History & Famous People Pictionary Words

Eras, inventions, famous names and the scenes from a history book. 298 words from easy to hard, with a generator locked to the category.

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Butter churn
History · Easy · Object
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296 words match
Score & history (0 drawn)
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    Drawing tips for history & famous people

    Eras are one costume and one prop: a toga and a column, a cowboy hat and a cactus, a bowler hat and a steam train. Famous people are their signature silhouette or invention (a kite and a key, a light bulb, a wild-haired professor at a chalkboard). Events are the scene: a flag on the moon, a ship and an iceberg.

    Who this category suits

    It is the category for history teachers and trivia-loving families; the hard tier is a proper challenge for adults. There are 82 easy words, 109 medium and 107 hard, so it works as a whole-game theme rather than a single round: set the difficulty from the menu above and the pool moves with the table. 2 of the words are grown-up references that only appear with the Adults audience; the rest are safe for everyone. A round idea: Timeline round: after each correct guess the team must place the word before or after the previous one in time.

    The full history & famous people list

    All 298 words, grouped by difficulty. The letter after each word is its classic card category (P, O, A or D); hover to see the name.

    Easy (82)

    • Stone ageP
    • Caveman clubO
    • Stone axeO
    • Stone wheelO
    • Ancient egyptP
    • PharaohP
    • HieroglyphicsO
    • King tutP
    • CleopatraP
    • SarcophagusO
    • Roman soldierP
    • Roman helmetO
    • Greek columnO
    • Laurel wreathO
    • The wild westP
    • SheriffP
    • Sheriff's badgeO
    • Wanted posterO
    • Covered wagonO
    • StagecoachO
    • LassoO
    • SwordO
    • Bow and arrowO
    • SpearO
    • CannonO
    • Viking helmetO
    • Viking shipO
    • QuillO
    • Ancient scrollO
    • ThroneO
    • ScepterO
    • TorchO
    • Treasure chestO
    • Message in a bottleO
    • Pirate hatO
    • Pirate flagO
    • SpyglassO
    • BlacksmithP
    • AnvilO
    • HorseshoeO
    • Town crierP
    • JesterP
    • ArcherP
    • PeasantP
    • Palace guardP
    • ExplorerP
    • Castle moatO
    • Gold barO
    • Pilgrim hatO
    • The mayflowerO
    • George washingtonP
    • Abraham lincolnP
    • ShakespeareP
    • Leonardo da vinciP
    • The mona lisaO
    • Christopher columbusP
    • NapoleonP
    • King arthurP
    • MerlinP
    • The sword in the stoneO
    • BlackbeardP
    • HerculesP
    • ZeusP
    • MedusaP
    • Trojan horseO
    • CyclopsP
    • MinotaurP
    • PoseidonP
    • JoustingA
    • Sword fightA
    • Panning for goldA
    • Walking the plankA
    • The liberty bellO
    • Stovepipe hatO
    • Totem poleO
    • Oil lampO
    • Spinning wheelO
    • Butter churnO
    • PlowO
    • BrontosaurusP
    • DragonP
    • PegasusP

    Medium (109)

    • Charles darwinP
    • Florence nightingaleP
    • Joan of arcP
    • Mahatma gandhiP
    • Nelson mandelaP
    • Martin luther king jr.P
    • Julius caesarP
    • Queen victoriaP
    • Amelia earhartP
    • MozartP
    • BeethovenP
    • Alexander graham bellP
    • Benjamin franklinP
    • Rosa parksP
    • Harriet tubmanP
    • Walt disneyP
    • Elvis presleyP
    • The beatlesP
    • Harry houdiniP
    • Vincent van goghP
    • Charlie chaplinP
    • Anne frankP
    • King midasP
    • ArchaeologistP
    • AstronomerP
    • BardP
    • Chimney sweepP
    • CobblerP
    • CandlemakerP
    • Coal minerP
    • ProspectorP
    • MilkmaidP
    • MilkmanP
    • PaperboyP
    • PioneerP
    • Plague doctorP
    • ScribeP
    • EmperorP
    • SultanP
    • MusketeerP
    • FlapperP
    • HippieP
    • SpartanP
    • Penny-farthingO
    • BugleO
    • WashboardO
    • Pinball machineO
    • Fountain penO
    • Ink potO
    • Wax sealO
    • ObeliskO
    • AqueductO
    • Battering ramO
    • CrossbowO
    • LoomO
    • Crown jewelsO
    • White flagO
    • Skeleton keyO
    • Stone tabletO
    • Coat of armsO
    • The round tableO
    • Chamber potO
    • Powdered wigO
    • BonnetO
    • CloakO
    • Wagon wheelO
    • SpursO
    • Cowboy hatO
    • Hitching postO
    • PickaxeO
    • Mining cartO
    • DynamiteO
    • SteamboatO
    • LuteO
    • HarpsichordO
    • Film reelO
    • Old-timey cameraO
    • The royal portraitO
    • Black-and-white photoO
    • Family treeO
    • Time capsuleO
    • Museum dinosaur skeletonO
    • The velvet ropeO
    • Audio guideO
    • History timelineO
    • Old world mapO
    • The parthenonP
    • Aztec templeP
    • AmphitheaterP
    • One-room schoolhouseP
    • General storeP
    • Trading postP
    • Market stallP
    • Camel caravanP
    • The middle agesP
    • The roman empireP
    • The gold rushP
    • Ancient greeceP
    • Silent filmP
    • Castle siegeP
    • Knighting ceremonyA
    • Discovering fireA
    • Chiseling a statueA
    • Building a pyramidA
    • Reading by candlelightA
    • A royal banquetP
    • A royal ballP
    • The coronationP
    • The changing of the guardP

    Hard (107)

    • The moon landingD
    • The first flightD
    • The boston tea partyD
    • The titanic sinkingD
    • Signing the declaration of independenceD
    • Ben franklin's kite experimentD
    • The apple falling on newton's headD
    • Archimedes in the bathtubD
    • The first olympic gamesD
    • The eruption of vesuviusD
    • The great fire of londonD
    • The first telephone callD
    • The invention of the wheelD
    • The asteroid and the dinosaursD
    • The pony expressD
    • The transcontinental railroadD
    • The oregon trailD
    • The first train rideD
    • The cattle driveA
    • Paul revere's midnight rideD
    • Chopping down the cherry treeA
    • The roaring twentiesD
    • The fiftiesD
    • The sixtiesD
    • The eightiesD
    • The renaissanceD
    • The industrial revolutionD
    • The space raceD
    • The dark agesD
    • The silk roadD
    • The terracotta armyO
    • Ellis islandP
    • El doradoP
    • The fountain of youthD
    • The mummy's curseD
    • A pharaoh's tombP
    • Alexander the greatP
    • Marie antoinetteP
    • Mother teresaP
    • Queen elizabethP
    • Henry fordP
    • Marilyn monroeP
    • Babe ruthP
    • Muhammad aliP
    • Helen kellerP
    • Mark twainP
    • Edgar allan poeP
    • Lewis and clarkP
    • Davy crockettP
    • Johnny appleseedP
    • Paul bunyanP
    • William tellP
    • The pied piperP
    • Stephen hawkingP
    • Jane goodallP
    • Steve irwinP
    • Bob rossP
    • Mr. rogersP
    • Buzz aldrinP
    • Laika the space dogP
    • Dolly the sheepP
    • BaltoP
    • PicassoP
    • The founding fathersP
    • LamplighterP
    • AlchemistP
    • ApothecaryP
    • CartographerP
    • PhilosopherP
    • Switchboard operatorP
    • Royal tasterP
    • HistorianP
    • History teacherP
    • Falling asleep in history classD
    • The pop quiz on datesD
    • Memorizing datesD
    • The museum guard who says "don't touch"D
    • Museum field tripD
    • A historical reenactmentD
    • The royal waveA
    • The queen's corgisD
    • The royal weddingD
    • The first carO
    • Room-sized computerO
    • IceboxO
    • The family heirloomO
    • The dusty attic trunkO
    • A knight's questD
    • A damsel in distressD
    • Slaying the dragonA
    • Storming the castleA
    • A royal decreeO
    • The moat full of crocodilesD
    • The king's ransomD
    • The golden ageD
    • The good old daysD
    • Ancient historyD
    • History repeating itselfD
    • A caveman with a smartphoneD
    • Grandpa's "back in my day" storyD
    • Walking uphill both ways to schoolD
    • A flashbackD
    • A time traveler in the wrong eraD
    • A knight at the drive-throughD
    • A caveman discovering pizzaD
    • A viking at the buffetD
    • The first ice cream coneD

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    Frequently asked questions

    What are good history & famous people Pictionary words?

    Easy ones first: stone age, brontosaurus, caveman club, stone axe, stone wheel. Then medium: charles darwin, florence nightingale, joan of arc, mahatma gandhi. And when the table is warmed up: the moon landing, the first flight, the boston tea party. The full list on this page has 298.

    How do you draw history in Pictionary?

    Eras are one costume and one prop: a toga and a column, a cowboy hat and a cactus, a bowler hat and a steam train. Famous people are their signature silhouette or invention (a kite and a key, a light bulb, a wild-haired professor at a chalkboard). Events are the scene: a flag on the moon, a ship and an iceberg.

    Are the history words safe for kids?

    Yes with the Kids or Everyone audience: 191 of the words are available to children, and the 2 grown-up references in this category (marked in the generator’s Adults audience) never appear for them.

    How many history words are there?

    298: 82 easy, 109 medium and 107 hard. The generator above draws from all of them and never repeats one within a session.

    Can I print this list?

    Yes. The printable page lays out any category as cut-out cards, or press Copy list under the generator after a game.