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50 free George H.W. Bush trivia questions with answers — history quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
George H.W. Bush had one of the longest résumés in American politics before he ever reached the White House: Navy torpedo-bomber pilot shot down at 20, Yale baseball captain, West Texas oilman, congressman, UN ambassador, Republican Party chairman, envoy to China, CIA director and eight years as Ronald Reagan's vice president. Then came four years that included the fall of the Berlin Wall, German reunification, Panama, the Gulf War and a broken promise about taxes. These 50 questions follow that whole arc — 'Poppy' Bush of Greenwich, the USS Finback rescue, Zapata Petroleum, two lost Senate races, 'voodoo economics', the Big Mo, the Thursday lunches with Reagan, eight hours as acting president, the thousand points of light, Dan Quayle, Malta, Helmut Kohl, the Chicken Kiev speech, Souter and Thomas, Millie's bestselling book, Ross Perot, and a retirement of skydiving-era friendship with Bill Clinton, a Medal of Freedom and an aircraft carrier with his name on it. Easy questions cover the facts most people know; the hard tier asks about his mission count, his submarine and his 1992 vote share. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation that adds one more detail.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01George H. W. Bush was which number president?
41st
He served from 1989 to 1993 after eight years as Ronald Reagan's vice president.
Q 02What was Bush's childhood nickname, a tribute to his grandfather 'Pop' Walker?
Poppy
In the Navy his lanky frame earned him a second nickname, 'Skin'.
Q 03Bush's father Prescott represented which state in the US Senate?
Connecticut
Prescott won the seat in 1952, the year his son volunteered for Eisenhower's campaign.
Q 04On what occasion did Bush enlist in the Navy?
His 18th birthday
He became one of the youngest pilots in the Navy.
Q 05What aircraft did Bush fly in the Pacific?
Grumman TBM Avenger
The torpedo bomber could take off from carriers; his was the USS San Jacinto.
Q 06Which submarine rescued Bush after he was shot down near Chichijima?
USS Finback
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for the mission.
Q 07How many combat missions had Bush flown by the end of his active service?
58
He also logged 128 carrier landings and 1,228 flight hours.
Q 08Where did George and Barbara marry in January 1945?
Rye, New York
They had met at a Christmas dance in Greenwich in 1941.
Q 09What position did Bush play on the Yale baseball team?
First baseman
He captained the team and played in the first two College World Series, batting and throwing left-handed.
Q 10Which secret society was Bush initiated into at Yale?
Skull and Bones
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in economics in 1948 after an accelerated two-and-a-half-year program.
Q 11What company did Bush co-found in 1953 to drill in the Permian Basin?
Zapata Petroleum
He later ran its offshore subsidiary and moved the family to Houston.
Q 12Who defeated Bush in his 1964 run for the US Senate?
Ralph Yarborough
Bush lost 56% to 44% but ran well ahead of Barry Goldwater in Texas.
Q 13Who beat Bush in the 1970 Senate race in Texas?
Lloyd Bentsen
Bentsen later ran for vice president against Bush's running mate Dan Quayle in 1988.
Q 14Which post did Nixon give Bush in 1971?
Q 21Bush became the first vice president to serve as acting president during what?
Reagan's colon surgery
He held the role for about eight hours on July 13, 1985.
Q 22Who was Bush's opponent in the 1984 vice presidential debate?
Geraldine Ferraro
She was the first woman on a major-party national ticket.
Q 23How did Bush describe his knowledge of the Iran–Contra arms diversion?
'Out of the loop'
Biographer Jon Meacham found no proof he knew of the diversion but said he knew of arms-for-hostages.
UN Ambassador
During his tenure the General Assembly voted to seat the People's Republic of China over Taiwan.
Q 15What role did Bush hold as the Watergate scandal unfolded?
Chair of the RNC
He defended Nixon at first, then joined party leaders urging him to resign.
Q 16To which country did Ford send Bush as chief of the US Liaison Office?
China
The job made him de facto ambassador at a time when the US had no formal embassy there.
Q 17Which agency did Bush lead in 1976?
The CIA
He stepped down on the day of Jimmy Carter's inauguration; CIA headquarters now bears his name.
Q 18What phrase did Bush use in 1980 to mock Reagan's tax-cut plans?
Voodoo economics
He repudiated the comment once he became Reagan's running mate.
Q 19Which 1980 contest did Bush win to claim 'the Big Mo'?
The Iowa caucuses
He took 31.5% to Reagan's 29.4% after 31 visits to the state, then lost New Hampshire badly.
Q 20Reagan picked Bush as running mate after talks collapsed for a ticket with whom?
Gerald Ford
Bush had thought his political career might be over after the primaries.
Q 24Who ran Bush's 1988 campaign?
Lee Atwater
Roger Ailes was media consultant and George W. Bush worked on the campaign too.
Q 25What followed 'Read my lips' in Bush's 1988 convention pledge?
No new taxes
Breaking it in the 1990 budget deal damaged him with conservatives.
Q 26What was the theme of Bush's 1988 convention speech?
A thousand points of light
It referred to community organizations 'spread like stars throughout the Nation'.
Q 27Which Indiana senator did Bush choose as his running mate?
Dan Quayle
The campaign hoped his youth would appeal to younger voters.
Q 28Who did Bush defeat in the 1988 presidential election?
Michael Dukakis
Bush won 426 electoral votes to 111 and 53.4% of the popular vote.
Q 29Bush was the first sitting vice president elected president since whom?
Martin Van Buren
Van Buren did it in 1836, 152 years earlier.
Q 30Whom did Bush name Secretary of State in 1989?
James Baker
Baker was a Houston friend from Bush's Zapata days; Cheney went to Defense.