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Wolfcam's Random History General Knowledge

Can you answer twenty random questions about human history?
Some questions relate to events that may not have actually happened
Quiz by WolfCam
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Last updated: September 3, 2019
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First submittedJuly 26, 2019
Times taken17,428
Average score70.0%
Rating4.41
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Question
Answer
What palace was the home of Louis XIV?
Versailles
What navigational device was invented in China around 200 BC?
Compass
In what Greek city-state were the ancient Olympics held?
Olympia
What was the former name of Thailand?
Siam
What is the oldest university in England
Oxford
Who was the Great Pyramid of Giza built for?
Khufu
In what city was Muhammad born?
Mecca
What ancient people built a civilization on Crete?
Minoans
Who "Fiddled while Rome burned"?
Nero
Who was the last leader of the Soviet Union?
Mikhail Gorbachev
What was the largest German state when Germany was united in 1871?
Prussia
Who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic?
Amelia Earhart
Who explained the Three Laws of Motion?
Isaac Newton
What was the first country to declare independence from the USSR?
Lithuania
What Biblical patriarch is considered to be the father of Judaism?
Abraham
What language was the Torah written in?
Hebrew
In what country did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles in 1962?
Cuba
What Greek astronomer developed the best-known geocentric
model of the solar system?
Ptolemy
Who led his elephants across the Alps to invade Roman Italy?
Hannibal
What was the largest church in Constantinople?
Hagia Sophia
+1
Level 37
Jul 26, 2019
Another good one.
+10
Level 75
Jul 29, 2019
Good one, though not sure why it's "yellow box" worthy.
+2
Level 74
Jul 29, 2019
I had the same thought. I don't see any of the answers having much overlap. El Dododo? Notre Dodo?
+4
Level 74
Jul 29, 2019
Maybe it's related to the questions generating randomly each time the quiz is taken?
+2
Level ∞
Jul 30, 2019
Yes. It's too difficult to ensure no potential overlap with so many possible questions.
+2
Level 77
Jul 29, 2019
I was sure the answer was India until I noticed it was Maria and not Mother and Teresa had an h.
+9
Level 85
Jul 30, 2019
I hope you're not sure that Mother Teresa was the leader of India.
+4
Level 63
Aug 4, 2019
No, she was the leader of Kentucky.
+2
Level 69
Aug 6, 2019
I thought she was the one who makes that salad dressing that’s in the refrigerated section.
+2
Level 80
Jul 30, 2019
A sultan is the leader of a sultanate (e.g., Oman). The Mughal leaders are usually called emperors, which is the western equivalent of their actual title, Padishah / Shahanshah (king of kings).

The first Mughal emperor Babur conquered the Sultanate of Delhi, so "Sultan of Delhi" was probably among his many lesser titles.

+1
Level ∞
Jul 30, 2019
Removed that question.
+4
Level 76
Jul 30, 2019
The leader of the first successful expedition to the summit of Mt Everest was Sir John Hunt. From his expeditionary party, Hunt selected two pairs of climbers to attempt the final ascent, and Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the second pair chosen. They only set out after the first pair, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, were forced to turn back by the weather. Hunt himself reached 8350 metres, 500 metres below the summit, to leave an equipment cache for Hillary and Norgay.
+2
Level 78
Jul 31, 2019
Indeed. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit but Hunt was the leader of the expedition.
+1
Level 66
Aug 9, 2019
Fixed, and awaiting changes
+1
Level 52
Jul 30, 2019
Wow - I think I need multiple choice! :-) A great quiz though. Lots of things to check out that I missed!
+1
Level 76
Jul 30, 2019
It might make for a long list of stats, but I still think it would be good to see the percentages of people guessing each question correctly. Obviously that would mean tracking which random set of questions was thrown up each time, but I suspect it can be done!
+1
Level 77
Aug 3, 2019
2nd time, 100%. But I will keep playing.
+1
Level 67
Aug 31, 2019
The Pentagon is in Arlington, Virginia, not Washington, D.C.
+1
Level 67
Aug 31, 2019
maybe add 'kufu' as a type in for Khufu? that h really through me!
+1
Level 59
Aug 31, 2019
You should add "plane" as a type-in for airplane. Otherwise great quiz!
+1
Level ∞
Aug 31, 2019
Okay
+1
Level 83
Aug 31, 2019
*Evolution by Natural Selection.
+1
Level 44
Aug 31, 2019
Pripyat should be an accepted type in for the nuclear disaster question - I believe geographically it's more correct for "Where" the disaster happened than Chernobyl (although the plant was named after the more distant city)
+1
Level 51
Sep 1, 2019
I put Simon Bolivar in and it didn't work!!??
+1
Level 88
Apr 27, 2020
Worked for me today.
+1
Level 88
Sep 1, 2019
Are we sure @koljivrivoda hasn't invented a death ray?!
+1
Level 66
Sep 2, 2019
Why dont you accept christmas for the tsunami question? Because that is what the holiday is called in most of the world..
+2
Level 66
Sep 2, 2019
Boxing Day is the 26th, Christmas is the 25th
+1
Level 70
Sep 2, 2019
The leader of the gunpowder plot was Robert Catesby. Guy Fawkes was the man who was supposed to set the powder off.
+1
Level 55
Sep 2, 2019
Guy Fawkes did not LEAD the Gunpowder Plot, Robert Catesby did.
+1
Level 82
Feb 26, 2020
Enjoyable quiz. Good spread of times and places.
+1
Level 21
Mar 31, 2020
In the question "whose improvements to the steam engine helped trigger the industrial revolution" while Watt is a good and correct answer Trevithick should also be an aswer. Watt invented the negative pressure steam engine which allowed pumps/factory machinery etc while trevithick invented the high pressure steam engine which allowed locomotives/agricultural engines etc
+1
Level 63
Apr 8, 2020
Isabelle should count.
+1
Level 76
May 20, 2020
Minor detail, but in the Everest question, isn't it 'set foot on' instead of 'step foot on'?
+1
Level ∞
May 20, 2020
Okay, fixed.
+2
Level 36
Jan 2, 2021
"What was the largest German state when Germany was united?" is somewhat ambiguous---this can refer to either German unification in 1871 or 1990. Probably best to add the year.
+1
Level 56
Jul 24, 2021
And this is still not corrected. I didn't even think of anything else than 1990, I'm that young, LOL!
+1
Level ∞
Jul 24, 2021
Corrected now.
+1
Level 52
Mar 10, 2021
How come on this quiz you decide to state the quiz maker's name in the title?
+1
Level 74
May 30, 2021
CIA didn't work for the JFK question.
+1
Level 64
Jan 27, 2022
I guessed woo*ll*y mammoth, which is the correct UK spelling; please accept as an answer, since it is correct
+1
Level 67
Mar 22, 2022
I knew the Marco Polo one because of a third grade project on him..
+1
Level 81
Jul 8, 2022
I got bee when I was typing beetle... lol
+1
Level 60
Apr 28, 2023
There's another, two word, phrase to describe the UK's decision to leave the EU. The second word is idiotic.
+1
Level 52
Jun 19, 2023
Can you accept Venetian for Venice for the trading empire question?
+1
Level 65
Sep 25, 2023
This question should be revised to ask, "What was the first empire to unite most of India?" The southern tip of the mainland and Sri Lanka were not part of Mauraya. Indeed, I am not sure the Indian subcontinent has ever been an entirely unified state, even under the British.
+1
Level 46
Nov 27, 2023
I got interesting fact 105 on this quiz, which is a neat coincidence