130+ Best Modern History Trivia Questions & Answers

Question: October 2011 was selected by the UN as the symbolic date when the world's population hit what epic number?

Answer: 7 billion

Question: In February 2013, which country got an unexpected “meteor strike” cameo?

Answer: Russia

Question: Which American journalist, a real news sleuth, passed away in March 2013?

Answer: Anthony Lewis

Question: Who was the rockstar Pope of the 1990s?

Answer: John Paul II

Question: Tim Cook took over as CEO of which tech giant in 2011?

Answer: Apple

Question: Which country declared independence in the early 1990s like a breakout star?

Answer: Croatia

Question: Which European city saw its iconic wall come down in 1989?

Answer: Berlin

Question: Time Magazine’s 2009 Person of the Year was the money maestro who rocked the financial world—who was it?

Answer: Ben Bernanke

Question: Which company bought the Star Wars movie rights in 2013, entering a galaxy far, far away?

Answer: Disney

Question: What was the secret code name for the SAS operation at London’s Iranian Embassy in 1980?

Answer: Nimrod

Question: Which tech icon and former Apple CEO, a true visionary, passed away in 2011?

Answer: Steve Jobs

Question: Who was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 2012, making headlines with style?

Answer: Barack Obama

Question: Who delivered the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, inspiring millions?

Answer: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Question: In 2010, who was crowned Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in the digital age?

Answer: Mark Zuckerberg

Question: Which country joined the Eurozone in January 2014 as the 18th member, stepping into the money club?

Answer: Latvia

Question: In 1996, who was tapped to design the Euro banknotes with a splash of style?

Answer: Robert Kalina

Question: In what year did Japan's Emperor Hirohito bow out, leaving a legendary legacy?

Answer: 1989

Question: What movement, sparking adventure and fun, did Lord Baden Powell launch in 1907?

Answer: Boy Scouts

Question: Chief Justice Earl Warren swore which future president into office, setting the stage for a new era?

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Question: September 15th, 1916, witnessed the debut of "Big Willie" – what was this game-changing machine?

Answer: A World War I Tank

Question: The QE2 set sail for its maiden voyage during which groovy decade?

Answer: 1960s

Question: Which iconic Ford ride, revving up hearts, was first unleashed in the 1960s?

Answer: Ford Mustang

Question: Whose 1991 arrest by the LAPD sparked outrage and eventually fueled widespread riots?

Answer: Rodney King

Question: Which controversial tax gave UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher a run for her money?

Answer: Poll tax

Question: Who, in 1991, became the first Briton to rocket into space, reaching for the stars?

Answer: Helen Sharman

Question: Which famous wall dramatically fell in 1989 like a blockbuster finale?

Answer: The Berlin Wall

Question: Which city got an unexpected scare from ISIS in November 2015, starring in its own headline?

Answer: Paris

Question: In 2010, which company’s oil rig ruptured, causing a mega oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?

Answer: BP

Question: How many resilient Chilean miners were trapped underground for 69 suspenseful days in 2010?

Answer: 33

Question: In what year did the Challenger tragedy remind us of the perils of space exploration?

Answer: 1986

Question: Which US President’s life was tragically cut short in 1963?

Answer: John F. Kennedy

Question: In what year did California officially join the US state club?

Answer: 1850

Question: In 2013, which holiday unexpectedly shared its stage with the first day of Hanukkah?

Answer: Thanksgiving

Question: In February 2013, who stepped down as Pope, leaving a chapter closed?

Answer: Benedict XVI

Question: Which former British Prime Minister left the world stage in 2013?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Question: Which American writer, known for his captivating tales, left us in November 2013?

Answer: Peter W. Kaplan

Question: Nicolas Sarkozy tied the knot with which elegant model in 2008?

Answer: Carla Bruni

Question: Adolf Hitler was the notorious leader of which country?

Answer: Germany

Question: Which American politician, a vibrant character on the public stage, passed away in February 2013?

Answer: Ed Koch

Question: Which US President found himself embroiled in the infamous Watergate scandal?

Answer: Richard Nixon

Question: Which British prince welcomed a new bundle of joy in 2013?

Answer: Prince William

Question: The blockbuster film 'Avatar' soared at the box office—who was the visionary director behind it?

Answer: James Cameron

Question: Pope Francis, elected in 2013, was born in which South American country?

Answer: Argentina

Question: Who became the first balloonist to take a solo trip around the globe?

Answer: Steve Fossett

Question: Who bagged the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature with her masterful storytelling?

Answer: Alice Munro

Question: During the 1990s, what cheeky nickname did BSE earn?

Answer: Mad Cow Disease

Question: Who led the Branch Davidians during that dramatic Waco showdown?

Answer: David Koresh

Question: Which American columnist, known for her witty words, passed away in January 2013?

Answer: Pauline Phillips

Question: Which social media giant made a splash on the Stock Exchange in 2012?

Answer: Facebook

Question: What year did a brave soul make history with the first solo hot air balloon flight around the world?

Answer: 2002

Question: Which Mediterranean island weathered a major banking crisis during 2012-13?

Answer: Cyprus

Question: In what year did we say farewell to Pope John Paul II while Iraq held its first free elections?

Answer: 2005

Question: Which groundbreaking crops, thanks to science, hit the market in the '90s?

Answer: Genetically modified

Question: In the '90s, which industry bore the brunt of the BSE crisis?

Answer: Farming

Question: What mysterious cosmic phenomenon, puzzling scientists, was discovered in the '90s?

Answer: Dark Matter

Question: Which rare phenomenon turned Miami into a winter wonderland in January 1977?

Answer: Snow

Question: What was the name of the pioneering video game, sparking digital adventures in 1962?

Answer: Spacewar!

Question: Which Spanish king decided to step aside in 2014, marking a royal change?

Answer: Juan Carlos I

Question: Which world-famous business leader hung up his day job on June 27, 2008, to champion charity work?

Answer: Bill Gates

Question: Who was the fiery leader of the UK miners' strike in 1984-85, rallying the workforce?

Answer: Arthur Scargill

Question: Who got caught orchestrating the greatest-ever Ponzi Scheme fraud in 2008?

Answer: Bernard Madoff

Question: The Arab Spring is said to have ignited in which North African nation?

Answer: Tunisia

Question: Often lighting up headlines in early 1997, who or what was Hale-Bopp?

Answer: Comet

Question: Which iconic UK Royal house suffered severe fire damage in 1992?

Answer: Windsor Castle

Question: Which global icon celebrated its 100th birthday in the '80s with fizzy fanfare?

Answer: Coca-Cola

Question: Who had the honor of lighting the Olympic flame at the 2012 ceremony, channeling true champion vibes?

Answer: Steve Redgrave

Question: Which British jockey saw his OBE stripped after a tax scandal in 1988?

Answer: Lester Piggott

Question: What was Hans Blix's role, as he kept a sharp eye on global weapons?

Answer: Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector

Question: What was the first name of South Africa’s '90s icon, President Mandela?

Answer: Nelson

Question: Who stepped into the suave shoes of James Bond in 2005?

Answer: Daniel Craig

Question: Who captured headlines as Time Magazine’s 2011 Person of the Year, embodying the spirit of protest?

Answer: The Protestor

Question: Who famously turned up uninvited in Queen Elizabeth's bedroom back in 1982?

Answer: Michael Fagan

Question: Who shattered ceilings as the first woman managing director of the IMF in 2011?

Answer: Christine Lagarde

Question: Winston Churchill led which country as Prime Minister during pivotal wartime moments?

Answer: United Kingdom

Question: Which influential African-American religious leader passed away in November 2013?

Answer: T. J. Jemison

Question: Which Russian space station kept the '90s orbiting in style?

Answer: Mir

Question: What’s the name of the cruise ship that had a rocky romance with Isola de Giglio in 2012?

Answer: Costa Concordia

Question: Which programming language kicked off coding adventures in 1964?

Answer: BASIC

Question: Which human body part was 3D printed at Cornell, taking technology to a whole new level?

Answer: Ear

Question: After 244 years, which year saw Encyclopedia Britannica say goodbye to its print edition?

Answer: 2012

Question: Which renowned medical professional left us in February 2013?

Answer: C. Everett Koop

Question: In 1979, Michael Aldrich sparked a revolution by inventing what?

Answer: E-commerce

Question: Which nifty gadget did Sony introduce in 1979, changing how we jam to music?

Answer: Walkman

Question: What was the name of the US’s first space station, launched in 1973?

Answer: Skylab

Question: In what year did the Apple iPod debut, launching a digital music era?

Answer: 2001

Question: Which hairstyle screams radical '80s flair?

Answer: The Perm

Question: Which video format got ghosted by VHS in the epic '80s tech showdown?

Answer: Betamax

Question: In the '80s, what did the notorious 414 Gang become infamous for that made computers tremble?

Answer: Computer hacking

Question: Coco Chanel, the ultimate style icon who passed in 1971, was known for being a master of what?

Answer: Fashion Designer

Question: Which London street still vibes with the swinging '60s fashion scene?

Answer: Carnaby Street

Question: Which British Lord mysteriously vanished after a scandalous twist in 1974?

Answer: Lucan

Question: HBO, born in 1982, stands for which powerhouse of home entertainment?

Answer: Home Box Office

Question: In which rad decade did leotards and dancewear rule the fashion runway?

Answer: '80s

Question: Which British politician earned the cheeky nickname 'the milk snatcher' for cutting free milk in schools?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Question: Which unforgettable fashion trend is the true emblem of the '80s?

Answer: Leotards & Dancewear

Question: Of the following organs, which one got an artificial upgrade in 1969?

Answer: Heart

Question: Which European country kicked off a military dictatorship in 1967?

Answer: Greece

Question: In 1993, what pioneering feat did Barbara Harmer achieve that soared above the rest?

Answer: Fly Concorde

Question: Who was the Soviet rocket genius of the 1960s, blasting through space expectations?

Answer: Sergei Korolev

Question: In what year did Ayatollah Khomeini establish the Islamic Republic in Iran?

Answer: 1979

Question: The Universal Product Code made its debut in 1974—what chews its way into history with Wrigley’s?

Answer: Wrigley's gum

Question: In what year did the Irish Air Corps retire the legendary Supermarine Spitfire?

Answer: 1961

Question: Which snazzy medical procedure, giving a fresh face to aging, first took off in the '70s?

Answer: Face lifts

Question: In what year were the Euro banknotes, designed by Robert Kalina, born?

Answer: 1996

Question: The QE2 set sail on its maiden voyage during which radical decade?

Answer: 1960s

Question: In 1992, which US city saw a tragic loss of over 50 lives during the Rodney King Riots?

Answer: LA

Question: When Saddam Hussein seized power, who did he oust from the throne?

Answer: Hassan al-Bakr

Question: Who was steering Argentina’s ship at the time of the Falklands invasion in 1982?

Answer: General Galtieri

Question: Which sharp UK politician took over as prime minister in 1990?

Answer: John Major

Question: Which country, with a little help from the USSR, launched its first satellite in 1975?

Answer: India

Question: Which iconic physicist, born in Oxford in 1942, revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos?

Answer: Stephen Hawking

Question: In 1995, who became the headline act as police chased him in a white Ford Bronco?

Answer: O. J. Simpson

Question: Which faraway land did the US President visit to break new ground by meeting Mao Zedong?

Answer: China

Question: Which British politician earned the quirky nickname 'the milk snatcher' for ending free milk in schools?

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

Question: Who famously dubbed 1992 an 'annus horribilis'?

Answer: The Queen

Question: Which Polish pope, beloved by millions, left us in 2005?

Answer: John Paul II

Question: Nelson Mandela became President of which nation in the '90s, championing freedom?

Answer: South Africa

Question: British street art wizard Banksy held a month-long residency in which vibrant city in October 2013?

Answer: New York City

Question: Black Saturday Bushfires scorched which Australian state in 2009?

Answer: Victoria

Question: The unforgettable 9/11 attacks shook the world in which year?

Answer: 2001

Question: The Titanic, that infamous vessel of yore, was what kind of vehicle?

Answer: Ship

Question: The Large Hadron Collider was built beneath the border of which two European powerhouses?

Answer: Switzerland & France

Question: The dramatic Wall Street Crash, which reshaped economies, happened in what year?

Answer: 1929

Question: Which legendary British record label hit financial turbulence and went bust in 2012?

Answer: EMI

Question: In 1994, which country got an under-the-sea tunnel linking it to mainland Britain?

Answer: France