Can You Identify These Iconic British Figures?

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Can You Identify These Iconic British Figures?
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About This Quiz

Great Britain has been a global power since the nation was established in the 16th century. Since then, the country has produced countless leaders in politics, industry, science and the arts. Take our quiz to see if you can identify these iconic British figures from a single image!
The Little Tramp - Charlie Chaplin
Youtube
Who is this British icon?
Charles Dickens
Stephen Hawking
Alexander Fleming
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin lived from 1889 to 1977. He enjoyed a long career in film, but perhaps is best known for his work in silent film -- particularly his tramp persona. During his long and colorful life, he married four times and had 11 children.

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Diana, Princess of Wales
Красин via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
Queen Victoria
Jane Austen
Florence Nightingale
Princess Diana
Diana Spencer became Princess of Wales when she married Prince Charles in 1981. More than 750 million people around the world tuned in to watch her big day. She later became a philanthropist and activist, before dying in a fiery car crash in 1997.

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Guy Fawkes
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Charles Darwin
James Watt
Stephen Hawking
Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes had big plans to blow up Parliament and kill King James I in the early 17th century. Luckily, his plan was foiled. Today, the British light bonfires every November 5th to celebrate Fawkes' failure.

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Mary Poppins - Julie Andrews
Youtube
Who is this British icon?
J.K. Rowling
Virginia Woolf
Margaret Thatcher
Julie Andrews
Stage and screen star Julie Andrews played plenty of roles in her day, but there are two roles that will keep her in the history books -- and in hearts and minds -- for generations to come. Not only was she the title character in "Mary Poppins," she also played Maria in "The Sound of Music."

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Margaret Thatcher
ThamesTv via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
Virginia Woolf
J.K. Rowling
Margaret Thatcher
Nicknamed the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher served as the British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. She was the first female PM, and the longest-serving Prime Minister in the 20th century.
Elizabeth I

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Florence Nightingale
Biography via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
Queen Victoria
Jane Austen
Florence Nightingale
Known as The Lady with the Lamp, Florence Nightingale was an important figure during the Crimean War. She helped ensure wounded soldiers got proper treatment, and helped to standardize nursing practices for future generations.
Diana Spencer

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J.K. Rowling
Wiki Commons by Daniel Ogren
Who is this British icon?
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Virginia Woolf
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling was a single mom when she published the first book in her Harry Potter series in the mid-'90s. The books went on to become a cultural phenomenon, selling more than 400 million copies around the world.

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T.E. Lawrence
wikimedia
Who is this British icon?
T.E. Lawrence
T.E. Lawrence lived from 1888 to 1935. The archaeologist and military officer forged new connections between Britain and the Arabian world, and is better known today as Lawrence of Arabia.
John Lennon
David Livingstone
Paul McCartney

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Henry VIII
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Guy Fawkes
Henry VIII
Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 to 1547. He is perhaps best known for breaking ties with the Roman Catholic Church and naming himself King of the Church of England so that he could ditch his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn. He soon grew tired of her and had her beheaded so he could marry someone else.
John Lennon
James Cook

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Tony Blair
Wiki Commons by World Economic Forum
Who is this British icon?
Lewis Carroll
Oliver Cromwell
Tony Blair
Tony Blair was a long-time leader of the Labour Party. He served as British Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 -- making him the youngest PM since the early 1800s.
Charles Dickens

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John Lennon
johnlennon via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
King Arthur
Arthur Conan Doyle
John Lennon
Singer and songwriter John Lennon was a founding member of The Beatles. He went on to have an acclaimed career as a solo artist, and to use his fame to push for peace around the world.
Alfred Hitchcock

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James Watt
Wiki Commonsby National Portrait Gallery
Who is this British icon?
James Watt
The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th centuries changed Britain and the world forever. James Watt was a major part of that transformation thanks to improvements he made on the steam engine, which powered ships, trains and machinery of the period.
Henry VIII
Stephen Hawking
Prince William

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Paul McCartney
Wiki Commons by Rich007
Who is this British icon?
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney was a founding member of one of the most successful bands of all time, The Beatles. After the band broke up, he formed another hugely successful band named Wings, in addition, he had a top-notch solo career ​and was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame twice.
John Lennon
David Bowie
T.E. Lawrence

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Elizabeth I
n/a
Who is this British icon?
Margaret Thatcher
Virginia Woolf
Florence Nightingale
Elizabeth I
The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I took the British throne in 1558 and ruled until her death in 1603. Today, she is remembered as a tolerant and peaceful leader, and is often called the Virgin Queen because she never married or had children.

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Daniel Radcliffe
Wiki Commons by Gage Skidmore
Who is this British icon?
Stephen Hawking
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe was a relatively unknown young actor when he was picked to play Harry Potter in the film version of J.K. Rowling's beloved book series. He spent ten years in the role before the final Potter film was released in 2011.
David Beckham
Alan Turing

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Charles Darwin
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin published the 1859 book "On the Origin of Species." It introduced the idea of evolution, and that all living things are descended from a common ancestor. Darwin's ideas were ground-breaking, and turned the scientific community on its head.
David Bowie
Sir Isaac Newton
David Beckham

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Mick Jagger
Wiki Commons by Gorup de Besanez
Who is this British icon?
Stephen Hawking
David Bowie
Guy Fawkes
Mick Jagger
Born in 1943, Mick Jagger went on to become one of the biggest rock icons of all time. He shot to fame as the lead singer of The Rolling Stones, but also made headlines for his relationships with women -- and drugs.

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Richard Branson
D@LY3D
Who is this British icon?
Paul McCartney
Richard Branson
Richard Branson in an entrepreneur who founded the Virgin Group, a conglomerate that now manages hundreds of companies. He has a personal worth of more than $1 billion, and is responsible for such successes as Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines.
Oliver Cromwell
Winston Churchill

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Queen Victoria
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Elizabeth II
Diana Spencer
Florence Nightingale
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria ruled England from 1837 to 1876. While her reign is remembered as a prosperous and powerful time for Britain, her greatest accomplishment may have been her choice of husband. She chose husband Prince Albert out of love rather than for political reasons, and the pair produced nine children.

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Elton John
youtube
Who is this British icon?
James Cook
Charles Dickens
Tony Blair
Elton John
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, Sir Elton John has been a British music icon since the '60s. He's known for songs ranging from"Crocodile Rock" to "Candle in the Wind."

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Isaac Newton
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Lewis Carroll
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton authored "Principia Mathematica" in the late 17th century. The legendary mathematician and scientist is known for his work on gravity, his three laws of motion and his advancement of the field of math.
Paul McCartney
Charles Darwin

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Winston Churchill
Youtube
Who is this British icon?
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Ernest Shackleton
Oliver Cromwell
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill was British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, and again from 1951 to 1955. He steered the country through the horrors of WWII, and later won a Nobel Prize in Literature

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James Cook
Wiki Commons by National Maritime Museum, United Kingdom
Who is this British icon?
James Cook
Sir James Cook was a Captain in the Royal Navy during the 18th century. He was the first Brit to explore the east coast of Australia, and later navigated around New Zealand and Hawaii.
Stephen Hawking
David Livingstone
T.E. Lawrence

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King Arthur
Wiki Commons by Charles Ernest Butler
Who is this British icon?
Freddie Mercury
King Arthur
Legendary warrior King Arthur led the British against Saxon invaders during the 5th or 6th century -- if he actually existed, that is. Historians argue about whether he was a real person or not, but his legend lives on to this day regardless of whether its story or fact.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Alexander Graham Bell

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David Beckham
BeanymanSports
Who is this British icon?
Winston Churchill
Charles Darwin
David Bowie
David Beckham
David Beckham is a legendary British soccer player who played for teams like Real Madrid and Manchester United. He retired form the sport in 2013 after 20 years on the field. His wife, Victoria Beckham, aka Posh Spice, is a British icon in her own right.

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Prince William (Duke of Cambridge)
Wiki Commons by Minerva97
Who is this British icon?
Charles Dickens
Prince William
William of Wales was just a young teen when his mom, Princes Diana, died. He grew to follow in her footsteps, choosing charity and philanthropy, and married Kate Middleton in 2011.
Stephen Hawking
David Livingstone

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Alfred Hitchcock
Wiki Commons by Fred Palumbo
Who is this British icon?
T.E. Lawrence
Oliver Cromwell
Alfred Hitchcock
Director and producer Alfred Hitchcock is known as the Master of Suspense for his iconic horror films. He created such classics as "Rear Window," "Vertigo" and "Psycho."
Stephen Hawking

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Jane Austen
n/a
Who is this British icon?
Jane Austen
Jane Austen lived from 1775 to 1817 and was well ahead of her time. She wrote novels like "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility" that not only entertained, but also questioned the common values and standards of her day.
Virginia Woolf
Elizabeth I
J.K. Rowling

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Alexander Fleming
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
Winston Churchill
John Lennon
Alexander Fleming
Just 100 years ago, a simple infection could be deadly. That all changed when Air Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, making it much easier to treat a range of infections. He won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.
T.E. Lawrence

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Edward VIII
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Edward VIII
Edward VIII was King of England for less than a year before he gave up the throne in order to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson in 1936. They were married for 36 years.
Henry VIII
Benedict Arnold
Paul McCartney

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Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Man In The Arena Archives
Who is this British icon?
Charles Dickens
Edward III
Richard Branson
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a superstar of the British Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. He not only designed the first tunnel to go under a river, but also made major advances in shipbuilding and railroads. In 2002, Brunel ranked second on a list of the 100 Most Influential Brits.

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William Shakespeare
HISTORY via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
William Shakespeare
The plays and poems of William Shakespeare rank up near the Bible as the best-selling written works of all time. The Bard of Avon penned such iconic works as "Hamlet," "Macbeth," "Othello" and "King Lear" in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
John Lennon
Charles Dickens
T.E. Lawrence

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Catherine of Aragon
WikiCommons
Who is this British icon?
Elizabeth I
Virginia Woolf
Agatha Christie
Catherine of Aragon
The first wife of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon was married to the king from 1509 to 1533. After she failed to have a son, he sought to have their marriage annulled. It took breaking from the Catholic Church and forming the Church of England to do so, but Henry eventually became a single man again. Catherine was a sympathetic figure in Britain, and still considered herself a married woman for the rest of her days.

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Walter Raleigh
learnoutloud
Who is this British icon?
Lewis Carroll
Alfred Hitchcock
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was a favorite of Elizabeth I, and helped settle an early English colony on Roanoke Island -- part of modern North Carolina. He was accused of treason by King James I and executed in 1589.
David Bowie

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Arthur Conan Doyle
elsatanicomatt
Who is this British icon?
Arthur Conan Doyle
Elementary my dear Watson. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote four novels and dozens of short stories featuring the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. He was a physician before switching to penning whodunits.
John Lennon
David Livingstone
Guy Fawkes

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Stephen Hawking
Youtube
Who is this British icon?
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking is one of the most renowned physicists and cosmologists of all time. Diagnosed with ALS at age 21, he was given just two years to live, yet was still contributing to the scientific community more than half a century later.
Sir Ernest Shackleton
King Arthur
James Watt

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David Bowie
David Bowie via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
David Bowie
Born David Robert Jones, David Bowie was a music icon for more than half a century. He emerged in the '70s as Ziggy Stardust to popularize the glam rock movement, and was married to model Iman from 1992 until his death in 2016.
David Livingstone
T.E. Lawrence
Freddie Mercury

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Oliver Cromwell
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Charles Babbage
Henry VIII
Oliver Cromwell
Nicknamed Old Ironsides, Oliver Cromwell was named Lord Protector -- not a King, but just as powerful -- of Britain from 1653 until his death in 1658. Today, he is hailed as a hero, a hypocrite and everything in between.
T.E. Lawrence

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Alan Turing
Cambridge University via YouTube
Who is this British icon?
Alan Turing
Computer scientist Alan Turing was born in 1912. He was a key code breaker at Bletchley Park, and his work helped to decipher secret Nazi messages and lead the British to victory in WWII.
Charles Babbage
Bono
Tony Blair

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Agatha Christie
wikimedia
Who is this British icon?
J.K. Rowling
Elizabeth II
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie wrote dozens of detective novels featuring beloved characters like Hercules Poirot and Miss Marple. Her books have sold more than two billion copies, making her one of the best-selling authors of all time.
Virginia Woolf

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Virginia Woolf
Wiki Commons by George Charles Beresford
Who is this British icon?
Agatha Christie
Queen Victoria
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf lived from 1882 to 1941. She wrote books like "Mrs. Dalloway" and "To the Lighthouse" before drowning herself in 1941. Today, she is a feminist icon, and her work is considered to be revolutionary and ahead of its time.
Margaret Thatcher

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Freddie Mercury
Wiki Commons by WPLR Show
Who is this British icon?
Winston Churchill
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was the lead vocalist of Queen, and was known for his incredible vocal range.He wrote and performed such classic songs as "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Killer Queen."
Sir Ernest Shackleton
Paul McCartney

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Charles Babbage
Wiki Commons by Dinnan Hook
Who is this British icon?
Charles Darwin
Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage laid out plans for an early computer in the 19th century, many years before computers were even a reality. In 1991, engineers built a computer to Babbage's specifications -- and it worked exactly as he had said it would.
Oliver Cromwell
Alan Turing

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Benedict Arnold
Wiki Commons by National Archives and Records Administration
Who is this British icon?
Henry VIII
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold served in the American Continental Army during the Revolutionary War -- until he turned traitor and tried to surrender West Point to the British. He later became a general in the British Army, but his name remains synonymous with treachery.
Sir Ernest Shackleton
Winston Churchill

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David Livingstone
Wiki Commons by Thomas Annan
Who is this British icon?
Henry VIII
Charles Dickens
David Livingstone
Missionary and explorer David Livingstone lived from 1813 to 1873. He spent years searching for the source of the Nile, and was once believed to be lost in Africa. Henry Stanley was sent to find him, and did so in 1871, prompting the famous quote, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
Prince Charles

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Alexander Graham Bell
Wiki Commons by Moffett Studio
Who is this British icon?
Freddie Mercury
Sir Ernest Shackleton
John Lennon
Alexander Graham Bell
Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell had many deaf family members and friends, which encouraged him to explore sound and communication in new ways. His work led to the very first telephone call in 1885.

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Ernest Shackleton
Bain News Service
Who is this British icon?
Alan Turing
Lewis Carroll
David Beckham
Ernest Shackleton
Sir Ernest Shackleton was a 19th century explorer. He led three expeditions to the Antarctic and while he wasn't the first to reach the South Pole, he did bravely advance across the icy continent to explore places where no other man had gone before.

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Charles Dickens
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Charles Dickens
Bah, humbug! Charles Dickens wrote plenty of books and stories in his time, but he might be best known for a holiday classic called "A Christmas Carol." The book is recognized for helping to transform Christmas into the cultural experience that it is today.
Alfred Hitchcock
T.E. Lawrence
Oliver Cromwell

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Lewis Carroll
Wiki Commons by Hubert von Herkomer
Who is this British icon?
Alfred Hitchcock
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson published a book called "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1865 under the name Lewis Carroll. His followup, "Alice Through the Looking Glass," introduced unforgettable poems like "The Jabberwocky."
Benedict Arnold
Stephen Hawking

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Elizabeth II
Wiki Commons
Who is this British icon?
Kate Middleton
Virginia Woolf
Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II became Queen of England in 1952. She and husband Prince Philip have four children, including heir to the throne Prince Charles -- ex-husband to Princess Diana and dad to Princes William and Harry.
Jane Austen

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