Key Dates in U.S. History Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1929

The 'Wall Street Crash' of 1929 saw the Dow Jones Index lose almost 25% of its value over the course of just two days. Whilst it is difficult to say that the crash caused the Great Depression, it is often seen as one of the most significant events in the lead up to the worldwide economic downturn.

Despite originating in the United States, the Great Depression was felt across the world and continued until the early 1940s.

Answer: 2008

It may seem incredible that it took more than 230 years of history and 43 preceding presidents before the first African American person was elected to the office, but it really did happen. Barack Obama won a comfortable victory against the Republican John McCain in the election held in November 2008, and came into power on January 20 2009.

Answer: c. 1000

The Acoma Pueblo is the oldest continually inhabited settlement in the United States, having been established around the turn of the first millennium AD. It is located 60 miles from the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico and is made up of a total of four distinct villages. In total, around 5,000 people live in the Acoma Pueblo.

Answer: 1692

The Salem witch trials took place in the colony of Massachusetts in the late 17th century. Several hundred people, most of whom were women, were accused of witchcraft, with around 20 people eventually being sentenced to death for the alleged crime.

Answer: 1861

The American Civil War lasted for four years from 1861 to 1865, and was largely fought over the question of slavery. The Union North was led by president Abraham Lincoln until his assassination in April 1865. More than half a million people lost their lives before General Robert E. Lee surrendered to future president Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.

Answer: 1541

Hernando de Soto was a Spanish explorer of the mid-16th century, who is best known for his explorations into the land that now makes up the main body of the United States. In addition to being the first European to lead an expedition across the Mississippi river, he also died on its banks just one year later.

Answer: 1838

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 encouraged the removal of Native Americans from their homelands in the Southern United States to other territory west of the Mississippi. The journeys undertaken by Native Americans are often collectively referred to as the Trail of Tears.

In addition to the 4,000 Cherokees that were killed, the Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribes were also severely impacted.

Answer: 1607

Jamestown is famous as the first permanent English settlement in the modern-day United States. It was located in the Colony of Virginia, as well as in the territory of the native Paspahegh tribe. Within the first few years of settlement, around 80% of the colonists died as a result of disease and starvation.

Answer: 1776

The Declaration of Independence in 1776 is remembered as the point at which the modern-day United States declared itself to be separated from Britain. The declaration was initially drafted by Thomas Jefferson, with other members of the congress editing the final version.

It was adopted on July 4 at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, a date that is now commemorated as Independence Day in the United States.

Answer: 1968

The civil rights movement was a campaign for equal rights for African-American citizens of the United States that took place during the 1950s and 1960s. Important events during the movement include the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, and the march led by Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.