Pop Culture
Which movie turned Jamaican bobsledders into legends?
Cool Runnings
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
True!
Telling someone they have a bird brain is usually an insult to their intelligence. Ostriches have great eyesight but are not the brightest. Their brains are indeed smaller than one of their eyeballs. Each eye is about the size of a billiard ball which does not leave much room for brains.
How many iconic rings make up the Olympic symbol, symbolizing unity and competition?
Five
The word PRIEST has multiple anagrams, including what word that means an elf or fairy and that is also a brand of lemon-lime flavored soda?
Sprite
Who is said to appear in a mirror if their name is chanted repeatedly?
Bloody Mary
In 2015, which movie had The Rock battling an earthquake bigger than his biceps?
San Andreas
"J" was the last letter added to the English alphabet.
True!
I was a bit surprised that the letter "J" was actually the last letter to be added to the English alphabet. In the Roman alphabet the letters "I" and "J" were used interchangeably. The "J" was called a swash and was typically used at the end of the Roman numerals as the last "I". So instead of VIII, it might have been written as VIIJ. It was not until 1524 that linguist Gian Giorgio Trissino wrote an essay trying to establish the difference between an "I" and a "J" with the "I" representing the vowel and "J" representing a consonant as it is pronounced in Beijing.
Are worker bees the dudes or the divas of the hive?
Females
What profession anagrams, quite appropriately, to the term "moon starer?"
Astronomer
According to urban legend, which candy is supposedly fatal when mixed with soda?
Pop Rocks
When did Simon Cowell leave American Idol and make V-necks sadder?
2010
The Statue of Liberty was once a lighthouse.
True!
Believe it or not, the Statue of Liberty was a lighthouse for 16 years! The statue was officially completed in October of 1886, and a month later it became an operational lighthouse! Not only that, it was the first electric-powered lighthouse in the USA. That is where the coolness ends though, as its functionality was absolutely dreadful.
Which ancient nation was the OG trendsetter, introducing paper money to the world?
China
Take one letter from the adjective "startling" to get what bird that's known for its iridescent plumage and ability to mimic other birds?
Starling
What animal supposedly lives in the sewers of New York City?
Alligators
What year did Street Fighter land its first punch in arcades?
1987
There are no words in the Italian national anthem.
False!
The Italian national anthem "Il Canto degli Italiani" not only has words, it has six stanzas. The Italians most commonly call the hymn "Inno di Mameli" named after the composer of the poem, Goffredo Mameli. The song was very popular during the Italian unification in 1861 but did not become the provisional anthem until 1946.
Many attempts were made to make "Inno di Mameli" the official national anthem, but it was not until 2017 that it became official by de jure. By the way, there are no words in the Spanish national anthem.
What is a baby rabbit called?
A kit!
Since it’s a bit tricky to articulate, the phrase “Sheena leads, Sheila needs” is an example of what tricky alliterative word play?
Tongue twister
In one famous urban legend, a woman comes home to find her dog choking on what?
Human finger
Kim Kardashian’s middle name?
Noel
Australia is wider than the moon's diameter.
True!
Australia is 3,987 km wide from Cape Byron in the east to Steep Point in the west. The diameter of the moon is only 3,475 km making the continent of Australia wider than the diameter of the moon!
What was the longest war in U.S. history?
The war in Afghanistan lasted 20 years.
What term describes a pair of words with the same spelling, but they’re not pronounced the same and they don’t mean the same thing? Think “lead” and “tear.”
Heteronyms
In what country did the legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman originate?
China
Japan
Germany
France
Japan