The History Guild Weekly History Quiz.
See how your history knowledge stacks up.
Have an idea for a question? Suggest it here and we’ll include it in a future quiz!
Want to know a bit more about the questions in the quiz, or the story behind them? Read on!
1. Who was the leader of the USSR when the Berlin wall was built?
Nikita Khrushchev – Read more about the construction of the Berlin Wall here.
2. Who was Henry VIII’s court painter?
Hans Holbein – a German painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire, and Reformation propaganda.
Holbein travelled to England in 1526 in search of work, with a recommendation from Erasmus. He was welcomed into the humanist circle of Thomas More, where he quickly built a high reputation. By 1535, he was King’s Painter to Henry VIII of England. His portraits of the royal family and nobles are a record of the court in the years when Henry was asserting his supremacy over the Church of England.
3. Where did the air crash in which the most passengers died occur?
Los Rodeos Airport, Tenerife, Spain in 1977 – 583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747 attempted to take off without a clearance, and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747.
Mount Takamagahara, Japan in 1985 – 520 people died in the crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123, the single-aircraft disaster with the highest number of fatalities. A Boeing 747 suffered an explosive decompression from an incorrectly repaired aft pressure bulkhead, which failed in mid flight, destroying most of its vertical stabilizer and severing all of the hydraulic lines. This made the 747 virtually uncontrollable, the Pilots were able to keep the plane flying for 32 minutes after the mechanical failure before crashing into a mountain.
Eastern Ukraine in 2014 – 298 people died when a Boeing 777 was shot down during the Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion, in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
The Atlantic Ocean, near Ireland in 1985 – 329 people were killed when Air India Flight 182 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. The Sikh Babbar Khalsa terror group was implicated in the bombings, which were in response to the Indian government’s attack on the Golden Temple in the city of Amritsar, which is very important for the Sikhs.
4. Which two groups fought in the Battle of Beth-Horon?
Romans vs Judeans – 14,000 Judean soldiers defeated 36,000 Romans in 66AD. This unexpected victory inspired the Jewish people to rebel against the Romans, in which they were comprehensively defeated.
5. In which country was Adolf Hitler born?
Austria-Hungary – Braunau am Inn, Austria on April 20, 1889.
6. Who were the first non-Chinese people to rule China?
Mongols – The Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan started the conquest with small-scale raids into Western Xia in 1205 and 1207. By 1279, the Mongol leader Kublai Khan had established the Yuan dynasty in China and crushed the last Song resistance, which marked the onset of all of China under the Mongol Yuan rule.
7. What weapons are these?
Nike Missiles – These were the first anti-aircraft missiles developed by the USA, replacing hundreds of anti-aircraft guns that were deployed across the country in 1953. You can visit a restored Nike missile site in San Francisco.
8. What was the world’s first roller coaster?
The Coney Island Switchback Railway – Designed in 1881 by LaMarcus Adna Thompson, who was inspired to open the rollercoaster as a way of distract young people from sinful activities!
9. What did Orville and Wilbur Wright do before building the aircraft?
They operated a bicycle repair and sales shop – in December 1892 the brothers opened a repair and sales shop (the Wright Cycle Exchange, later the Wright Cycle Company) and in 1896 began manufacturing their own brand. They used this enterprise to fund their growing interest in flight.
10. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi also known as Mohammad Reza Shah, was the head of state of which country?
Iran – Shah or King of Iran from 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Mohammad Reza Shah’s rule was weakened by his support of the 1953 coup that removed the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. This coup was orchestrated by the CIA and MI6. After this Mohammad Reza Shah was seen as somewhat of a puppet leader.
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