General Awareness ยท History

Historical Dates and Firsts

2,390 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

Ship (steam) was invented in the year

  1. 1770

  2. 1775

  3. 1780

  4. 1786
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Jacques Perier successfully demonstrated a steam-powered boat on the Seine in 1775. This is often cited as a milestone in steam navigation.

Multiple choice

Skyscraper was invented in the year

  1. 1880

  2. 1889

  3. 1876

  4. 1882
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Home Insurance Building in Chicago, completed in 1884, is often cited as the first skyscraper. However, 1882 is sometimes referenced regarding the design or structural planning.

Multiple choice

Slide rule was invented in the year

  1. 1620

  2. 1621

  3. 1630

  4. 1640
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

William Oughtred is credited with inventing the slide rule in 1621. It was based on the logarithmic scales developed by John Napier.

Multiple choice

Steel production was invented in the year

  1. 1855

  2. 1850

  3. 1889

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

Henry Bessemer patented the Bessemer process in 1855, which was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron.

Multiple choice

Locomotive was invented in the year

  1. 1809

  2. 1807

  3. 1804

  4. 1810
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Richard Trevithick built the first working railway steam locomotive in 1804. It successfully hauled a load of iron along a tramway in Wales.

Multiple choice

Jet engine was invented in the year

  1. 1949

  2. 1940

  3. 1950

  4. 1937
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain independently developed the jet engine in the late 1930s. Whittle's first successful test run was in 1937.

Multiple choice

Laser was invented in the year

  1. 1940

  2. 1950

  3. 1970

  4. 1960
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Theodore Maiman built the first working laser at Hughes Research Laboratories in 1960.

Multiple choice

Microscope was invented in the year

  1. 1580

  2. 1570

  3. 1590

  4. 1560
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The invention of the compound microscope is commonly attributed to Dutch spectacle makers Zacharias Janssen and his father Hans Janssen around the year 1590.

Multiple choice

Microphone was invented in the year

  1. 1870

  2. 1880

  3. 1876

  4. 1873
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Emile Berliner invented the microphone in 1876. It was a crucial component for the development of the telephone.