Totally Random Trivia: 2022

Answers to Monday, July 1, 2024

1. The corporate headquarters of Waffle House, Home Depot, and Delta Air Lines are all located in which state?

Georgia

2. What author was 16 years old when he had a daydream about a half-man, half-goat creature carrying a bundle of packages through the woods on a snowy day — an image he kept with him for decades, before finally writing it into a story at age 40?

C.S. Lewis
(“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”)

3. The Straits of Mackinac is a body of water that separates the upper and lower parts of which state?

Michigan

4. In 1894, the U.S. Congress declared what holiday to honor the American worker, exactly 63 days from today?

Labor Day

5. In a 1997 NBA game, Violet Palmer became the first woman ever to perform what job at the highest level of a major U.S. professional sports league?

Referee

Questions for
Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. What catchphrase of Ed McMahon’s was uttered with a creepy cadence by Jack Nicholson in a 1980 film?

2. “Apocalypse Now,” “The Deer Hunter,” and “Platoon” all take place during what international conflict?

3. Former Hollywood stunt performer David Leitch directed Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling in what 2024 action comedy, loosely based on a 1980s TV series?

4. For the first official NBA game in 1946, the New York Knicks traveled northwest to take on the Huskies, a team that folded at the end of the season. Name their city, which wouldn’t get another NBA team until 1995.

5. In the 12th century, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca peoples came together under the name Haudenosaunee, or "people of the longhouse." To colonialists, they were known as the "Five Nations" or the "BLANK Confederacy." Fill in that blank.

1.  Here's Johnny!

2.  Vietnam War

3. "The Fall Guy"

4. Toronto

5. Iroquois

Answers to Tuesday, July 2, 2024

1. What catchphrase of Ed McMahon’s was uttered with a creepy cadence by Jack Nicholson in a 1980 film?

“Here’s Johnny!”
(“The Shining”)

2. “Apocalypse Now,” “The Deer Hunter,” and “Platoon” all take place during what international conflict?

Vietnam War

3. Former Hollywood stunt performer David Leitch directed Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling in what 2024 action comedy, loosely based on a 1980s TV series?

“The Fall Guy”

4. For the first official NBA game in 1946, the New York Knicks traveled northwest to take on the Huskies, a team that folded at the end of the season. Name their city, which wouldn’t get another NBA team until 1995.

Toronto

5. In the 12th century, the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, and Seneca peoples came together under the name Haudenosaunee, or "people of the longhouse." To colonialists, they were known as the "Five Nations" or the "BLANK Confederacy." Fill in that blank.

Iroquois

Questions for
Theme… Wednesday? July 3, 2024

OK, Boomer: There’s no newsletter tomorrow for the Fourth of July, so we’re bringing you Theme Thursday a day early with five questions about fireworks around the world!

Answers in Friday’s email. 

1. The earliest known firecrackers were rolled sheets of paper containing gunpowder and a fuse. Gunpowder is known as one of the “Four Great Inventions” of what ancient civilization?

2. One of the United States' largest annual fireworks displays draws around 650,000 visitors to Louisville in late April as a lead-up to what event?
3. A highlight of the nightly fireworks display at Disney World is a 750-foot flight from Cinderella Castle to Tomorrowland by what J.M. Barrie character?
4. The video for the Katy Perry song “Firework” was filmed in the capital of Hungary. What city is that?

5. People in the U.K. shoot off fireworks on November 5 to celebrate the foiling of a plot to kill King James I in 1605. What would-be assassin is the namesake of this holiday?

2. Kentucky Derby

3. Peter Pan

4. Budapest

5. Guy Fawkes

1. China

Posted by: @reg-dunlop

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2. Kentucky Derby

3. Peter Pan

Pretty sure #3 is Tinkerbell

Answers to Wednesday, July 3, 2024

OK, Boomer: Five questions about fireworks around the world.

1. The earliest known firecrackers were rolled sheets of paper containing gunpowder and a fuse. Gunpowder is known as one of the “Four Great Inventions” of what ancient civilization?

China
(The other inventions are papermaking, printing, and the compass)

2. One of the United States' largest annual fireworks displays draws around 650,000 visitors to Louisville in late April as a lead-up to what event?

Kentucky Derby  
3. A highlight of the nightly fireworks display at Disney World is a 750-foot flight from Cinderella Castle to Tomorrowland by what J.M. Barrie character?

Tinker Bell  
4. The video for the Katy Perry song “Firework” was filmed in the capital of Hungary. What city is that?

Budapest  

5. People in the U.K. shoot off fireworks on November 5 to celebrate the foiling of a plot to kill King James I in 1605. What would-be assassin is the namesake of this holiday?

Guy Fawkes

Questions for
Friday, July 5, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email. 

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are five types of ships you must sink to win a game of Battleship. Name as many of those ships as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

2. “Symbology” is a made-up academic discipline studied by Robert Langdon in “The Da Vinci Code.” Who wrote that book?

3. In a 2012 CBS series, Lucy Liu began appearing in a role that has, for the most part, been depicted as a man since the character’s 1887 debut. What is that character's surname?

4. An “event horizon” is known in astrophysics as the boundary of what mysterious cosmic object that shares a name with a 1995 graphic novel by Charles Burns?

5. Today is July 5. On this day in 2009, what tennis player won a record-setting 15th Grand Slam singles title as he defeated Andy Roddick at the Wimbledon Championships?

1 Submarine, Destroyer, cruiser, carrier, battleship

2 Dan Brown 

3. Watson

4. Black hole

Posted by: @steve-mn

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1 Submarine, Destroyer, cruiser, carrier, battleship

This might be a tricky one. I think these were renamed at some point. I remember playing with my then 10 year old nephew (now deployed on a submarine, funnily enough) and there was no cruiser. Instead the destroyer was a three square piece and the two square piece was now called a patrol boat. 

Posted by: @karlsson

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Posted by: @steve-mn

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1 Submarine, Destroyer, cruiser, carrier, battleship

This might be a tricky one. I think these were renamed at some point. I remember playing with my then 10 year old nephew (now deployed on a submarine, funnily enough) and there was no cruiser. Instead the destroyer was a three square piece and the two square piece was now called a patrol boat. 

5. Roger Federer

Answers to Friday, July 5, 2024

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: There are five types of ships you must sink to win a game of Battleship. Name as many of those ships as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

Battleship, Carrier, Cruiser (or Patrol Boat), Destroyer, Submarine

2. “Symbology” is a made-up academic discipline studied by Robert Langdon in “The Da Vinci Code.” Who wrote that book?

Dan Brown

3. In a 2012 CBS series, Lucy Liu began appearing in a role that has, for the most part, been depicted as a man since the character’s 1887 debut. What is that character's surname?

Watson
(“Elementary”)

4. An “event horizon” is known in astrophysics as the boundary of what mysterious cosmic object that shares a name with a 1995 graphic novel by Charles Burns?

Black hole

5. Today is July 5. On this day in 2009, what tennis player won a record-setting 15th Grand Slam singles title as he defeated Andy Roddick at the Wimbledon Championships?

Roger Federer

Questions for
Monday, July 8, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. Temple University, Drexel University, and Thomas Jefferson University are all located in what East Coast metropolitan area?

2. In 1985, “The Words of Gandhi” won the Grammy award for “Best Spoken Word Album.” It was read by the same actor who won the “Best Actor” Oscar for playing Gandhi three years earlier. Name that actor.

3. What nine-letter synonym for “rookie” comes from an obsolete British slang term used by farmers to describe young livestock?

4. Gregory Jacobs was a rapper and producer who went by the name Shock G, but you might know him better as Humpty Hump. What group did he form in 1987?

5. The world's deepest lake is also the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, and the world’s oldest lake. Name that lake!

4. Digital Underground

1. Philadelphia

2. Ben Kingsley 

5. Lake Baikal

3.  Greenhorn?

Answers to Monday, July 8, 2024

1. Temple University, Drexel University, and Thomas Jefferson University are all located in what East Coast metropolitan area?

Philadelphia

2. In 1985, “The Words of Gandhi” won the Grammy award for “Best Spoken Word Album.” It was read by the same actor who won the “Best Actor” Oscar for playing Gandhi three years earlier. Name that actor.

Ben Kingsley

3. What nine-letter synonym for “rookie” comes from an obsolete British slang term used by farmers to describe young livestock?

“Greenhorn”

4. Gregory Jacobs was a rapper and producer who went by the name Shock G, but you might know him better as Humpty Hump. What group did he form in 1987?

Digital Underground

5. The world's deepest lake is also the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, and the world’s oldest lake. Name that lake!

Lake Baikal
(in Russia)

Questions for
Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. “That’s hot” is a formerly trademarked phrase that belonged to what hotel heir?

2. The most famous Greek temple still standing today is probably the Parthenon in Athens. It was a temple dedicated to what Greek deity?

3. Which U.S. state is the birthplace of such legendary musicians as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder?

4. The song generally known as “The Charlie Brown Theme Song” is actually named after which two “Peanuts” characters?

5. There is a pizza in Italy called the “four seasons pizza,” because it is divided into quadrants, each with an ingredient representing one of the seasons. Spring is typically represented by what vegetable, which is actually the unopened flower bud of a thistle plant?

1. Paris Hilton

4. Linus and Lucy 

2 Athena

3. Michigan

5) Artichokes!  We were in Italy in the spring and the veg is everywhere.  The pizza is okay, but the deep fried artichoke leaves were a favorite.  

Answers to Tuesday, July 9, 2024

1. “That’s hot” is a formerly trademarked phrase that belonged to what hotel heir?

Paris Hilton

2. The most famous Greek temple still standing today is probably the Parthenon in Athens. It was a temple dedicated to what Greek deity?

Athena
(the patron deity of Athens—hence the city’s name)

3. Which U.S. state is the birthplace of such legendary musicians as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder?

Michigan

4. The song generally known as “The Charlie Brown Theme Song” is actually named after which two “Peanuts” characters?

Linus and Lucy

5. There is a pizza in Italy called the “Four Seasons Pizza,” because it is divided into quadrants, each with an ingredient representing one of the seasons. Spring is represented by what vegetable, which is actually the unopened flower bud of a thistle plant?

Artichoke

Questions for
Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. Is the boiling point of water higher or lower on top of Mount Everest than at sea level?

2. “The Innocents Abroad” is a travel book published in 1869 by what American author?

3. PCOS is a common hormonal disorder that can cause imbalances and discomfort. The “OS” stands for “ovary syndrome,” while the “PC” represents just one word. What is that word?

4. What musical instrument gets its name from the German for “bell play”?

5. The art deco statue “Christ the Redeemer” is located in what South American city?

1. Lower

4. Glockenspiel

3. Mark Twain

5.  Rio de Janeiro 

3. Polycystic

Answers to Wednesday, July 10, 2024

1. Is the boiling point of water higher or lower on top of Mount Everest than at sea level?

Lower
(it’s about 68 degrees C)

2. “The Innocents Abroad” is a travel book published in 1869 by what American author?

Mark Twain

3. PCOS is a common hormonal disorder that can cause imbalances and discomfort. The “OS” stands for “ovary syndrome,” while the “PC” represents just one word. What is that word?

“Polycystic”

4. What musical instrument gets its name from the German for “bell play”?

Glockenspiel

5. The art deco statue “Christ the Redeemer” is located in what South American city?

Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil)

Questions for
Theme Thursday, July 11, 2024

Recapitalized: Five questions about U.S. states that have changed their capital city.

Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. New Orleans has twice been the capital of Louisiana, though neither of those times is right now. What is the capital these days?

2. Tennessee has had four different capitals, but its largest city has never been the capital. What city is that?

3. Richmond is its capital now, but Virginia had two other capitals prior to statehood. Name one of them.

4. The first state capital of Iowa is today the state’s fifth-largest city, and home to its largest public university. What city is that?

5. New Hampshire’s first state capital was Exeter. What’s the capital now?

1 Baton Rouge 

2.  Memphis (??)

5. Concord

3. Jamestown

4. Iowa City

Posted by: @greyeagle

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2.  Memphis (??)

This has me confused too. I’m pretty sure the largest city is the capital. Might be an old question, I think Nashville passing Memphis is relatively recent. (In the last decade or two)

Posted by: @karlsson

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Posted by: @greyeagle

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2.  Memphis (??)

This has me confused too. I’m pretty sure the largest city is the capital. Might be an old question, I think Nashville passing Memphis is relatively recent. (In the last decade or two)

 

I'm guessing old question/old data.

Nashville has had significant growth since 2010.

Answers to Thursday, July 11, 2024

Recapitalized: Five questions about U.S. states that have changed their capital city.

1. New Orleans has twice been the capital of Louisiana, though neither of those times is right now. What is the capital these days?

Baton Rouge

2. Tennessee has had four different capitals, but its largest city has never been the capital. What city is that?

Memphis
(Correction Corner: While Memphis is the answer we were looking for, it’s actually the second-largest city in Tennessee — Nashville is the largest and, well, that’s been the capital of Tennessee for quite a while now. Trivia Mafia regrets the error. Thank you to reader Vincent for writing in!)

3. Richmond is its capital now, but Virginia had two other capitals prior to statehood. Name one of them.

Jamestown, Williamsburg

4. The first state capital of Iowa is today the state’s fifth-largest city, and home to its largest public university. What city is that?

Iowa City

5. New Hampshire’s first state capital was Exeter. What’s the capital now?

Concord

Questions for
Friday, July 12, 2024

Five questions to wake up your noodle. Answers in Monday’s email. 

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: The Five Pillars of Islam form the foundation of Muslim life. Name as many of the five pillars as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any wrong.

2. What legendary Hollywood actor made his final on-screen feature film performance in Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” at age 79?

3. Lucy Stone, Ida B. Wells, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Anna Howard Shaw could all be described using what 11-letter term that appears in the title of a 1972 David Bowie song?

4. The “20 Year Curse” supposedly fated every U.S. president elected in a year divisible by 20 to die in office. The curse held true from 1840 until what president beat it?

5. Today is July 12. On this day in 1975, the second-smallest country in Africa by area gained its independence from Portugal. Name that country, located less than 200 miles off the coast of Gabon.

2. Vincent Price

4. Ronald Reagan

3. suffragette

Posted by: @reg-dunlop

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3. suffragette

I should have known this.

"Awwwwwwww......Wham, bam, thank you Reg!"

1:  Faith, Prayer, Charity (I don't think that's quite the right term, but close enough), the Hajj Pilgrimage... and ???