Black History Month Trivia Questions and Answers

Celebrate Black History Month with this trivia game covering black inventors, leaders, firsts, musicians, and athletes.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history.

Play our black history month trivia quiz game with friends and family, to educate yourself and others about this important part of American history.

For more quizzes, see our trivia quiz sitemap.

Black History Month Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Who started Black History Month?

Answer: Dr. Carter G. Woodson

2. What year was Black History Month first officially recognized by the US government?

Answer: 1976

3. Who was the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Answer: Ralph Bunche

4. What famous abolitionist and women's rights activist was born into slavery in 1822?

Answer: Harriet Tubman

5. Who was the first African American astronaut to travel to space?

Answer: Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.

6. What was the original name of Black History Month?

Answer: Negro History Week

7. Who was the first African American to be elected to the US Senate?

Answer: Hiram Rhodes Revels

8. Who was the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor?

Answer: Sidney Poitier

9. When was Negro History Week first celebrated?

Answer: In February 1926

10. Who was the first African American to win a Grammy Award?

Answer: Charles Mingus

11. Who was the first African American woman to win a Nobel Prize?

Answer: Toni Morrison

12. What famous African American inventor patented the first successful electric streetcar?

Answer: Granville T. Woods

13. Why was Negro History Week celebrated in February?

Answer: February was chosen because it is the birth month of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two figures who were important in the history of African Americans.

14. Who was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball?

Answer: Jackie Robinson

15. Who was the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal?

Answer: Wilma Rudolph

16. When did the first African people arrive in the UK?

Answer: The first African people arrived in the UK during the Roman occupation, around AD 43.

17. Who was the first African American president of the United States?

Answer: Barack Obama

18. Who was the first Black British MP?

Answer: The first Black British MP was Bernie Grant, who was elected in 1987.

19. Who was the first African American to win the U.S. Open tennis tournament?

Answer: Arthur Ashe

20. Who was the first African American to win the Tour de France?

Answer: Greg LeMond

21. Who was the first African American to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship?

Answer: Jack Johnson

22. Who was the first black person to be recorded in England's history?

Answer: The first black person recorded in England's history was Lucius, a Roman soldier stationed in Britain in AD 175.

23. Who was the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize?

Answer: Gwendolyn Brooks

24. Who was the first African American to win an Emmy Award?

Answer: Bill Cosby

25. Who was the first African American to win a Tony Award?

Answer: Robert Guillaume

26. When was the term "Black British" first used?

Answer: The term "Black British" was first used in the 1980s.

27. Who was the first African American woman to serve as a United States Ambassador?

Answer: Patricia Roberts Harris

28. Who was the first African American woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives?

Answer: Shirley Chisholm

29. How many people of African descent were living in the UK in 1901?

Answer: In 1901, there were around 15,000 people of African descent living in the UK.

30. Who was the first African American woman to become a billionaire?

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

31. Why was Black History Month first established?

Answer: To recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history.

32. What was the significance of Black History Month during the civil rights movement?

Answer: Black History Month was a way for African Americans to learn about their history and to educate others about the contributions of African Americans to American society. It was also a way to promote equality and civil rights.

33. How is Black History Month celebrated today?

Answer: Many schools, communities, and organizations observe Black History Month through educational programs, events, and activities that highlight the contributions of African Americans throughout history.

34. Which famous African American leader was known for his "I Have a Dream" speech?

Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.

35. What was the name of the ship that brought the first enslaved Africans to England in 1555?

Answer: The name of ship that brought the first enslaved Africans to England was the Jesus of Lubeck.

36. What was the name of the first African American to settle in the UK?

Answer: The first African American to settle in the UK was a man named Olaudah Equiano, also known as Gustavus Vassa, who arrived in 1759.

37. Who was the first black person to be elected to the British parliament?

Answer: The first black person to be elected to the British parliament was David Pitt, who was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1892.

38. Who was the first black woman to be elected to the British parliament?

Answer: The first black woman to be elected to the British parliament was Diane Abbott, who was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1987.

39. Who was the first Black British woman to win a gold medal at the Olympics?

Answer: Denise Lewis

40. When did the first wave of post-war immigration from the Caribbean to the UK occur?

Answer: The first wave of post-war immigration from the Caribbean to the UK occurred between 1948 and 1970.