Weird History
What 14th-century plague was often blamed on “bad air” rather than bacteria?
The Black Death
What was the first toy to be advertised on television in 1952?
Mr. Potato Head
What natural light display occurs near the Earth’s poles and is often called the Northern Lights?
Aurora Borealis
What famous artist is known for his melting clocks in surreal paintings?
Salvador Dalí
What flightless bird is the national symbol of New Zealand?
Kiwi
Which U.S. president gave a two-hour speech in the cold, caught pneumonia, and died a month later?
William Henry Harrison
What invention did Leonardo da Vinci sketch 400 years before it was built?
helicopter
What is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature?
Mercury
Which U.S. president worked as a Hollywood actor before entering politics?
Ronald Reagan
Which animal is known as the only mammal capable of true flight?
Bats
Which U.S. president had a pet alligator that lived in the White House?
John Quincy Adams
Who invented the microwave oven after noticing a melted chocolate bar in his pocket?
Percy Spencer
What strange pink lake in Australia gets its color from algae and bacteria?
Lake Hillier
Which British writer once worked as a police officer in Burma before becoming famous?
George Orwell
What mammal lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young?
Platypus
An ancient ruler had an army of 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers buried with him, these were called...
Terracotta Army
What item did the inventor of the Frisbee become after his death?
His ashes were turned into Frisbees
What natural rock formation in Ireland is made up of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns?
The Giant’s Causeway
Who was the 19th-century man who made a living as a “human alarm clock,” knocking on windows to wake people?
The Knocker-upper
Which animal has the loudest call of any living creature, reaching up to 230 decibels?
What 17th-century fashion trend led men to wear heels higher than women’s?
Aristocratic “power heels” popularized by King Louis XIV of France
What famous 19th-century inventor created the “ghost machine” — a device to communicate with spirits?
Thomas Edison
What strange cloud formation looks like a giant flying saucer?
Lenticular clouds
Who made a fortune by collecting taxes on beards in Russia?
Peter the Great
Which animal’s milk is pink due to its high levels of beta-carotene?
Hippopotamus