrolls were sent to Beirut for safety.
Q 159What is the traditional Maronite equivalent of All Saints' Day called?
- ASunday of Orthodoxy
- BSunday of the Righteous and the Just
- CFeast of the Cedars
- DFeast of Mar Charbel
Show answer
Sunday of the Righteous and the Just
It is one of three Sundays preparing for Lent; Lebanon's November 1 holiday reflects Western Catholic influence.
Q 160Reconstructions of Archimedes' odometer only worked once its square-toothed wheels were swapped for what?
- AModern involute-profile gears
- BWooden peg wheels
- CLeather friction belts
- DAngled Antikythera-style gears
Show answer
Angled Antikythera-style gears
The Romans used the same odometer design to place their mile markers, as Vitruvius and Heron describe.
Q 161How many braids of Samson's hair did Delilah have shaved off?
- ATen
- BNine
- CTwelve
- DSeven
Show answer
Seven
Judges is specific: seven braids, shorn while he slept on her lap.
Q 162After the Gloria on Maundy Thursday, what happens to the church bells until the Easter Vigil?
- AThey ring only at 3 pm
- BThey fall silent
- CThey are draped in black
- DThey ring every hour
Show answer
They fall silent
The organ and other instruments are likewise used only to support singing until the Gloria returns on Saturday night.
Q 163About how many prototypes did James Dyson build before launching the G-Force vacuum in 1983?
- A5,127
- B127
- C2,500
- D1,015
Show answer
5,127
The cyclone idea came from a sawmill's dust extractor; his earlier invention was the Ballbarrow.
Q 164St. Peter's is not Rome's cathedral. Which church is, as the Pope's seat and mother church?
- ASant'Andrea della Valle on the Corso
- BThe Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
- CSt. Paul Outside the Walls
- DSanta Maria Maggiore on the Esquiline
Show answer
The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
St. Peter's is only a cathedral in the popular imagination; it is not the seat of any bishop.
Q 165What is the name of the earliest known civilization, which arose in southern Mesopotamia?
- ASumer
- BPhoenicia
- CElam
- DHatti
Show answer
Sumer
Its farmers along the two great rivers grew grain surpluses that made the first cities possible.
Q 166Which president signed the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990?
- ARonald Reagan
- BBill Clinton
- CGeorge H. W. Bush
- DJimmy Carter
Show answer
George H. W. Bush
His son George W. Bush signed the amendments of 2008, which took effect on January 1, 2009.
Q 167What did the crews catch at the Dry Tortugas on 21 June 1513, giving the islands their name?
- AWest Indian manatees
- BGreat white sharks
- CPink flamingos
- DGiant sea turtles
Show answer
Giant sea turtles
They also took Caribbean monk seals and thousands of seabirds.
Q 168Which US senator proposed the 1970 teach-in that became the first Earth Day?
- AEdmund Muskie
- BAl Gore
- CGaylord Nelson
- DHenry Jackson
Show answer
Gaylord Nelson
Nelson hired young activist Denis Hayes to coordinate the 22 April 1970 event, and the United Auto Workers were its biggest outside backer.
Q 169Which American historian brought Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911?
- AJohn Lloyd Stephens
- BHiram Bingham
- CCharles Wiener
- DGene Savoy
Show answer
Hiram Bingham
A Yale lecturer, not a trained archaeologist, he was actually searching for the lost Neo-Inca capital of Vilcabamba.
Q 170Which group had a 1978 hit with "Rivers of Babylon", adapted from Psalm 137?
- AThe Bee Gees
- BEarth, Wind & Fire
- CABBA
- DBoney M.
Show answer
Boney M.
The song was written by Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970 and appeared in The Harder They Come.
Q 171The phrase 'jet lag' first appeared in print in 1966 in which newspaper?
- AThe New York Times
- BChicago Tribune
- CThe Washington Post
- DLos Angeles Times
Show answer
Los Angeles Times
Writer Horace Sutton called it 'a debility not unakin to a hangover' that comes from jets leaving your rhythms behind.
Q 172For which actress did Hubert de Givenchy secretly create L'Interdit in 1954?
- AAudrey Hepburn
- BSophia Loren
- CGrace Kelly
- DElizabeth Taylor
Show answer
Audrey Hepburn
'Interdit' means 'forbidden', so her objection became the perfume's name when it finally went on sale in 1957.
Q 173Before feeding the five thousand, Jesus took five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven and did what?
- ATold the crowd to sit in silence
- BGave thanks and broke them
- CWashed them in the lake
- DBlessed the boy who brought them
Show answer
Gave thanks and broke them
It is the only miracle apart from the resurrection that appears in all four Gospels. Twelve baskets of pieces were left over.
Q 174Which cabinet secretary uncovered the Whiskey Ring?
- AJacob Cox
- BGeorge Boutwell
- CBenjamin Bristow
- DWilliam Richardson
Show answer
Benjamin Bristow
He fired hundreds of corrupt appointees and recommended David Dyer to prosecute the ring in St. Louis.
Q 175The Tony Awards are named after which co-founder of the American Theatre Wing?
- AKatharine Cornell
- BAntoinette Perry
- CEthel Barrymore
- DHelen Hayes
Show answer
Q 176Chislehurst Caves in Kent sheltered up to 15,000 people, each paying how much to enter?
- AA penny
- BSixpence
- CNothing
- DA shilling
Show answer
A penny
The 'caves' are man-made chalk and flint mines, and had been used to grow mushrooms in the 1930s.
Q 177The name Ahasuerus is believed to derive from the Old Persian name of which king?
- ACambyses II
- BDarius III
- CXerxes I
- DCyrus the Great
Show answer
Xerxes I
The Hebrew name derives from the Old Persian Xšayāršā, though tradition sometimes equated him with Artaxerxes.
Q 178Roughly how many Quakers were there in England and Wales at the movement's 1680 peak?
- A30,000
- B15,000
- C6,000
- D60,000
Show answer
60,000
That was 1.15 percent of the population; persecution under the Quaker Act 1662 and Conventicle Act 1664 ended with the 1689 Act of Toleration.
Q 179What did early settlers call the prairie region they later turned into farmland?
- AThe Great American Desert
- BThe Green Ocean
- CThe Empty Quarter
- DThe Buffalo Commons
Show answer
The Great American Desert
'The Inland Sea' was another name; the vast majority was destroyed between 1800 and 1930.
Q 180From about what range did the longbowmen open fire?
- A600 yards
- B100 yards
- C50 yards
- D300 yards
Show answer
300 yards
Good steel armour could stop arrows on the breastplate, but limbs and visors were vulnerable.
Q 181The Wendish Crusade of 1147, launched alongside the Second Crusade, targeted pagan Slavs living where?
- ANorth of the Danube
- BEast of the Elbe
- CIn Lithuania
- DIn Finland
Show answer
East of the Elbe
The Wends included the Abrotrites, Rani, Liutizians, Wagarians and Pomeranians.
Q 182Rome's first aqueduct, the Aqua Appia, was built in which year?
- A212 BC
- B112 BC
- C312 BC
- D12 BC
Show answer
312 BC
By the third century AD the city had eleven aqueducts, feeding mostly its public baths, all moving water by gravity alone.
Q 183In which year did Botswana's High Court strike down the law criminalising homosexual acts?
- A2025
- B2021
- C2023
- D2019
Show answer
2019
The 11 June ruling removed Criminal Code provisions on 'carnal knowledge against the order of nature'.
Q 184Who sealed Magna Carta at Runnymede in 1215?
- AEdward I
- BKing John
- CRichard I
- DHenry II
Show answer
King John
Magna Carta is a royal charter of rights sealed by King John at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.
Q 185In what year did President Franklin D. Roosevelt sign the Social Security Act?
- A1935
- B1941
- C1939
- D1937
Show answer
1935
The 37-page act, signed on August 14, bundled old-age insurance with unemployment insurance and aid to dependent children.
Q 186Sir William Cubitt introduced the treadmill in 1818 for use in which institutions?
- AArmy barracks
- BPrisons
- CHospitals
- DBoarding schools
Show answer
Prisons
Inmates at Bury St Edmunds gaol climbed an endless staircase to grind grain and cure their 'idleness'.
Q 187Western Australia's No. 1 rabbit-proof barrier, finished in 1907, held which record?
- AFirst electrified barrier
- BLongest unbroken fence on Earth
- CTallest barrier on Earth
- DCostliest colonial public work
Show answer
Longest unbroken fence on Earth
The No. 1 Fence ran 1,833 kilometres north to south; all three fences together stretched 3,256 kilometres.
Q 188What headline feature sets the T-14 Armata apart from earlier main battle tanks?
- AAn unmanned turret
- BWheels instead of tracks
- CA twin-barrel gun
- DA two-person crew
Show answer
An unmanned turret
The crew sits together in an armoured capsule low in the vehicle, and Rostec claimed it entered service in 2024.
Q 189The famous phrase 'First, do no harm' is often said to be in the Hippocratic Oath. Is it?
- AYes, it is the opening line
- BNo, it never appears in the original
- CYes, but only in Latin versions
- DYes, it is the final line
Show answer
No, it never appears in the original
The closest wording is a promise to 'abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm'.
Q 190Susan B. Anthony was arrested in 1872 for voting in a presidential election in which city?
- AAlbany
- BBuffalo
- CRochester
- DSyracuse
Show answer
Rochester
She was fined $100, told the judge she would never pay a dollar of it, and never did.
Q 191Whose 1902 uniform decision popularised the caduceus, Hermes' staff, as a medical symbol in the US?
- AThe American Red Cross
- BJohns Hopkins Hospital
- CThe American Medical Association
- DThe US Army
Show answer
The US Army
The traditional symbol of medicine is the Rod of Asclepius, a single snake on a plain staff.
Q 192What image sat at the centre of the Rapp Motorenwerke logo from which the BMW roundel evolved?
- AA Bavarian lion rampant
- BA pair of eagle's wings
- CA rising sun over hills
- DA horse's head on a plinth
Show answer
A horse's head on a plinth
BMW kept Rapp's black ring but filled the middle with the blue-and-white quarters of Bavaria; the propeller story came 12 years later.
Q 193In 2023 Defence Secretary Ben Wallace suggested a permanent Turing statue where?
- ATrafalgar Square's fourth plinth
- BParliament Square's empty pedestal
- CThe Bletchley Park gatehouse
- DOn top of Nelson's Column
Show answer
Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth
Wallace called Turing 'probably the greatest war hero, in my book, of the Second World War'.
Q 194Malawi's navy operates three vessels on Lake Malawi from which base?
- ANkhata Bay
- BMonkey Bay
- CCape Maclear
- DSalima
Show answer
Monkey Bay
The navy was set up in the early 1970s with Portuguese support.
Q 195Jonah tried to run from God rather than preach to which city?
- ANineveh
- BSodom
- CBabylon
- DTyre
Show answer
Nineveh
When he finally walked in and announced the city had forty days left, the people declared a fast and God spared them.
Q 196Jackson vetoed an 1830 bill funding which Kentucky project as unconstitutional local spending?
- AThe Louisville Canal
- BThe Lexington Turnpike
- CThe Green River Locks
- DThe Maysville Road
Show answer
The Maysville Road
The road ran through Henry Clay's Kentucky, and Clay hoped in vain the veto would cost Jackson votes on internal improvements.
Q 197Who was the first president of the United States?
- AThomas Jefferson
- BAbraham Lincoln
- CGeorge Washington
- DBenjamin Franklin
Show answer
Q 198Chloé Zhao became the second woman ever to win the Best Director Oscar for which film?
- AThe Rider
- BNomadland
- CMinari
- DEternals
Show answer
Q 199De quoi l'archange Michel est-il chargé dans la tradition musulmane ?
- ADu vent
- BDe la pluie
- CDe la mort
- DDes récoltes
Show answer
De la pluie
Raphaël, lui, soufflera dans la trompe pour annoncer la vie des êtres après leur mort.
Q 200The NFPA was founded in 1896 by insurers and a pipe maker to standardise what?
- AFire hydrant threads
- BFirefighter uniforms
- CFire sprinkler systems
- DSmoke alarm batteries
Show answer
Fire sprinkler systems
Today the Quincy, Massachusetts body publishes more than 300 codes and standards.
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