Wednesday, October 21, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

empathy vs. sympathy

empathy: Feeling what another person feels, as if in their place. sympathy: Feeling sorry for someone’s trouble or loss. Empathy is feeling with someone; sympathy is feeling for them.

loath vs. loathe

loath: Unwilling or reluctant. loathe: To hate intensely. Loathe ends in e, like hate.

whose vs. who’s

whose: Belonging to which person. who’s: A short form of who is or who has. The apostrophe marks the missing letters.

continual vs. continuous

continual: Happening often, with breaks in between. continuous: Going on without any interruption. Continuous is one long unbroken stream.

lose vs. loose

lose: To fail to keep something, or to be defeated. loose: Not tight or firmly fixed. Loose has room for an extra o.

Beatles trivia

1. What was George Harrison’s first song on a Beatles album?Answer: Don’t Bother Me. Don’t Bother Me appeared on With the Beatles in 1963.
2. What inspired the title “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”?Answer: A drawing by Julian Lennon. Julian brought home a picture of his classmate Lucy, which he called Lucy in the sky with diamonds.
3. Yoko Ono was born in which country?Answer: Japan. She was born in Tokyo in 1933.
4. Who sings lead on “Act Naturally” on Help!?Answer: Ringo Starr. Ringo sings the Buck Owens country hit.
5. Which Revolver track is built on tape loops and closes the album?Answer: Tomorrow Never Knows. Tomorrow Never Knows layers tape loops made by the band.
6. Which of these is NOT a Beatles album?Answer: Aftermath. Aftermath (1966) is by the Rolling Stones.
7. Which was the band’s longest-running US No. 1 single?Answer: Hey Jude. Hey Jude spent nine weeks at No. 1 in 1968.
8. In which year did the “Paul is dead” rumour sweep American campuses?Answer: 1969. It took off in autumn 1969, around the release of Abbey Road.
9. Which businessman did John, George and Ringo pick to manage their affairs in 1969, against Paul’s wishes?Answer: Allen Klein. Allen Klein; Paul preferred Lee and John Eastman, Linda’s father and brother.
10. Which song shared a 1965 double A-side single with “Day Tripper”?Answer: We Can Work It Out. We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper came out together in December 1965.
11. Which song features a high piccolo trumpet solo?Answer: Penny Lane. Classical trumpeter David Mason played the solo on Penny Lane.
12. On “Within You Without You”, which Beatle performs?Answer: Only George. George recorded it with Indian musicians and session string players; no other Beatle plays on it.
13. Which band was Ringo Starr in before he joined the Beatles?Answer: Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He was the drummer for Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, another Liverpool band.
14. What was Strawberry Field, the Liverpool place that inspired a song title?Answer: A Salvation Army children’s home. It was a Salvation Army children’s home near where John grew up.
15. Which album’s cover shows a stretched, distorted photo of the band?Answer: Rubber Soul. The Rubber Soul photo was stretched when it was projected onto card at an angle.
16. Which was the first Beatles album made up entirely of Lennon–McCartney songs?Answer: A Hard Day’s Night. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) has no cover versions.
17. Who was the Beatles’ longtime press officer?Answer: Derek Taylor. Derek Taylor handled their press in 1964 and later for Apple.
18. On which London street did the Apple Boutique open in 1967?Answer: Baker Street. The shop was at 94 Baker Street; Apple’s offices later moved to Savile Row.
19. Which school friend of Paul and George became the band’s road manager and later head of Apple Corps?Answer: Neil Aspinall. Neil Aspinall drove the band in the early days and ran Apple for decades.
20. Which Beatle had an acting role in the 1967 film How I Won the War?Answer: John Lennon. John played Private Gripweed in Richard Lester’s film.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Who directed "All Too Well: The Short Film"?Answer: Taylor Swift. Swift wrote and directed it, and it won the Grammy for Best Music Video in 2023.
2. Which actress starred in "All Too Well: The Short Film" alongside Dylan O'Brien?Answer: Sadie Sink. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink played the young woman in the 2021 film.
3. "All Too Well (10 Minute Version)" set which Hot 100 record?Answer: Longest song ever to reach No. 1. In 2021 it passed Don McLean's "American Pie" as the longest No. 1 hit.
4. What label do Swift's re-recorded albums carry in their titles?Answer: (Taylor's Version). She re-recorded her early albums so she would own new master recordings.
5. Which re-recorded album came out first, in April 2021?Answer: Fearless (Taylor's Version). Fearless (Taylor's Version) arrived on April 9, 2021.
6. Whose company bought Big Machine Label Group, including Swift's first six albums, in 2019?Answer: Scooter Braun. Braun's Ithaca Holdings announced the deal on June 30, 2019.
7. Which record label did Swift sign with in November 2018?Answer: Republic Records. She joined Republic Records, part of Universal Music Group, on November 19, 2018.
8. What honorary degree did New York University give Swift in 2022?Answer: Doctor of Fine Arts. She received it and gave the commencement speech at Yankee Stadium on May 18, 2022.
9. Midnights made Swift the first artist to do what on the Billboard Hot 100?Answer: Hold all ten top-10 spots in the same week. Songs from Midnights filled the entire top 10 in its first week.
10. Which singer duets with Swift on Midnights' "Snow on the Beach"?Answer: Lana Del Rey. Lana Del Rey is the featured artist on the song.
11. What was the lead single from Midnights?Answer: Anti-Hero. "Anti-Hero" came out with the album on October 21, 2022, and went to No. 1.
12. Which rapper is featured on the 2023 remix of "Karma"?Answer: Ice Spice. Ice Spice joined the remix, released on May 26, 2023.
13. Midnights made Swift the first artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year how many times?Answer: Four. Its 2024 win followed Fearless, 1989 and Folklore.
14. What did Swift announce while accepting a Grammy on February 4, 2024?Answer: A new album, The Tortured Poets Department. She revealed the new album in her Best Pop Vocal Album speech for Midnights.
15. Who is featured on "Fortnight"?Answer: Post Malone. Post Malone co-wrote and sings on The Tortured Poets Department's lead single.
16. How long after The Tortured Poets Department came out did Swift release The Anthology edition?Answer: Two hours. The 15 extra songs arrived two hours after the album on April 19, 2024.
17. Which act is featured on "Florida!!!"?Answer: Florence and the Machine. Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine sings on the track.
18. In which city did the Eras Tour play its final show?Answer: Vancouver. The tour ended at BC Place in Vancouver on December 8, 2024.
19. Which retailer sold The Eras Tour Book exclusively when it came out in November 2024?Answer: Target. The book went on sale at Target on November 29, 2024.
20. In which month of 2023 did the Eras Tour concert film reach theaters?Answer: October. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened on October 13, 2023, and became the highest-grossing concert film ever.

Football trivia

1. Which Hall of Fame defensive end was nicknamed “The Minister of Defense”?Answer: Reggie White. Reggie White, an ordained minister, starred for the Eagles and Packers.
2. Which team drafted Brett Favre in 1991?Answer: Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta picked him in the second round and traded him to Green Bay a year later.
3. Which Hall of Famer is credited with coining the football term “sack”?Answer: Deacon Jones. The Rams’ Deacon Jones played before sacks were an official statistic.
4. Super Bowl 50 was branded without what usual feature of its name?Answer: Roman numerals. The NFL used “50” instead of “L” for that one game, then went back to Roman numerals.
5. Which Steelers running back was nicknamed “The Bus”?Answer: Jerome Bettis. Jerome Bettis retired after winning Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit.
6. How many timeouts does each team get per half?Answer: 3. Each team gets three timeouts in each half.
7. Which team plays its home games in the Caesars Superdome?Answer: New Orleans Saints. The Saints have played in the New Orleans dome since 1975.
8. Kurt Warner was Super Bowl XXXIV MVP playing for which team?Answer: St. Louis Rams. Warner went from backup to MVP and Super Bowl champion in the 1999 season.
9. Which team has won the most NFL championships, counting titles from before the Super Bowl era?Answer: Green Bay Packers. The Packers have 13 league titles, including four Super Bowls.
10. Which division do the Dallas Cowboys play in?Answer: NFC East. Dallas shares the NFC East with the Giants, Eagles and Commanders, despite being in Texas.
11. How many yards must a team gain to earn a new first down?Answer: 10. The chain crew’s two poles are exactly 10 yards apart.
12. Paul Brown gave his name to the Cleveland Browns. Which team did he later found?Answer: Cincinnati Bengals. Brown founded the Bengals and was their first head coach.
13. Which team traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes 10th overall in 2017?Answer: Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City made a trade with Buffalo to move up and take him.
14. What was Washington’s NFL team renamed in 2022?Answer: Commanders. After two seasons as the Washington Football Team, it became the Commanders.
15. Which coach led the 49ers to three Super Bowl wins in the 1980s?Answer: Bill Walsh. Bill Walsh’s “West Coast offense” won Super Bowls XVI, XIX and XXIII.
16. Which quarterback won a record five NFL MVP awards?Answer: Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning won four with the Colts and one with the Broncos.
17. What is it called when the quarterback takes the snap and plunges straight ahead for a short gain?Answer: Quarterback sneak. The sneak is used when only a yard or less is needed.
18. Which Hall of Famer was nicknamed “Mean Joe”?Answer: Joe Greene. The Steelers’ defensive tackle also starred in a famous 1979 Coca-Cola commercial.
19. Which team won Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas?Answer: Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers beat the Steelers 31–25 in February 2011.
20. Who is the only special teams player to be named Super Bowl MVP?Answer: Desmond Howard. Desmond Howard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.

Basketball trivia

1. Who is the NBA’s career leader in points?Answer: LeBron James. LeBron passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s total of 38,387 points in February 2023.
2. In 2021, who broke Oscar Robertson’s record for career triple-doubles?Answer: Russell Westbrook. Westbrook passed Robertson’s mark of 181 while playing for Washington.
3. Which team won the first NBA Cup, the in-season tournament, in 2023?Answer: Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in the final in Las Vegas.
4. Which country is Manu Ginóbili from?Answer: Argentina. Ginóbili also led Argentina to Olympic gold in 2004.
5. Who was the NBA’s first commissioner?Answer: Maurice Podoloff. Podoloff led the BAA and NBA from 1946 to 1963, and the MVP trophy carried his name for decades.
6. Which award is the Michael Jordan Trophy?Answer: Regular-season MVP. The NBA renamed its MVP trophy for Jordan starting with the 2022–23 season.
7. Who was the first pick in the 2023 NBA draft?Answer: Victor Wembanyama. The French center went to San Antonio and was the unanimous 2024 Rookie of the Year.
8. Which team traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers in February 2025?Answer: Dallas Mavericks. Dallas sent Dončić to Los Angeles in a deal built around Anthony Davis.
9. Wilt Chamberlain spent a season with which team before joining the NBA?Answer: Harlem Globetrotters. After leaving Kansas, he toured with the Globetrotters in 1958–59.
10. Which player was nicknamed “The Glove” for his defense?Answer: Gary Payton. Payton won Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 with Seattle.
11. Dennis Rodman led the NBA in rebounding for how many seasons in a row?Answer: Seven. He won every rebounding title from 1991–92 through 1997–98.
12. Who averaged an NCAA-record 44.2 points a game at LSU before starring in the NBA?Answer: Pete Maravich. “Pistol Pete” Maravich still holds the Division I record for career scoring average.
13. With which team did Steve Nash win his two MVP awards?Answer: Phoenix Suns. Nash won in 2005 and 2006 running coach Mike D’Antoni’s fast-paced offense.
14. What is a triple-double?Answer: Double figures in three stat categories in one game. Points, rebounds and assists are the usual three, but blocks or steals count too.
15. Which team moved into the new Intuit Dome in 2024?Answer: Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers left the downtown arena they had shared with the Lakers for their own building in Inglewood.
16. Who coached the Spurs to all five of their championships?Answer: Gregg Popovich. Popovich won titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 and retired as the NBA’s winningest coach.
17. Which college did Kevin Durant play for?Answer: Texas. In his only season at Texas, Durant became the first freshman to win the Naismith national player of the year award.
18. Which team won the first championship of the BAA, the NBA’s forerunner, in 1947?Answer: Philadelphia Warriors. Joe Fulks led Philadelphia past the Chicago Stags in the first finals.
19. In basketball slang, what is an “and-one”?Answer: A made basket plus a free throw after a foul. The extra free throw can turn a two-pointer into a three-point play.
20. Which star was nicknamed “The Big Fundamental”?Answer: Tim Duncan. Duncan’s nickname reflected his simple, textbook style of play.

Baseball trivia

1. Which Cardinals great was known as “Stan the Man”?Answer: Stan Musial. Stan Musial’s 3,630 hits were split exactly evenly: 1,815 at home and 1,815 on the road.
2. Which nickname did Babe Ruth earn for his home run power?Answer: The Sultan of Swat. “Swat” was slang for a big hit; Ruth was also called “The Bambino.”
3. Which pitcher holds the record for most career saves?Answer: Mariano Rivera. Mariano Rivera saved 652 games for the Yankees from 1995 to 2013.
4. Where did the Athletics play between Philadelphia (until 1954) and Oakland (from 1968)?Answer: Kansas City. The A’s played in Kansas City from 1955 to 1967.
5. What is it called when a pitcher makes an illegal motion with runners on base?Answer: A balk. On a balk, every runner moves up one base.
6. How many players are on the field for the team in the field?Answer: 9. The nine are the pitcher, catcher, four infielders and three outfielders.
7. Which team did the Brooklyn Dodgers beat in 1955 for their only World Series title in Brooklyn?Answer: New York Yankees. The Dodgers had lost the Series to the Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953.
8. Which team beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series?Answer: Arizona Diamondbacks. Luis Gonzalez’s bloop single off Mariano Rivera won it in the bottom of the ninth.
9. Fans of which team sing “Sweet Caroline” in the eighth inning of home games?Answer: Boston Red Sox. The Neil Diamond song has been a Fenway Park tradition since the late 1990s.
10. Fans of which team fly a white flag with a blue “W” after a win?Answer: Chicago Cubs. A “W” flag flies over Wrigley Field after Cubs wins; an “L” flag marks a loss.
11. What was Babe Ruth’s real first name?Answer: George. His full name was George Herman Ruth Jr.
12. Which team has retired every single-digit uniform number?Answer: New York Yankees. Derek Jeter’s No. 2, retired in 2017, completed the Yankees’ set from 1 to 9.
13. Which Brewers broadcaster and former catcher was known as “Mr. Baseball”?Answer: Bob Uecker. Bob Uecker called Brewers games from 1971 until his death in January 2025.
14. At which team’s ballpark does a row of purple seats mark one mile above sea level?Answer: Colorado Rockies. The purple row is in the upper deck of Coors Field in Denver.
15. Which pitch is nicknamed “Uncle Charlie”?Answer: Curveball. Old-time players called a good curveball “Uncle Charlie” or “Lord Charles.”
16. What is the longest a major league bat may be?Answer: 42 inches. MLB rules allow a bat up to 42 inches long and 2.61 inches thick at its widest.
17. How many double stitches are on an official MLB baseball?Answer: 108. The red stitches are sewn by hand, 108 double stitches per ball.
18. Who is the only pitcher to throw no-hitters in two straight starts?Answer: Johnny Vander Meer. The Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer did it on June 11 and June 15, 1938.
19. Which team plays at Kauffman Stadium, famous for its outfield fountains?Answer: Kansas City Royals. The stadium is named for Ewing Kauffman, the Royals’ founding owner.
20. Which team moved to Washington in 2005 and became the Nationals?Answer: Montreal Expos. The Expos played in Montreal from 1969 to 2004.

Hockey trivia

1. How many on-ice officials work a standard NHL game?Answer: Four. Each game has two referees, who call penalties, and two linesmen, who handle offside and icing.
2. Which team won the 2026 Stanley Cup?Answer: Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina beat Vegas in six games for its second Cup, after 2006.
3. The 1980 “Miracle on Ice” took place in which town?Answer: Lake Placid, New York. The U.S. college team beat the Soviet Union 4–3 at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
4. In 1998, the first Olympics with NHL players, which country won men’s hockey gold?Answer: Czech Republic. Dominik Hašek’s goaltending carried the Czechs to gold in Nagano, Japan.
5. What is it called when one player scores three goals in a game?Answer: Hat trick. Fans often celebrate one by throwing hats onto the ice.
6. Who holds the NHL record for goals in a single game, with seven?Answer: Joe Malone. Malone scored seven for the Quebec Bulldogs against Toronto in January 1920.
7. Who is the only defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring and win the Art Ross Trophy?Answer: Bobby Orr. Orr won the scoring title with Boston in 1969–70 and again in 1974–75.
8. Which goaltender holds the NHL records for career wins and shutouts?Answer: Martin Brodeur. Brodeur finished with 691 wins and 125 shutouts, almost all for New Jersey.
9. Who played NHL games in five different decades?Answer: Gordie Howe. Howe debuted in 1946 and played his last season with Hartford in 1979–80.
10. Which network has aired “Hockey Night in Canada” on television since 1952?Answer: CBC. The program started on radio and moved to CBC Television in 1952.
11. Who became the NHL’s first commissioner in 1993?Answer: Gary Bettman. Before Bettman, the league was run by a president.
12. How long is each regulation period in an NHL game?Answer: 20 minutes. A regulation game is three 20-minute periods.
13. Which team won four Stanley Cups in a row from 1980 to 1983?Answer: New York Islanders. The Islanders’ run ended when Edmonton beat them in the 1984 Final.
14. Who scored the overtime goal that won Chicago the 2010 Stanley Cup?Answer: Patrick Kane. His goal in Philadelphia ended Chicago’s 49-year wait for a Cup.
15. Which team won only eight games in 1974–75, the fewest in an NHL season of 70 or more games?Answer: Washington Capitals. The expansion Capitals finished their first season 8–67–5.
16. Which father and son both won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP?Answer: Bobby and Brett Hull. Bobby won it in 1965 and 1966, and Brett won it in 1991.
17. Which 1977 comedy starred Paul Newman as a minor-league player-coach?Answer: Slap Shot. The film also introduced the bespectacled, brawling Hanson Brothers.
18. Who holds the NHL record for consecutive games played?Answer: Phil Kessel. Kessel’s streak reached 1,064 games before it ended.
19. Which country has won the most Olympic gold medals in men’s hockey?Answer: Canada. Canada has nine golds, from 1920 through 2014.
20. Which coach won a record nine Stanley Cups behind the bench?Answer: Scotty Bowman. He won five with Montreal, one with Pittsburgh and three with Detroit.

Movies trivia

1. Which film won the very first Academy Award for Best Picture?Answer: Wings. The World War I aviation drama was honored at the first ceremony in 1929.
2. The Oscar statuette shows a knight holding what?Answer: A sword. The gold knight grips a crusader’s sword and stands on a reel of film.
3. What color are Dorothy’s slippers in The Wizard of Oz (1939)?Answer: Ruby. They are silver in L. Frank Baum’s book; the film made them ruby to show off Technicolor.
4. Which 1927 film was the first feature with synchronized spoken dialogue?Answer: The Jazz Singer. Al Jolson’s musical ushered in the era of the “talkies.”
5. Who played Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972)?Answer: Marlon Brando. Brando won Best Actor for the role but declined the Oscar.
6. What is the name of the shark-hunting boat in Jaws?Answer: Orca. Quint’s boat, the Orca, carries the three men out to hunt the shark.
7. Which 1997 film won 11 Oscars, tying the record set by Ben-Hur?Answer: Titanic. James Cameron’s epic won 11 of its 14 nominations, including Best Picture.
8. Who played Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)?Answer: Audrey Hepburn. The film is based on a novella by Truman Capote.
9. Who played Rick Blaine in Casablanca (1942)?Answer: Humphrey Bogart. Bogart starred opposite Ingrid Bergman as nightclub owner Rick.
10. What was Pixar’s first feature film?Answer: Toy Story. Released in 1995, it was the first feature film made entirely with computer animation.
11. Which studio’s logo features a roaring lion?Answer: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM’s lion has opened its films since the 1920s.
12. In Back to the Future, what speed must the DeLorean reach to travel through time?Answer: 88 mph. Doc Brown’s time machine jumps through time at 88 miles per hour.
13. Who was the first Black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor?Answer: Sidney Poitier. He won for Lilies of the Field at the 1964 ceremony.
14. Which 1991 film won all five top Oscars: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay?Answer: The Silence of the Lambs. Only It Happened One Night and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest had done it before.
15. Who composed the music for Star Wars (1977)?Answer: John Williams. Williams won an Oscar for the score.
16. Which actress won a record four Academy Awards for acting?Answer: Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn won Best Actress four times between 1934 and 1982.
17. In which film does Tom Hanks say, “Houston, we have a problem”?Answer: Apollo 13. Hanks played astronaut Jim Lovell in the 1995 film.
18. Which silent-film comedian created the “Little Tramp” character?Answer: Charlie Chaplin. The Tramp, with bowler hat and cane, first appeared in 1914.
19. What did the famous Hollywood sign originally spell out?Answer: HOLLYWOODLAND. It went up in 1923 to advertise a housing development; “LAND” was removed in 1949.
20. Who directed Parasite, the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture?Answer: Bong Joon-ho. The South Korean film won four Oscars at the 2020 ceremony.

Broadway trivia

1. Which musical is about dancers auditioning for a spot in a Broadway chorus?Answer: A Chorus Line. A Chorus Line was built from real dancers’ stories told in taped workshops.
2. Which stage term means the part of the stage farthest from the audience?Answer: Upstage. Old stages sloped up away from the audience, so the back was literally “up.”
3. Which playwright wrote Death of a Salesman?Answer: Arthur Miller. Miller’s drama about Willy Loman won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
4. Broadway’s brightly lit theatre district earned which nickname?Answer: The Great White Way. The nickname comes from the dazzling electric lights of its marquees.
5. Who wrote the lyrics for both West Side Story and Gypsy?Answer: Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim wrote lyrics for both before becoming famous as a composer too.
6. Kiss Me, Kate centres on a musical version of which Shakespeare comedy?Answer: The Taming of the Shrew. Its actors stage The Taming of the Shrew while their own romance mirrors the play.
7. The musical Wicked is based on a novel by which author?Answer: Gregory Maguire. Maguire’s 1995 novel retells Oz from the Wicked Witch’s point of view.
8. Rent reimagines which Puccini opera in New York’s East Village?Answer: La Bohème. Jonathan Larson moved Puccini’s struggling artists to 1990s New York.
9. Which star originated the role of Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly!?Answer: Carol Channing. Channing won the Tony for the role and played Dolly for decades.
10. The Tony Awards are named after which theatre figure?Answer: Antoinette Perry. Antoinette “Tony” Perry was an actress, director and co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.
11. In which city is the musical Cabaret set?Answer: Berlin. It takes place at the Kit Kat Klub in Berlin as the Nazis rise to power.
12. Which Shakespeare play inspired West Side Story?Answer: Romeo and Juliet. The feuding families became two rival New York street gangs.
13. Who composed the music for Porgy and Bess?Answer: George Gershwin. George Gershwin wrote the music, with lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.
14. Which Shakespeare play do many actors refuse to name inside a theatre?Answer: Macbeth. Superstition holds it is bad luck, so it is called “the Scottish play.”
15. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical was set in which Manhattan neighbourhood?Answer: Washington Heights. In the Heights is set in the largely Dominican neighbourhood of Washington Heights.
16. Les Misérables is based on a novel by which author?Answer: Victor Hugo. Hugo’s 1862 novel follows the ex-convict Jean Valjean.
17. Which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is based on poems by T. S. Eliot?Answer: Cats. Cats sets verses from Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats to music.
18. Which animated film became Disney’s first Broadway musical?Answer: Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway in 1994, three years before The Lion King.
19. In theatre, what is a “ghost light”?Answer: A single lamp left burning on an empty stage. Theatres leave one bare bulb on when the stage is dark, for safety and by tradition.
20. Who played Stanley Kowalski in the original Broadway production of A Streetcar Named Desire?Answer: Marlon Brando. Brando played Stanley opposite Jessica Tandy’s Blanche DuBois.

U.S. History trivia

1. How many original colonies formed the United States?Answer: 13. The 13 colonies declared independence together in 1776.
2. Who was the president of the Confederacy?Answer: Jefferson Davis. Davis led the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865; Stephens was his vice president.
3. Which Shawnee leader built a confederacy of tribes and fought alongside Britain in the War of 1812?Answer: Tecumseh. Tecumseh was killed at the Battle of the Thames in 1813.
4. What is the forced removal of the Cherokee in 1838–39 called?Answer: The Trail of Tears. Thousands of Cherokee died on the journey to Indian Territory.
5. Which famous frontiersman died defending the Alamo?Answer: Davy Crockett. Crockett was among the defenders killed in March 1836.
6. What did the 18th Amendment bring in?Answer: Prohibition of alcohol. Prohibition began in 1920 and was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933.
7. Which president said “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR said it in his first inaugural address in March 1933.
8. What nickname is given to the 1920s in America?Answer: The Roaring Twenties. The decade was known for jazz, booming business and new freedoms.
9. Who broke Major League Baseball’s color line in 1947?Answer: Jackie Robinson. Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.
10. Which Soviet leader signed the INF missile treaty with Ronald Reagan in 1987?Answer: Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty, signed in December 1987, eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
11. Which 1765 British law taxed newspapers and legal documents in the colonies?Answer: Stamp Act. Colonial protests forced Parliament to repeal it in 1766.
12. Who invented the cotton gin?Answer: Eli Whitney. Whitney’s machine, patented in 1794, quickly separated cotton fibers from seeds.
13. Which president had been a Hollywood movie actor?Answer: Ronald Reagan. Reagan made dozens of films before entering politics.
14. Which 1970 Moon mission had to turn back after an oxygen tank exploded, yet returned its crew safely?Answer: Apollo 13. The crew looped around the Moon and splashed down safely in April 1970.
15. Which was the first national park in the U.S.?Answer: Yellowstone. Congress created Yellowstone National Park in 1872.
16. Which two former presidents both died on July 4, 1826?Answer: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
17. Which Union general led the March to the Sea through Georgia?Answer: William T. Sherman. Sherman marched from Atlanta to Savannah in late 1864.
18. Which 1862 battle is still the bloodiest single day in American history?Answer: Antietam. About 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing at Antietam on September 17, 1862.
19. Which president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson signed it on July 2, 1964.
20. Which independent republic joined the U.S. as a state in 1845?Answer: Texas. The Republic of Texas was annexed and became the 28th state in December 1845.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the second president?Answer: John Adams. Adams served from 1797 to 1801.
2. Which president appears on the $20 bill?Answer: Andrew Jackson. Jackson has been on the $20 note since 1928.
3. Which president’s programs were known as the New Deal?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt launched the New Deal in response to the Great Depression.
4. Which president worked as a tailor before entering politics?Answer: Andrew Johnson. Johnson ran a tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee.
5. Which president founded the University of Virginia?Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson founded the university in 1819 and designed its grounds.
6. Who was the first president to live to the age of 100?Answer: Jimmy Carter. Carter turned 100 on October 1, 2024.
7. Who was the first president born as a citizen of the United States?Answer: Martin Van Buren. Van Buren was born in 1782, after the Declaration of Independence; earlier presidents were born British subjects.
8. At about 6 feet 4 inches, who was the tallest president?Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln stood about 6 feet 4 inches tall.
9. Who was Bill Clinton’s vice president?Answer: Al Gore. Gore served as vice president from 1993 to 2001.
10. Which first lady saved a portrait of George Washington as the British approached the White House?Answer: Dolley Madison. Dolley Madison made sure the portrait was rescued before British troops burned the house in 1814.
11. In what year did British troops burn the White House?Answer: 1814. The British burned it on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812.
12. Which Union general accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender and later became president?Answer: Ulysses S. Grant. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in April 1865.
13. Which president said “Ask not what your country can do for you” in his inaugural address?Answer: John F. Kennedy. Kennedy spoke the line at his inauguration on January 20, 1961.
14. Under which president was the Environmental Protection Agency created?Answer: Richard Nixon. The EPA opened in December 1970 under Nixon.
15. In which state was Abraham Lincoln born?Answer: Kentucky. Lincoln was born near Hodgenville, Kentucky, in 1809.
16. Who was the first sitting president to appear on television?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt was televised opening the New York World’s Fair in April 1939.
17. Who was the first president born in the 20th century?Answer: John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was born in 1917; Johnson, Nixon and Reagan were born in 1908–1913.
18. Mount Vernon was the home of which president?Answer: George Washington. Washington’s estate overlooks the Potomac River in Virginia.
19. Who became president when Richard Nixon resigned?Answer: Gerald Ford. Ford was sworn in on August 9, 1974.
20. How many presidents have been assassinated?Answer: Four. Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy were assassinated in office.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Germany?Answer: Berlin. Berlin is Germany’s capital and largest city.
2. What is the longest river in Europe?Answer: Volga. The Volga flows about 3,500 km through Russia to the Caspian Sea.
3. What is the largest U.S. state by area?Answer: Alaska. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas.
4. Which country has the largest population in Africa?Answer: Nigeria. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country by a wide margin.
5. Mount Everest is part of which mountain range?Answer: Himalayas. Everest is the highest peak of the Himalayas.
6. What is the capital of Iceland?Answer: Reykjavík. Reykjavík is the world’s northernmost capital of a sovereign state.
7. Which sea lies between Italy and the Balkan Peninsula?Answer: Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic separates Italy’s east coast from Croatia, Montenegro and Albania.
8. Uluru, the giant sandstone monolith, is in which country?Answer: Australia. Uluru rises from the desert in Australia’s Northern Territory.
9. Which river flows through London?Answer: Thames. The Thames winds through central London to the North Sea.
10. What is the capital of Peru?Answer: Lima. Lima, on the Pacific coast, has been Peru’s capital since colonial times.
11. Which imaginary line sits at 0 degrees latitude?Answer: Equator. The Equator divides the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
12. Which tiny country sits in the Pyrenees between France and Spain?Answer: Andorra. Andorra is a landlocked principality high in the eastern Pyrenees.
13. The Grand Canyon is in which U.S. state?Answer: Arizona. The Colorado River carved the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona.
14. What is the world’s largest island that is not a continent?Answer: Greenland. Greenland covers about 2.2 million square kilometres.
15. Greenland is an autonomous territory within which country’s kingdom?Answer: Denmark. Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
16. Which country’s flag is dark green with a white crescent and star, plus a white stripe at the hoist?Answer: Pakistan. Pakistan’s flag has a white vertical band beside a green field with a crescent and star.
17. Which country has the longest coastline in the world?Answer: Canada. Canada’s many Arctic islands give it the world’s longest coastline.
18. The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with which body of water?Answer: Gulf of Oman. The Strait of Hormuz opens from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman.
19. Vaduz is the capital of which landlocked country?Answer: Liechtenstein. Vaduz sits on the Rhine in Liechtenstein, between Switzerland and Austria.
20. Which South American country has both La Paz and Sucre as capitals?Answer: Bolivia. Sucre is Bolivia’s constitutional capital and La Paz is the seat of government.