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History quiz for kids

Which came first, and by how much? This history quiz for kids is a timeline quiz, with answers: put the great events in order, from the pyramids and Hadrian's Wall to the Great Fire of London and the Moon landing.

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28 questions in 3 groups, every one with its answer. Questions last changed: .

Which came first?

  1. True or false: The Wright brothers made the first powered aeroplane flight before the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.

    False. Great Pyramid of Giza built: around 2560 BC. First powered aeroplane flight: 1903. The Wright brothers made the first powered aeroplane flight in 1903. Orville Wright was the pilot, and the flight lasted just 12 seconds.

  2. True or false: Work started on Hadrian's Wall before people first walked on the Moon.

    True. Work starts on Hadrian's Wall: AD 122. First people on the Moon: 1969. People first walked on the Moon in 1969. Neil Armstrong went first. Buzz Aldrin followed him down the ladder about 20 minutes later.

  3. True or false: The Great Fire of London broke out before Christopher Columbus first reached the Americas.

    False. Columbus reaches the Americas: 1492. Great Fire of London: 1666. The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666. It started in a bakery on Pudding Lane and burned for four days.

  4. Which of these happened first?

    • Mandela becomes president
    • Roman rule in Britain ends
    • First recorded Olympic Games
    • Storming of the Bastille

    First recorded Olympic Games. The first recorded Olympic Games were held in around 776 BC. Winners at the ancient Games were crowned with olive leaves, not given medals.

  5. Which came first?

    • First Harry Potter book
    • First World War fighting ends

    First World War fighting ends. The fighting in the First World War ended in 1918, 79 years before the first Harry Potter book was published.

  6. Put these in order, earliest first: First public TV demonstration, Spanish Armada sails, US Declaration of Independence, World Wide Web proposed.

    Spanish Armada sails (1588) → US Declaration of Independence (1776) → First public TV demonstration (1926) → World Wide Web proposed (1989). Tim Berners-Lee first proposed the World Wide Web 401 years after the Spanish Armada sailed.

  7. Put these in order, earliest first: Black Death reaches England, First World War begins, Magna Carta sealed, Vikings raid Lindisfarne.

    Vikings raid Lindisfarne (AD 793) → Magna Carta sealed (1215) → Black Death reaches England (1348) → First World War begins (1914). The First World War began in 1914. It lasted more than four years and drew in countries from around the world.

  8. True or false: The first modern Olympic Games were held after Victoria became queen.

    True. Victoria becomes queen: 1837. First modern Olympics: 1896. The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. They were held in Athens, as a nod to the ancient Games in Greece.

  9. True or false: London hosted the Olympics for the third time before women in the UK first won the right to vote in general elections.

    False. Votes for some UK women over 30: 1918. London's third Olympics: 2012. London hosted the Olympics for the third time in 2012. London was the first city to host the Summer Olympics three times.

  10. Which came first?

    • Vesuvius buries Pompeii
    • Julius Caesar lands in Britain

    Julius Caesar lands in Britain. Julius Caesar first landed in Britain in 55 BC, 133 years before Vesuvius buried Pompeii.

Which century, which year?

  1. True or false: Charles III was crowned in the 21st century.

    True. It was 2023, in the 21st century.

  2. In which century did the Second World War begin?

    • 19th century
    • 20th century
    • 17th century
    • 21st century

    20th century. The Second World War began in 1939, which is in the 20th century.

  3. In which century was the Eiffel Tower completed?

    • 18th century
    • 17th century
    • 19th century
    • 20th century

    19th century. The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, which is in the 19th century.

  4. In which century did Elizabeth I become queen?

    • 16th century
    • 13th century
    • 17th century
    • 15th century

    16th century. Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, which is in the 16th century.

  5. In which century was the Battle of Agincourt fought?

    • 16th century
    • 14th century
    • 12th century
    • 15th century

    15th century. The Battle of Agincourt was fought in 1415, which is in the 15th century.

  6. True or false: Gutenberg built his printing press in the 14th century.

    False. It was around 1440, in the 15th century. Before presses like his, most books in Europe were copied out by hand.

  7. In which year was Thomas Becket killed in Canterbury Cathedral?

    • 1066
    • 1150
    • 1190
    • 1170

    1170. Four knights killed the archbishop after his long quarrel with King Henry II.

  8. In which year did the UK switch to decimal money?

    • 1953
    • 1961
    • 2021
    • 1971

    1971. Before Decimal Day, a pound was made of 240 pennies. Afterwards it was just 100.

  9. True or false: The Mayflower sailed to America in 1558.

    False. It was 1620. It carried about 100 passengers across the Atlantic. The crossing took more than two months.

  10. True or false: Mount Everest was first climbed in 1953.

    True. It was 1953. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top together on 29 May.

True or false?

  1. True or false: The Titanic sank on its very first voyage.

    True. It set off from Southampton bound for New York and never arrived.

  2. True or false: William Shakespeare was born in London.

    False. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, then moved to London to write and act.

  3. True or false: The Berlin Wall split a city in two.

    True. For 28 years it divided Berlin into East and West.

  4. True or false: Elizabeth II reigned for longer than any other British monarch.

    True.

  5. True or false: Henry VIII had six wives.

    True. Three of his children, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, each went on to rule England.

  6. True or false: Napoleon won the Battle of Waterloo.

    False. Napoleon lost. The Duke of Wellington and his allies defeated him, ending his rule.

  7. True or false: The Romans built Stonehenge.

    False. Stonehenge was already more than 2,000 years old when the Romans arrived.

  8. True or false: Penicillin was discovered partly by accident.

    True. Alexander Fleming spotted mould killing germs on a dish he had left out while he was on holiday.

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