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Easy US history trivia questions
Which car made automobiles affordable for ordinary families?
- AThe Silver Ghost
- BThe Runabout
- CThe Model A
- DThe Model T
Answer: The Model T
Fun fact: A moving assembly line cut its production time from 12 hours to about 90 minutes.
Which amendment gave women the right to vote?
- AThe 18th
- BThe 15th
- CThe 19th
- DThe 21st
Answer: The 19th
Fun fact: It was ratified in 1920 after a 72-year campaign.
What is the June 6, 1944 invasion of Normandy commonly called?
- AOperation Torch
- BV-E Day
- CD-Day
- DMarket Garden
Answer: D-Day
Fun fact: Roughly 156,000 Allied troops landed in a single day.
Which 1964 law banned segregation in public accommodations?
- AThe Fair Housing Act
- BThe Voting Rights Act
- CThe Equal Pay Act
- DThe Civil Rights Act
Answer: The Civil Rights Act
Fun fact: It passed after the longest filibuster in Senate history to that point.
Who became the first woman to serve as vice president?
- AKamala Harris
- BGeraldine Ferraro
- CSarah Palin
- DNancy Pelosi
Answer: Kamala Harris
Fun fact: She took office in January 2021.
What did Franklin Roosevelt call his program of relief and reform?
- AThe Square Deal
- BThe Fair Deal
- CThe Great Society
- DThe New Deal
Answer: The New Deal
Fun fact: It created dozens of agencies in its first hundred days.
On what date did the September 11 attacks occur?
- ASeptember 11, 2000
- BSeptember 11, 2001
- CSeptember 11, 2002
- DSeptember 11, 1999
Answer: September 11, 2001
Fun fact: Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Which state seceded first, in December 1860?
- AGeorgia
- BMississippi
- CSouth Carolina
- DVirginia
Answer: South Carolina
Fun fact: Ten more followed within six months.
Which silversmith rode to warn that British troops were coming?
- APaul Revere
- BEthan Allen
- CIsrael Putnam
- DNathan Hale
Answer: Paul Revere
Fun fact: Two other riders went with him, and he was captured before finishing the route.
Which two towns saw the first shots of the Revolution in April 1775?
- ACambridge and Charlestown
- BSalem and Marblehead
- CWorcester and Springfield
- DLexington and Concord
Answer: Lexington and Concord
Fun fact: The exchange in April 1775 became known as the shot heard round the world.
Which three-day 1863 battle is usually called the war's turning point?
- AChickamauga
- BChancellorsville
- CGettysburg
- DFredericksburg
Answer: Gettysburg
Fun fact: Lee never mounted another major invasion of the North.
Which scandal forced a president to resign in 1974?
- ATeapot Dome
- BIran-Contra
- CThe Pentagon Papers
- DWatergate
Answer: Watergate
Fun fact: He is the only president to have resigned the office.
Which building did British troops burn in 1814?
- AFaneuil Hall
- BIndependence Hall
- CThe White House
- DMount Vernon
Answer: The White House
Fun fact: A sudden storm helped put out the fires.
From which country did the United States buy the Louisiana Territory?
- ABritain
- BMexico
- CFrance
- DSpain
Answer: France
Fun fact: Napoleon needed money for his European wars.
Medium US history trivia questions
Which 1935 program created retirement benefits for older Americans?
- AMedicare
- BSocial Security
- CThe CCC
- DThe WPA
Answer: Social Security
Fun fact: It was funded by a new payroll tax.
Which nine students integrated a Little Rock high school in 1957?
- AThe Little Rock Nine
- BThe Freedom Riders
- CThe Greensboro Four
- DThe Scottsboro Boys
Answer: The Little Rock Nine
Fun fact: Federal troops escorted them to class.
Which agency did the US create in 1958 in response to Sputnik?
- ANASA
- BThe National Science Foundation
- CThe Air Force Space Command
- DDARPA
Answer: NASA
Fun fact: It absorbed an older aeronautics research body.
Which 1869 achievement was marked by a golden spike in Utah?
- AThe Pony Express
- BThe Erie Canal
- CThe telegraph line
- DThe transcontinental railroad
Answer: The transcontinental railroad
Fun fact: It cut cross-country travel from months to about a week.
In which decade was the Statue of Liberty dedicated?
- AThe 1870s
- BThe 1850s
- CThe 1900s
- DThe 1880s
Answer: The 1880s
Fun fact: France gave it as a gift, and it arrived in 350 crates.
What document did the Pilgrims sign to establish self-government?
- AThe Articles of Union
- BThe Colonial Covenant
- CThe Plymouth Charter
- DThe Mayflower Compact
Answer: The Mayflower Compact
Fun fact: They drafted it because they landed outside the territory of their charter.
Which 1852 novel turned many northerners against slavery?
- AThe Liberator
- BWalden
- CTwelve Years a Slave
- DUncle Tom's Cabin
Answer: Uncle Tom's Cabin
Fun fact: Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote it, and it sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
Which abolitionist raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859?
- AWilliam Lloyd Garrison
- BFrederick Douglass
- CJohn Brown
- DNat Turner
Answer: John Brown
Fun fact: He was captured, tried and hanged within two months.
Which future president defended the British soldiers at their trial?
- AJohn Adams
- BJohn Hancock
- CSamuel Adams
- DThomas Jefferson
Answer: John Adams
Fun fact: He believed everyone deserved a defense, and most of the soldiers were acquitted.
Who became president upon Nixon's resignation?
- ASpiro Agnew
- BGerald Ford
- CHenry Kissinger
- DNelson Rockefeller
Answer: Gerald Ford
Fun fact: He is the only president never elected as president or vice president.
Which 1991 conflict followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait?
- AOperation Restore Hope
- BThe Gulf War
- CThe Suez Crisis
- DThe Iraq War
Answer: The Gulf War
Fun fact: The ground campaign lasted about 100 hours.
Which 1825 canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River?
- AThe Illinois Canal
- BThe Chesapeake Canal
- CThe Champlain Canal
- DThe Erie Canal
Answer: The Erie Canal
Fun fact: It cut shipping costs dramatically and made New York City a commercial capital.
Which 1823 policy warned Europe against new colonies in the Americas?
- AThe Open Door Policy
- BThe Jefferson Declaration
- CThe Adams Plan
- DThe Monroe Doctrine
Answer: The Monroe Doctrine
Fun fact: The country lacked the navy to enforce it at the time.
What does V-E Day commemorate?
- AVictory in Europe and Asia
- BThe Normandy landings
- CThe end of the Depression
- DVictory in Europe
Answer: Victory in Europe
Fun fact: It fell on May 8, 1945.
Hard US history trivia questions
Which 1911 factory fire killed 146 garment workers in New York?
- AThe Iroquois Theatre fire
- BThe Ludlow fire
- CThe Slocum disaster
- DThe Triangle Shirtwaist fire
Answer: The Triangle Shirtwaist fire
Fun fact: Locked exit doors turned it into a disaster and forced new safety laws.
Which agreement ended the standoff between Egypt and Israel in 1978?
- AThe Oslo Accords
- BThe Geneva Convention
- CThe Madrid Conference
- DThe Camp David Accords
Answer: The Camp David Accords
Fun fact: An American president hosted the talks at a presidential retreat.
Where did Lyndon Johnson take the oath of office after Kennedy's assassination?
- AAt the White House
- BAt the Capitol
- CAboard Air Force One
- DAt a Dallas hospital
Answer: Aboard Air Force One
Fun fact: Kennedy's widow stood beside him in the cabin.
Which 1980s scandal involved secret arms sales and aid to Nicaraguan rebels?
- AWatergate
- BWhitewater
- CIran-Contra
- DTeapot Dome
Answer: Iran-Contra
Fun fact: Several officials were convicted, and some were later pardoned.
Which president was impeached in 1868 and acquitted by a single vote?
- AAndrew Johnson
- BRutherford B. Hayes
- CUlysses S. Grant
- DJames Buchanan
Answer: Andrew Johnson
Fun fact: The charge involved firing his secretary of war.
What did Washington warn against in his Farewell Address?
- AA standing navy
- BWestward expansion
- CFederal taxation
- DPolitical factions and foreign entanglements
Answer: Political factions and foreign entanglements
Fun fact: He never delivered it as a speech, publishing it in a newspaper instead.
Which 1863 siege gave the Union control of the Mississippi River?
- AVicksburg
- BMemphis
- CPort Hudson
- DNew Orleans
Answer: Vicksburg
Fun fact: It ended the day after Gettysburg.
Which 1889 land rush opened territory to settlers at the sound of a gun?
- AThe Nebraska opening
- BThe Oklahoma land rush
- CThe Dakota rush
- DThe Cherokee Strip run
Answer: The Oklahoma land rush
Fun fact: People who slipped in early were called sooners.
Which intercepted telegram proposed a German alliance with Mexico?
- AThe Zimmermann Telegram
- BThe Ems Dispatch
- CThe Kruger Telegram
- DThe Sussex Pledge
Answer: The Zimmermann Telegram
Fun fact: British intelligence passed it along, and the US entered the war weeks later.
Which 1964 incident was used to expand the war in Vietnam?
- AThe Gulf of Tonkin incident
- BThe Pentagon Papers
- CThe Tet Offensive
- DThe My Lai report
Answer: The Gulf of Tonkin incident
Fun fact: Congress passed a resolution giving the president broad war powers.
Which French nobleman served as a major general under Washington?
- ABaron von Steuben
- BCasimir Pulaski
- CThe Marquis de Lafayette
- DComte de Rochambeau
Answer: The Marquis de Lafayette
Fun fact: He was 19 when he arrived and paid his own way.
Which Chief Justice shaped the early Supreme Court over 34 years?
- AJohn Jay
- BJohn Marshall
- CRoger Taney
- DOliver Ellsworth
Answer: John Marshall
Fun fact: He wrote more than 500 opinions.
