Cultures
During Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico, which bright flower with a strong, distinct aroma is traditionally used to guide the souls of the departed to the ofrendas (altars)?
Marigolds
Amelia Earhart became a pioneering aviation icon by becoming the first woman to fly solo across which vast body of water?
Atlantic Ocean
Which ancient Greek city-state is widely known as the birthplace of democracy?
Athens
In what country did the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happen?
Ukrainian SSR (Soviet Union)
What is the name of the pet dinosaur on the TV cartoon “The Flintstones”?
Dino
During the Lunar New Year celebration across many East and Southeast Asian cultures, what is the primary cultural significance of giving a "Hongbao" (red envelope)?
To bestow good luck, ward off evil spirits, and pass monetary blessings to younger generations
In what year did Christopher Columbus set sail on his famous first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and reach the Americas?
1492
According to ancient Greek dialogues written by the philosopher Plato, what is Atlantis?
A legendary mythical island city that sank under the ocean
What structural tech panic gripped the world as the clock ticked down to January 1, 2000, due to concerns that older computers wouldn't process the date change correctly?
The Y2K Bug
Which hockey player is considered to be the greatest of all time?
Wayne Gretzky
Toward which sacred city do Muslims face when performing their daily ritual prayers (Salah)?
Mecca
Marco Polo was a famous merchant and explorer from which European country who traveled along the Silk Road to China?
This ancient necropolis in Egypt is gateway to the great pyramids, including the Pyramid of Khufu or Giza, the last of the ancient seven wonders.
Memphis
Which 1956 single became Elvis Presley's first number-one hit on the Billboard pop charts and his first gold record?
Heartbreak Hotel
What is the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic?
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in the United States.
During the Thai festival of Loy Krathong, what do participants typically release onto rivers, canals, or ponds to pay respects to the water goddess?
In December 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen led a successful expedition that achieved what major geographic milestone first in human history?
Reaching the geographic South Pole
Located in the rainforests of current Guatemala, this large city was once the heart of the Mayan civilization.
Tikal
Which groundbreaking 1977 sci-fi epic directed by George Lucas revolutionized special effects and pop culture?
Star Wars
Who painted "Girl with a Pearl Earring?"
Johannes Vermeer
The famous annual battle of La Tomatina—where participants throw thousands of overripe tomatoes at each other in the streets—takes place in which Spanish town?
Buñol
Whose 16th-century expedition is credited with completing the first recorded circumnavigation (sailing all the way around) of the Earth?
Ferdinand Magellan
This ancient red-rock city is carved in stone and hidden in valleys of rock located in what is now Jordan. Name the city
Petra
When Ruth Handler co-created the Barbie doll, introduced at the New York Toy Fair in 1959, what was the direct inspiration for the doll's first name?
Ruth Handler named the doll Barbie after her daughter, Barbara
What fast food chain once used the slogan “Think outside the bun”?
Taco Bell
Kente cloth, world-renowned for its dazzling geometric patterns and symbolic color schemes, originates from which African people and nation?
The Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana
Around the year 1000 AD, Leif Erikson explored and established a short-lived Norse settlement in North America. What name did the Vikings give to this region, which is believed to correspond to modern-day Newfoundland?
Vineland
According to Roman mythology, the city of Rome was founded by which two twin brothers who were raised by a she-wolf?
Romulus and Remus
Businessman Ray Kroc bought out the original founders of what famous fast-food chain in 1955, opening his first franchised location in Des Plaines, Illinois?
McDonalds
This household vacuum was originally developed by Black & Decker as a tool for sample collection on the moon.
The Dust Buster