History for grades 1–2: questions with answers

The History questions for grades 1–2 from the game, with the correct answers and an explanation for each.

  1. In which year did Christopher Columbus first reach the Americas?

    • 1066
    • 1492
    • 1776
    • 1914

    Correct answer: 1492 — Columbus landed in the Bahamas on 12 October 1492 while looking for a western sea route to Asia. He believed until his death that he had reached the Indies.

  2. Which ancient civilisation built the pyramids of Giza?

    • Egyptians
    • Greeks
    • Romans
    • Persians

    Correct answer: Egyptians — The Great Pyramid was built around 2560 BC as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu. It remained the tallest structure on Earth for almost four thousand years.

  3. In which year did the First World War begin?

    • 1914
    • 1918
    • 1939
    • 1945

    Correct answer: 1914 — The war broke out in the summer of 1914 and lasted until November 1918. It drew in more than 30 countries and killed around 17 million people.

  4. The Second World War ended in which year?

    • 1918
    • 1939
    • 1945
    • 1961

    Correct answer: 1945 — Germany surrendered in May 1945 and Japan in September, after the atomic bombs. It was the deadliest conflict in human history.

  5. Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?

    • Yuri Gagarin
    • Buzz Aldrin
    • Neil Armstrong
    • John Glenn

    Correct answer: Neil Armstrong — Armstrong stepped onto the Moon on 20 July 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission. Buzz Aldrin followed him minutes later, while Michael Collins stayed in orbit.

  6. In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?

    • 1949
    • 1961
    • 1975
    • 1989

    Correct answer: 1989 — The wall was opened on the night of 9 November 1989 after East Germany lifted travel restrictions. Germany was reunited less than a year later.

  7. Nelson Mandela became the first Black president of which country?

    • Kenya
    • Nigeria
    • Ghana
    • South Africa

    Correct answer: South Africa — Mandela spent 27 years in prison before being elected president in 1994, in South Africa's first election open to all races.

  8. Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself emperor of which country?

    • France
    • Spain
    • Austria
    • Russia

    Correct answer: France — Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. His armies conquered much of Europe before his final defeat in 1815.

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