Black History Month Quiz
In honor of Black History Month this February, you can enjoy one of our newest virtual games, the Celebrate Black History Month Trivia Game. Through five rounds of challenges, explore the rich history and lasting impact of Black people past and present. You and your team might be quizzed on Black history, famous Black Americans, pop culture, art, and more.
To get you warmed up, try out this trivia game of Black History Month Trivia questions.
Black History Month Trivia Questions
1. Gerald Ford was the first president to recognize Black History Month, which he did during the U.S. Bicentennial. What year was that?
1976
2. While Black History Month originated in the U.S., what three other countries recognize Black History Month?
Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom: Canada also celebrates it in February, while the other recognize it in October.
3. Mathematician Katherine J. Johnson, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the film Hidden Figures, provided calculations crucial to the work of what organization?
NASA
4. Founded in February 1837, the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the country’s oldest…what?
Historically Black college or university, or HBCU: Cheyney was originally called the African Institute.
5. In 1892, Biddle University and Livingstone College faced off in the first what between Black colleges?
Football game: Biddle won by a score of 5-0.
6. What summer holiday commemorates the emancipation of Black slaves in the U.S.?
Juneteenth, which is celebrated, appropriately enough, on June 19th.
7. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus, what did she do for a living?
She was a seamstress at the Montgomery Fair department store in Montgomery, Alabama.
8. Formed in 1925, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was America’s first Black…what?
Labor union: Its membership of railroad workers reached 18,000 at its height.
9. In the mid-1970s, a young Barack Obama worked his first job in Honolulu. Where did he work?
He scooped ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. His first date with Michelle was also at a Baskin-Robbins!
10. In 2015, Viola Davis became the first Black woman to win a Emmy Award for lead actress in a drama for her work on what killer hit?
How to Get Away with Murder
11. Zydeco, a musical genre that blends blues, R&B, and the indigenous music of Louisiana Creole and Native Americans of Louisiana, heavily features what instrument?
The accordion
12. Known by the nickname “Mr. Civil Rights,” who was the first Black justice on the Supreme Court?
Thurgood Marshall
13. Vanessa Williams is known now as a singer and actress, but she originally rocketed to fame in 1983 as the first Black woman to win…what?
Miss America
14. George Washington Carver developed around 300 different products, from cheese and milk to dye and soap, all using what ingredient?
Peanuts
15. In 1980, Robert Johnson founded the TV station Black Entertainment Television, or BET. In 2000, he sold it and became the United States’ first Black…what?
Billionaire: He beat Oprah Winfrey to the “Billionaires’ Club” by only two years.
16. In 1989, what now-actor won the first Grammy Award for a rap performance—but boycotted the awards because they wouldn’t show the rap category on TV?
Will Smith: He and DJ Jazzy Jeff won the Grammy for their hit “Parents Just Don’t Understand.”
17. Langston Hughes was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance and one of the most influential Black writers of all time. What did his father insist that Hughes not do in life?
Become a writer! Hughes’ dad made him study engineering in college instead.
18. What popular Nerf toy did rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson invent after a heat pump he was working on sprang a leak, shooting out a highly pressurized stream of water?
The Super Soaker
19. The 6888th Battalion, or the “Six Triple Eight,” was an all-Black, all-female unit of the U.S. Military. Their sole mission was to get something to American troops, personnel, and volunteers stationed around England during World War II. What was it?
The mail
20. As a child, someone was refused an autograph from his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson. When that someone grew up, he swore he would never refuse an autograph to a fan, and by all accounts he stuck to that vow. Who was that someone?
Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali
Find More Fun
For a more challenging experience, try out one of our virtual trivia games, including the new Celebrate Black History Month Trivia Game, which is available for private groups anytime, anywhere.