Historical Figures Trivia Questions
Total Questions: 264
Who was the teen who kept a diary detailing the minutiae of his life and later became the first director of the FBI?
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j. edgar hoover
Who insisted on omitting the word 'obey' from her marriage vows when she married Henry Stanton in 1840?
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elizabeth cady stanton
Who is the editor that is buried near her first husband and former brother-in-law at Arlington National Cemetery?
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jacqueline kennedy onassis
Which emperor, known for constructing a famous wall, built a magnificent villa at Tivoli near Rome?
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hadrian
Who published a 'History of the Red Cross' in 1883?
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clara barton
Who is the former first lady of the Philippines who ran for congress and won in 1995?
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imelda marcos
In which country is Francisco Franco buried inside a mountain?
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spain
Which ex-Marine received an honorary degree from Liberty University in 1988 during the Iran-Contra investigation?
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oliver north
Which Black American agriculturist wrote the 1894 college thesis titled 'Plants as Modified by Man'?
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george washington carver
Which explorer is commemorated with a statue atop a 167-foot column near Barcelona's harbor, pointing towards the sea?
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christopher columbus
What Californian settler, who discovered gold at his mill in 1848, was bankrupt by 1852?
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john sutter
Which sailor's name is the origin of the word meaning a long, adventurous voyage?
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odysseus
In which city were both Helen Hunt Jackson and Emily Dickinson born, with Emily known as the 'Belle'?
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amherst, massachusetts
Who was a military and political wife determined not to look 'Dowd'y?
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mamie eisenhower
Who was crowned Emperor of the Romans at St. Peter's Church on Christmas Day in the year 800?
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charlemagne
Who installed the first large central electric power station on NYC's Pearl Street in 1882?
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thomas edison
Which Soviet leader was featured on the cover of TIME magazine as Man of the Year in 1957?
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nikita khrushchev
Whose salary was increased by Chicago's city council from $25,000 to $35,000 a year in 1959?
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richard j. daley
Who was the 13th-century Scottish knight whose story was told by Henry the Minstrel in the 15th century and later depicted in the film 'Braveheart'?
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william wallace
Which historical figure, known for his involvement in the fur trade, sold all his fur interests in 1834 after growing tired of the business?
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john jacob astor
Which historical figure, also the second First Lady of the United States, was married to the future president by her minister father?
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abigail adams
Which pirate was pardoned after assisting the U.S. during the Battle of New Orleans?
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jean lafitte
Which great king of the Franks did the biographer Einhard say had a surprisingly high-pitched voice?
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charlemagne
As a young man, what instrument did Thomas Jefferson often play in a chamber group organized by the governor?
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violin
Which mother of a president was named a 'Papal Countess' by the Vatican in 1951 and passed away in 1995?
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rose kennedy
In which country was Andrew Carnegie born?
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scotland
Who is known by the nicknames 'The Father of Protestantism' and 'The Father of the Reformation'?
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martin luther
Who stated in 1858, 'I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free'?
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abraham lincoln
Which frontiersman, adopted by Shawnee Chief Blackfish and named 'Big Turtle,' is known for his exploration of Kentucky?
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daniel boone
Which Czech president, known for his plays, formerly had his works banned in his homeland?
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havel
Which Ugandan leader was estimated by Amnesty International in 1977 to have been responsible for as many as 300,000 deaths during his rule?
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idi amin
Which philosopher instructed Alexander the Great in subjects such as rhetoric, literature, science, and philosophy?
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aristotle
Who served as the U.S. Surgeon General from 1981 to 1989?
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c. everett koop
In 1462, which printer, known for movable type, was forced to leave Mainz?
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johannes gutenberg
Who was the ANC leader released by the South African government on February 11, 1990, after 27 years of imprisonment?
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nelson mandela
Which president had a 32-cent stamp issued in his honor on April 26, 1995?
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richard nixon
Who was one of Queen Anne's top spies and author of 'Robinson Crusoe'?
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daniel defoe
Which emperor scandalized the citizens of Ancient Rome by performing in public in female roles, and is often associated with 'fiddling'?
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nero
Which Unification Church leader is known for conducting mass wedding ceremonies where up to 20,000 grooms might respond with 'I do' at once?
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sun myung moon
In which country did teenager Walter Raleigh fight for the Huguenots?
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france
Which ancient Greek mathematician is known for his theory of right triangles and believed that the planets create their own sounds in their orbits?
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pythagoras
Who is the First Lady whose portrait, painted by her husband, hangs in their grandson David's dining room?
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mamie eisenhower
Which 19th-century woman, known for her 'Turkish Trousers,' introduced Susan B. Anthony to Elizabeth Cady Stanton?
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amelia bloomer
Who was the father of Fatima, the only child who survived him after whom the Fatimids were named?
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muhammad
Which cowboy humorist died in a plane crash in Alaska on August 15, 1935?
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will rogers
Which region was William the Conqueror the Duke of before becoming King of England?
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normandy
Which Tennessee congressman was the subject of tales spread by his Whig allies?
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davy crockett
What trade is Jesus believed to have practiced, as taught by Joseph, before his ministry?
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carpentry
On which day of the week did Stonewall Jackson, a very religious man, prefer to die, and actually did?
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sunday
Which author and revolutionary thinker wrote 'Common Sense' and said, 'These are the times that try men's souls'?
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thomas paine
Who was the Roman general married to Octavia who also had an affair with Cleopatra?
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mark antony
Who is the 10-year-old whose 6-year-old sister was also a 'test tube baby'?
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louise brown
Which seductive queen convinced Mark Antony to execute her hostile younger sister, Arsinoe?
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cleopatra
Who was the civil rights leader whose brother, Charles Evers, served as mayor of Fayette, Mississippi from 1969 to 1981?
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medgar evers
Which future U.S. president established the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation in 1927 to aid polio victims?
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franklin d. roosevelt
Which Englishman began his diaries in shorthand on January 1, 1660, and continued for 9 years?
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samuel pepys
Who hired a staff of about 20 photographers to cover every phase of the Civil War at its outbreak?
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mathew brady
Before becoming a Yippie leader and one of the 'Chicago Seven', what notable figure worked as a pharmaceuticals salesman?
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abbie hoffman
Who led the Bureau of Investigation of the Justice Department under Herbert Hoover?
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j. edgar hoover
In 399 B.C., which philosopher was convicted by a jury of 500 men on a vote of 280 to 220 in Ancient Greece?
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socrates
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