Monday, October 26, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Monday, October 26, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

connote vs. denote

connote: To suggest a feeling or idea beyond the literal meaning. denote: To indicate the literal, direct meaning. Denote is the dictionary sense; connote is the extra color.

peak vs. peek

peak: The top of a mountain; the highest point. peek: A quick look. Peek has two e’s, like a pair of eyes.

statue vs. statute

statue: A carved or cast figure. statute: A written law. A statute is on the books.

venal vs. venial

venal: Open to bribery; corrupt. venial: Minor and forgivable. A venial sin can be forgiven.

palate vs. palette

palate: The roof of the mouth; a sense of taste. palette: A board for mixing paints. A painter holds a palette.

Beatles trivia

1. Which Beatles album had the working title “Everest”?Answer: Abbey Road. The name came from the cigarettes engineer Geoff Emerick smoked; the band chose the studio’s street instead.
2. What was Ringo Starr’s real surname?Answer: Starkey. He was born Richard Starkey in Liverpool.
3. Which song is set on a Liverpool street with a barber, a banker and a fireman?Answer: Penny Lane. Penny Lane is a real street in south Liverpool.
4. Which Revolver track’s title came from one of Ringo’s offbeat phrases?Answer: Tomorrow Never Knows. John borrowed the Ringo-ism for the album’s closing track.
5. Which Sgt. Pepper song did the BBC ban from its airwaves in 1967?Answer: A Day in the Life. The BBC thought the song referred to drugs.
6. John later said which 1965 song was a real cry for help?Answer: Help!. He said the title song of the film was about how he felt at the time.
7. Who wrote “Old Brown Shoe”?Answer: George Harrison. George’s song was the B-side of “The Ballad of John and Yoko” in 1969.
8. Which single had “I Am the Walrus” on its B-side?Answer: Hello, Goodbye. “Hello, Goodbye” was released in November 1967.
9. In what year was “Lady Madonna” released?Answer: 1968. It came out in March 1968.
10. In which language did the band re-record “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964?Answer: German. EMI’s German branch wanted versions for that market.
11. Which song first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album?Answer: Hey Bulldog. “Hey Bulldog” first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969.
12. Which Beatle had a 1971 hit with “It Don’t Come Easy”?Answer: Ringo Starr. It was one of Ringo’s first solo singles.
13. Who directed A Hard Day’s Night?Answer: Richard Lester. Lester also directed Help! the next year.
14. Which Beatle sings lead on “Boys”, from Please Please Me?Answer: Ringo Starr. “Boys” was a Shirelles song that Ringo sang at shows.
15. Which Beatle sings lead on “Michelle”?Answer: Paul McCartney. Paul wrote the song, which has a few French words.
16. On which album is “Revolution 9”?Answer: The Beatles (White Album). The sound collage is the second-to-last track of the White Album.
17. What was the band’s first feature film shot in colour?Answer: Help!. A Hard Day’s Night was in black and white; Help! (1965) was in colour.
18. Who wrote “Blackbird”?Answer: Paul McCartney. Paul plays it alone on acoustic guitar on the White Album.
19. What was the title of John Lennon’s 1964 book of stories and drawings?Answer: In His Own Write. It was his first book; a second, A Spaniard in the Works, followed in 1965.
20. Which song was the B-side of “All You Need Is Love”?Answer: Baby, You’re a Rich Man. The single came out in July 1967.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Which song opens folklore?Answer: The 1. “The 1” is track one of the 2020 album.
2. Which song closes the standard edition of 1989?Answer: Clean. “Clean” is the 13th and last track.
3. Which album cover is in black and white with her name printed like newspaper headlines?Answer: Reputation. The 2017 cover shows her face beside newsprint-style text.
4. Which album cover shows Swift against a pastel pink and blue sky, with a glitter heart by her eye?Answer: Lover. The Lover cover leaned into soft, bright colors.
5. “Willow” was the lead single from which album?Answer: Evermore. It came out with evermore in December 2020.
6. “Getaway Car” is on which album?Answer: Reputation. It is the ninth track of Reputation.
7. “Cardigan” is on which album?Answer: Folklore. It was folklore’s lead single in July 2020.
8. “Cruel Summer” first appeared on which album?Answer: Lover. It was on Lover in 2019 and became a No. 1 hit in 2023.
9. In what year did Swift first release Red?Answer: 2012. Red came out in October 2012.
10. Counting The Life of a Showgirl, how many studio albums of new songs has Swift released?Answer: 12. The Life of a Showgirl (2025) is her 12th; re-recordings aren’t counted.
11. Which album did Swift release in 2014?Answer: 1989. 1989 came out on October 27, 2014.
12. What color is the gown Swift wears on the Speak Now cover?Answer: Purple. The flowing purple dress matched the album’s look.
13. Which future pop star was an opening act on the 1989 World Tour?Answer: Shawn Mendes. He opened North American shows in 2015, along with Vance Joy.
14. Which song was Swift’s first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart?Answer: Our Song. “Our Song” topped the country chart in late 2007.
15. In which video do versions of Swift from her earlier eras appear together?Answer: Look What You Made Me Do. The 2017 video ends with past Taylors lined up and arguing.
16. “Me!” was the lead single from which album?Answer: Lover. It came out in April 2019.
17. What is Taylor Swift’s middle name?Answer: Alison. Her full name is Taylor Alison Swift.
18. Which song is track 5 on 1989?Answer: All You Had to Do Was Stay. Fans see track 5 as the slot for her most personal songs.
19. In what year did Lover come out?Answer: 2019. Lover was released in August 2019.
20. Which album did Swift release in October 2025?Answer: The Life of a Showgirl. It came out on October 3, 2025.

Football trivia

1. Which team plays its home games at Soldier Field?Answer: Chicago Bears. The Bears have played at Soldier Field since 1971.
2. Which team plays its home games at M&T Bank Stadium?Answer: Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens’ stadium is in downtown Baltimore.
3. Which team did the Chiefs beat in Super Bowl LVII?Answer: Philadelphia Eagles. Kansas City won 38–35 in February 2023.
4. With which team did Peyton Manning win his second Super Bowl?Answer: Denver Broncos. He won Super Bowl 50 with Denver in his final season.
5. Who holds the NFL record for career passing yards?Answer: Tom Brady. Brady threw for more than 89,000 yards in 23 seasons.
6. Who holds the NFL record for career touchdown catches?Answer: Jerry Rice. Rice caught 197 touchdown passes.
7. How deep is each end zone?Answer: 10 yards. The field is 100 yards between goal lines plus two 10-yard end zones.
8. Which team won back-to-back Super Bowls after the 2022 and 2023 seasons?Answer: Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs won Super Bowls LVII and LVIII.
9. Which quarterback was nicknamed “Broadway Joe”?Answer: Joe Namath. Namath starred for the New York Jets.
10. Which coach led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins over the Patriots?Answer: Tom Coughlin. His Giants won Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
11. Which NFL team is based in Nashville?Answer: Tennessee Titans. The Titans moved from Houston and were first called the Oilers.
12. When does the two-minute warning happen?Answer: With two minutes left in each half. Play stops automatically at the 2:00 mark of the second and fourth quarters.
13. Which head coach has won the most Super Bowls?Answer: Bill Belichick. Belichick won six with the Patriots.
14. What position did Lawrence Taylor play?Answer: Linebacker. He was an outside linebacker for the Giants.
15. Which team has a fleur-de-lis on its helmets?Answer: New Orleans Saints. The fleur-de-lis is a symbol of New Orleans.
16. What does a referee signal by raising both arms straight up?Answer: A score, such as a touchdown. Both arms up means a touchdown, field goal or extra point is good.
17. Brett Favre spent most of his career with which team?Answer: Green Bay Packers. He started for the Packers from 1992 to 2007.
18. How many teams are in the NFL?Answer: 32. The Houston Texans became the 32nd team in 2002.
19. How many divisions does each NFL conference have?Answer: Four. The AFC and NFC each have East, North, South and West divisions.
20. In which month is the NFL Draft usually held?Answer: April. The draft takes place in late April each year.

Basketball trivia

1. How many players does each team have on the court?Answer: Five. Each team plays five at a time.
2. How many free throws does a player get when fouled on a missed three-point shot?Answer: Three. A missed shot gets as many free throws as it was worth.
3. Which team plays its home games at Chase Center?Answer: Golden State Warriors. The Warriors moved to San Francisco’s Chase Center in 2019.
4. Which team plays its home games at TD Garden?Answer: Boston Celtics. TD Garden replaced the old Boston Garden in 1995.
5. Which coach led the Warriors to four titles between 2015 and 2022?Answer: Steve Kerr. Kerr had already won five titles as a player.
6. Who was the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft?Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon. Houston picked Olajuwon first; Jordan went third.
7. Which team was Wilt Chamberlain playing for when he scored 100 points in 1962?Answer: Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors moved to San Francisco later that year.
8. With which team did Kevin Durant begin his NBA career?Answer: Seattle SuperSonics. Seattle drafted him in 2007; the team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.
9. Which team won the 2024 NBA Cup?Answer: Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks beat the Thunder in the December 2024 final.
10. Who won the NBA MVP award for the 2024–25 season?Answer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He led Oklahoma City to the title the same season.
11. Dwyane Wade led which team to the 2006 championship?Answer: Miami Heat. Wade was Finals MVP as the Heat beat Dallas.
12. Who was the 2011 Finals MVP?Answer: Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki’s Mavericks beat the Heat.
13. What is an offensive foul for running into a set defender called?Answer: A charge. If the defender was set first, the foul goes on the ball carrier.
14. How many games does each team play in an NBA regular season?Answer: 82. An 82-game schedule has been standard since 1967–68.
15. Which Lakers star was nicknamed “Big Game James”?Answer: James Worthy. Worthy was MVP of the 1988 Finals.
16. Which Knicks Hall of Famer was nicknamed “Clyde”?Answer: Walt Frazier. He got the name from his stylish hats, like Clyde Barrow in the film Bonnie and Clyde.
17. Who was the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year for 2023–24?Answer: Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs’ French center won every first-place vote.
18. What is an alley-oop?Answer: A pass caught in the air and dunked or laid in. The receiver catches the lob near the rim and finishes before landing.
19. Which college did Shaquille O’Neal play for?Answer: LSU. He starred at Louisiana State before the Magic drafted him.
20. Which team drafted Allen Iverson first overall in 1996?Answer: Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson came to the 76ers from Georgetown.

Baseball trivia

1. Which team won the 2024 World Series?Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers beat the Yankees in five games.
2. Who hit a walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series?Answer: Freddie Freeman. Freeman won the series MVP award.
3. Which team plays its home games at Camden Yards?Answer: Baltimore Orioles. Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992.
4. Which team plays its home games at PNC Park?Answer: Pittsburgh Pirates. The park opened in 2001 on the Allegheny River.
5. How many innings are in a regulation major league game?Answer: Nine. Extra innings are added if the score is tied.
6. Who was the last major leaguer to bat .400 for a season?Answer: Ted Williams. Williams hit .406 in 1941.
7. Which Yankees catcher was famous for sayings like “It ain’t over till it’s over”?Answer: Yogi Berra. His odd sayings became known as Yogi-isms.
8. Which pitcher was nicknamed “The Rocket”?Answer: Roger Clemens. Clemens won 354 games.
9. Which team did Ken Griffey Jr. begin his career with?Answer: Seattle Mariners. Seattle drafted him first overall in 1987.
10. Which team’s fans call it the “Amazin’s”?Answer: New York Mets. The nickname goes back to manager Casey Stengel.
11. Which team won the 2015 World Series?Answer: Kansas City Royals. The Royals beat the Mets in five games.
12. Which team won the 2021 World Series?Answer: Atlanta Braves. The Braves beat the Astros in six games.
13. Which team won the 2022 World Series?Answer: Houston Astros. Houston beat Philadelphia in six games.
14. Which slugger was nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank”?Answer: Hank Aaron. Aaron hit 755 home runs.
15. What color are foul poles usually painted?Answer: Yellow. A ball that hits the pole is a fair ball and a home run.
16. Which Hall of Famer was known as “Mr. Padre”?Answer: Tony Gwynn. Gwynn spent all 20 seasons in San Diego and won eight batting titles.
17. Who holds the single-season record for stolen bases?Answer: Rickey Henderson. Henderson stole 130 bases in 1982.
18. What does “DH” stand for?Answer: Designated hitter. The DH bats in place of the pitcher.
19. How many players are on an MLB team’s active roster for most of the season?Answer: 26. The limit went from 25 to 26 in 2020.
20. Mookie Betts began his career with which team?Answer: Boston Red Sox. He won the 2018 MVP with Boston before a trade to the Dodgers.

Hockey trivia

1. Who scored the overtime winner for the U.S. in the 2026 Olympic gold medal game?Answer: Jack Hughes. His goal beat Canada 2–1 in Milan, 46 years to the day after the Miracle on Ice.
2. Which goalie played a record 502 consecutive games?Answer: Glenn Hall. “Mr. Goalie” started every game from 1955 to 1962, without a mask.
3. Which team introduced its mascot Gritty in 2018?Answer: Philadelphia Flyers. The shaggy orange mascot became an internet sensation within days.
4. Who built the first ice-resurfacing machine in 1949?Answer: Frank Zamboni. His name became the common word for the machine.
5. Which NHL team plays at Madison Square Garden?Answer: New York Rangers. The Rangers have played at the Garden since they were founded in 1926.
6. Which was the last Canadian-based team to win the Stanley Cup?Answer: Montreal Canadiens. Montreal won in 1993, beating the Los Angeles Kings.
7. Which twin brothers both won the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion?Answer: Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Henrik won it in 2010 and Daniel in 2011, both with Vancouver.
8. Which team drafted Alex Ovechkin first overall in 2004?Answer: Washington Capitals. He has played his entire NHL career in Washington.
9. Which team drafted Connor Bedard first overall in 2023?Answer: Chicago Blackhawks. Bedard won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2024.
10. Who played with Eric Lindros and John LeClair on Philadelphia’s “Legion of Doom” line?Answer: Mikael Renberg. The big, physical trio terrorized defenses in the mid-1990s.
11. What color is the line that divides an NHL rink in half?Answer: Red. The center red line splits the rink; the two blue lines mark the zones.
12. Unlike most pro sports trophies, what is engraved on the Stanley Cup?Answer: The names of the winning players and staff. Bands are added and retired over time so the names fit.
13. At the 1987 Canada Cup, who scored the winning goal on a pass from Wayne Gretzky?Answer: Mario Lemieux. His late goal beat the Soviet Union in the deciding game.
14. Which mustachioed Flames star won the Stanley Cup in his final NHL game in 1989?Answer: Lanny McDonald. McDonald scored in the Cup-clinching win at the Montreal Forum, then retired.
15. Which of these teams played in the NHL’s first season, 1917–18?Answer: Montreal Wanderers. The Wanderers dropped out after their arena burned in January 1918.
16. Goalie Tony Esposito’s older brother was which Hall of Fame scorer?Answer: Phil Esposito. The brothers were born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
17. In 2022, which Colorado defenseman won both the Norris Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy?Answer: Cale Makar. Colorado beat Tampa Bay in six games in that year’s Final.
18. What does the trapezoid behind each net limit?Answer: Where a goalie may play the puck behind the goal line. A goalie who plays the puck in the corners outside it gets a penalty.
19. Which trophy goes to the Eastern Conference playoff champion?Answer: Prince of Wales Trophy. The Western Conference champion receives the Campbell Bowl.
20. Who scored both of Pittsburgh’s goals in Game 7 of the 2009 Final in Detroit?Answer: Max Talbot. His two goals gave the Penguins a 2–1 win and the Cup.

Soccer trivia

1. Which team stunned Brazil at the Maracanã to win the 1950 World Cup?Answer: Uruguay. Uruguay’s 2–1 win in the deciding match became known as the Maracanazo.
2. Which team did West Germany beat in the 1954 World Cup final, the “Miracle of Bern”?Answer: Hungary. West Germany came from 2–0 down to beat the heavily favored Hungarians 3–2.
3. Which Frenchman scored a record 13 goals at a single World Cup, in 1958?Answer: Just Fontaine. Fontaine’s 13 goals in Sweden are still the most by any player at one tournament.
4. Which Italian scored a hat-trick against Brazil at the 1982 World Cup?Answer: Paolo Rossi. Rossi’s three goals in a 3–2 win sent Italy on toward the title.
5. Who scored the only goal of the 1990 World Cup final?Answer: Andreas Brehme. Brehme’s late penalty gave West Germany a 1–0 win over Argentina in Rome.
6. Which 38-year-old Cameroon striker celebrated his Italia 90 goals with a dance at the corner flag?Answer: Roger Milla. Milla scored four goals as Cameroon reached the quarterfinals.
7. Who won the first European Championship, in 1960?Answer: Soviet Union. The Soviets beat Yugoslavia 2–1 after extra time in Paris.
8. Which country won Euro 2004 as huge outsiders?Answer: Greece. Greece beat host Portugal 1–0 in the final in Lisbon.
9. Which country has lost three World Cup finals, in 1974, 1978 and 2010, without ever winning one?Answer: Netherlands. The Dutch lost to West Germany, Argentina and Spain.
10. Who won the first FA Cup final, in 1872?Answer: Wanderers. Wanderers beat Royal Engineers 1–0 at the Kennington Oval.
11. Which club went through the 2003–04 Premier League season unbeaten?Answer: Arsenal. Arsène Wenger’s “Invincibles” won 26 and drew 12 of their 38 games.
12. Who is the Premier League’s all-time top scorer?Answer: Alan Shearer. Shearer scored 260 Premier League goals for Blackburn and Newcastle.
13. Against which club did Sergio Agüero score his last-gasp goal to win Manchester City the 2012 title?Answer: Queens Park Rangers. His stoppage-time goal gave City a 3–2 win and their first league title in 44 years.
14. Which stadium hosted the World Cup finals of 1970 and 1986?Answer: Estadio Azteca. The Mexico City stadium saw Pelé’s Brazil and Maradona’s Argentina lift the trophy.
15. Which German stadium is famous for its towering “Yellow Wall” terrace?Answer: Signal Iduna Park. Borussia Dortmund’s south stand holds about 25,000 standing fans.
16. Which country won the 2011 Women’s World Cup?Answer: Japan. Japan beat the U.S. on penalties after a 2–2 draw in Frankfurt.
17. Which U.S. forward scored a hat-trick in the first 16 minutes of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final?Answer: Carli Lloyd. Lloyd’s three goals, one from the halfway line, helped beat Japan 5–2.
18. Which Canadian holds the record for most international goals by any player, man or woman?Answer: Christine Sinclair. Sinclair retired from international play in 2023 with 190 goals.
19. Which team did Spain beat in the 2026 World Cup final?Answer: Argentina. Spain won 1–0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium on July 19, 2026.
20. Which three countries co-hosted the 2026 World Cup?Answer: United States, Canada and Mexico. It was the first World Cup with three host nations.

Movies trivia

1. Who played Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean?Answer: Johnny Depp. Depp was nominated for Best Actor for the first film.
2. Which was the first sequel to win Best Picture?Answer: The Godfather Part II. It won for 1974, two years after the original.
3. Which 1977 film starred John Travolta as disco dancer Tony Manero?Answer: Saturday Night Fever. Its Bee Gees soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums ever.
4. Who played Sandy in Grease (1978)?Answer: Olivia Newton-John. Travolta played Danny Zuko.
5. Which musical won Best Picture for 1961?Answer: West Side Story. It won ten Oscars.
6. Who played Norman Bates in Psycho (1960)?Answer: Anthony Perkins. Perkins returned to the role in three sequels.
7. Which 2008 Best Picture winner is set in Mumbai?Answer: Slumdog Millionaire. A young man from the slums wins big on a TV quiz show.
8. Who played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films?Answer: Emma Watson. She was 11 when the first film came out in 2001.
9. Which 1922 German silent film features the vampire Count Orlok?Answer: Nosferatu. It was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
10. Who wrote and directed Inception (2010)?Answer: Christopher Nolan. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a team that enters people’s dreams.
11. Who played the title role in Cleopatra (1963)?Answer: Elizabeth Taylor. Richard Burton co-starred as Mark Antony.
12. Who won Best Actor for playing Gordon Gekko in Wall Street (1987)?Answer: Michael Douglas. Oliver Stone directed the film.
13. In which 1986 film does Tom Cruise play a Navy pilot called Maverick?Answer: Top Gun. A sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, followed in 2022.
14. Who played Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)?Answer: Anthony Hopkins. He won Best Actor despite only about 16 minutes on screen.
15. The nickname “Bollywood” refers to the film industry of which country?Answer: India. It blends Bombay, the old name of Mumbai, with Hollywood.
16. Who was the first Asian woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress?Answer: Michelle Yeoh. She won for Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 2023 ceremony.
17. Who played Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)?Answer: Henry Fonda. John Ford directed the adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel.
18. Which film features the catchphrase “Show me the money!”?Answer: Jerry Maguire. Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for the 1996 film.
19. Who directed The Social Network (2010)?Answer: David Fincher. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay.
20. Who won Best Actor for Gladiator (2000)?Answer: Russell Crowe. Crowe played the Roman general Maximus.

Television trivia

1. What was Ralph Kramden’s job on The Honeymooners?Answer: Bus driver. Ralph drove a bus for the Gotham Bus Company; his pal Ed Norton worked in the sewers.
2. Who played Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners?Answer: Jackie Gleason. Art Carney played Ed Norton.
3. M*A*S*H was set during which war?Answer: The Korean War. The 4077th was a mobile army surgical hospital in Korea.
4. Which M*A*S*H character wore dresses in hopes of getting a discharge?Answer: Klinger. Corporal Maxwell Klinger, played by Jamie Farr, schemed constantly to be sent home.
5. The TV series M*A*S*H was based on a 1970 film directed by whom?Answer: Robert Altman. Altman’s film was adapted from Richard Hooker’s novel.
6. In which city did the Golden Girls share a house?Answer: Miami. The four women lived together in a house in Miami, Florida.
7. Which actress played Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls?Answer: Betty White. Rose told endless stories about her hometown of St. Olaf, Minnesota.
8. What dessert did the Golden Girls famously share at the kitchen table?Answer: Cheesecake. Late-night talks over cheesecake became a running tradition on the show.
9. Which actor played the young Kunta Kinte in the 1977 miniseries Roots?Answer: LeVar Burton. Burton was a college student when he won the role; John Amos played the adult Kunta Kinte.
10. Who introduced Johnny Carson on his first night as host of The Tonight Show?Answer: Groucho Marx. Groucho introduced him on October 1, 1962.
11. Which comedian was nicknamed “Mr. Television” in the late 1940s?Answer: Milton Berle. Berle’s Texaco Star Theater was so popular that it helped sell TV sets.
12. Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca starred in which live 1950s sketch show?Answer: Your Show of Shows. Its writers’ room was later the inspiration for the film My Favorite Year.
13. Where did Fred Flintstone work?Answer: Slate Rock and Gravel Company. Fred ran a dinosaur-powered crane at the quarry.
14. In which fictional town do the Simpsons live?Answer: Springfield. The show deliberately never reveals which state Springfield is in.
15. What is Marge Simpson’s maiden name?Answer: Bouvier. Her twin sisters are Patty and Selma Bouvier.
16. Which instrument does Lisa Simpson play?Answer: Saxophone. Her saxophone solo is part of the show’s opening sequence.
17. Who was the first host of Family Feud when it began in 1976?Answer: Richard Dawson. Dawson, known for kissing contestants, hosted the original until 1985.
18. Who knitted the cardigan sweaters Fred Rogers wore on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood?Answer: His mother. His mother, Nancy, knitted them, and he changed into one at the start of each episode.
19. Which 1960s comedy show used the catchphrase “Sock it to me”?Answer: Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. Laugh-In’s fast-paced gags and catchphrases made it a smash on NBC.
20. Which TV detective, played by Peter Falk, wore a rumpled raincoat?Answer: Columbo. Lieutenant Columbo always had “just one more thing” to ask.

Fantasy trivia

1. Which icy planet is the setting of the opening battle in The Empire Strikes Back?Answer: Hoth. The Rebels’ Echo Base on Hoth is attacked by Imperial walkers.
2. Who directed The Empire Strikes Back?Answer: Irvin Kershner. Lucas produced it but handed the director’s chair to Kershner, his former teacher.
3. Which actor provided Darth Vader’s voice in the original trilogy?Answer: James Earl Jones. David Prowse wore the costume on set, while Jones recorded the voice.
4. Which streaming service launched with The Mandalorian in November 2019?Answer: Disney+. The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+’s launch day, November 12, 2019.
5. Who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard?Answer: Patrick Stewart. Stewart played Picard in The Next Generation, four films and the series Star Trek: Picard.
6. What is the name of the android officer in Star Trek: The Next Generation?Answer: Data. Brent Spiner played Data, who longs to become more human.
7. Complete the Vulcan greeting: “Live long and ___.”Answer: prosper. Leonard Nimoy based the split-finger salute on a Jewish priestly blessing.
8. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is set mainly aboard what?Answer: A space station. The station sits near the planet Bajor and a stable wormhole.
9. What is the desert planet Arrakis also called?Answer: Dune. Frank Herbert’s novel takes its title from the planet’s nickname.
10. Who played Paul Atreides in Dune (2021)?Answer: Timothée Chalamet. Kyle MacLachlan had played Paul in David Lynch’s 1984 film.
11. Who directed Aliens (1986)?Answer: James Cameron. Cameron made it two years after The Terminator.
12. In Aliens, what does Ripley use to fight the alien queen?Answer: A power loader. She climbs into a cargo-lifting exosuit and pushes the queen out an airlock.
13. Which Predator film is set in the Comanche Nation in 1719?Answer: Prey. Amber Midthunder stars as Naru, a young Comanche hunter.
14. Who directed Predator (1987)?Answer: John McTiernan. McTiernan directed Die Hard the following year.
15. Who played Morpheus in The Matrix?Answer: Laurence Fishburne. Fishburne played Morpheus in all three of the original Matrix films.
16. What is the name of The Matrix’s famous slow-motion effect used for dodging bullets?Answer: Bullet time. A ring of still cameras let the camera seem to circle frozen action.
17. Who directed the original Jurassic Park?Answer: Steven Spielberg. Joe Johnston later directed Jurassic Park III.
18. Which dinosaurs stalk Lex and Tim through the kitchen in Jurassic Park?Answer: Velociraptors. The two raptors hunt the children among the steel counters.
19. Which three-word line does the Terminator say before crashing a car into a police station?Answer: “I’ll be back.”. It became Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature catchphrase.
20. In the first Back to the Future, to which year does Marty travel back?Answer: 1955. He lands 30 years in the past, in 1955.

Broadway trivia

1. Which Broadway theatre was renamed for a playwright in 2005, after being called the Virginia?Answer: The August Wilson Theatre. It was renamed shortly after Wilson’s death.
2. Which dancer originated the title role in Sweet Charity?Answer: Gwen Verdon. Verdon starred in the 1966 show directed by her husband, Bob Fosse.
3. Who composed the music for My Fair Lady and Camelot?Answer: Frederick Loewe. Loewe wrote the music to Alan Jay Lerner’s words.
4. Who won a Tony for originating the role of Kim in Miss Saigon?Answer: Lea Salonga. Salonga won Best Actress in a Musical in 1991.
5. Which choreographer directed and choreographed both Contact and The Producers?Answer: Susan Stroman. Stroman won Tonys for both shows.
6. The musical Oliver! is based on a novel by which author?Answer: Charles Dickens. Lionel Bart adapted Dickens’s Oliver Twist.
7. Which Broadway theatre was renamed in honour of James Earl Jones in 2022?Answer: The Cort. The Cort Theatre became the James Earl Jones Theatre.
8. What is the apron of a stage?Answer: The area in front of the curtain line. The apron extends towards the audience past the proscenium.
9. Which Stephen Schwartz musical is built on parables from the Gospel of Matthew?Answer: Godspell. Godspell began as a student project before moving off-Broadway.
10. The Band’s Visit is about a police band from which country stranded in Israel?Answer: Egypt. An Egyptian police orchestra ends up in the wrong small town.
11. Who wrote the book for the musical Mean Girls?Answer: Tina Fey. Fey adapted her own 2004 film screenplay.
12. Which Broadway theatre is named after a caricaturist famous for drawing theatre stars?Answer: The Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Hirschfeld drew Broadway for more than 70 years.
13. Who won a Tony for playing the drag performer Lola in Kinky Boots?Answer: Billy Porter. Porter won Best Actor in a Musical in 2013.
14. Which Sondheim musical gathers people who tried to kill U.S. presidents?Answer: Assassins. Assassins is a dark revue spanning more than a century of history.
15. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Guys and Dolls?Answer: Frank Loesser. Loesser also wrote How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
16. In theatre, what is a scrim?Answer: A gauze curtain that looks solid or see-through depending on the light. Lit from the front it looks opaque; lit from behind it seems to vanish.
17. Who played Edna Turnblad in the original Broadway production of Hairspray?Answer: Harvey Fierstein. Fierstein won a Tony; Divine played Edna in the 1988 film.
18. Which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is based on Billy Wilder’s film about a faded silent-film star?Answer: Sunset Boulevard. Its heroine is the forgotten screen idol Norma Desmond.
19. Mamma Mia! is set on an island in which country?Answer: Greece. Donna runs a taverna on a small Greek island.
20. “The Impossible Dream” comes from which musical?Answer: Man of La Mancha. Don Quixote sings it in the 1965 musical inspired by Cervantes.

U.S. History trivia

1. Who commanded the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War?Answer: George Washington. Congress chose Washington in June 1775.
2. In what year did Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence?Answer: 1776. It was adopted on July 4, 1776.
3. Which state was the first to secede from the Union, in December 1860?Answer: South Carolina. It left the Union on December 20, 1860.
4. Which city was the Confederate capital for most of the Civil War?Answer: Richmond. The capital moved from Montgomery to Richmond in 1861.
5. Which amendment, ratified in 1870, barred denying the vote because of race?Answer: 15th. It said voting rights could not be denied on account of race or color.
6. Who was the first woman elected to Congress?Answer: Jeannette Rankin. Montana elected her to the House in 1916.
7. Which 1819 treaty brought Florida from Spain to the United States?Answer: Adams–Onís Treaty. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams negotiated it.
8. Who founded the Girl Scouts in 1912?Answer: Juliette Gordon Low. She started the first troop in Savannah, Georgia.
9. Who was the first American in space?Answer: Alan Shepard. Shepard flew Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961.
10. Which country gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States?Answer: France. It was a gift from the people of France.
11. In which state is the Alamo?Answer: Texas. The old mission stands in San Antonio.
12. What was the 1944 law that gave World War II veterans money for college and home loans?Answer: The G.I. Bill. Its official name was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act.
13. Which young minister led the Montgomery bus boycott?Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.. King led the Montgomery Improvement Association during the 1955–56 boycott.
14. Samuel Morse’s first long-distance telegraph line in 1844 linked Washington with which city?Answer: Baltimore. His message was sent from the Capitol to Baltimore.
15. What was “Manifest Destiny”?Answer: The belief that the U.S. was meant to spread across North America. The phrase became popular in the 1840s.
16. Who was the first U.S. Secretary of State?Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson served under George Washington.
17. Which president ordered the Berlin Airlift?Answer: Harry S. Truman. Planes supplied West Berlin from June 1948.
18. Which canal opened in 1914 to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans?Answer: Panama Canal. The U.S. built it across the Isthmus of Panama.
19. In which state is Plymouth Rock?Answer: Massachusetts. It sits on the shore at Plymouth, where the Pilgrims settled.
20. Which city burned in an 1871 fire that legend blames on a cow?Answer: Chicago. Mrs. O’Leary’s cow was blamed, though the story is doubted.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the 16th president?Answer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln took office in March 1861.
2. Who was the 32nd president?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR served from 1933 to 1945.
3. Which president appears on the dime?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. His portrait went on the dime in 1946, the year after he died.
4. Which president appears on the quarter?Answer: George Washington. Washington has been on the quarter since 1932.
5. Who was Abraham Lincoln’s second vice president?Answer: Andrew Johnson. Johnson became president when Lincoln was killed.
6. Devils Tower became the first national monument under which president?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. He proclaimed it in 1906.
7. Who was the first president born west of the Mississippi River?Answer: Herbert Hoover. Hoover was born in West Branch, Iowa.
8. Which president survived two assassination attempts in September 1975?Answer: Gerald Ford. Both happened in California within 17 days.
9. Abraham Lincoln built his political career in which state?Answer: Illinois. He was born in Kentucky but practiced law in Springfield, Illinois.
10. Which president signed the 1977 treaties to hand over the Panama Canal?Answer: Jimmy Carter. Carter signed them with Panama’s leader Omar Torrijos.
11. Which president appears on the $2 bill?Answer: Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is on the front of the note.
12. Who was Richard Nixon’s second vice president?Answer: Gerald Ford. Ford replaced Spiro Agnew in December 1973.
13. Who was the first president to travel abroad while in office?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. He visited Panama in 1906 to see the canal being built.
14. The Hermitage in Tennessee was the home of which president?Answer: Andrew Jackson. Jackson’s plantation is near Nashville.
15. Which president’s library and museum is in Austin, Texas?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. The LBJ Library is at the University of Texas.
16. Over which chamber does the vice president preside?Answer: The Senate. The vice president can cast a tie-breaking vote there.
17. Who was president when the Titanic sank in 1912?Answer: William Howard Taft. Taft’s friend and aide Archibald Butt died in the sinking.
18. Who was president during the first Moon landing?Answer: Richard Nixon. Apollo 11 landed in July 1969, six months into his presidency.
19. Under which president was the Department of Energy created?Answer: Jimmy Carter. Carter signed the law in 1977.
20. Which president gave the “Four Freedoms” speech in 1941?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. He named freedom of speech and worship and freedom from want and fear.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Russia?Answer: Moscow. Moscow has been the capital since 1918.
2. What is the capital of Turkey?Answer: Ankara. Istanbul is the largest city, but Ankara is the capital.
3. What is the capital of Colombia?Answer: Bogotá. Bogotá sits high in the Andes.
4. Which country has the most people in South America?Answer: Brazil. Brazil has more than 200 million people.
5. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Golden State?Answer: California. The name recalls the 1849 gold rush.
6. What is the largest island in the Caribbean?Answer: Cuba. Cuba is the biggest by area.
7. The Rub’ al Khali, or Empty Quarter, is a desert on which peninsula?Answer: Arabian Peninsula. It is one of the largest sand deserts in the world.
8. What is the capital of Austria?Answer: Vienna. Vienna stands on the Danube.
9. What is the capital of Switzerland?Answer: Bern. Zurich is the largest city, but the government sits in Bern.
10. The Bay of Bengal is part of which ocean?Answer: Indian Ocean. It lies east of India.
11. Honolulu is the capital of which U.S. state?Answer: Hawaii. Honolulu is on the island of Oahu.
12. Victoria Falls lies on the border of Zimbabwe and which country?Answer: Zambia. The Zambezi River forms the border there.
13. Which country’s flag shows a green cedar tree?Answer: Lebanon. The cedar sits between two red stripes.
14. Which country’s flag shows a white dragon?Answer: Bhutan. Bhutan’s name in its own language means Land of the Thunder Dragon.
15. The Grand Teton mountains are in which U.S. state?Answer: Wyoming. Grand Teton National Park lies just south of Yellowstone.
16. What is the capital of the Canadian province of British Columbia?Answer: Victoria. Victoria is on Vancouver Island.
17. Which line of longitude passes through Greenwich, London?Answer: The Prime Meridian. It marks 0 degrees longitude.
18. Mount Etna is on which island?Answer: Sicily. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Europe.
19. Which Chinese river is also called the Huang He?Answer: Yellow River. Its name comes from the yellow silt it carries.
20. What is the capital of Poland?Answer: Warsaw. Warsaw stands on the Vistula River.