Historical Oopsies
This 12th-century Italian structure gained its iconic tilt during construction because it was built on soft ground and shallow foundations.
What is the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
In 1492, this Italian explorer sailed the ocean blue under the Spanish flag, reaching the Americas.
Who is Christopher Columbus?
A series of OSHA violations at a remote island theme park leads to several tourists being eaten by prehistoric wildlife.
What is Jurassic Park?
In the animal kingdom, this flightless bird's mother travels up to 50 miles to the ocean to hunt while the father huddles with the egg.
What is the Emperor Penguin?
This 2-word phrase describes a large crustacean that is also a word for something very small.
What is jumbo shrimp?
In 1867, Russia sold this territory, a deal many called "Seward's Folly."
What is Alaska?
In 1962, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war during a 13-day "Missile Crisis" centered on this island nation.
What is Cuba?
A group of people spend nine hours returning a piece of jewelry to a volcano.
What is The Lord of the Rings?
Long before the modern holiday, "Mothering Sunday" was a tradition in this country, originally tied to the Fourth Sunday of Lent.
What is the United Kingdom (or Ireland)?
It’s the oxymoronic term for a recording of a musical performance that wasn't captured in a studio.
What is live recording?
Daily Double!
The 1937 explosion of this German airship in New Jersey effectively ended the era of hydrogen-filled passenger travel.
This 1986 disaster at a Soviet nuclear power plant became the worst nuclear accident in history.
What is Chernobyl?
A billionaire spends his nights dressing up like a flying animal to punch the mentally ill.
What is Batman?
Anna Jarvis, the woman credited with founding the modern American holiday, originally chose this flower as the official symbol of the day.
What is a White Carnation?
This 2-word oxymoron describes a situation where the lack of noise is so intense it feels overwhelming.
What is deafening silence?
Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered Penicillin in 1928 after leaving this common scientific item out and letting it get moldy.
What is a Petri Dish?
He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity and moved the capital of the empire to Byzantium.
Who is Constantine?
A young man joins a cult, learns magic from a frog in a swamp, and eventually blows up a government facility.
What is Star Wars?
In 1914, this U.S. President signed the proclamation that officially designated Mother’s Day as a national holiday.
Who is Woodrow Wilson?
It's the "organized" way to describe a situation that is completely out of control and messy.
What is controlled chaos?
In 1970, officials in this state decided to clear a beached whale carcass by using half a ton of dynamite; it did not go as planned.
What is Oregon?
This French general and statesman led the Free French Forces during WWII and later became President of France.
Who is Charles de Gaulle?
Daily Double!
A grieving widower avoids a court-ordered eviction by taking a local youth on an international flight without a passport.
In Greek mythology, she is the "Mother of the Gods" and the wife of Cronus.
Who is Rhea?
This 12-letter word combines the Greek for "sharp" and "dull" to describe a self-contradicting figure of speech.
What is oxymoron?