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
D
Correct answer
Explanation
A significant fire occurred on the 11th floor of the North Tower in 1975, just a few years after the building's completion. It was one of the most serious high-rise fires of its time and led to improved safety regulations.
D
Correct answer
Explanation
MTV Roadies season 1.0 aired in 2003, not 1998, 2000, or 2005. This was the launch year of the popular reality show.
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June 12, 1980
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January 22, 1973
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July 1, 1970
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January 15, 1969
C
Correct answer
Explanation
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) was founded on July 1, 1970. It became famous for developing innovations like the graphical user interface and ethernet.
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December 1991
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March 1994
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April 1990
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November 1996
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Adobe Systems was founded in December 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke. They left Xerox PARC to start the company.
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Cisco Systems was founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandy Lerner, who were Stanford University computer scientists.
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Motorola was founded in 1928 by Paul and Joseph Galvin in Chicago. The company originally made battery eliminators before moving into radios and telecommunications.
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Compaq Computer Corporation was founded in 1982 by Rod Canion, Jim Harris, and Bill Murto. It was one of the first companies to clone IBM's PC.
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June 12, 1936
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November 20, 1939
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May 15, 1936
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January 1, 1939
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Hewlett-Packard (HP) was indeed founded on January 1, 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard in a garage in Palo Alto, California. The company began with an audio oscillator and grew to become one of the world's largest technology companies. The founding date of January 1, 1939 is historically accurate.
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February 1982
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January 1980
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December 1985
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April 1986
A
Correct answer
Explanation
Sun Microsystems was founded in February 1982 by Vinod Khosla, Andy Bechtolsheim, and Scott McNealy. The company became a major player in workstation computers and network computing, developing technologies like Java and Solaris. February 1982 is the correct founding date.
C
Correct answer
Explanation
America Online (AOL) was founded in 1985, originally as Control Video Corporation before becoming AOL in 1989. The company played a crucial role in popularizing internet access and digital communication during the early internet era. 1985 is the correct founding year among the options provided.
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February 20, 1926
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June 20, 1922
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October 5, 1927
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February 14, 1924
D
Correct answer
Explanation
The Computing, Tabulating, and Recording Company (C-T-R) was indeed renamed to International Business Machines (IBM) on February 14, 1924. This was a pivotal moment in the company's history, marking its transformation into a global technology leader. Option A (1926), B (1922), and C (1927) are incorrect dates.
D
Correct answer
Explanation
Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker and 12 other developers. The company is best known for AutoCAD, its flagship computer-aided design software. Options A (1980), B (1979), and C (1976) are incorrect founding years.
B
Correct answer
Explanation
While Thomas Edison created the first strand of electric lights in 1880, the first mass-produced and widely recognized use of electric Christmas tree lights occurred in 1895, popularized by Ralph Morris and the White House tree.