Classical History
Cleopatra lived closer in time to which modern invention than to the Great Pyramid?
The iPhone
Did Vikings actually wear horned helmets?
No
Abraham Lincoln is in the Hall of Fame for which sport?
Wrestling
Which animal “won” a war against the Australian military?
Emus
Where did Christopher Columbus actually land (not North America)?
The Caribbean
What unusual product did Ancient Romans use to clean their clothes?
What unusual medieval “medicine” made from an animal body part was believed to cure headaches?
Beaver testicles (castoreum)
In WWII, one Canadian soldier captured a German tank using only what?
A pistol
What was Vegemite originally called?
Pure vegetable extract
Which Cold War country trained dolphins to detect enemy submarines?
USSR and USA
What famous ancient library required sailors to surrender books for copying?
The Library of Alexandria
A 3,500-year-old Babylonian tablet contains the world’s oldest example of what?
A joke
How long did the shortest war in history last?
Where was the world’s oldest known human cremation discovered in Australia?
Lake Mungo
What animal did NASA send into space before humans to test survival conditions?
A chimp (Ham) - before that fruit flies
What did Spartans rely on most in battle instead of heavy armour?
Training and discipline
Knights trained their horses to kick, bite, and shoulder-check enemies — what could they not train them to do?
Fly
How did Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappear in 1976?
He disappeared while swimming
True or False: Australia’s first police force was made up of convicts?
True
Which 20th-century invention originally had the nickname “The Devil’s Instrument” because people feared it would corrupt society
The radio
In which civilisation did the world’s first recorded labour strike take place?
Ancient Egypt
True or False: Animals could be put on trial in medieval Europe?
True
What sweet item did WWI soldiers commonly complain about receiving too little of?
Chocolate
In which decade did the Great Emu War take place?
1930s
In the U.S. in the 1800s, what odd ingredient was sometimes added to milk to make it look fresher (and caused many children to get sick)?
Chalk or plaster