Spain
USA! USA! USA!
General Europe
Miscellaneous
100
The Spanish national anthem, “Marcha Real” (Royal March), is the only national anthem in the world that has no lyrics.
FICTION! There are four countries that have anthems with no official lyrics:
Spain
San Marino
Kosovo
Bosnia and Herzegovina
100
The first automobile was developed in the United States.
FICTION! The first practical, commercially available car, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, was developed in Germany in 1888.
100
The Netherlands has more bicycles than people.
FACT! The Netherlands has approximately 17.9 million people and 23 million bicycles, which includes around 2.4 million e-bikes. Bicycles are the primary mode of transportation in the Netherlands, and one study even suggests that the Dutch are extending their life expectancy by half a year because of their love for cycling.
100
The human heart beats 27 times per minute.
FICTION! The average resting heart rate for adults is typically between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
200
Historians believe that the name España (Spain), came from the word Ispania, which means "rabbit".
FACT! The name was given to the land in around 300 BCE by the Carthaginians.
200
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from Portugal to the United States.
FICTION! The copper statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel.
200
The Eiffel Tower is the most visited attraction in all of Europe.
FICTION! With 14 million annual visitors, the Notre Dame is the most visited attraction in Europe. The Eiffel Tower only gets around 7 million annual visitors.
200
The newest addition to the periodic table was added in 2012.
FICTION! The most recent elements officially added to the periodic table were Nihonium (Nh), Moscovium (Mc), Tennessine (Ts), and Oganesson (Og), with their names and symbols being officially accepted by IUPAC in November 2016.
300
Spain sold the state of Texas to the United States in 1819.
FICTION! Spain sold the state of Florida to the U.S. in 1819.
300
American pioneers braved a 3.200+ km train ride to emigrate west.
FICTION! American pioneers braved a 3.200-km trek on foot and horseback to emigrate west.
300
La Sagrada Familia has been under construction for longer than it took the Egyptians to build the Pyramids.
FACT! The Pyramids were constructed in 85 years, between 2589 and 2504 BC. La Sagrada Familia has been under construction since 1882, making 2025 it's 134th year of construction.
300
The Caesar salad was named for Julius Caesar.
FICTION! in reality the salad was named after Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant restaurateur at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico.
400
The oldest city in the Western World is located in Spain, founded in 1100 BCE by the Phoenicians.
FACT! It's Gadir, now known as Cádiz.
400
An entire colony of people off the coast of North Carolina - almost 100 total - vanished (or disappeared) without a trace in the late 1500s.
FACT! The colony was founded in 1585, but when it was visited by a ship in 1590, the colonists had inexplicably disappeared. It has come to be known as the Lost Colony, and the fate of the 112 to 121 colonists remains unknown.
400
Believing them to be sent by Satan, one Pope in history ordered all cats in Europe to be exterminated.
FACT! Pope Gregory IV commanded that black cats throughout Europe should be killed, so his followers did it. Unfortunately, a decrease in cats went hand-in-hand with an increase in rats. Yikes.
400
The shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes.
FACT! The Anglo-Zanzibar War, (August 27, 1896), was a brief conflict between the British Empire and the East African island sultanate of Zanzibar.
500
The oldest restaurant in the world is located in Madrid.
FACT! It has been running since 1725 and is called Sobrino de Botín.
500
From 1920-1933 the manufacturing (making), selling, or transporting of alcohol was absolutely illegal.
FACT! The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution forbade the manufacturing, selling, or transporting of alcohol (but allowed the possession and consumption of alcohol?). 1000 Americans died every year of the Prohibition from drinking tainted illegal alcohol.
500
There is a town in Italy where an bi-annual Human Chess Game has been played since 1923.
FACT!
Choosing a husband this way actually happened in 1454 during the Renaissance in Europe. Travel back in time to 1454 in Marostica, a small town in northern Italy. Taddeo Parisio, Lord of Marostica, had a daughter Lionora who attracted the attention of two suitors who challenged each other to a duel. The lord declared that they would play a chess game instead, and human actors representing the pieces would show the moves as they were made. Lionora would take the winner as her husband. The loser would also join the family but marry instead the younger daughter, Oldrada.
The two contenders — Rinaldo d'Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara — faced off over a chessboard in the square. To add to the drama, the father insisted that the chess challenge had to be honored by a performance of soldiers and knights with fireworks, dances, and music.
500
James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Williams, and Rosalind Franklin worked together to write the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe.
FICTION! They worked together to discover the double helix structure of DNA.
