Take A Trip Back In Time And Master This Quiz About The 1960s!

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1960s History Quiz Questions

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Question 1

This actor-turned-politician became president of the United States in the 1980s. In 1967 he became governor of California and served in this post until 1975. What was his name?

  • A
    Fred Thompson
  • B
    Ronald Reagan
  • C
    Jesse Jackson
  • D
    Sonny Bono

Question 2

This government agency helped America win the space race by successfully sending a man to the moon in 1969. What is the name of the agency?

  • A
    AmeriCorps
  • B
    Air Force
  • C
    Army Corps of Engineers
  • D
    NASA

Question 3

This iconic three-day music festival took place in upstate New York in 1969. Jimi Hendrix played "The Star-Spangled Banner" on his electric guitar. What was the name of the festival?

  • A
    Woodstock
  • B
    Coachella
  • C
    Monterey Pop Festival
  • D
    Newport Folk Festival

Question 4

After denouncing apartheid, this future president of South Africa was imprisoned in 1964. He would remain in jail, still leading his movement, until he was finally released in 1990. What was this iconic leader’s name?

  • A
    Oliver Tambo
  • B
    Nelson Mandela
  • C
    Muhammad Ali
  • D
    Malcolm X

Question 5

In 1964, The Beatles had 5 of the top 10 hits on the Billboard charts. Which song wasn't on the list?

  • A
    She Loves You
  • B
    Twist and Shout
  • C
    Do You Want to Know a Secret
  • D
    Blackbird

Question 6

This iconic musical family got their start in the '60s. They were signed by Motown and were the opening act for Diana Ross in 1969. What was the name of this group?

  • A
    The Partridge Family
  • B
    Jackson 5
  • C
    The Osmonds
  • D
    The Carpenters

Question 7

The US government tried and failed to overthrow this communist leader multiple times. The most embarrassing failure was during the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Who was this leader?

  • A
    Fidel Castro
  • B
    Che Guevara
  • C
    Joseph Stalin
  • D
    Mao Zedong

Question 8

This macabre 1964 TV show was on television at the same time as The Addams Family. This program featured a father that eerily resembled the "Frankenstein Monster". What is the name of this show?

  • A
    Dark Shadows
  • B
    Mockingbird Lane
  • C
    The Munsters
  • D
    Bewitched

Question 9

This civil rights leader had a dream that children would not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character. What was this nonviolent preacher’s name?

  • A
    Johnny Lewis
  • B
    Malcolm X
  • C
    Whitney Young
  • D
    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Question 10

Which of the following Alfred Hitchcock films was released in 1960?

  • A
    Psycho
  • B
    The Birds
  • C
    Vertigo
  • D
    Frenzy

Question 11

This famous novel stars Atticus Finch and Boo Radley. Written by Harper Lee in 1960, the book is considered an American classic. What is its title?

  • A
    In Cold Blood
  • B
    To Kill a Mockingbird
  • C
    A Wrinkle in Time
  • D
    Catch-22

Question 12

Who famously sang "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy in 1962?

  • A
    Marilyn Monroe
  • B
    Jayne Mansfield
  • C
    Barbara Eden
  • D
    Eartha Kitt

Question 13

In 1964, world heavyweight champion Cassius Clay changed his name to what?

  • A
    Joe Louis
  • B
    Leon Spinks
  • C
    Muhammad Ali
  • D
    Joe Frazier

Question 14

In 1963, the United States Postal Service added a new number to addresses across the United States to help make sorting and mail delivery faster. What was it called?

  • A
    Street Number
  • B
    ZIP Code
  • C
    Area Code
  • D
    Street Name

Question 15

In 1964, Japan debuted the 0 Series Shinkansen Bullet Train. What was its maximum speed?

  • A
    20 MPH
  • B
    130 MPH
  • C
    500 MPH
  • D
    240 MPH

Question 16

In 1962, three inmates escaped from what "inescapable" prison?

  • A
    Attica
  • B
    Fort Knox
  • C
    Alcatraz
  • D
    The Tower of London

Question 17

This member of a prominent American family was elected the youngest president of the United States in 1960:

  • A
    Dwight Eisenhower
  • B
    Lyndon B. Johnson
  • C
    Richard Nixon
  • D
    John F. Kennedy

Question 18

This gorgeous movie star was murdered in her home by the Manson family cult in 1969. What was the name of this actress?

  • A
    Sharon Tate
  • B
    Judy Garland
  • C
    Jayne Mansfield
  • D
    Marilyn Monroe

Question 19

Julie Andrews played a singing nun in this famous 1965 musical set during the Nazi era. What was the name of this Academy Award-winning movie?

  • A
    My Fair Lady
  • B
    The Sound of Music
  • C
    West Side Story
  • D
    Singin' in the Rain

Question 20

In 1968, the spy ship USS Pueblo was captured by what country?

  • A
    Cambodia
  • B
    Vietnam
  • C
    South Korea
  • D
    North Korea

Question 21

This 1961 dance spectacular musical was a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. It was choreographed by Jerome Robbins with Leonard Bernstein composing the music. What was the name of this movie musical?

  • A
    West Side Story
  • B
    Chicago
  • C
    Mamma Mia!
  • D
    Hairspray

Question 22

This 1960s anti-war slogan grew out of protest for the Vietnam War. It was often depicted with the peace symbol. What is the slogan?

  • A
    Make Love Not War
  • B
    Stop War
  • C
    Strike
  • D
    Peace is Patriotic

Question 23

First a 1963 novel then a 1968 film, this movie franchise is still prominent to this day. It’s dystopian sci-fi in which humans no longer control the earth. What is the name of this series?

  • A
    Godzilla
  • B
    Star Trek
  • C
    Star Wars
  • D
    Planet of the Apes

Question 24

This esteemed thespian was the first African American to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. What was his name?

  • A
    Morgan Freeman
  • B
    Paul Robeson
  • C
    Denzel Washington
  • D
    Sidney Poitier

Question 25

In 1963, what was the average cost of a gallon of gas?

  • A
    63 cents
  • B
    17 cents
  • C
    12 cents
  • D
    30 cents

Question 26

When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, his vice president was sworn in on Air Force One. Who was the 36th president of the United States?

  • A
    Dwight Eisenhower
  • B
    Richard Nixon
  • C
    Lyndon B. Johnson
  • D
    Jimmy Carter

Question 27

In 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first transplant of what organ in South Africa?

  • A
    Lung
  • B
    Spleen
  • C
    Heart
  • D
    Brain

Question 28

In 1960 the first female contraceptive was released to the public. It helped usher in the Free Love movement and the Sexual Revolution. What is the name of this contraceptive?

  • A
    IUD
  • B
    Condom
  • C
    The Pill
  • D
    Sponge

Question 29

This anti-war folk singer was called the Shakespeare of his generation and had the biggest hits of his career in the '60s:

  • A
    Mick Jagger
  • B
    Van Morrison
  • C
    Paul McCartney
  • D
    Bob Dylan

Question 30

In what year did 'Sesame Street' first air?

  • A
    1969
  • B
    1966
  • C
    1964
  • D
    1961

Question 31

This 1963 historical drama starred Elizabeth Taylor in one of her most iconic roles. The movie itself was one of the most expensive ever made and was overshadowed by reports that Taylor had an affair with her co-star Richard Burton. What was the name of the movie?

  • A
    Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
  • B
    Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
  • C
    Cleopatra
  • D
    Little Women

Question 32

This landmark piece of legislation was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and ended segregation in public places:

  • A
    No Fear Act
  • B
    Non-Discrimination Act
  • C
    Voting Rights Act
  • D
    Civil Rights Act

Question 33

Who was the first man on the moon in 1969?

  • A
    John Glenn
  • B
    Neil Armstrong
  • C
    Jim Lovell
  • D
    Buzz Aldrin

Question 34

This prominent feminist leader wrote an exposé on New York’s Playboy Club in 1963 by pretending to be a Playboy Bunny. What is her name?

  • A
    Alice Paul
  • B
    Helen Reddy
  • C
    Eleanor Roosevelt
  • D
    Gloria Steinem

Question 35

What was the name of the first James Bond movie, released in 1962?

  • A
    From Russia with Love
  • B
    Goldfinger
  • C
    Dr. No
  • D
    You Only Live Twice

Question 36

In 1966, this galaxy-hopping space exploration television show debuted. The saga boldly went where no show had gone before. What is the name of this space opera?

  • A
    Star Trek
  • B
    The Twilight Zone
  • C
    My Favorite Martian
  • D
    Lost in Space

Question 37

China’s “Cultural Revolution” began in 1966. It was ordered by what communist dictator?

  • A
    Deng Xiaoping
  • B
    Lin Biao
  • C
    Zhou Enlai
  • D
    Mao Zedong

Question 38

In the summer of 1969, several people were murdered by cult members led by which man?

  • A
    Jim Jones
  • B
    Charles Manson
  • C
    David Koresh
  • D
    Marshall Applewhite

Question 39

After tensions reached new heights in 1967, Israelis invaded Palestine and took over the land in the Middle East that is still disputed to this day. What was the name of this war?

  • A
    Vietnam War
  • B
    Bay of Pigs
  • C
    Six-Day War
  • D
    Algerian War

Question 40

What popular long-running soap opera debuted in November of 1965?

  • A
    Days of Our Lives
  • B
    The Young and the Restless
  • C
    General Hospital
  • D
    As the World Turns

Question 41

Which candidates were part of the first televised Presidential debate in 1960?

  • A
    Johnson vs. Goldwater
  • B
    Kennedy vs. Nixon
  • C
    Humphrey vs. Nixon
  • D
    McGovern vs. Wallace

Question 42

In 1962, who became the new host of 'The Tonight Show'?

  • A
    Fred Allen
  • B
    Johnny Carson
  • C
    Don Rickles
  • D
    Art Carney

Question 43

They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but no amount of diamonds could save this doomed starlet from an untimely death at age 36. What was this Hollywood bombshell’s name?

  • A
    Sharon Tate
  • B
    Marilyn Monroe
  • C
    Patsy Cline
  • D
    Judy Garland

Question 44

This leader of the USSR had a direct phone line to President Kennedy after the world was brought close to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis:

  • A
    Mikhail Gorbachev
  • B
    Vladimir Lenin
  • C
    Nikita Khrushchev
  • D
    Joseph Stalin

Question 45

In what year was the first person killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall?

  • A
    1969
  • B
    1967
  • C
    1965
  • D
    1961

Question 46

In 1962, Andy Warhol shocked the art world with an exhibit of his paintings of what?

  • A
    Soup Cans
  • B
    Big-eyed children
  • C
    Little dots of paint
  • D
    Blocks and lines

Question 47

In May 1961, John F. Kennedy gave a speech that set what ambitious goal?

  • A
    Searching for the cure for polio
  • B
    Going to the moon
  • C
    Getting out of Vietnam
  • D
    Defeating Communism

Question 48

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was given from the steps of what Washington D.C. location?

  • A
    National Archives
  • B
    Lincoln Memorial
  • C
    US Capitol Building
  • D
    Jefferson Memorial

Question 49

In 1960, civil rights workers staged a sit-in at what store's lunch counter?

  • A
    Schwann's
  • B
    K-Mart
  • C
    Woolworth's
  • D
    Federal's

Question 50

In the late 1960s, the US Air Force released a report that concluded there was no such thing as extraterrestrial UFOs. What was the name of this report?

  • A
    The Warren Commission Report
  • B
    The Green Files
  • C
    Project Blue Book
  • D
    The Inventory of Evidence

Question 51

Who did John F. Kennedy defeat in the US Presidential election in 1960?

  • A
    Dwight D. Eisenhower
  • B
    Richard M. Nixon
  • C
    Barry Goldwater
  • D
    Lyndon Johnson

Question 52

This San Francisco neighborhood was the location at which people met up during the Summer of Love in 1967 to make art, do drugs, and protest the Vietnam War. What was it called?

  • A
    Mission District
  • B
    North Beach
  • C
    Haight-Ashbury
  • D
    Nob Hill

Question 53

Who was Harold Holt?

  • A
    The player who made the first touchdown in the first Super Bowl
  • B
    The president of East Germany in 1967
  • C
    Governor of California in 1963
  • D
    The Australian Prime Minister who disappeared without a trace in 1967

Question 54

In 1967, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice was sworn into office. What was his name?

  • A
    Thurgood Marshall
  • B
    Thomas Stevens
  • C
    Marcus Elliot
  • D
    Thomas Nuttall

Question 55

In what year was the Black Panthers political organization formed by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale?

  • A
    1969
  • B
    1962
  • C
    1966
  • D
    1960

Question 56

Which classic science-fiction series began in 1966?

  • A
    Star Wars
  • B
    Johnny Rocket
  • C
    Star Trek
  • D
    The Twilight Zone

Question 57

What NFL team won the very first Super Bowl in 1967?

  • A
    Dallas Cowboys
  • B
    Pittsburgh Steelers
  • C
    Green Bay Packers
  • D
    Kansas City Chiefs

Question 58

Which of these bands did NOT play at Woodstock in 1969?

  • A
    Crosby, Stills & Nash
  • B
    Sha Na Na
  • C
    Iron Butterfly
  • D
    Jefferson Airplane

Question 59

What movie won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1965?

  • A
    My Fair Lady
  • B
    Mary Poppins
  • C
    Dr. Strangelove
  • D
    Becket

Question 60

In 1960, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded happened where?

  • A
    Kamchatka
  • B
    Japan
  • C
    Chile
  • D
    Sumatra

Question 61

In 1969, the precursor to the internet was created with what name?

  • A
    ARPANET
  • B
    GopherNET
  • C
    BBS
  • D
    Intronet

Question 62

The last episode of 'Howdy Doody' aired on what date?

  • A
    September 24, 1960
  • B
    August 1, 1966
  • C
    November 15, 1963
  • D
    March 25, 1969

Question 63

In what year was the birth control pill approved by the FDA?

  • A
    1969
  • B
    1967
  • C
    1960
  • D
    1964

Question 64

In 1968, what team came back from a 3-1 deficit to clinch the World Series title in baseball?

  • A
    St. Louis Cardinals
  • B
    Chicago Cubs
  • C
    New York Mets
  • D
    Detroit Tigers

Comments (183)

We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.

Well I was born in 1960 so that explains my mistakes. Will get it next time

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I missed to many not happy will try sometime soon .

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The quiz. Answers my. Questions. Before. I. Can.k

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We played it together. He was born in 10952 & I was born in 1954. We got a B. He did better than me

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I got the 79% But, I just thought, I was born in 56 so the history books, etc. probably weren’t updated yet???

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79% that is basic “C” work I WAS an “A” student NOT happy, but it was the SPORTS that got this 🐥

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I did poorly on the questions about specific dates.

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There was a lot I had forgotten.

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I passed with a D and was born in 55. I should have passed with at least a B. LMFAO

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Very challenging, educational and fun.

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Sorry. My previous comment was incorrect.

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It was supposed to indicate what my IQ is. It did not do that.

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Challenging

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Considering I was born Dec 1962. I did okay

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I liked it. It covered a lot in the sixties, so I did a lot of guess work. Could there be some Bible quiz also, that will be nice. Thanks.

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Was way longer than anticipated I am an 80s baby but was curious what I remembered from history and some of it I would never have known anyways cuz not a sports person and don't follow actor/actress stuff

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It was fun! It was great remembering some things I had forgotten about!

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It was great made me think alot of the questions were during my younger days.

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I was only 8 years old when 1970 rolled around and I made what would be considered a “C” average!

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Good questions

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