History
Which was the first country to launch a man into space?
A.) China
B.) United States
C.) Russia
D.) Ireland
C.) Russia
Fun Fact: The first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was sent into space on April 12, 1961.
What animal takes part in Schrödinger's most famous thought experiment?
A.) Gorilla
B.) Horse
C.) Mouse
D.) Cat
D.) Cat
Fun Fact: "Schrodinger's Cat" was not a real experiment and therefore did not scientifically prove anything. Schrodinger's Cat is not even part of any scientific theory. Schrodinger's Cat was simply a teaching tool that Schrodinger used to illustrate how some people were misinterpreting quantum theory.
John Williams composed the music for "Star Wars".
True or False?
True
Fun Fact: John William composes using a pencil and paper on a small writing desk next to his Steinway piano. He has never had time to learn to write music using a computer.
The 2016 Disney animated film 'Moana' is based on which culture?
A.) Hawaiian
B.) German
C.) Asian
D.) Polynesian
D.) Polynesian
Fun Fact: Moana is the 56th animated Disney movie.
What is the Zodiac symbol for Gemini?
A.) Fish
B.) Ram
C.) Twins
D.) Lion
C.) Twins
Fun Fact: One time, my friends mother told me to NEVER trust a left handed Gemini.
Thomas Crapper was a plumber who invented the flushing toilet.
True or False?
False
Fun Fact: Crapper did not invent the toilet, but he did develop an improved tank-filling mechanism still used in toilets today.
What is the official name of the star located closest to the North Celestial Pole?
A.) The North Star
B.) Polaris
C.) The Wishing Star
D.) Aquarius
B.) Polaris
Fun Fact: At a distance of 430 light-years Polaris is still quite bright because it is more than 2,500 times more luminous than the Sun.
How many strings are there on a cello?
A.) 4
B.) 6
C.) 3
D.) 8
A.) 4
Fun Fact: Cello is a shortened form of the Italian word violoncello, which means 'small large violin.'
George Lucas directed the entire original Star Wars trilogy.
True or False?
True
Fun Fact: George Lucas wanted to be racecar driver.
When was Nintendo founded?
A.) 1889
B.) 1904
C.) 1956
D.) 1980
A.) 1889
Fun Fact: The Game Boy Creator Started Out as a Janitor.
What was the first city in the US to host the Olympics?
A.) St. Louis, Missouri
B.) Chicago, Illinois
C.) Charleston, South Carolina
D.) Seattle, Washington
A.) St. Louis, Missouri
Fun Fact: Gold medals are mostly made of silver.
What is the smallest planet in the solar system?
A.) Mars
B.) Earth
C.) Neptune
D.) Mercury
D.) Mercury
Fun Fact: Mercury is also the closest planet to the Sun.
What singer has had a Billboard No. 1 hit in each of the last four decades?
A.) Aretha Franklin
B.) Katy Perry
C.) Mariah Carey
D.) Beyoncé
C.) Mariah Carey
Fun Fact: She has eight jack russell terriers. Their names are: The Good Reverend Pow Jackson, Mutley P Gore Jackson The Third, Jill E Beans, Pipitty Jackson, Cha, Jackie Lambchops, JJ and Squeak E Beans.
How many suns does Luke’s home planet of Tatooine have in Star Wars?
A.) One
B.) Two
C.) Three
D.) Four
B.) Two
Fun Fact: In the original draft of Star Wars, written in 1974, R2-D2 spoke English in complete sentences.
Which of Shakespeare’s plays is the longest?
A.) Romeo and Juliet
B.) King Lear
C.) Hamlet
D.) Macbeth
C.) Hamlet
Fun Fact: Hamlet has been translated into Klingon.
To what political party did Abraham Lincoln belong when elected POTUS?
A.) Democratic
B.) Independent
C.) Whig Party
D.) Republican
D.) Republican
Fun Fact: Abraham Lincoln's Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin, died in Bangor, ME.
The medical term for the belly button is which of the following?
A.) Abdominal Naval
B.) Umbilicus
C.) Nafela
D.) Ompholas
B.) Umbilicus
Fun Fact: Dogs, chimpanzees, lions, and armadillos all have belly buttons, but they aren’t always easy to spot.
Which member of the British pop group "The Spice Girls" was known as Ginger Spice?
A.) Victoria Beckham
B.) Mel B
C.) Geraldine Estelle Halliwell
D.) Emma Bunton
C.) Geraldine Estelle Halliwell
Fun Fact: Geraldine almost skipped the audition because she got sunburnt on a ski trip.
This movie contains the quote, "I feel the need... the need for speed!"?
A.) Top Gun
B.) Fast and Furious
C.) Turbo
D.) Independence Day
A.) Top Gun
Fun Fact: All those scenes up in the air cost the studio big time. Paramount paid up to $7,800 per hour for fuel whenever aircraft were flown outside their normal duties.
What is a dead mall?
A.) A parking lot that use to be a mall but was torn down
B.) A warehouse that sells Halloween decorations
C.) An abandoned mall
D.) A mall that has a DMV
C.) An abandoned mall
Fun Fact: There are 46,990 shopping malls in the United States.
Who is attributed credit for recording the epic poem The Odyssey?
A.) Sappho
B.) Plato
C.) Homer
D.) Pericles
C.) Homer
Fun Fact: Homer didn't actually create The Odyssey. Many of the stories in The Odyssey were passed down for hundreds of years orally before Homer wrote them down.
Which of these elements on the Periodic Table is a Noble Gas?
A.) Neon
B.) Oxygen
C.) Hydrogen
D.) Argyle
A.) Neon
Fun Fact: The name comes from the fact that these elements are virtually unreactive towards other elements or compounds.
What is rapper Drake's real name?
A.) Aubrey D. Graham
B.) Matthew R. Healy
C.) Benito W. Torres
D.) Harold L. Edwards
A.) Aubrey D. Graham
Fun Fact: Drake is Jewish on his mother's side.
Who directed "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982)?
A.) David Lynch
B.) Martin Scorsese
C.) Quentin Tarantino
D.) Steven Spielberg
D.) Steven Spielberg
Fun Facts: ET's face was modeled after poet Carl Sandburg, Albert Einstein and a pug dog.
Who invented the first ever chocolate bar, in 1847?
A.) Senior Geradelli
B.) Joseph Fry
C.) Milton Hershey
D.) Henry Caville
B.) Joseph Fry
Fun Fact: It takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate.
Which U.S. President was in office when the Gulf War began?
A.) Bill Clinton
B.) Ronald Raegan
C.) George H.W. Bush
D.) Jimmy Carter
C.) George H.W. Bush
Fun Fact: This was the first war that was heavily televised. There were live showings of the front lines and bombings on TV by the news media.
Which of the following is NOT a real element?
A.) Vanadium
B.) Krypton
C.) Bromine
D.) Adamantium
D.) Adamantium
Fun Fact: Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy appearing in Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws.
What year was Red Hot Chill Pepper's album "Californication" released?
A.) 1994
B.) 1989
C.) 1999
D.) 2003
C.) 1999
Fun Fact: Flea founded the Silverlake Music Conservatory in Los Angeles in 2001. Their mission is to facilitate basic music education among the youth of Los Angeles.
What did the first moving picture depict?
A.) A galloping horse
B.) A man riding a bike
C.) A bird flying
D.) A woman walking
A.) A galloping horse
Fun Fact: The first moving picture premiered on October 19, 1878.
What year was Queen Elizabeth II born?
A.) 1935
B.) 1926
C.) 1950
D.) 1922
B.) 1926
Fun Fact: She’s the only person in the UK allowed to drive without a license.
What did the first vending machines in the early 1880's dispense?
A.) Postcards
B.) Cigarettes
C.) Pencils
D.) Holy Water
A.) Postcards
Fun Fact: In the early 1920s, the first vending machine that sold soda dispensed it into a cup.
Who developed the first successful polio vaccine in the 1950s?
A.) Dr. Charles Burton
B.) Dr. Lauro Halstead
C.) Dr. Jonas Salk
D.) Dr. Edwin Spindrift
C.) Dr. Jonas Salk
Fun Fact: When asked who owns the patent to the Polio Vaccine Salk said, "Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”
In an orchestra, what is the lowest member of the brass family?
A.) Tuba
B.) Trumpet
C.) Trombone
D.) French Horn
A.) Tuba
Fun Fact: Tubas are so heavy that tubists hold them across their laps while playing them (instead of lifting them up to their mouths, like a trumpet or a trombone).
Who played Batman in the 1997 film "Batman and Robin"?
A.) Adam West
B.) George Clooney
C.) Michael Keaton
D.) Ben Affleck
B.) George Clooney
Fun Fact: Any time spent removing it only slowed down the filming, so Clooney wasn't particularly eager to go through the process unnecessarily. In interviews over the years, the actor has claimed that he therefore took to urinating inside the suit.
Earl Grey tea is black tea flavored with what?
A.) Starfruit
B.) Yuzu
C.) Bergamot
D.) Oranges
C.) Bergamot
Fun Fact: You are less likely to get a “caffeine crash” when you drink tea (as opposed to soda or coffee).