American Presidents
Marvel Films
Dolphins
Christmas
Sports
100
Whose false teeth were made from elephant and walrus tusks, gold, and ivory not wood.
George Washington
100
What year was the first Iron Man movie released, kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
2005
2008
2012
2008
100
Do dolphins fart?
Yes, dolphins like humans and other mammals fart or pass gas.
100
What's the largest every Christmas gift given?
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The holidays are drawing closer, and that means it's time to finish up your shopping, trim your tree, and get those Christmas greetings in the mail. In 2020, your celebrations will likely be different than usual—smaller, and hopefully safer—so, you may need an extra dose of seasonal spirit this year. If that's the case, or if you're in need of some great icebreakers for festive family video chats, read on for TK fun Christmas facts that'll fill you—and anyone you're chatting with—with the magic of the holidays! And for what to stream this season, This Is the Single Most Popular Holiday Movie of All Time, Survey Says.
Love Decorating for Christmas? Make Extra Cash as a ‘Holiday Decorator’
1"Jingle Bells" was the first song played in space.
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It's hard to imagine what you'd want to rock out to if you were to ever float among the stars. But the crew of NASA's Gemini 6A space flight got into the Christmas spirit and made history when they played "Jingle Bells" on December 16, 1965, earning the jolly jingle the Guinness World Record for being the first song ever played in space. Well, as far we know, at least…
For some other worthy candidates for that honor, check out The 50 Best One-Hit Wonders of All Time.
2And it was originally a Thanksgiving song!
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"Jingle Bells" may be one of the most well-known Christmas songs, but it was originally composed as a Thanksgiving tune. Written by Unitarian church organist James Lord Pierpont in the 1850s, in Savannah, Georgia, the song was "first performed during a Thanksgiving concert at [his] church," Time explains.
3The tradition of hanging stockings comes from a legend about marriage.
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Have you ever wondered why we hang up stockings—which are basically fancy socks—during the holiday season only to wake up on Christmas morning to find them filled with tiny gifts? According to the Smithsonian, one of the most popular legends about the tradition's origins is the tale of a poor widower who worried that he wouldn't be able to marry off his three daughters because of his lack of wealth.
Fortunately, Smithsonian explains, "St. Nicholas was wandering through the town where the man lived and heard villagers discussing that family's plight. He wanted to help but knew the man would refuse any kind of charity directly. Instead, one night, he slid down the chimney of the family's house and filled the girls' recently laundered stockings, which happened to be drying by the fire, with gold coins. And then he disappeared." In the morning, the family found the gifts, and the daughters became eligible to wed. 'Twas a Christmas miracle!
For how the Queen and her family will be celebrating, check out 15 Royal Christmas Traditions That You Need to Know About.
4The NORAD Santa Tracker was created due to a child's misunderstanding.
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The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has been tracking Santa's journey around the world since 1958. According to their website, the innovation was set into motion in 1955, when "a young child [accidentally] dialed the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, believing she was calling Santa Claus after seeing a promotion in a local newspaper." The commander on duty, Colonel Harry Shoup, saw an opportunity to create a little Christmas magic, and assured the youngster that CONAD would guarantee Santa a safe journey from the North Pole, sparking the idea to track Santa's travels each year to the delight of children all over the world.
5If you gave all the gifts listed in the "Twelve Days of Christmas," it would equal 364 presents.
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Sing along: "On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me / A partridge in a pear tree." Let's keep going! "On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me / Two turtle doves, and / A partridge in a pear tree." If you continue to sing the famous festive tune and count up all of the gifts that are bestowed upon the lucky singer in the lyrics—French hens, turtle doves, calling birds, and so much more—you'd end up with 364 presents.
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6In Ukraine, spiders are considered symbols of good luck at Christmas.
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When you think about Christmas creatures, reindeer and polar bears probably jump to mind… but what about spiders? In Ukraine, families often add spider web ornaments to their trees as a nod to a lovely seasonal story about the critters once using their silky string to decorate the tree of a poor widow and her children.
7Santa has a postal code in Canada.
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If you are in Canada and want to become pen pals with Santa Claus, you can send him a letter via the Canada Post mail system. The address? Santa Claus, North Pole, HOH OHO, Canada. And don't be surprised when you get a letter back! He has some helpers who keep up with his correspondence.
For everything you didn't realize about that evergreen in your living room, here are 27 Amazing Christmas Trees Facts to Make the Holidays Extra Magical.
8There is a Christmas tree in Spain worth $15 million.
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Most of us have Christmas decorations that we hold dear for sentimental reasons, but the ornaments that adorn the Christmas tree at the Kempinski Hotel Bahia, near Marbella, Spain, have a different type of value. According to CNN, the tree is festooned with red, white, pink, and black diamonds, as well as jewelry from Bulgari, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Chanel. And just for good measure, you'll also find 3D-printed chocolate peacocks, feathers, ostrich eggs, and bottles of perfume on the tree, which is worth a whopping $15 million!
9The Christmas tree pickle is a tradition to keep eager kids calm on Christmas morning.
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According to Today, the Christmas pickle is more than just a common ornament, it's a tradition. As the quirky tradition goes, the first child to find the glass pickle hidden in the tree on Christmas morning either wins a prize or the privilege of opening the first gift. The goal? To keep kids from rushing through the process of opening presents, and instead take the time to enjoy each one.
For some fascinating regional holiday traditions, check out 17 Ways Christmas Is Different Across the U.S.
10Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was originally created as an advertising gimmick.
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has been a popular holiday character for some time now, and one that many recognize from the beloved 1964 TV movie of the same name. However, according to the Smithsonian Insider, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appeared in 1939 when Montgomery Ward department store asked one of its copywriters, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to create a Christmas story the store could give away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick." And thus Rudolph was born, with Montgomery Ward distributing 2.4 million copies of the story in the first year of its publication.
11Eggnog dates back to medieval times.
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Eggnog is a signature beverage of the holiday season, and one that has a history dating all the way back to medieval times and a drink called "posset." Made with sweetened and spiced milk curdled with ale or wine and served hot, according to Healthline, monks in the 13th century "enjoyed this mixture with the addition of eggs and figs."
12Tinsel was once made of real silver.
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Throwing some tinsel on your Christmas tree is a quick and inexpensive way to jazz up your holiday décor, and has been for years. However, it used to be a much pricier adornment. According to the BBC, tinsel has its origins in the early 1600s in Nuremberg, Germany, where people "used thin strands of real silver in their trees to reflect candlelight, as they used to put real candles in their trees." And since silver was expensive, being able to use tinsel in your tree was something of a status symbol.
13Americans expect to spend around $850 on Christmas gifts each year.
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In 2020, U.S. consumers on average expected to spend $805 on gifts this holiday season, according to a Gallup poll.
14But they actually end up spending nearly $1,500 on presents.
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Despite intent to stick to a Christmas-gift budget that's under $1,000, most Americans tend to go a little overboard. In an October 2019 study, Deloitte found that U.S. consumers spend around $1,496 during the giving season.
15The Statue of Liberty is the largest Christmas gift ever given.
Standing over 150 feet tall and weighing 225 tons, the Statue of Liberty is an impressive figure. And since it was considered a holiday gift when it was given to the U.S. by France in 1886, it's officially the largest Christmas present in the world.
100
In which country is there a football stadium where the centre line is exactly on the line of the equator, so the competing teams in a match are always on different hemispheres?
Brazil.
200
Who was the shortest US President?
James Madison at 5ft4
200
Who is the God of Mischief?
Loki
200
True or false? Dolphins are as smart as apes, the evolutions of their brains are similar to humans, and are said to be the second-most intelligent animals after humans.
True! Dolphins are highly intelligent.
200
According to research how much does the average American spend on Christmas gifts each year?
$500
$850
$1000
$1000
200
The longest ever tennis match at Wimbledon?
6 hrs 15 minutes
11 hrs 5 minutes
24 hrs 1 minute
11 hrs 5 minutes in 2010 when John Isner of the US beat Nicolar Mahut of France
300
Which president is honoured in the Wrestling Hall of Fame?
Abraham Lincoln
300
What is the name of the axe created for and then used by Thor in Avengers: Infinity War?
Stormbreaker
300
In what film was a dolphin fed burgers because it was "wrong for dolphins to eat raw fish"?
The Inbetweeners Moview
300
What was the first Christmas song played in space?
Jingle Bells on December 16th 1965 onbard NASA's Gemini 6A space flight
300
Golf balls, on average, have how many dimples?
- 336
- 1300
- 2456
336
400
Which President married his fifth cousin (once removed)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
400
Which country is Black Panther next in line to be king of?
Wakanda
400
Which is the largest breed of dolphin?
The Orca whale
400
Which century does Eggnog date back to?
Made with sweetened and spiced milk curdled with ale or wine and served hot, according to Healthline, monks in the 13th century "enjoyed this mixture with the addition of eggs and figs."
400
IF *BLANK BLANK* WERE A COUNTRY, HE’D RANK NO. 35 ON THE ALL-TIME OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL LIST, AHEAD OF 97 NATIONS.
Michael Phelps, the Australian swimmer.
500
Which US President Dwight D. Eisenhower installed a putting green in the White House and played over 800 games of golf while in office.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
500
Which Avenger does Thor team up with in Thor: Ragnarok?
Hulk
500
How many stomachs do dolphins have?
Dolphins have two stomachs, just like cows. The first one stores the food, and the second one is where digestion takes place.
500
Explain the tradition behind the Christmas Tree pickle?
The Christmas pickle is a quirky tradition, the first child to find the glass pickle hidden in the tree on Christmas morning either wins a prize or the privilege of opening the first gift. The goal? To keep kids from rushing through the process of opening presents, and instead take the time to enjoy each one.
500
During the Olympic Games in China, which athlete only ate chicken nuggets as it was the only meal he recognised from home?
Usain Bolt, and ultimately, he won three gold medals with this diet.