Show Us You Know Everything There Is To Know About 1900-1959 History By Passing This Quiz!

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1900-1959 Quiz Questions

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Question 1

Developed by the United States as an all-purpose military automobile, today what popular Sports Utility Vehicle is used for both highway driving and off-roading?

  • A
    Jeep
  • B
    Chevy
  • C
    Ram
  • D
    Ford Truck

Question 2

This popular movie, based on a novel, starred Judy Garland, used Technicolor, and was nominated for six Academy Awards.

  • A
    The Wizard of Oz
  • B
    It Happened One Night
  • C
    Gone with the Wind
  • D
    King Kong

Question 3

This sitcom was a popular television comedy in the 1950s. The lead character was a woman who used physical comedy and later became the first woman to run a major television studio.

  • A
    Amos 'n' Andy
  • B
    I Love Lucy
  • C
    Dennis the Menace
  • D
    The Twilight Zone

Question 4

The Cleaver family became a household name in the late 1950s as part of what popular television show that presented an idealized version of American life in the 1950s?

  • A
    Bonanza
  • B
    Leave it to Beaver
  • C
    The Honeymooners
  • D
    Dragnet

Question 5

Popular musicians, comedians, and entertainers like Frank Sinatra performed regularly on entertainment and news programs that millions of Americans "tuned" into using what device?

  • A
    Radio
  • B
    Walkie Talkie
  • C
    VCR
  • D
    Walkman

Question 6

The Cuban Revolution was a revolt against the authoritarian regime of Fulgencio Batista led by what political leader?

  • A
    Romulo Gallegos
  • B
    Daniel Ortega
  • C
    Fidel Castro
  • D
    Salvador Allende

Question 7

The US government, as allowed by Executive Order 9066, removed what particular group of Americans and immigrants from their homes, neighborhoods, and work, forcing them to relocate to internment camps until after World War II ended?

  • A
    Japanese Americans
  • B
    Russian Americans
  • C
    African Americans
  • D
    Native Americans

Question 8

What popular fashion doll was created in 1959 by Mattel, Inc.?

  • A
    Polly Pocket
  • B
    Cabbage Patch
  • C
    Barbie
  • D
    American Girl

Question 9

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in what famous 1942 romantic film?

  • A
    It's a Wonderful Life
  • B
    Casablanca
  • C
    Citizen Kane
  • D
    Gone With the Wind

Question 10

After years of working to find a cure, scientists developed the first successful vaccination for what disease in 1952?

  • A
    Diphtheria
  • B
    Polio
  • C
    Chickenpox
  • D
    Tetanus

Question 11

What law provided benefits like low-cost mortgages and tuition assistance to American soldiers returning home after World War II? Many historians argue that this law, though helpful to most, excluded many black veterans.

  • A
    The Lend-Lease Act
  • B
    Manpower Development and Training Act
  • C
    The G.I. Bill
  • D
    Family Support Act

Question 12

What water resistant adhesive was invented and used during World War II as a useful way to repair weapons and other devices?

  • A
    Gorilla Glue
  • B
    Duct Tape
  • C
    Sticky Tack
  • D
    Scotch Tape

Question 13

This medical contraption was first used for clinical purposes in 1928 on patients suffering from polio:

  • A
    Iron Lung
  • B
    Nebulizer
  • C
    Back Brace
  • D
    Leg Crutches

Question 14

This parade is the largest parade in the world and first started in the fall of 1924.

  • A
    St. Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin
  • B
    The Philadelphia Mummers Parade, Pennsylvania
  • C
    Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYC
  • D
    Dia De Los Muertos Parade, Mexico

Question 15

What famous sky scraper was completed in 1931?

  • A
    John Hancock Tower
  • B
    Shanghai Tower
  • C
    Chrysler Building
  • D
    Empire State Building

Question 16

American writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote this work, which was published in 1925. The book became popular following Fitzgerald's death during the WWII era.

  • A
    The Great Gatsby
  • B
    The Sound and the Fury
  • C
    Ulysses
  • D
    The Stranger

Question 17

What company was essential to the American air force as it created both the B-17 and B-29 bombers? To avoid potential attacks, this company disguised its manufacturing plants with farmland.

  • A
    General Motors
  • B
    General Electric
  • C
    Boeing
  • D
    DuPont

Question 18

The Soviet Union launched the satellite Sputnik into space in 1957. The US government feared trailing the Russians in what was called the Space Race. As a result, the US government formed what agency in 1958?

  • A
    National Security Agency (NSA)
  • B
    Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  • C
    Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • D
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Question 19

The Japanese bombed the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in 1941, causing the US to officially enter World War II. In an address to the nation, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated that this was a "date which will live in infamy". What was that date?

  • A
    July 7th
  • B
    June 13th
  • C
    December 7th
  • D
    November 7th

Question 20

This device became a popular source for news and entertainment for Americans following World War One:

  • A
    Video
  • B
    Newspaper
  • C
    Television
  • D
    Radio

Question 21

Organized crime spread during the era of Prohibition. What is the name of the infamous struggle between an Irish and Italian gang in Chicago that resulted in the deaths of seven by gangster Al Capone and the South Side Italian gang?

  • A
    Rosewood Massacre
  • B
    Ludlow Massacre
  • C
    Saturday Night Massacre
  • D
    St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Question 22

What was the name given to the top secret US atomic weapons development program?

  • A
    The Manhattan Project
  • B
    The Brooklyn Project
  • C
    The Chicago Project
  • D
    The Oppenheimer Project

Question 23

Named after a senator from Wisconsin, what is the name of the practice of making false accusations, spreading the fear of communism, and intensifying public censorship?

  • A
    Conservatism
  • B
    Transcendentalism
  • C
    McCarthyism
  • D
    Anarchism

Question 24

What is the name of the cultural icon most closely associated with women factory and naval yard workers during World War II?

  • A
    Mother Goose
  • B
    Wonder Woman
  • C
    Lady Liberty
  • D
    Rosie the Riveter

Question 25

The original ______ comic was sold in the United States in 1938. This particular issue sold for $3.2 million in 2014.

  • A
    Batman
  • B
    Hulk
  • C
    X-Men
  • D
    Superman

Question 26

This waterway connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is essential to maritime trade. In 1904 under President Theodore Roosevelt, the United States took control over the waterway's development. It was officially finished in 1914. What is the name of this waterway?

  • A
    Welland
  • B
    Suez
  • C
    Erie Canal
  • D
    Panama Canal

Question 27

What soulful tune, originally recorded by musician Big Mama Thornton, was released in 1956 by Elvis Presley? It became his best-selling song and helped him earn the title of "King of Rock and Roll".

  • A
    Great Balls of Fire
  • B
    Johnny B. Goode
  • C
    Peggy Sue
  • D
    Hound Dog

Question 28

This famous baseball player set a home-run record in 1927. Not until 1974 did MLB player, Hank Aaron, beat this record.

  • A
    Jackie Robinson
  • B
    Babe Ruth
  • C
    Lou Gehrig
  • D
    Ted Williams

Question 29

Which famous Belfast made ship sank between April 14 and 15, 1912?

  • A
    Titanic
  • B
    Britannic
  • C
    Lusitania
  • D
    Carpathia

Question 30

Two atomic bombs named Little Boy and Fat Man were dropped in Japan, killing thousands of people instantly, and leaving many with radiation poisoning. This act by the US government led to the end of World War II. What two cities were devastated by the dropping of these two weapons?

  • A
    Kyoto and Tokyo
  • B
    Nagasaki and Tokyo
  • C
    Hiroshima and Tokyo
  • D
    Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Question 31

What piece of fiction, published in 1939, won author John Steinbeck the National Book Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and later a Nobel Prize:

  • A
    Nineteen Eighty-Four
  • B
    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
  • C
    The Grapes of Wrath
  • D
    The Catcher in the Rye

Question 32

What popular amusement park opened its doors in Anaheim, California in 1955?

  • A
    Disneyland
  • B
    Disneyworld
  • C
    Six Flags
  • D
    Hersheypark

Question 33

This synthetic polymer has been used to create ropes, tires, carpets, clothing, food packaging and much more. It was created by the DuPont industrial company in the 1930s, and was showcased at the World Fair in New York in 1939.

  • A
    Aramid
  • B
    Nylon
  • C
    Spandex
  • D
    Rayon

Question 34

In 1925, a teacher was convicted and fined for teaching evolution at a school in Tennessee. What is the name given to this highly publicized case that showcased the differences between fundamentalist and modern views of American values?

  • A
    The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes
  • B
    Texas v. Johnson
  • C
    Gideon v. Wainwright
  • D
    McCulloch v. Maryland

Question 35

Which of these popular comic book characters first appeared in 1941?

  • A
    Superman
  • B
    Captain America
  • C
    Batman
  • D
    Iron Man

Question 36

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal was a series of programs established by the federal government to help Americans suffering as a result of the Depression. The New Deal focused on the "3 Rs." What is NOT one of the three Rs?

  • A
    Relief
  • B
    Refund
  • C
    Recovery
  • D
    Reform

Question 37

Which US president gave the orders to drop the atomic bombs in 1945?

  • A
    Harry Truman
  • B
    Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • C
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • D
    Douglas MacArthur

Question 38

What country was divided at the 38th parallel with opposing ideologies emerging on either side of the demarcation, causing one of the first major "hot wars" fought during the Cold War?

  • A
    Vietnam War
  • B
    Afghanistan War
  • C
    Japanese War
  • D
    Korean War

Question 39

This peace treaty was signed in June of 1919, ending World War I.

  • A
    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
  • B
    Treaty of Versailles
  • C
    Treaty of Paris
  • D
    Treaty of Ghent

Question 40

France and the United Kingdom declared war on Germany in 1939 after Nazi Germany invaded what country, starting the Second World War?

  • A
    France
  • B
    Finland
  • C
    Poland
  • D
    Romania

Question 41

This champion racehourse became a symbol of hope for many Americans in the 1930s

  • A
    Seabiscuit
  • B
    Secretariat
  • C
    Sea Bird
  • D
    American Pharoah

Question 42

Which of these countries officially declared their independence in 1948?

  • A
    Iran
  • B
    Ireland
  • C
    Israel
  • D
    Italy

Question 43

What body of water did the first airplane cross over in 1919:

  • A
    Pacific Ocean
  • B
    Atlantic Ocean
  • C
    Mediterranean Sea
  • D
    Indian Ocean

Question 44

What president threatened to pack the Supreme Court after the Court struck down a piece of the National Recovery Administration?

  • A
    Calvin Coolidge
  • B
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • C
    Herbert Hoover
  • D
    Harry Truman

Question 45

This Ford vehicle became the first mass-produced automobile on a moving assembly line in 1913:

  • A
    Ford Model A
  • B
    Ford Model K
  • C
    Ford Model T
  • D
    Ford Model I

Question 46

States around the world gained autonomy during the 1950s following the Second World War in what was called the decolonization movement. In 1956, what country nationalized the Suez Canal, which was previously co-owned and controlled by the French and British since its construction in the mid-1800s?

  • A
    Jordan
  • B
    Egypt
  • C
    Israel
  • D
    India

Question 47

Who became Premier of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin? He was known for the "Thaw" that occurred during the 1950s and early 1960s when the Soviet government temporarily reduced censorship and suppression of the Russian people.

  • A
    Leonid Brezhnev
  • B
    Yuri Andropov
  • C
    Mikhail Gorbachev
  • D
    Nikita Khrushchev

Question 48

A speculation bubble developed throughout the roaring twenties and caused the stock market to crash, triggering the worst economic crisis and economic depression in the United States. This economic crash affected all industrialized nations, limiting production and trade worldwide. What year did the Great Crash happen?

  • A
    1933
  • B
    1927
  • C
    1929
  • D
    1928

Question 49

Vietnam was considered a colonial territory of what European nation from 1887 to 1954?

  • A
    Belgium
  • B
    Germany
  • C
    Great Britain
  • D
    France

Question 50

German U-boats sank this passenger ship in 1915, contributing to American entry into World War One:

  • A
    Andrea Doria
  • B
    SS Edmund Fitzgerald
  • C
    RMS Titanic
  • D
    RMS Lusitania

Question 51

Originally called "Criss-Crosswords", what popular board game was first manufactured in 1948?

  • A
    Checkers
  • B
    Connect Four
  • C
    Monopoly
  • D
    Scrabble

Question 52

What famous man led a nonviolent march in 1930 against British control of salt production in India.

  • A
    Henry David Thoreau
  • B
    Indira Gandhi
  • C
    Mohandas Gandhi
  • D
    Martti Ahtisaari

Question 53

African Americans started moving from southern to northern states to escape strict Jim Crow segregation during the early 20th century. What is the name of this movement, which saw 6 million people move from the deep south in search of equal opportunity?

  • A
    Free Culture Movement
  • B
    The Great Migration
  • C
    Anti-Jim Crow Movement
  • D
    Black Concsciousness Movement

Question 54

The 1916 Easter Uprising took place in what country?

  • A
    Greece
  • B
    France
  • C
    Britain
  • D
    Ireland

Question 55

What year did The Great War begin in Europe?

  • A
    1917
  • B
    1915
  • C
    1914
  • D
    1919

Question 56

What European country fought a civil war between 1935 and 1939?

  • A
    Algeria
  • B
    Bolivia
  • C
    Spain
  • D
    Germany

Question 57

Americans witnessed the emergence of new sounds and dances, like the Charleston, during the Jazz Age of the 1920s. What musician was NOT part of the Jazz Age in the '20s?

  • A
    Wynton Marsalis
  • B
    Louis Armstrong
  • C
    Bessie Smith
  • D
    Duke Ellington

Question 58

Chiang Kai-Shek was the president of what country from 1928 to 1975?

  • A
    Vietnam
  • B
    Japan
  • C
    China
  • D
    Korea

Question 59

Thousands of homeless Americans lived in shantytowns named after this president who was blamed for the Great Depression:

  • A
    Coolidge
  • B
    Truman
  • C
    Roosevelt
  • D
    Hoover

Question 60

This busy airport, along with thousands of other projects, was created by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program that employed millions of Americans as a result of the New Deal.

  • A
    LaGuardia
  • B
    LAX
  • C
    O'Hare
  • D
    Logan

Question 61

The Central Intelligence Agency staged a coup in 1954 in what Latin American country following the extensive lobbying efforts of an American corporation, the United Fruit Company?

  • A
    Bolivia
  • B
    Peru
  • C
    Guatemala
  • D
    Mexico

Question 62

The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act fashioned the growth of suburban communities in postwar America by popularizing car travel. In what year was this expansionary act signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower?

  • A
    1949
  • B
    1950
  • C
    1956
  • D
    1959

Question 63

Japanese internment resulted due to the attacks of Imperial Japan on Pearl Harbor. In addition to the threat of national security, what is another reason historians argue that the US government chose to intern the Japanese?

  • A
    Communism
  • B
    Religion
  • C
    Facism
  • D
    Racism

Question 64

What year was the Jones–Shafroth Act signed by Congress, giving Puerto Ricans United States citizenship?

  • A
    1917
  • B
    1911
  • C
    1913
  • D
    1916

Question 65

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. led what non-violent campaign in Montgomery, Alabama in favor of fair treatment and equal rights for blacks following the open racial segregation of Rosa Parks on public transportation?

  • A
    march on Washington
  • B
    diner sit-in
  • C
    bus boycott
  • D
    salt march

Question 66

What is the relationship between the following two Supreme Court cases: Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)?

  • A
    One invalidated the separate but equal doctrine, while the other enforced it.
  • B
    One ignored the exclusionary principle, while the other incorporated the fourth amendment through the fourteenth.
  • C
    One argued that restricting jury service to white men was constitutional while the other repudiated that notion.
  • D
    One said the president was above the law, the other said they were not.

Question 67

What Marxist revolutionary helped secure power for the Soviets during the Russian Revolution and was assassinated in Mexico in 1940 by orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin?

  • A
    Trotsky
  • B
    Lenin
  • C
    Marx
  • D
    Engels

Question 68

Suburban areas burgeoned in the post-war period. House assembly was quick and each unit was nearly identical. What is the common name of the neighborhood developments that housed many returning veterans?

  • A
    Rooseveltown
  • B
    Washingtontown
  • C
    Levittown
  • D
    Jeffersontown

Question 69

Congress made what natural landform a National Park on February 26, 1919?

  • A
    Grand Canyon National Park
  • B
    Yellowstone National Park
  • C
    Yosemite National Park
  • D
    Zion National Park

Question 70

Before winning the 1928 presidential election, he was a worldwide engineer, who acted as United States food administrator during WWI, as well as the director general of the American Relief Administration:

  • A
    Herbert Hoover
  • B
    Woodrow Wilson
  • C
    Franklin Delano Roosevelt
  • D
    Calvin Coolidge

Question 71

Jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and Dave Brubeck, traveled overseas during the Cold War to represent "American values" through integrated jazz bands. What president initiated this CIA/State Department-run mission?

  • A
    Harry Truman
  • B
    Jimmy Carter
  • C
    John F. Kennedy
  • D
    Dwight D. Eisenhower

Question 72

In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the National Labor Relations Act, which gave workers the right of collective bargaining, and the ability to form and/or join unions. The NLRA is better known as the ___________ Act, named after the Senator who introduced this bill to the Senate floor.

  • A
    Sampson
  • B
    Jones
  • C
    Stewart-Debbs
  • D
    Wagner

Question 73

In 1923, Canadian scientist Frederick G. Banting and Scottish physiologist John Macleod, won the Nobel Prize for their medical co-discovery of:

  • A
    Germ Theory
  • B
    Insulin
  • C
    Anaesthetic
  • D
    Penicillin

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