Instructions: Answer each question to the best of your ability. Once you select an answer, you will then find out if it is correct or not. There will also be an explanation to help you learn more about history. An orange “Continue” button will appear and allow you to move to the next question.
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In 1956, what phrase was officially made the motto of the United States?
"Quid Pro Quo"
"In God We Trust"
"Home of the Brave"
"Stars and Stripes Forever"
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On February 3rd, 1959, a plane crash occurred that killed which of the following American musical superstars?
Buddy Holly
Elvis Presley
Billy Joel
Chuck Berry
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Which of the following wars officially came to an end in 1953?
The Korean War
The Vietnam War
The Spanish-American War
The Indo-Chinese War
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The 1950s were in part defined by a competition known as The Space Race between the United States of America and what other superpower?
Mexico
The U.K.
The U.S.S.R.
France
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What nation became socialist after the success of a revolution which ended there in 1959?
Brazil
Mexico
Cuba
Australia
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The Space Race was kicked off by the successful launch of what famous Russian satellite in 1957?
Astros II
Speitnotts II
Cosmos I
Sputnik !
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The English monarch Queen Elizabeth II assumed the throne in what year?
1952
1955
1957
1959
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NASA was officially formed in 1958 to help Americans reach the stars. What does the acronym NASA stand for?
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National American Space Assembly
Nominal Advancement of Space Achievements
National Attribution of Scientific Advancement
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A vaccine was invented in the 1950s for which of the following serious illnesses?
Syphilis
Polio
Rabies
Jaundice
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What famous American Supreme Court case in 1954 ended racial segregation in public schools?
Bakke v. California
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education
Love v. Virginia
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In 1958, what leader of communist China began his atrocious program known as "The Great Leap Forward"?
Hua Guofeng
Kim Il-Sung
Chiang Kai-Shek
Mao Zedong
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Alaska and Hawaii were both admitted as states of America in what year?
1951
1953
1956
1959
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Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on an American bus sparked a massive civil rights protest revolving around a bus boycott in what American city?
Brunswick
Montgomery
St. Louis
Jackson
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What famous English politician became prime minister for a second non-consecutive term in 1951?
Sapulding Eastbrook
Francis Day
Neville Chamberlain
Winston Churchill
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Which of the following scientific breakthroughs occurred in 1953 due to the efforts of the scientists Watson, Crick, and Franklin?
The discovery of electrons
The splitting of the atom
The discovery of DNA
The discovery of Earth's magnetic poles
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A disaster known as the Great Smog of 1952 was responsible for the deaths of thousands in and around what major city?
Prague
Geneva
Paris
London
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The first-ever Peanuts comic strip was published in 1950. What is the name of the inventor of this classic cartoon series?
Charles Schulz
Jim Davis
C. H. Greenblatt
Larry David
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In 1950, an Organic Act was passed by American legislature granting citizenship to members of what territory?
Guam
Puerto Rico
Panama
Hawaii
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What individual was the leader of North Korea during the Korean War?
Hua Guofeng
Chiang Kai-Shek
Kim Il-sung
Mao Zedong
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The Wind of Destruction was an event that triggered racial tensions between the ethnic Hutus and Tutsis that would eventually lead to full-scale genocide in what nation?
Libya
Morocco
Algeria
Rwanda
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What infamous man became Prime Minister of Cuba in 1959 following its socialist revolution?
Raul Castro
Fidel Castro
Che Guevara
Manuel Baldizon
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The Second Red Scare in American history was propagated through the 1950's by what infamous Wisconsin Senator?
Pat Rovosk
Joseph McCarthy
Nolan Leonis
Richard Redkins
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The 1950s bore witness to the nation of Algeria throwing off the colonial control of what European power to achieve independence?
Spain
France
Portugal
The U.K.
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In the 1950s throughout America and Europe, what was the name of the counter-culture movement which prized intellectualism and nonconformity among youth?
Rod-Rousers
Hippies
Yankis
Beatniks
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What is the name of the infamous couple of Russian spies caught in America who were executed in 1953?
The Lawndales
The Muncies
The Rosenbergs
The Brocklehursts
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What is the name of the alliance of communist nations created in 1955 which sought to defend against possible N.A.T.O. aggression?
The Confederation of Independent Communist Estates
The Belinsk Alliance
The Moscow Federation
The Warsaw Pact
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What is the name of this famous American actor who shocked the world with his untimely death in a car crash in 1955?
James Dean
Henry Winkler
Jack Nicholson
Patrick Swayze
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In 1955, the acquittal of the murderers of what 14 year-old African American boy sparked outrage in civil rights circles?
Benjamin Sanders
Simon Delaney
Emmett Till
Malcolm Brody
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In 1958, what Russian author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature but was forced to decline it by the Communist Party?
Boris Pasternak
Leo Tolstoy
Anton Chekhov
Saul Petrevin
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What 1950 American act of legislation forced communist groups to register as well as prohibiting what it dubbed "subversive behavior" within the nation?
The McCarran Internal Security Act
The Doherty Internal Security Act
The Pleasance Internal Security Act
The Westing Internal Security Act
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What is the name of the legendary Japanese director who revolutionized cinema in the 1950s with his samurai films such as The Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress?
Yukihiro Sawano
Tetsuho Nagashi
Tatsumi Ono
Akira Kurosawa
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Abstract Expressionism became a staple in the world of painting in the 1950's due to the works of what artist who also passed away in the decade and created this famous work?
Jackson Pollock
Vincent van Gogh
Claude Monet
Andy Warhol
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In 1954, what American intelligence agency aided in the toppling of a Guatemalan dictatorship to protect American interests in the nation?
The CIA
The FBI
The Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Defense
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History by the Decades The 1950s
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Writer / Quiz Creator
Andrew Nicholas is a passionate reader and writer on the subjects of history and mankind. He is a published author, critic, and poet who grew up in the friendly scenery of rural Ohio. He is a graduate of Wright State University and a regular student of historical curiosities.