Modern History Trivia
196 Trivia Questions & Answers
Which famous wall came down in 1989?
The Berlin Wall Click to see the answer
Which American writer died in November 2013?
Peter W. Kaplan
Which city was attacked by ISIS in November 2015?
Paris
In 2010, an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was caused by the rupturing of which company's oil rig?
BP
Nicolas Sarkozy married which model in 2008?
Carla Bruni
Adolf Hitler was the leader of which of these countries?
Germany
In 2010, how many Chilean miners were trapped underground for a record 69 days?
33 Click to see the answer
Which American politician died in February 2013?
Ed Koch
Which US President was responsible for the Watergate scandal?
Richard Nixon
October 2011 was selected by the UN as the symbolic date when the world's population reached how many?
7 billion
Which country was hit by a meteor in February 2013?
Russia
In what year did the Challenger explode?
1986
Which British prince had a baby in 2013?
Prince William
The film 'Avatar' is one of the highest grossing films of the 21st century, Who directed it?
James Cameron
The volcano that caused widespread disruption to air traffic in spring 2010 is in which country?
Iceland
Pope Francis, who was elected in 2013, was born in which country?
Argentina Click to see the answer
Which US President was assassinated in 1963?
John F. Kennedy
In what year did California become a US state?
1850
Who was the first balloonist to fly solo around the world?
Steve Fossett
Who won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature?
Alice Munro
During the 1990s, how was the disease BSE more commonly known?
Mad Cow Disease
Which American journalist died in March 2013?
Anthony Lewis
Who was Pope throughout the 1990s?
John Paul II
In 2013, which holiday fell on the same day as the first day of Hanukkah?
Thanksgiving
Who was the leader of the Branch Davidians, 76 of whom died in a fire in Waco, Texas in 1993?
David Koresh
In February 2013 who resigned as Pope?
Benedict XVI
Which American columnist died in January 2013?
Pauline Phillips
Which former British Prime Minister passed away in 2013?
Margaret Thatcher Click to see the answer
Which social media floated on the Stock Exchange in 2012?
The first hot air balloon solo flight around the world was in what year?
2002
Which Mediterranean island suffered a major banking crisis during 2012-13?
Cyprus
Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne of which country?
Netherlands
Which of these is the correct term for the Stock Market crash of 1987?
Black Monday
Which of these was declared an independent republic in the early 1990s?
Croatia
Which city in Europe had a city that was taken down in 1989?
Berlin
Tim Cook took over as CEO of which company in 2011?
Apple
Which of these was discovered in the '90s?
Dark Matter
In what year did Pope John Paul II die and Iraq's first free elections were held?
2005
Which kind of crops were developed for commercial use in the '90s?
Genetically modified
In the 1990s, which industry in particular was affected by the BSE crisis?
Farming
Which European country was known as 'Cool Britannia' in the 1990s?
United Kingdom
According to the 2010 census how many people are approximately recorded as living in the United States?
309 million
In 2013, the Shard became the tallest building in which country?
England
Time Magazine's Person of the Year was awarded to which of these people in 2009?
Ben Bernanke
In what year did Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the Moon?
1969
Which of these countries joined the European Union on New Year's Day 2007?
Romania
Which English King's skeleton was found under a car park in 2013?
Richard III
Which company purchased the rights to the Star Wars movie franchise in 2013?
Disney
What was the code name for the SAS military operation to stormed London's Iranian Embassy to free hostages in 1980?
Nimrod
Which tech icon and former Apple CEO died in 2011?
Steve Jobs
Who was the Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2012?
Barack Obama
Who did the famous 'I Have a Dream' speech?
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 2010, who was awarded the Time Magazine Person of the Year?
Mark Zuckerberg
Which country became the 18th to join the Eurozone in January 2014?
Latvia
Which rare event happened in Miami, Florida in January 1977?
Snow Click to see the answer
What was the name of the first video game, invented in 1962?
Spacewar!
Which Spanish king stepped down in 2014?
Juan Carlos I
Facebook purchased which company for $22 Billion In 2014?
Which world famous business leader stepped down on 27 June 2008 to focus on his charity work?
Bill Gates
Who lead the UK miners' strike during 1984 and 1985?
Arthur Scargill
Who was arrested in 2008 for the greatest ever Ponzi Scheme fraud?
Bernard Madoff Click to see the answer
The Arab Spring is said to have begun in which North African nation?
Tunisia
Who lit the Olympic flame during the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony?
Steve Redgrave
Which British jockey was stripped of his OBE after he was jailed for tax irregularities in 1988?
Lester Piggott
What is the profession of Hans Blix?
Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector
Often in the news in early 1997, who or what was Hale-Bopp?
Comet
Which Royal house in the UK was severely damaged by fire in 1992?
Windsor Castle
Which Queen of the Netherlands abdicated in 1948 in favor of her daughter Juliana?
Wilhelmina
What celebrated its 100th birthday in the '80s?
Coca-Cola
What is the name of the cruise ship that ran aground off the coast of Isola de Giglio, Italy in 2012?
Costa Concordia Click to see the answer
What was the Russian space station called that orbited the earth throughout the '90s?
Mir
Now a national holiday, on which date did Germany reunify in 1990?
October 3rd
Who invented one of the first personal computers known as The Spectrum?
Sinclair
What Nobel Prize did Albert Einstein win in 1921?
Physics
Mario Savio was an activist from which country?
United States
What was the first name of '90s South African President Mr. Mandela?
Nelson
Which programming language was first developed in 1964?
BASIC
Agatha Christie died in 1976, what was she known for?
Crime Writing
What was the Oxford English Dictionary's 2013 Word of the Year?
Selfie
Which former managing director of the IMF resigned from his post in 2011?
Dominique Strauss-Kahn
Which area of the body was often padded in the 1980s?
Shoulders
Who jumped out of a helium balloon 24 miles above the Earth in October 2012?
Felix Baumgartner Click to see the answer
Who became the new James Bond actor in 2005?
Daniel Craig
Who was the Time Magazine person of the year in 2011?
The Protestor
Which of these was a World War II fighter plane?
Spitfire
In what year was the Wall Street Crash?
1929
Who became the first woman to be appointed as managing director of the IMF in 2011?
Christine Lagarde
Which country built the world's largest offshore wind farm in 2013?
Japan
Which Polish pope died in 2005?
John Paul II
Of which country did Nelson Mandela become President in the 1990s?
South Africa
British artist Banksy had a month-long residency in which city in October 2013?
New York City
Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of which country?
United Kingdom
Black Saturday Bushfires swept across which state in 2009?
Victoria
The 9/11 attacks occurred in what year?
2001
The Titanic was what type of vehicle?
Ship
The Large Hadron Collider was built under the border of which two European countries?
Switzerland & France
Which of these fashion trends is NOT associated with the '80s?
Grunge Click to see the answer
What was the name of the BP oil platform which exploded in the Gulf of Mexico during April 2010?
Deepwater Horizon
In 1979 Michael Aldrich invented what?
E-commerce
Which human body part was produced at Cornell University using a 3D printer?
Ear
In what year did, Encyclopaedia Britannica discontinue its print edition after 244 years?
2012
What was the name of Henry VIII's ship, raised from the Solent in 1982?
Mary Rose
What company's bankruptcy became the largest corporate bankruptcy in US history?
Lehman Brothers
In what year did the world's urban population overtake the rural population for the first time?
2008
The Sears Tower was finished in the 1970s, which city is it in?
Chicago
Which poet, who died in New York in 1953 of alcohol poisoning , wrote 'Fern Hill' and 'Under Milk Wood'?
Dylan Thomas
Which African-American religious figure died in November 2013?
T. J. Jemison
The USA boycotted the 1980 Olympics, held in which city?
Moscow
Who famously turned up, uninvited, in Queen Elizabeth's bedroom in 1982?
Michael Fagan
Which US city filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2013?
Detroit
What company cited $639 billion in assets when filing for Chapter 11, starting of global uncertainty?
Lehman Brothers
Which notorious gangster died on January 25th 1947?
Al Capone Click to see the answer
Mahatma Gandhi helped which country gain its independence in 1947?
India
Which famous British record label went bust in 2012?
EMI
The United States' first space station was launched in 1973, what was it called?
Skylab
Which member of the British Royal family left the Marines in tears in 1987 and then worked in the theatre and TV?
Prince Edward
Sony introduced which product in 1979?
Walkman
Which Australian art complex was opened and completed in 1973?
Sydney Opera House
Lord David Sutch was famous for founding which UK political party in 1983?
The Monster Raving Loony Party
The phone hacking scandel hit the newspaper business in which country in the 21st century?
United Kingdom
In 1994, which country became linked to mainland Britain by an under-the-sea tunnel?
France
Which medical professional died in February 2013?
C. Everett Koop
Albania and Croatia were admitted to what organization in 2009?
NATO
The worst power outage in world history, affecting 620 million people, occurred where in 2012?
India
Turn on, tune in, drop out' is a slogan said by Timothy Leary in reference to what?
Psychedelic drugs
Whose painting 'Irises' sold for 49 million dollars in 1987?
Vincent van Gogh
In the news throughout the '90s, with which commodity is OPEC involved?
Oil
What was the preferred missile of the Saddam Hussein regime during the first Gulf war?
Scud
What state did Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia fight in the 2008 South Ossetia War?
Georgia
In December of what year did the Arab Spring begin?
2010
Which US city hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics?
Los Angeles
Disposable items of what were introduced in the market in 1975?
Razors
In January 2003, what was the world's largest food company?
Nestle
In 1946, which country offered to buy Greenland for $100,000,000?
USA
The Apple iPod was released in what year?
2001
NASA's space shuttle program concluded in July 2011 with the landing of which shuttle?
Atlantis
Which US President was nicknamed 'Ike'?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Which civil war began on the African continent in 1967?
Nigerian Civil War
Which British writer died in November 2013?
Doris Lessing
Who are the brothers credited with building the world's first successful airplane?
The Wright Brothers
What did Lord Caernarfon help to uncover in 1922?
Tomb of King Tutankhamen
John F. Kennedy engaged which other politician in a televised debate in 1960?
Richard Nixon
Which woman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979?
Mother Teresa
Why did the organizers of the 2005 Grand National delay the start of the race by 25 minutes?
Avoid royal wedding clash
What was the name of the mine in Chile, from which thirty-three miners were rescued in October 2010?
San Jose
Which iconic fashion designer died on June 1, 2008?
Yves Saint Laurent
In 1996, who was chosen to design the Euro banknotes?
Robert Kalina Click to see the answer
In what year did Emperor Hirohito of Japan die?
1989
What movement did Lord Baden Powell found in 1907?
Boy Scouts
Which of these was a space shuttle which launched in 1981?
Columbia
Chief Justice Earl Warren swore which man into the presidency?
Ronald Reagan
September 15th, 1916 saw the first deployment of Big Willie. What was it?
A World War I Tank
The QE2 made it's maiden voyage in which decade?
1960s Click to see the answer
Which iconic Ford car was first released in the 1960s?
Ford Mustang
Which hairstyle would you associate with the '80s?
The Perm
Which video format lost the battle to VHS in the 1980s?
Betamax
Whose arrest and beating by the LAPD in 1991, led ultimately to widespread rioting?
Rodney King
Which tax ultimately led to the downfall of UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher?
Poll tax
In the '80s, what did the 414 Gang become infamous for?
Computer hacking
Coco Chanel died in 1971, what was her profession?
Fashion Designer
Of the following organs, which was available as an artificial version 1969?
Heart
Which street in London is often associated with 1960s fashion?
Carnaby Street Click to see the answer
Who, in 1991, became the first Briton in space?
Helen Sharman
In 1992, which US city saw over 50 people killed in the Rodney King Riots?
LA
When Saddam Hussein came to power who did he replace?
Hassan al-Bakr
Who was the President of Argentina at the time of the Falklands invasion in 1982?
General Galtieri
Who became prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1990?
John Major
Which country launched its first satellite, with the help of USSR in 1975?
India
Which well-known physicist was born in Oxford in 1942?
Stephen Hawking
Which British Lord famously disappeared after the death of his children's nanny in 1974?
Lucan
In 1995, who famously was pursued by police whilst driving his white Ford Bronco?
O. J. Simpson
The US President made an unprecedented visit to where to meet with Mao Zedong?
China
What was synthesized at the University of California for the first time in 1971?
Human Growth Hormone
Which European country established a military dictatorship in 1967?
Greece Click to see the answer
In 1993, what did Barbara Harmer become the first woman to do?
Fly Concorde
What was the name of the leading Soviet rocket engineer in the 1960s?
Sergei Korolev
HBO was created in 1982. What does HBO stand for?
Home Box Office
Name the pre-historic monument found in Wiltshire, England.
Stonehenge
In 1989 which country built the largest capacity sports stadium of all time with space for over 150,000 people?
North Korea
By what name, was Maria Eva Duarte de Peron popularly known throughout the world?
Evita
In which decade was the AK-47 first produced?
1940s
In which month was there a period of volatile civil unrest in France during 1968?
May
Which British politician was nicknamed 'the milk snatcher' after stopping free milk in schools?
Margaret Thatcher
Who won the London Mayoral Elections of 2012?
Boris Johnson
François Mitterrand was President of which country in the '80s?
France
Which two words are inscribed on a Victoria Cross?
For Valour
What launched in 1972, becoming the first pay-television channel in the US?
HBO
Which of these fashion trends is associated with the '80s?
Leotards & Dancewear
Women were integrated into regular what in 1978?
Army
In which decade did Tony Blair become the British Prime Minister?
1990s
Of which organization were Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz Presidents in the '90s?
Walt Disney
Which of these medical procedures was first attempted in the 1970s?
Face lifts
In what year was the Islamic Republic established in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini?
1979
The Universal Product Code was scanned for the first time in 1974, to sell what?
Wrigley's gum
In what year was the Supermarine Spitfire retired by the Irish Air Corps?
1961
Who described 1992 as an 'annus horribilis'?
The Queen
