20th Century History Quiz – 20 Questions

Adolf Hitler was chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and leader of Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1945. As dictator of the German Reich, he initiated World War II in Europe with the invasion of Poland in September 1939.

Pol Pot was a Cambodian communist revolutionary and politician. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea.

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 for swine flu, the highest alert level. It meant that the swine flu had spread worldwide, and most countries had cases of people with the virus.

D-Day, the date of the initial assaults, was Tuesday, June 6, 1944. By July 4, one million men had landed in Normandy. The invasion was a significant turning point in the war.

Apple Inc. introduced the iTunes media player on January 9, 2001.

Diana was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Following her divorce in 1996, Diana officially ceased to be The Princess of Wales. Instead, she adopted: Diana, Princess of Wales. She continued to be a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland without the style of Royal Highness. She was fatally injured in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.

The Falklands War was a ten-week war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982.

Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom worldwide.

Operation Desert Storm (January 17, 1991 - February 28, 1991) was the combat phase of the Gulf War, a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States of America between 1945 and 1953. Under Truman, the U.S. successfully concluded World War II. He assisted in founding the United Nations, issued the Truman Doctrine to contain communism, and passed the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe.

Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and Head of the Commonwealth since her accession in 1952. Her predecessor was George VI.

The September 11 attacks (also referred to as 9/11) were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. George W. Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States at the time (2001 to 2009).

The assassination of Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo triggered Austria-Hungary's declaration of war against Serbia. It caused the Central Powers (including Germany and Austria-Hungary) and Serbia's allies to declare war on each other, starting World War I.

The Titanic was a British passenger ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, U.K., to New York City, U.S.

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 and first celebrated in 1970; Earth Day now events in more than 193 countries.

The first human-to-human heart transplant was performed in 1967 in South Africa. The operation succeeded, but the patient died after complications set in.

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The channel officially opened on August 15, 1914.

England played West Germany in the final at London's Wembley Stadium. Ninety-eight thousand people attended, and England beat W. Germany 4-2.

Charles de Gaulle was the leader of Free France (1940 - 44) and the head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944 - 46). Philippe Pétain was Chief of State from July 11, 1940 - August 19, 1944.

The first American President to resign from office was Richard Milhous Nixon. He was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. In light of his loss of political support and the near-certainty of impeachment, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974.