Time Travelers' Tidbits
What unusual substance flooded the streets of London in 1814, killing eight people?
A) Wine
B) Beer
C) Molasses
D) Tea
B) Beer
Explanation: The Great London Beer Flood occurred when a vat burst at Meux’s Brewery.
Which device was commonly used to rewind VHS tapes faster than a VCR?
A) Tape Twister
B) Rewind-O-Matic
C) Cassette Spinner
D) VHS Rewinder
D) VHS Rewinder
Explanation: These standalone gadgets saved wear on your VCR and were often shaped like cars or animals.
Which song begins with the lyrics “Well, you know you make me wanna…”?
A) “Twist and Shout” – The Beatles
B) “Shout” – The Isley Brothers
C) “Respect” – Aretha Franklin
D) “Great Balls of Fire” – Jerry Lee Lewis
B) “Shout” – The Isley Brothers
Explanation: A classic party anthem from 1959, often played at weddings and dances.
In what year did Elvis Presley make his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show”?
A) 1954
B) 1956
C) 1958
D) 1960
B) 1956
Explanation: His performance drew over 60 million viewers and helped launch rock ’n’ roll into the mainstream.
Which of these was a real invention meant to help people walk on water?
A) Inflatable sandals
B) Paddle boots
C) Aqua stilts
D) Water shoes with propellers
B) Paddle boots
Explanation: Invented in the 1950s, they looked like mini canoes strapped to your feet—unsurprisingly, they didn’t catch on.
In 1518, dozens of people in Strasbourg began dancing uncontrollably for days. What is this event known as?
A) The Jitterbug Jamboree
B) The Strasbourg Shuffle
C) The Dancing Plague
D) The Medieval Mambo
C) The Dancing Plague
Explanation: It’s one of history’s strangest mass hysteria events.
What was the primary function of a slide rule?
A) Measuring distance
B) Calculating math problems
C) Drawing straight lines
D) Amplifying sound
B) Calculating math problems
Explanation: Before calculators, engineers and students used slide rules for complex calculations.
Which artist sang “I Will Survive,” a disco anthem of resilience?
A) Donna Summer
B) Diana Ross
C) Gloria Gaynor
D) Chaka Khan
C) Gloria Gaynor
Explanation: Released in 1978, it became a symbol of empowerment and disco culture.
Which U.S. president was elected in the same year that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon?
A) Lyndon B. Johnson
B) Richard Nixon
C) Gerald Ford
D) Jimmy Carter
B) Richard Nixon
Explanation: Nixon was inaugurated in January 1969, just months before the moon landing in July.
What was the purpose of the “Baby Cage” popular in 1930s London?
A) A playpen with wheels
B) A crib that rocked automatically
C) A wire box hung outside windows
D) A collapsible travel bassinet
C) A wire box hung outside windows
Explanation: Designed for apartment-dwelling parents to give babies fresh air—literally hanging out the window.
Which U.S. town was buried under volcanic ash in 1915 after the eruption of Mount Lassen?
A) Shasta
B) Helltown
C) St. Pierre
D) Pompeii, California
B) Helltown
Explanation: Helltown, CA was destroyed by the Lassen Peak eruption and later abandoned.
Which of these was a popular personal digital assistant (PDA) in the late 1990s?
A) PalmPilot
B) iPod
C) Game Boy
D) Walkman
A) PalmPilot
Explanation: The PalmPilot helped users manage contacts, calendars, and notes before smartphones took over.
Which artist preforms a song featuring the lyric “Bye bye Miss American Pie”?
A) Don McLean
B) Bob Dylan
C) Eagles
D) Bruce Springsteen
A) Don McLean - “American Pie”
Explanation: A poetic reflection on the changing music scene of the 1960s.
Which actor won an Oscar in 1975 for his role as Randle McMurphy in “On Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest”?
A) Al Pacino
B) Dustin Hoffman
C) Jack Nicholson
D) Robert De Niro
C) Jack Nicholson
Explanation: His performance earned him his first Academy Award and cemented the film as a classic.
Which of these was a real invention tested in the 1960s to replace cars?
A) Jetpack scooter
B) Monowheel
C) Hover sandals
D) Rocket rollerblades
B) Monowheel
Explanation: A single giant wheel with the rider inside—it looked futuristic but was wildly impractical.
In 1958, a U.S. Air Force plane accidentally dropped what over South Carolina?
A) A tank
B) A nuclear bomb
C) A satellite
D) A weather balloon
B) A nuclear bomb
Explanation: The bomb didn’t detonate, but it left a massive crater near Mars Bluff, SC.
What was the name of the first commercially available video game console?
A) Atari 2600
B) Magnavox Odyssey
C) ColecoVision
D) Intellivision
B) Magnavox Odyssey
Explanation: Released in 1972, it paved the way for home gaming.
Which Motown hit includes the line “Sugar pie, honey bunch”?
A) “My Girl” – The Temptations
B) “I Can’t Help Myself” – Four Tops
C) “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
D) “Stop! In the Name of Love” – The Supremes
B) “I Can’t Help Myself” – Four Tops
Explanation: Released in 1965, it’s one of Motown’s most iconic love songs.
In what year did Oprah Winfrey launch her nationally syndicated talk show?
A) 1984
B) 1986
C) 1988
D) 1990
B) 1986
Explanation: “The Oprah Winfrey Show” quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
What was the “Dymaxion Car,” designed by Buckminster Fuller in the 1930s, known for?
A) Running on solar power
B) Having six wheels
C) Being able to fly
D) Its teardrop shape and rollover risk
D) Its teardrop shape and rollover risk
Explanation: It could seat 11 and turn on a dime, but it was unstable and never mass-produced.
What was the “Cadaver Synod” of 897 AD?
A) A plague council
B) A trial of a dead pope
C) A secret burial ritual
D) A medieval anatomy lesson
B) A trial of a dead pope
Explanation: Pope Stephen VI put the corpse of Pope Formosus on trial in a bizarre display of political revenge.
Which obsolete device used punched cards to store and process data?
A) ENIAC
B) Commodore 64
C) IBM Selectric
D) Apple I
A) ENIAC
Explanation: The ENIAC was one of the earliest electronic general-purpose computers, using punched cards for input.
Which 1960s song was banned by several radio stations for its suggestive lyrics, despite being tame by today’s standards?
A) “Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen
B) “Light My Fire” – The Doors
C) “Let’s Spend the Night Together” – The Rolling Stones
D) “I Got You Babe” – Sonny & Cher
A) “Louie Louie” – The Kingsmen
Explanation: The FBI even investigated the lyrics, which were mostly unintelligible.
Which scientist was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year in 1999 for his role in decoding the human genome?
A) Craig Venter
B) Francis Collins
C) Stephen Hawking
D) James Watson
A) Craig Venter
Explanation: Venter was recognized for his work in sequencing the human genome, a milestone in biotechnology
Which of these bizarre inventions was patented in the early 20th century but never mass-produced?
A) A hat that dispensed soup
B) A motorized pogo stick
C) A revolver-camera combo
D) A typewriter for musical notes
C) A revolver-camera combo
Explanation: It was meant to photograph whoever you were aiming at—equal parts novelty and nightmare.