The 1960s Trivia
12 nostalgia questions about the 1960s, each with four choices and the correct answer explained underneath. Read them here, or play the same set in the trivia room for instant scoring and a printable quiz sheet.
Background
The 1960s were years of dramatic change — in music, television, technology and daily life. Colour arrived on the small screen, records went from 45s to albums, and a generation of families watched history unfold on the evening news.
These twelve questions touch the milestones and everyday details of that decade, from the Beatles on American television to the Moon landing. Each question has four choices, an instant answer and a one-line explanation, so you can play alone or turn it into a group quiz sheet.
Questions are drawn from the decade file used by the trivia room, so the answers here match the interactive rounds.
Play this set
- In the trivia room, set the era to The 1960s (topic: Everything).
- You can also combine an era and a topic to narrow a round down.
- Rounds are 10 questions at a time, always with four choices.
- You see the right answer and an explanation immediately after each pick.
- After a round, press Print this round for a quiz sheet — questions on page one, answer key on page two.
Questions and answers
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1. Which US President was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963?
- AJohn F. Kennedy — correct answer
- BLyndon B. Johnson
- CRichard Nixon
- DDwight D. Eisenhower
Answer: A — John F. Kennedy. President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas on November 22, 1963, a moment that defined the decade.Did you know… The four days of national television coverage that followed were watched by almost everyone with a set.
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2. The Beatles' legendary first appearance on which American TV show took place in February 1964?
- AThe Ed Sullivan Show — correct answer
- BAmerican Bandstand
- CThe Tonight Show
- DSoul Train
Answer: A — The Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles performed on The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964, watched by a record 73 million Americans.Did you know… The group watched their own broadcast from a hotel room, having taped it weeks earlier.
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3. In 1969, NASA's Apollo 11 mission accomplished which historic feat?
- AFirst space shuttle launch
- BFirst human moon landing — correct answer
- CFirst space station
- DFirst Mars rover
Answer: B — First human moon landing. Apollo 11 landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969, with Neil Armstrong taking the first human steps there.Did you know… An estimated 600 million people watched the first steps on television.
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4. Which iconic music festival took place in August 1969 in upstate New York?
- AWoodstock — correct answer
- BAltamont
- CGlastonbury
- DMonterey Jazz Festival
Answer: A — Woodstock. Woodstock drew over 400,000 people to a farm in Bethel, New York, for three days of peace and music in 1969.Did you know… So many people arrived that the fences came down and the tickets never really mattered.
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5. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought the US and which other country to the brink of nuclear war?
- AChina
- BThe Soviet Union — correct answer
- CCuba's allies in Europe
- DNorth Korea
Answer: B — The Soviet Union. The 1962 standoff over Soviet missiles in Cuba was between the United States and the Soviet Union.Did you know… A direct telephone line between Washington and Moscow was installed the following year.
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6. Which color TV sitcom, premiering in 1966, transported a real American family to a strange new planet?
- AThe Brady Bunch
- BLost in Space — correct answer
- CThe Jetsons
- DBewitched
Answer: B — Lost in Space. Lost in Space (1966) followed the Robinson family, though Star Trek also premiered the same year.Did you know… The show's robot became one of the decade's most wanted toys.
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7. Which British rock band released the album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' in 1967?
- AThe Rolling Stones
- BThe Who
- CThe Beatles — correct answer
- DThe Kinks
Answer: C — The Beatles. The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper in 1967, a landmark concept album of the psychedelic era.Did you know… The cover's crowd of faces was cut out and pasted together by hand.
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8. What was the famous slogan associated with the 1960s civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 march?
- AI Have a Dream — correct answer
- BYes We Can
- CPower to the People
- DMake Love Not War
Answer: A — I Have a Dream. King delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech at the March on Washington in August 1963.Did you know… The best-remembered part of the speech was partly spoken without notes.
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9. Which 1960s toy, introduced in 1959 but booming in the 60s, was called the world's first fashion doll?
- ABarbie — correct answer
- BG.I. Joe
- CChatty Cathy
- DSindy
Answer: A — Barbie. Barbie, launched by Mattel in 1959, became the defining fashion doll of the 1960s.Did you know… His doll's clothes sold separately by the rack, like grown-up fashion.
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10. The 1967 Summer of Love happened in which American city?
- ASan Francisco — correct answer
- BNew York
- CChicago
- DLos Angeles
Answer: A — San Francisco. Tens of thousands of young people gathered in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district in the 1967 Summer of Love.Did you know… Flowers were sold by the armful on street corners that summer.
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11. Which country hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics, famous for introducing them to Asia?
- AJapan — correct answer
- BSouth Korea
- CMexico
- DAustralia
Answer: A — Japan. Tokyo hosted the 1964 Olympics, the first Summer Games held in Asia.Did you know… The Tokyo Games were the first to be seen widely in colour on television.
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12. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to do what?
- AWalk in space
- BOrbit the Earth — correct answer
- CLand on the Moon
- DFly supersonic
Answer: B — Orbit the Earth. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth on April 12, 1961, aboard Vostok 1.Did you know… His calm commentary from orbit was broadcast on Soviet radio during the flight.
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