Far Side of History

📢 We’re moving!

Far Side of History is becoming Dueling History — a place where teachers can turn games into activities for any subject.

Visit duelinghistory.com →

First game: Football — answer questions to move the ball. Works for any subject.

Pick a Square, Any Square: The Quiz Show Is Back From 1999

In 1999 I built a Jeopardy-style review game on a CD, loaded it with Astronomers, Doctors, Philosophers and Musicians, and handed out copies at Georgia teacher conferences. Most of those CDs are coasters now. The game deserved better.

Quiz Showdown game board with Presidents, Geography, Musicians, Inventors and Hodge-Podge categories, Sonoraville vs. Calhoun

So here it is again, rebuilt for the browser: Quiz Showdown, the newest duel on DuelingHistory.com. No CD, no install, no ToolBook. Just a board, two teams, and a coin toss.

How the duel works

  • Five categories, five rows, 10 to 50 points.
  • A coin toss decides who picks first. Get it right and you keep the board. Miss it and the other team takes over, and you lose the points.
  • Questions can be multiple choice or fill in the blank, and a square can show a picture or play a sound first.

Make your own board

Click Edit Board and type your own categories and questions right on the squares, pictures included. Already have questions in Excel, Google Sheets or Word? Paste them in all at once. When you are done, Save board file keeps a copy you can open next period, next year, or share with the teacher across the hall.

Put your class names in with Setup Match, pick a side, and may the best team win.

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