Decades Trivia

189+ Best Decades Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: July 5th, 2023

Step back in time and test your knowledge of the past with our thrilling Decades Trivia! From pop culture to historical events, challenge yourself with questions spanning the 19th and 20th centuries.

1920s Trivia

Question: Which novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered a classic portrayal of the Jazz Age?

Answer: The Great Gatsby

Question: Who was the famous American pilot who made the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight in 1927?

Answer: Charles Lindbergh

Question: What was the name of the iconic dance that became popular in the 1920s and was associated with flappers?

Answer: The Charleston

Question: Which musical genre emerged in the 1920s, blending African-American and European musical traditions?

Answer: Jazz

Question: In 1920, which amendment to the United States Constitution prohibited the sale, production, and distribution of alcoholic beverages?

Answer: Prohibition (18th Amendment)

Question: Who became the President of the United States in 1929, shortly before the stock market crash and the beginning of the Great Depression?

Answer: Herbert Hoover

Question: What was the name of the iconic silent film that starred Charlie Chaplin as a tramp character?

Answer: The Kid

Question: Who was the famous gangster and mobster who rose to prominence during the Prohibition era?

Answer: Al Capone

Question: Which automobile manufacturer introduced the Model A, replacing the Model T, in the late 1920s?

Answer: Ford

Question: Which event, known as the "Scopes Monkey Trial," took place in 1925 and dealt with the issue of teaching evolution in schools?

Answer: State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes

Question: Who was the American athlete who won four gold medals in track and field events at the 1924 Summer Olympics?

Answer: Eric Liddell

Question: What was the nickname given to the group of American writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Paris during the 1920s?

Answer: The Lost Generation

Question: Which iconic landmark in New York City was completed in 1924 and became the tallest man-made structure in the world at the time?

Answer: The Chrysler Building

Question: Who invented the first practical mechanical television system in the late 1920s?

Answer: Philo Farnsworth

1930s Trivia

Question: Which country did Amelia Earhart attempt to fly around the world before her disappearance in 1937?

Answer: United States

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1939 with their film "Gone with the Wind"?

Answer: David O. Selznick

Question: In 1932, which group of veterans marched on Washington, D.C. demanding the early payment of bonuses they were promised for their service in World War I?

Answer: Bonus Army

Question: Which American outlaw couple was ambushed and killed by law enforcement officers in 1934?

Answer: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Question: Who was the British monarch during the 1930s, known for his abdication in 1936?

Answer: King Edward VIII (later Duke of Windsor)

Question: What was the name of the infamous event on October 29, 1929, when the United States stock market crashed, signaling the beginning of the Great Depression?

Answer: Black Tuesday

Question: Which American aviator broke the record for the fastest solo flight around the world in 1933?

Answer: Wiley Post

Question: Which landmark public works project, aimed at providing employment during the Great Depression, was authorized in 1933?

Answer: The Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Question: What was the name of the German airship that exploded and crashed in New Jersey in 1937?

Answer: Hindenburg

Question: Who was the dictator who came to power in Italy in the 1920s and established a fascist regime?

Answer: Benito Mussolini

Question: What was the name of the American aviator who completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932?

Answer: Amelia Earhart

Question: Which major sporting event was held in Berlin, Germany in 1936 and used as Nazi propaganda?

Answer: The Summer Olympics

Question: Who wrote the novel "Of Mice and Men," which was published in 1937?

Answer: John Steinbeck

Question: Which famous Disney animated film, featuring the first-ever full-length Technicolor sequence, was released in 1937?

Answer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Question: Which famous British prime minister led the United Kingdom throughout most of World War II, including the 1930s?

Answer: Winston Churchill

1940s Trivia

Question: Who was the British Prime Minister during most of World War II, known for his inspirational speeches?

Answer: Winston Churchill

Question: What was the code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944?

Answer: D-Day

Question: Which iconic actress starred in the film "Casablanca," released in 1942?

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

Question: Which event in 1947 marked the division of British India into two separate nations, India and Pakistan?

Answer: Partition of India

Question: Who became the President of the United States after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945?

Answer: Harry S. Truman

Question: Which German dictator led the Nazi regime during World War II?

Answer: Adolf Hitler

Question: Which organization was founded in 1945 to promote international cooperation and prevent future world wars?

Answer: The United Nations

Question: What was the name of the first electronic general-purpose computer, built during World War II?

Answer: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)

Question: Which iconic photograph captured U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945?

Answer: Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima

Question: Which superhero first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938, but became widely popular in the 1940s?

Answer: Superman

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1942 with their film "Mrs. Miniver"?

Answer: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Question: What was the name of the series of military tribunals held in Nuremberg, Germany, to prosecute prominent Nazi officials for war crimes?

Answer: Nuremberg Trials

Question: Which event in 1947 implemented the Truman Doctrine and provided financial aid to Greece and Turkey to prevent the spread of communism?

Answer: The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan

1950s Trivia

Question: Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the 1950s?

Answer: Nikita Khrushchev

Question: What was the name of the conflict between North and South Korea that began in 1950?

Answer: The Korean War

Question: Which American president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first federal civil rights legislation since Reconstruction?

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question: Who became the Queen of the United Kingdom in 1952?

Answer: Queen Elizabeth II

Question: Which popular rock and roll musician became known as the "King of Rock and Roll" during the 1950s?

Answer: Elvis Presley

Question: Which novel by J.D. Salinger, published in 1951, became a classic coming-of-age story?

Answer: The Catcher in the Rye

Question: What was the name of the first satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union in 1957?

Answer: Sputnik 1

Question: Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 for his contributions to the literature of Latin America?

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

Question: What was the name of the historic Supreme Court case in 1954 that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional?

Answer: Brown v. Board of Education

Question: Which American actress became an international sex symbol and starred in films such as "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Some Like It Hot"?

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

Question: Which country became the first to successfully test a hydrogen bomb in 1952?

Answer: United States

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1959 with their film "Ben-Hur"?

Answer: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Question: Which African-American woman refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955?

Answer: Rosa Parks

Question: What was the name of the conflict in Vietnam that began in the 1950s and escalated in the following decades?

Answer: The Vietnam War

1960s Trivia

Question: Who was the first human to travel into space, orbiting the Earth in 1961?

Answer: Yuri Gagarin

Question: What was the name of the civil rights activist who delivered the famous "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in 1963?

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.

Question: Which British rock band gained worldwide fame and acclaim during the 1960s, with hits like "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be"?

Answer: The Beatles

Question: Which U.S. president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting racial segregation and discrimination?

Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

Question: What was the name of the iconic music festival held in 1969, known for its association with the counterculture and performances by Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin?

Answer: Woodstock

Question: Which African country gained independence from Belgium in 1960?

Answer: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Question: Who was the leader of the Soviet Union during most of the 1960s?

Answer: Leonid Brezhnev

Question: What was the name of the first manned mission to land on the Moon, which took place in 1969?

Answer: Apollo 11

Question: Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent struggle for civil rights in the United States?

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.

Question: Which American actress became a fashion icon and starred in films such as "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "My Fair Lady"?

Answer: Audrey Hepburn

Question: What was the name of the American counterculture movement that emerged in the 1960s, advocating for peace, love, and social change?

Answer: The Hippie Movement

Question: Which major event in 1962 brought the world to the brink of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union?

Answer: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1967 with their film "In the Heat of the Night"?

Answer: United Artists

Question: Which African-American athlete won four gold medals at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City?

Answer: Jesse Owens

1970s Trivia

Question: Who became the President of the United States in 1974, following the resignation of Richard Nixon?

Answer: Gerald Ford

Question: What was the name of the conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam that ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975?

Answer: The Vietnam War

Question: Which American actress became known for her role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" film series?

Answer: Carrie Fisher

Question: Which musical genre gained popularity in the 1970s, featuring artists like ABBA, Bee Gees, and Donna Summer?

Answer: Disco

Question: Who was the British Prime Minister during most of the 1970s, known for her conservative policies?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Question: What was the name of the iconic music festival held in upstate New York in 1970, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees?

Answer: Woodstock

Question: Which American tennis player won a record 20 Wimbledon titles during the 1970s?

Answer: Billie Jean King

Question: What was the name of the U.S. spacecraft that successfully landed two astronauts on the Moon in 1971?

Answer: Apollo 14

Question: Which groundbreaking personal computer, introduced in 1977, played a significant role in the microcomputer revolution?

Answer: Apple II

Question: Which American singer-songwriter released the album "Born to Run" in 1975, propelling him to stardom?

Answer: Bruce Springsteen

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1972 with their film "The French Connection"?

Answer: 20th Century Fox

Question: Which Swedish pop group gained international success in the 1970s with hits like "Dancing Queen" and "Mamma Mia"?

Answer: ABBA

Question: What was the name of the event in 1972 when several Palestinian terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage during the Olympic Games in Munich?

Answer: Munich Olympics Massacre

Question: Which American president visited China in 1972, marking a significant step in the normalization of U.S.-China relations?

Answer: Richard Nixon

1980s Trivia

Question: Who was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving from 1979 to 1990?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Question: What was the name of the popular arcade game released in 1980, featuring a yellow character eating dots and evading ghosts?

Answer: Pac-Man

Question: Which British musician and former member of the Beatles released the album "Imagine" in 1980?

Answer: John Lennon

Question: Which American president survived an assassination attempt in 1981?

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Question: What was the name of the conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands in 1982?

Answer: Falklands War

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1983 with their film "Terms of Endearment"?

Answer: Paramount Pictures

Question: Which Swedish actress starred in films such as "Moonstruck" and "Mask" in the 1980s?

Answer: Cher

Question: What was the name of the Soviet leader who implemented a series of political and economic reforms known as perestroika and glasnost in the 1980s?

Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev

Question: Which iconic music video by Michael Jackson was released in 1983, revolutionizing the music video format?

Answer: Thriller

Question: Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for his efforts to promote nuclear disarmament?

Answer: Elie Wiesel

Question: What was the name of the space shuttle that exploded shortly after launch in 1986, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members?

Answer: Challenger

Question: Which American sitcom, set in the 1950s and 1960s, aired from 1988 to 1997 and became a cultural phenomenon?

Answer: The Cosby Show

Question: What was the name of the first commercially successful personal computer with a graphical user interface, released by Apple in 1984?

Answer: Macintosh

Question: Which event in 1989 marked the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall and symbolized the end of the Cold War?

Answer: Fall of the Berlin Wall

1990s Trivia

Question: Who was the first democratically elected President of South Africa, ending apartheid?

Answer: Nelson Mandela

Question: What was the name of the conflict in the Balkans during the 1990s, characterized by ethnic cleansing and genocide?

Answer: The Yugoslav Wars

Question: Which American television sitcom, set in a coffeehouse in New York City, aired from 1994 to 2004 and became a cultural phenomenon?

Answer: Friends

Question: Who was the American president during most of the 1990s?

Answer: Bill Clinton

Question: What was the name of the treaty signed in 1992, aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change?

Answer: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Question: Which Canadian musician released the album "Jagged Little Pill" in 1995, featuring the hit songs "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic"?

Answer: Alanis Morissette

Question: What was the name of the event in 1997 when the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to China?

Answer: Handover of Hong Kong

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1997 with their film "Titanic"?

Answer: 20th Century Fox

Question: Which American athlete, known as "The Greatest," won the gold medal in boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics?

Answer: Muhammad Ali

Question: What was the name of the political scandal in the United States in the 1990s, involving President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?

Answer: The Lewinsky scandal

Question: Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his efforts to negotiate peace in the Middle East?

Answer: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin

Question: What was the name of the handheld digital pet, popular in the 1990s, that required feeding and care?

Answer: Tamagotchi

Question: Which country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1998, winning the tournament for the first time?

Answer: France

2000s Trivia

Question: Who became the President of the United States after the controversial 2000 presidential election?

Answer: George W. Bush

Question: What was the name of the global economic crisis that began in 2008, resulting in a severe recession?

Answer: The Great Recession

Question: Which American technology company released the iPod, revolutionizing the portable music industry?

Answer: Apple

Question: Who won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2003 with their film "Chicago"?

Answer: Miramax Films

Question: What was the name of the online encyclopedia launched in 2001, which allowed users to contribute and edit its content?

Answer: Wikipedia

Question: Which British author wrote the Harry Potter book series, which gained immense popularity in the 2000s?

Answer: J.K. Rowling

Question: Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation?

Answer: Barack Obama

Question: What was the name of the social networking website launched in 2004, which quickly gained millions of users worldwide?

Answer: Facebook

Question: Which American rapper released the album "The Marshall Mathers LP" in 2000, becoming the fastest-selling rap album in history?

Answer: Eminem

Question: Which country hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, showcasing its economic and technological advancements?

Answer: China

Question: What was the name of the hurricane that devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States, particularly New Orleans, in 2005?

Answer: Hurricane Katrina

Question: Which film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novels, was released in the 2000s?

Answer: The Lord of the Rings

Question: Who won the FIFA World Cup in 2006, hosted by Germany?

Answer: Italy

Question: What was the name of the conflict in Afghanistan that began in 2001, following the September 11 attacks?

Answer: War in Afghanistan