Unusual History Quiz – Printable Version
20 multiple-choice questions with an explained answer key, ready to print.
Print the sheet (or save it as a PDF from the print window), hand it out, then mark it together using the answer page: every answer is explained. Perfect for a party, a birthday, a classroom, a care home or a team activity.
Name: ………………………………Score: ……… / 20
- Which country declared war on Austria-Hungary in 1916 due to a telegraphic error?
- A. Portugal
- B. Romania
- C. Serbia
- D. Italy
- Which Queen of England reigned for 63 years, a record at the time?
- A. Mary I
- B. Elizabeth I
- C. Anne
- D. Victoria
- Which Roman emperor wrote poems and satires under the pen name 'Nero'?
- A. Augustus
- B. Tiberius
- C. Nero
- D. Caligula
- Which country was the first to use postage stamps in 1840?
- A. Germany
- B. The United States
- C. The United Kingdom
- D. France
- How long did the presidency of William Henry Harrison, the shortest term in US history, last?
- A. 1 day
- B. 31 days
- C. 6 months
- D. 1 year
- Which French king was nicknamed 'the Well-Beloved'?
- A. Henri IV
- B. Louis XIV
- C. Louis XV
- D. Charles VII
- Which pope was tried in a posthumous trial known as the 'Cadaver Synod'?
- A. Stephen VI
- B. John XII
- C. Formosus
- D. Gregory VII
- Which country carried out a notorious military operation against emus in 1932?
- A. South Africa
- B. New Zealand
- C. Canada
- D. Australia
- During which conflict did the famous 'Christmas truce' take place, where enemy soldiers fraternized?
- A. The Franco-Prussian War
- B. World War II
- C. The Crimean War
- D. World War I
- In 1386 in Falaise, Normandy, which defendant was tried, dressed in human clothes and executed for killing a child?
- A. A wolf
- B. A dog
- C. A pig
- D. A horse
- When did the last woolly mammoths die out, on Wrangel Island in the Arctic?
- A. About 4,000 years ago, when the pyramids of Egypt already existed
- B. 1 million years ago
- C. At the same time as the dinosaurs
- D. In the Middle Ages
- Was Napoleon I really short?
- A. Yes, he was 1.50 m
- B. Yes, he was the shortest general in France
- C. His height is unknown
- D. No, he was about 1.69 m tall, average for his time
- According to the chronicles, what strange delusion did King Charles VI of France suffer from?
- A. He believed he was invisible
- B. He believed he was made of glass and feared shattering
- C. He thought he was a cat
- D. He believed he was immortal
- According to General Thiébault's memoirs, which animals 'attacked' Napoleon during a hunt organised in 1807?
- A. Rabbits
- B. Wild boars
- C. Bees
- D. Geese
- Who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911?
- A. An Italian glazier, Vincenzo Peruggia
- B. The poet Guillaume Apollinaire
- C. The painter Pablo Picasso
- D. The gentleman thief Arsène Lupin
- In ancient Rome, what was urine collected from public latrines used for, so much so that Emperor Vespasian taxed it?
- A. Cleaning and whitening clothes
- B. Making bread
- C. Treating horses
- D. Lighting lamps
- According to the Greek historian Herodotus, what did ancient Egyptians do when their cat died?
- A. Shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning
- B. Moved house
- C. Fasted for a year
- D. Immediately adopted two kittens
- The skeleton of which English king, who died in 1485, was found in 2012 under a car park in Leicester?
- A. Richard III
- B. Henry VIII
- C. Edward IV
- D. King John
- In which country did the Puritan Parliament ban Christmas celebrations in 1647?
- A. Scotland
- B. England
- C. The Netherlands
- D. Sweden
- Which manual hobby did King Louis XVI practise in a workshop at the Palace of Versailles?
- A. Pottery
- B. Locksmithing
- C. Bookbinding
- D. Woodcarving
Answer key — Unusual History Quiz
- A. PortugalPortugal declared war on Austria-Hungary in 1916 following a telegraphic error.
- D. VictoriaQueen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901, a total of 63 years.
- C. NeroNero wrote poems and satires.
- C. The United KingdomThe United Kingdom issued the first postage stamp, the Penny Black, in 1840.
- B. 31 daysIn March 1841, Harrison gave the longest inaugural address in history, nearly two hours, in freezing weather without a coat or hat.
- C. Louis XVLouis XV was nicknamed 'the Well-Beloved' at the beginning of his reign.
- C. FormosusPope Formosus was exhumed and put on trial in 897 during the infamous Cadaver Synod.
- D. AustraliaAustralia waged the 'Emu War' in 1932 in an attempt to control their population.
- D. World War IIn December 1914, British and German soldiers spontaneously stopped fighting to celebrate Christmas together.
- C. A pigIn the Middle Ages, animal trials were not rare: pigs, rats or insects could have a lawyer.
- A. About 4,000 years ago, when the pyramids of Egypt already existedIsolated, this small population survived thousands of years after their mainland cousins.
- D. No, he was about 1.69 m tall, average for his timeThe legend comes from confusion between French and English inches, and from British propaganda caricaturing him as 'Little Boney'.
- B. He believed he was made of glass and feared shatteringHe reportedly had iron rods sewn into his clothes to protect himself.
- A. RabbitsHundreds of tame rabbits, released for the hunt, reportedly charged at the Emperor, thinking they were about to be fed.
- A. An Italian glazier, Vincenzo PeruggiaHe walked out with the painting hidden under his smock. Apollinaire was briefly jailed and Picasso questioned!
- A. Cleaning and whitening clothesThe ammonia in urine was an excellent stain remover for fullers.
- A. Shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourningThe cat was associated with the goddess Bastet. Cats were often mummified, and cemeteries have yielded hundreds of thousands of them.
- A. Richard IIIDNA tests, compared with descendants of his sister, confirmed his identity.
- B. EnglandSeen as too festive and pagan, Christmas was to be an ordinary day.
- B. LocksmithingLouis XVI also loved geography and mechanics. He spent long hours making and taking apart locks.