MARCH IQ
MATH
RIDDLES
St. Patrick's Day
General Knowledge
100

Which March event occurred last in history?

A. “The Star-Spangled Banner” became the national anthem.

B. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game.

C. Mickey Mantle retired from baseball.

D. Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens.

(C) 

Mickey Mantle retired from baseball on March 1, 1969. Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962. “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially became the national anthem on March 3, 1931. Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens on March 2, 1917.

100

120 ÷ 60 =

3

2

5

4

2

100

Dark or white, sweet or bitter, sometime I can be Belgian and sometimes I can be Swiss. What am I?

Chocolate

100

Leprechauns are often associated with Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. What do you call the stick leprechauns carry?Hint

 Crutch

 Pole

 Brace

 Shillelagh

Answer: Shillelagh

The leprechauns use the shillelagh to gain access to their rainbow. The stick is crooked and made of wood.

100

The Volkswagen Beetle first appeared on American soil in 1949 and was the brainchild of both Ferdinand Porsche and which well known dictator, easily identifiable by his mustache?

 Benito Mussolini

 Adolf Hitler

 Idi Amin

 Kim Il-Sung

Answer: Adolf Hitler

This car was the epitome of the company's notion of the "People's Car".

200

True or false? March used to be the first month of the year.

True. 

When the Roman king Numa Pompilius revised the Roman calendar, he made January the first month.

200

2 X 18 =

46

56

36

26

36

200

I love sugars and treats, I am a little critter and I sound a lot like your Mom and Dad’s sister. What am I?

An ant

200

What does a shamrock look like?Hint

 A cross with flowers

 A stem with one leaf

 A star

 A stem with three or four leaves

Answer: A stem with three or four leaves

A shamrock is a green plant with, most of the time, three leaves. Sometimes people find shamrocks with four leaves. They are said to bring you good luck!

200

On 17 December 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright managed four successful test flights in Kitty Hawk (the first powered, controlled flight of a heavier-than-air flying machine) flying further with each successive flight. But how long did the first flight last?Hint

 3 minute 33 seconds

 8 Minutes and 10 seconds

 12 seconds

 Unknown - nobody had a stopwatch

Answer: 12 seconds

Having repaired the plane after the first abortive test flight on 14 December 1903 piloted by Wilbur, who had won the toss to do the first flight, Orville then took charge for the first test flight on the 17 December and successfully flew 120 feet (30 metres) on the first attempt lasting twelve seconds.

300

Which is NOT considered one of the symbolic meanings of

March’s birth flower the daffodil?

A. New beginnings

B. Good luck

C. Prosperity

D. Royalty

(D) Royalty. 

Daffodils are typically white, orange, or pale yellow blooms.

300

22 + 22 =

45

44

46

47


44

300

Hillary went out to dinner at a restaurant. She lost something very important. She looked everywhere but to no avail. Suddenly a beautiful waitress came up to her with the very thing she was looking for. What did the waitress say to Hillary?

Here’s your Bill

300

What color do you see a lot of on St. Patrick's Day?Hint

 Green

 Purple

 White

 Gray

Answer: Green

Green is used very much on St. Patrick's Day. It is one of the colors on the Irish flag.

300

A spirited Charles Lindbergh achieved the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean on 27 May 1921. What was the name of his plane?Hint

 Spruce Goose

 Memphis Belle

 Spirit of St Louis

 Hindenburg

Answer: Spirit of St Louis

The Spirit of St Louis cost $18,000 and financing this was difficult due to Lindbergh's obscurity, however Lindbergh raised $2,000 from his salary as an air mail pilot, $15,000 came from a business loan acquired by two St Louis businessmen and $1,000 from RAC. The success of the crossing from Long Island, New York to Paris, France allowed Lindbergh to win the $25,000 Orteig Prize taking 33 hours and 30 minutes.

400

What sport does March Madness center around?

_______________

Basketball. The first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament was played in 1939 and had only eight teams. Today, the event includes 68 teams.

400

7 X 7 =49

47

48

49

46

49

400

David's father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?

A: David.

400

St. Patrick's Day is the national day of Ireland. What three colors make up the Irish flag?Hint

 Purple, Lime Green, Pink

 Green, White, Red

 Green, White, Orange

 Red, White, Blue

Answer: Green, White, Orange

The Irish flag is sometimes mistaken to be the Italian flag. The Italian flag has the colors green, white, and red.

400

T'was a grave mistake revealing the first known recipe for the delectable chocolate chip cookie in 1938 but who was it that invented this?Hint

 Momofuku Ando

 Ruth Wakefield

 Caesar Cardini

 Walter Diemer

Answer: Ruth Wakefield

We have Chef Ruth Graves Wakefield to thank for this, conceived apparently after returning from a trip to Egypt and was the inspiration of her Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie in Whitfield, Massachusetts.

500

Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874. Which of the following is NOT one of his poems?

A. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

B. “O Captain! My Captain!”

C. “The Road Not Taken”

D. “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

(B) “O Captain! My Captain!” was written by Walt Whitman.

500

48 ÷ 4 =

12

14

16

13

12

500

Which fish costs the most?

A: A goldfish.

500

Was St. Patrick really a saint?

 Yes

 No

Answer: Yes

He was a Catholic saint and is the patron saint of Ireland. He is often depicted dressed in all green and holding a shamrock.

500

Before the Americans reached the Moon, the Russians managed to achieve the first ever space walk in 1965, but which Cosmonaut was it who first floated high above the Earth?Hint

 Pavel Belyayev

 Alexei Leonov

 Pavel Chekov

 Yuri Gagarin

Answer: Alexei Leonov

A Russian named Alexei Leonov did it on 18 March 1965 as he left the Voskhod 2 capsule and floated freely in space whilst tethered to it for just over twelve minutes. His walk was not without difficulties however, as once in space, his suit ballooned and could not re-enter the airlock. He bled his suit beyond it's safety limits to make it more flexible thus allowing him to get back on board but not without suffering the bends from decompression.

600

True or false? One of March’s birthstones gets its name from the Latin word aqua, meaning “water,” and marina, meaning “the sea.”

True. The birthstone is aquamarine.

600

64 ÷ 8 =

8

7

9

6

8

600

Forward, I am heavy; backward, I am not. What am I?

A: A ton

600

Why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17th?Hint

 It's when Jesus died.

 It's when St. Patrick died.

 It's when St. Patrick was born.

 It's when Jesus was born

Answer: It's when St. Patrick died.

St. Patrick died on March 17th, 461. We celebrate Jesus's birth at Christmas time.

600

Howdy y'all - the first 'laundromat' was opened in the US in 1934. Which US state was this in?Hint

 Texas

 Florida

 California

 Ohio

Answer: Texas

Whilst the first electric wringer clothes washer was developed in the early 1900s, it was unreliable as the motor rotated under the the tub and could cause short circuits and shocks if any of the water dripped down onto it.

700

Christopher Walken was born on March 31, 1943. For what movie did he win the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role?

A. The Deer Hunter

B. Seven Psychopaths

C. Pulp Fiction

D. A View to a Kill

(A) The Deer Hunter. Fun fact: In 1959, he began his professional career using the name Ronnie Walken.

700

75 ÷ 25 =

5

4

3

2

3

700

What has hands but cannot clap?

A: A clock.

700

What is meant to be at the end of a leprechaun rainbow?Hint

 Socks

 Pot of gold

 A house

 Nothing

Answer: Pot of gold

At the end of every rainbow there is a pot of gold. If you know your Lucky Charms cereal that would have been easy. Leprechauns guard their pot of gold very fiercely!

700

Ah, let's make today great. The breakfast of many - Corn Flakes. But who invented them?

 John Kellogg

 Will Kellogg

Answer: Will Kellogg

Will Kellogg invented the Corn Flakes whilst working at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, in Michigan along with his brother, John, who was the Superintendent there.

800

Born on March 31, 1929, who was the first woman to found a company that made it onto the Fortune 500 list?

A. Estée Lauder

B. Coco Chanel

C. Mary Kay Ash

D. Liz Claiborne

(D) Liz Claiborne. 

The company made the list in 1986, and Claiborne was elected chairman of the board and CEO of the company the following year.

800

1235-45=

1191

1189

1190

1180

1190

800

What is at the end of a rainbow?

A: The letter W!

800

What type of tree do leprechauns supposedly live in?Hint

 Laurel

 Hawthorn

 Oak

 Maple

Answer: Hawthorn

The Irish would dance around hawthorn trees and hope to catch a leprechaun coming out for good luck. Leprechauns are good luck... if you can catch one!

800

Memory is going and you're feeling a bit Deep Blue? Well, 1971 saw the first production of the Floppy Disc which helped forward the development of the computer, but which company invented this?Hint

 Walmart

 IBM

 Microsoft

 Chevron

Answer: IBM

IBM, in the late 1960s, decided to use semiconductor memory as the basis of storage for future systems. Alan Shugart, IBM's Direct Access Storage Product Manager gave the job eventually to Donald L Wartner and Herbert E Thompson after a failed attempt at a new style tape system.

900

On March 6, 1981, Walter Cronkite signed off with his trademark phrase, “And that’s the way it is,” for the last time. What news show was he leaving?

A. Meet the Press

B. NBC Nightly News

C. ABC World News Tonight

D. CBS Evening News

(D) CBS Evening News. He had worked on the show for 19 years and established himself as “the most trusted man in America.” Dan Rather replaced Cronkite and went on to anchor the CBS Evening News even longer—a whopping 24 years.

900

144/3=

48

46

58

44

48

900

 I have no life, but I can die. What am I?

A: A battery.

900

What is a traditional meal eaten on St. Patrick's Day?Hint

 Spaghetti and Meatballs

 Chicken and Rice

 Bread and Barley

 Corned Beef and Cabbage

Answer: Corned Beef and Cabbage

Corned beef and cabbage is traditionally eaten on St. Patrick's Day. All it is a type of beef, cooked cabbage and other vegetables.

900

Konnichiwa, which country attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 which brought the United States into the Second World War?Hint

 Italy

 Russia

 United Kingdom

 Japan

Answer: Japan

At 7:48 am Hawaiian Time on 7 December 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise military attack against the American naval base Pearl Harbor base, Oahu Island, Hawaii after months of negotiations between the two countries over the future of the Pacific.

1000

Born on March 25, 1942, what singer is known as the Queen of Soul and famously sang the songs “Respect” and “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”?

_____

Aretha Franklin. In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1000

5875+65=

5945

5935

5940

5942

5940

1000

What can you catch but never throw?

A: A cold.

1000

Which of these choices is an Irish dance?Hint

 Boogy

 Slide

 Swing

 Jig

Answer: Jig

Irish jigs are upbeat songs that the Irish sing and dance to. They are played with whistles and other instruments.

1000

Wishing to declare your independence? Hearing a Liberty Bell ringing every now and then? Writing up a constitution? These three events occurred in the same American state that also saw an accident occur in 1979 on Three Mile Island, which almost ended up going nuclear. Which state was this?Hint

 Maine

 Michigan

 Virginia

 Pennsylvania

Answer: Pennsylvania

On 28 March 1979, the Unit 2 reactor accident in The Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station began at 4:00am where radioactive gases and radioactive iodine were released into the environment.