There is a specific kind of confidence that hits right before a history quiz. You read the question, you are sure you know the answer, and then you click the wrong option. Suddenly Julius Caesar is giving you a look.
The Bing History Quiz has become one of the most-played quiz formats on Microsoft’s homepage, and for good reason. It combines sharp trivia with fascinating historical context, all wrapped up in a quick, rewarding experience that also earns you Microsoft Rewards points.
Section 1: Ancient Civilizations Quiz (Questions 1–10)
These questions cover the empires, rulers, and discoveries that shaped the earliest chapters of human history. Difficulty: Easy to Medium.
Q1. Which ancient civilization is credited with inventing the wheel?
- A. Ancient Egypt
- B. The Indus Valley
- C. Mesopotamia
- D. Ancient China
Answer: C — Mesopotamia. The Sumerians of Mesopotamia are widely credited with the earliest known use of the wheel, around 3500 BCE, initially for pottery and later for transportation.
Fun Fact: The concept of the wheel took another 300 years after its invention to be applied to chariots for warfare.
Q2. What material covered the outer surface of Egypt’s ancient pyramids?
- A. Gold leaf
- B. White limestone
- C. Sandstone
- D. Painted plaster
Answer: B — White limestone. The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally encased in polished white Tura limestone, making it visible from miles away under the desert sun. Most of it was stripped for building materials during the Middle Ages.
Q3. Which ancient ruler ordered the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?
- A. Cyrus the Great
- B. Hammurabi
- C. Nebuchadnezzar II
- D. Darius I
Answer: C — Nebuchadnezzar II. According to historical accounts, Nebuchadnezzar II built the Hanging Gardens around 600 BCE, reportedly for his wife Amytis who missed the green hills of her homeland.
Q4. In what year did Alexander the Great conquer Egypt?
- A. 356 BC
- B. 332 BC
- C. 305 BC
- D. 323 BC
Answer: B — 332 BC. Alexander the Great entered Egypt without resistance in 332 BC after defeating the Persian Empire. He founded the city of Alexandria before marching further east.
Q5. The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by which event?
- A. Earthquake
- B. Flooding of the Tiber River
- C. Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
- D. Barbarian invasion
Answer: C — Eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii under 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash, preserving the city almost exactly as it was for nearly 1,700 years.
Q6. Cleopatra VII was the ruler of which ancient civilization?
- A. Persia
- B. Greece
- C. Carthage
- D. Egypt
Answer: D — Egypt. Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Despite her Greek ancestry, she was the first ruler of her dynasty to actually learn the Egyptian language.
Fun Fact: Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Q7. Which age followed the Bronze Age in human history?
- A. Stone Age
- B. Iron Age
- C. Copper Age
- D. Industrial Age
Answer: B — Iron Age. The Iron Age followed the Bronze Age and is characterized by the widespread use of iron for tools and weapons. In different regions it began at varying times, roughly between 1200 BCE and 600 BCE.
Q8. The ancient Greeks held the first Olympic Games in which city?
- A. Athens
- B. Sparta
- C. Corinth
- D. Olympia
Answer: D — Olympia. The ancient Olympic Games were held at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece, beginning in 776 BC. They took place every four years for nearly 1,200 years.
Q9. The famous Colosseum is located in which city?
- A. Athens
- B. Istanbul
- C. Rome
- D. Carthage
Answer: C — Rome. The Colosseum, or Flavian Amphitheatre, was completed around 80 AD under Emperor Titus. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators.
Q10. Which writing system was used by the ancient Egyptians?
- A. Cuneiform
- B. Hieroglyphics
- C. Linear B
- D. Aramaic
Answer: B — Hieroglyphics. Egyptian hieroglyphics are one of the oldest writing systems in the world, used for over 3,500 years. The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, finally allowed scholars to decode them in the early 19th century.
Section 2: World Wars Trivia (Questions 11–20)
Difficulty: Medium. These are the most common Bing history quiz questions in any given month.
Q11. What event triggered the start of World War I?
- A. Germany invaded Poland
- B. The sinking of the Lusitania
- C. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- D. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Answer: C — Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip. The killing triggered a cascade of alliances that pulled Europe into full-scale war within weeks.
Q12. In which year did World War II end?
- A. 1943
- B. 1944
- C. 1945
- D. 1946
Answer: C — 1945. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945 (V-E Day), and Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945 (V-J Day), following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Fun Fact: World War II resulted in an estimated 70 to 85 million deaths, making it the deadliest conflict in all of recorded human history.
Q13. Who was the British Prime Minister when war was declared on Germany in 1939?
- A. Winston Churchill
- B. Clement Attlee
- C. Anthony Eden
- D. Neville Chamberlain
Answer: D — Neville Chamberlain. Chamberlain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, two days after Germany invaded Poland. Churchill replaced him as Prime Minister in May 1940.
Q14. What was the codename for the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944?
- A. Operation Overlord
- B. Operation Barbarossa
- C. Operation Market Garden
- D. Operation Sea Lion
Answer: A — Operation Overlord. D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history, involved over 156,000 Allied troops landing on five beaches along the coast of Normandy, France.
Q15. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was known by what nickname?
- A. Fat Man
- B. Little Boy
- C. Big Shot
- D. Iron Fist
Answer: B — Little Boy. Little Boy was a uranium gun-type atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Fat Man was the name given to the second bomb, dropped on Nagasaki three days later.
Q16. Which country suffered the highest military casualties in World War II?
- A. Germany
- B. United States
- C. Japan
- D. Soviet Union
Answer: D — Soviet Union. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 8 to 11 million military personnel during WWII, far more than any other nation. Total Soviet deaths, including civilians, are estimated at 27 million.
Q17. The German strategy of rapid, overwhelming military force used in WWII was called what?
- A. Trench warfare
- B. Blitzkrieg
- C. Scorched earth
- D. Siege tactics
Answer: B — Blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg, meaning “lightning war” in German, combined fast-moving tanks, motorized infantry, and close air support to overwhelm enemies before they could organize a defense.
Q18. Who commanded the Allied forces during the D-Day invasion?
- A. General George Patton
- B. General Bernard Montgomery
- C. General Dwight D. Eisenhower
- D. General Omar Bradley
Answer: C — General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. He would later become the 34th President of the United States in 1953.
Q19. The Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in history, took place in which country?
- A. Germany
- B. Poland
- C. Ukraine
- D. Soviet Union (Russia)
Answer: D — Soviet Union (Russia). The Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942 to February 1943) resulted in an estimated 1.5 to 2 million casualties on both sides. It marked a decisive turning point on the Eastern Front.
Q20. Which treaty formally ended World War I?
- A. Treaty of Versailles
- B. Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
- C. Treaty of Paris
- D. Treaty of Locarno
Answer: A — Treaty of Versailles. Signed on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles officially ended WWI. Its harsh terms, particularly for Germany, are widely considered to have contributed to the conditions that led to World War II.
Section 3: US Presidents and American History (Questions 21–30)
Difficulty: Easy to Medium. American history questions are among the most frequent in Bing’s daily homepage quiz.
Q21. Who was the first President of the United States?
- A. Thomas Jefferson
- B. John Adams
- C. George Washington
- D. Benjamin Franklin
Answer: C — George Washington. Washington took office on April 30, 1789, and served two terms. He was unanimously elected by the Electoral College both times and is often called the “Father of His Country.”
Q22. In what year did the United States declare independence?
- A. 1492
- B. 1607
- C. 1776
- D. 1865
Answer: C — 1776. The Declaration of Independence was formally adopted on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies considered themselves free and independent states.
Q23. Which president issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
- A. Andrew Jackson
- B. Ulysses S. Grant
- C. Abraham Lincoln
- D. James Buchanan
Answer: C — Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved people in Confederate states in rebellion were to be considered free.
Q24. The American Civil War was fought primarily between which years?
- A. 1776–1783
- B. 1812–1815
- C. 1861–1865
- D. 1898–1902
Answer: C — 1861–1865. The Civil War began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 and ended with Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln was the first US president to be assassinated. He was shot at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, just five days after Lee’s surrender.
Q25. Who was the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize?
- A. Eleanor Roosevelt
- B. Jane Addams
- C. Rosa Parks
- D. Harriet Tubman
Answer: B — Jane Addams. Jane Addams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 for her work in the peace movement and social reform. She co-founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first settlement houses in the US.
Q26. The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 doubled the size of the US. From which country was the territory purchased?
- A. Spain
- B. Great Britain
- C. France
- D. Mexico
Answer: C — France. President Thomas Jefferson purchased approximately 828,000 square miles of territory from Napoleon Bonaparte’s France for $15 million, roughly 3 cents per acre.
Q27. Which constitutional amendment abolished slavery in the United States?
- A. 13th Amendment
- B. 14th Amendment
- C. 15th Amendment
- D. 19th Amendment
Answer: A — 13th Amendment. Ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States.
Q28. What famous speech did Martin Luther King Jr. deliver on August 28, 1963?
- A. Letter from Birmingham Jail
- B. I Have a Dream
- C. The Great Society
- D. Ask Not What Your Country Can Do
Answer: B — I Have a Dream. King delivered this landmark speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, standing before more than 250,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial.
Q29. Which US president served during both the Great Depression and World War II?
- A. Herbert Hoover
- B. Harry S. Truman
- C. Franklin D. Roosevelt
- D. Woodrow Wilson
Answer: C — Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR served an unprecedented four terms (1933–1945), guiding the US through the Great Depression with his New Deal programs and through most of World War II before his death in April 1945.
Q30. The Apollo 11 mission, the first crewed Moon landing, launched in which year?
- A. 1965
- B. 1967
- C. 1969
- D. 1971
Answer: C — 1969. Apollo 11 launched on July 16, 1969. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon on July 20, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module.
Section 4: Inventions and Discoveries (Questions 31–40)
Difficulty: Medium. These appear constantly in Bing’s themed quizzes.
Q31. Who is most widely credited with inventing the telephone?
- A. Thomas Edison
- B. Nikola Tesla
- C. Alexander Graham Bell
- D. Guglielmo Marconi
Answer: C — Alexander Graham Bell. Bell received US Patent 174,465 on March 7, 1876. The priority is historically contested — Antonio Meucci filed an earlier caveat, and Elisha Gray filed on the same day as Bell.
Q32. Thomas Edison demonstrated the first commercially successful incandescent light bulb in which year?
- A. 1865
- B. 1879
- C. 1892
- D. 1901
Answer: B — 1879. Edison’s bulb used a long-lasting carbon filament in a vacuum and was demonstrated publicly in late 1879. Joseph Swan developed a similar bulb slightly earlier in Britain; the two later merged their commercial efforts.
Q33. Who invented the World Wide Web while working at CERN?
- A. Vint Cerf
- B. Steve Jobs
- C. Bill Gates
- D. Tim Berners-Lee
Answer: D — Tim Berners-Lee. Berners-Lee proposed the World Wide Web in 1989 and implemented the first successful HTTP communication between a server and client in December 1990 while working at CERN in Switzerland.
Fun Fact: Tim Berners-Lee never patented the World Wide Web. He deliberately made it royalty-free so it could be freely adopted worldwide.
Q34. The printing press, which revolutionized the spread of knowledge, was invented by whom?
- A. Leonardo da Vinci
- B. Johannes Gutenberg
- C. Galileo Galilei
- D. Isaac Newton
Answer: B — Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg developed the movable-type printing press around 1440 in Mainz, Germany. His Gutenberg Bible, printed around 1455, is considered the first major book printed with movable type in Europe.
Q35. Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was discovered by which scientist?
- A. Marie Curie
- B. Louis Pasteur
- C. Alexander Fleming
- D. Jonas Salk
Answer: C — Alexander Fleming. Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 when he noticed that a mold (Penicillium notatum) had contaminated one of his bacterial cultures and was killing the bacteria around it.
Q36. The steam engine, fundamental to the Industrial Revolution, was significantly improved by which inventor?
- A. George Stephenson
- B. Isambard Kingdom Brunel
- C. James Watt
- D. Robert Fulton
Answer: C — James Watt. Watt dramatically improved the efficiency of Thomas Newcomen’s existing steam engine design in the 1760s and 1770s, making industrial-scale steam power practical and affordable.
Q37. Who developed the theory of general relativity?
- A. Isaac Newton
- B. Max Planck
- C. Niels Bohr
- D. Albert Einstein
Answer: D — Albert Einstein. Einstein published his general theory of relativity in 1915, fundamentally changing our understanding of gravity, space, and time. His earlier special theory of relativity was published in 1905.
Q38. The first successful powered airplane flight was made by the Wright Brothers in which year?
- A. 1895
- B. 1900
- C. 1903
- D. 1908
Answer: C — 1903. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful heavier-than-air powered flight on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
Q39. Which scientist developed the polio vaccine in 1955?
- A. Albert Sabin
- B. Jonas Salk
- C. Louis Pasteur
- D. Edward Jenner
Answer: B — Jonas Salk. Salk announced the successful polio vaccine on April 12, 1955, following a massive field trial involving 1.8 million children. He famously never patented the vaccine, saying it belonged to the people.
Q40. DNA’s double helix structure was described by which two scientists in 1953?
- A. Einstein and Bohr
- B. Mendel and Darwin
- C. Crick and Watson
- D. Pasteur and Fleming
Answer: C — Crick and Watson. Francis Crick and James Watson published their model of DNA’s double helix structure in April 1953. Their work relied critically on X-ray crystallography data produced by Rosalind Franklin.
Section 5: Medieval and Renaissance History (Questions 41–50)
Difficulty: Medium to Hard. These questions separate strong history enthusiasts from casual quizzers.
Q41. The Black Death pandemic that devastated Europe in the 14th century was caused by what?
- A. Influenza virus
- B. Cholera bacteria
- C. Bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis)
- D. Smallpox
Answer: C — Bubonic plague. The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, killed an estimated 30 to 60 percent of Europe’s population between 1347 and 1351. It is considered the deadliest pandemic in recorded history.
Q42. The Magna Carta was signed in which year?
- A. 1066
- B. 1215
- C. 1348
- D. 1492
Answer: B — 1215. King John of England signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215, at Runnymede. It established that the king was subject to the rule of law and laid foundational groundwork for constitutional democracy.
Q43. Who led the Mongol Empire to its greatest territorial extent?
- A. Kublai Khan
- B. Timur
- C. Genghis Khan
- D. Hulagu Khan
Answer: C — Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire in 1206 and led it to become the largest contiguous land empire in history, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to Eastern Europe.
Fun Fact: At its height, the Mongol Empire covered about 24 million square kilometers, roughly 16 percent of Earth’s total land area.
Q44. The Hundred Years’ War was fought primarily between which two countries?
- A. England and Spain
- B. France and Germany
- C. England and France
- D. Spain and Portugal
Answer: C — England and France. The Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between England and France over the right to the French throne. Joan of Arc became a pivotal figure in France’s eventual victory.
Q45. The Renaissance began in which country?
- A. France
- B. Germany
- C. Spain
- D. Italy
Answer: D — Italy. The Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual movement that marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity, began in the Italian city-states during the 14th and 15th centuries, starting in Florence.
Q46. Which explorer is credited with completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth?
- A. Christopher Columbus
- B. Vasco da Gama
- C. Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition
- D. John Cabot
Answer: C — Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition. Magellan led the expedition that first circumnavigated the Earth (1519–1522), though he died in the Philippines in 1521. Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the voyage. Of 270 men who set out, only 18 returned.
Q47. The Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople in which year?
- A. 1204
- B. 1389
- C. 1453
- D. 1517
Answer: C — 1453. Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople on May 29, 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire after more than 1,000 years. The city was subsequently renamed Istanbul.
Q48. Who wrote the play Hamlet?
- A. Christopher Marlowe
- B. Ben Jonson
- C. Geoffrey Chaucer
- D. William Shakespeare
Answer: D — William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote Hamlet around 1600–1601. It remains one of the most performed and widely studied plays in the English language.
Q49. The Spanish Inquisition was established in which year?
- A. 1232
- B. 1478
- C. 1517
- D. 1556
Answer: B — 1478. The Spanish Inquisition was established by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I in 1478, originally to ensure the orthodoxy of converted Jews and Muslims.
Q50. Which Italian city was the center of the Medici banking family’s power during the Renaissance?
- A. Venice
- B. Naples
- C. Florence
- D. Genoa
Answer: C — Florence. The Medici family dominated Florentine politics and banking from the 13th to 17th centuries and were major patrons of Renaissance art and architecture, sponsoring artists including Michelangelo and Botticelli.
Section 6: Revolutions and Empires (Questions 51–60)
Difficulty: Medium to Hard.
Q51. The French Revolution began in which year?
- A. 1776
- B. 1789
- C. 1799
- D. 1815
Answer: B — 1789. The French Revolution began in 1789 with the financial crisis and political instability under Louis XVI, culminating in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 — still celebrated as Bastille Day in France.
Q52. Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to which island after his final defeat at Waterloo?
- A. Elba
- B. Corsica
- C. Malta
- D. Saint Helena
Answer: D — Saint Helena. After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where he died in 1821.
Q53. The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the fall of which ruling family?
- A. The Habsburgs
- B. The Hohenzollerns
- C. The Romanovs
- D. The Ottomans
Answer: C — The Romanovs. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in February 1917, ending over 300 years of Romanov rule. The entire Romanov family was executed in July 1918 by Bolshevik forces.
Fun Fact: The last Tsar’s daughter, Anastasia, became the subject of decades of rumors about her survival — finally put to rest by DNA testing in 2009, which confirmed all family members had been killed.
Q54. Which African empire was one of the wealthiest in medieval history, ruling from present-day Mali?
- A. The Zulu Empire
- B. The Mali Empire
- C. The Aksum Empire
- D. The Songhai Empire
Answer: B — The Mali Empire. The Mali Empire (c. 1235–1600) was one of the wealthiest empires in the medieval world. Emperor Mansa Musa, who ruled from 1312 to 1337, is often cited as one of the richest individuals in all of history.
Q55. The Indian independence movement was led primarily by which figure?
- A. Jawaharlal Nehru
- B. Subhas Chandra Bose
- C. Mahatma Gandhi
- D. Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Answer: C — Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi led the Indian independence movement through nonviolent civil disobedience, including the Salt March of 1930 and the Quit India Movement of 1942. India gained independence on August 15, 1947.
Q56. The Berlin Wall, which divided East and West Germany, fell in which year?
- A. 1985
- B. 1987
- C. 1989
- D. 1991
Answer: C — 1989. The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, after the East German government announced that citizens could cross freely. It had divided the city since August 13, 1961.
Q57. The Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in which year?
- A. 1945
- B. 1947
- C. 1949
- D. 1953
Answer: C — 1949. Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949, following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War against the Nationalist government.
Q58. The American Revolution was concluded by which peace treaty?
- A. Treaty of Paris (1783)
- B. Treaty of Versailles
- C. Treaty of Ghent
- D. Treaty of Westphalia
Answer: A — Treaty of Paris (1783). The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, officially ending the American Revolutionary War and establishing the United States as an independent nation recognized by Great Britain.
Q59. Which country had the first written constitution adopted as the supreme law of the land?
- A. France
- B. United Kingdom
- C. United States
- D. Switzerland
Answer: C — United States. The US Constitution, drafted in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the world’s oldest written national constitution still in use today.
Q60. The apartheid system of racial segregation in South Africa formally ended in which year?
- A. 1988
- B. 1990
- C. 1994
- D. 1997
Answer: C — 1994. South Africa held its first fully democratic elections on April 27, 1994, with Nelson Mandela elected as the country’s first Black president, formally ending the apartheid era.
Section 7: Hard History Trivia — Can You Go 10 for 10? (Questions 61–70)
Difficulty: Hard. These are the questions that separate true history enthusiasts from the pack.
Q61. The Silk Road connected ancient China to which region in the west?
- A. East Africa
- B. The Mediterranean
- C. Scandinavia
- D. The Indian subcontinent only
Answer: B — The Mediterranean. The Silk Road was an ancient network of trade routes stretching over 4,000 miles from China to the Mediterranean. It facilitated not just trade but also the exchange of ideas, religions, and diseases.
Q62. Which empire built Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains?
- A. Aztec
- B. Maya
- C. Inca
- D. Olmec
Answer: C — Inca. Machu Picchu was built by the Inca Empire around 1450 AD, likely as a royal estate for Emperor Pachacuti. It was rediscovered to the wider world by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Q63. The Great Zimbabwe ruins were the capital of which medieval African empire?
- A. Mali Empire
- B. Kingdom of Zimbabwe
- C. Monomotapa Empire
- D. Aksum Empire
Answer: C — Monomotapa Empire. Great Zimbabwe served as the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (later associated with the Monomotapa dynasty) between the 11th and 15th centuries, a major center of trade connecting East Africa to the Indian Ocean.
Q64. The Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648) was primarily fought in which region?
- A. The Iberian Peninsula
- B. The British Isles
- C. Central Europe (Holy Roman Empire)
- D. The Balkans
Answer: C — Central Europe (Holy Roman Empire). The Thirty Years’ War began as a religious conflict between Protestant and Catholic states in the Holy Roman Empire but expanded into a general European conflict. It killed an estimated 8 million people.
Q65. Which Roman Emperor issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, granting religious tolerance throughout the empire?
- A. Julius Caesar
- B. Augustus
- C. Nero
- D. Constantine I
Answer: D — Constantine I. The Edict of Milan, issued jointly by Constantine I and co-emperor Licinius, proclaimed religious toleration throughout the Roman Empire, effectively ending the persecution of Christians.
Q66. The Mughal Empire was founded in the Indian subcontinent by which ruler?
- A. Akbar the Great
- B. Babur
- C. Aurangzeb
- D. Shah Jahan
Answer: B — Babur. Babur, a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan, founded the Mughal Empire in 1526 after defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat. The Taj Mahal was built by his grandson Shah Jahan.
Q67. The Peloponnesian War was fought between which two ancient Greek city-states?
- A. Athens and Corinth
- B. Sparta and Thebes
- C. Athens and Sparta
- D. Argos and Corinth
Answer: C — Athens and Sparta. The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) was fought between the Athenian Empire and the Spartan-led Peloponnesian League. It ended with the defeat of Athens and is extensively documented by Thucydides.
Q68. Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote at a national level?
- A. United States
- B. United Kingdom
- C. New Zealand
- D. Australia
Answer: C — New Zealand. New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote in 1893. Women in the US gained national voting rights with the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Q69. The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) resulted in which historic achievement?
- A. The first Latin American independence from Spain
- B. The first successful slave rebellion establishing an independent Black republic
- C. The first democratic constitution in the Western Hemisphere
- D. The expulsion of all European powers from the Caribbean
Answer: B — First successful slave rebellion establishing an independent Black republic. Haiti became the first country born from a successful slave rebellion and the first Black republic in the world. It declared independence from France on January 1, 1804.
Q70. The Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off a massive Persian army, took place in approximately which year?
- A. 490 BC
- B. 480 BC
- C. 460 BC
- D. 431 BC
Answer: B — 480 BC. At the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC, King Leonidas I led 300 Spartans (along with thousands of other Greek allies) against the Persian army under Xerxes I. Their sacrifice delayed the Persian advance and became one of history’s most celebrated last stands.
Fun Fact: Recent estimates suggest Xerxes’ army at Thermopylae numbered around 100,000 to 300,000 men, not the 1 to 2 million often cited by ancient sources.
Your Score Guide
Count how many you got right and see where you land:
- 61–70 correct: Historian level — you belong on the Bing leaderboard
- 41–60 correct: Strong knowledge — above average for sure
- 21–40 correct: Solid foundation with room to grow
- 0–20 correct: Great starting point — every question you missed is something new you just learned
FAQs
What is the Bing History Quiz?
The Bing History Quiz is a series of multiple-choice trivia questions about world history that appear on the Microsoft Bing homepage. Questions cover ancient civilizations, major wars, famous leaders, inventions, and historical events. Players receive instant feedback and can earn Microsoft Rewards points for correct answers.
How do I access the Bing History Quiz today?
Visit Bing.com on any device. The daily homepage quiz is linked directly from the background image. Look for the “Quiz” prompt near the bottom of the screen. History-themed quizzes appear most frequently on days when the background image features a historical landmark, monument, or commemorative event.
Can you earn Microsoft Rewards points on the Bing History Quiz?
Yes. Each correct answer on the Bing Homepage Quiz earns 5 to 10 Microsoft Rewards points. The program is free to join and available in over 230 countries. Points can be redeemed for gift cards, sweepstakes entries, and charitable donations.
How often does the Bing History Quiz update?
The Bing Homepage Quiz updates daily with fresh questions tied to that day’s background image theme. History-specific quizzes may also appear during significant historical anniversaries or commemorations.
What topics does the Bing History Quiz cover?
The Bing History Quiz covers a wide range, including ancient civilizations (Egypt, Rome, Greece, Mesopotamia), the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, colonial history, the World Wars, US history and presidents, revolutions, major inventions, and modern historical events from the 20th century.
Is the Bing History Quiz suitable for students?
Absolutely. The quiz format is designed to be accessible and educational, making it an excellent supplement for students at middle school level and above. The explanations provided after each answer add valuable context that reinforces learning.
What is the hardest type of question on the Bing History Quiz?
Questions about medieval African empires, pre-Columbian civilizations, and specific treaty dates tend to be the most challenging. Questions about Mansa Musa’s Mali Empire, the Haitian Revolution, and the Battle of Thermopylae are consistently among the lowest-scoring questions.
Are there separate history quiz categories on Bing?
Bing groups history questions within its general homepage quiz rather than offering a dedicated standalone history-only quiz. However, themed quiz events — such as those tied to WWII anniversaries or exploration history — are heavily history-focused.
