Random Knowledge
What popular board game was originally created to demonstrate the dangers of concentrating wealth through property ownership?
Monopoly (originally The Landlord's Game)
What gas is commonly used to fill party balloons so they float?
Helium
What ancient civilization is credited with developing one of the earliest forms of paper from a plant growing along the Nile River?
Ancient Egyptians (papyrus)
What animal has three hearts and blue blood?
An octopus
I have a neck but no head, a body but no arms, and I am often found on a dinner table. What am I?
A bottle
What common household item was originally made using animal fat and ashes?
Soap
What part of the human body contains the smallest bones?
The middle ear
What famous American monument was originally intended to serve as a lighthouse but proved too dim for ships?
The Statue of Liberty
What type of tree produces acorns?
Oak tree
The more of me you take away, the bigger I become. What am I?
A hole
What is the name of the imaginary line that divides Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, opposite the Prime Meridian?
The 180th meridian
What metal is liquid at normal room temperature and was once commonly used in thermometers?
Mercury
What ancient city was rediscovered in the 1700s after being buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79?
Pompeii
What is the largest desert in the world when both hot and cold deserts are included?
Antarctica
I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?
A joke
What is the only letter that does not appear in the name of any U.S. state?
Q
What is the name of the process in which a solid changes directly into a gas without becoming a liquid first?
Sublimation
What familiar kitchen appliance was invented after an engineer noticed a candy bar melting in his pocket near radar equipment?
The microwave oven
What is the name of the deepest known point in Earth's oceans?
Challenger Deep
A man looks at a photograph and says, "Brothers and sisters, I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who is in the photograph?
His son
What everyday invention was inspired by a scientist noticing burrs sticking to his dog's fur?
Velcro
What phenomenon causes a pencil to appear bent when placed in a glass of water?
Refraction
What was the name of the first artificial satellite launched into space in 1957?
Sputnik 1
What unusual mammal lays eggs, has a duck-like bill, and can detect electrical signals from its prey?
Platypus
A clock takes 6 seconds to strike 4 o'clock. How many seconds will it take to strike 8 o'clock, assuming the strikes are evenly spaced?
14 seconds (4 strikes have 3 intervals, so each interval is 2 seconds. Eight strikes have 7 intervals.)
What scientific scale is used to measure the hardness of minerals by testing which minerals can scratch others?
The Mohs hardness scale
What country is home to the world's oldest continuously operating company, a construction business founded in 578 AD?
Japan (KongÅ Gumi, which now operates as part of another company)