Columbus Day Trivia Quiz

Officially, Columbus Day is October 12. We thought it might be fun to see what you know about Christopher Columbus.

Commemorative stamps (c. 1892) of Columbus' voyage.

 The answers to the quiz are below. Have fun!

1. What country do historians generally believe was Columbus' native country?

a. Spain

b. Italy

c. Portugal

d. Morocco

2. Under the flag of which country did Columbus sail?

a. Spain

b. Italy

c. Portugal

d. France

3. What was Columbus looking for?

a. gold

b. slaves

c. new land for an expanding Europe

d. a new way to China and India

4. How many voyages did Columbus make to the New World?

a. 1

b. 2

c. 4

d. 6

5. What year did Columbus sail to the New World?

a. 1792

b. 1692

c. 1592

d. 1492

6. When Columbus set sail, most Europeans believed the world was flat and that his ships would fall off. 

a. true

b. false

7. Within 10 years of discovering the New World, Columbus was arrested and brought back in chains to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Why?

a. for bringing new diseases to Europe 

b. for mismanagement of Royal monies

c. for enslaving people

d. a and b

e. a and c

f. all of the above

8. Columbus is the first explorer to discover the New World.

a. true

b. false

9. The first time Columbus Day was officially celebrated in the US was which year?

a. 1692

b. 1792

c. 1892

d. 1992

10. Which World's Fair celebrated Columbus' voyage?

a. The 1893 Chicago World's Fair: The Columbian Expo

b. The 1893 World's Fair in NYC

c. The 1892 World's Far in Madrid, Spain

d. The 1892 Washington, DC, World's Fair: Exposition of the 3 Americas

Let it fly!

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Thomas Moran's painting of the Chicago World's Fair (Brooklyn Museum)

Answers:

1. b. Italy. Genoa, to be exact.

2. a. Spain

3. d. A new way to India and China which would have lead to increased trade with those countries and more wealth so "a" also could be considered correct.

4. c. 4 The last voyage was after his arrest – and his pardon by King Ferdinand.

5. d. 1492

6. a. True

7. F. all of the above.

8. False. The Viking Leif Ericson is considered to have discovered the New World c. 1000 A.D. He landed in Canada.

9. c. 1892, the 400th anniversary of Columbus' landing in the New World. President Harrison made it a federal holiday. 

10. a. The 1893 Chicago World's Fair: The Columbia Expo. It was incredible! It had the first ferris wheel and the fairgrounds were electrified at night!