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The people who changed the world — answers and explanations for all 200 questions. Cover the answer, have a guess first, then check the explanation. Want to play it as a quiz? Try it at the Quiz Playground!
Q. Which painter painted the 'Mona Lisa'?
Options: Picasso · Michelangelo · Leonardo da Vinci · Van Gogh
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci was a genius who both painted and invented.
Q. Which inventor made a practical light bulb and lit up the night?
Options: Edison · Einstein · Bell · Newton
Answer: Edison
Edison made the light bulb and countless other inventions.
Q. Which explorer sailed to the Americas in 1492?
Options: Marco Polo · Captain Cook · Magellan · Columbus
Answer: Columbus
Columbus crossed the Atlantic and reached the Americas.
Q. Which brothers built the world's first powered airplane?
Options: The Wright brothers · The Montgolfier brothers · The Lumière brothers · The Grimm brothers
Answer: The Wright brothers
In 1903, the Wright brothers made the first powered flight.
Q. Who was the first person to set foot on the Moon, in 1969?
Options: Edison · Columbus · Gagarin · Neil Armstrong
Answer: Neil Armstrong
Armstrong landed on the Moon aboard Apollo 11.
Q. Which scientist is famous for the theory of relativity?
Options: Einstein · Galileo · Newton · Edison
Answer: Einstein
Einstein is counted as the greatest physicist of the 20th century.
Q. Which was NOT one of Newton's jobs, the man who discovered gravity?
Options: Mathematician · Football player · Physicist · Astronomer
Answer: Football player
Newton was a master of math, physics, and astronomy!
Q. What are people said to have thought about Einstein as a little boy?
Options: That he was good at sports · Nothing but praise for his genius · That he sang well · That his slow speech was worrying
Answer: That his slow speech was worrying
He was slow to talk, but became the genius of the century!
Q. Which instrument did Einstein love to play?
Options: The piano · The violin · The drums · The harp
Answer: The violin
The violin. When his thinking got stuck, Einstein would play, and an answer would often pop into his head mid-tune.
Q. Which prize did Marie Curie receive together with her husband?
Options: The Nobel Prize in Physics · An Academy Award · An Olympic gold medal · The Nobel Peace Prize
Answer: The Nobel Prize in Physics
A husband and wife who won a Nobel Prize together!
Q. Which prize did Marie Curie's daughter also win?
Options: A Nobel Prize · A Grammy · The World Cup trophy · An Olympic medal
Answer: A Nobel Prize
Her daughter Irène won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry! What a Nobel family.
Q. What is Galileo said to have muttered at his trial?
Options: Eureka · And yet it moves · I think, therefore I am · The die is cast
Answer: And yet it moves
The conviction of a scientist who would not bend the truth!
Q. What was the name of the ship Darwin explored the world on for five years?
Options: The Beagle · The Titanic · The Mayflower · The Santa Maria
Answer: The Beagle
The voyage of the Beagle planted the seed of the theory of evolution.
Q. Who was the first person saved by Pasteur's rabies vaccine?
Options: A king · A boy bitten by a dog · A sailor · A soldier
Answer: A boy bitten by a dog
He saved Joseph, the boy who had been bitten!
Q. Which French entomologist wrote 'Souvenirs Entomologiques' (The Insect Book)?
Options: Fabre · Mendel · Darwin · Jane Goodall
Answer: Fabre
Fabre, who watched insects for more than 30 years!
Q. Which insect did Fabre watch for an especially long time?
Options: Dragonflies · Dung beetles · Grasshoppers · Butterflies
Answer: Dung beetles
He's famous for studying the dung beetle that rolls its ball!
Q. Which physicist studied the universe despite his illness, the 'genius in the wheelchair'?
Options: Stephen Hawking · Galileo · Einstein · Newton
Answer: Stephen Hawking
Dr. Hawking, who studied black holes!
Q. Which mysterious object in space did Stephen Hawking study?
Options: Clouds · Lightning · Rainbows · Black holes
Answer: Black holes
A black hole, which not even light can escape!
Q. What did Nightingale, 'the angel in white', carry every night?
Options: A sword · A map · A lamp · A book
Answer: A lamp
A lamp. She carried it every night as she cared for the soldiers, so people called her 'the lady with the lamp'. She made the hospital clean and greatly reduced the number of soldiers who died.
Q. How did Nightingale change the hospital?
Options: Expensive medicine · Magic · A big building · Clean conditions and careful records
Answer: Clean conditions and careful records
She saved lives with cleanliness and statistics!
Q. Who was the 'saint of the jungle' who cared for patients in Africa all his life?
Options: Nobel · Pasteur · Darwin · Schweitzer
Answer: Schweitzer
Schweitzer, who was both a doctor and a musician!
Q. What was Schweitzer good at before he became a doctor?
Options: Football · Playing the pipe organ · Cooking · Painting
Answer: Playing the pipe organ
He raised money for his hospital with organ concerts!
Q. Why did young Edison sit on eggs?
Options: To play a prank · He wondered whether chicks would hatch · It was homework · He was hungry
Answer: He wondered whether chicks would hatch
A famous story about Edison, the champion of curiosity!
Q. How many times is Edison said to have failed before he made the light bulb?
Options: Thousands of times · Once · Ten times · Never
Answer: Thousands of times
'I have not failed. I've just found ways that won't work'!
Q. Who was the first person Bell called on the telephone?
Options: His mother · The president · A friend · His assistant, Watson
Answer: His assistant, Watson
'Watson, come here!' was the first phone call!
Q. What was the Wright brothers' original job?
Options: Doctors · Bicycle shop owners · Cooks · Teachers
Answer: Bicycle shop owners
They used their bicycle skills to build an airplane!
Q. Which famous book was the first printed with Gutenberg's press?
Options: A storybook · The Bible · A cookbook · A comic book
Answer: The Bible
It's called the 'Gutenberg Bible'.
Q. Nobel was nicknamed 'the dynamite king' — but what did his will say?
Options: Buy a ship · Hide the money · Build a castle · Use my fortune to create a prize for humankind
Answer: Use my fortune to create a prize for humankind
And that's how the Nobel Prize was born!
Q. How long is da Vinci said to have taken to paint the Mona Lisa?
Options: He kept refining it for years · One hour · One week · One day
Answer: He kept refining it for years
They say he kept it beside him and reworked it until he died!
Q. In what position did Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling?
Options: Lying down asleep · Standing with his head tipped back, up on scaffolding · With a robot · Sitting comfortably
Answer: Standing with his head tipped back, up on scaffolding
It was such hard work that his neck and back ached!
Q. What did Beethoven do while enjoying his walks?
Options: Shopping · Jotting down musical ideas · Fishing · Napping
Answer: Jotting down musical ideas
He wrote down the melodies that came to him in a notebook!
Q. How old is Mozart said to have been when he first composed?
Options: 20 · 50 · 5 · 30
Answer: 5
Five. He wrote music at five and toured the courts of Europe at six — a true child prodigy.
Q. Which composer is called 'the father of music'?
Options: Mozart · Beethoven · Chopin · Bach
Answer: Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach!
Q. Which Polish composer is called 'the poet of the piano'?
Options: Bach · Handel · Chopin · Liszt
Answer: Chopin
Chopin, the pride of Poland!
Q. How many paintings is Van Gogh said to have sold while he was alive?
Options: Ten thousand · A hundred · About one · A thousand
Answer: About one
And now he's one of the most expensive painters of all!
Q. Which painter painted alongside Van Gogh and shared his friendship?
Options: Picasso · Monet · Gauguin · Da Vinci
Answer: Gauguin
Gauguin, who stayed with him in Arles!
Q. Which new painting style did Picasso open up?
Options: Cubism · Impressionism · Folk painting · Ink painting
Answer: Cubism
Views from many directions, all on one canvas!
Q. Which country was Picasso born in?
Options: Italy · The United States · France · Spain
Answer: Spain
Born in Spain, and worked in France!
Q. Which country was Rodin, sculptor of 'The Thinker', from?
Options: Britain · Italy · France · Germany
Answer: France
France. 'The Thinker' was originally a figure looking down from the top of a huge work called 'The Gates of Hell'.
Q. What was Andersen's childhood like?
Options: He was rich · He was a prince · He was poor, but he loved stories · He was a general
Answer: He was poor, but he loved stories
A shoemaker's son became the king of fairy tales!
Q. 'The Ugly Duckling' is also said to be whose story?
Options: A king's · A teacher's · A friend's · Andersen's own
Answer: Andersen's own
The story of a teased boy who became a swan!
Q. What did Chaplin always carry in his films?
Options: A cane · A sword · A flower · An umbrella
Answer: A cane
Bowler hat, little mustache, and cane!
Q. Which famous character did Walt Disney first draw?
Options: Winnie the Pooh · Mickey Mouse · Pikachu · Snoopy
Answer: Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse was born in 1928!
Q. What did people tell Columbus before his voyage?
Options: Nothing but praise · Nothing but cheering · Nothing but applause · They worried the sea ended in a cliff
Answer: They worried the sea ended in a cliff
He set out believing the Earth was round!
Q. How many of Magellan's ships came home from the round-the-world voyage?
Options: All five · Three · One · Ten
Answer: One
Of the five, only the Victoria came back.
Q. Why did Amundsen choose dog sleds for his run at the South Pole?
Options: They were light · There were no horses · They handle the cold well and are fast · They're cute
Answer: They handle the cold well and are fast
A victory of preparation! Amundsen got there first.
Q. What was the job of Tenzing, Hillary's partner on the first climb of Everest?
Options: Doctor · Sherpa (mountain guide) · Cook · Reporter
Answer: Sherpa (mountain guide)
The people of the mountains — the Sherpas!
Q. Which places did Captain Cook map on his voyages?
Options: Only the Arctic · Deserts · The Moon · The islands of the Pacific
Answer: The islands of the Pacific
He put Hawaii, New Zealand, and more on the map.
Q. Where does Lincoln's boyhood nickname 'Honest Abe' come from?
Options: He was tall · He walked a long way to return someone's change · He had nice handwriting · He ran fast
Answer: He walked a long way to return someone's change
Honesty made him a president!
Q. What did Lincoln do when books were hard to come by?
Options: Never bought any · Only copied them out · Walked far away to borrow them · Gave up
Answer: Walked far away to borrow them
Lincoln, the bookworm boy!
Q. Which story is told about Washington's childhood?
Options: He cut down a cherry tree and owned up honestly · He caught a dragon · He moved a mountain · He swam an ocean
Answer: He cut down a cherry tree and owned up honestly
'I did it' — a famous story about honesty. (Though people say it was made up later!)
Q. What did Gandhi always practice?
Options: A big mansion · Fancy clothes · Simple living and nonviolence · Armed protest
Answer: Simple living and nonviolence
Gandhi of the spinning wheel and the Salt March!
Q. What does Gandhi's title 'Mahatma' mean?
Options: Strong soldier · Rich king · Great soul · Swift feet
Answer: Great soul
Great soul. His real name was Mohandas Gandhi, and people called him 'Mahatma' out of respect.
Q. How long did Mandela spend in prison?
Options: 100 days · 27 years · 1 year · 5 years
Answer: 27 years
27 years. After he walked out, he chose reconciliation over revenge and became South Africa's first Black president.
Q. In which Indian city did Mother Teresa work?
Options: New Delhi · Mumbai · Chennai · Kolkata
Answer: Kolkata
Kolkata. She spent her whole life beside the poorest people of Kolkata and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Q. What method did Martin Luther King Jr. use in the movement he led?
Options: Emigration · Force · Peaceful marches and speeches · Only silence
Answer: Peaceful marches and speeches
He changed the world without violence!
Q. What did Churchill give his people during the war?
Options: Only food · Presents · Speeches full of courage and hope · Holidays
Answer: Speeches full of courage and hope
'We shall never surrender'!
Q. What did Elizabeth I never do in her whole life?
Options: Read · Rule · Marry · Give a speech
Answer: Marry
The Virgin Queen, who said 'I am married to England'!
Q. What's the truth behind the myth about Napoleon's height?
Options: There's no record · He wasn't especially short (about average) · He was 1 meter tall · He was 2 meters tall
Answer: He wasn't especially short (about average)
They say the myth came from a difference in measuring units!
Q. Which book holds the conversations Confucius had with his students?
Options: The Tao Te Ching · The Mencius · The Analects · The Art of War
Answer: The Analects
'Is it not a joy to learn and practice what you learn?'
Q. Who wrote the book of strategy that says 'know the enemy and know yourself'?
Options: Zhuangzi · Laozi · Sun Tzu · Confucius
Answer: Sun Tzu
Sun Tzu. His real name was Sun Wu, and he left behind 'The Art of War', famous for the line 'know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be in danger'.
Q. Who wrote the 'Records of the Grand Historian' and is called the father of Chinese history?
Options: Sima Qian · Confucius · Li Bai · Du Fu
Answer: Sima Qian
Sima Qian, who completed the Records!
Q. Which Tang dynasty poet was called 'the immortal of poetry'?
Options: Li Bai · Wang Wei · Bai Juyi · Du Fu
Answer: Li Bai
Li Bai, poet of the moon and of wine!
Q. Which Tang dynasty poet was called 'the sage of poetry'?
Options: Meng Haoran · Du Fu · Li Bai · Han Yu
Answer: Du Fu
Du Fu, who sang of the people's suffering!
Q. How did Zheng He's Ming dynasty fleet compare to Columbus's ships?
Options: The same · Far smaller · Far bigger · They were paper boats
Answer: Far bigger
Zheng He's treasure ships were several times bigger!
Q. What did the Buddha gain under the bodhi tree?
Options: A sword · A crown · Treasure · Enlightenment
Answer: Enlightenment
It was the moment he became the Buddha.
Q. Who is called the father of Japanese comics and animation?
Options: Toriyama · Oda · Hayao Miyazaki · Osamu Tezuka
Answer: Osamu Tezuka
Tezuka, creator of 'Astro Boy'!
Q. What was the first word Helen Keller learned?
Options: Mom · School · Water · Food
Answer: Water
She understood 'water' while touching water from a pump!
Q. What did Joan of Arc carry onto the battlefield?
Options: A painting · Flowers · A banner · A book
Answer: A banner
They say she led the way holding a banner rather than a sword!
Q. On which continent did Jane Goodall, 'the mother of chimpanzees', begin her research?
Options: Antarctica · North America · Africa · Europe
Answer: Africa
It began at Gombe in Tanzania!
Q. Which great person grew their dream by loving animal storybooks as a child?
Options: Jane Goodall · Napoleon · Lincoln · Churchill
Answer: Jane Goodall
They say she loved the Tarzan and Doctor Dolittle books!
Q. Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
Options: Jane Goodall · Mother Teresa · Malala · Marie Curie
Answer: Marie Curie
Marie Curie, in 1903!
Q. What attitude did great people share when facing hardship?
Options: Giving up · Persistence that never gives up · Running away · Complaining
Answer: Persistence that never gives up
Persistence is what makes a great person!
Q. What do Edison, Einstein, and da Vinci have in common?
Options: The same job · Endless curiosity · The same era · The same country
Answer: Endless curiosity
The curiosity that keeps asking 'why?'
Q. What do Gandhi, King, and Mandela have in common?
Options: Scientists · The same country · They changed the world by peaceful means · Former soldiers
Answer: They changed the world by peaceful means
They showed the power of nonviolence!
Q. What do Nightingale, Mother Teresa, and Schweitzer have in common?
Options: Inventors · Painters · They cared for the sick · The same country
Answer: They cared for the sick
Great people of care and service!
Q. What can we learn from reading about great people's lives?
Options: How to make money · How to get famous fast · Working hard toward a dream · How to live an easy life
Answer: Working hard toward a dream
Their lives are our compass!
Q. What do Beethoven, Helen Keller, and Hawking have in common?
Options: The same country · They overcame a disability and achieved their dreams · The same job · The same era
Answer: They overcame a disability and achieved their dreams
Difficulties of the body couldn't block their dreams!
Q. What attitude did Marie Curie show in her laboratory?
Options: Only boasting · Passing work to others · Giving up easily · Quietly repeating her experiments
Answer: Quietly repeating her experiments
She stirred 8 tons of ore for 4 years to get radium!
Q. What do Lincoln and Mandela have in common?
Options: They were leaders who loved their people · Both started out as generals · They lived in the same era · They were from the same country
Answer: They were leaders who loved their people
Leadership built on caring about people!
Q. Which is true of the childhoods of great people?
Options: They never failed · They were all top of the class · They were all rich · They had curiosity and something they loved
Answer: They had curiosity and something they loved
Children who threw themselves into what they loved!
Q. Which scientist humbly said, 'I stood on the shoulders of giants and saw farther'?
Options: Newton · Galileo · Darwin · Edison
Answer: Newton
Newton's humility — he said it was thanks to the scholars before him!
Q. What did Edison, the king of inventors, build?
Options: A laboratory (Menlo Park) · An army · A kingdom · A bank
Answer: A laboratory (Menlo Park)
The Menlo Park 'invention factory'!
Q. Which is NOT named after a great person?
Options: The chocolate chip cookie · The curie (a unit of radioactivity) · The Nobel Prize · The volt (a unit of voltage)
Answer: The chocolate chip cookie
A chocolate chip cookie is just a snack! The rest are named after great people.
Q. What do we call the age when da Vinci and Michelangelo worked?
Options: The Renaissance · The Middle Ages, before the age of exploration · The Industrial Revolution · Ancient times
Answer: The Renaissance
The Renaissance, when art bloomed!
Q. Which country was Mozart born in?
Options: Germany · France · Italy · Austria
Answer: Austria
The child prodigy of Salzburg!
Q. Which country was Beethoven born in?
Options: Germany · France · Austria · Poland
Answer: Germany
Beethoven was born in Bonn!
Q. Which country was Andersen, 'the father of fairy tales', from?
Options: Sweden · Denmark · Germany · Norway
Answer: Denmark
Copenhagen has a Little Mermaid statue!
Q. Which famous novel did Tolstoy write?
Options: Romeo and Juliet · The Old Man and the Sea · Don Quixote · War and Peace
Answer: War and Peace
Tolstoy, the great writer of Russia!
Q. Which American writer wrote 'The Old Man and the Sea'?
Options: Tolstoy · Dickens · Hemingway · Mark Twain
Answer: Hemingway
Hemingway, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature!
Q. Who wrote 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'?
Options: Jules Verne · Andersen · Hemingway · Mark Twain
Answer: Mark Twain
Mark Twain, the storyteller of the Mississippi!
Q. What attitude does Fabre's 'Insect Book' teach us?
Options: Looking at things carelessly · Copying · Giving up quickly · Patient observation
Answer: Patient observation
The power of 30 years of watching!
Q. Which is closest to what great people teach us about treating a friend with a disability?
Options: Teasing them · Avoiding them · Respecting them just the same and being together · Ignoring them
Answer: Respecting them just the same and being together
As Helen Keller's story shows us, everyone is precious!
Q. Which attitude of a great person best matches 'listen to the people's voice'?
Options: Lincoln's 'public opinion baths', where ordinary people came in to speak with him · Secret politics · Giving orders no matter what · Covering your ears
Answer: Lincoln's 'public opinion baths', where ordinary people came in to speak with him
A great leader listens well!
Q. Which two of these people could actually have met?
Options: Cleopatra and Napoleon · Confucius and Lincoln · Churchill and Roosevelt · Shakespeare and Edison
Answer: Churchill and Roosevelt
Two leaders who met often during World War II!
Q. Which field has no Nobel Prize?
Options: Peace · Literature · Physics · Mathematics
Answer: Mathematics
In math, the Fields Medal is the highest honor!
Q. Who is the youngest Nobel Prize winner?
Options: Marie Curie · Hawking · Malala (age 17) · Einstein
Answer: Malala (age 17)
Malala, who fought for girls' education!
Q. Which masterpiece did Beethoven compose after losing his hearing?
Options: The Blue Danube · Swan Lake · The Choral Symphony (No. 9) · The Four Seasons
Answer: The Choral Symphony (No. 9)
Symphony No. 9, which holds the 'Ode to Joy'!
Q. Which Italian musician composed 'The Four Seasons'?
Options: Bach · Beethoven · Chopin · Vivaldi
Answer: Vivaldi
Vivaldi of spring, summer, autumn, and winter!
Q. Which great person is the classic example of a 'Renaissance man'?
Options: Churchill · Napoleon · Genghis Khan · Leonardo da Vinci
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
Painting, science, invention, even anatomy!
Q. This genius physicist created the theory of relativity. Who is it?
Options: Einstein · Fabre · Mendel · Faraday
Answer: Einstein
Einstein completely changed how we think about time and space with his theory of relativity. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
Q. This scientist is said to have thought of the law of gravity while watching an apple fall. Who is it?
Options: Galileo · Mendel · Newton · Fleming
Answer: Newton
Newton discovered the law of gravity and the laws of motion, opening the door to modern science.
Q. This scientist found Jupiter's moons with a telescope he built himself and supported the idea that the Earth moves. Who is it?
Options: Galileo · Mendel · Fleming · Darwin
Answer: Galileo
Galileo backed up the sun-centered model with telescope observations, and is called 'the father of modern science'.
Q. This scientist wrote 'On the Origin of Species' and presented the theory of evolution. Who is it?
Options: Röntgen · Darwin · Fabre · Fleming
Answer: Darwin
Darwin built his theory that living things evolve, based on journeys such as his survey of the Galápagos Islands.
Q. This woman scientist discovered radium and polonium and won two Nobel Prizes. Who is it?
Options: Mother Teresa · Jane Goodall · Anne Frank · Marie Curie
Answer: Marie Curie
Marie Curie was the first person to win Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry, for her research on radioactivity.
Q. This scientist showed that microbes cause disease and created the rabies vaccine. Who is it?
Options: Fleming · Pasteur · Kepler · Darwin
Answer: Pasteur
Pasteur saved countless lives with pasteurization and his vaccine research.
Q. This monk-scientist discovered the laws of heredity with pea plant experiments. Who is it?
Options: Darwin · Einstein · Röntgen · Mendel
Answer: Mendel
Mendel grew peas in the monastery garden and worked out the laws of heredity. He's called 'the father of genetics'.
Q. This astronomer argued that the Earth goes around the Sun. Who is it?
Options: Copernicus · Kepler · Mendel · Galileo
Answer: Copernicus
Copernicus's sun-centered model was a huge discovery that turned our view of the universe upside down.
Q. This astronomer discovered that planets travel around the Sun in ellipses. Who is it?
Options: Fabre · Copernicus · Kepler · Einstein
Answer: Kepler
Kepler discovered three laws of planetary motion and moved astronomy far forward.
Q. This scientist discovered electromagnetic induction and opened the age of electricity. Who is it?
Options: Einstein · Mendel · Fleming · Faraday
Answer: Faraday
Thanks to Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction, we can build generators and electric motors.
Q. This scientist discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic, in mold. Who is it?
Options: Darwin · Fleming · Galileo · Copernicus
Answer: Fleming
The penicillin Fleming discovered became a miracle medicine that saved countless lives.
Q. This ancient Greek scientist shouted 'Eureka!' in the bath when he discovered the principle of buoyancy. Who is it?
Options: Hippocrates · Archimedes · Pythagoras · Aristotle
Answer: Archimedes
Archimedes, who revealed the principles of buoyancy and the lever, was the greatest scientist of the ancient world.
Q. This ancient Greek mathematician is famous for a theorem about right triangles. Who is it?
Options: Hippocrates · Archimedes · Pythagoras · Plato
Answer: Pythagoras
The Pythagorean theorem is still an important theorem we learn in math class today.
Q. This ancient Greek doctor is called 'the father of medicine'. Who is it?
Options: Hippocrates · Socrates · Pythagoras · Archimedes
Answer: Hippocrates
Hippocrates is also famous for the 'Hippocratic Oath', which sets out a doctor's ethics.
Q. This scientist discovered X-rays, which let us see bones, and won the very first Nobel Prize in Physics. Who is it?
Options: Kepler · Darwin · Röntgen · Einstein
Answer: Röntgen
Thanks to the X-rays Röntgen discovered, we can take photos of the inside of the body.
Q. This scientist wrote 'The Insect Book' and showed us the world of insects. Who is it?
Options: Fabre · Pasteur · Fleming · Kepler
Answer: Fabre
Fabre watched insects his whole life and left behind the ten-volume 'Fabre's Book of Insects'.
Q. This king of inventors made the light bulb practical and invented the phonograph. Who is it?
Options: Edison · Stephenson · Morse · Tesla
Answer: Edison
Edison left behind more than 1,000 invention patents in his lifetime.
Q. This inventor developed the alternating current system and led the age of electricity. Who is it?
Options: Bell · Morse · Tesla · Ford
Answer: Tesla
The alternating current Tesla developed became the basis of electricity supply all over the world today.
Q. This man invented dynamite and had his whole fortune turned into a prize. Who is it?
Options: Benjamin Franklin · Gutenberg · Bell · Nobel
Answer: Nobel
The Nobel Prize, created according to Nobel's will, became the most honored prize in the world.
Q. These brothers put the world's first powered airplane into the sky in 1903. Who are they?
Options: Watt · Morse · Gutenberg · The Wright brothers
Answer: The Wright brothers
This photo shows the younger brother, Orville Wright. With his brother Wilbur, he made the first powered flight in 1903.
Q. This inventor made the telephone practical and received the patent for it. Who is it?
Options: Ford · The Wright brothers · Bell · Morse
Answer: Bell
Bell received the telephone patent in 1876, and also worked hard on the study of sound and on education for deaf people.
Q. This engineer greatly improved the steam engine and led the Industrial Revolution. Who is it?
Options: Watt · Morse · Ford · Gutenberg
Answer: Watt
The steam engine Watt improved became the power that moved factories and trains. The unit of power, the 'watt', is named after him too.
Q. This man was the first in Europe to make metal type printing practical. Who is it?
Options: Bell · Benjamin Franklin · The Wright brothers · Gutenberg
Answer: Gutenberg
Thanks to Gutenberg's printing, books spread widely and knowledge traveled fast. The world's first book printed with metal type was Korea's Jikji.
Q. This man built the steam locomotive 'Rocket' and is called 'the father of railways'. Who is it?
Options: The Wright brothers · Tesla · Stephenson · Benjamin Franklin
Answer: Stephenson
Thanks to Stephenson's steam locomotive, railways began to be laid all around the world.
Q. This businessman mass-produced cars using the conveyor belt. Who is it?
Options: Ford · Stephenson · Tesla · Morse
Answer: Ford
Ford mass-produced the cheap 'Model T' and opened the age of the automobile.
Q. This man invented the telegraph and created a code made of dots and dashes. Who is it?
Options: Gutenberg · Watt · Nobel · Morse
Answer: Morse
Morse code is a way of sending letters using only dots (·) and dashes (–).
Q. This great American proved lightning is electricity with a kite experiment and invented the lightning rod. Who is it?
Options: Edison · Watt · Benjamin Franklin · Tesla
Answer: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a scientist and one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Q. This Renaissance genius painted the 'Mona Lisa' and 'The Last Supper'. Who is it?
Options: Monet · Rembrandt · Leonardo da Vinci · Raphael
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci was a genius not only at painting but at science and invention. This picture is said to be his self-portrait.
Q. This artist made the Sistine Chapel ceiling painting and the statue 'David'. Who is it?
Options: Leonardo da Vinci · Michelangelo · Picasso · Hokusai
Answer: Michelangelo
Michelangelo was a Renaissance master who excelled at sculpture, painting, and architecture alike.
Q. This painter of 'The School of Athens' was one of the three great Renaissance painters. Who is it?
Options: Rembrandt · Van Gogh · Raphael · Hokusai
Answer: Raphael
Raphael was a Renaissance painter loved for his soft, graceful pictures. This picture is his self-portrait.
Q. This Dutch painter painted 'The Night Watch'. Who is it?
Options: Gaudí · Van Gogh · Leonardo da Vinci · Rembrandt
Answer: Rembrandt
Rembrandt is called 'the painter of light' for the way he captured light and shadow. This picture is his self-portrait.
Q. This painter painted 'Sunflowers' and 'The Starry Night'. Who is it?
Options: Gaudí · Monet · Raphael · Van Gogh
Answer: Van Gogh
Van Gogh is famous for his intense colors and brushwork. This picture is a self-portrait he painted himself.
Q. This leading Impressionist painted the 'Water Lilies' series. Who is it?
Options: Michelangelo · Monet · Gaudí · Leonardo da Vinci
Answer: Monet
Monet, who painted scenes as they changed with the light, is the father of Impressionism.
Q. This painter of 'Guernica' is counted as the greatest painter of the 20th century. Who is it?
Options: Gaudí · Rembrandt · Hokusai · Picasso
Answer: Picasso
Picasso created Cubism and changed the history of art.
Q. This Spanish architect designed the Sagrada Família. Who is it?
Options: Rembrandt · Gaudí · Monet · Hokusai
Answer: Gaudí
The Sagrada Família that Gaudí designed has been under construction for over 100 years and still isn't finished.
Q. This Japanese printmaker is famous for the wave picture 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa'. Who is it?
Options: Gaudí · Monet · Hokusai · Leonardo da Vinci
Answer: Hokusai
Hokusai's wave print is the most famous Japanese picture in the world. This image is a self-portrait sketch.
Q. This musician composed the 'Fate' symphony even after he lost his hearing. Who is it?
Options: Beethoven · Handel · Bach · Chopin
Answer: Beethoven
Beethoven left behind great symphonies even after losing his hearing, which is why he's called a saint of music.
Q. This genius musician started composing at five and created the opera 'The Magic Flute'. Who is it?
Options: Bach · Handel · Mozart · Beethoven
Answer: Mozart
In a short life of 35 years, Mozart left behind more than 600 pieces of music.
Q. This Baroque musician is called 'the father of music'. Who is it?
Options: Vivaldi · Handel · Bach · Mozart
Answer: Bach
Bach left behind countless church works and organ pieces, which is why he's called 'the father of music'.
Q. This Polish musician is called 'the poet of the piano'. Who is it?
Options: Chopin · Beethoven · Tchaikovsky · Mozart
Answer: Chopin
Chopin left behind many beautiful piano pieces, and so is called 'the poet of the piano'.
Q. This musician composed the ballets 'Swan Lake' and 'The Nutcracker'. Who is it?
Options: Tchaikovsky · Chopin · Beethoven · Handel
Answer: Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky is the composer who represents Russia.
Q. This English playwright wrote 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Hamlet'. Who is it?
Options: Tolstoy · Shakespeare · Hemingway · Jules Verne
Answer: Shakespeare
Shakespeare is counted as the most famous playwright in the world.
Q. This great Russian writer wrote 'War and Peace'. Who is it?
Options: Goethe · The Grimm brothers · Tolstoy · Shakespeare
Answer: Tolstoy
Tolstoy left behind 'War and Peace', 'What Men Live By', and more.
Q. This fairy tale writer wrote 'The Little Mermaid' and 'The Ugly Duckling'. Who is it?
Options: The Grimm brothers · Shakespeare · Andersen · Hemingway
Answer: Andersen
Andersen was a Danish fairy tale writer who left behind more than 160 tales.
Q. These brothers collected old tales like 'Snow White' and 'Hansel and Gretel' into a book. Who are they?
Options: Dickens · Tolstoy · Cervantes · The Grimm brothers
Answer: The Grimm brothers
The Grimm brothers collected old German tales and published 'Grimms' Fairy Tales'.
Q. This English writer wrote 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Oliver Twist'. Who is it?
Options: Goethe · Victor Hugo · Dickens · Tolstoy
Answer: Dickens
Dickens is England's national writer, who drew the lives of struggling people with warmth.
Q. This American writer wrote 'The Old Man and the Sea' and won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Who is it?
Options: The Grimm brothers · Hemingway · Victor Hugo · Goethe
Answer: Hemingway
Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for 'The Old Man and the Sea', and the Nobel Prize in Literature the next year.
Q. This 'father of science fiction' wrote 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' and 'Around the World in Eighty Days'. Who is it?
Options: Tolstoy · Jules Verne · Goethe · Cervantes
Answer: Jules Verne
Jules Verne was a French writer who imagined submarines and space travel before they existed.
Q. This writer, who used to be a pilot, wrote 'The Little Prince'. Who is it?
Options: Andersen · Saint-Exupéry · Hemingway · Mark Twain
Answer: Saint-Exupéry
Saint-Exupéry worked as a pilot and wrote 'The Little Prince' and 'Night Flight'.
Q. This great German writer wrote 'Faust' and 'The Sorrows of Young Werther'. Who is it?
Options: Jules Verne · Saint-Exupéry · Goethe · Victor Hugo
Answer: Goethe
Goethe was the writer who represents German literature, and also a scientist and a statesman.
Q. This Spanish writer wrote 'Don Quixote', the story of a knight charging at windmills. Who is it?
Options: Tolstoy · Andersen · Cervantes · Mark Twain
Answer: Cervantes
Cervantes's 'Don Quixote' is called the first modern novel.
Q. This French writer wrote 'Les Misérables' and 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'. Who is it?
Options: Victor Hugo · Goethe · Cervantes · Jules Verne
Answer: Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo is the great French writer famous for 'Les Misérables', the story of Jean Valjean.
Q. This American writer wrote 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'. Who is it?
Options: Tolstoy · Victor Hugo · Mark Twain · Hemingway
Answer: Mark Twain
Mark Twain was loved for his adventure stories set along the Mississippi River.
Q. This explorer crossed the Atlantic and reached the Americas in 1492. Who is it?
Options: Columbus · Lindbergh · Marco Polo · Magellan
Answer: Columbus
Columbus set out on his voyage to the new continent with the support of the Spanish crown.
Q. This explorer led humanity's first voyage around the world. Who is it?
Options: Marco Polo · Magellan · Lindbergh · James Cook
Answer: Magellan
Magellan's fleet succeeded in circling the world in 1522.
Q. This traveler from Venice left behind 'The Travels of Marco Polo'. Who is it?
Options: Lindbergh · Columbus · Marco Polo · James Cook
Answer: Marco Polo
Marco Polo traveled as far as the Yuan dynasty and left behind his book of travels. This image is a mosaic portrait in Italy.
Q. This explorer was the first person to reach the South Pole, in 1911. Who is it?
Options: Sir Hillary · Livingstone · Amundsen · Columbus
Answer: Amundsen
Amundsen was first to the South Pole, and also left great achievements in Arctic exploration.
Q. This explorer traveled Africa and told the West about Victoria Falls. Who is it?
Options: Livingstone · Marco Polo · Lindbergh · Amundsen
Answer: Livingstone
Livingstone was a doctor and a missionary who explored many parts of Africa.
Q. This British navigator sailed the Pacific three times, exploring as far as Australia and Hawaii. Who is it?
Options: Columbus · Sir Hillary · Marco Polo · James Cook
Answer: James Cook
Captain James Cook made precise maps and opened the way for Pacific exploration.
Q. This pilot was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic. Who is it?
Options: Helen Keller · Anne Frank · Earhart · Nightingale
Answer: Earhart
In 1932 Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
Q. This climber was the first in the world to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in 1953. Who is it?
Options: Sir Hillary · Amundsen · Lindbergh · Magellan
Answer: Sir Hillary
Sir Hillary was first to the top of Everest, together with the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
Q. This person was the first to fly alone and nonstop across the Atlantic, in 1927. Who is it?
Options: Sir Hillary · Marco Polo · Lindbergh · Magellan
Answer: Lindbergh
Lindbergh flew 33 hours from New York to Paris aboard the 'Spirit of St. Louis'.
Q. This 16th president of the United States led the freeing of enslaved people. Who is it?
Options: Alexander the Great · Washington · Lincoln · Napoleon
Answer: Lincoln
During the Civil War, Lincoln declared the emancipation of enslaved people, and gave the speech about government 'of the people, by the people, for the people'.
Q. This first president of the United States is called 'the father of the country'. Who is it?
Options: Alexander the Great · Washington · Roosevelt · Qin Shi Huang
Answer: Washington
Washington led the War of Independence to victory and became America's first president.
Q. This prime minister led Britain during World War II. Who is it?
Options: Caesar · Washington · Lincoln · Churchill
Answer: Churchill
In the hard times of war, Churchill gave his people courage with his great speeches.
Q. This person became emperor of France and conquered most of Europe. Who is it?
Options: Roosevelt · Caesar · Lincoln · Napoleon
Answer: Napoleon
Napoleon became emperor after the French Revolution, and left behind a law code for later generations.
Q. This ancient Roman general said, 'The die is cast'. Who is it?
Options: Caesar · Qin Shi Huang · Genghis Khan · Churchill
Answer: Caesar
Caesar was a general and statesman who conquered Gaul and became Rome's most powerful man.
Q. This young king built a great empire stretching from Greece to India. Who is it?
Options: Washington · Genghis Khan · Napoleon · Alexander the Great
Answer: Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great conquered Persia in his twenties and opened the Hellenistic age, which joined the cultures of East and West.
Q. This emperor first unified China and had the Great Wall built. Who is it?
Options: Confucius · Genghis Khan · Kublai Khan · Qin Shi Huang
Answer: Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang was China's first emperor, and the Terracotta Army was found near his tomb.
Q. This person united the Mongolian steppe and built the largest empire in history. Who is it?
Options: Qin Shi Huang · Genghis Khan · Confucius · Kublai Khan
Answer: Genghis Khan
The Mongol Empire that Genghis Khan built stretched from Asia all the way to Europe.
Q. This queen defeated the Armada and led England's golden age. Who is it?
Options: Elizabeth I · Cleopatra · Queen Victoria · Joan of Arc
Answer: Elizabeth I
In the age of Elizabeth I, England beat the Spanish Armada and rose as a great power.
Q. This queen ruled Britain for 63 years, in the days of 'the empire on which the sun never sets'. Who is it?
Options: Joan of Arc · Cleopatra · Queen Victoria · Elizabeth I
Answer: Queen Victoria
In Queen Victoria's day, Britain was the strongest country in the world, with territory all over the globe.
Q. This queen was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Who is it?
Options: Joan of Arc · Cleopatra · Elizabeth I · Queen Victoria
Answer: Cleopatra
Cleopatra was the last pharaoh, who tried to protect Egypt with her sharp wisdom and words.
Q. This girl hero saved France in the Hundred Years' War. Who is it?
Options: Cleopatra · Joan of Arc · Elizabeth I · Queen Victoria
Answer: Joan of Arc
At 17, Joan of Arc led an army and won the Battle of Orléans.
Q. This president led the United States through the Great Depression and World War II with the New Deal. Who is it?
Options: Qin Shi Huang · Napoleon · Roosevelt · Alexander the Great
Answer: Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt is the only person in US history to be elected president four times.
Q. This leader led India to independence with a nonviolent movement. Who is it?
Options: Dr. King · Henry Dunant · Mandela · Gandhi
Answer: Gandhi
Gandhi led India to independence with a movement of 'nonviolent disobedience' that used no force.
Q. This person ended racial discrimination in South Africa and became president. Who is it?
Options: Mandela · Schweitzer · Dr. King · Henry Dunant
Answer: Mandela
Mandela was locked up for 27 years and still chose forgiveness and reconciliation, and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Q. This civil rights leader is famous for the speech 'I have a dream'. Who is it?
Options: Dr. King · Schweitzer · Louis Braille · Mandela
Answer: Dr. King
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stood against racial discrimination in America with a nonviolent movement.
Q. This nun spent her life caring for poor and sick people in India. Who is it?
Options: Mother Teresa · Montessori · Anne Frank · Marie Curie
Answer: Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa served in Kolkata, India, and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Q. This nurse was called 'the angel with the lamp' on the battlefield. Who is it?
Options: Nightingale · Mother Teresa · Earhart · Marie Curie
Answer: Nightingale
Nightingale cared for wounded soldiers in the Crimean War and laid the foundations of modern nursing.
Q. This person could not see or hear, but overcame her disability and moved the world. Who is it?
Options: Jane Goodall · Marie Curie · Earhart · Helen Keller
Answer: Helen Keller
Helen Keller studied together with Miss Sullivan, graduated from university, and worked for people with disabilities.
Q. This doctor treated sick people in Africa all his life. Who is it?
Options: Henry Dunant · Dr. King · Gandhi · Schweitzer
Answer: Schweitzer
Schweitzer built a hospital in Lambaréné in Africa, served there, and received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Q. This person created the Red Cross to help wounded soldiers on the battlefield. Who is it?
Options: Mandela · Schweitzer · Gandhi · Henry Dunant
Answer: Henry Dunant
Henry Dunant created the Red Cross and received the very first Nobel Peace Prize.
Q. This Italian educator created a way of teaching where children learn by themselves. Who is it?
Options: Montessori · Helen Keller · Marie Curie · Jane Goodall
Answer: Montessori
Montessori was one of Italy's first women doctors, and the educator who created the Montessori method.
Q. This person created braille, which is read with the fingertips. Who is it?
Options: Mandela · Gandhi · Dr. King · Louis Braille
Answer: Louis Braille
Louis Braille lost his sight as a child, but finished creating braille at 15.
Q. This girl told the world about the pain of war through a diary she wrote in hiding. Who is it?
Options: Anne Frank · Nightingale · Helen Keller · Marie Curie
Answer: Anne Frank
'The Diary of Anne Frank' is a precious record that shows us the pain of World War II.
Q. This Chinese sage taught 'ren' (benevolence), and his students left behind 'The Analects'. Who is it?
Options: Confucius · Laozi · Mencius · Qin Shi Huang
Answer: Confucius
Confucianism, the teaching of Confucius, deeply shaped east Asia.
Q. This ancient Greek philosopher is famous for the words 'Know thyself'. Who is it?
Options: Socrates · Plato · Mencius · Aristotle
Answer: Socrates
Socrates taught a way of finding truth by asking and answering questions.
Q. This ancient Greek philosopher wrote 'The Republic' and founded the Academy. Who is it?
Options: Mencius · Aristotle · Plato · Socrates
Answer: Plato
Plato was Socrates's student and Aristotle's teacher.
Q. This ancient Greek philosopher was Alexander the Great's teacher. Who is it?
Options: Laozi · Aristotle · Socrates · Confucius
Answer: Aristotle
Aristotle laid the foundations of every field of study — philosophy, science, logic, and more.
Q. This person began the Reformation in 1517 by posting the 'Ninety-five Theses'. Who is it?
Options: Martin Luther · Gutenberg · Columbus · Galileo
Answer: Martin Luther
Martin Luther's Reformation gave rise to Protestant churches.
Q. With his little mustache and cane, this king of silent film brought laughter and feeling. Who is it?
Options: Chaplin · Steve Jobs · Carnegie · Walt Disney
Answer: Chaplin
Chaplin was an actor and director who made masterpieces like 'Modern Times' and 'The Kid'.
Q. This father of animation gave birth to Mickey Mouse. Who is it?
Options: Neil Armstrong · Walt Disney · Pelé · Yuri Gagarin
Answer: Walt Disney
Walt Disney opened the history of animation with Mickey Mouse and the feature-length film 'Snow White'.
Q. This astronaut was the first person to set foot on the Moon, in 1969. Who is it?
Options: Steve Jobs · Jesse Owens · Carnegie · Neil Armstrong
Answer: Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong left behind the words, 'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind'.
Q. This astronaut was the first person to go to space, in 1961. Who is it?
Options: Yuri Gagarin · Walt Disney · Carnegie · Neil Armstrong
Answer: Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin circled the Earth aboard Vostok 1 and left behind the words, 'The Earth is blue'.
Q. This founder of Apple made the iPhone. Who is it?
Options: Jesse Owens · Chaplin · Carnegie · Steve Jobs
Answer: Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was the businessman who opened the age of the personal computer and the smartphone.
Q. This zoologist spent her whole life with chimpanzees, studying them. Who is it?
Options: Mother Teresa · Jane Goodall · Nightingale · Helen Keller
Answer: Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall was the first to show that chimpanzees use tools too.
Q. This Brazilian 'emperor of football' won the World Cup three times. Who is it?
Options: Pelé · Carnegie · Jesse Owens · Chaplin
Answer: Pelé
Pelé was a legendary footballer who scored more than 1,000 goals in his career.
Q. This track athlete won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Who is it?
Options: Chaplin · Jesse Owens · Steve Jobs · Yuri Gagarin
Answer: Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens was a great athlete who beat racial discrimination with his skill.
Q. This businessman was called 'the king of steel', made a fortune, and gave it away building libraries. Who is it?
Options: Carnegie · Yuri Gagarin · Chaplin · Neil Armstrong
Answer: Carnegie
Carnegie donated most of his fortune and built more than 2,500 libraries.