World History Trivia Questions & Answers

Ancient world

• Which civilization built Machu Picchu? The Inca, in the 15th century.
• Who wrote the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest law codes? King Hammurabi of Babylon.
• Which empire built roads stretching about 80,000 km? Rome.
• What was the Library of Alexandria? The ancient world's most famous library, in Egypt.
• Which Greek city-state was famous for its warrior training? Sparta.

Middle Ages

• Who led the Norman conquest of England in 1066? William the Conqueror.
• Which empire did Genghis Khan found? The Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire.
• Which plague killed roughly a third of Europe in the 1340s? The Black Death.
• Who was the Malian ruler famous for his 1324 pilgrimage with vast gold? Mansa Musa.
• What was the name of the trade routes linking China and the Mediterranean? The Silk Road.

Empires and revolutions

• Which explorer's crew first sailed around the world, finishing in 1522? Ferdinand Magellan's, led home by Juan Sebastian Elcano.
• In which year did the US declare independence? 1776.
• Who crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804? Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Which South American liberator is Bolivia named after? Simon Bolivar.
• Which country was ruled by the Meiji emperor during rapid modernization from 1868? Japan.

Modern age

• Who was the first person in space, in 1961? Yuri Gagarin.
• In which year did Nelson Mandela become South Africa's president? 1994.
• Which ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1912? The Titanic.
• When did the Soviet Union dissolve? December 1991.
• Who invented the World Wide Web in 1989? Tim Berners-Lee.

FAQ