Government Trivia
Explore a wealth of interesting trivia, historical facts, and engaging games to expand your knowledge of the U.S. government. Learn about historic events, key milestones, weather phenomena, and more through these carefully curated resources.
Historic Events and Anniversaries:
Library of Congress Today in History
A Library of Congress presentation of historic events illuminated by items from the Library’s Digital Collections.
Library of Congress Today in HistoryThis feature premiered in April, 1997 to highlight items from the Library’s groundbreaking American Memory digital collections (1994-2016). The essays were written by American Memory Program Staff, and are fact-checked and updated by reference staff from the Library’s Researcher & Reference Services Division. Each essay offers search tips and links selected to encourage users to dive more deeply into the Library’s growing digital collections.
National Archives Today's Document
Learn about today's significant anniversaries or discover new historical curiosities through a collection of fascinating documents, photographs, and films from throughout U.S. history.
National Archives Today's DocumentFollow any of our channels on Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter to receive regular daily updates on the platform of your choice. Share your favorites with your friends, or even make suggestions of your own.
Contact todaysdocument@nara.gov with feedback and suggestions.
Stats for Stories
Profile America's Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting the Census Bureau's newsworthy statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays, and anniversaries.
Stats for StoriesDates with Presidential Proclamations are marked with (P).
Profile America's Facts for Features similarly provides statistics related to observances and holidays not covered by Stats for Stories. For observances not listed below, please see Facts for Features in the Newsroom.
Learn Through Fun: U.S. Government Games & Trivia:
U.S. Mint Coin Classroom - Mint History Trivia
Learn more about the U.S. Mint’s history by completing the history trivia challenge. Explore the History Timeline to find answers to trivia questions.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Games & Quizzes
Test your knowledge and learn about employment, inflation, and the economy with fun games and quizzes.
NOAA Weather Trivia
Explore fascinating weather trivia and learn about extreme weather events in U.S. history.
Milestones and Fast Facts:
Census Bureau - Fast Facts and History
Discover historical facts and trivia about U.S. demographics, population changes, and economic development.
U.S. Census History Fast FactsCensus data reflect the growth of the population as well as the changing values and interests of the American people.
Fast Facts provides a portrait of the United States both statistically and culturally. In addition to census-related statistics, the innovations, events, and icons of each decade are highlighted. Each page illustrates the thought and culture of the population counted during each decade's census.
Office of the Historian - Milestones
The Office of the Historian is staffed by professional historians who are experts in the history of U.S. foreign policy and the Department of State.
Office of the Historian - MilestonesThe Office’s historians work closely with other federal government history offices, the academic historical community, and specialists across the globe. The Office is directed by The Historian of the U.S. Department of State.
What We Do
The Office of the Historian is responsible, under law, for the preparation and publication of the official documentary history of U.S. foreign policy in the Foreign Relations of the United States series.
In addition, the Office prepares policy-supportive historical studies for Department principals and other agencies. These studies provide essential background information, evaluate how and why policies evolved, identify precedents, and derive lessons learned. Department officers rely on institutional memory, collective wisdom, and personal experience to make decisions; rigorous historical analysis can sharpen, focus, and inform their choices. The Office of the Historian conducts an array of initiatives, ranging from briefing memos to multi-year research projects.
The Office of the Historian also promotes the declassification of documents to ensure a complete and accurate understanding of the past.
