Thursday, October 22, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Thursday, October 22, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

eminent vs. imminent

eminent: Famous and respected. imminent: About to happen. Imminent: in a minute.

accept vs. except

accept: To agree to receive or take. except: Not including; apart from. Except excludes: both start with ex.

advice vs. advise

advice: A suggestion about what to do (a noun). advise: To give a suggestion (a verb). Advise, with an s, is the action.

bated vs. baited

bated: Held back, as in held breath. baited: Set with food to lure prey. Bated breath is abated, held-back breath.

anecdote vs. antidote

anecdote: A short, amusing true story. antidote: A remedy that counteracts a poison. An antidote is anti- the poison.

Beatles trivia

1. Which song was on the B-side of the “Hey Jude” single?Answer: Revolution. Revolution, a faster version of the White Album’s Revolution 1.
2. Which Beatles song is often called one of the most covered songs ever?Answer: Yesterday. Yesterday has been recorded by well over a thousand artists.
3. What was the working title of “Yesterday”?Answer: Scrambled Eggs. Paul used the placeholder words Scrambled Eggs while he finished the lyric.
4. Apart from Paul’s guitar and voice, what plays on “Yesterday”?Answer: A string quartet. George Martin added a string quartet; no other Beatle plays on it.
5. Who wrote “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”?Answer: George Harrison. George wrote it for the White Album.
6. Who played the lead guitar on the White Album recording of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”?Answer: Eric Clapton. George invited his friend Eric Clapton, who was not credited on the sleeve.
7. Which musician got a credit alongside the band on the “Get Back” single?Answer: Billy Preston. It was credited to The Beatles with Billy Preston, who played electric piano.
8. Whose offhand phrase gave the band the title A Hard Day’s Night?Answer: Ringo Starr. Ringo said it after a long day of work, and the band adopted it.
9. Ringo’s son Zak Starkey spent many years as the drummer for which band?Answer: The Who. Zak Starkey toured and recorded with The Who from the 1990s.
10. Musician Dhani Harrison is the son of which Beatle?Answer: George Harrison. Dhani is George’s son and helped finish George’s last album, Brainwashed.
11. Fashion designer Stella McCartney is the daughter of which Beatle?Answer: Paul McCartney. Stella is the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney.
12. How many songs are on the White Album?Answer: 30. The 1968 double album has 30 tracks.
13. Which single opens with a burst of guitar feedback, one of the first used on purpose on a pop record?Answer: I Feel Fine. I Feel Fine (1964) starts with a feedback note from John’s guitar.
14. George wrote “Here Comes the Sun” in whose garden?Answer: Eric Clapton’s. He wrote it in Eric Clapton’s garden in Surrey in spring 1969.
15. Which of these albums came out first?Answer: Help!. Help! came out in August 1965, Rubber Soul that December.
16. What was the first song written by Ringo alone that the band recorded?Answer: Don’t Pass Me By. Don’t Pass Me By, on the White Album. What Goes On was co-written.
17. Which 1963 single was the UK’s best-selling single until 1977?Answer: She Loves You. She Loves You held the record until Paul’s own Mull of Kintyre.
18. Which Liverpool college did John Lennon attend?Answer: Liverpool College of Art. John studied at Liverpool College of Art, where he met Stuart Sutcliffe.
19. Which school did both Paul McCartney and George Harrison attend?Answer: The Liverpool Institute. They met as pupils at the Liverpool Institute for boys.
20. Which of these artists was signed to Apple Records?Answer: Mary Hopkin. Mary Hopkin’s Those Were the Days was an early Apple hit, produced by Paul.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Which singer-songwriter recorded "Half of My Heart" with Swift?Answer: John Mayer. Swift sings on the 2010 single from Mayer's album Battle Studies.
2. On which sitcom did Swift guest-star in 2013 as a bride named Elaine?Answer: New Girl. She appeared in the season 2 finale of New Girl in May 2013.
3. With which composer did Swift write "Beautiful Ghosts" for the film Cats?Answer: Andrew Lloyd Webber. Lloyd Webber, who wrote the stage musical, co-wrote the new song with her.
4. Which B.o.B single features Swift?Answer: Both of Us. "Both of Us" came out in 2012; the other three feature other singers.
5. Swift's song "Carolina" was written for which 2022 film?Answer: Where the Crawdads Sing. It earned Golden Globe and Grammy nominations.
6. Swift and Zayn sang "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" for which film?Answer: Fifty Shades Darker. The duet was released in December 2016 for the 2017 film.
7. Which 2009 Boys Like Girls single features Swift?Answer: Two Is Better Than One. Swift sings with frontman Martin Johnson on the song.
8. Which special award did the American Music Awards give Swift in 2019?Answer: Artist of the Decade. She received it at the AMAs on November 24, 2019.
9. Which country star's single "Highway Don't Care" features Swift and Keith Urban?Answer: Tim McGraw. The 2013 single reunited her with the singer her debut single was named after.
10. Which Lover song's video won Video of the Year at the 2019 VMAs?Answer: You Need to Calm Down. "You Need to Calm Down" won the top VMA prize in 2019.
11. The video for "The Man" won Best Direction at the 2020 VMAs. Who directed it?Answer: Taylor Swift. It was her first solo job as a director; she also appears in it as a man named Tyler Swift.
12. What was the name of the Lover concert series that was canceled because of COVID-19?Answer: Lover Fest. Lover Fest was called off in April 2020.
13. In which city did Swift play the one-off "City of Lover" concert in September 2019?Answer: Paris. She performed it in Paris on September 9, 2019, and ABC aired it in 2020.
14. "The Last Great American Dynasty" tells the story of socialite Rebekah Harkness and her seaside home in which state?Answer: Rhode Island. The song is about Harkness's mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
15. Folklore's "Epiphany" draws on her grandfather's experiences in which war?Answer: World War II. She also linked the song to healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
16. Which evermore song is named after Swift's grandmother?Answer: Marjorie. Marjorie Finlay was an opera singer, and her voice can be heard on the track.
17. Which sister trio sings on evermore's "No Body, No Crime"?Answer: Haim. Este, Danielle and Alana Haim are featured on the murder ballad.
18. Swift called evermore the "sister record" to which album?Answer: Folklore. Both were made in 2020, mostly with Aaron Dessner.
19. Folklore's Grammy win in 2021 made Swift the first woman to do what?Answer: Win Album of the Year three times. It joined Fearless and 1989 as her Album of the Year winners.
20. Which 2020 Disney+ film shows Swift performing folklore with Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff?Answer: Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions. It was filmed at Dessner's Long Pond studio in New York's Hudson Valley.

Football trivia

1. Which team plays its home games at Lumen Field?Answer: Seattle Seahawks. Lumen Field, on the Seattle waterfront, is known for its deafening crowd noise.
2. Which team did John Harbaugh coach to a win over his brother Jim’s 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII?Answer: Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens won 34–31 in a game delayed by a power outage at the Superdome.
3. In 2012, which Detroit Lion broke Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving yards record?Answer: Calvin Johnson. “Megatron” finished the 2012 season with 1,964 receiving yards.
4. Tony Dungy became the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl with which team?Answer: Indianapolis Colts. Dungy’s Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI in February 2007.
5. In football, what is a “Hail Mary”?Answer: A long desperation pass. Roger Staubach popularized the term after a last-minute playoff touchdown in 1975.
6. Which team lost Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos?Answer: Carolina Panthers. Denver’s defense, led by MVP Von Miller, won it 24–10.
7. Who holds the NFL record for career interceptions?Answer: Paul Krause. Paul Krause picked off 81 passes for Washington and the Vikings.
8. Which team drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005?Answer: Green Bay Packers. Rodgers slid to 24th overall after the 49ers took Alex Smith first.
9. Which quarterback won back-to-back Super Bowls in the last two seasons of his career?Answer: John Elway. Elway won Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII, then retired.
10. What is the “red zone”?Answer: Inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Teams are judged on how often they turn red-zone trips into touchdowns.
11. Who scored the first touchdown in Super Bowl history?Answer: Max McGee. Packers receiver Max McGee caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in Super Bowl I.
12. Jerry Rice played his last Super Bowl for which team?Answer: Oakland Raiders. His Raiders lost Super Bowl XXXVII to Tampa Bay in January 2003.
13. How many points is a touchdown worth?Answer: 6. A touchdown is worth 6 points, before the try for 1 or 2 more.
14. Who was the first president of the league that became the NFL?Answer: Jim Thorpe. Olympic champion Jim Thorpe was named president of the new league in 1920.
15. What color jacket does each new Pro Football Hall of Famer receive?Answer: Gold. The gold jacket is presented during Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend.
16. Lamar Jackson won NFL MVP for 2019 and which other season?Answer: 2023. The Ravens quarterback won his second MVP award for the 2023 season.
17. Which of these teams plays in the AFC South?Answer: Houston Texans. The AFC South is the Texans, Colts, Jaguars and Titans.
18. Roughly how cold was it at kickoff of the 1967 “Ice Bowl” in Green Bay?Answer: About −15°F (−26°C). Sources put the kickoff temperature at −13 to −15°F, with a far colder wind chill.
19. Which team began in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys?Answer: Chicago Bears. George Halas moved the team to Chicago in 1921, and it became the Bears in 1922.
20. What was Gale Sayers’ nickname?Answer: The Kansas Comet. Sayers starred at the University of Kansas before joining the Bears.

Basketball trivia

1. How many points did Kobe Bryant score in his final NBA game in 2016?Answer: 60. Kobe scored 60 against Utah on April 13, 2016, the same night the Warriors won their 73rd game.
2. Which two jersey numbers did the Lakers retire for Kobe Bryant?Answer: 8 and 24. He wore 8 for his first 10 seasons and 24 for his last 10.
3. Who was Finals MVP when the Celtics won the 2024 title?Answer: Jaylen Brown. Brown won the award after Boston beat Dallas in five games.
4. Who hit a long buzzer-beater to knock the Thunder out of the 2019 playoffs?Answer: Damian Lillard. Lillard’s shot from far beyond the arc ended the first-round series in Game 5.
5. Where was the NBA’s 2020 “bubble” held?Answer: Walt Disney World near Orlando. Teams lived and played at the Florida resort, and the Lakers won the title there in October 2020.
6. Which team won the 2008 title with a new “Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen?Answer: Boston Celtics. Boston beat the Lakers in six games, and Pierce was Finals MVP.
7. What is the NBA’s official minor league called?Answer: G League. Known as the D-League until 2017, it is named for sponsor Gatorade.
8. Which team won the 2025 NBA championship?Answer: Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC beat Indiana in Game 7, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Finals MVP.
9. Who was the first player to make 400 three-pointers in one season?Answer: Stephen Curry. Curry made 402 threes in 2015–16.
10. Who is the only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season?Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon swept all three in 1993–94 as Houston won its first title.
11. How many teams are in the NBA?Answer: 30. The league has had 30 teams since the Charlotte Bobcats joined in 2004.
12. Who coached the “Bad Boys” Pistons to titles in 1989 and 1990?Answer: Chuck Daly. Daly went on to coach the 1992 Dream Team.
13. Which Hall of Famer was nicknamed “The Human Highlight Film”?Answer: Dominique Wilkins. Wilkins, famous for his dunks, won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1985 and 1990.
14. Who won the first NBA Three-Point Contest in 1986?Answer: Larry Bird. Bird won the first three contests, from 1986 to 1988.
15. Who became the youngest MVP in NBA history in 2011?Answer: Derrick Rose. Rose was 22 when he won with his hometown Chicago Bulls.
16. What is a shot that misses the rim, net and backboard completely called?Answer: An air ball. Opposing fans often chant “air ball” after one.
17. Which franchise was originally the Syracuse Nationals?Answer: Philadelphia 76ers. The Nationals moved to Philadelphia in 1963 and became the 76ers.
18. Who holds the record for most points in an NBA Finals game?Answer: Elgin Baylor. Baylor scored 61 against Boston in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals.
19. What is Magic Johnson’s real first name?Answer: Earvin. A Michigan sportswriter called him “Magic” after a high school game when he was 15.
20. Which player won seven NBA titles with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs?Answer: Robert Horry. Horry won two with Houston, three with the Lakers and two with San Antonio.

Baseball trivia

1. Which player was nicknamed “Charlie Hustle”?Answer: Pete Rose. Pete Rose earned the name for running hard on every play, even sprinting to first base after a walk.
2. Which Red Sox slugger was nicknamed “Big Papi”?Answer: David Ortiz. David Ortiz helped Boston win the World Series in 2004, 2007 and 2013.
3. Who managed the Yankees to four World Series titles between 1996 and 2000?Answer: Joe Torre. Joe Torre’s Yankees won in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.
4. In 2024, which team set the modern record for most losses in a season?Answer: Chicago White Sox. The White Sox went 41-121, passing the 120 losses of the 1962 Mets.
5. In baseball slang, what is a “golden sombrero”?Answer: Striking out four times in a game. Three strikeouts is a “hat trick,” so four earns a bigger hat.
6. Which of these athletes played in both a World Series and a Super Bowl?Answer: Deion Sanders. Deion Sanders played in the 1992 World Series for Atlanta and won Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys.
7. Which minor league team did Michael Jordan play for in 1994?Answer: Birmingham Barons. Jordan played a season of Double-A ball for the White Sox’ Birmingham farm team.
8. Who was the first player to hit 500 career home runs?Answer: Babe Ruth. Ruth hit No. 500 in 1929; Jimmie Foxx became the second, in 1940.
9. What shape is home plate?Answer: Five-sided. Home plate is a pentagon 17 inches wide at the front.
10. Derek Jeter became part owner and CEO of which team after he retired?Answer: Miami Marlins. Jeter ran the Marlins from 2017 until he left in 2022.
11. What is it called when the fielders get two outs on one play?Answer: A double play. The most common is the 6-4-3: shortstop to second baseman to first baseman.
12. Which future U.S. president was a managing general partner of the Texas Rangers?Answer: George W. Bush. George W. Bush helped run the Rangers from 1989 until he became governor of Texas.
13. Which Senators pitcher was nicknamed “The Big Train”?Answer: Walter Johnson. Walter Johnson threw a record 110 shutouts for Washington.
14. What did Fernando Tatís do in a single inning in 1999 that no one else has done?Answer: Hit two grand slams. The Cardinals’ Tatís hit both grand slams off the Dodgers’ Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999.
15. Which team plays home games at Chase Field in Phoenix?Answer: Arizona Diamondbacks. Chase Field opened in 1998 with a retractable roof and a swimming pool beyond the outfield.
16. What is the “Mendoza Line”?Answer: A .200 batting average. It is named for light-hitting shortstop Mario Mendoza.
17. Which pitcher won a record 18 Gold Glove awards?Answer: Greg Maddux. Greg Maddux has the most Gold Gloves of any player at any position.
18. What color is the Phillies’ mascot, the Phillie Phanatic?Answer: Green. The furry green Phanatic first appeared at Veterans Stadium in 1978.
19. Lou Gehrig’s career was ended by a disease now often named after him. What is it?Answer: ALS. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is widely known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
20. Which ballpark is nicknamed “The Friendly Confines”?Answer: Wrigley Field. Cubs legend Ernie Banks helped make the nickname for Wrigley Field famous.

Hockey trivia

1. Who holds the NHL record for career points?Answer: Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky finished with 2,857 points, more than 900 ahead of anyone else.
2. Which trophy goes to the NHL’s best defenseman?Answer: James Norris Memorial Trophy. It is named for James E. Norris, a longtime owner of the Detroit Red Wings.
3. Who coached the U.S. team that won the 1980 “Miracle on Ice”?Answer: Herb Brooks. Brooks built the team mostly from college players.
4. Who scored the overtime “Golden Goal” for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics?Answer: Sidney Crosby. His goal beat the United States 3–2 in the gold medal game.
5. A “Gordie Howe hat trick” is a goal, an assist and what else in one game?Answer: A fight. The name nods to Howe’s rare mix of scoring skill and toughness.
6. Who was the first goaltender to wear a mask regularly in NHL games?Answer: Jacques Plante. Plante put one on in 1959 after a shot cut his face, and kept wearing it.
7. Who was the first NHL player to reach 100 points in a season?Answer: Phil Esposito. Esposito finished 1968–69 with 126 points for Boston.
8. Who is the only player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy three times?Answer: Patrick Roy. He won it with Montreal in 1986 and 1993 and with Colorado in 2001.
9. Edmonton traded Wayne Gretzky to which team in 1988?Answer: Los Angeles Kings. The August 1988 deal stunned Canada and boosted hockey in California.
10. Fans of which team threw plastic rats on the ice during a 1996 playoff run?Answer: Florida Panthers. It began after Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the locker room with his stick.
11. Which company founded the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993?Answer: Disney. The name came from Disney’s 1992 movie “The Mighty Ducks.”
12. What is it called when a player shoots the puck from his own half across the opponent’s goal line untouched?Answer: Icing. Play stops and the faceoff goes back to the offending team’s zone.
13. How long is a standard NHL rink?Answer: 200 feet. NHL rinks measure 200 feet long by 85 feet wide.
14. Which team won its first Stanley Cup in 2019, after sitting last in the league in January?Answer: St. Louis Blues. The Blues beat Boston in Game 7 of the Final.
15. Who scored in the sixth overtime to end the longest game in NHL history, in 1936?Answer: Mud Bruneteau. His goal gave Detroit a 1–0 win over the Montreal Maroons after 116 minutes of overtime.
16. Who coached the Montreal Canadiens to eight Stanley Cups between 1956 and 1968?Answer: Toe Blake. Blake had also starred for Montreal as a player.
17. What was Detroit’s 1990s unit of Fedorov, Larionov, Kozlov, Konstantinov and Fetisov called?Answer: The Russian Five. Coach Scotty Bowman often sent all five Russians out together.
18. When he donated the Stanley Cup in 1892, Lord Stanley held what job?Answer: Governor General of Canada. He was the British Crown’s representative in Canada from 1888 to 1893.
19. Which player was nicknamed “The Russian Rocket”?Answer: Pavel Bure. Bure’s speed earned him the name with the Vancouver Canucks.
20. Ray Bourque finally won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with which team?Answer: Colorado Avalanche. After more than 20 seasons in Boston, he won it in the last game of his career.

Movies trivia

1. Who played Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)?Answer: Harrison Ford. Ford had already played Han Solo in Star Wars.
2. Which film won Best Picture for 1939?Answer: Gone with the Wind. The Civil War epic won eight competitive Oscars.
3. Who was the first Black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress?Answer: Halle Berry. She won for Monster’s Ball at the 2002 ceremony.
4. Who directed 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)?Answer: Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke.
5. Who played Red in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)?Answer: Morgan Freeman. Freeman was nominated for Best Actor for the role.
6. Which 1928 cartoon with synchronized sound made Mickey Mouse a star?Answer: Steamboat Willie. It was one of the first cartoons with a fully synchronized soundtrack.
7. What was Disney’s first full-length animated feature?Answer: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It premiered in December 1937.
8. Who won a posthumous Oscar for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008)?Answer: Heath Ledger. Ledger died in January 2008, before the film was released.
9. Who wrote and directed Pulp Fiction (1994)?Answer: Quentin Tarantino. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
10. In Citizen Kane, what turns out to be “Rosebud”?Answer: A sled. The name is painted on Kane’s childhood sled, seen in the final scene.
11. Who played James Bond in the first Bond film, Dr. No (1962)?Answer: Sean Connery. Connery played Bond in six films for producers Broccoli and Saltzman.
12. What is the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival called?Answer: Palme d’Or. The Golden Lion and Golden Bear are the top prizes at Venice and Berlin.
13. In E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which candy does Elliott use to lure E.T.?Answer: Reese’s Pieces. Sales of Reese’s Pieces jumped after the 1982 film.
14. Who played Maria in The Sound of Music (1965)?Answer: Julie Andrews. Andrews won an Oscar for Mary Poppins in 1965, the year The Sound of Music came out.
15. Which film won Best Picture for 1994?Answer: Forrest Gump. It also won Best Actor for Tom Hanks and Best Director for Robert Zemeckis.
16. In the 1933 film, which New York building does King Kong climb?Answer: Empire State Building. The Empire State Building had opened just two years earlier.
17. Ellen Ripley is the heroine of which film series?Answer: Alien. Sigourney Weaver first played Ripley in Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979).
18. Who starred in and co-directed Singin’ in the Rain (1952)?Answer: Gene Kelly. Kelly co-directed it with Stanley Donen.
19. What was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture?Answer: Beauty and the Beast. The 1991 Disney film was nominated alongside live-action films at the 1992 ceremony.
20. In which country were Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films shot?Answer: New Zealand. Jackson, a New Zealander, filmed all three movies in his home country.

Broadway trivia

1. My Fair Lady is based on which play by George Bernard Shaw?Answer: Pygmalion. Shaw’s play follows a phonetics professor who coaches a flower seller.
2. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul wrote the songs for which 2016 Broadway musical?Answer: Dear Evan Hansen. Dear Evan Hansen won the Tony for Best Musical in 2017.
3. Who directed and choreographed the original West Side Story?Answer: Jerome Robbins. Robbins conceived the show and staged its famous dance sequences.
4. Guys and Dolls is based on stories by which writer?Answer: Damon Runyon. Runyon wrote colourful tales of New York gamblers and gangsters.
5. In The Phantom of the Opera, what crashes to the stage at the end of Act One?Answer: The chandelier. The Phantom brings the great chandelier down in revenge.
6. Fiddler on the Roof is set in which fictional village?Answer: Anatevka. Tevye and his family live in the small village of Anatevka in Tsarist Russia.
7. The Sound of Music tells the story of which singing family?Answer: The von Trapps. It is based on Maria von Trapp’s memoir about her family in Austria.
8. Which director-choreographer was famous for bowler hats, turned-in knees and jazz hands?Answer: Bob Fosse. Fosse’s style defined shows like Pippin, Sweet Charity and Chicago.
9. Which choreographer created the dream ballet in the original Oklahoma!?Answer: Agnes de Mille. De Mille’s ballet helped dance tell the story in a musical.
10. Who wrote the play Long Day’s Journey into Night?Answer: Eugene O’Neill. O’Neill’s autobiographical drama was staged after his death.
11. Who wrote the music, lyrics and book for Rent?Answer: Jonathan Larson. Larson died suddenly just before Rent’s first off-Broadway preview.
12. Which Lerner and Loewe musical retells the legend of King Arthur?Answer: Camelot. Camelot starred Richard Burton as Arthur and Julie Andrews as Guenevere.
13. Which Mel Brooks film became a musical that won a record 12 Tony Awards?Answer: The Producers. The Producers swept the 2001 Tonys, breaking the record held by Hello, Dolly!.
14. Who played Eva Perón in the original Broadway production of Evita?Answer: Patti LuPone. LuPone won the Tony for the role; Elaine Paige played Eva in London.
15. Hadestown retells which Greek myth?Answer: Orpheus and Eurydice. Anaïs Mitchell set the story of Orpheus’s trip to the underworld to folk music.
16. Miss Saigon updates the story of which Puccini opera?Answer: Madama Butterfly. It moves the tragic romance to the end of the Vietnam War.
17. Which composer wrote the scores for both Godspell and Pippin?Answer: Stephen Schwartz. Schwartz later wrote the score for Wicked as well.
18. In theatre, what is a “swing”?Answer: A performer who covers several ensemble roles. Swings learn many ensemble tracks so they can step in at short notice.
19. Which theatre was home to A Chorus Line for its entire original Broadway run?Answer: The Shubert. A Chorus Line played the Shubert Theatre from 1975 to 1990.
20. In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean is known by which prisoner number?Answer: 24601. Javert pursues him as prisoner 24601 long after his release.

U.S. History trivia

1. Who was the second President of the United States?Answer: John Adams. Adams served one term, from 1797 to 1801.
2. Which song did Francis Scott Key write after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry?Answer: The Star-Spangled Banner. Key wrote the poem in September 1814; it became the national anthem in 1931.
3. Which Hunkpapa Lakota leader was a key figure at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?Answer: Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull’s camp was the center of the Native forces that defeated Custer in 1876.
4. What did colonists dump into Boston Harbor in December 1773?Answer: Tea. They protested the Tea Act by dumping 342 chests of tea.
5. Which former First Lady chaired the UN commission that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt. The declaration was adopted in 1948.
6. Which inventor’s famous laboratory was in Menlo Park, New Jersey?Answer: Thomas Edison. Edison earned the nickname “the Wizard of Menlo Park.”
7. Which young French nobleman served as a major general under George Washington?Answer: Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette joined the Continental Army in 1777 at age 19.
8. Which 1890 law was the first federal law against monopolies?Answer: Sherman Antitrust Act. It was named for Senator John Sherman of Ohio.
9. Who was president when the U.S. made the Louisiana Purchase?Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s envoys agreed to the purchase in 1803.
10. In which city was Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?Answer: Memphis. He was shot at the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968.
11. What was the code name for the Allied invasion of Normandy?Answer: Operation Overlord. Overlord began with the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944.
12. Which suffragist was arrested for voting in the 1872 presidential election?Answer: Susan B. Anthony. Anthony was convicted and fined $100, which she refused to pay.
13. What was the main message of the Monroe Doctrine?Answer: Europe should not colonize the Americas further. Monroe warned European powers against new colonies or interference in the Western Hemisphere.
14. Which space shuttle broke apart shortly after launch in January 1986?Answer: Challenger. All seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe, were killed.
15. Who joins Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln on Mount Rushmore?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. The four faces were carved between 1927 and 1941.
16. Which president was shot at Ford’s Theatre?Answer: Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln on April 14, 1865.
17. From which country did the U.S. buy land in the 1853 Gadsden Purchase?Answer: Mexico. The strip of land became part of southern Arizona and New Mexico.
18. Hoover Dam was built on which river?Answer: Colorado River. It sits on the Arizona–Nevada border in Black Canyon.
19. Which war did the U.S. fight from 1950 to 1953?Answer: The Korean War. Fighting ended with an armistice in July 1953.
20. Which 19th-century president served two non-consecutive terms?Answer: Grover Cleveland. Cleveland served from 1885 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Mount Rushmore shows Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and which other president?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt’s face is between Jefferson’s and Lincoln’s.
2. Which president led the U.S. into the Mexican–American War in 1846?Answer: James K. Polk. Polk asked Congress to declare war on Mexico in May 1846.
3. Which president was the heaviest, at over 300 pounds?Answer: William Howard Taft. Taft weighed more than 300 pounds at times during his presidency.
4. Who was president when the U.S. entered World War I?Answer: Woodrow Wilson. Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war in April 1917.
5. Which first lady wrote a newspaper column called “My Day”?Answer: Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote the column six days a week from 1935 to 1962.
6. Who was the first president to be impeached?Answer: Andrew Johnson. The House impeached Johnson in February 1868.
7. Who was John F. Kennedy’s vice president?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson became president when Kennedy was killed in 1963.
8. Which is the largest room in the White House?Answer: East Room. The East Room is used for big receptions, ceremonies and press events.
9. Who was the first president born outside the original 13 states?Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was born in Kentucky, which became a state in 1792.
10. Which president was nicknamed “Ike”?Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower. “I Like Ike” was Eisenhower’s famous campaign slogan.
11. Which president’s domestic programs were called the “Great Society”?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson used the phrase for his programs against poverty and for civil rights.
12. Who was president during the Cuban Missile Crisis?Answer: John F. Kennedy. The standoff with the Soviet Union took place in October 1962.
13. Which president had been governor of Arkansas?Answer: Bill Clinton. Clinton was governor of Arkansas for 12 years before his election.
14. Which president had earlier been president of Princeton University?Answer: Woodrow Wilson. Wilson led Princeton from 1902 to 1910.
15. Who was Barack Obama’s vice president?Answer: Joe Biden. Biden served as vice president for both of Obama’s terms.
16. Whose assassination in 1901 made Theodore Roosevelt president?Answer: William McKinley. McKinley was shot in Buffalo, New York, and died eight days later.
17. In which month are presidents now inaugurated?Answer: January. Since 1937 the term has begun on January 20, set by the 20th Amendment.
18. Mary Todd was the wife of which president?Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Mary Todd married Abraham Lincoln in 1842.
19. Which president was the first born in Pennsylvania?Answer: James Buchanan. Buchanan was born near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, in 1791.
20. What call sign does a Marine Corps helicopter carrying the president use?Answer: Marine One. Any Marine Corps aircraft with the president aboard uses the call sign Marine One.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Italy?Answer: Rome. Rome has been Italy’s capital since 1871.
2. Which river flows past St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans?Answer: Mississippi. All three cities stand on the Mississippi.
3. Which country passed China in 2023 to become the world’s most populous?Answer: India. UN estimates showed India overtaking China in 2023.
4. The historic city of Timbuktu is in which country?Answer: Mali. Timbuktu lies near the Niger River in central Mali.
5. Mont Blanc is the highest peak in which mountain range?Answer: Alps. Mont Blanc, on the French–Italian border, tops the Alps.
6. What is the capital of Thailand?Answer: Bangkok. Bangkok lies on the Chao Phraya River.
7. Which ocean lies between Africa and Australia?Answer: Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean stretches from East Africa to Western Australia.
8. Cape Horn lies at the southern tip of which continent?Answer: South America. Cape Horn is on a Chilean island at the bottom of South America.
9. What is the smallest U.S. state by area?Answer: Rhode Island. Rhode Island covers less area than any other state.
10. The Taj Mahal stands in which Indian city?Answer: Agra. The Taj Mahal sits on the Yamuna River in Agra.
11. Which country’s flag has light blue, white and light blue bands with a golden sun in the middle?Answer: Argentina. Argentina’s flag carries the Sun of May on its central white band.
12. What is the world’s largest inland body of water?Answer: Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth.
13. What is the capital of South Korea?Answer: Seoul. Seoul sits on the Han River in the country’s northwest.
14. Which river flows through Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade?Answer: Danube. The Danube passes through four national capitals, including those three.
15. Which country contains most of the Amazon rainforest?Answer: Brazil. About 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil.
16. What is the capital of Scotland?Answer: Edinburgh. Edinburgh is Scotland’s capital; Glasgow is its largest city.
17. Which is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands?Answer: Hawaiʻi (the Big Island). The island of Hawaiʻi is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands combined.
18. Bass Strait separates mainland Australia from which island?Answer: Tasmania. Bass Strait lies between Victoria and Tasmania.
19. Which is the only South American country with coasts on both the Pacific and the Caribbean?Answer: Colombia. Colombia faces the Caribbean to the north and the Pacific to the west.
20. The Namib Desert gave its name to which country?Answer: Namibia. The Namib runs along Namibia’s Atlantic coast.