A History Test For Your Kids...

... or maybe for you. Okay, I was really thinking of giving you another post about 'Today In History', even though I gave you one yesterday; but it appears someone else on my blog roll, The Anarchangel, just did that, and beat me to it. So instead of me getting all too boring through repetition, I have devised a small test for your children. Maybe it is not as much for them, as it is for you to determine just what they may know about history, or in other words what they may have learned at home, on TV, on the Internet, and mostly in school about history. As a matter of fact, maybe it will give you an idea of what you know.

For the test I will use fairly famous historical events, fairly famous names, and the like. The catch is that I will ask questions only about the events or persons who gained fame on this day, and yesterday (since my post about 'today in history' was posted yesterday).

See how good you do, then see how good your kids do; my guess is that anyone should be able to score at least 75%, and that 90% would be more like it, but who am I to say. By the way, just take it for granted the dates are correct, no trick questions about the dates. Here goes:

1) True or False - Colonel Robert E. Lee was offered, and refused, the command of the Union Army on April 18, 1861?

2) Who led the bombing raid on Tokyo on April 18, 1942; was it:

a) Lt. Colonel James Doolittle
b) Commander Ernie Pyle
c) Lieutenant Billy Marten
d) Captain James T. Kirk
e) General Paul Tibbets

3) On April 18, 1861, Confederate General Johnson surrendered to Union Army General Sherman. In what war did this take place?

4) Ernie Pyle was:

a) the U.S. Marine who led the charge at Iwo Jima
b) a character, on The Andy Griffith Show, related to Gomer Pyle
c) a famous wartime news photographer killed in WWII
d) the soldier who was slapped by General Patton for cowardice during WWII
e) none of the above

5) Elliot Ness was born on April 19, 1903. For what, in general, is he most known?

6) Who was the president of the United States of America, who on April 19, 1861, ordered the blockade of confederate ports?

7) On April 19, 1943, the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto began an uprising; against what group were they fighting?

8) What famous war began on April 19, 1775?

9) On April 19, 1995, a terrorist killed 168 people, and wounded scores of others, in what U.S. city?

10) On April 19, 1941, Bulgarian troops attacked Macedonia. Was Bulgaria part of the Allied or Axis forces?

11) On April 19, 1587, Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cadiz Spain and sank the Spanish Fleet. Drake was the commander of which fleet:

a) the German
b) the Dutch
c) the American
d) the English
e) a pirate fleet

12) True or False: April 18, 1946, the USA recognizes Tito's government in Romania.

13) April 18, 1906, an earthquake, and the ensuing fire, destroys almost 3/4 of a U.S. city, and kills over 4,000 people. In what city did this take place?

14) The battle of Harper's Ferry took place in what modern day country?

15) On April 18, 1909, Joan of Arc was named a saint in the Catholic religion. From what country was Joan of Arc?

16) April 19, 1977, author Alex Haley receives the Pulitzer Prize for his book 'Roots'. What in general did Haley write about in this book?

17) On April 18, 1946, the predecessor of the United Nations was dissolved. What was the name of that organization?

18) On April 18, 1885, the Sino-Japanese war ended. Which were the two major countries involved in this war?

19) On April 19, 1977, which country launched its first Salyut space station:

a) Russia
b) China
c) India
d) the USSR
e) none of the above

20) On April 19, 1951, General Douglas MacArthur, after being relieved of his far east command by the then president of the United States, quoted this line in his farewell address to Congress: "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away". What was the last name of the president who relieved MacArthur of his command?

Have fun. I you do not know the answers, they are all really easy enough to find for yourselves, either through a web search or by scrolling down below. Then again, you knew them all anyhow.

No cheating. Good luck.

All the best,
Glenn B







































1) T
2) a
3) The Civil War
4) c
5) 1930's crime fighter, G-Man, etc...
6) Lincoln
7) The Nazis (The German Army would be acceptable)
8) The American Revolution
9) Oklahoma City
10) Axis
11) The English
12) F
13) San Francisco
14) USA
15) France
16) His ancestory (slavery is not the correct answer)
17) League of nations
18) Russia and Japan
19) The USSR
20) Truman

I hope I got them all in the right order.