A
Who did artist Grant Wood use as the model for the farmer in his classic painting "American Gothic?"
A: Traveling salesman
B: Local sheriff
C: His dentist
D: His butcher
C: His dentist
Wood's dentist was Byron McKeeby, who was 62 years old in 1930.
During World War II, US soldiers used the first commercial aerosol cans to hold what?
A: Cleaning fluid
B: Antiseptic
C: Insecticide
D: Shaving cream
C: Insecticide
The soldiers fighting in more tropical climates, like the South Pacific, used the cans to fight off the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Who is credited with inventing the first mass-produced helicopter?
A: Igor Sikorsky
B: Elmer Sperry
C: Ferdinand von Zeppelin
D: Gottlieb Daimler
A: Igor Sikorsky
The world’s first practical helicopter, the VS-300, took flight on September 14, 1939, in Stratford, Connecticut. It was designed by Sikorksy.
Khrushchev's famous 1960 shoe-banging outburst at the UN was in response to a delegate from what nation?
A: Australia
B: The Netherlands
C: The Philippines
D: Turkey
C: The Philippines
It's unclear if the shoe-banging actually took place, but Khrushchev was certainly pounding his fist on the desk.
Which insect shorted out an early supercomputer and inspired the term “computer bug?”
A: Moth
B: Roach
C: Fly
D: Japanese beetle
A: Moth
Hopper's notes from September 9, 1947, show that she had encountered a moth inside her computer.
Famous pediatrician and author Dr. Benjamin Spock won an Olympic gold medal in what sport?
A: Swimming
B: Rowing
C: Fencing
D: Sailing
B: Rowing
Spock was on the eight-man American team that won the gold medal at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
In the children’s book series, where is Paddington Bear originally from?
A: India
B: Peru
C: Canada
D: Iceland
B: Peru
Paddington was raised by his Aunt Lucy in Peru, after being orphaned due to an earthquake, according to Paddington's website.
How many days make up a non-leap year in the Islamic calendar?
A: 365
B: 400
C: 354
D: 376
C: 354
The Islamic calendar has 11 less days than the widely-used Gregorian calendar, which has 365 days in a non-leap year.
Which of these US presidents appeared on the television series "Laugh-In?"
A: Lyndon Johnson
B: Richard Nixon
C: Jimmy Carter
D: Gerald Ford
B: Richard Nixon
Nixon appeared on the comedy show while he was on the campaign trail in 1968.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, what is the approximate number of people who have ever lived on earth?
A: 5o billion
B: 100 billion
C: 1 trillion
D: 5 trillion
B: 100 billion
It was actually 106.5 billion, to be precise.
Neurologists believe that the brain's medial ventral prefrontal cortex is activated when you do what?
A: Have a panic attack
B: Remember a name
C: Get a joke
D: Listen to music
C: Get a joke
According to The Science of Psychotherapy, "[the prefrontal cortex] has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior."
Compiled by Benjamin Franklin in 1737, "The Drinker's Dictionary" included all but which of these synonyms for "drunkenness?"
A: Nimptopsical
B: Buzzey
C: Pifflicated
D: Staggerish
C: Pifflicated
Pifflicated does mean drunk, but Franklin didn't include it in his book.
Which of the following men does not have a chemical element named for him?
A: Albert Einstein
B: Niels Bohr
C: Isaac Newton
D: Enrico Fermi
C: Isaac Newton
Poor Newton — the other three have Einsteinium, Bohrium, and Fermium, respectively.
Which of the following landlocked countries is entirely contained within another country?
A: Lesotho
B: Burkina Faso
C: Mongolia
D: Luxembourg
A: Lesotho
Lesotho is completely surrounded by South Africa. Prince Harry himself spent two months working in Lesotho, and now his charity Sentebale is focused on HIV/AIDS prevention in Lesotho and Botswana.
Which king was married to Eleanor of Aquitaine?
A: Henry I
B: Henry II
C: Richard I
D: Henry V
B: Henry II
The two were together for 14 years, before Eleanor left due to Henry's multiple infidelities.
Which of these is not one of the American Triple Crown horse races?
A: Arlington Million
B: Belmont Stakes
C: Kentucky Derby
D: Preakness Stakes
A: Arlington Million
The Arlington Million is held at Arlington Park, in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
What club did astronaut Alan Shepard use to make his famous golf shot on the moon?
A: Nine iron
B: Sand wedge
C: Six iron
D: Seven iron
C: Six iron
Shepard smuggled his golf club onto the ship — only a few people at NASA knew his plan.
The song "God Bless America" was originally written for what 1918 musical?
A: "Oh Lady! Lady!!"
B: "Yip, Yip, Yaphank"
C: "Blossom Time"
D: "Watch Your Step"
B: "Yip, Yip, Yaphank"
However, the song didn't make it into the musical's final cut.
What letter must appear on the beginning of the registration number of all non-military aircraft in the US?
A: N
B: A
C: U
D: L
A: N
The US received N as its designated letter at the International Air Navigation Convention in 1919, and the earliest legal requirement dates back to 1927.
What scientist first determined that human sight results from images projected onto the retina?
A: Galileo
B: Copernicus
C: Johannes Kepler
D: Isaac Newton
C: Johannes Kepler
Kepler offered the first retinal theory in 1604.
The US icon Uncle Sam was based on Samuel Wilson who worked during the War of 1812 as a what?
A: Meat inspector
B: Mail deliverer
C: Historian
D: Weapons mechanic
A: Meat inspector
A resolution passed by Congress in 1961 recognized Sam Wilson as the namesake of the national symbol.
The Earth is approximately how many miles away from the Sun?
A: 9.3 million
B: 39 million
C: 93 million
D: 193 million
C: 93 million
Or 150 million kilometers
If you planted the seeds of Quercus robur, what would grow?
A: Trees
B: Flowers
C: Vegetables
D: Grain
A: Trees
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, there are about 450 species of trees and shrubs considered to be oaks.
Now used to refer to a cat, the word "tabby" is derived from the name of a district of what world capital?
A: Baghdad
B: New Delhi
C: Cairo
D: Moscow
A: Baghdad
The word evolved from the word "attabi," which was the name of a specific type of silk cloth made in Baghdad, according to Deseret News.
Which scientific unit is named after an Italian nobleman?
A: Pascal
B: Ohm
C: Volt
D: Hertz
C: Volt
The volt is named after scientist Alessandro Volta, who invented the first electrical battery in 1800.