Halloween Trivia
The first jack o' lantern was carved from what vegetable?
Turnip
“Remember to state your answers in the form of a question.”
What is Jeopardy? Did you know Alex Trebek was once a newscaster for CBS?
In 1954, the first mass vaccination against this disease took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
What is polio? The vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk
This popular soft drink was once a medication.
What is Coke (or Coca-Cola)? The original formula included cocaine as one of its ingredients.
Green is associated with this March 17th celebration.
What is St. Patrick’s Day? When St. Patrick’s Day was strictly a religious holiday in Ireland, the bars were closed.
What is the original purpose of a jack o' lantern?
To ward off evil spirits.
“Come on down.”
What is The Price Is Right? At the close of every episode, animal advocate Bob Barker added, “And don’t forget to spay and neuter your pets,” to remind everyone about responsible pet ownership.
In October 1982, the final round-the-world flight of this airline departed Los Angeles.
What is Pan Am?
This treat began life as an accidentally frozen beverage.
What is popsicle? In 1905, pre-teen Frank Epperson made a homemade soda drink out of water and a powder. He left it on the porch one winter night. The next day, it was frozen with a stir stick in it.
This Dr. Seuss book features Sam (I Am).
What is Green Eggs and Ham? The book contains only 50 different words. Seuss won a bet that he couldn’t write a book using fewer words than the 225 he used in The Cat in the Hat.
What is the best selling Halloween candy?
Snickers bar
“I’d like to buy a vowel.”
What is Wheel of Fortune? The hostess reveals consonants one at a time, and contestants can buy a vowel for $250 to help them solve the word or phrase.
Theodore Kaczynski, better known by this name, was arrested at his Montana cabin after 17 years of bombing random targets.
Who is the Unabomber? Over 17 years, he terrorized the United States with his untraceable bombs, killing three and injuring 24. He sent a manifesto to the FBI, which was published in the Washington Post and the New York Times. David Kaczynski saw the manifesto and called the FBI to report his brother’s strange behavior. The FBI was able to identify him as the Unabomber based on linguistic analysis of some of his other documents. He was convicted and sentenced to life at the Colorado federal supermax prison.
Spencer Silver, a chemist, was working with adhesives when he accidentally created a low-tack adhesive that is used in these notes.
What are Post-It Notes? Ten years after Silver accidentally invented the adhesive, 3M scientist Art Fry used it to invent the Post-It Note.
Accomplished gardeners are said to have this.
What is a green thumb? The expression originated when gardeners’ thumbs turned green from algae growing on the outside of earthenware pots.
What is the record for fastest pumpkin carver?
37 seconds.
“Survey says…”
What is Family Feud? Corporations can use a modified version of the game show for a team-building exercise.
On Christmas Day 1991, this country’s flag flew for the last time, and the country came to an end.
What is the Soviet Union, or U.S.S.R.? It was reborn, minus most of the Soviet republics, as Russia.
Wilson Greatbatch was working on a device to record heartbeats when he accidentally invented this device to regulate heartbeats.
What is pacemaker?
This animate being represents jealousy.
What is Green-Eyed Monster? The phrase comes from Shakespeare’s Othello: “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”
The fear of Halloween is called?
Samhainophobia.
“Center square.”
What is Hollywood Squares?
In 1984, the Winter Olympics were held in this Eastern European city
What is Sarajevo, Yugoslavia?
A U.S. Naval engineer was trying to use springs to keep sensitive equipment from bouncing around on ships. He dropped one of the springs and watched it “walk down,” thereby accidentally inventing this once-popular toy.
What is Slinky? More than 300 million units have been sold.
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is located in this high-security area.
What is “The Green Zone”? It’s a four-square-mile, fortified area.