Sunday, October 25, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

allusion vs. illusion

allusion: An indirect reference to something. illusion: A false idea or a trick of the eye. An allusion alludes; an illusion fools you.

collaborate vs. corroborate

collaborate: To work together. corroborate: To confirm with evidence. Corroborate backs up a story.

forbear vs. forebear

forbear: To hold back from doing something. forebear: An ancestor. A forebear came before you.

populace vs. populous

populace: The ordinary people of a place. populous: Having many people. Populous describes, like numerous.

canvas vs. canvass

canvas: A heavy cloth used for tents and painting. canvass: To ask people for votes or opinions. Canvass with two s’s is to survey.

Beatles trivia

1. Which White Album song did John write about the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi?Answer: Sexy Sadie. He changed the title from Maharishi to Sexy Sadie.
2. “Dear Prudence” was written for the sister of which actress?Answer: Mia Farrow. Prudence Farrow was meditating in Rishikesh with the band in 1968.
3. What did fan club members receive from the band each Christmas from 1963 to 1969?Answer: A flexi-disc record. Each year they sent members a special Christmas record of jokes and songs.
4. Which 1969 single did John and Paul record with no other Beatles playing?Answer: The Ballad of John and Yoko. With George and Ringo away, John and Paul played all the parts themselves.
5. Which rocker, sung by Paul in his Little Richard style, was the B-side of “Help!”?Answer: I’m Down. I’m Down was the B-side of the 1965 single.
6. “Rain”, with some of the first backwards vocals on a pop record, was the B-side of which single?Answer: Paperback Writer. Paperback Writer and Rain came out in 1966.
7. At which 1963 show did John ask the people in the cheaper seats to clap and the rest to rattle their jewellery?Answer: The Royal Variety Performance. The Royal Variety Performance in November 1963, with the Queen Mother in the audience.
8. What is the name of the Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas set to Beatles music?Answer: Love. Love opened at The Mirage in 2006, with music remixed by George and Giles Martin.
9. Which music video game featuring the band came out in 2009?Answer: The Beatles: Rock Band. The Beatles: Rock Band let players perform 45 of their songs.
10. Which 2019 film imagines a world where only one man remembers the Beatles’ songs?Answer: Yesterday. Danny Boyle directed Yesterday, written by Richard Curtis.
11. In which country did the band face a hostile send-off in 1966 after missing a palace event hosted by Imelda Marcos?Answer: The Philippines. They left Manila amid angry crowds after the snub, which they said was a misunderstanding.
12. Which Tokyo venue did the band play in 1966, upsetting some who felt it was meant only for martial arts?Answer: The Nippon Budokan. They played five shows at the Budokan, the first rock concerts there.
13. Which 1964 song begins with a fade-in, unusual for a pop record?Answer: Eight Days a Week. Eight Days a Week fades in at the start rather than at the end.
14. Photographer Astrid Kirchherr, who took early portraits of the band, was from which country?Answer: Germany. She met the band in Hamburg in 1960 and was engaged to Stuart Sutcliffe.
15. Which album includes “Here Comes the Sun”?Answer: Abbey Road. It opens side two of Abbey Road (1969).
16. Which album opens with “Drive My Car”?Answer: Rubber Soul. Drive My Car is the first track on the UK Rubber Soul.
17. Which John Lennon and Yoko Ono album came out weeks before John’s death?Answer: Double Fantasy. Double Fantasy was released in November 1980.
18. Which 1973 Paul McCartney and Wings album was recorded largely in Lagos, Nigeria?Answer: Band on the Run. Band on the Run was mostly recorded at EMI’s studio in Lagos.
19. Which 1963 single is usually counted as the band’s first UK No. 1?Answer: From Me to You. From Me to You topped the main chart; Please Please Me reached No. 1 only on some charts.
20. What did the British press call the fan frenzy around the band from 1963?Answer: Beatlemania. Newspapers used the word Beatlemania widely in autumn 1963.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. What is the first name of Swift's father?Answer: Scott. Scott Swift was a stockbroker, and his job moved the family to the Nashville area.
2. At what age did Swift get an artist development deal with RCA Records?Answer: 13. She got the deal at 13 but left RCA after a year.
3. On which superstar couple's 2007 tour was Swift an opening act?Answer: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. She opened shows on their Soul2Soul II Tour in July 2007.
4. Which early Swift song mentions a boy named Drew?Answer: Teardrops on My Guitar. "Teardrops on My Guitar" was the second single from her debut album.
5. Swift was nominated for which Grammy at the 2008 ceremony?Answer: Best New Artist. It was her first Grammy nomination, two years before her first wins.
6. Which Fearless song won two Grammys in 2010, including Best Country Song?Answer: White Horse. "White Horse" also won Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
7. How many Grammys did Swift win at the 2010 ceremony?Answer: Four. She won Album of the Year and Best Country Album for Fearless, plus two awards for "White Horse."
8. Swift's 2010 single "Today Was a Fairytale" came from which film's soundtrack?Answer: Valentine's Day. She also had a small role in the film.
9. Which theater chain distributed the Eras Tour concert film in the US?Answer: AMC Theatres. Swift made the deal directly with AMC instead of going through a Hollywood studio.
10. Which Speak Now song is about objecting at a wedding?Answer: Speak Now. The title track imagines standing up at an ex's wedding ceremony.
11. About how many copies did Speak Now sell in its first week in the US?Answer: Over 1 million. It sold 1,047,000 copies in its first week in 2010.
12. Which Red single is named after an age?Answer: 22. "22" was released as a single in March 2013; "Fifteen" is from Fearless.
13. Which folklore song is sung from the point of view of a boy named James?Answer: Betty. "Betty," "Cardigan" and "August" tell one teenage love triangle from three points of view.
14. Which Midnights edition was surprise-released three hours after the album?Answer: 3am Edition. The 3am Edition added seven more songs in the early hours of October 21, 2022.
15. Who produced Midnights with Swift?Answer: Jack Antonoff. Antonoff has worked with her since 1989.
16. About how much did the Eras Tour gross?Answer: $2 billion. It earned about $2.08 billion, the first tour ever to pass $2 billion.
17. Which era's act opened every Eras Tour show?Answer: Lover. Each show began with a countdown clock and the Lover act.
18. In which country did Swift record The Life of a Showgirl?Answer: Sweden. She made it in Stockholm with Max Martin and Shellback during the European leg of the Eras Tour.
19. About how many US album-equivalent units did The Life of a Showgirl earn in its first week?Answer: 4 million. Its 4.002 million units were the biggest week for any album since Luminate began tracking in 1991.
20. Which Tortured Poets Department song is named after a silent-film star?Answer: Clara Bow. Clara Bow was a 1920s screen star known as the "It girl."

Football trivia

1. Which 300-pound Bears defensive tackle ran for a touchdown in Super Bowl XX?Answer: William “Refrigerator” Perry. “The Fridge” often lined up in the backfield near the goal line in 1985.
2. The 1985 Chicago Bears released a hit rap song called what?Answer: “The Super Bowl Shuffle”. They recorded it before the season ended, then went on to win Super Bowl XX.
3. What does “PAT” stand for?Answer: Point after touchdown. The PAT, or extra point, is the 1-point kick after a touchdown.
4. What is a punt returner signaling when he waves one arm above his head?Answer: A fair catch. After calling a fair catch he can’t be hit, but he can’t run with the ball either.
5. The Ravens were born in 1996 when which team’s owner moved his franchise to Baltimore?Answer: Cleveland Browns. Art Modell moved his team, but Cleveland kept the Browns’ name and history.
6. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl LX?Answer: Kenneth Walker III. The Seahawks running back was the first running back to win the award since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII.
7. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIII after a late, tiptoe touchdown catch?Answer: Santonio Holmes. Holmes’ catch in the corner of the end zone gave the Steelers a 27–23 win over the Cardinals.
8. John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly were all first-round picks in which year’s draft?Answer: 1983. The 1983 draft had six first-round quarterbacks, three of them future Hall of Famers.
9. Which running back is nicknamed “King Henry”?Answer: Derrick Henry. Derrick Henry ran for 2,027 yards for the Titans in 2020.
10. Which quarterback was nicknamed “Joe Cool”?Answer: Joe Montana. Montana earned it for staying calm in late-game comebacks.
11. How many Super Bowls have the Pittsburgh Steelers won?Answer: 6. Their sixth came in Super Bowl XLIII, after the 2008 season.
12. Which team won Super Bowl LIV, its first title in 50 years?Answer: Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the 49ers 31–20 in February 2020; their previous title was Super Bowl IV.
13. Peyton Manning’s Colts beat which team in Super Bowl XLI?Answer: Chicago Bears. Indianapolis won 29–17 in a rainy game in Miami.
14. Which future Hall of Fame quarterback played for the USFL’s Houston Gamblers before joining the Bills?Answer: Jim Kelly. Kelly joined Buffalo in 1986 after the USFL folded.
15. Which team took Joe Burrow first overall in 2020?Answer: Cincinnati Bengals. Burrow came off a record-setting national title season at LSU.
16. Which Packers player started the “Lambeau Leap” in 1993?Answer: LeRoy Butler. Safety LeRoy Butler jumped into the stands after a touchdown against the Raiders.
17. Who made the “Helmet Catch” in Super Bowl XLII?Answer: David Tyree. Tyree pinned the ball to his helmet to keep the Giants’ winning drive alive.
18. Which NFL team plays its home games in Glendale, Arizona?Answer: Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium has a retractable roof and a roll-out grass field.
19. What is it called when the quarterback fakes a handoff and then passes?Answer: Play-action. Play-action freezes linebackers who think it is a running play.
20. Who was the first player ever picked in an NFL Draft?Answer: Jay Berwanger. The Eagles took the Heisman winner in 1936, but he never played in the NFL.

Basketball trivia

1. Who was 2015 Finals MVP despite not starting a single regular-season game?Answer: Andre Iguodala. Iguodala came off the bench all season, then helped guard LeBron James in the Finals.
2. Kevin Durant was Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 with which team?Answer: Golden State Warriors. Durant won both titles with Golden State after signing there in 2016.
3. Which Celtics guard was called “the Houdini of the Hardwood”?Answer: Bob Cousy. Cousy’s flashy passing led the league in assists eight seasons in a row.
4. Who is the only player to lead the NBA in both scoring and assists in the same season?Answer: Nate Archibald. “Tiny” Archibald did it in 1972–73 with the Kansas City–Omaha Kings.
5. Which team did Yao Ming play his whole NBA career for?Answer: Houston Rockets. Yao, the top pick in 2002, was an eight-time All-Star before foot injuries ended his career.
6. Which Celtics star was nicknamed “The Truth”?Answer: Paul Pierce. Shaquille O’Neal gave Pierce the nickname after a big game against the Lakers in 2001.
7. What is it called when a player pretends to shoot to get a defender off his feet?Answer: A pump fake. A good pump fake can draw a foul or open a clear lane to the basket.
8. Which team has a gorilla as its mascot?Answer: Phoenix Suns. The Suns Gorilla is famous for acrobatic dunks during timeouts.
9. How far is the NBA three-point line from the basket at the top of the arc?Answer: 23 feet 9 inches. The line is closer in the corners, at 22 feet.
10. Which Hall of Famer is a longtime “Inside the NBA” analyst alongside Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal?Answer: Charles Barkley. Barkley moved to TV soon after retiring as a player in 2000.
11. Which team plays its home games at the Paycom Center?Answer: Oklahoma City Thunder. The arena in downtown Oklahoma City has been the Thunder’s home since they arrived from Seattle.
12. “Lob City” described which team’s high-flying play in the 2010s?Answer: Los Angeles Clippers. Chris Paul’s lobs to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan gave the Clippers the nickname.
13. Who has won the most regular-season MVP awards?Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem won six; Jordan and Russell each won five.
14. Which team did Allen Iverson lead to the 2001 Finals?Answer: Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers won Game 1 in overtime but lost to the Lakers in five games.
15. What happens when a defender is called for goaltending on a shot?Answer: The basket counts. Touching a shot on its way down toward the rim is illegal, so the points are awarded.
16. Which team began as the Fort Wayne Pistons?Answer: Detroit Pistons. Owner Fred Zollner’s company made pistons, and the team moved to Detroit in 1957.
17. Who was the first Black player drafted by an NBA team?Answer: Chuck Cooper. The Boston Celtics drafted Cooper in 1950.
18. Who won the 2023 NBA MVP award?Answer: Joel Embiid. Embiid won with the 76ers after leading the league in scoring.
19. Which father and son became the first to play together in an NBA game, in 2024?Answer: LeBron and Bronny James. They played together for the Lakers on October 22, 2024.
20. Which Hall of Famer was nicknamed “The Hick from French Lick”?Answer: Larry Bird. Bird grew up in the small town of French Lick, Indiana.

Baseball trivia

1. Who threw the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners history, in 2012?Answer: Félix Hernández. “King Félix” retired all 27 Tampa Bay Rays he faced on August 15, 2012.
2. Which pitcher won Cy Young Awards in 1997, 1999 and 2000?Answer: Pedro Martínez. Pedro Martínez won the first with the Expos and the next two with the Red Sox.
3. What nickname was given to the powerful 1927 Yankees lineup?Answer: Murderers’ Row. Led by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, the 1927 Yankees won 110 games and swept the World Series.
4. Which team won the 2020 World Series, after a season shortened to 60 games?Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers beat the Rays at a neutral site, Globe Life Field in Texas.
5. Which team plays home games at Truist Park?Answer: Atlanta Braves. The Braves moved to Truist Park, just outside Atlanta, in 2017.
6. Which Pirates shortstop was nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman”?Answer: Honus Wagner. Honus Wagner’s rare T206 baseball card is among the most valuable ever sold.
7. Who holds MLB’s career record for triples?Answer: Sam Crawford. “Wahoo Sam” Crawford hit 309 triples, mostly for the Detroit Tigers.
8. Who holds MLB’s career record for doubles?Answer: Tris Speaker. Tris Speaker hit 792 doubles from 1907 to 1928.
9. Who holds MLB’s career record for runs scored?Answer: Rickey Henderson. Rickey Henderson scored 2,295 runs, often after stealing his way into scoring position.
10. Which team has won the most World Series titles?Answer: New York Yankees. The Yankees won their first title in 1923 and have more than twice as many as any other team.
11. What two numbers are added together to make a hitter’s OPS?Answer: On-base percentage and slugging percentage. OPS shows both how often a batter gets on base and how much power he hits with.
12. Which actor played Jackie Robinson in the 2013 movie “42”?Answer: Chadwick Boseman. Chadwick Boseman starred, with Harrison Ford as Dodgers executive Branch Rickey.
13. Which actor played slugger Roy Hobbs in the 1984 movie “The Natural”?Answer: Robert Redford. The film was based on Bernard Malamud’s 1952 novel.
14. In “A League of Their Own,” which team does Geena Davis’s character, Dottie, play for?Answer: Rockford Peaches. The Peaches were a real team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
15. Why do batters put pine tar on their bats?Answer: To get a better grip. The sticky tar helps hitters hold the bat, but rules limit how far up the handle it can go.
16. Who won the American League Triple Crown in 1967?Answer: Carl Yastrzemski. Yaz led the league in average, homers and RBIs; no one did it again until Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
17. Which pitcher had a 1.12 ERA in 1968?Answer: Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson’s mark is the lowest of the live-ball era for a pitcher with enough innings to qualify.
18. Which manager led the Braves to 14 straight division titles?Answer: Bobby Cox. Bobby Cox’s Braves won every division title they played for from 1991 to 2005.
19. Which country has produced the most MLB players born outside the United States?Answer: Dominican Republic. Dominican-born stars include Pedro Martínez, David Ortiz and Albert Pujols.
20. Which team plays home games at Globe Life Field?Answer: Texas Rangers. The Rangers’ roofed ballpark in Arlington opened in 2020.

Hockey trivia

1. What is the NHL record for points in a single season, set by Wayne Gretzky in 1985–86?Answer: 215. He had 52 goals and a record 163 assists that season.
2. Which trophy honors perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey?Answer: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Masterton is the only NHL player to die from an injury suffered in a game, in 1968.
3. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final?Answer: Jordan Staal. Carolina’s captain was named playoff MVP after the Hurricanes beat Vegas.
4. Who won the most Stanley Cups as a player, with 11?Answer: Henri Richard. The “Pocket Rocket” won all 11 with Montreal between 1956 and 1973.
5. Vladislav Tretiak starred for the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series at which position?Answer: Goaltender. He later became the first Soviet-trained player in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
6. Gordie Howe’s sons Mark and Marty played alongside him on which NHL team?Answer: Hartford Whalers. The three Howes played together in Hartford in 1979–80.
7. Which of these teams did NOT join the NHL from the WHA in 1979?Answer: Calgary Flames. The fourth WHA team was the Quebec Nordiques; the Flames moved from Atlanta in 1980.
8. Which team became the NHL’s 32nd franchise when it began play in 2021?Answer: Seattle Kraken. The Kraken play at Climate Pledge Arena.
9. How many players does each team normally have on the ice, counting the goalie?Answer: Six. A full-strength team has a goalie, two defensemen and three forwards.
10. Which team won five Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1990?Answer: Edmonton Oilers. Wayne Gretzky led the first four, and Mark Messier captained the 1990 team.
11. In 2012, which team became the first eighth seed to win the Stanley Cup?Answer: Los Angeles Kings. The Kings beat New Jersey in six games for their first title.
12. Who coached the New York Islanders to four straight Stanley Cups?Answer: Al Arbour. Arbour also won four Cups as a player.
13. In 1997 and 1998, who became the only goalie to win the Hart Trophy twice?Answer: Dominik Hašek. “The Dominator” won both MVP awards with Buffalo.
14. How many Staal brothers have played in the NHL?Answer: Four. Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared all reached the league.
15. Who was the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft?Answer: Connor McDavid. Edmonton took him first; Buffalo took Eichel second.
16. Which of these teams is NOT one of the “Original Six”?Answer: Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers joined in the 1967 expansion.
17. On what day is the NHL’s Winter Classic traditionally played?Answer: New Year’s Day. The outdoor game has been a New Year’s tradition since 2008.
18. How many straight Norris Trophies did Bobby Orr win?Answer: Eight. He won the award every season from 1968 through 1975.
19. What is the painted blue area in front of each goal called?Answer: The crease. Opponents may not interfere with the goalie there.
20. Which team won the 2007 Stanley Cup?Answer: Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks beat Ottawa in five games for their first title.

Soccer trivia

1. Which country hosted and won the first World Cup in 1930?Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay beat Argentina 4–2 in the final in Montevideo.
2. What was the name of the dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy in London in 1966?Answer: Pickles. Pickles sniffed out the Jules Rimet Trophy, wrapped in newspaper, a week after it was stolen.
3. Which 40-year-old goalkeeper captained Italy to the 1982 World Cup title?Answer: Dino Zoff. Zoff lifted the trophy in Madrid at the age of 40.
4. Which country has won the most men’s World Cups?Answer: Brazil. Brazil has five titles: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
5. Who scored Spain’s extra-time winner in the 2010 World Cup final?Answer: Andrés Iniesta. Iniesta’s late goal beat the Netherlands 1–0 in Johannesburg.
6. In which city was England’s Football Association founded in 1863?Answer: London. It was formed at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London.
7. Which club won the first Premier League title, in 1992–93?Answer: Manchester United. Alex Ferguson’s side ended a 26-year wait for a league title.
8. Who scored the first goal in Premier League history?Answer: Brian Deane. Deane headed in for Sheffield United against Manchester United on August 15, 1992.
9. Which stadium is nicknamed “The Theatre of Dreams”?Answer: Old Trafford. Bobby Charlton gave Manchester United’s home the nickname.
10. La Bombonera is the home stadium of which club?Answer: Boca Juniors. The Buenos Aires stadium’s nickname means “the chocolate box.”
11. In which year was the first FIFA Women’s World Cup held?Answer: 1991. China hosted it, and the United States beat Norway 2–1 in the final.
12. Which Brazilian holds the record for most goals at Women’s World Cups?Answer: Marta. Marta has scored 17 goals across six tournaments.
13. Whose penalty won the 1999 Women’s World Cup final for the U.S.?Answer: Brandi Chastain. Chastain scored the decisive kick in the shootout against China at the Rose Bowl.
14. How many teams took part in the 2026 World Cup, the first of its size?Answer: 48. The tournament grew from 32 teams to 48.
15. Who won the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2026 World Cup?Answer: Rodri. The Spain midfielder was named best player as Spain won the title.
16. Which Caribbean island made its World Cup debut in 2026?Answer: Curaçao. Curaçao was one of four debutants, with Cape Verde, Jordan and Uzbekistan.
17. Who is the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or?Answer: Lev Yashin. The Soviet keeper won it in 1963.
18. Which team did England beat in the 1966 World Cup final?Answer: West Germany. England won 4–2 after extra time at Wembley.
19. Which Dutch star unveiled his famous turn against Sweden at the 1974 World Cup?Answer: Johan Cruyff. The move, dragging the ball behind his standing leg, became known as the Cruyff Turn.
20. Which two countries co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, the first held in Asia?Answer: South Korea and Japan. Brazil beat Germany 2–0 in the final in Yokohama.

Movies trivia

1. Who directed and starred in Citizen Kane (1941)?Answer: Orson Welles. Welles was 25 when he made it.
2. Who starred with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot (1959)?Answer: Jack Lemmon. Lemmon and Curtis play musicians hiding out in an all-woman band.
3. Who played Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972)?Answer: Al Pacino. Pacino played Michael in all three Godfather films.
4. What is the name of the hidden African nation in Black Panther (2018)?Answer: Wakanda. T’Challa is Wakanda’s king.
5. Which 2008 film launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe?Answer: Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. starred as Tony Stark.
6. Who directed both Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009)?Answer: James Cameron. Cameron won Best Director for Titanic.
7. Who plays the cyborg in The Terminator (1984)?Answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger. James Cameron directed the film.
8. What is the name of Han Solo’s ship in Star Wars?Answer: Millennium Falcon. Han and Chewbacca fly the Falcon.
9. In which 1967 film is Dustin Hoffman seduced by Mrs. Robinson?Answer: The Graduate. Anne Bancroft played Mrs. Robinson.
10. Who wrote and directed Do the Right Thing (1989)?Answer: Spike Lee. Lee also played the pizza delivery man Mookie.
11. Which silent comedian was nicknamed “The Great Stone Face”?Answer: Buster Keaton. Keaton was known for his deadpan expression, even in wild stunts.
12. Jack Nicholson shouts “Here’s Johnny!” in which film?Answer: The Shining. Stanley Kubrick directed the 1980 horror film.
13. Which Disney film features the song “A Whole New World”?Answer: Aladdin. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
14. Who won Best Actress for playing the title role in Erin Brockovich (2000)?Answer: Julia Roberts. The film was directed by Steven Soderbergh.
15. Who directed Seven Samurai (1954)?Answer: Akira Kurosawa. It inspired the western The Magnificent Seven.
16. In Groundhog Day (1993), Bill Murray’s weatherman relives one day in which Pennsylvania town?Answer: Punxsutawney. He is there to cover the town’s famous groundhog.
17. Who was the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director?Answer: Kathryn Bigelow. She won for The Hurt Locker at the 2010 ceremony.
18. Who played the title role in Lawrence of Arabia (1962)?Answer: Peter O’Toole. The role made O’Toole an international star.
19. The PG-13 rating was introduced in the United States in which year?Answer: 1984. Violent scenes in PG films such as Gremlins helped prompt the new rating.
20. Who played Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)?Answer: Gene Wilder. Johnny Depp played Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Television trivia

1. In a famous I Love Lucy episode, Lucy stomps grapes in a vat while visiting which country?Answer: Italy. In “Lucy’s Italian Movie” (1956), she climbs into a grape vat hoping to research a film role.
2. What was the name of the production company Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz founded?Answer: Desilu. Its name blends Desi and Lucy; the studio went on to produce many other hit shows.
3. What is the name of the Simpsons’ greyhound?Answer: Santa’s Little Helper. The family adopted the ex-racing dog in the very first episode, a Christmas special.
4. Who created The Simpsons?Answer: Matt Groening. Groening named most of the family after his own relatives.
5. Which actress has voiced Bart Simpson since the beginning?Answer: Nancy Cartwright. Julie Kavner voices Marge and Yeardley Smith voices Lisa.
6. The Simpsons first appeared as short cartoons on which Fox show?Answer: The Tracey Ullman Show. The shorts began in April 1987, more than two years before the half-hour series.
7. Cheers was set in a bar in which city?Answer: Boston. Its exterior shots showed the Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street.
8. Which actor played the bartender Woody Boyd on Cheers?Answer: Woody Harrelson. Harrelson joined in 1985 after the death of Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach.
9. How many children were there in The Brady Bunch?Answer: Six. Mike brought three sons and Carol three daughters to the blended family.
10. What was the name of the Brady family’s dog?Answer: Tiger. Tiger appeared in the early seasons of the show.
11. Who hosted the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975?Answer: George Carlin. Carlin hosted on October 11, 1975, with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
12. What was The Ed Sullivan Show called when it began in 1948?Answer: Toast of the Town. It officially took Sullivan’s name in 1955.
13. CBS’s famous network logo is shaped like what?Answer: An eye. The CBS eye has been the network’s symbol since the early 1950s.
14. Who was Johnny Carson’s longtime announcer and sidekick on The Tonight Show?Answer: Ed McMahon. McMahon introduced Carson every night with “Heeeere’s Johnny!”
15. The phrase “jump the shark” comes from a stunt by which TV character?Answer: Fonzie. In a 1977 Happy Days episode, Fonzie jumped over a shark on water skis.
16. On Bewitched, how did Samantha usually cast a spell?Answer: By twitching her nose. Elizabeth Montgomery’s nose twitch became the show’s trademark.
17. What was the title of the first Scooby-Doo series, which began in 1969?Answer: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. The Hanna-Barbera cartoon debuted on CBS’s Saturday-morning lineup.
18. Which newsman closed his broadcasts with “And that’s the way it is”?Answer: Walter Cronkite. Cronkite anchored the CBS Evening News from 1962 to 1981.
19. Which 1960s sitcom starred a talking horse?Answer: Mister Ed. Mister Ed, a palomino, only spoke to his owner, Wilbur Post.
20. Who hosted the original version of Jeopardy!, which began in 1964?Answer: Art Fleming. Fleming hosted the NBC daytime version; Trebek took over the revival in 1984.

Fantasy trivia

1. Who played Han Solo in the original Star Wars?Answer: Harrison Ford. Ford returned to the role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.
2. Which desert planet is Luke Skywalker’s home in the original Star Wars?Answer: Tatooine. Luke grows up on his uncle and aunt’s moisture farm on Tatooine.
3. Who composed the music for the original Star Wars?Answer: John Williams. Williams won the Oscar for Best Original Score for it.
4. What species is Chewbacca?Answer: Wookiee. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the forest planet Kashyyyk.
5. Who played Captain James T. Kirk in the original Star Trek series?Answer: William Shatner. Shatner played Kirk on TV from 1966 and in seven Star Trek films.
6. Which TV network first aired the original Star Trek?Answer: NBC. The original series ran on NBC for three seasons.
7. Ricardo Montalbán played which Star Trek villain?Answer: Khan Noonien Singh. Khan first appeared in the 1967 episode “Space Seed” and returned in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
8. Which original Star Trek crew member is nicknamed “Bones”?Answer: Dr. Leonard McCoy. DeForest Kelley played the ship’s doctor, Leonard “Bones” McCoy.
9. Who wrote the novel Dune?Answer: Frank Herbert. Herbert went on to write five sequels to Dune.
10. Who directed Dune and Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet?Answer: Denis Villeneuve. The Canadian director had earlier made Arrival and Blade Runner 2049.
11. What are the giant creatures that roam the deserts of Arrakis?Answer: Sandworms. The Fremen call the sandworm Shai-Hulud.
12. Who directed the original Alien (1979)?Answer: Ridley Scott. Scott later returned to the series with Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.
13. Who played Ellen Ripley in Alien (1979)?Answer: Sigourney Weaver. Weaver played Ripley in four Alien films.
14. Which actor played Dutch, the commando leader in Predator (1987)?Answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger’s team is hunted by the alien in a Central American jungle.
15. Predator 2 (1990) moves the hunt to which city?Answer: Los Angeles. The film is set in a sweltering Los Angeles of 1997.
16. In The Matrix, what color pill does Neo take to learn the truth?Answer: Red. Morpheus offers him a blue pill to forget or a red pill to wake up.
17. Who played Neo in The Matrix?Answer: Keanu Reeves. Will Smith turned the role down to make Wild Wild West.
18. Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is based on a novel by which author?Answer: Michael Crichton. Crichton also wrote The Andromeda Strain and the sequel novel The Lost World.
19. Who played Sarah Connor in The Terminator?Answer: Linda Hamilton. Hamilton returned as a battle-hardened Sarah in Terminator 2.
20. How fast must the DeLorean go to travel through time in Back to the Future?Answer: 88 miles per hour. It also needs 1.21 gigawatts of power for the flux capacitor.

Broadway trivia

1. Ain’t Too Proud chronicles which Motown group?Answer: The Temptations. The musical traces the group’s rise and changing line-up.
2. Fun Home is based on a graphic memoir by which cartoonist?Answer: Alison Bechdel. It won the Tony for Best Musical in 2015.
3. What are the paid performances a show gives before its official opening night called?Answer: Previews. Previews let creators fine-tune the show before critics review it.
4. Who won a Tony for playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton?Answer: Leslie Odom Jr.. Odom won Best Actor in a Musical at the 2016 Tonys.
5. Which Broadway musical is based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film about a Paris nightclub?Answer: Moulin Rouge!. It won the Tony for Best Musical at the ceremony held in September 2021.
6. Which musical by Galt MacDermot was billed as “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”?Answer: Hair. Hair captured the 1960s counterculture.
7. Which Disney show won the 1998 Tony for Best Musical?Answer: The Lion King. The Lion King won six Tonys that year.
8. What is the imaginary wall between the actors and the audience called?Answer: The fourth wall. Actors “break the fourth wall” when they speak directly to the audience.
9. Which day of the week are Broadway theatres traditionally dark?Answer: Monday. Monday has long been the customary night off for Broadway casts.
10. Who originated the role of Elphaba in Wicked?Answer: Idina Menzel. Menzel won the Tony for the role; Chenoweth played Glinda.
11. Who wrote the music for both Aida and Billy Elliot the Musical?Answer: Elton John. Elton John wrote Aida with Tim Rice and Billy Elliot with Lee Hall.
12. Which Broadway musical follows two missionaries sent to Uganda?Answer: The Book of Mormon. Elders Price and Cunningham expect Orlando but are sent to Uganda.
13. “Send in the Clowns” comes from which Sondheim musical?Answer: A Little Night Music. Glynis Johns introduced the song on Broadway in 1973.
14. Which Tennessee Williams play features Maggie and Big Daddy?Answer: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. It won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
15. Who originated the role of Jean Valjean on Broadway?Answer: Colm Wilkinson. Wilkinson brought the role from London and won a Tony nomination.
16. Which jukebox musical tells the story of Carole King?Answer: Beautiful. Beautiful follows King from Brooklyn teen songwriter to solo star.
17. Who was Richard Rodgers’s lyricist partner before Oscar Hammerstein II?Answer: Lorenz Hart. Rodgers and Hart wrote shows like Pal Joey and The Boys from Syracuse.
18. Which Edward Albee play centres on the bickering couple George and Martha?Answer: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. The play opened on Broadway in 1962.
19. In Little Shop of Horrors, what is the man-eating plant called?Answer: Audrey II. Seymour names the plant after his crush, Audrey.
20. Which musical follows chorus girl Peggy Sawyer, who steps in for an injured star?Answer: 42nd Street. 42nd Street is based on the 1933 film of the same name.

U.S. History trivia

1. What does “D.C.” stand for in Washington, D.C.?Answer: District of Columbia. The district was created from land given by Maryland and Virginia.
2. Where did Washington’s Continental Army spend the hard winter of 1777–78?Answer: Valley Forge. The camp was in Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia.
3. Which war began with fighting at Lexington and Concord?Answer: The Revolutionary War. The first shots were fired on April 19, 1775.
4. What was the main job of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery?Answer: Exploring the new Louisiana Territory and the route west. Jefferson sent them to find a route to the Pacific and study the land and peoples.
5. Which president signed the Indian Removal Act of 1830?Answer: Andrew Jackson. The law led to the forced removal of tribes including the Cherokee.
6. Pickett’s Charge took place during which battle?Answer: Gettysburg. The failed Confederate assault came on July 3, 1863.
7. Which amendment protects freedom of speech?Answer: First. It is part of the Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791.
8. Who founded Standard Oil?Answer: John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller founded it in Ohio in 1870.
9. Which steel tycoon gave away much of his fortune to build public libraries?Answer: Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie funded more than 2,500 libraries around the world.
10. Which island in New York Harbor processed millions of immigrants starting in 1892?Answer: Ellis Island. About 12 million immigrants passed through it before 1954.
11. What were FDR’s radio talks to the nation called?Answer: Fireside chats. He gave about 30 of them between 1933 and 1944.
12. What was the name of the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima?Answer: Enola Gay. It was named after pilot Paul Tibbets’ mother.
13. Which 1957 Soviet satellite set off the space race?Answer: Sputnik. Sputnik was launched on October 4, 1957.
14. Which 1965 law banned literacy tests and other barriers to voting?Answer: Voting Rights Act. Lyndon Johnson signed it on August 6, 1965.
15. The 1968 Tet Offensive was part of which war?Answer: Vietnam War. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attacked cities across South Vietnam.
16. The 52 American hostages in Iran were freed on the day which president took office?Answer: Ronald Reagan. They were released on January 20, 1981, after 444 days.
17. On September 11, 2001, United Flight 93 crashed in which state?Answer: Pennsylvania. It came down near Shanksville after passengers fought the hijackers.
18. Which 2005 hurricane flooded most of New Orleans?Answer: Katrina. Levee failures left about 80% of the city underwater.
19. Which president never married?Answer: James Buchanan. Buchanan was a lifelong bachelor; his niece served as White House hostess.
20. Which 1787 law set out how new states would be formed north of the Ohio River?Answer: The Northwest Ordinance. It also banned slavery in that territory.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the 26th president?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt served as the 26th president from 1901 to 1909.
2. Who was the first president inaugurated on January 20?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s second inauguration, in 1937, was the first held on the new date.
3. Which president signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law?Answer: Bill Clinton. Clinton signed the NAFTA law in December 1993.
4. Who was the last president from the Whig Party?Answer: Millard Fillmore. Fillmore took office in 1850 after Zachary Taylor died.
5. Which president signed the law creating the Department of Homeland Security?Answer: George W. Bush. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act in November 2002.
6. Whose wife, Edith, helped manage his affairs after he suffered a stroke in 1919?Answer: Woodrow Wilson. Edith Wilson screened who and what reached the president during his illness.
7. Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vice president?Answer: Richard Nixon. Nixon was vice president from 1953 to 1961.
8. Who was the first first lady to have a college degree?Answer: Lucy Hayes. Lucy Hayes graduated from Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati in 1850.
9. Who was the first African American president?Answer: Barack Obama. Obama was elected in 2008 and served two terms.
10. Who is the only president from the Federalist Party?Answer: John Adams. Adams was elected as a Federalist in 1796.
11. Who was Richard Nixon’s first vice president?Answer: Spiro Agnew. Agnew resigned in 1973 and was replaced by Gerald Ford.
12. Which president kept a sign reading “The buck stops here” on his desk?Answer: Harry S. Truman. Truman’s sign meant he took final responsibility for decisions.
13. Under which president was the Department of Education created?Answer: Jimmy Carter. Carter signed the law creating it in October 1979.
14. Which president had been Speaker of the House of Representatives?Answer: James K. Polk. Polk was Speaker from 1835 to 1839 and is the only Speaker to become president.
15. The Teapot Dome scandal happened during which president’s time in office?Answer: Warren G. Harding. The scandal involved federal oil reserves leased under Harding.
16. Which amendment covers presidential disability and filling a vice-presidential vacancy?Answer: 25th Amendment. The 25th Amendment was ratified in 1967.
17. Who was the first president elected as a Democrat?Answer: Andrew Jackson. Jackson won the 1828 election and is seen as a founder of the Democratic Party.
18. Which president signed Medicare into law in 1965?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson signed it at the Truman Library in Missouri, with Truman beside him.
19. Which first lady had worked as a school librarian?Answer: Laura Bush. Laura Bush was a teacher and librarian in Texas before her marriage.
20. Which branch of government does the president lead?Answer: Executive. Article II places the executive power in the president.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of India?Answer: New Delhi. New Delhi is India’s capital; Mumbai is its financial center.
2. Which ocean surrounds the North Pole?Answer: Arctic Ocean. The North Pole lies in the middle of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean.
3. The temple complex of Angkor Wat is in which country?Answer: Cambodia. Angkor Wat, near Siem Reap, appears on Cambodia’s flag.
4. Which U.S. state’s Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten?Answer: Michigan. Michiganders often point to a spot on their palm to show where they live.
5. What is the capital of Greece?Answer: Athens. Athens has been Greece’s capital since 1834.
6. What is the largest country in the world by area?Answer: Russia. Russia covers about 17 million square kilometres across Europe and Asia.
7. Death Valley lies in which North American desert?Answer: Mojave. Death Valley is in the Mojave Desert of eastern California.
8. Which country was known in the West as Persia until 1935?Answer: Iran. In 1935 the government asked foreign countries to use the name Iran.
9. What is the capital of Nigeria?Answer: Abuja. Abuja replaced Lagos as Nigeria’s capital.
10. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share which island?Answer: Hispaniola. Hispaniola is the second-largest island in the Caribbean.
11. Which island is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei?Answer: Borneo. Borneo is the only island divided among three countries.
12. Which mountain range runs across Morocco?Answer: Atlas Mountains. The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
13. Which is Canada’s only officially bilingual province?Answer: New Brunswick. New Brunswick gives English and French equal status by law.
14. Which country’s flag is white with a blue Nordic cross?Answer: Finland. Finland’s blue cross on white represents its lakes and snow.
15. Which strait is the narrowest point between Great Britain and France?Answer: Strait of Dover. The Strait of Dover is about 33 km wide.
16. What is the capital of Chile?Answer: Santiago. Santiago lies in a valley between the Andes and the coastal range.
17. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing part of which kingdom?Answer: Denmark. The Faroes, between Iceland and Norway, belong to the Kingdom of Denmark.
18. The Blue Nile and White Nile meet in which city?Answer: Khartoum. The two branches join at Khartoum, Sudan’s capital.
19. Juneau is the capital of which U.S. state?Answer: Alaska. Juneau can’t be reached by road from the rest of North America.
20. Which island country lies southeast of Australia and has Mount Cook as its highest peak?Answer: New Zealand. Aoraki / Mount Cook is New Zealand’s highest mountain, in the Southern Alps.