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
In France, there’s an entire village that’s a fake spy town. What’s it called?
Puy du Fou or Oradour-sur-Glane
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
Germany has a sweet museum dedicated entirely to what food?
The Haribo Gummi Bear Museum in Bonn
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"