History & Inventions Quiz: who knows the past better?
Ten questions about inventions, ancient civilisations, wonders of the world, great explorers and discoveries, the same for you and your friend. Four answers, twenty seconds each. More right answers wins. Free.
- 2 players
- About 3 min
- Watchable live
- Free, no sign-up
History from every corner of the world
Who made the first paper? Which civilisation built Machu Picchu? Where does chess come from? History is full of stories every country learns at school: the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall, the Maya calendar, the printing press, the first steps on the Moon. Your friend gets exactly the same ten questions, and the one who knows the past better wins.
The questions come from a bank of 609, written for six topics and checked for one clear right answer, then translated into all the languages of the site. They cover the whole world, from China, India and the Middle East to Africa, the Americas and Europe, and they stay away from wars and politics: this quiz is about what people invented, built, discovered and explored.
How to play History & Inventions Quiz
Pick a level and send the link
Easy, mixed or hard, and surprise questions or the quiz of the day. You can play first and send the beatme.link link as a target, or send it right away.
Twenty seconds per question
Tap Start and the first question appears with four answers. Pick one before the bar runs out. The clock runs on our server, so there’s no time to look it up.
See the right answer
After each answer the right one lights up green, and the next question follows. The questions get a little harder towards the end.
Compare your answers
When you’re both done, more right answers wins. With the same score, the faster total time wins. Then go through all ten questions side by side.
What the questions are about
- Inventions: paper, the compass, printing, clocks, the steam engine, photography and the World Wide Web, and what they changed.
- Ancient civilisations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, ancient China, Greece, Rome, Persia, the Maya, the Aztecs and the Inca.
- Wonders and landmarks: the pyramids, the Great Wall, Petra, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- Explorers: Zheng He, Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, the Polynesian navigators, the first trip around the world and the first steps on the Moon.
- Discoveries: from algebra and optics in the House of Wisdom to vaccines, penicillin and the structure of DNA.
- Everyday life: the first writing, the number zero, calendars, coins and paper money, chess, the Olympic Games, and where tea, coffee and chocolate come from.
Three levels
Easy sticks to what most people learned at school. Mixed starts easy and ends with a couple of hard ones. Hard is for history fans. At most three questions come from one topic, so every quiz is a real mix.
Fair for both players
Both players get the same questions in the same order with the same answers. A question only reaches your page when you open it, and its right answer only after you’ve answered, so nobody can peek. Your friend’s answers stay hidden until you’ve answered the same question yourself.
History & Inventions Quiz FAQ
Can I play a history quiz with a friend online for free?
Yes. Start a quiz on this page, send the link, and your friend plays in their browser. Free, no app and no account.
Is the quiz good for students?
Yes. The easy level uses what schools teach about ancient civilisations, inventions and explorers, and after every answer the right one lights up, so you learn as you play. It’s a fun way to revise history with classmates, parents or grandparents.
How many questions are there?
609, and every quiz picks ten of them at random. With rematches on the same link you get new questions each round.
What is the quiz of the day?
Everybody who starts a quiz of the day on the same day gets the same ten questions for that level, so you can compare with friends and family.
Do we have to play at the same time?
No. Play first and send the link, or send it right away. Your friend can answer whenever they like; the link stays open for 48 hours.
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