QUESTION 1 / 20 · WORLD WARSEasy
Whose assassination in Sarajevo in 1914 triggered the First World War?
EVENT 1 OF 8 · 0 OF 800 POINTS
Guess the year
No options this time. Slide to the year you think it happened. Spot on scores 100; you lose 5 points for every year you're out.
HEADLINETITANIC SINKS ON MAIDEN VOYAGEThe 'unsinkable' liner strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
1960
190019602020
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What this modern history quiz covers, in short
Twenty multiple-choice questions on events since 1914, four in each of five themes: the world wars, the Cold War, decolonisation and civil rights, science and technology, and the 21st century so far.
Recent history is still being written, so we stick to well-documented events and avoid contested interpretations. The quiz is our own and not normed: your score is a snapshot, not a ranking.
By What's Your IQ · Reviewed 4 Oct 2026- Format
- 20 multiple-choice questions, 4 options each
- Themes
- World wars, Cold War, decolonisation and rights, science, 21st century
- Span
- 1914 to 2020
- Bonus
- 8-event "guess the year" game, 800 points
Ages 10 to 30is when history sticksPeople remember events from their teens and twenties best, the "reminiscence bump". It's why each generation's "most important" events differ.1,2
GenerationsAsked to name the most important recent events, Americans in 1985 tended to pick ones that happened in their own youth, such as the Second World War or Vietnam.2
The bumpAcross many studies, older adults recall a disproportionate number of memories from roughly ages 10 to 30.1
Flashbulbs fadeVivid "where were you when" memories feel certain but change over time. Confidence stays high even as the details drift.3
- Rubin, D. C., Rahhal, T. A., & Poon, L. W. (1998). Things learned in early adulthood are remembered best. Memory & Cognition, 26(1), 3–19.
- Schuman, H., & Scott, J. (1989). Generations and collective memories. American Sociological Review, 54(3), 359–381.
- Talarico, J. M., & Rubin, D. C. (2003). Confidence, not consistency, characterizes flashbulb memories. Psychological Science, 14(5), 455–461.