General Awareness ยท History

Historical Dates and Firsts

2,518 Questions

Historical dates and firsts questions test your memory of significant global milestones in sports, science, technology, and literature. These factual questions appear regularly in SSC, banking, and state PSC general awareness papers. Use these questions to quickly memorize important historical events and their exact years.

Inventions and launchesSports world firstsHistorical prize awardsTechnology milestones

Historical Dates and Firsts Questions

Multiple choice

When was the first international foreign language competition held?

  1. 1889

  2. 1901

  3. 1913

  4. 1925
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The first international foreign language competition was held in Paris, France, in 1901.

Multiple choice

When was the first known public opinion poll conducted?

  1. 1824

  2. 1838

  3. 1856

  4. 1872
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The first known public opinion poll was conducted in 1824 by the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper, which asked readers to predict the outcome of the upcoming presidential election.

Multiple choice

In which year was the first Golden Schmoes Awards ceremony held?

  1. 2003

  2. 2004

  3. 2005

  4. 2006
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The first Golden Schmoes Awards ceremony was held in 2003.

Multiple choice

What year did the first Paralympic Games take place?

  1. 1960

  2. 1964

  3. 1968

  4. 1972
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The inaugural Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy, in 1960, just a few weeks after the Olympic Games.

Multiple choice

The Arecibo message was a radio message sent from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. What was the purpose of the message?

  1. To communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence

  2. To test the capabilities of the Arecibo Observatory

  3. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla

  4. To mark the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Arecibo message was a radio message sent from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. The purpose of the message was to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence. The message contained information about the solar system, the Earth, and human beings.

Multiple choice

The Arecibo message was a radio message sent from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. What was the purpose of the message?

  1. To communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence

  2. To test the capabilities of the Arecibo Observatory

  3. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nikola Tesla

  4. To mark the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Arecibo message was a radio message sent from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico in 1974. The purpose of the message was to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence. The message contained information about the solar system, the Earth, and human beings.

Multiple choice

The first official baseball game was played in which year?

  1. 1839

  2. 1846

  3. 1857

  4. 1869
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The first official baseball game was played on June 19, 1846, in Hoboken, New Jersey, between the New York Nine and the Knickerbockers.

Multiple choice

In the novel "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells, what year does the protagonist travel to?

  1. 1895

  2. 1900

  3. 1960

  4. 2000
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In "The Time Machine," the protagonist, a Victorian gentleman named the Time Traveler, constructs a machine that allows him to travel through time. He initially travels to the year 802,701, where he encounters a society of Eloi and Morlocks.

Multiple choice

What year did the first programmable robot, Unimate, make its debut?

  1. 1954

  2. 1961

  3. 1968

  4. 1975
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Unimate, the first programmable robot, was introduced in 1961 by George Devol and Joseph Engelberger.

Multiple choice

The first Wimbledon tournament, a prestigious tennis event, was held in which year?

  1. 1868

  2. 1877

  3. 1884

  4. 1891
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The inaugural Wimbledon tournament took place in 1877, making it one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world.

Multiple choice

The Davis Cup, an international men's tennis competition, was first held in which year?

  1. 1900

  2. 1905

  3. 1913

  4. 1919
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Davis Cup, named after Dwight F. Davis, was first held in 1900 and is considered the world's largest annual international team competition in sport.

Multiple choice

In which year was the first feature-length film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, released?

  1. 1906

  2. 1912

  3. 1920

  4. 1927
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The Story of the Kelly Gang was released in 1906 and is considered to be the first feature-length film.

Multiple choice

What was the first Wimbledon Championships held on grass courts?

  1. 1877

  2. 1878

  3. 1879

  4. 1880
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The first Wimbledon Championships were held in 1877, and they were played on grass courts.

Multiple choice

What was the first US Open held on hard courts?

  1. 1975

  2. 1976

  3. 1977

  4. 1978
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The first US Open to be held on hard courts was in 1978.

Multiple choice

What was the first French Open held on clay courts?

  1. 1891

  2. 1892

  3. 1893

  4. 1894
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The first French Open was held in 1891, and it was played on clay courts.