Name the Decade
1 / 15Can you place these events, inventions, and cultural moments in the right decade? Test your knowledge of 20th-century history!
15 quick questionsNo sign-upFree to playTap an answer below to begin ↓
When did the first color television sets become commercially available to the public in the United States?
About Name the Decade
Name the Decade is a free nostalgia trivia quiz with 15 multiple-choice questions with a mix of 5 easy, 5 medium, 5 hard questions. Can you place these events, inventions, and cultural moments in the right decade? Test your knowledge of 20th-century history! A typical run takes about 7 minutes, hints are always one tap away, and your streak ticks up the first time you finish a game on a given day.
A few sample questions
1. When did the first color television sets become commercially available to the public in the United States?
Answer: 1950s
RCA began selling the first color TV sets to consumers in 1954, though they were extremely expensive and color programming was limited for several years.
2. In which decade did astronauts first walk on the Moon?
Answer: 1960s
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission — one of the most iconic moments of the 1960s.
3. When did the Berlin Wall fall, reuniting East and West Berlin?
Answer: 1980s
The Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War and leading to German reunification in 1990.
4. In which decade did Elvis Presley first appear on The Ed Sullivan Show?
Answer: 1950s
Elvis Presley made his famous first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, watched by approximately 60 million viewers.
5. When was the iconic Woodstock music festival held?
Answer: 1960s
Woodstock took place August 15–18, 1969, on a dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Over 400,000 people attended, making it a defining moment of the counterculture era.
Things you'll learn along the way
- While Raytheon produced a commercial microwave in 1947, countertop models for home kitchens became widely available in the late 1960s, with Amana introducing its popular Radarange in 1967.
- The Watergate break-in occurred in 1972, and the ensuing scandal led to Richard Nixon's resignation on August 9, 1974 — the only U.S. president ever to resign from office.
- The de Havilland Comet began the first commercial jet service in 1952 for BOAC, and Pan Am launched transatlantic Boeing 707 service in 1958, ushering in the Jet Age.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in Name the Decade?
Name the Decade has 15 multiple-choice questions. Each one has four answer options and an explanation that appears after you answer, so you learn something even when you miss.
Is Name the Decade free to play?
Yes. The entire SeniorBrainGames catalog — including Name the Decade — is free, with no sign-up required, no time limits, and no ads on top of the game. It also works offline once the page has loaded once.
How long does Name the Decade take?
Most players finish Name the Decade in about 7 minutes. You can pause between questions, replay it as often as you like, and there is no penalty for taking your time — answers are explained after you submit them.
What's a good follow-up after Name the Decade?
If you enjoyed this nostalgia trivia quiz, try the Daily Challenge — five rotating questions, refreshed every 24 hours, that count toward your streak. You can also use the Surprise Me button on the homepage to land on a different game type for variety.
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