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30 Historical People You Probably Don't Know

You probably don't know these thirty important historical people. Only true geeks will get more than half.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: December 31, 2019
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First submittedApril 2, 2014
Times taken45,882
Average score36.7%
Rating4.28
Quiz and answer stats >>
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Clue
Person
British commander at Waterloo
Duke of Wellington
Lakota war leader who defeated Custer
Crazy Horse
Third wife of Henry VIII
Jane Seymour
"Great" empress of Russia
Catherine the Great
Author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Babylonian ruler known for his written code of "an eye for an eye"
Hammurabi
Egyptian sometimes called the world's first architect and doctor
Imhotep
First European to reach America
Leif Ericson
Most well-known Zulu leader
Shaka
Man who doubled wheat yields in South Asia - saving millions from starvation
Norman Borlaug
Jewish officer wrongly convicted of treason in 1894 France
Alfred Dreyfus
"Great" Byzantine emperor who conquered Italy
Justinian
Spanish King who launched an Armada against England
Philip II
The inventor of the radio (according to most)
Guglielmo Marconi
Revolutionary War general who switched from American to British allegiance
Benedict Arnold
Economist who proposed government stimulus to correct the Great Depression
John Maynard Keynes
"Great" King of Prussia
Frederick the Great
Muslim commander who battled the Crusaders and earned their respect
Saladin
Father of modern Turkey
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
The real-life inspiration for Dracula
Vlad the Impaler
President of North Vietnam until his death in 1969
Ho Chi Minh
Dutchman who "discovered" Tasmania
Abel Tasman
Romantic poet and seducer who died fighting for Greek independence
Lord Byron
Serbian inventor whose AC power defeated Edison's DC power
Nikola Tesla
Chinese leader who made free market reforms after Mao's death
Deng Xiaoping
First man to orbit the Earth
Yuri Gagarin
American actress who married Monaco's Prince Rainier
Grace Kelly
Steel tycoon who started thousands of libraries
Andrew Carnegie
First emperor of China who took mercury pills to seek immortality
Qin Shi Huang
Founder of modern nursing who tended to soldiers in the Crimean War
Florence Nightingale
plattitude
+9
Level 90
Apr 3, 2014
That was HARD! Got stuck on the nurse for a long time; turns out her name wasn't spelled Nightengale.
McLerristarr
+3
Level 61
Apr 2, 2016
It's the name of a bird. I didn't think anyone would think it could be spelt differently.
RobNobody
+10
Level 74
Jul 28, 2018
It's quite possible that many people would ALSO be unsure about the spelling of the bird, especially in areas the bird is not native to, like the Americas.
stuffpunk
+1
Level 45
Jan 17, 2020
Did anyone else have their level temporarily reset?
zimbabwe12
+3
Level 51
Apr 15, 2014
Didn't have enough time
kalbahamut
+2
Level 84
Apr 15, 2014
I guess I'm a true geek. I made it to the end but a little extra time would have been helpful for some that I knew but couldn't recall immediately. Gagarin for instance, I always have trouble remembering the exact spelling of his name.
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Apr 15, 2014
Added one minute.
kevlarkev
+3
Level 58
Apr 15, 2014
I can never remember his last name either. I always try Yuri. If I ever make a quiz with Gagarin as an answer, Yuri will be an acceptable type in.
samiamco
+2
Level 70
Sep 4, 2016
I kept wanting to put a u in it somewhere.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
same first tried gaugin while I knew that wasnt it ;) then gaugarin and gagurin, gugarin and other similar things, everything but the correct way..
JoeRay
+7
Level 53
Nov 12, 2019
You should accept "Leif Eriksson" which is the correct Scandinavian spelling. Leif Ericson is the anglified version, so both should be accepted.
SuperPotato2000
+2
Level 50
Dec 31, 2019
According to this quiz I'm also a true geek. Altough playing Sid Meier's Civilization V and VI certainly helped
mrputter
+1
Level 74
Mar 3, 2023
No kidding! Catherine, Frederick, Hammurabbi, Shaka...

Civilization would get you a long way on this quiz!

IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 87
Jan 2, 2020
Yeah, I was really surprised 10/30 was the average. This is more of a geography nerd haven than anything I suppose.
jmellor13
+4
Level 67
Apr 15, 2014
It's funny. I know a lot of these names, but I just don't think of them in the way presented. Leif Ericson, for example. I know he is the viking leader and son of Erik the Red; I just never think of him as the first European to reach America (although he is, to my knowledge). Lots of them, like Ataturk, are names I recognize, but would never come up with on my own.
roleybob
+5
Level 76
Mar 11, 2016
Which part of that is funny?

:-P

fitheach
+5
Level 59
Jun 8, 2017
He doesn't mean funny as in laughing out loud, but as in strange or unusual.
roleybob
+3
Level 76
Sep 19, 2018
Sorry, I was being unnecessarily sarcastic
Symmetrik
+1
Level 57
Apr 15, 2014
I only got 2, but I've only should have gotten 5, plus I didn't know Crazy Horse, but I have been to the memorial (it was still being made, is it done now?). Benedict Arnold (I knew he was a traitor, but I didn't know he was American), Vlad the Impaler, and Nikola Tesla are the ones I missed that I should have gotten. Ho Chi Minh, Lord Byron, and Florence Nightingale I've heard of but never would have gotten.
Malbaby
+4
Level 71
Jul 28, 2018
Benedict Arnold....... to be a traitor to America you would have to be American.
carkey
+2
Level 66
Dec 31, 2019
He was born in and a resident of one of the Thirteen Colonies. So yes, he was an American at the time he switched sides.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 87
Jan 2, 2020
Actually, he was a traitor to Britain who repatriated himself.
evileve
+2
Level 40
Apr 28, 2021
so carkey, all those who maintained their original allegiance were traitors - the people known at the time and subsequently as Loyalists?

As Dumas said, the difference between treason and patriotism is only a matter of dates.

ander217
+4
Level 76
Jan 1, 2020
They haven't finished the Crazy Horse Monument. We saw it two years ago and it had progressed a lot since we were there in the 1980s but they have lengthened the estimated time to finish it and it looks like there's still a lot to do.
bluesdjben
+2
Level 74
Apr 15, 2014
I don't think I've heard of Norman Borlaug before. Got everyone else.
ander217
+1
Level 76
Jan 1, 2020
Borlaug was on the Iowa quiz I took yesterday on this site.
cwasims
+1
Level 61
Apr 15, 2014
Got all but two. Never heard of Borlaug.
conor845
+1
Level 52
Apr 15, 2014
Excellent quiz, got 24. Almost typed Byron but then questioned whether he fought for Greek independence and ran out of time. You learn something new everyday, especially on Jetpunk.
mal
+1
Level 59
Apr 15, 2014
Got some, know a lot of the names I missed but didn't know what they had done. Really cross about missing the Uncle Toms Cabin one- kept trying to think of the scene in the King and I (the children keep repeating her name), but just couldn't recall it!!
camus
+1
Level 77
Apr 15, 2014
Got 19, should've known Wellington. Heard of some of the rest, but would never have been able to come up with them.
DonTheLamplighter
+1
Level 84
Oct 19, 2017
Exact same for me.
camus
+1
Level 77
Dec 31, 2019
Up to 26. Got the six least-guessed, but not Seymour, Marconi, and Arnold.
Bandi
+1
Level 68
Apr 15, 2014
Should've remembered Carnegie, Seymour, and Crazy Horse at least... 23/30.
WelshWizard
+2
Level 80
Apr 15, 2014
Should be allowed to just put Xiaoping.
Arp2600
+5
Level 85
Apr 15, 2014
His family name was Deng...
Arp2600
+1
Level 85
Apr 15, 2014
23/30, without Qin Shi Huang that I knew but couldn't spell. I don't think it is really hard...
Arp2600
+2
Level 85
Apr 15, 2014
Still, the results are bad. How come do only 41% get Gagarin? That's troubling.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
that one is tough to remember the spelling, always so close but never just right. I think 40 is a decent score for that. What I dont get how tasman is only 23%! it might not be as common as knowing about colombus, but it is knowledge equal to knowing cook. plus the answer is nearly literally in the question!! so even if it slipped your mind.. it is right there.
Arp2600
+1
Level 85
Dec 17, 2019
My culture probably improved since 2014. I easily got 28/30 today and I still don't understand. Most of these are basic historical culture... Most takers should be ashamed. On the other hand, the Quizmaster was infortunately right about most of these and the quiz is relevant...
Victoulapin
+3
Level 66
Apr 15, 2014
You overestimate your quiz, i'm not a geek, just rather interested in history, and get 15/30
Quizmaster
+5
Level ∞
Apr 15, 2014
I don't know. 15/30 is 82nd percentile. Given our user base, that's pretty good. I think you might qualify as a "true geek"!
What
+1
Level 27
Apr 15, 2014
Will it ever be cool to know more than the most?
kalbahamut
+1
Level 84
Apr 17, 2014
I got 26. I'm not cool at all. I'm suck a geek that I know the etymology of the word geek paradoxically means "fool." They were employed in circuises to bite the heads off of chickens and do other things of the sort that Johnny Knoxville now gets paid for.
richiesyxx
+1
Level 71
Mar 15, 2022
I actually did get all 30, but I’m a History graduate (although I’m not sure how many of my classmates would get more than half!). I believe ‘King of the Geeks’ is taken by Quizmaster, so is there a lesser title I can have? ‘Duke,’ maybe? Or, maybe ‘The Geek Pretender?’
pmack18
+1
Level 48
Apr 15, 2014
I thought Imhotep was Arnold Vosloo in the Mummy?? Ha
kalbahamut
+1
Level 84
Apr 17, 2014
The character is based on the historical figure. The first time I heard of Imhotep was actually in the Tick comic book. He was one of the champions of Earth selected to compete in some intergalactic competition, along with The Tick and George Washington Carver and that baby that fell down a well.
Moosefight
+1
Level 61
Apr 15, 2014
21 and kicking myself for missing Dreyfus, Wellington, and Saladin. Ah well. Still feel secure in my geekitude for today.
ponnuki
+2
Level 59
Apr 15, 2014
Never had a quiz with so many 'tip of the tongue'-misses before. Well done.

However, I feel a need to correct you on Leif Ericsson:According to the saga of the Greenlanders he was preceded by Bjarni Herjólfsson, zie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjarni_Herj%C3%B3lfsson

zthenark
+3
Level 40
Apr 15, 2014
Bjarni Herjolfsson was the first European to see North America; however, he did not actually land.
LuckyPunk
+1
Level 73
Apr 15, 2014
How come the numbers are so low? (Especially for Wellington) I missed a few, but it seems like the percentages should be higher on average.
LuckyPunk
+1
Level 73
Apr 15, 2014
However, considering the picture for this quiz is my desktop background, I didn't do as well as I would have liked.
fitheach
+1
Level 59
Jun 8, 2017
Is Wellington that well known outside of the UK? Asking out of curiosity
kenpo17
+2
Level 66
Jun 25, 2018
Given his importance in the Napoleonic wars, I would hope he's at least well known in most of Europe.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
I know it has to do with beef, boots and a capital city ;)
Tramp
+1
Level 73
Dec 31, 2019
He played a pretty big role in the early British conquests of India too, so he might be well-known there too. And like Kenpo17 said, he has a huge role in the Napoleonic wars. Anybody who has studied them a bit should be aware of him.
ander217
+2
Level 76
Jan 1, 2020
I'm a fan of Regency romances, and his name comes up often in them.
Findlay
+1
Level 83
Jan 11, 2022
If I recall correctly 14 different countries made him an honorary Field Marshal. He also has a national capital named after him (Wellington, NZ) and was the victorious commander at the Battle of Assaye, one of the key turning points in the British conquest of India. He is also the key figure in ending French control of Spain and Portugal. So those are a few reasons to know of him outside of the UK, on top of his role at Waterloo.
spingospungo
+2
Level 58
Jan 12, 2022
He was also Prime Minister, though I suspect that's not even that well known in the UK
thecoolestdude2
+1
Level 69
Apr 15, 2014
I got 24, but completely missed Stowe, because I thought she was Louisa May Alcott for some reason.
jmaddog
+1
Level 34
Apr 15, 2014
That's how you spell Vespucci! Totally thought it was him for the Leif Errikson one.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 84
Apr 16, 2014
Vespucci was far from the first European to the Americas, even discounting the Vikings.
CmdrKeen
+1
Level 33
Apr 16, 2014
This was pretty challenging - like other commentators, I had heard of most of the answers but hadn't connected them.

Leif Ecrison, Imhotep, Hammurarbi, and Grace Kelly were the more obvious ones that I should have got.

Great quiz!

AndySpades
+3
Level 31
Apr 17, 2014
Brilliant!

Though may I suggest to accept the spelling "Friedrich" for Frederick (considering it was his actual name).

DavidOrtiz
+2
Level 55
Apr 18, 2014
Needs to accept Nightangale as a response.
fitheach
+3
Level 59
Jun 8, 2017
That wasn't her name.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
you think to much about tangas.
JTG
+1
Level 22
Apr 21, 2014
3/30. Beat that
burntfrost
+1
Level 48
May 13, 2014
Ha! 16!
Quizrush
+1
Level 33
Aug 18, 2014
i have 19... so that means i am a geek too :)
amm14
+1
Level 67
Sep 11, 2014
Barbarossa for Frederick and Chaka for Shaka would be nice.
Duzza
+7
Level 33
Apr 24, 2016
Frederick the Great and Frederick Barbarossa were different people, one was a king of Prussia in the 18th century, the other was a Holy Roman Emperor who took part in the third crusade, so Barbarossa should absolutely not be accepted
amm14
+1
Level 67
Dec 18, 2019
Dang, you're right! Brain fart, no excuses.
redsplat
+1
Level 75
Dec 31, 2019
Agreed about more type-ins for Shaka though. Tshaka and Chaka are both common-enough alternate transliterations.
williamsw21
+1
Level 32
Dec 26, 2014
29/30 :-) was typing in tasman when time ran out :( i'm a true geek
Algernon
+1
Level 71
Aug 28, 2016
I knew Tasmanian was once called Van Diemen's land and thought that sounded a lot more Dutch than Tasman. Ohh well.

Just looked it up, Van Diemen was Tasman's sponsor. I think that makes it even more frustrating.

brandybuck96
+3
Level 82
Jun 11, 2015
Found most of the answers hard but some surprisingly easy - don't all British people, at least, know Florence Nightingale and Jane Seymour? Also Wellington?
stromae
+1
Level 69
Jul 9, 2015
ghehehehehe 27/30
Yossarian
+1
Level 64
Nov 2, 2015
I'll give that Borlaug is a hard answer, but the others seem pretty straightforward. Missed the market reforms though - never can spell that.
thecoolestdude2
+1
Level 69
Nov 25, 2015
27.... somehow typed every other name except Jane.
McLerristarr
+1
Level 61
Apr 2, 2016
I think the description is a bit of an exaggeration. Some of these people are very famous. Even if you were aiming it at an American audience, presumably Benedict Arnold is famous there (and I'm sure he's unjustly vilified by your biased education system).
kenpo17
+3
Level 66
Jun 25, 2018
Benedict Arnold betrayed his country in wartime and began fighting for the other side because he didn't feel he was appreciated enough. Is it even possible to unjustly villify him? His name is basically synonymous with the concept of treason in the US, and for good reason.
ruftytufty
+5
Level 77
Sep 9, 2019
Arnold was born as a British subject. Which act of treason is he to be vilified for - the first or the second?
Duzza
+1
Level 33
Apr 24, 2016
Could Leif the Lucky be allowed instead of Leif Ericson, as this is a common alternative?
CalmDownItsOnlyAGame
+4
Level 79
Apr 28, 2016
Could you add Felipe for the Spanish king? I never thought of writing Phillip. Thanks.
YantheMan
+1
Level 66
Sep 26, 2016
Got 19, but I'm pretty sure I typed in Xiaoping, all clever that I knew a recent Chinese guy, but they didn't take it. Also, what was Van Dieman's Land? I tried for some 45 seconds with variations on Van Dieman for Tasmania, but of course it wasn't him.
YantheMan
+1
Level 66
Jan 19, 2017
Update: up to 24. Yes, I am a history geek. Got Qin every time, which I'm pretty happy about.
Tramp
+3
Level 73
Dec 31, 2019
Xiaoping isn't his family name, which is why it wasn't accepted
djeedubbeljoe
+1
Level 63
Nov 25, 2016
I was a little embarrassed by getting only nine, but then it turned out I beat more than half of the takers :D Tough quiz!
Malbaby
+1
Level 71
Feb 28, 2017
I thought that Sitting Bull was the elder of the two leaders (with Crazy Horse) that defeated Custer at Little Big Horn.
Yanni47
+1
Level 75
Aug 28, 2017
Agreed, I think Sitting Bull should be an acceptable answer too.
kenpo17
+1
Level 66
Jun 25, 2018
Sitting Bull was one of the leaders, but he was not the war leader at the Little Big Horn. That was Crazy Horse.
Zvezdana
+1
Level 72
Feb 28, 2017
Prussian ruler is Friedrich the Great, no?
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Oct 31, 2019
He is known as Frederick in English. Friedrich will be accepted now.
SolomonPierce
+1
Level 36
Apr 6, 2017
Shaka... when the walls fell
fitheach
+1
Level 59
Jun 8, 2017
Spent ages trying different permutations of Cetshwayo, only to learn that they were after Shaka!
Jarl5
+1
Level 67
Jun 8, 2017
Got twelve, should have remembered others
tripsaplenty
+1
Level 55
Aug 28, 2017
that was surprisingly easy. I had trouble remembering Borlaug and Dreyfus but I came up with them eventually. 30/30
Algernon
+1
Level 71
Oct 27, 2017
Great quiz but it could do with a bit more leeway on the spelling especially as a fair few of them are blinking hard to spell and this isn't the type of quiz where you have a lot of time at the end to go back and try a dozen different spellings.
BB123
+1
Level 52
Jan 5, 2018
18/30

Should have gotten Ericson and Byron. Knew the Crazy Horse one too but the name didn't reach the surface of my mind - I could only think of Sitting Bull.

It appears that 10 is the average score so I guess the introductory sentence is correct.

ferdy86
+1
Level 75
May 20, 2018
There are a lot of answers where you're really liberal on the spelling but others where you're not. A little frustrating.
Cooldrive
+4
Level 61
Jun 25, 2018
What are the odds of someone discovering an island and finding out it has his name?
Sifhraven
+1
Level 66
Oct 17, 2019
Funny :P but, too bad it wasnt called that untill after his death (200 years after he discovered it actually). Tasman didnt name it tasmania but van diemensland, so the joke doesnt really work.
Tramp
+1
Level 73
Dec 31, 2019
It's actually pretty common. See: James Cook, Saint Helena, Henry Three Mile and Vanilla Iceland
kenpo17
+1
Level 66
Jun 25, 2018
I think I did alright with 21/30, but there's at least 2 more I should have gotten (Ho Chi Minh and Philip II), and 4 more I could potentially have gotten since I have at least a little familiarity with them (Grace Kelly, Jane Seymour, John Maynard Keynes, and Justinian). I didn't know Alfred Dreyfus or Guglielmo Marconi at all though.
GeographyGeek42
+1
Level 66
Jun 25, 2018
16/30
QuizFace
+1
Level 59
Jun 25, 2018
Maybe allow more leeway in spelling, i.e. Nightingale, Imhotep, and Hummarabi
Yanni47
+1
Level 75
Sep 9, 2019
I kind of remembered Uncle Tom's author, but spelled it Beecher Stove. No joy. I'd add that to the list of names for more leeway.
MassLumpBlockClod
+1
Level 79
Jun 25, 2018
Never considered myself a true geek, but if Jetpunk says so...
Gassu
+1
Level 71
Jul 28, 2018
Woohoo! I‘m a geek, got 23, (but only three of them have I never heard of - Stowe, Borlaug and Arnold...)
ZenI
+1
Level 40
Sep 4, 2018
Well done, the best quizzes teach us new things.
JRAE
+1
Level 64
Dec 20, 2018
Isn't the first European Erik the Red?
kalbahamut
+1
Level 84
Dec 20, 2018
Yeah it should say the North American mainland as Erik the Red made it to Greenland before his son (Erikson) made it as far as Canada.
SeaNomad
+1
Level 74
Oct 17, 2022
Since when has Greenland been considered a part of Americas?
FatSpartanJediLlama
+1
Level 61
Sep 9, 2019
Didn't know about Erikson. Interesting.
Carry
+2
Level 63
Dec 17, 2019
A lot of these I really don't know but others seem rather famous. Tesla especially surprised me.
Stef2
+1
Level 57
Dec 17, 2019
Damn, only 8/30.

This is hard!

liverlife7
+1
Level 67
Dec 17, 2019
Could you accept Felipe and/or Filipe for Philip, and accept Eriksson for Ericson?
SamHeller
+2
Level 62
Dec 19, 2019
Norman Borlaug my Minnesota booiiiiii
joanie97
+1
Level 73
Dec 31, 2019
Wasn't he from Iowa?
Osmium13
+1
Level 39
Jun 16, 2021
Sadly, he was from Iowa. Though I wish he was from MN
jennywren21
+1
Level 61
Dec 31, 2019
Anyone else get more than a few answers because you played Civilization?
lvtharrison
+1
Level 81
Dec 31, 2019
Could you allow the last name only for Mao's successor - typed it in and managed to spell it right too, ended up having to type the slightly easier to spell first name.
Arp2600
+2
Level 85
Dec 31, 2019
In China, the "first" name is the surname and the second is the given name.
Arp2600
+1
Level 85
Dec 31, 2019
A few type-ins could arguably be added for Grace Kelly: Princess Grace, Grace of Monaco or even Grace alone, precisely because she was a princess of Monaco... (those people have a special status, like it or not). For the moment, it's like strictly asking for Diana Spencer.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Dec 31, 2019
Okay
ghanburighan
+1
Level 78
Dec 31, 2019
Kept typing Eriksson - the correct spelling - never thought of trying Ericson. Please at least allow the correct spelling
alexandertorres1978
+1
Level 71
Dec 31, 2019
Eriksson spelling, please
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Dec 31, 2019
Okay
gursh
+1
Level 55
Dec 31, 2019
that was bloody hard. Struggled manfully to 11, albeit with 4 or 5 that I probably should have got in retrospect
joanie97
+1
Level 73
Dec 31, 2019
Anyone else only know Borlaug because of that West Wing episode? Or is that too many layers of nerdy?
Qikiq
+1
Level 84
Dec 31, 2019
Yup. Deep nerd here. Got all of them.
csrt2006
+1
Level 45
Dec 31, 2019
There are some specific answers dependent on where you are from- for the British, the most famous Zulu is Cethswayo (Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift etc) not Shaka.
Fuse
+1
Level 76
Dec 31, 2019
Is 9/30 good for a 14-year-old??
otisethan
+1
Level 61
Dec 31, 2019
Yes, so is being level 40.

EDIT:

Honestly, being active on this site immediately puts you far above the curve at your age.

Nilles
+1
Level 50
Dec 31, 2019
Jokes on you, I know the Epic Rap Battle "Alexander the great vs Ivan the terrible" from memory B)
otisethan
+1
Level 61
Dec 31, 2019
That moment when you got Qin Shi-Huang, Imhotep, and Borlaug but forgot Seymour, Ho Chi Minh, and Wellington
howard38
+1
Level 61
Dec 31, 2019
I got Catherine the Great because I tried Catherine Howard for Henry's third wife. Not only that, as I continued to type Howard I got Ho Chi Minh to boot!
Arp2600
+1
Level 85
Dec 31, 2019
Well, that may explain why Catherine the great is so much more guessed than the others here... she is well-known and you can add a bunch of Henry VIII related guesses.
ander217
+2
Level 76
Jan 1, 2020
I'll never forget Stowe because of a contest run by Organic Gardening magazine in the 1970s or '80s. They asked people to change the names of authors and their books or singers and their songs to give them a gardening slant. The winning entry was Harriet Beecher Slaw for her book, "Uncle Tom's Cabbage". (Another one mentioned was Elvis Parsley for his song, "Hothouse Rock".)
DagnumMong
+1
Level 66
Jan 2, 2020
please don't start with the clickbait titles.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Jan 2, 2020
This quiz was created on April 2, 2014.
xarnac
+1
Level 74
Jan 2, 2020
I got 13/30, then read the instructions. Not wanting to lose the "True Geek" status, I managed to pull 3 more from somewhere, and got just over half
samshane27
+1
Level 53
Jan 3, 2020
I was taught in school that the first emperor of China was Shi Huangdi. Is there a way this could be accepted, too?
Arii78
+1
Level 45
Jan 5, 2020
Got 12 but should have gotten like 15-20. For some, never heard of or would never have remembered their name, but I don't find these very hard.
Mardan
+1
Level 75
Jan 14, 2020
I'm quite surprised that the average score is 11, most of these people are still fairly well known.
Bernard62601
+1
Level 78
Jan 27, 2020
So sad more people don't know about Norman Borlaug. We know the names of those responsible for countless deaths but not those who saved countless lives.
NINJAQKk
+1
Level 68
Mar 6, 2020
I guessed Cumberbatch. Right first name, wrong last name.
Chronikhiles
+1
Level 50
Jun 11, 2020
Doesn't accept Yuri.
EcceHomo
+1
Level 75
Jun 11, 2020
I don't consider myself a geek, but got a score of 18/30. Played only once and did no looking up. Tough quiz, well done again.
leopard9090
+1
Level 82
Jun 11, 2020
Got exactly half. Do I pass?
pinkysbrain
+1
Level 80
Jun 11, 2020
defiantly not a geek but got 26 .any fan of history should get over 20 on this quiz .I missed four of the five least guessed , got imhotep because somehow something from the mummy movie (the 90s series) came into my head.
TheAlternateNY
+1
Level 57
Aug 26, 2020
Hate how I knew like half of the ones I got wrong, just couldn't remember them or didn't know that they were famous for that specific thing.

Also managed to not even notice two of the questions.

hstn
+1
Level 50
Aug 30, 2020
You should also accept Leiv Eiriksson, as that is a common writing of his name
Findlay
+2
Level 83
Oct 22, 2020
It's interesting to see how the percentage correctly getting a particular person seems to have little to do with how significant that person was. Grace Kelly is really not an individual of any grand historical importance, yet is near the top. By contrast the likes of the founder of the Chinese Empire (Qin Shi Huang), the man who almost restored the Roman Empire and is responsible for much of the world's legal systems (Justinian), and the man who launched China on its road back to superpower status (Deng Xiaoping) are near the bottom. And Norman Borlaug, often credited with saving a billion people from starvation (possibly an exaggeration, but not an utterly absurd one) is almost completely unknown.
Yeoryios
+2
Level 72
Jan 4, 2021
For Justinian it should be "reconquererd" as he was emperor of Rome and Italy used to be Roman.
encomium16
+1
Level 43
Jan 8, 2021
Kicking myself for forgetting saladin! I tried saracin, sacarin, etc, so at least I was going in the right direction.

Does getting exactly half make me a borderline geek? lol.

Nursultan
+3
Level 72
Mar 5, 2021
I would like Felipe II or Felipe to be an accepted answer for the king of Spain, since that is his name.
XYU
+1
Level 60
Apr 19, 2021
Nice one. John Maynard Keynes's name is strangely similar to the name of the lead singer from Tool.
Osmium13
+1
Level 39
Jun 16, 2021
7/30. Waaaaaay more people should've got Bourlag. He's so important.
EvanAviator
+1
Level 57
Nov 10, 2021
Only got Yuri Gagarin, but I knew Harriet Stowe just couldn't remember the exact name
Findlay
+2
Level 83
Jan 11, 2022
Most of these I found pretty easy, and a few I was surprised to see classed as obscure - I'm surprised how few know the Duke of Wellington. I was also surprised by Catherine the Great's inclusion, though judging by the percentages she is in fact pretty well known. On the other hand, while I knew Deng Xiaoping and Qin Shihuangdi would not be well-known, I was still kinda horrified by how low they were, given they are such titanic figures in history. I continually find it wild how even amongst a pretty knowledgeable group of people like those that frequent this site, there's so much ignorance of Chinese history and geography.
Cordelia75
+1
Level 55
Mar 4, 2022
It’s good to know I’m not the only one who knew several names but just couldn’t recall them quickly
GrammarBeane1
+2
Level 77
Apr 26, 2022
Ohhhh, the question was about *Prussia.* I read Persia and kept trying different spellings of Xerxes and Cyrus
Kirboi
+1
Level 60
May 5, 2022
I remember reading about Norman Borlaug at school and immediately forgetting him.
shrekcena
+1
Level 41
Jun 6, 2022
Lowest top answer percentage I've ever seen on a quiz here
AjdinCR7
+1
Level 41
Jan 19, 2023
Norman Borlaug, guy saved millions and no one remembers him. Tells you how shit and useless school is.
mrputter
+1
Level 74
Mar 3, 2023
Salahaddin? Nope.

Salahuddin? Nope.

Uhhh... Salah al Din? Nope.

Salah ad-din? Nope.

Hmm.

Oh, right! In English his name is contracted a bit! So...

Saluddin? Nope.

Saladdin? Nope.

Huh. Must have the wrong guy. 🤷‍♂️ Guess I don't know it.

A few type-ins for that one would be nice! 😁

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