[Closed] Totally Random Trivia - 2025

1. 30 Rock?

4. Internet Explorer

3. Hawaii

5. Gertrude Stein

Answers to Wednesday, June 25, 2025

1. Aaron Sorkin took a shot from Tina Fey over his failed show “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” during a 2011 cameo on what thematically similar NBC sitcom, which also debuted in the fall of 2006?

“30 Rock”

2. In 2018 and 2019, there was a movement some not entirely accurately called “The Red State Revolt,” which saw workers in what profession engaging in strikes and walkouts in Illinois, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and more?

Teachers

3. Actor Tia Carrere played a rocker in “Wayne's World,” but in real life she's won two Grammy awards for Best Album in a musical genre named for which U.S. state?

Hawai'i

4. In 1993, Marc Andreessen co-authored a program called Mosaic. It was later licensed by Microsoft, who announced in 2022 that they were finally pulling the plug on it after nearly 30 years. What did Microsoft call their version of this program?

Internet Explorer

5. What writer and poet — whose last name means “stone” — was Ernest Hemingway parodying when he wrote, “A stone is a rock is a boulder is a pebble”?

Gertrude Stein
(she’s famous for the quote “a rose is a rose is a rose”)

As people who dislike cheese, @jupiter and I will not be participating today.

Questions for
Theme Thursday, June 26, 2025

In the Name of Cheeses: June is Dairy Month! Five questions about the names of popular cheeses.

Answers in tomorrow’s email. 

1. In the late 1800s, a California man named David became famous for selling a food item he acquired from a group of friars who lived near a bay south of San Jose. What was his surname?

2. As the singer of “Bubbly” and “Fallin' For You” might be able to tell you, Wisconsin's proposed official state cheese takes what name from the central Wisconsin town where it was invented?

3. In Europe, cheese produced in the region near the city of Bern is known as Emmental. What is it more commonly called in the U.S.?

4. What product, which was officially declared not a “pasteurized process cheese spread” by the FDA in 2002, was marketed as a health food in the 1930s and is named for its easy spreadability?

5. A small village in Somerset, England lends its name to what cheese, which also shares its name with a financial news network whose content often airs on gas pump TV screens?

5. Cheddar

3: Swiss

4. sounds like Velveeta

1)  Jack ??

2. Colby

Answers to Thursday, June 26, 2025

In the Name of Cheeses: June is Dairy Month! Five questions about the names of popular cheeses.

1. In the late 1800s, a California man named David became famous for selling a food item he acquired from a group of friars who lived near a bay south of San Jose. What was his surname?

Jack(s)
(as in Monterey Jack)

2. As the singer of “Bubbly” and “Fallin' For You” might be able to tell you, Wisconsin's proposed official state cheese takes what name from the central Wisconsin town where it was invented?

Colby
(as in Colbie Caillat)

3. In Europe, cheese produced in the region near the city of Bern is known as Emmental. What is it more commonly called in the U.S.?

Swiss

4. What product, which was officially declared not a “pasteurized process cheese spread” by the FDA in 2002, was marketed as a health food in the 1930s and is named for its easy spreadability?

Velveeta

5. A small village in Somerset, England lends its name to what cheese, which also shares its name with a financial news network whose content often airs on gas pump TV screens?

Cheddar

Questions for
Friday, June 27, 2025

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

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: Happy birthday this week to Ariana Grande! She’s released seven studio albums since 2013. Name as many of those albums as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.

2. “Virgin of the Rocks,” “Lady with an Ermine,” and “The Vitruvian Man” are all works by what multitalented 15th- and 16th-century artist?

3. In Greek mythology, Theseus used a ball of string to safely escape from the labyrinth, and from what mythical creature at its center?

4. The cumulonimbus cloud is a dense, towering pile of water vapor. If seen before or during a storm, what 11-letter word is used to identify it?

5. Today is June 27. Maureen Stapleton won an Oscar for portraying what anarchist, who was born on this date 156 years ago and imprisoned for protesting the draft in 1917?

2 DaVinci

3 Minotaur 

4. Thunderhead

5. Emma Goldman

Answers to Friday, June 27, 2025

1. Quit While You’re Ahead: Happy birthday this week to Ariana Grande! She’s released seven studio albums since 2013. Name as many of those albums as you can for one point each. Zero points total if you get any incorrect.

“Yours Truly,” “My Everything,” “Dangerous Woman,” “Sweetener,” “Thank U, Next,” “Positions,” “Eternal Sunshine”

2. “Virgin of the Rocks,” “Lady with an Ermine,” and “The Vitruvian Man” are all works by what multitalented 15th- and 16th-century artist?

Leonardo da Vinci

3. In Greek mythology, Theseus used a ball of string to safely escape from the labyrinth, and from what mythical creature at its center?

The Minotaur

4. The cumulonimbus cloud is a dense, towering pile of water vapor. If seen before or during a storm, what 11-letter word is used to identify it?

Thunderhead

5. Today is June 27. Maureen Stapleton won an Oscar for portraying what anarchist, who was born on this day 156 years ago and imprisoned for protesting the draft in 1917?

Emma Goldman

Questions for
Monday, June 30, 2025

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

1. What singer and YouTuber broke out on “Dance Moms” in 2015, and went on to be part of the first recurring same-gender team on “Dancing With the Stars”?

2. Fifty-six percent of Indonesians live on the world’s most populous island. Name that island.

3. The meat of a young sheep is called “lamb.” What is the meat of an adult sheep called?

4. What band — none of whose members were actually related to one another — first hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977 with the song “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker”?

5. From 1921 to 1970, the Chicago Bears played on what field, located near the Lake View and Boystown neighborhoods?

3. Mutton

2 Java 

5) Wrigley Field

4. The Ramones.

1. JoJo Siwa

Posted by: @zwak

↑

5. From 1921 to 1970, the Chicago Bears played on what field, located near the Lake View and Boystown neighborhoods?

Posted by: @gator

↑

5) Wrigley Field

One of the best Bronko Nagurski (and really, NFL in general!) stories is related to Wrigley Field.

From Wikipedia:

A time-honored and perhaps apocryphal story about Nagurski is a scoring gallop that he made against the Washington Redskins, knocking two linebackers in opposite directions, stomping a defensive back and crushing a safety, then bouncing off the goalposts and cracking Wrigley Field's brick wall. On returning to the huddle for the extra point try, he reportedly said: "That last guy hit me awfully hard."

Answers to Monday, June 30, 2025

1. What singer and YouTuber broke out on “Dance Moms” in 2015, and went on to be part of the first recurring same-gender team on “Dancing With the Stars”?

JoJo Siwa

2. Fifty-six percent of Indonesians live on the world’s most populous island. Name that island.

Java

3. The meat of a young sheep is called “lamb.” What is the meat of an adult sheep called?

Mutton (also hogget)

4. What band — none of whose members were actually related to one another — first hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977 with the song “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker”?

The Ramones

5. From 1921 to 1970, the Chicago Bears played on what field, located near the Lake View and Boystown neighborhoods?

Wrigley Field

Questions for
Tuesday, July 1, 2025

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

1. “Easterling” is the surname of what TikTok influencer and pop music artist who released her self-titled debut album last month?

2. What three-word phrase, which describes a certain kind of relationship, was coined by Alanis Morissette in her song “Head Over Feet”? It's also the name of a Justin Timberlake/Mila Kunis movie.

3. What California city’s name means “tall stick,” a reference to the Coastal Redwoods located nearby?

4. A 2004 crime novel by Jeff Lindsay introduced an anti-hero working for the Miami-Dade Police Department who later became the title character of a TV series. The title of that book is “Darkly Dreaming BLANK.” Fill in the blank!

5. If you’re going up a mountain called Corcovado, you’re probably trying to get a closer look at what famous landmark?

4.  Dexter - Great books!

2. Friends with benefits

3. Palo Alto

5. The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

Answers to Tuesday, July 1, 2025

1. “Easterling” is the surname of what TikTok influencer and pop music artist who released her self-titled debut album last month?

Addison Rae

2. What three-word phrase, which describes a certain kind of relationship, was coined by Alanis Morissette in her song “Head Over Feet”? It's also the name of a Justin Timberlake/Mila Kunis movie.

“Friends with benefits”

3. What California city’s name means “tall stick,” a reference to the Coastal Redwoods located nearby?

Palo Alto

4. A 2004 crime novel by Jeff Lindsay introduced an anti-hero working for the Miami-Dade Police Department who later became the title character of a TV series. The title of that book is “Darkly Dreaming BLANK.” Fill in the blank!

Dexter

5. If you’re going up a mountain called Corcovado, you’re probably trying to get a closer look at what famous landmark?

“Christ the Redeemer” (or “Cristo Redentor” — the big statue in Rio de Janeiro)

Questions for
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

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

1. Periwinkles, whelks, and limpets are all sea-based varieties of what kind of gastropod?

2. The oldest player in Major League Baseball history pitched his final game in 1965 at age 59. His birth name was Leroy, but he was better known by what nickname, which he was said to have gotten from his childhood job as a porter at a train station?

3. Two Beatles songs mention “Lucy in the Sky.” One is, of course, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” What is the other one?

4. Kenny Ortega earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by choreographing films like “Dirty Dancing” and “Pretty in Pink.” He earned a Disney Legend Award by directing dance numbers like “We're All in This Together” and “All for One” for what franchise?

5. In the U.S., how many tablespoons are in a standard stick of butter?

2. Satchell Paige

5. 8

3.  "I Am the Walrus"  ??

1 Snail

4. High School Musical

Answers to Wednesday, July 2, 2025

1. Periwinkles, whelks, and limpets are all sea-based varieties of what kind of gastropod?

Snail

2. The oldest player in Major League Baseball history pitched his final game in 1965 at age 59. His birth name was Leroy, but he was better known by what nickname, which he was said to have gotten from his childhood job as a porter at a train station?

Satchel (Paige)

3. Two Beatles songs mention “Lucy in the Sky.” One is, of course, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” What is the other one?

“I Am the Walrus”

4. Kenny Ortega earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by choreographing films like “Dirty Dancing” and “Pretty in Pink.” He earned a Disney Legend Award by directing dance numbers like “We're All in This Together” and “All for One” for what franchise?

“High School Musical”

5. In the U.S., how many tablespoons are in a standard stick of butter?

Eight

No trivia tomorrow.  Answers and next questions on Monday.  Happy 4th of July!!!

Questions for
Theme Thursday, July 3, 2025

Adapted from an Article: Everyone knows about books that are turned into movies. This round is about magazine articles that became movies. I’ll give you the year a film came out and the name of an actor who starred in a movie, and then the title and publisher of the magazine article that movie was based on. You name the movie. Example: 2012, Ben Affleck: “The Great Escape: How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran,” Wired. Answer: “Argo.”

Answers in Monday’s email. Answers to yesterday’s questions below.
1. 2002, Kate Bosworth: “Life’s Swell,” Women Outside.

2. 2015, Will Smith: “Game Brain,” GQ.

3. 2001, Vin Diesel: “Racer X,” Vibe.

4. 1975, Al Pacino: “The Boys in the Bank,” Life.

5. 2013, Emma Watson: “The Suspects Wore Louboutins,” Vanity Fair.

3. The Fast and the Furious

4. Dog Day Afternoon

1. Blue Crush 

3: Concussion

5) The Bling Ring

Answers to Thursday, July 3, 2025

Adapted from an Article: Everyone knows about books that are turned into movies. This round is about magazine articles that became movies. I’ll give you the year a film came out and the name of an actor who starred in a movie, and then the title and publisher of the magazine article that movie was based on. You name the movie.

1. 2002, Kate Bosworth: “Life’s Swell,” Women Outside.

“Blue Crush”

2. 2015, Will Smith: “Game Brain,” GQ.

“Concussion”

3. 2001, Vin Diesel: “Racer X,” Vibe.

“The Fast and the Furious”

4. 1975, Al Pacino: “The Boys in the Bank,” Life.

“Dog Day Afternoon”

5. 2013, Emma Watson: “The Suspects Wore Louboutins,” Vanity Fair.

“The Bling Ring”

Questions for
Monday, July 7, 2025

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

1. The Disney character who has appeared in more films — including shorts — than any other is not a mouse. What kind of animal is he?

2. If you’re a “Novocastrian,” you live in what Northern English city on the River Tyne?

3. Javier Báez, Gleyber Torres, and Riley Greene are three 2025 MLB All-Stars that play for what team that last won the World Series in 1984?

4. One of the world’s largest fast-fashion retailers is a Spanish company called Inditex. What is its flagship brand?

5. Vladimir and Estragon are characters created by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. Who are they waiting for?

1. Duck

3. Detroit Tigers

5. Godot

2 Newcastle 

4. Zara

(I didn’t know this. The wife was looking over my shoulder)

Answers to Monday, July 7, 2025

1. The Disney character who has appeared in more films than any other is not a mouse. What kind of animal is he?

Duck
(Donald)

2. If you’re a “Novocastrian,” you live in what Northern English city on the River Tyne?

Newcastle

3. Javier Báez, Gleyber Torres, and Riley Greene are three 2025 MLB All-Stars that play for what team that last won the World Series in 1984?

Detroit Tigers

4. One of the world’s largest fast-fashion retailers is a Spanish company called Inditex. What is its flagship brand?

Zara

5. Vladimir and Estragon are characters created by Irish playwright Samuel Beckett. Who are they waiting for?

Godot

Questions for
Tuesday, July 8, 2025

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

1. Comedians Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders were the title characters in “Modern Mother and Daughter,” a 1990 sketch that inspired what classic Britcom?

2. In the 17th century, the Dutch word “quacksalver” became popular English slang for a person who sold what kind of frequently fraudulent product?

3. A jobs program to hire people as panhandlers and legalizing squatting were two tenets of punk singer Jello Biafra’s platform in a 1979 race against incumbent Mayor Dianne Feinstein in what city, where Biafra and East Bay Ray founded the band Dead Kennedys?

4. Finish this long-running ad slogan: “Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody… BLANK.”

5. Reflecting its original use as administrative offices for the Medici family, the Uffizi Gallery is a world-famous art museum in what Italian city?

3 San Francisco

5.  Florence

4. doesn't like Sara Lee