20th-Century History in the 1960s Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. 1960 was designated as the Year of ______ , where many countries achieved independence.

Answer: Africa

17 African countries gained independence in 1960: Cameroon, Togo, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Benin, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Chad, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, and Mauritania.

2. In 1961, which UN General Secretary was killed in an air crash?

Answer: Dag Hammarskjold

Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) from Norway was the second UN General Secretary serving from 1953 to 1961. He was killed in a plane crash near Ndola, Northern Rhodesia, on his way to negotiate a cease fire during the Congo Crisis.

3. In 1962, what famous band made their first successful recording?

Answer: The Beatles

The Beatles released their debut single "Love Me Do", with "P.S. I Love You" on the B-side. On 5th October 1962, the song peaked at number 17 on the UK chart. In 1964, it became the number one hit in the USA.

4. In 1963, a federation of states was established in what south-east Asian country?

Answer: Malaysia

The Federation of Malaya gained independence from the British on August 31, 1957, which consisted of the nine Malay states and two British Strait Settlement, Penang and Malacca. In September 1963, the Federation of Malaysia was expanded to include the two North Borneo states (Sarawak, Sabah) and Singapore.

However Singapore was expelled in August 1965 from the federation due to differences in political ideals and racial problems.

5. In 1964, the war in Vietnam was escalated due to what incident?

Answer: Gulf of Tonkin

The Gulf of Tonkin incident aka the USS Maddox incident occurred in August 1964. Three North Vietnamese torpedo boats carried out an unprovoked attack on destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy of the US 7th Fleet. Gulf of Tonkin was situated off the coast of Vietnam.

6. In 1965, Israeli spy Eli Cohen was publicly hanged in which country? His role was played by Sacha Baron Cohen in the Netflix mini-series "The Spy" in 2019.

Answer: Syria

Eli Cohan (1924-1965) was spying in Syria from 1961-1965. He was made the chief adviser in the Syrian Minister of Defense after he established good relationship with key Syrian political and military figures. However, his spying works were discovered by the Syrian counterintelligence. He was convicted and sentenced to death by public hanging on 18th May 1965 in Damascus.

7. In 1966, what disastrous campaign started in China?

Answer: Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 was the most disastrous campaign in recent Chinese history, resulting in death to as many as 20 million. The campaign led by the Gang of Four headed by Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, were trying to gain power. The Red Guard formed by teenagers were misled and they went around the country harassing intellectuals and senior officials including Deng Xiaoping.

They destroyed historical relics and artefacts and ransacked the homes of officials and intellectuals. Largely due to the effort by Premier Zhou Enlai, important historical sites and some key senior officials were protected. Deng was later reinstated to a senior position, otherwise the history of China could be very different from what it became.

8. In 1967, a short war of less than week was fought in what region?

Answer: Middle East

The Six-Day War aka Third Arab-Israeli War was fought from 5th to 10th June 1967. Israel was fighting against the coalition forces of Jordan, Syria and Egypt. The cause of the war was the closure of the Straits of Tiran ordered by Egyptian President Nasser to stop Israeli vessels passing through. Taken by complete surprise of the speed of the attack by the Israeli Air Force, the Egyptian Air Force was almost completely wiped out with very few Israeli aircraft losses. Following the victory, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and the West Bank.

9. In 1968, the USSR ordered half a million Warsaw Pact troops to stop mass protests and political liberalization, in which country?

Answer: Czechoslovakia

The event known as the Prague Spring started on 5th January 1968. Reformist Alexander Dubcek who became the First Secretary of Czechoslovakia wanted to reform the government, giving more rights for the citizen, and to decentralize the administrative authority from the Soviets. Unhappy with the reforms, the Soviets sent troops to Prague to crush the protests which ended on 28th August. Dubcek was forced to resign after the event and was expelled from the Communist Party in 1970.

10. In 1969, King Idris of what country was overthrown in a coup attempt?

Answer: Libya

The Libyan coup attempt aka al-Fateh Revolution started on 1st September. The coup was led by the Free Unionist Officers Movement headed by a 27-year old Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The Libyan Arab Republic was established by Gaddafi who became the paramount leader until his death in 2011.

Source: Author sw11

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The Swinging 1960s were dominated by Civil Rights Movement in the USA and man's first landing on the moon.

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