Touchdown Jesus and Other Fun Facts
This former Notre Dame player, who went on to become an NFL Hall of Famer, was initially reluctant to play quarterback and nearly quit football altogether.
Who is Joe Montana?
This country is credited with originating the tradition of an egg-delivering hare as part of springtime celebrations.
What is Germany?
In 1518, a mysterious outbreak in Strasbourg caused dozens of people to do this nonstop for days, causing many to die of exhaustion.
What is dancing?
This author, known for creating a famous detective, publicly defended the authenticity of photographs supposedly showing fairies in a garden.
Who is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?
This surgical procedure, often performed when complications arise during childbirth, is not really named after a certain Roman emperor.
What is Cesarean section?
A 1920s sportswriter first used this famous phrase to describe Notre Dame’s backfield after a dominant win over Army, a reference to biblical imagery.
What is "The Four Horsemen"?
This British chocolate brand is known for its egg-shaped candy filled with white and yellow fondant resembling a yolk.
What is Cadbury?
A military commander known as “Mad Jack” fought in World War II carrying a longbow and this medieval weapon instead of a gun.
What is a broadsword?
A 1934 photograph of a supposed sea creature turned out to be a toy submarine with a plastic head. The image became one of the most iconic depictions of this cryptid.
What is the Loch Ness Monster?
This artist painted the Fallen Angel, a Romantic-era painting depicting the moment Lucifer was cast out of Heaven.
Who is (Alexandre) Cabanel?
Notre Dame's band holds the distinction of being the oldest of this kind in the country.
What is a university marching band?
In Orthodox Christian countries, Easter is often celebrated on a different date due to adherence to this calendar system.
What is the Julian calendar?
During a heated debate in the U.S. Congress in 1856, a representative from South Carolina severely beat Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts senator, with this object, nearly killing him.
What is a cane?
Napoleon Bonaparte was long thought to be very short due to confusion between the French and English systems of measurement. His actual height was about this many inches.
What is 67 inches? (5 feet 7 inches)
This blood vessel supplies the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.
What is a coronary artery?
Notre Dame's first football game was played in 1887 against this university.
What is the University of Michigan?
It takes this many minutes to produce a single marshmallow Peep.
What is six minutes?
This U.S. President once gave a two-hour inaugural speech in freezing weather without a coat, leading to his death just 32 days later.
Who is William Henry Harrison?
In 1835, the New York Sun published a hoax claiming that life had been discovered on this celestial body, including bat-like humanoids and bipedal beavers.
What is the Moon? (The Great Moon Hoax)
This mathematical term describes a two-dimensional surface defined by two number lines, often used to plot points or equations.
What is a coordinate plane?
One of Notre Dame’s greatest rivalries is marked by an annual game that awards the winner this trophy, a tradition that began in 1952.
What is the Jeweled Shillelagh?
This Eastern European country celebrates Easter with a unique tradition where men splash women with water or lightly whip them with willow branches for good luck.
What is Slovakia?
In 1859, American businessman Joshua Norton declared himself this self-appointed national figure and became a beloved eccentric in San Francisco.
What is Emperor of the United States?
This fossil, “discovered” in early 20th-century England, was believed to be the missing link between humans and apes before being revealed as a forgery.
What is Piltdown Man?
This large, flightless bird, often confused with an emu, is native to New Guinea and other nearby islands, as well as northeastern Australia.
What is a cassowary?