Black History Trivia Questions

December 17, 2024
Team Building

You found our list of Black History-themed trivia questions & answers.

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Looking to host your next epic trivia night, and need a little help coming up with some questions? Well look no further! Whether it’s for your next Pub Quiz, family-fun night, teambuilding party, or whatever else the occasion, we hope you’ll enjoy these trivia questions. We’ve included the answer as well as 4 possible multiple choice options for each question - so whatever format you prefer, we’ve got you covered.

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Black History Trivia Questions

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1. Who was the first African-American woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court justice?

Answer: Ketanji Brown Jackson

a) Sonia Sotomayor

b) Kamala Harris

c) Ketanji Brown Jackson

d) Loretta Lynch

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2. What year did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech?

Answer: 1963

a) 1958

b) 1963

c) 1965

d) 1968

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3. In which year did Michael Jackson release his iconic album “Thriller,” which became the best-selling album of all time?

Answer: 1982

a) 1979

b) 1982

c) 1985

d) 1990

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4. Madam C.J. Walker became the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S. through the success of her homemade line of what type of products?

Answer: Hair care products

a) Skin care products

b) Perfume

c) Jewelry

d) Hair care products

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5. What was Muhammad Ali's first name before he changed it in 1964?

Answer: Cassius

a) Cassius

b) Malcolm

c) Elijah

d) Kareem

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6. Against which NBA team did Kobe Bryant score his career-high 81 points in a single game?

Answer: Toronto Raptors

a) Chicago Bulls

b) Miami Heat

c) New York Knicks

d) Toronto Raptors

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7. Which African American inventor patented the first automatic lubrication device for steam engines in 1884?

Answer: Elijah McCoy

a) George Washington Carver

b) Garrett Morgan

c) Elijah McCoy

d) Lewis Latimer

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8. What famous African American entertainer became known for the song "What a Wonderful World"?

Answer: Louis Armstrong

a) Louis Armstrong

b) Ella Fitzgerald

c) Duke Ellington

d) Cab Calloway

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9. Which novel, written by Zora Neale Hurston, became a defining work of the Harlem Renaissance and is considered a classic of African American literature?

Answer: Their Eyes Were Watching God

a) Their Eyes Were Watching God

b) Invisible Man

c) Beloved

d) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

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10. Who was the second Black player to play in the MLB, debuting for the Cleveland Indians in 1947?

Answer: Larry Doby

a) Satchel Paige

b) Larry Doby

c) Roy Campanella

d) Hank Thompson

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11. In which movie did Denzel Washington win his first Oscar award for Best Supporting Actor?

Answer: Glory

a) Malcolm X

b) Glory

c) Training Day

d) The Hurricane

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12. How many Grammy Awards did Aretha Franklin win during her career, earning her the title "Queen of Soul"?

Answer: 18

a) 12

b) 14

c) 16

d) 18

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13. Who was the first African American woman to receive a pilot’s license from the National Airmen Association of America in 1921?

Answer: Bessie Coleman

a) Amelia Earhart

b) Harriet Quimby

c) Bessie Coleman

d) Jackie Cochran

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14. Who was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court?

Answer: Thurgood Marshall

a) Clarence Thomas

b) Thurgood Marshall

c) Constance Baker Motley

d) Barack Obama

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15. What was the name of the African American poet who wrote the famous poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”?

Answer: Langston Hughes

a) Claude McKay

b) Zora Neale Hurston

c) Countee Cullen

d) Langston Hughes

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16. At what age did Mike Tyson become the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight title?

Answer: 20

a) 18

b) 20

c) 22

d) 24

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17. Which African American artist was known for his “doodle” style and became famous for works like "Untitled" and his collaborations with Andy Warhol?

Answer: Jean-Michel Basquiat

a) Jean-Michel Basquiat

b) Jacob Lawrence

c) Romare Bearden

d) Kerry James Marshall

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18. Which Spike Lee film, released in 1989, became one of his most iconic works and focused on racial tensions and gentrification in a Brooklyn neighborhood?

Answer: Do the Right Thing

a) Jungle Fever

b) Malcolm X

c) Do the Right Thing

d) She's Gotta Have It

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19. Which Winter Olympic sport did Shani Davis compete in when he became the first African American to win a gold medal?

Answer: Speed Skating

a) Speed Skating

b) Figure Skating

c) Ice Hockey

d) Bobsledding

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20. Which John Legend song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2015, after being featured in the film Selma?

Answer: "Glory"

a) "Ordinary People"

b) "All of Me"

c) "Love Me Now"

d) "Glory"

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