Here are 101 riddles about important events, people, and places in US history. Try to guess the answers before scrolling down to reveal them.
Riddles about events
1. What major event took place on July 4, 1776?
The adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
2. Which war was fought from 1861-1865 over slavery and states’ rights?
The American Civil War.
3. What1929 event kicked off the Great Depression?
The stock market crash of 1929.
4. What pivotal event took place on December 7, 1941 in Hawaii?
The attack on Pearl Harbor.
5. What major conflict did the US enter in 1950 to aid South Korea?
The Korean War.
6. What year did the US pass the Civil Rights Act outlawing discrimination?
1964.
7. Which 1969 event was a monumental achievement in space exploration?
The Moon Landing.
8. What scandal forced President Nixon to resign in 1974?
The Watergate scandal.
9. What terrible event happened on September 11, 2001?
The 9/11 terrorist attacks.
10. When did the Revolutionary War take place?
1775-1783.
Riddles about people
11. Who made the daring midnight ride to warn of approaching British troops?
Paul Revere.
12. Who was the 2nd president of the US and wrote the Declaration of Independence?
Thomas Jefferson.
13. Who was the 5th president and facilitated western expansion?
James Monroe.
14. Who led the Union to victory in the Civil War?
Ulysses S. Grant.
15. Who was president during World War I?
Woodrow Wilson.
16. Who was president during most of the Great Depression and WWII?
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
17. Who was the famous aviation pioneer who made the first solo flight across the Atlantic?
Charles Lindbergh.
18. Who was the leader of the Montgomery bus boycott?
Martin Luther King Jr.
19. Who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947?
Jackie Robinson.
20. Who was the first man to walk on the moon in 1969?
Neil Armstrong.
Riddles about places
21. What famous battle took place in Yorktown leading to British surrender?
The Battle of Yorktown.
22. What state was admitted as the 50th state in 1959?
Hawaii.
23. What southern state was the site of the first battle of the Civil War?
South Carolina.
24. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
Philadelphia.
25. Where did the Japanese attack in 1941 leading to US involvement in WWII?
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
26. Where was the site of the first permanent English settlement in America?
Jamestown, Virginia.
27. Where did the 1848 Gold Rush attract thousands seeking their fortune?
California.
28. Where did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her bus seat in 1955?
Montgomery, Alabama.
29. Where was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in 1968?
Memphis, Tennessee.
30. Where did the Pilgrims land and settle in 1620?
Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Riddles about government and politics
31. How many justices normally sit on the Supreme Court?
Nine.
32. How old must you be to become president of the US?
35 years old.
33. How many senators does each state have?
Two.
34. How often are US House member elections held?
Every two years.
35. How many electoral votes does a candidate need to win the presidency?
270.
36. How many amendments does the US Constitution currently have?
27.
37. Which amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920?
The 19th Amendment.
38. Which president served the shortest term in office?
William Henry Harrison.
39. Who was the only US president to resign from office?
Richard Nixon.
40. Who was the only president to serve more than two terms?
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Riddles about wars and military
41. How many states were part of the Confederacy during the Civil War?
Eleven.
42. What was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history?
Antietam.
43. What was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War?
Battle of Yorktown.
44. What was the deadliest war in American history?
The Civil War.
45. What general led the Union to victory at Gettysburg?
George Meade.
46. Who was the Union general that accepted the Confederate surrender at Appomattox?
Ulysses S. Grant.
47. What was the last major battle of the Civil War?
Battle of Palmito Ranch.
48. What ship sank after being hit by torpedoes, leading to WWI for the US?
The Lusitania.
49. What WWII battle turned the tide against Japan in the Pacific?
Battle of Midway.
50. In which battle did US forces raise the flag on Iwo Jima?
Battle of Iwo Jima.
Riddles about Native American history
51. Which Native American woman helped the Lewis and Clark expedition?
Sacagawea.
52. Who led the Shawnee tribe in a war against American expansion?
Tecumseh.
53. Which Native American man developed a written language for the Cherokee?
Sequoyah.
54. What Native American tribe suffered the Trail of Tears?
Cherokee.
55. What term described 19th century US policy of forcing Native Americans onto reservations?
Indian removal.
Riddles about slavery and civil rights
56. What 1865 amendment abolished slavery in the US?
The 13th Amendment.
57. What 1896 Supreme Court case upheld racial segregation?
Plessy v. Ferguson.
58. Who published an influential antislavery novel titled Uncle Tom’s Cabin?
Harriet Beecher Stowe.
59. Who led a raid on Harper’s Ferry hoping to start a slave rebellion?
John Brown.
60. Who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 prompting the civil rights movement?
Emmett Till.
Riddles about inventions and technology
61. Who is credited with inventing the lightning rod?
Benjamin Franklin.
62. Who is known for inventing the cotton gin in 1793?
Eli Whitney.
63. Who invented the telegraph which revolutionized long-distance communication?
Samuel Morse.
64. Who patented the telephone in 1876?
Alexander Graham Bell.
65. Who invented the first successful airplane flown at Kitty Hawk in 1903?
The Wright Brothers.
Riddles about historical documents
66. What 1787 document is the foundation of the US government?
The Constitution.
67. What 1776 document declared America’s independence?
The Declaration of Independence.
68. What 1863 document issued by Lincoln freed slaves in confederate states?
The Emancipation Proclamation.
69. What is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
The Bill of Rights.
70. What 1892 document prohibited racial discrimination in public facilities?
Plessy v. Ferguson.
Riddles about historical groups
71. What group of lawmakers made up the First Continental Congress?
Delegates from the 13 colonies.
72. What group came to America seeking religious freedom?
The Pilgrims.
73. What group led the protests during the Boston Tea Party?
The Sons of Liberty.
74. What group of trailblazers settled the western frontier?
Pioneers.
75. What group of all-female volunteers aided soldiers during the Civil War?
The Molly Pitchers.
Riddles about economics and trade
76. What valuable commodity was the center of the triangular trade system?
Slaves.
77. What route did Lewis and Clark explore to promote trade?
The Northwest Passage.
78. What 1849 journey did thousands take out West hoping to get rich?
The California Gold Rush.
79. What economic system relies on limited government involvement?
Capitalism.
80. What 1907 financial panic led to banking reforms?
The Panic of 1907.
Riddles about agriculture and food
81. What cash crop was grown on southern plantations before the Civil War?
Cotton.
82. What crop failure caused many Irish immigrants to come to America?
Potato famine.
83. What agricultural equipment allowed farmers to be more productive?
The mechanical reaper.
84. What snack food did the Native Americans introduce to the colonists?
Popcorn.
85. What Texan revolution led to the popularization of the cowboy culture?
The cattle boom.
Riddles about education
86. Who founded the first free public school in America?
Horace Mann.
87. What Supreme Court case desegregated public schools?
Brown v. Board of Education.
88. What 1947 report criticized the American education system?
A Nation at Risk.
89. What act established land grant colleges in 1862?
Morrill Land Grant Act.
90. What 1920s movement tried to remove evolution from textbooks?
The Scopes Monkey Trial.
Riddles about historical figures
91. Who was the religious leader during the Salem Witch Trials?
Reverend Samuel Parris.
92. Who led the defense during Aaron Burr’s treason trial?
John Marshall.
93. Who was Pocahontas’ English husband?
John Rolfe.
94. Who was George Washington’s adversary during the Revolutionary War?
General Cornwallis.
95. Who led the Mormons’ migration West to Utah?
Brigham Young.
Riddles about historical artifacts
96. What broken mast sits at the National Museum of American History?
The Star-Spangled Banner flag pole.
97. Where is the original Declaration of Independence kept?
National Archives in Washington D.C.
98. Where is the fading original US Constitution located?
National Archives in Washington D.C.
99. Where is the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer on display?
National Air and Space Museum.
100. Where is the among the largest titanic artifacts collections?
Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Nova Scotia.
101. Which object proves Columbus landed in the Americas?
The RMS Titanic Anchor.
