Quirky Literature & Hidden Stories
Fascinating Famous Figures
Mysterious Places & Hidden Gems
Weird & Wonderful Traditions
Language Tricks & Fun Facts
100

This British author wrote Alice in Wonderland but was also a mathematician who loved puzzles.

   Lewis Carroll



100

This German scientist discovered X-rays by accident in 1895.

Wilhelm Röntgen


100

Germany has a sweet museum dedicated entirely to what food?

The Haribo Gummi Bear Museum in Bonn



100

In Spain, what do people throw at each other during La Tomatina?


Tomatoes!



100

Which country has both German and French as official languages?

Switzerland

200

In German folklore, what musician lured away the children of Hamelin with his pipe after the town refused to pay him?

The Pied Piper (Rattenfänger von Hameln)


200

 Coco Chanel made this garment a symbol of elegance in 1926 (Vogue called it 'the Ford of fashion').

The "little black dress"

 

200

In France, there’s an entire village that’s a fake spy town. What’s it called?

Puy du Fou or Oradour-sur-Glane

Puy du Fou is a historical theme park, while Oradour-sur-Glane is a preserved village that was the site of a World War II massacre.


200

In France, people eat crepes on which holiday?


Chandeleur / Candlemas, February 2nd

The holiday marks the presentation of Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after his birth.

200

The French phrase "l’esprit de l’escalier" means what?

Thinking of the perfect comeback too late


300

Which French novel features a phantom living secretly in an opera house?

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

 

300

Which Spanish artist painted melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory?

Salvador Dalí

 

300

Spain has a festival where people build human towers. What’s it called?

Castells in Catalonia


300

In Germany, what do some people jump over on New Year’s Eve for good luck while others practice Bleigießen (melting lead) to predict their future!


Fireworks or small fires


300

Shakespeare invented this word for "to make someone suddenly afraid" in Macbeth. (Hint: Witches use it!)

"startle" ("Startle the ignorant and make them swear.")

400

What Spanish novel features a man who thinks he’s a knight and fights windmills?

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes 



400

This British nurse became famous for carrying a lamp in wartime hospitals.

Florence Nightingale


400

In England, you can visit a library of smells that includes "old books" and "fish & chips." Where?

The Jorvik Viking Centre in York

400

The British have a cheese-rolling race where people chase a wheel downhill. Where?

Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire


400

In Spanish, what does "sobremesa" mean?  

The time spent chatting after a meal


500

Which famous English playwright invented over 1,700 words, including "eyeball" and "bedroom"?

William Shakespeare

500

Which German composer went deaf but still wrote his greatest symphonies?

Ludwig van Beethoven


500

Which German castle was the inspiration for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle?

Neuschwanstein Castle


500

In Austria/Germany, what scary creature punishes naughty kids at Christmas?

 Krampus

500

Which language has the longest word (79 letters)?

German – "Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft"

Danube steamship electricity main depot construction sub-official company