Old Wives Tales
Urban Legends
Riddles
Let's hear it for the ladies!!!
Animals and Presidents...The President is an Animal
100

According to this Canadian Old Wives Tale, finding this kind of insect in a garage brings you good luck. 

What is a Ladybug?

Origin: Farmers have long known that ladybugs are good for their crops, since these cute insects eat harmful crop pests.  Therefore seeing ladybugs on crops was considered a sign of good luck. But why in a garage???

100
Fact or Urban Legend? Scientists say we use only 10 percent of our brain on any given day. 

What is Urban Legend.

You may think that your BFF is a few cards short of a full deck, but the truth is we use almost all of our brain almost all the time. 

100

What goes up, must come down, except this. What is it? 

What is your age!
100

On what famous American statue will you find a poem that begins "Give me your tired, your poor..."

What is the Statue of Liberty

100

While he was President, Ronald Reagan had 720 pounds of this candy delivered to the White House every month.  What was the candy? 

What is Jelly Beans. 


Fact: He ordered the brand Jelly Belly which many people say are so good you should only eat one at a time.  

200

According to this Old Wives Tale, young people should not drink coffee.  Why? 

What is it will stunt their growth

Facts: Coffee won't affect growth, but too much caffeine can prevent absorption of calcium and other important nutrients by the body. 

200

Fact or Urban Legend?

The cartoon SpongeBob was canceled after a child jumped in the ocean to look for the characters and drowned. 

What is urban Legend.

Parents worried about the influence cartoons and other media have on their children love citing this as a reason to turn off the tv but (luckily) this has never happened. 

200

If you want to use me, you have to break me first.  What am I? 

What is an egg

200

Who is the only first lady to have given birth to twins? 

Who is Laura Bush. 

200

"The Stillness in the Water" is one title that was considered for a famous thriller that was made into a famous movie.  What were the book and the movie eventually called?

What is "Jaws"

300
How can you tell if someone is saying something bad about you? 

What is your left ear will itch. 

Facts: Itchy ears are caused by loose wax or certain skin diseases, not from someone "dissing" you. 

300

Fact or Urban Legend? 

The maple leaf on the Canadian flag has 11 points, one point for each province and an additional point for the territories.  

What is Urban Legend


The fact the maple leaf has 11 points in completely coincidental.  A previous design was nearly identical but had two additional points at the bottom of the leaf. When criticism came back that the leaf was "too busy" the designer removed 2 points.  Oh Canada!

300

What has a thumb and four fingers and can never die?

What is a glove
300
In 1907 Anna Jarvis started a popular holiday that has been a national holiday since 1914. What holiday is it? 

What is Mother's Day.

Fact: Jarvis spent the last years of her life trying to abolish the holiday. She thought it had become too commercial. Did you know a form of Mother's Day has recognized and honored mothers since the Middle Ages, when it was known as Mothering Sunday.

300

What famous cartoon character got his start in a movie called "Steamboat Willie"?

Who is Mickey Mouse

Fact: Walt Disney not only created Mickey Mouse, he also provided his voice in many early movies. 

400

According to this Old Wives Tale in order to avoid bad luck, what should you never put on a bed? 

What is a hat.  

Origin: Years ago, many doctors made house calls.  A doctor (usually male) would rush into the bedroom to see a patient, throwing his had on the bed.  Over time, the hat on the bed became synonymous with bad luck. 

400

Fact or Urban Legend?

An astronaut posed for his official NASA portrait with his beloved dogs at his side. 

What is fact.


Astronaut Leland Melvin is a real American hero - and not only because he posed for his official NASA portrait with his two rescue pups, Jake and Scout. 

400

I have many eyes but I can not see.  What am I? 

What is a potato

400

In 1926, American swimmer Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel from France to England. When she climbed out of the water on the English beach, she was asked for something.  What was it? 

What is her passport. 

Fact: An immigration officer was waiting for her and and despite the fact she was dripping wet he wanted her passport. She completed her swim nearly two hours faster than the fastest male time. 

400

What is the name of the dog who helped save children from the diphtheria epidemic in Alaska in 1925? (3 movies have been made about his life)

What is "Balto"

Fact: The film portrays him as a brown wolfdog. In real life, Balto was a pure-bred Siberian Husky. A statue of Balto stands in New York's Central Park. Balto was at the unveiling of the statue in 1925. 

500

True or false?  Animals can sense when an earthquake or other danger is coming. 

What is true!

Facts: Animals clearly have keen senses that help them avoid predators or danger. Can they really predict an earthquake? According to the US Geological Survey, no. The USGS says "Changes in animal behavior cannot be used to predict earthquakes."

500

Fact or Urban legend?

The Stanley Cup has been left in a snow bank, on a frozen canal overnight, and at the bottom of two swimming pools. It has also served as a dish for dogs, horses, and humans. 

What is fact. 

The historic exploits of the Stanley Cup have been well documented.  The Cup, most likely, has had a more interesting life than most humans. However, a caretaker now follows the Cup everywhere it goes. The fun's over folks!

500

What groundbreaking invention lets you look right through cement walls? 

What is the window

500

Isabella Van Wagener was a famous African American abolitionist in the mid-1800s. What name is she better known as? 

What is Sojourner Truth

Fact: The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865 freed all slaves in the US. 

500

In 1872, Victoria Woodhull became the first female candidate for President of the United States. She lost.  But if she had won she could not have been sworn in.  Why? 

What is she was too young. 

Fact: She was only 34 years old. The Constitutions says a person must be 35 years old at the time he or she is sworn in. As a young child she traveled in a family fortune-telling show and as a teenager gave demonstrations in clairvoyance.