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

In which year did Columbus discover America?

  1. 1469

  2. 1625

  3. 1430

  4. 1492
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Christopher Columbus reached the Americas on October 12, 1492, during his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This expedition, sponsored by Spain, marked the beginning of widespread European exploration and colonization of the Americas.

Multiple choice

In which year was Abraham Lincon elected the President of the United States?

  1. 1862

  2. 1860

  3. 1875

  4. 1855
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860 and took office in March 1861. The election of 1860 was highly contentious and directly led to the secession of Southern states and the Civil War. 1862 was during the Civil War, 1875 is after his assassination, and 1855 is too early.

Multiple choice

When did Microsoft release the first window version of Excel?

  1. 1987

  2. 1982

  3. 1988

  4. 1993
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Microsoft released Excel 2.0 for Windows in 1987, which was the first Windows version of Excel. Prior to this, Excel was available only on Macintosh (Excel 1.0 was released for Mac in 1985). This launch marked Excel's entry into the Windows market.

Multiple choice

When was the first spreadsheet program marketed by Microsoft?

  1. 1985

  2. 1983

  3. 1987

  4. 1982
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Microsoft's first spreadsheet program was Multiplan, released in 1982. It predates Excel, which Microsoft acquired from another company and developed further. Excel was later marketed as a superior product to compete with Lotus 1-2-3.

Multiple choice

When was measles vaccine discovered?

  1. 1960

  2. 1964

  3. 1968

  4. 1970
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The measles vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1960, developed by John Enders and his team. It was a breakthrough in preventing one of the most contagious childhood diseases. The vaccine has since saved millions of lives worldwide through global immunization campaigns.

Multiple choice

In which year did C.V. Raman win the Nobel Prize?

  1. 1930

  2. 1920

  3. 1925

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

C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his discovery of the Raman Effect. This was a groundbreaking achievement in the field of light scattering.