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U.S. History for Dummies

Can you answer these 20 relatively easy questions about American history?
Quiz by
Quizmaster
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Last updated: May 6, 2020
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First submittedMay 6, 2020
Times taken81,496
Average score85.0%
Rating4.47
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Question
Answer
Who was the first President of the United States?
George Washington
What country attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941,
"a date which will live in infamy"?
Japan
From what country did the United States gain its independence?
Great Britain
Who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935 and "left the building" for good in 1977?
Elvis Presley
What did the Wright Brothers invent?
The airplane
Where did Neil Armstrong set foot in 1969 that no other person had done before?
The Moon
In what war did Ulysses Grant fight against Robert E. Lee?
The Civil War
What was the name of the "railroad" which helped slaves escape from the south?
The Underground
Railroad
What industry caused the population of Detroit to explode in the
first half of the 20th century?
The auto industry
What baseball player was known as the "Bambino" and the "Sultan of Swat"?
Babe Ruth
Which state was an independent country for 10 years before joining the U.S. in 1845?
Texas
What brought thousands of people to California in 1849?
The California
Gold Rush
Who was the first African-American President of the United States?
Barack Obama
What city, founded on the shores of Lake Michigan in 1837, grew to become
the fourth largest city in the world by 1900?
Chicago
What war caused the death of 58,318 American soldiers in the 1960s and 1970s?
The Vietnam War
What country was the primary adversary of the United States during the "Cold War"?
The Soviet Union
Who was known as "Honest Abe"?
Abraham Lincoln
Who invented the phonograph, the movie camera, and the practical light bulb?
Thomas Edison
What holiday did the Pilgrims and their Native American neighbors
celebrate in the autumn of 1621?
Thanksgiving
Name one of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Religion | Speech |
Press | Assembly |
Petition
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107 Comments
cornflakesfu
+19
Level 89
May 6, 2020
Curious what percentage of people said "petition" for the last question.
TravelingMama
+8
Level 73
May 7, 2020
I tried "redress," I don't know why that came to mind before petition.
JDWI
+6
Level 48
Apr 15, 2021
I did. I guess I wanted to see if it was there.
music99
+16
Level 55
May 16, 2022
At least one supreme court justice missed that one
toccina
+2
Level 65
May 16, 2022
Maybe everybody isnt american?..
thiago1314
+21
Level 41
May 17, 2022
I tried guns lol (I'm not american). My second guess was free speech
Gidney
+6
Level 44
Feb 21, 2024
freedom to bear arms is the second ammendment i think
LuckyCat
+4
Level 72
Jan 25, 2025
we do indeed have the right to own a weapon.
Pontiac
+1
Level 61
Mar 11, 2025
Did you not know? Right to bear arms is the second amendment
McKenzieFam
+3
Level 68
Aug 7, 2025
Well, they did say they weren't American. It's not super well known which Amendment is which outside of North America
Dwagon88
+2
Level 20
Aug 7, 2025
did anyone else think of that one John mulaney skit where he's talking about everything they added that was great in the first amendment, and when they get to the second amendment he says "guns" and the other person who he voices in the skit is like really, shouldn't that be later and he's like nah.

Just me? alright then

8pepper
+1
Level 24
Nov 14, 2025
I tried guns and I AM an American lmao
AlexaStone
+1
Level 33
Mar 21, 2025
Me!
AlfredBenjamin
+26
Level 73
May 7, 2020
Never heard of Babe Ruth..
ander217
+6
Level 74
May 15, 2020
baseball player
CardinalSin
+22
Level 82
May 27, 2020
I think baseball's an American sport. It's like rounders.
averageuser0
+1
Level 62
Apr 25, 2023
It is.

It’s where you hit a ball with a bat and then run to a base

GeographyGeek42
+5
Level 65
Jul 3, 2020
Candy bar
Freestatebear
+1
Level 88
Aug 7, 2025
The candy bar is Baby Ruth - named after "Baby" Ruth Cleveland, daughter of President Grover Cleveland.
MungoJerry
+29
Level 61
Jun 11, 2020
it's incredibly popular in the Dominican Republic, Columbia, South Korea and other countries. Not only an American sport
HTownBoyz
+22
Level 51
Jun 27, 2020
Japan, too
music99
+6
Level 55
May 16, 2022
Dominican Republic and Colombia are American countries.
Neodymium
+3
Level 63
Feb 24, 2023
What
averageuser0
+3
Level 62
Apr 25, 2023
They mean usa
ctleng76
+6
Level 65
May 16, 2022
It depends on what you mean by calling it an American sport. It was invented in the US, so if you are referring to where it started, then yes it can be called an American sport. Then again, Dominican Republic and Colombia are located in The Americas, so it still holds true there as well.
IamTheSam
+1
Level 47
Aug 7, 2025
The earliest forms of baseball were in the UK. Even the name is from there.
JackintheBox
+1
Level 82
Mar 7, 2023
Colombia*
mightythor
+5
Level 68
Jun 16, 2020
Never heard the phrase "Sultan of Swat".
Chutney
+9
Level 64
Jun 27, 2020
Neither have I, nor have I heard Bambino. Just guessed baseball players that most people know, like Ruth, Mays, Mantle, etc.
kenpo17
+6
Level 65
Jun 29, 2020
I'm mostly familiar with it from the phrase "curse of the Bambino," about how the Boston Red Sox went more than 80 years without winning a championship after they sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees. Baseball players (and somewhat fans as well) are notoriously superstitious.
jbro
+4
Level 76
Jun 28, 2020
What?!?!?!?!?! He was the greatest baseball player of all time!
Chris19
+14
Level 51
Jul 12, 2020
While I don't doubt that he was the greatest baseball player of all times, I have never heard of him either (like I have never heard the name of the greatest ping pong player or the greatest underwater rugby player :-)).
bn9043
+1
Level 63
Oct 19, 2023
I googled both those, it's Ma Long for ping pong and Dezso Gyarmati for water polo

Yeah never heard of them

MinecraftFan
+1
Level 19
Nov 30, 2021
@benjaminmarker I am really surprised by that. I am under 10 and I know that.
TSeriesf0rdawin
+12
Level 31
Dec 9, 2021
ur also probably american
MrFatFat
+1
Level 45
Aug 11, 2025
Yes, probably.
vasilismastro
+4
Level 70
May 16, 2022
Every non American hasn't
Findlay
+8
Level 80
May 16, 2022
I could only name two baseball players. Fortunately for the purposes of this quiz, Babe Ruth was one of them.
ravnen
+1
Level 66
Oct 9, 2023
I agree. When you are not from the US you most likely have never heard of Babe Ruth.
CUFCDarren
+1
Level 52
Aug 9, 2025
Non American here and would disagree. I would say there two players i would guess most non Americans may have heard of. DiMaggio, possibly because of his marriage to Monroe (or watching Frasier) and Babe Ruth, not sure why just know that he is the Nr 1 well known just for baseball
SarahV07
+1
Level 25
Aug 9, 2025
non american here as well, and also not that much of a sports fan, and the only reason i know babe ruth is because of the film the sandlot. besides that he’s also definitely the only baseball player i know.
Arp2600
+27
Level 89
May 7, 2020
Never heard of the Underground railroad. It may be a question for american dummies, but it's hard for the rest of the world (the same goes for Babe Ruth, though I guess he's the most famous baseball player...).
FadKrashmor
+11
Level 70
May 7, 2020
I guessed both: Babe Ruth is the only baseball player whose name I know, except for Joe DiMaggio now I think about it, but I only know that because of Marilyn Monroe.
Saundeep
+9
Level 55
Jun 27, 2020
We didn't start the fire!
averageuser0
+1
Level 62
Apr 25, 2023
It. Was always burning, since the worlds been turning
Joaster
+5
Level 60
Jun 27, 2020
Mrs. Robinson!
PaterN
+12
Level 81
May 7, 2020
I haven't ever heard about the underground railroad during the first 45 years of my life, but it's definitely worth knowing about. I can't say the same for Babe Ruth.
WillemLAif
+1
Level 81
May 10, 2020
I first encountered "the underground railroad" in high school history (forever ago) and later in the Simpsons. To-day, it's still in the reruns.
pinkysbrain
+3
Level 87
Jul 17, 2020
Being a fan of the Simpsons if you are not American is a great way to learn some american history/culture and sports that you would not be familiar with .
Stef2
+1
Level 65
May 27, 2020
Same, I only know Babe Ruth because of some youtube video.
Jeremy
+3
Level 78
Jun 27, 2020
I'm pretty sure the first time I had heard of Babe Ruth was when I first watched The Sandlot in elementary school. Though of course I've heard the name I don't think I would've known the answer to that question (short of just guessing famous baseball players) without seeing that movie.
TheKindCowboy
+2
Level 55
Mar 10, 2022
That movie is a classic
pitzikat
+2
Level 75
May 7, 2020
I wonder what percentage of Americans would score 100 on this one. . . .
emwcee
+3
Level 47
Jun 29, 2020
I would think 100 percent.
Kayleyy
+3
Level 37
Jun 17, 2022
Not me ✌
scherre
+11
Level 57
May 7, 2020
For dummies .. or non-Americans! Finally an American themed quiz I can get all right :)
fredbrandt
+2
Level 75
Jun 27, 2020
Nice quiz. Very easy if your are not an american with a little knowledge about USA !!
nicolasquiz
+2
Level 68
Jun 27, 2020
18/20 first try, only missed the Underground Railroad and Babe Ruth.
SWATkun
+1
Level 59
Jun 27, 2020
Please accept Freedom of Religion and Secularism for only Religion
ctleng76
+5
Level 65
May 16, 2022
Are you being funny or serious? The constitution doesn't use the word secularism. Whether or not you think it should be there doesn't mean it should be included as a correct answer.
kalbahamut
+5
Level 79
May 16, 2022
huh?

I'm not even sure if you're talking about the last question on the quiz; this wording is so clumsy. But, if you are... ct is right for once... the Constitution only guarantees that Congress will make no laws respecting religions or the free exercise of them... this protection is commonly referred to as the freedom of religion, and it is understood to preclude the government from banning any religions as well as preventing them from establishing any official religion. So... of course... Americans are free to practice, or not practice, any religion they choose. That's covered. But what is "freedom of secularism" anyway? That's not a thing.

Besides if you start typing in this odd phrase you've come up with, you'd get the answer anyway before you got that far.

CambodianQuizzer
+6
Level 77
Jun 27, 2020
Please accept George Ruth, or George Herman Ruth for Babe Ruth. Otherwise good quiz!
ctleng76
+9
Level 65
Jul 1, 2020
If you know his official first name, then surely you know his nickname. I think only accepting Babe Ruth is more than fair.
bn9043
+2
Level 63
Oct 19, 2023
Just "Ruth" works
lucd13
+3
Level 70
Jun 27, 2020
Sea of Tranquility isn't accepted?
Yahyasindhi1502
+3
Level 56
Oct 5, 2023
It's a quiz for Americans, that's too complicated for them ;D
TheCrusher
+13
Level 70
Jun 27, 2020
Thanksgiving was already a holiday in 1621? Those pilgrims must have been so stoked to get the day off!
Fishbone
+1
Level 48
Jun 30, 2020
^ +1
SpartanLlama
+2
Level 78
Jun 30, 2020
I got car by accident but probably would've gotten it anyway
Jiff123
+15
Level 47
Dec 28, 2021
I read that as, ‘I got in a car accident but probably would’ve gotten in it anyway'
JamesVI
+2
Level 65
Sep 25, 2020
We don't have Thanksgiving over here in Britannia however it is interesting to see that the Americans will be celebrating their 400th Thanksgiving next year!
HendogJP
+3
Level 62
Dec 4, 2020
It is the 400th year since the first Thanksgiving, but not the 400th Thanksgiving. Abraham Lincoln popularized Thanksgiving in the US after he thanked the Union Army in 1863, but it was made a national holiday in 1941, so it is the 80th Thanksgiving next year.
ritan
+1
Level 46
May 16, 2022
Got them all in 57 seconds, and I am not an American even
AlmostAGenius
+1
Level 89
May 16, 2022
You mean Niel Armstrong was the first to stand in front of a green screen, right?
DukeOfLorraine
+3
Level 66
Aug 8, 2025
That's only half of the story. Stanley Kubrick, who was filming, wasn't fully happy of the result so he ordered the landing to be redone for real. So NASA was forced to go there for real
Desmond2309
+2
Level 39
May 16, 2022
At first I thought dummies meant the fake people.
Margles
+1
Level 27
May 18, 2022
I need serious geography lessons! Chicago is on the shores of Lake Michigan? I never knew that.
Miri24
+1
Level 43
Jun 20, 2022
As a non-American I got every single one of these right on my first try loool
CMPower43
+1
Level 39
Sep 17, 2022
Wright brothers didn't invent the airplane, they just made it well known.
Quizmaster
+5
Level ∞
Aug 18, 2023
This is very wrong. Before 1903, the state of the art in flight was useless gliders. By 1908, the Wright Brothers were zooming around Paris, amazing their critics who couldn't believe how far things had come in just five years.

I said above that no one truly invents anything, but the Wright Brothers invention of the plane was pretty darn close to the Platonic ideal of invention.

They so far outstripped their rivals that its comical.

McKenzieFam
+1
Level 68
Aug 7, 2025
What about Richard Pearse 👀
Jacktheguy
+1
Level 93
Aug 7, 2025
Not enough verified information available to prove he beat the Wright brothers.
AJFSPPRDRTYTS
+2
Level 36
Dec 14, 2022
For the Cold War question you should accept "Russia" as a choice since it was later called that.
KingXXI21
+3
Level 72
Jul 27, 2025
No
dunkinggandalf2
+2
Level 71
Oct 5, 2023
This quiz seems a lot harder than many other "for dummies" quiz. While I did get all the answers, I certainly wouldn't shame anyone for not knowing them all, especially if they're not from the US!
DannySkins
+1
Level 62
Oct 5, 2023
This would be a better quiz if it was limited to 90 or so seconds. The questions are so easy having to think fast would give it a bit of extra oomf.
Etanna
+2
Level 73
Jan 16, 2025
the time felt just right for me as a non-American. I knew the answer automatically for about half of the questions and for the rest I had to think for a bit. I got about 4-5 by trying a few options and I didn't get one altogether.
Dontforget
+1
Level 76
Mar 21, 2025
It's meant for dummies though, restricting the time defeats the purpose
Gidney
+2
Level 44
Feb 21, 2024
I forgot about elvis..
Dontforget
+1
Level 76
Mar 21, 2025
I think part of what makes it easy is not just the questions but also the fact it's more lenient with type ins
mjthedinarwhal
+2
Level 63
May 8, 2025
30% missing the Underground Railroad is pathetic, and not being American is not a valid excuse. Especially if you knew the other questions.
FlojnirGrey
+7
Level 41
May 22, 2025
As far as I’m aware, the Underground Railroad isn’t taught about outside the U.S. This is American history, not world history. So 30% Underground Railroad isn’t pathetic, it’s to be expected. Not being American is a perfectly valid excuse.

-An American

IamTheSam
+2
Level 47
Aug 7, 2025
Here here.
IamTheSam
+1
Level 47
Aug 7, 2025
So not knowing the name William Wilberforce is pathetic even if you're not British?
CUFCDarren
+1
Level 52
Aug 9, 2025
Ha Ha Ha

That was the one I missed, tried lots of different words for freedom, just didn’t think about alternative words for secretive.

IamTheSam
+1
Level 47
Aug 7, 2025
It's funny how many American sport teams and players you can name thanks to movies.

Lou Gehrig ("You get it!") from the Goonies, Wilt Chamberlain from the Basketball Diaries, Babe Ruth from so, so many movies, New York Jets from Flash Gordon...

AnDr3
+2
Level 65
Aug 7, 2025
Would've gotten 100% if it wasn't for Elvis.
JonOfKent
+1
Level 60
Aug 7, 2025
Hmm I think Edison is better described as a "co-inventor" of the practical (by which I suppose we mean usable) light bulb. Swan made one shortly before Edison did, and their combined Ediswan company commercialised Swan's design, not Edison's. www.sciencefocus.com/science/who-really-invented-the-light-bulb

I wonder why Chicago grew so much so quickly? I just wish I had some kind of machine where I could type in a question and get the answer. If only someone like Mr Edison had invented that

RoboquizM86
+1
Level 60
Aug 8, 2025
Lol! Edison is overrated!
idontkn1
+2
Level 94
Aug 7, 2025
But Bill Clinton said he was the first black president...
DukeOfLorraine
+1
Level 66
Aug 8, 2025
The movie camera was invented by the Lumière brothers in France.
RoboquizM86
+1
Level 60
Aug 8, 2025
I was wondering why baby Ruth didn't work lol!
workie
+1
Level 70
Aug 10, 2025
Babe Ruth is barely known outside of the USA so this is not a 'dummies' question!
chobeats
+2
Level 49
Aug 10, 2025
least boomer centric american "history"
Kardona3
+1
Level 30
Dec 9, 2025
Shouldn’t the southern ironclad be listed as the Virginia, because the Merrimack was the scrapped Union steamer that became the CSS Virginia? Or is this the same matter as different names of battles between the Union and Confederacy.
markelobitx18
+1
Level 77
Jan 17, 2026
Is a baseball player really historically relevant enough to appear on a history quiz? Asking this sincerely since I'm sure there are many important historical events, locations, people... in U.S. history that could be included instead on a quiz that is specifically about history.
tungstencube
+1
Level 70
Feb 24, 2026
He is by far the most famous baseball player ever and baseball is known as america's pastime so I think it is relevant enough
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