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American history trivia

One quiz, 10 questions, answers explained as you play. More levels land here soon.

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Questions and answers — printable list
  1. In what year did the English found Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America?1607The English founded James Fort in 1607, and it became the first permanent English settlement in North America, according to the National Park Service.
  2. What date appears at the top of the Declaration of Independence, which is headed "In Congress"?July 4, 1776The Declaration of Independence is headed "In Congress, July 4, 1776," according to the National Archives.
  3. Which British general surrendered at Yorktown in October 1781, effectively ending the American Revolutionary War?Charles CornwallisCornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, which effectively ended the war, according to the National Park Service.
  4. In what year was the U.S. Constitution signed?1787The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, according to the National Archives.
  5. How many amendments make up the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791?10The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791, according to the National Archives.
  6. From which country did the United States buy the Louisiana Territory in 1803?FranceThe United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Purchase, according to the National Archives.
  7. At which fort did Confederate forces fire the first shots of the Civil War in April 1861?Fort SumterConfederate forces fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, according to the National Park Service.
  8. Which president signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863?Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and Secretary of State William H. Seward countersigned it, according to the National Archives.
  9. To which Union general did Robert E. Lee surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865?Ulysses S. GrantLee surrendered to Grant in the McLean House at Appomattox Court House, which the National Park Service calls the effective end of the war.
  10. In what year did Japan attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7?1941The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7, 1941, according to the National Park Service.

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About American history trivia

American history is full of near-matches that trip people up. The Declaration of Independence transcription lists 56 signers, with Pennsylvania the most at 9, while the Constitution lists 39 signers from 12 states, and Pennsylvania again leads with 8. The Declaration is headed "In Congress, July 4, 1776," yet Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, and the Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783.

Across 1 quizzes and 10 questions, the topics run from Jamestown in 1607 to Apollo 11 in 1969. Easy questions ask for headline names, such as who signed the Emancipation Proclamation or where Lee surrendered. Medium ones ask for dates and numbers, like the Louisiana Purchase treaty of April 30, 1803. Hard ones separate near neighbors, such as Promontory Summit versus Promontory Point.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most famous event in US history?

There is no single answer, because fame depends on whom you ask and what you count. One common pick is the Declaration of Independence, headed "In Congress, July 4, 1776," which calls itself the unanimous declaration of the "thirteen united States of America." Its transcription lists 56 signers, with Pennsylvania the most at 9. Quiz writers usually treat the question as a debate, not a fact.

What are some good high school history trivia questions?

Good high school questions have one clear answer and a document behind it. Try these on the Constitution: How many articles does it have? Seven. How many states did Article VII require for ratification? Nine. Who was the only signer from New York? Alexander Hamilton. Which state had the most signers, with 8? Pennsylvania. It was signed on September 17, 1787, and lists 39 signers from 12 states.

What counts as American history?

There is no official boundary, and historians draw it differently. A useful rule for quizzes is to include both the nation's political story and the people who lived here earlier. Archaeologists, for example, have studied human use of Mount Rainier spanning at least 9,000 years, a reminder that the story did not start with the colonies. The quizzes here begin with Jamestown and run through the space age.

Can you give me some interesting trivia questions about US. politics?

Politics trivia works best when it has a surprise. Congress proposed twelve amendments on September 25, 1789. The first ten, the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. Two were not ratified in 1791, and one of those was ratified in 1992 as the 27th Amendment. The original Bill of Rights is on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.

What are some funny trivia facts about the United States?

Funny is a matter of taste, so there is no ranking. Numbers that make people laugh are a good start: the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Purchase, which works out to roughly 4 cents an acre, for about 828,000 square miles west of the Mississippi River. Robert Livingston and James Monroe negotiated for the United States, and Francis Barbé Marbois for France.

What are the five questions of history?

There is no single official list. A common study habit is to ask who, what, when, where and why, and the Boston Tea Party shows how it works. A newspaper report from December 1773 said the crowd broke up 342 chests of tea in about three hours. Three ships carried the tea that was destroyed: the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver.

Sources for the answers above

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Every question here was written from a named source and reviewed before it went live.