Today’s History Topic
Question 1/10
Time 150s
Correct 0
Points 0
0/10
History Observer
0%Accuracy
0Chronicle Points
0Best Streak
—Result
Answers & Explanations
100 rotating history topics · 10 questions · 150 seconds · Pass with 5/10 · Asia/Manila daily rotation.
What Is the Bing History Quiz?
The Bing History Quiz is a short world-history challenge on Bing Quizzes. One round can take you from the pyramids of Egypt to the fall of the Berlin Wall, stopping along the way at empires, explorers, inventions and revolutions. Ten questions, four choices each, and a clock that keeps you honest.
It is designed for people who enjoy history but don't have time for a textbook. There is nothing to type and no trick wording. Each question asks one clear thing, so a round works as a quick check on what you remember and a nudge to learn what you don't.
10questions per round
4choices per question
150stime limit
5/10score to pass
Please note
Bing Quizzes is an independent website. The Bing History Quiz is our own quiz and is not made, run or endorsed by Microsoft.
How to Play
No account and no setup are needed. Here is what a round looks like from start to finish.
- Open the quiz. Go to today's Bing History Quiz, or choose it from the site menu.
- Read the rules. The start screen shows the time limit and the passing score.
- Press Start. The 150-second countdown begins right away.
- Pick one answer per question. Each of the 10 questions has four choices.
- Beat the clock. If time runs out, the quiz ends and scores the questions you answered.
- See your score. Your result appears as soon as you finish.
- Share or replay. Post your score to challenge friends, or play again to beat your own result.
How much time is that?
150 seconds for 10 questions works out to about 15 seconds each. That is enough to read carefully and think, but not enough to look everything up, which is the point: the quiz measures what you actually know.
Try Three Sample Questions
Here is the style of question you will meet. Commit to an answer before you open the explanation. Guessing first, even wrongly, helps you remember the right answer later.
1. Which document, sealed by King John of England in 1215, placed limits on royal power?
- The Domesday Book
- Magna Carta
- The English Bill of Rights
- The Treaty of Westphalia
Show answer
B. Magna Carta. Rebel barons forced King John to agree to it at Runnymede in 1215. It established that even the king was subject to the law, an idea that later influenced constitutions around the world. The Domesday Book is a land survey from 1086, and the English Bill of Rights dates from 1689.
2. Which civilization built Machu Picchu high in the Andes?
- The Aztecs
- The Maya
- The Inca
- The Olmecs
Show answer
C. The Inca. Machu Picchu was built in the mid-1400s, in what is now Peru. The Aztecs and Olmecs lived in present-day Mexico, and the Maya in southern Mexico and Central America, so geography alone rules out three of the four choices.
3. In what year did the Berlin Wall fall?
- 1961
- 1985
- 1989
- 1991
Show answer
C. 1989. The border crossings opened on November 9, 1989. The distractors are all real dates: 1961 is when the wall went up, and 1991 is when the Soviet Union dissolved. Germany reunified in between, in October 1990.
Notice how the wrong answers in question 3 are nearby dates. Good history questions often work this way, which is why knowing the order of events helps as much as knowing exact years.
A Quick Map of History's Big Eras
You don't need to memorize hundreds of dates. If you can place a question in the right era, you can usually rule out one or two answers at once. Historians draw these boundaries differently, so treat the dates below as rough guides.
- The ancient worldc. 3000 BCE – 500 CE
Writing, early cities and great empires. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BCE, and the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE.
- The Middle Agesc. 500 – 1500
Feudal Europe, the rise of Islam, the Mongol Empire and the Crusades. Magna Carta (1215) and the Black Death (1340s) both belong here.
- The early modern periodc. 1500 – 1800
Printing, exploration and revolution. Gutenberg's press spread in the mid-1400s, Columbus reached the Americas in 1492, and the French Revolution began in 1789.
- The modern erac. 1800 – today
Industry, world wars and rapid technological change: World War I (1914–1918), World War II (1939–1945), the Moon landing (1969) and the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989).
Popular History Myths That Trip People Up
Quiz questions love these, because the "fact" everyone remembers is wrong.
MythNapoleon was unusually short.
He was about 5 feet 6 or 7 inches (roughly 169 cm), average for a Frenchman of his time. The confusion comes partly from the difference between French and English inches.
MythVikings wore horned helmets.
No horned Viking battle helmet has ever been found. The image became popular in the 1800s, helped along by costumes for Richard Wagner's operas.
MythColumbus proved the Earth was round.
Educated Europeans had known it for centuries. The Greek scholar Eratosthenes even estimated the Earth's circumference around 240 BCE.
MythMarie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake."
There is no evidence she said it. A similar line appears in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions, written when she was still a child.
MythThe Great Wall is visible from the Moon.
It isn't. The wall is long but narrow, and astronauts report it is very hard to spot with the naked eye even from low orbit.
MythMedieval people drank beer because water was deadly.
Historians find little evidence for this. People drank water regularly; ale was simply a common, nourishing everyday drink.
Tips for a Better Score
Improving has less to do with memorizing dates than with a few good habits.
Watch the key words
"First," "last," "cause," "result" and "during" can completely change what a question asks. Read to the end before choosing.
Place it in time
Even if you don't know the year, knowing the century lets you rule out answers from the wrong era, as the Berlin Wall question above shows.
Use geography
Where an event happened often narrows the choices as much as when, as in the Machu Picchu question.
Keep moving
With about 15 seconds per question, spending a minute on one hard item can cost you three easy ones. Choose your best guess and move on.
Look up what you missed
Memory research shows that trying to recall something and then checking the answer strengthens learning far more than rereading. A two-minute follow-up on a missed question is time well spent.
How our questions are made
Every question is written by our team and checked against a trusted reference, such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, before it goes live. If you spot an error, please let us know through our contact page and we will correct it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are in each round?
Each round has 10 multiple-choice questions, each with four possible answers.
How long do I have?
You have 150 seconds for all 10 questions. If time runs out, the questions you answered are scored.
What score do I need to pass?
Five correct answers out of 10 counts as a pass.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play straight away in any web browser, with no sign-up.
Can I replay or share my score?
Yes. You can play again to improve your result and share your score with friends when you finish.
Is this quiz made by Microsoft?
No. Bing Quizzes is an independent website, and the Bing History Quiz is our own quiz. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Ready to Test Yourself?
Ten questions, four choices, 150 seconds. Whether you pass with a 5 or hit a perfect 10, you will come away knowing a little more about how the world got to where it is today.
Want a wider mix of topics afterward? Try Today's Bing Quiz for daily general knowledge.
Start the Bing History QuizSources and Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Magna Carta": britannica.com
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "French Revolution": britannica.com
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Great Wall of China": britannica.com
- Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
Bing Quizzes is an independent website and is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Microsoft. Bing is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.