The longer you spend on this Earth, the more you know. And our trivia questions for older adults give you the opportunity to show how much you've discovered throughout your life. These printable trivia questions for seniors are a great way to spend time with friends and family and share all the things you've learned.
Easy-to-Use Free Printable Trivia Questions for Seniors
These printable trivia questions make it easy to take with you for parties and get-togethers. To download, click on the thumbnail. If you need help downloading the printables, check out these helpful tips.
General Trivia Questions for Seniors
We love trivia questions that test our general knowledge. So we've gathered some random facts to test yours.
What are the ingredients in a Boulevardier?
Bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth
Which state has the northernmost latitude in the contiguous states?
Minnesota
In AKC dog shows, what group would a Rottweiler be in?
Working group
What three crops, when planted together, are known as the “Three Sisters?”
Corn, beans, and squash
In Major League Baseball, how far is it from the pitcher’s mound to home plate?
60 feet, 6 inches
Who declined the 1964 Nobel Prize for Literature?
Jean-Paul Sartre
What is the British dish of sausages and mashed potatoes better known as in the UK?
Bangers and mash
What did Jack Dempsy do before he was a boxer?
He was a copper miner.
What is the name of the oldest commissioned warship still afloat?
The USS Constitution
What branch of the U.S. Military boasts the Blue Angels?
Navy
What is the most abundant element in the universe?
Hydrogen
Who said, “Well done is better than well said?”
Benjamin Franklin
What is the geographically largest U.S. state?
Alaska
What movie famously ends with the line, “Well, nobody’s perfect?”
Some Like It Hot
What are the three flavors in Neopolitan ice cream?
Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry
What was the name of the very first Saturday morning cartoon?
Crusader Rabbit
What breakfast cereal commercial’s dialog ended with the line, “He likes it. Hey Mikey!”
Life cereal
Easy Trivia for Seniors
Not sure you're great at trivia? Start with these easy questions for a boost of confidence.
What was Charlotte’s first message in her web in Charlotte’s Web?
Some Pig
What soft drink was billed as “the real thing?”
Coca Cola
Which ingredient do you adjust in a martini to make it dry or wet?
Vermouth
Which fast food restaurant’s commercial asked, “Where’s the beef?”
Wendy’s
What type of dog is Scooby Doo?
Great Dane
What type of fruit is a pomelo?
Citrus
What type of moss hangs from tree branches throughout the South?
Spanish moss
Where is the tallest known living tree in the world located?
Redwood National Park
What are the three states of matter?
Solid, liquid, gas
In math’s order of operations, what is the first thing you solve?
Anything in parentheses
What is the most populated U.S. state?
California
What country makes the most wine, Italy, France, or the United States?
Italy
In basketball, when you dribble the ball with both hands, what is it called?
Double dribble
What airline did Northwest Airlines merge with in 2010?
Delta
50s History Trivia
Lots of stuff happened in the 50s. How much do you remember?
Which president of the United States was in office from Jan. 20, 1953, to Jan. 20, 1961?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Which disease did Dr. Jonas Salk successfully create a vaccine for in 1952?
Polio
What was the name of the first satellite launched into orbit by Russia in 1957?
Sputnik
Who overthrew Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and became dictator of Cuba?
Fidel Castro
What year did Disneyland open?
1955
What famous explorer first climbed Mount Everest in 1953?
Sir Edmund Hillary
Who became Premier of the Soviet Union in 1958?
Nikita Khrushchev
Senator Joseph McCarthy, who conducted a nationally televised hearing in 1954 to root out Communists in the government, represented what state?
Wisconsin
What is the name of the woman who refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955?
Rosa Parks
Which member of the royal family became head of state in Great Britain in 1953?
Queen Elizabeth II
50s Music Questions
Rock 'n' roll was huge in the 1950s, but there were lots of other popular genres, too. Show your knowledge about the 50s music scene.
Which famous song sung by Doris Day was introduced in the 1956 Hitchcock thriller, The Man Who Knew Too Much?
Que Sera Sera
What singer had a country music chart hit with Sixteen Tons in 1955?
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Which group had a hit with Twilight Time in 1958?
The Platters
Which smoky-voiced singer sang Too Young in 1951?
Nat King Cole
What Cleveland disc jockey first used the term rock 'n' roll in 1951?
Alan Freed
Tony and Maria were the lead characters in what Broadway musical that premiered in 1957?
West Side Story
Who recorded Rock Around the Clock in 1955?
Bill Haley and the Comets
Who originally sang That'll Be the Day in 1957?
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
The Coasters recorded a song in 1959 with the line, "You're gonna need an ocean of Calamine lotion." What is the name of the song?
Poison Ivy
B.J. Thomas sang I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You in 1967. Who first recorded it in 1951?
Hank Williams Sr.
50s Pop Culture Questions
How much do you remember about the awesome decade that was the 50s? Test your knowledge with these pop culture trivia questions.
Which aspiring rock 'n' roll singer appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 but could only be shown from the waist up?
Elvis Presley
Which rising young star from the movie Rebel Without a Cause died in an automobile accident in 1955?
James Dean
Which television game show first aired in 1956 and is still running today?
The Price Is Right
What famous baseball player married Marilyn Monroe in 1954?
Joe DiMaggio
What piece of women's clothing — named after a dog — became popular in the 1950s?
Poodle skirt
What teen idol sang, Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb?
Edd "Kookie" Burns
What type of hat/cap did both Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone wear on TV in the 50s?
Coonskin
Eating what type of live fish became popular in the 1950s?
Goldfish
What famous cowboy of the 1950s was really named Leonard Slye?
Roy Rogers
What was the name of the circular plastic 1950s toy that was placed around the waist and operated by gyrating the hips?
Hula Hoop
60s History Questions
The 1960s was a tumultuous time. Test your knowledge of the decade.
Who was the first African-American named Supreme Court Justice in 1967?
Thurgood Marshall
In 1964, Jack Ruby was convicted of murdering which other accused assassin?
Lee Harvey Oswald
Israeli forces defeated Arab forces in this extremely short but decisive war that took place in June 1967. What is the name of that war?
Six Day War
What was the name of the conflict in 1961 in which CIA-trained forces tried but failed to invade Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro?
Bay of Pigs
Who was assassinated in November 1963?
President John F. Kennedy
What new type of telephone was invented in 1963?
Touch-tone
Who delivered the famous I Have a Dream speech in 1963?
Martin Luther King Jr.
What iconic anti-war novel did Joseph Heller publish in 1961?
Catch-22
Russia imprisoned Gary Powers in 1960 for spying. What type of plane did he fly?
U-2
What did the U.S. Postal Service add in 1963 that is part of every address today?
Zip codes
60s Movies Questions
Test your knowledge about the 60s silver screen.
Which film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1960?
The Apartment
Which actor won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird?
Gregory Peck
Which film was the highest-grossing release of 1963, yet still lost money because it was one of the most expensive films ever made?
Cleopatra
Who played the role of Norman Bates in the 1960 horror movie, Psycho?
Anthony Perkins
What was the name of Butch Cassidy's gang in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?
Hole in the Wall Gang
What type of airplane appears in Dr. Strangelove?
Boeing B-52
Who landed at 17 Cherry Tree Lane in a well-known Walt Disney movie from 1964?
Mary Poppins
What famous actor starred in Lilies of the Field and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Sidney Poitier
Easy Rider starred Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, and Dennis Hopper. Which one directed the movie?
Dennis Hopper
What 1968 movie co-starred a computer named H.A.L?
2001: A Space Odyssey
60s Pop Culture Questions
Check to see how much you know about 60s pop culture (and 60s counterculture).
Which iconic blonde actress and rumored lover of President John F. Kennedy was found dead in her bedroom on August 5, 1962?
Marilyn Monroe
Which former first lady married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis on October 20, 1968?
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
In which year did the Woodstock Festival take place?
1969
Which product did Proctor and Gamble launch in 1966 that revolutionized baby care?
Pampers
What famous band arrived from England to the U.S. in February 1964?
The Beatles
What famous TV series debuted in 1966 with these words … "Space, the final frontier …?"
Star Trek
This bluesy rock singer was discovered at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Her initials are J.J. Who was she?
Janis Joplin
British fashion designer Mary Quant invented a daring and revealing new type of women's clothing in 1964. What was it called?
Miniskirt
What 60s artist was famous for his renderings of everyday objects such as soup cans?
Andy Warhol
What was this famous boxer's name before he changed it to Muhammad Ali?
Cassius Clay
70s History Questions
The changes from the 60s continued into the 70s. Test your knowledge about 70s history.
Which president resigned in 1974 over the Watergate scandal?
Richard Nixon
During which Apollo spaceflight did an oxygen tank explode, putting the crew in severe danger even though they managed to survive?
Apollo 13
Which Pennsylvania nuclear-generating plant suffered a partial meltdown in 1979?
Three Mile Island
What war ended in April 1975 with the fall of Saigon?
Vietnam
What is the name of the deadly disease that struck a convention in Philadelphia in July 1976 and was named for the convention where it struck?
Legionnaire’s Disease
Who replaced the Shah of Iran in 1979?
Ayatollah Khomeini
What newspaper heiress took part in a San Francisco bank robbery in April 1974?
Patricia Hearst
Who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971?
Daniel Ellsberg
In June 1971, the 26th Amendment passed, giving 18-year-olds what right?
The right to vote
Paul Allen and Bill Gates founded what company in 1973?
Microsoft
70s Sports Questions
Are sports more your thing? Perhaps these sports questions from the 70s are up your alley.
Which Olympic athlete set a record in 1972 by winning seven gold medals?
Mark Spitz
What major sports award did Stanford quarterback Jim Plunkett win in 1970?
Heisman trophy
Which athlete was the first to earn a perfect score in the history of Olympic gymnastics?
Nadia Comaneci
Who was the first member of the Negro League inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?
Leroy "Satchel" Page
Related: 101 Grand Slam Baseball Trivia Questions & Answers
In 1979, who became the first man to win the Daytona 500 six times?
Richard Petty
The first back-to-back Triple Crown winners in horse racing history happened in 1977 and 1978. What horses won?
Seattle Slew (1977), Affirmed (1978)
In 1972, Franco Harris put the Steelers in the AFC Championship game with a miracle catch. What was that catch called?
Immaculate reception
What hide was first used to cover baseballs in 1975?
Cowhide
Who beat the Babe Ruth's home run record in 1974?
Hank Aaron
In what park was the New York City Marathon run until 1970?
Central Park
70s Pop Culture Questions
Test your pop culture knowledge of the grooviest decade.
Which video game system debuted in the 1970s and featured now iconic games like Pong and Pac-Man?
Atari
Which book about a bird on a journey of self-discovery topped The New York Times best-seller list for 38 weeks in 1970?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
What musical genre peaked with the 1977 release of the film Saturday Night Fever?
Disco
Which 70s TV series aired Saturday mornings and taught children lessons about math, grammar, government, and more?
School House Rock
What was the name of the character played by Herve Villechaize in the TV series Fantasy Island?
Tattoo
What singer-songwriter, considered by many to be the greatest electric guitar player of all time, died in 1970?
Jimi Hendrix
What was the top-selling song of the 1970s decade?
American Pie (Don McLean)
Who created the Muppets?
Jim Henson
What movie from the 1970s made many people afraid to go swimming in the ocean?
Jaws
What was the name of Stephen King's first published novel that came out in 1974?
Carrie
80s History Trivia Questions
What do you recall about the historic things that happened in the 80s?
Who was the first president elected in the 1980s?
Ronald Reagan
What disease did WHO declare was eradicated in 1980?
Smallpox
What natural disaster occurred on May 18, 1980?
The eruption of Mount St. Helens
Which space shuttle launched in 1981?
Columbia
What did the CDC first recognize as a disease in 1982?
AIDS
What was discovered in the North Atlantic in September of 1985?
The wreck of the Titanic
On January 28, 1986, school children across the country were watching television as what exploded?
The Challenger
What was dismantled on November 19, 1989?
The Berlin Wall
What constitutional amendment failed ratification in 1982?
The Equal Rights Amendment
What was the name of the first female astronaut who headed into space in 1983?
Sally Ride
What led to the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics?
The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Who was murdered outside of the Dakota Hotel in NYC on December 8, 1980?
John Lennon
80s Pop Culture Questions
From the launch of MTV to the greatest-selling album of all time, the 80s had it all. Test your pop culture knowledge.
What was the first video aired when MTV launched in 1981?
Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles
What event on July 29, 1981, saw Americans getting out of bed in the predawn hours so they could watch it live?
The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles
The top-selling album of all time was released in 1982. What was it?
Michael Jackson’s Thriller
What benefit concert in 1985 featured performances from Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, and many more at Wembley Stadium.
Live Aid
What was the 80s term for highly-paid baby boomers with expensive taste?
Yuppies
What was the top-grossing movie of the 1980s?
ET the Extra-Terrestrial
What television network, which started in the early 80s, was the first instance of the 24-hour news cycle?
CNN
Who shot JR?
Kristin Shepard
What was the name of Bill and Ted’s band?
Wyld Stallyns
Who did the U.S. hockey team defeat in the “Miracle on Ice?”
U.S.S.R.
What was Tom Cruise’s character’s name in Risky Business?
Joel Goodsen
The most-viewed episode of television ever aired on February 28, 1983. What was it?
The final episode of M*A*S*H
Rediscover the Past With Printable Trivia Questions for Seniors
We love gathering with friends and playing a rousing round of trivia. Prove you're still the champ with decades' worth of trivia questions and answers.
