The Magna Carta was signed in 1215?
True False
True: King John sealed Magna Carta at Runnymede on 15 June 1215 It limited royal power and laid the groundwork for constitutional law in England.
Julius Caesar was born in Rome?
True False
False: Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC Caesar was born in Rome in 100 BC but was stabbed to death by senators on the Ides of March 44 BC.
The Great Wall of China was begun over 2,000 years ago?
True False
True: Construction of the Great Wall began in the 7th century BC Early sections were built by rival states; Qin Shi Huang connected them from c. 221 BC.
The D-Day landings took place in 1945?
True False
False: The D-Day landings took place on 6 June 1944 Operation Overlord saw Allied forces land on five Normandy beaches, opening the Western Front.
Pocahontas was the daughter of a Powhatan chief?
True False
True: Pocahontas was the daughter of chief Powhatan Born c. 1596 in what is now Virginia; she later travelled to England and died at Gravesend in 1617.
The Vikings were from Spain?
True False
False: The Vikings came from Scandinavia They originated in modern-day Norway, Sweden and Denmark, active from the 8th to 11th centuries.
Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431?
True False
True: Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in Rouen on 30 May 1431 She was canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1920.
Cleopatra was ethnically Egyptian?
True False
False: Cleopatra was of Macedonian Greek descent She was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, founded by Alexander the Great's general Ptolemy I.
The Wall Street Crash happened in 1929?
True False
True: The Wall Street Crash occurred in October 1929 Black Thursday (24 Oct) and Black Tuesday (29 Oct) triggered the Great Depression.
The Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588?
True False
True: The Spanish Armada was defeated by the English fleet in 1588 A mix of English gunnery, fireships and storms scattered Philip II's invasion fleet.
Australia was colonised by the British in the 1600s?
True False
False: Australia was colonised by the British in 1788 The First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in January 1788, establishing the penal colony of New South Wales.
The pyramids at Giza are over 4,000 years old?
True False
True: The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BC Built for Pharaoh Khufu; at 146 m it was the tallest man-made structure for over 3,800 years.
World War One ended in 1917?
True False
False: World War One ended on 11 November 1918 The armistice was signed at 5:45 am, taking effect at 11:00 am - the 'eleventh hour'.
The Roman Empire split into Eastern and Western halves in AD 395?
True False
True: The empire was formally divided after the death of Theodosius I in 395 The Western Empire fell in 476; the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire survived until 1453.
Mahatma Gandhi won the Nobel Peace Prize?
True False
False: Gandhi was nominated five times but never won the Nobel Peace Prize He was assassinated in 1948 before the Committee reached a decision on that year's nomination.
Christopher Columbus first reached the Americas in 1492?
True False
True: Columbus landed in the Bahamas on 12 October 1492 Sailing for Spain, he believed he had reached Asia; three more voyages followed.
The Roman Colosseum was built by Julius Caesar?
True False
False: The Colosseum was built under emperors Vespasian and Titus Construction began in AD 72 under Vespasian; Titus inaugurated it in AD 80.
The atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945?
True False
True: Hiroshima was bombed on 6 August, Nagasaki on 9 August 1945 Japan surrendered six days after Nagasaki, ending the Second World War.
Genghis Khan was born in China?
True False
False: Genghis Khan was born in Mongolia Born c. 1162 as Temujin; he united the Mongol tribes and built the largest contiguous empire in history.
The Apollo 11 crew landed on the Moon in 1969?
True False
True: Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on 20 July 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the lunar surface while Michael Collins orbited above.
