Do You Know the Most Important Dates in Human History?

By: Olivia Cantor
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Do You Know the Most Important Dates in Human History?
Image: wikimedia

About This Quiz

Human beings should be familiar with many of the important dates in the history of the world. That's because it will benefit all of us if this knowledge is secured in our brains. Think you can name some? This quiz will be a good challenge to you, then!

The earth is not very young, nor is it very old yet. But since we have been existing for thousands of years on this planet, we human beings should know a thing or two about what happened before we came. It's great to be familiar with our own personal history. But give that a bigger context and contrast it with what happened in other parts of the world at the same time. For example, the year you were born, do you know if an important historical event happened that year? Was it a tragedy, a victory or a cautionary tale that we are using today as a guide?

History could teach us a lot about the human condition. It could also warn us of the possible mistakes that we could commit -- again -- if we don't learn from the lessons of the past. Indeed, there have been repeat victories as there are repeat tragedies. Here's hoping that history could again teach us anew -- and steer us down the safer path.Ā 

Take this quiz now and see if you're up for this challenge!

This horrific battle of nations, the first of two, started in Europe in 1914 and lasted up to 1918.
World War I
World War I was a huge war fought between Germany and its allies, and other European countries and their allies. Sadly, World War I wasnā€™t the ā€œWar To End All Wars.ā€
World War II
Civil War
Cold War

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The 1440s-1450s saw a print revolution of epic proportions, thanks to a man named Johannes Gutenberg. What did he invent that time?
Ink
Printing press
Johannes Gutenberg was the German publisher and blacksmith who invented the movable type. It was a crucial component of the printing press he presented to the world, making mass publishing way easier and cheaper.
Paper
Pencil

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The birth of this important religious figure of Christianity is estimated to have happened around 5 BC.
Moses
David and Goliath
John The Baptist
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ was born around 5 BC, as what historians noted. He was born in Bethlehem.

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The year 1776 is important to America because of what event?
Mount St. Helens explosion
War of the worlds
Declaration of Independence
It was in July 4, 1776 when the Declaration of Independence made Americans assert that they no longer wished to be under British rule. Thomas Jefferson led the drafting of this important document, along with the other "founding fathers."
Plymouth Rock landing

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The second of this fighting between nations happened during 1939-1945.
Cold War
World War II
World War II wasn't merely an event in Europe. It spread to other regions as well, notably Asia.
Korean War
Vietnam War

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It was in 1885 that this combustion engine machine was invented by Karl Benz, giving us a glimpse of this item we still use today.
The car
Karl Benz was the German engineer who invented the first practical car model humankind could drive. He patented it in 1886.
The telephone
The train
Electricity

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The year 570 AD is said to have been the birth year of this prophet who founded Islam.
Muhammad
The birth of the central figures of todayā€™s major world religions are important to take note. For Muhammad, followers of Islam revere his birth date in 570 AD.
Confucius
Siddharta Gautama
Reverend Al Jolson

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Which date is etched in the worldā€™s memory as the day New York City was attacked, where the World Trade Center skyscrapers were bombed and destroyed?
8/11
9/11
The 9/11 attacks of 2001 became a significant marker in the worldā€™s history, since it marked a global event for the fight against world terrorists.
7/11
1/11

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July 1969 was "one giant leap for mankind." Why is that?
Man kills the sun
Man lands on the moon
The Apollo 11 American space mission put a human being on the moon for the first time. Astronaut Neil Armstrong uttered that famous line.
Man thrashes the earth
Man ends life

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October 1945 saw the formation of this harmonious association of majority of earth's residents.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international formation wherein member states join together in harmony. It was formed as a result of World War II, as a hope to prevent future worldly catastrophes of the same nature again.
La Travia
International Labor Organization
World Health Organization

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It was in 3500 BC when this round thing was invented, which they say you can't reinvent.
The boat
The road
The gunpowder
The wheel
The invention of the wheel happened back in Mesopotamia. It was the same time that the plow was also invented. Both inventions revolutionized agricultural industries back then.

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The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 released this kind of person in American bondage.
Prisoners
Slaves
Slavery was abolished when Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. It was indeed a victorious date for humankind's humanity.
Children
Women

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Watson and Crick are the scientists initially connected to the discovery of this important double helix molecule. What's it called?
DNA
It was in 1953 when James Watson and Francis Crick talked of building a model that stored the genetic information of human beings. That's the DNA they were talking about.
RBC
AZT
PHD

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Built in 1961, this huge divide was torn down in 1989 in Germany.
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall divided the German city in a political and ideological manner. But as communism collapsed in the late '80s, so did this wall.
Iron Curtain
Iron Butterfly
Red Carpet

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This inland war broke out in America from 1861 up to 1865.
Korean War
Civil War
The American Civil War was indeed a battle between the North and the South. Abraham Lincoln was the U.S. president when the war broke out.
Vietnam War
Cold War

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It was in 776 BC when the first of this kind of worldwide athletic competition began.
100 Meter Dash
Marathon
Olympics
The Olympics is a gathering of the world's best athletes for friendly competition. Sportsmanship is the name of the game here.
Decathlon

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December 1895 is considered the first commercial outing of this new media invention and larger-than-life projected art form.
Cinema
The first commercial exhibition of a cinematic work happened in a Parisian cafe in 1895. Film historians regard this as the "official birth of cinema" in the world, like the cinema we now know.
TV
Dance
Music

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Women in America were given this right to choose only in 1920.
The right to an abortion
The right to vote
The 19th Amendment in the U.S. was significant because it gave the women the right to finally vote. The Suffrage movement bore good fruits!
The right to marry a husband
The right to life

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October 1957 marked the Soviets' lead in the so-called space race when they launched this satellite into orbit. What's it called?
Sputnik
The Sputnik satellite was put on orbit on October 1957. (No) thanks to this, the Cold War ensued later on.
Gagarin
Tereshkova
Laika

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The War of 1812 saw the U.S. fighting with which French-speaking European country?
Germany
Italy
France
The US went to war with the French in the War of 1812. Historians say this was part of the Napoleonic Wars.
Spain

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It was in 3200 BC when this very first and crucial way of communication was invented in Mesopotamia.
Writing
Writing was invented back in 3200 BC. The urge to record and document life was very much alive, even for ancient human beings.
Shouting
Body movements
Talking

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This economic downfall happened in the U.S., also affecting the world, from 1929 to 1939. What's it called?
The Rabbit Hole
The Boston Tea Party
The Great Depression
Industrialization received a huge blow when western countries suffered during The Great Depression era. This huge economic slump was felt in the US and Europe, and in other industrialized nations as well.
The Roaring Twenties

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It was in 1961 when this small unit was invented, which catapulted humankind into the computer age, and later the digital age.
Computer software
Internet
Silicon chip
The silicon chip was invented in 1961. The credit goes to American electrical engineers Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce.
Pedal

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Instituted in 1948, this systematic racial segregation of blacks and whites in South Africa was finally lifted in 1991.
Apartheid
South Africa also had their brand of white supremacy upon the institutionalization of apartheid. But thank goodness that all came crumbling down in 1991.
Holocaust
Synchronicity
Avalon

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This battle in a part of Belgium during Napoleon's reign happened in 1815.
Battle of Creekside
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo actually took place in Belgium, since the place was under Nepoleon's reign at that time. It happened in 1815.
Battle of Willoughby
Battle of Watergate

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It was in 1600 BC when this language system was invented.
Modern alphabet
Modern alphabet's invention back in 1600 BC proved that human beings were cognitively skilled at creating a system for communication. That explains why we have so many language systems today, worldwide.
Modern numbers
Modern calligraphy
Modern talking

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June 1944 was an important World War II date where fighting happened in Normandy, France. What is this day called?
X-Day
V-Day
D-Day
D-Day is commemorated on June 6, 1944. It was a huge Allied forces movement to thwart the Axis enemies.
N-Day

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It was in 1973 when Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in tennis. What did they term this event?
Sports Glory
Battle of the Sexes
The huge 1973 tennis event called Battle of the Sexes pitted Billie Jean King against Bobby Riggs. But hey, the woman won!
Whip It Good
Wham Bam

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It was in 1564 when this significant English playwright was born, who wrote comedies and tragedies about the human condition, as well as sonnets.
Arthur Miller
Ferdinand Lorca
Christopher Marlowe
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon in England. He died in 1616, at age 52.

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While its symptoms were being studied in earlier decades, it was in the 1980s when this "new" disease was given a name. What was it?
AIDS
AIDS was being studied by many scientists and doctors in different parts of the world already prior to the 1980s breakout. It wasn't long before they could pinpoint its cause -- the HIV virus.
Pneumonia
Ebola
SARS

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It was in 1687 when Isaac Newton published his law on what grounding scientific occurrence?
Gravity
The universal law on gravitation, or an explanation of how gravity basically works, was published by Sir Isaac Newton in his book. Its title was PhilosophiƦ Naturalis Principia Mathematic.a
Blackholes
Comets
Meteor shower

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This gadget that leads us to certain directions was invented sometime in the 14th century in China.
Compass
The early explorers would not have made it to the lands they discovered had it not been for the invention of the magnetic compass. You could say this is the ancient ancestor of today's GPS.
Royal sextant
North star
Telescope

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This communication invention of the 18th and 19th centuries used Morse code.
Horse carriage
Letters
Telegraph
The telegraph was an important innovation in human history. Without it, our modern day communication systems won't be possible!
Telepathy

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In 1938, this DC superhero was published, a super creation by two American teenagers.
Superman
Superman became a hit for teens and adults alike. Its all-benevolent hero was a figure humankind sometimes needs.
Wonder Woman
Spiderman
Ironman

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It was in 1859 when this scientist published On The Origin of The Species, giving birth to evolutionary biology.
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin's publication was fully titled On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It changed the way we saw our evolution, in light of the evolution of other beings.
Gregor Mendel
Archimedes Front
Galileo Galilee

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