100 U.S. History Trivia Questions (2)

About This Quiz

From the first musket shot to the latest tweet-storm, we’re packing 200+ years of America into 100 rapid-fire questions. You’ll relive the battles, decode the big-deal laws, and crash the parties of the wild characters who built (and occasionally broke) the nation.

We crank up the heat as you go. Part 1 starts you off with the greatest-hits stuff, Part 2 digs into the meaty laws and culture shifts, and Part 3 hits you with the “wait, who?” details that’ll fry your brain.

Watch the wrong answers—they sound so right you’ll swear you learned them in eighth grade.

START QUIZ

1/30

Who wrote the environmental book “Love Canal” in 1982?

[A] Lois Marie Gibbs | Gibbs, a resident of the toxic Love Canal neighborhood, became an activist whose work led to the creation of Superfund laws.

2/30

On what date was President Abraham Lincoln assassinated?

[C] April 14, 1865 | Actor John Wilkes Booth fatally shot Lincoln during a performance at Ford’s Theatre on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.

3/30

In what year was “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe published?

[D] 1852 | Stowe’s 1852 novel galvanized anti‑slavery sentiment; Abraham Lincoln allegedly called her the “little lady” who started the war.

4/30

When was the last time the Liberty Bell rang?

[A] 1846 (in E‑flat) | According to lore, the Liberty Bell tolled one last time in February 1846 for George Washington’s birthday before its famous crack silenced it.

5/30

What code name did the CIA assign to its covert program in Afghanistan from 1979 to 1992?

[D] Operation Cyclone | Operation Cyclone funnelled arms and funds to mujahideen fighters battling Soviet forces, with lasting geopolitical consequences.

6/30

The Battle of Bull Run was part of which war?

[A] The American Civil War | Also called Manassas, the first major land battle of the Civil War shattered hopes that the conflict would be over quickly.

7/30

What is another name for the Bloody Lake Massacre?

[A] The Clear Lake Massacre | The 1850 attack on Pomo villagers in California is also known as the Clear Lake Massacre, a grim episode of frontier violence.

8/30

Where was the Liberty Bell originally placed?

[C] The steeple of the Pennsylvania State House | Philadelphia’s iconic bell first rang in the wooden steeple of the Pennsylvania State House—today known as Independence Hall.

9/30

Who declared the end of the Philippine–American War on July 4, 1902?

[B] President Theodore Roosevelt | By proclaiming the conflict over, Roosevelt attempted to quell opposition to America’s first major overseas war—though resistance in the Philippines continued.

10/30

What was Baker Island formerly called?

[D] New Nantucket | The tiny Pacific atoll once dubbed New Nantucket became a U.S. possession for its guano deposits in the 19th century.

11/30

Who was the shortest‑serving U.S. president, dying 31 days after taking office?

[C] William Henry Harrison | Harrison caught pneumonia after giving a marathon inaugural address in 1841; his untimely death spurred constitutional questions about succession.

12/30

In what year was Jeanette Rankin elected to Congress as the first woman member?

[A] 1916 | Montana’s Jeanette Rankin broke new ground in 1916; she later voted against both World Wars on pacifist principles.

13/30

In which year was Bill Clinton elected president?

[C] 1992 | Clinton won the 1992 election with a folksy style and a promise to focus on the economy, defeating incumbent George H.W. Bush.

14/30

How long did the American Civil War last?

[B] Four years | From April 1861 to April 1865, a bloody four‑year struggle between North and South decided the fate of the Union and slavery.

15/30

What was President Harry Truman’s Secret Service code name?

[D] General | Truman, a World War I artillery officer, was given the code name “General” by his Secret Service detail.

16/30

Who wrote “Idaho Falls,” about America’s first nuclear accident?

[B] William McKeown | McKeown chronicled the 1961 Idaho Falls reactor explosion, a little‑known disaster that influenced nuclear‑safety protocols.

17/30

The Erie Canal connects which two bodies of water?

[B] The Hudson River and Lake Erie | Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal turned New York City into a commercial powerhouse by linking the Atlantic to the Great Lakes.

18/30

Who was the third U.S. president to be assassinated?

[A] William McKinley | McKinley was mortally wounded by an anarchist in 1901; his death paved the way for Theodore Roosevelt’s ascendancy.

19/30

What was the name of President Bill Clinton’s pet dog?

[C] Buddy | Buddy, a chocolate Labrador, joined the Clintons in the White House in 1997 and often stole the spotlight from the First Family.

20/30

Who made the first powered flight on December 17, 1903?

[A] The Wright Brothers | Wilbur and Orville Wright’s 12‑second flight at Kitty Hawk launched the aviation age; they used spruce wood and bicycle knowledge.

21/30

Who was the 26th president of the United States elected in 1901?

[B] Theodore Roosevelt | After McKinley’s assassination, the energetic Roosevelt became the youngest president and championed conservation and a “Square Deal.”

22/30

Which abolitionist newspaper was published by William Lloyd Garrison and later by Isaac Knapp?

[D] The Liberator | From 1831 to 1865, The Liberator campaigned tirelessly against slavery, giving voice to abolitionist voices like Frederick Douglass.

23/30

Whose portrait appeared on the first U.S. dollar note printed in 1862?

[A] Salmon P. Chase | Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase put his own likeness on the first greenbacks—an early example of bureaucratic branding.

24/30

Which U.S. president was impeached in 1868?

[D] Andrew Johnson | President Andrew Johnson survived removal from office by one Senate vote after clashing with Congress over Reconstruction policies.

25/30

Who famously refused to give up her bus seat, igniting national civil rights protests?

[D] Rosa Parks | Parks’ quiet defiance in Montgomery in 1955 inspired a year‑long bus boycott and propelled Martin Luther King Jr. into the spotlight.

26/30

What name is given to the forced migration of Native American tribes from the South and Southeast?

[C] The Trail of Tears | In the 1830s the U.S. expelled tens of thousands of Cherokee and other tribes westward; thousands died along the brutal Trail of Tears.

27/30

How long did the Great Depression last?

[C] 1929 to 1941 | Sparked by the 1929 stock‑market crash, the Great Depression dragged on until wartime production finally revived the U.S. economy.

28/30

When was the Hay–Bunau‑Varilla Treaty signed?

[B] November 18, 1903 | This treaty allowed the United States to build and control the Panama Canal, altering global trade routes.

29/30

Where did the mass shooting of December 14, 2012, occur?

[B] Sandy Hook Elementary School | The tragedy at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut, shocked the nation and reignited debates over gun control and school safety.

30/30