Quiz: Historical "Facts" That Are Actually Completely Inaccurate

We like to think we have a great understanding of history in our modern era due to the plethora of information available online.

However, we all regurgitate plenty of historical “facts” that have no basis in reality. Test out your knowledge and see if you can determine fact from fiction.

1. When did the Revolutionary War officially end?

1. September 30, 1781


2. October 19, 1781


3. September 3, 1783


4. October 19, 1783

Answer

September 3, 1783

2. Who was the first explorer to discover America?

1. Christopher Columbus


2. Leif Erikson


3. Juan Ponce de León


4. Hernan Cortes

Answer

Leif Erikson

3. Where was the first capital city in the United States?

1. Washington D.C


2. Jamestown


3. New York City


4. Hampton

Answer

New York City

4. Where did Cleopatra's ancestors originate?

1. Egypt


2. Armenia


3. Macedonia Greece


4. India

Answer

Macedonia Greece

5. Who invented the first car?

1. Alexander Winton


2. Karl Benz


3. Henry Ford


4. George B. Selden

Answer

Karl Benz

6. Where did the Vikings come from?

1. Norway


2. Sweden


3. Denmark


4. All of the above

Answer

All of the above

7. What happened to those convinced of being witches at the Salem trials?

1. Burned at the stake


2. Buried alive


3. Hanged at the gallows


4. Exiled to sea

Answer

Hanged at the gallows

8. What did Jim Jones give his cult members to drink?

1. Kool-aid


2. Gatorade


3. Flavor-aid


4. Water

Answer

Flavor-aid

9. Who invented baseball?

1. Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr


2. Abner Doubleday


3. Fred Merkle


4. Joe Jackson

Answer

Alexander Joy Cartwright, Jr

10. When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

1. June 4, 1776


2. July 4, 1776


3. July 14, 1776


4. August 2nd, 1776

Answer

August 2nd, 1776

11. Which American battle saw the most casualties

1. Battle of Gettysburg


2. The storming of Normandy (D-Day)


3. The Battle of Antietam


4. The Battle of Chickamauga

Answer

The Battle of Antietam

12. Who Invented the first electric light?

1. Thomas Edison


2. Humphry Davy


3. Joseph Swan 


4. William Sawyer

Answer

Humphry Davy

13. What shape did people think the earth was in the Middle Ages?

1. Flat


2. Square


3. Spherical


4. Triangular

Answer

Spherical

14. When did the American Civil War officially end?

1. April 9, 1865


2. May 9, 1865


3. June 9, 1865


4. None of the above

Answer

May 9, 1865

15. Who Built The Egyptian Pyramids

1. Jewish slaves


2. European nomads


3. Egyptians


4. Arabs

Answer

Egyptians