Wednesday, October 28, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

cite vs. site

cite: To quote or refer to as evidence. site: A location or place. You cite a source; a building goes on a site.

hoard vs. horde

hoard: A hidden store of valuables. horde: A large crowd of people. A dragon guards a hoard; a horde storms the gate.

principal vs. principle

principal: Main or most important; also the head of a school. principle: A basic truth, rule or belief. A principle is a rule; the principal is your pal at the top.

gourmand vs. gourmet

gourmand: Someone who loves to eat, often too much. gourmet: An expert judge of fine food. A gourmet savors; a gourmand devours.

climactic vs. climatic

climactic: Forming the most exciting or important point. climatic: Having to do with weather over time. Climactic has the c of climax.

Beatles trivia

1. Which George Harrison song on Revolver is played mostly on Indian instruments such as sitar and tabla?Answer: Love You To. It was the first Beatles song built in the style of Indian classical music.
2. Which Rubber Soul song gave Ringo his first songwriting credit, shared with Lennon and McCartney?Answer: What Goes On. It is credited to Lennon–McCartney–Starkey, and Ringo sings lead.
3. Which short song, lasting about 23 seconds, ends Abbey Road?Answer: Her Majesty. It was cut from the medley and tacked on after a silence at the end of side two.
4. A TV advert for which breakfast cereal inspired “Good Morning Good Morning”?Answer: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. John got the idea from a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes commercial on television.
5. Which American label released “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in the US?Answer: Capitol Records. After turning down earlier singles, EMI’s US label Capitol released it in December 1963.
6. Which Beatle grew up at 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool, now owned by the National Trust?Answer: Paul McCartney. Paul’s family lived there, and many early Lennon–McCartney songs were written in the house.
7. Which George Harrison song did Frank Sinatra record and often sing in concert?Answer: Something. Sinatra recorded “Something” and kept it in his live shows for years.
8. Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” first appeared on which album?Answer: McCartney. It was on his first solo album, McCartney, in 1970.
9. Which John Lennon single of 1970 was written and recorded in a single day?Answer: Instant Karma!. He wrote and recorded it on January 27, 1970, and it was out in the UK about ten days later.
10. Which designer created the look of the animated film Yellow Submarine?Answer: Heinz Edelmann. The German-born illustrator was the film’s art director.
11. Which Beatle made the first solo album by any Beatle, the 1968 soundtrack Wonderwall Music?Answer: George Harrison. George wrote and produced the music for the film Wonderwall.
12. Which Beatle wrote the music for the 1966 film The Family Way?Answer: Paul McCartney. Paul composed the score, and George Martin arranged it.
13. Which Sgt. Pepper song was inspired by a newspaper story about a teenage runaway?Answer: She’s Leaving Home. Paul read about a girl who had run away from home and built the song around it.
14. Which session drummer played on the album version of “Love Me Do”, with Ringo on tambourine?Answer: Andy White. George Martin booked him for the September 11, 1962 session.
15. What was Ringo Starr’s first solo album, a 1970 collection of old standards?Answer: Sentimental Journey. He recorded songs his family loved, each with a different arranger.
16. Paul’s brother Mike McCartney had hits as Mike McGear with which group?Answer: The Scaffold. The Liverpool trio scored a UK No. 1 with “Lily the Pink” in 1968.
17. In which film do the real Beatles appear only in a short live-action scene at the end?Answer: Yellow Submarine. Actors voiced their cartoon selves, and the band turned up in person only for the closing scene.
18. John first wrote “Please Please Me” as a slow ballad in the style of which singer?Answer: Roy Orbison. George Martin suggested speeding it up, which turned it into a hit.
19. Which oddball song was the B-side of the “Let It Be” single?Answer: You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). The comic track had been started in 1967 and finished in 1969.
20. Which Smokey Robinson & the Miracles song did the band cover on With the Beatles?Answer: You Really Got a Hold on Me. The Miracles’ 1962 hit was one of six covers on the album.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Who directed the “Shake It Off” music video?Answer: Mark Romanek. The 2014 video shows Swift trying out different dance styles.
2. Which director made the videos for “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood” and “Look What You Made Me Do”?Answer: Joseph Kahn. Kahn has directed many of Swift’s best-known videos.
3. In which video does Swift turn invisible and dance through a hotel and city streets?Answer: Delicate. Joseph Kahn directed the 2018 Reputation video.
4. OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder co-wrote and co-produced which 1989 song?Answer: I Know Places. Tedder also worked with her on “Welcome to New York.”
5. Which English musician co-wrote and co-produced 1989’s closing song, “Clean”?Answer: Imogen Heap. Heap also sings backing vocals on the track.
6. At about what age did Swift start learning to play guitar?Answer: 12. A computer repairman showed her her first chords.
7. Which song was the first single released from Red?Answer: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. It came out in August 2012, two months before the album.
8. Which band is featured on evermore’s “Coney Island”?Answer: The National. Aaron Dessner, who produced much of evermore, plays in the band.
9. Which folklore song did Swift write entirely by herself?Answer: My Tears Ricochet. She wrote it alone and produced it with Jack Antonoff.
10. How many tracks are on the standard edition of folklore?Answer: 16. The deluxe edition added a 17th, “The Lakes.”
11. Which friend of Swift’s is named in the Fearless song “Fifteen”?Answer: Abigail. Abigail Anderson was her best friend in high school.
12. Whose young daughter’s voice opens Reputation’s “Gorgeous”?Answer: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Swift confirmed the voice belongs to their daughter James.
13. Which was Swift’s first No. 1 single in the UK?Answer: Look What You Made Me Do. It topped the UK Singles Chart in September 2017.
14. Counting from her first headlining tour, which number tour was the Eras Tour?Answer: Sixth. It followed the Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation tours.
15. Which actor plays opposite Swift in the “Wildest Dreams” video?Answer: Scott Eastwood. The video is set on an old Hollywood film shoot in Africa.
16. Which actor plays the boy next door in the “You Belong with Me” video?Answer: Lucas Till. Swift plays both the narrator and his girlfriend in the video.
17. Swift’s Rhode Island home is in which seaside village?Answer: Watch Hill. The house once belonged to Rebekah Harkness.
18. Which Tennessee high school did Swift attend before switching to home schooling?Answer: Hendersonville High. Her family had moved to Hendersonville, near Nashville.
19. Which Red single is known for its dubstep-style drop in the chorus?Answer: I Knew You Were Trouble. She made it with producers Max Martin and Shellback.
20. Bon Iver sings with Swift on “Exile” and which evermore song?Answer: Evermore. The title track closes the standard edition of evermore.

Football trivia

1. Which team plays its home games at Allegiant Stadium?Answer: Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders opened the Las Vegas stadium in 2020.
2. Which team plays its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium?Answer: Indianapolis Colts. The Colts’ home in downtown Indianapolis opened in 2008.
3. Who holds the NFL record for career rushing touchdowns?Answer: Emmitt Smith. Emmitt Smith ran for 164 touchdowns, mostly with the Cowboys.
4. Who was the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft?Answer: Travon Walker. The Jacksonville Jaguars took the Georgia defensive end.
5. Who was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft?Answer: Kyler Murray. The Arizona Cardinals took the Oklahoma quarterback.
6. Which team beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX?Answer: Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys won in January 1996 for their third title in four seasons.
7. The trophy given to the AFC champion is named after which team founder?Answer: Lamar Hunt. Lamar Hunt founded the Chiefs and the American Football League; the NFC trophy honors George Halas.
8. Which Raiders quarterback was nicknamed “The Mad Bomber” for his long passes?Answer: Daryle Lamonica. Lamonica led the Raiders to Super Bowl II.
9. Which Eagles Hall of Famer, who played both center and linebacker, was nicknamed “Concrete Charlie”?Answer: Chuck Bednarik. Bednarik was one of the last players to go both ways full-time.
10. Which team did the New York Giants beat in Super Bowl XXI?Answer: Denver Broncos. Phil Simms was named MVP of the Giants’ 39–20 win in January 1987.
11. Which team has played in the most Super Bowls?Answer: New England Patriots. Super Bowl LX in February 2026 was the Patriots’ 12th appearance.
12. What jersey number did Jerry Rice wear for most of his career?Answer: 80. Rice wore 80 for the 49ers, Raiders and Seahawks.
13. What jersey number did Lawrence Taylor wear for the Giants?Answer: 56. The Giants retired his No. 56 in 1994.
14. On defense, what is a “nickelback”?Answer: A fifth defensive back. Teams bring in a fifth defensive back, the nickel, to cover extra receivers.
15. Who coached the Kansas City Chiefs to their win in Super Bowl IV?Answer: Hank Stram. Stram’s Chiefs beat the Vikings 23–7 in January 1970.
16. Super Bowl LXI in February 2027 is set for which stadium?Answer: SoFi Stadium. The game is scheduled for the Rams’ and Chargers’ stadium in Inglewood, California.
17. Which Bears founder and coach was nicknamed “Papa Bear”?Answer: George Halas. Halas owned and coached the Bears for decades.
18. Which Hall of Fame quarterback was nicknamed “The Golden Arm”?Answer: Johnny Unitas. Unitas earned the nickname with the Baltimore Colts.
19. How many yards is the penalty for delay of game?Answer: 5. The offense is pushed back five yards.
20. Which team was the first to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium?Answer: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in February 2021.

Basketball trivia

1. Bill Russell won two NCAA titles with which college?Answer: San Francisco. His Dons won in 1955 and 1956.
2. Who won the first NBA MVP award, in 1956?Answer: Bob Pettit. Pettit won it with the St. Louis Hawks.
3. Who was the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft?Answer: Kyrie Irving. The Cleveland Cavaliers took him first.
4. Who was the first pick in the 2018 NBA draft?Answer: Deandre Ayton. The Phoenix Suns took Ayton; Dončić went third.
5. Which Hall of Famer was nicknamed “Pistol Pete”?Answer: Pete Maravich. Maravich was famous for his flashy passing and shooting.
6. Which team won the 2026 NBA championship?Answer: New York Knicks. The Knicks beat the Spurs for their first title since 1973.
7. Who won the first NBA Sixth Man of the Year award, in 1983?Answer: Bobby Jones. Jones came off the bench for the champion 76ers.
8. Who holds the NBA record for coaching wins?Answer: Gregg Popovich. Popovich won more than 1,300 regular-season games with the Spurs.
9. Who holds the NBA record for career steals?Answer: John Stockton. Stockton had 3,265 steals in 19 seasons with Utah.
10. How many seconds does a team have to bring the ball past half-court?Answer: Eight. The NBA cut it from 10 seconds to eight in 2001.
11. Which team plays its home games at the Kaseya Center?Answer: Miami Heat. The Miami arena took the Kaseya name in 2023.
12. Which team plays its home games at Barclays Center?Answer: Brooklyn Nets. The Nets moved there from New Jersey in 2012.
13. Which college did Tim Duncan play for?Answer: Wake Forest. He stayed all four years before the Spurs drafted him.
14. Who was Finals MVP when the Nuggets won the 2023 title?Answer: Nikola Jokić. Denver beat the Miami Heat in five games.
15. The Clippers are named after what?Answer: A type of sailing ship. The name was chosen in 1978 when the team moved to the port city of San Diego.
16. Benny the Bull is the mascot of which team?Answer: Chicago Bulls. Benny is the Bulls’ longtime mascot.
17. The Philadelphia 76ers’ name refers to which year?Answer: 1776. The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia in 1776.
18. How many NBA championships did Kobe Bryant win?Answer: Five. He won three with Shaquille O’Neal and two with Pau Gasol.
19. Along with Wes Unseld, who is the only player to win MVP in his rookie season?Answer: Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain won both awards in 1960.
20. Which Spanish star was the 2002 NBA Rookie of the Year?Answer: Pau Gasol. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Baseball trivia

1. Which team plays its home games at Citi Field?Answer: New York Mets. The Queens ballpark replaced Shea Stadium in 2009.
2. Which team plays its home games at American Family Field?Answer: Milwaukee Brewers. The Milwaukee ballpark was called Miller Park until 2021.
3. Which Hall of Famer was nicknamed “The Iron Horse”?Answer: Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig earned the name for his durability, playing 2,130 games in a row.
4. Which pitcher was nicknamed “Tom Terrific”?Answer: Tom Seaver. Tom Seaver won three Cy Young Awards with the Mets.
5. Which Yankees great was nicknamed “The Commerce Comet”?Answer: Mickey Mantle. Mickey Mantle grew up in Commerce, Oklahoma.
6. How many strikes make a strikeout?Answer: Three. A batter is out after a third strike.
7. In baseball slang, what is a “frozen rope”?Answer: A hard line drive. It describes a ball hit so hard it travels on a straight line.
8. In baseball slang, what is “chin music”?Answer: A pitch thrown high and tight, near the batter’s head. It’s a pitch meant to back a hitter off the plate.
9. Which team won the 2008 World Series?Answer: Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.
10. The Washington Senators who began play in 1961 moved in 1972 and became which team?Answer: Texas Rangers. The team moved to Arlington, Texas, and took the name Rangers.
11. Which Pirates slugger was nicknamed “Pops”?Answer: Willie Stargell. Willie Stargell led the “We Are Family” Pirates to the 1979 title.
12. Which team was known as the “Gashouse Gang” in the 1930s?Answer: St. Louis Cardinals. The scrappy 1934 Cardinals won the World Series under that nickname.
13. Which Japanese slugger was nicknamed “Godzilla”?Answer: Hideki Matsui. Hideki Matsui was World Series MVP for the Yankees in 2009.
14. Which manager led the Dodgers from 1976 to 1996, winning two World Series?Answer: Tommy Lasorda. Tommy Lasorda’s Dodgers won it all in 1981 and 1988.
15. In a scorebook, what does a backward “K” mean?Answer: A called third strike. The batter struck out looking, without swinging.
16. Which broadcaster was famous for leading Wrigley Field crowds in “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”?Answer: Harry Caray. Harry Caray sang it during the seventh-inning stretch at Cubs games.
17. Which uniform number did Babe Ruth wear for the Yankees?Answer: 3. The Yankees retired No. 3 for Ruth in 1948.
18. What was the women’s league shown in “A League of Their Own”?Answer: All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league played from 1943 to 1954.
19. In 1956 Jackie Robinson was traded to which team, but retired instead of joining it?Answer: New York Giants. Robinson chose to retire rather than play for the Dodgers’ rivals.
20. In baseball, what is a “rhubarb”?Answer: A heated argument or scuffle on the field. It’s an old nickname for an on-field argument or fight.

Hockey trivia

1. Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game in 1999 for which team?Answer: New York Rangers. His last game came at Madison Square Garden against Pittsburgh.
2. Who was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games?Answer: Maurice Richard. “The Rocket” scored his 50th in Montreal’s 50th game in 1945.
3. Who scored a rookie-record 76 goals in 1992–93?Answer: Teemu Selänne. The “Finnish Flash” did it for the original Winnipeg Jets.
4. Which Maple Leafs defenseman co-founded a famous coffee-and-doughnut chain?Answer: Tim Horton. Tim Horton opened his first shop in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1964.
5. Which current team was founded as the New England, later Hartford, Whalers?Answer: Carolina Hurricanes. The Whalers moved to North Carolina in 1997.
6. The Atlanta Flames moved to which city in 1980?Answer: Calgary. The franchise had played eight seasons in Atlanta.
7. Which of these teams was NOT part of the NHL’s 1967 expansion?Answer: Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks and Sabres joined three years later, in 1970.
8. In which city is the Hockey Hall of Fame?Answer: Toronto. It has been in a former downtown bank building there since 1993.
9. How long is NHL regular-season overtime, and how many skaters per side?Answer: Five minutes, 3-on-3. The 3-on-3 format began in 2015–16; a shootout follows if it is still tied.
10. How long is a minor penalty?Answer: Two minutes. A minor penalty ends early if the other team scores on the power play.
11. Which team plays at Chicago’s United Center?Answer: Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks moved there from Chicago Stadium in the mid-1990s.
12. How many Sutter brothers played in the NHL?Answer: Six. Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Rich and Ron all grew up on a farm in Viking, Alberta.
13. Which Red Wings star of the Production Line was nicknamed “Terrible Ted”?Answer: Ted Lindsay. The NHL’s award for the most outstanding player, voted by players, now carries his name.
14. Who scored the shootout winner in the first NHL Winter Classic in 2008?Answer: Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh beat Buffalo in the snow at the Bills’ stadium.
15. The Calder Cup is the championship trophy of which league?Answer: American Hockey League. Like the NHL’s rookie award, it is named for Frank Calder.
16. How many Norris Trophies did Nicklas Lidström win?Answer: Seven. Only Bobby Orr, with eight, has more.
17. Which goalie won the Conn Smythe Trophy in both 1974 and 1975?Answer: Bernie Parent. He led the Flyers to back-to-back Stanley Cups.
18. Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy when Washington won its first Stanley Cup in 2018?Answer: Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals beat Vegas in five games.
19. Which trophy goes to the team with the NHL’s best regular-season record?Answer: Presidents’ Trophy. It was first awarded in 1986.
20. Which country won the men’s hockey gold medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics?Answer: Sweden. Sweden beat Finland 3–2 in the final.

Soccer trivia

1. Which country hosted the 1958 World Cup, where a 17-year-old Pelé starred?Answer: Sweden. Brazil beat the hosts 5–2 in the final, with Pelé scoring twice.
2. With Pelé injured, which winger led Brazil to the 1962 World Cup title in Chile?Answer: Garrincha. Garrincha shared the tournament’s top-scorer honors with four goals.
3. Who is the only man to win three World Cups as a player?Answer: Pelé. Pelé won in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
4. Against which team did Diego Maradona score the “Hand of God” goal in 1986?Answer: England. Minutes later in the same quarterfinal, he scored a solo goal later voted the Goal of the Century.
5. Which country won Euro 2024, beating England in the final?Answer: Spain. Spain won 2–1 in Berlin, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the late winner.
6. In 2022, who became the first man to score at five World Cups?Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored a penalty against Ghana in Qatar after scoring at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 tournaments.
7. Who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final but finished on the losing side?Answer: Kylian Mbappé. France drew 3–3 with Argentina and lost on penalties.
8. Which country won back-to-back Copa América titles in 2015 and 2016, both against Argentina on penalties?Answer: Chile. Chile won its first title at home in 2015 and repeated at the 2016 Centenario in the U.S.
9. Which country won back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938?Answer: Italy. Coach Vittorio Pozzo led both winning teams.
10. Which club came back from 3–0 down at halftime to beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final?Answer: Liverpool. Liverpool drew 3–3 in Istanbul and won the shootout.
11. Which club won its first Champions League in 2012 by beating Bayern Munich in Munich?Answer: Chelsea. Didier Drogba scored the late equalizer and the winning penalty.
12. Which Frenchman managed Arsenal for 22 years, from 1996 to 2018?Answer: Arsène Wenger. Wenger won three Premier League titles with the club.
13. George Best played international soccer for which team?Answer: Northern Ireland. Best never played at a World Cup, though he won the 1968 Ballon d’Or.
14. Which two clubs share Milan’s San Siro stadium?Answer: AC Milan and Inter. Both clubs have played their home games there for decades.
15. Which team finished third at the 2026 World Cup?Answer: England. England beat France in the third-place match.
16. Which London stadium, reopened in 2007, is known for its giant arch?Answer: Wembley. The new Wembley replaced the original stadium on the same site.
17. In which city is the Maracanã, which hosted the 2014 World Cup final?Answer: Rio de Janeiro. Germany beat Argentina 1–0 there after extra time.
18. Which coach led the U.S. women to Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games?Answer: Emma Hayes. Mallory Swanson’s goal beat Brazil 1–0 in the final.
19. Which Spain player scored the only goal of the 2023 Women’s World Cup final?Answer: Olga Carmona. Spain beat England 1–0 in Sydney.
20. Which U.S. star retired in 2004 with a then-record 158 international goals?Answer: Mia Hamm. Hamm won two World Cups and two Olympic golds.

Movies trivia

1. Who played Superman in the 1978 film?Answer: Christopher Reeve. Reeve played Superman in four films.
2. Who wrote and directed Get Out (2017)?Answer: Jordan Peele. Peele won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
3. Which was the only X-rated film to win Best Picture?Answer: Midnight Cowboy. The 1969 film starred Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.
4. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey starred in which 1987 film?Answer: Dirty Dancing. It is set at a Catskills holiday resort in 1963.
5. Who played Louise in Thelma & Louise (1991)?Answer: Susan Sarandon. Geena Davis played Thelma.
6. Which film won Best Picture for 1976?Answer: Rocky. It beat three films still widely seen as classics.
7. Marlon Brando played dockworker Terry Malloy in which 1954 film?Answer: On the Waterfront. Brando won his first Best Actor Oscar for it.
8. Who directed Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Shape of Water (2017)?Answer: Guillermo del Toro. The Shape of Water won Best Picture and Best Director.
9. Which Pixar film is about a rat who wants to cook in Paris?Answer: Ratatouille. The rat is named Remy.
10. Who played Princess Leia in Star Wars (1977)?Answer: Carrie Fisher. Fisher was 19 when the film was shot.
11. Who played magazine editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)?Answer: Meryl Streep. Anne Hathaway played her assistant, Andy.
12. For which film did Leonardo DiCaprio win his first Oscar?Answer: The Revenant. He won Best Actor at the 2016 ceremony.
13. Which silent star, called “America’s Sweetheart,” co-founded United Artists in 1919?Answer: Mary Pickford. Her partners were Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith.
14. What is the name of the spaceship’s computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey?Answer: HAL 9000. HAL’s calm voice was provided by Douglas Rain.
15. Which 1939 John Ford western made John Wayne a star?Answer: Stagecoach. Wayne played the Ringo Kid.
16. In filmmaking, what does “CGI” stand for?Answer: Computer-generated imagery. CGI covers images created digitally on computers.
17. Which 1999 horror film was presented as recovered footage of missing student filmmakers?Answer: The Blair Witch Project. Made on a tiny budget, it became a huge box-office hit.
18. Who won Best Actress for playing Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990)?Answer: Kathy Bates. The film is based on a Stephen King novel.
19. Who played Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)?Answer: Tim Robbins. Andy is a banker wrongly convicted of murder.
20. Spotlight (2015) follows reporters from which newspaper?Answer: The Boston Globe. The film won Best Picture.

Television trivia

1. What was the name of the charter boat on Gilligan’s Island?Answer: The Minnow. The S.S. Minnow ran aground on an uncharted island during a storm.
2. Which actor played Gilligan?Answer: Bob Denver. Denver had earlier played the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on Dobie Gillis.
3. In which New York City borough did the Bunkers of All in the Family live?Answer: Queens. They lived at 704 Hauser Street in Astoria, Queens.
4. Who developed All in the Family for American TV?Answer: Norman Lear. Lear based it on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part.
5. In which city was The Mary Tyler Moore Show set?Answer: Minneapolis. Mary Richards worked in the newsroom of a Minneapolis TV station.
6. Which actor played Reverend Jim Ignatowski on Taxi?Answer: Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd won two Emmys for the role.
7. Which was the first animated series to air in prime time?Answer: The Flintstones. The Flintstones premiered on ABC in prime time on September 30, 1960.
8. On Dallas, who turned out to have shot J.R. Ewing?Answer: Kristin Shepard. About 83 million Americans watched the episode that solved the mystery.
9. Who led the house band on Late Night with David Letterman?Answer: Paul Shaffer. Shaffer’s group was called the World’s Most Dangerous Band.
10. On Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, where did the trolley take viewers?Answer: The Neighborhood of Make-Believe. King Friday XIII and Daniel Striped Tiger lived there.
11. Which famous TV dog was a collie who often came to the rescue?Answer: Lassie. Lassie ran on CBS from 1954 to 1973.
12. Contestant Charles Van Doren was at the center of the 1950s scandal over which rigged quiz show?Answer: Twenty-One. Van Doren admitted to Congress in 1959 that he had been given answers in advance.
13. On What’s My Line?, the celebrity panel tried to guess each guest’s what?Answer: Occupation. Panelists asked yes-or-no questions to work out the guest’s line of work.
14. Which Carol Burnett Show regular was famous for making Harvey Korman crack up?Answer: Tim Conway. Conway’s ad-libs often left Korman laughing in the middle of sketches.
15. Who played the title role in I Dream of Jeannie?Answer: Barbara Eden. Larry Hagman played astronaut Tony Nelson, who found her bottle.
16. Which actor starred as the bald, lollipop-loving detective Kojak?Answer: Telly Savalas. Savalas played Lieutenant Theo Kojak on CBS from 1973 to 1978.
17. What was the family’s last name on The Cosby Show?Answer: Huxtable. Dr. Cliff Huxtable and his family lived in Brooklyn Heights.
18. Which sitcom was set at a struggling Cincinnati radio station?Answer: WKRP in Cincinnati. It ran on CBS from 1978 to 1982.
19. On The Fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble hunted for the real killer, known as what?Answer: The one-armed man. The show’s two-part finale in 1967 drew a record audience.
20. Which teen idol sang on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet?Answer: Ricky Nelson. Ricky played himself alongside his real parents and brother David.

Fantasy trivia

1. Who played young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy?Answer: Ewan McGregor. Alec Guinness had played the older Obi-Wan in the original trilogy.
2. Who played Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy?Answer: Daisy Ridley. Ridley first appeared as Rey in The Force Awakens.
3. On which volcanic planet do Obi-Wan and Anakin duel in Revenge of the Sith?Answer: Mustafar. The lightsaber duel among rivers of lava ends Anakin’s turn to the dark side.
4. Who played Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back?Answer: Billy Dee Williams. Donald Glover played a younger Lando in Solo (2018).
5. Which Star Trek series starred Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer?Answer: Enterprise. The prequel series was renamed Star Trek: Enterprise from its third season.
6. Which Klingon served as an officer on the Enterprise-D?Answer: Worf. Michael Dorn played Worf in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.
7. Who created Star Trek?Answer: Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry pitched the show as a “wagon train to the stars.”
8. In which Star Trek film does the crew bring humpback whales to the 23rd century?Answer: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The crew time-travels to 1986 San Francisco to find the whales.
9. Who played Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films?Answer: Stellan Skarsgård. Bardem played Stilgar, Bautista played Rabban and Brolin played Gurney Halleck.
10. What is the main job of a Fremen stillsuit in Dune?Answer: Recycling the body’s water. On waterless Arrakis, the suit reclaims sweat and other moisture to drink.
11. The Bene Gesserit’s secret breeding program aims to produce whom in Dune?Answer: The Kwisatz Haderach. Paul Atreides turns out to be the Kwisatz Haderach, a generation early.
12. In Aliens, what is the nickname of the young girl Ripley rescues?Answer: Newt. Newt, whose real name is Rebecca Jorden, is the only survivor of the colony Hadley’s Hope.
13. Which actor played Kane, the crewman whose chest bursts open in Alien (1979)?Answer: John Hurt. Tom Skerritt played Captain Dallas and Ian Holm played Ash.
14. Who took over the lead from Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator 2 (1990)?Answer: Danny Glover. Glover played Lieutenant Mike Harrigan of the Los Angeles police.
15. Who played Agent Smith in The Matrix?Answer: Hugo Weaving. Joe Pantoliano played Cypher, the crew member who betrays Morpheus.
16. How many Oscars did The Matrix (1999) win?Answer: Four. It won every category it was nominated in: film editing, sound, sound effects editing and visual effects.
17. In Jurassic Park, what ripples to warn that the T. rex is coming?Answer: A cup of water. The ripples on the tour car’s dashboard come from the dinosaur’s footsteps.
18. Which artificial intelligence starts the war against humanity in the Terminator films?Answer: Skynet. Skynet was built as a defense network before it turned on its makers.
19. In Terminator 2, what does the T-800 give a thumbs-up while being lowered into?Answer: Molten steel. Melting it destroys the last Terminator chip so no one can copy the technology.
20. Who played Doc Brown in Back to the Future?Answer: Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd played Doc in all three Back to the Future films.

Broadway trivia

1. Who composed the music for Show Boat?Answer: Jerome Kern. Kern wrote it with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
2. Who won the Tony for playing the title role in Dear Evan Hansen?Answer: Ben Platt. Platt won Best Actor in a Musical in 2017.
3. Which musical depicts the Second Continental Congress debating independence?Answer: 1776. 1776 follows John Adams pushing for the Declaration of Independence.
4. Which composer-lyricist wrote both Mame and La Cage aux Folles?Answer: Jerry Herman. Herman also wrote Hello, Dolly!.
5. Which choreographer conceived and directed A Chorus Line?Answer: Michael Bennett. Bennett built the show from workshop interviews with dancers.
6. Which jukebox musical is built on the songs of Green Day?Answer: American Idiot. It grew out of the band’s 2004 album of the same name.
7. Les Misérables was created by Claude-Michel Schönberg and which writer?Answer: Alain Boublil. It began as a French concept album in 1980.
8. Which musical about a 1920s flapper in New York won Sutton Foster her first Tony?Answer: Thoroughly Modern Millie. Foster won Best Actress in a Musical in 2002.
9. Which Cole Porter musical takes place aboard an ocean liner?Answer: Anything Goes. Its passengers sail from New York to London.
10. Which playwright wrote The Crucible?Answer: Arthur Miller. Miller set his drama during the Salem witch trials.
11. The factory in Kinky Boots makes what?Answer: Shoes. A struggling family shoe factory starts making boots for drag performers.
12. Which musical, based on an unfinished Dickens novel, lets the audience vote on the ending?Answer: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens died before finishing the story, so the audience chooses the culprit.
13. What does it mean when theatre people tell you to “break a leg”?Answer: Good luck. Saying “good luck” is thought to jinx a performance.
14. Which Roald Dahl musical, with songs by Tim Minchin, opened on Broadway in 2013?Answer: Matilda the Musical. It came to Broadway after winning awards in London.
15. Which Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is set in San Francisco’s Chinatown?Answer: Flower Drum Song. It is based on a novel by C. Y. Lee.
16. In theatre, what is blocking?Answer: Planning the actors’ movements on stage. Directors block scenes so everyone knows where to move and stand.
17. Which producer staged an annual revue famous for its glamorous chorus girls, the Follies?Answer: Florenz Ziegfeld. The Ziegfeld Follies ran on Broadway from 1907 into the 1930s.
18. Crazy for You is built from the songs of which songwriters?Answer: George and Ira Gershwin. It won the Tony for Best Musical in 1992.
19. In Hadestown, which Greek god tells the story?Answer: Hermes. André De Shields won a Tony as Hermes.
20. Who originated the title role in Mame on Broadway?Answer: Angela Lansbury. Lansbury won a Tony; Lucille Ball played Mame in the 1974 film.

U.S. History trivia

1. Who was the first president to live in the White House?Answer: John Adams. Adams moved into the unfinished mansion in November 1800.
2. Which amendment lowered the voting age to 18?Answer: 26th. It was ratified in 1971.
3. Which Confederate general earned the nickname “Stonewall” at the First Battle of Bull Run?Answer: Thomas J. Jackson. His brigade held firm on Henry House Hill in July 1861.
4. Whose large signature is the most famous on the Declaration of Independence?Answer: John Hancock. He was president of the Continental Congress, and his name became slang for a signature.
5. Which Spanish explorer led the first European expedition to reach the Mississippi River?Answer: Hernando de Soto. His expedition reached the river in 1541.
6. In which year did “The Star-Spangled Banner” officially become the national anthem?Answer: 1931. President Hoover signed the law in March 1931.
7. Which young American spy was hanged by the British in New York in 1776?Answer: Nathan Hale. He was captured while gathering information behind British lines.
8. Who commanded the Texan army that defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto?Answer: Sam Houston. He later became the first president of the Republic of Texas.
9. Who was the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States?Answer: Elizabeth Blackwell. She graduated from Geneva Medical College in New York in 1849.
10. What was the name of the Confederate submarine that became the first to sink an enemy warship?Answer: H.L. Hunley. It sank the USS Housatonic off Charleston in 1864.
11. Who was the first Black woman elected to Congress?Answer: Shirley Chisholm. She won a House seat from Brooklyn in 1968.
12. Which French-born engineer drew up the original plan for Washington, D.C.?Answer: Pierre Charles L’Enfant. Washington chose him to design the new capital in 1791.
13. Which explorer sailed up a New York river for the Dutch in 1609, a river later named for him?Answer: Henry Hudson. He was searching for a passage to Asia.
14. Who was the first president born a U.S. citizen, after independence?Answer: Martin Van Buren. He was born in Kinderhook, New York, in 1782.
15. Which president served the shortest time in office?Answer: William Henry Harrison. He died 31 days after his 1841 inauguration.
16. Which author’s 1873 novel, written with Charles Dudley Warner, gave the Gilded Age its name?Answer: Mark Twain. The book was titled The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.
17. Which region was hardest hit by the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?Answer: The Southern Great Plains. Drought and over-plowed soil turned farmland into blowing dust.
18. Which president created the Peace Corps in 1961?Answer: John F. Kennedy. Volunteers serve abroad in education, health and farming projects.
19. Which of the original 13 states was the last to ratify the Constitution?Answer: Rhode Island. It finally ratified in May 1790.
20. Who is the only person to serve as both president and Chief Justice?Answer: William Howard Taft. He led the Supreme Court from 1921 to 1930.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the 35th president?Answer: John F. Kennedy. Kennedy took office in January 1961.
2. Who was the eighth president?Answer: Martin Van Buren. Van Buren served from 1837 to 1841.
3. Who was the 30th president?Answer: Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge served from 1923 to 1929.
4. Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first vice president?Answer: John Nance Garner. Garner served two terms, from 1933 to 1941.
5. Who was Thomas Jefferson’s first vice president?Answer: Aaron Burr. Burr served from 1801 to 1805.
6. Who was Calvin Coolidge’s vice president from 1925?Answer: Charles Dawes. Dawes had won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on German war payments.
7. Which president’s library is in Independence, Missouri?Answer: Harry S. Truman. Truman made Independence his home before and after his presidency.
8. Which president was nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready”?Answer: Zachary Taylor. His soldiers gave him the name for his plain, tough style.
9. Which president was nicknamed “the Gipper”?Answer: Ronald Reagan. It came from his role as football player George Gipp in a 1940 film.
10. Which piece of music is played to announce the president’s arrival?Answer: “Hail to the Chief”. It is the official presidential anthem.
11. The Resolute desk in the Oval Office was a gift from which country?Answer: United Kingdom. Queen Victoria gave it in 1880; it was built from the timbers of HMS Resolute.
12. Who was president when the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886?Answer: Grover Cleveland. Cleveland spoke at the dedication in New York Harbor.
13. Which amendment moved Inauguration Day from March to January 20?Answer: 20th Amendment. It was ratified in 1933.
14. Which president was pictured on one of the first two U.S. postage stamps in 1847?Answer: George Washington. The other stamp showed Benjamin Franklin.
15. In which city is Grant’s Tomb?Answer: New York City. Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia rest there, in Manhattan.
16. Besides John F. Kennedy, which president is buried at Arlington National Cemetery?Answer: William Howard Taft. They are the only two presidents buried there.
17. Who was the first president born in Texas?Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower was born in Denison, Texas, in 1890, and grew up in Kansas.
18. What is the name of the president’s official guest house for visiting leaders?Answer: Blair House. It stands across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.
19. Whose portrait is on the $100,000 gold certificate, the largest U.S. note ever printed?Answer: Woodrow Wilson. The notes were used only between Federal Reserve banks.
20. Which first lady later became a U.S. senator from New York?Answer: Hillary Clinton. She served in the Senate from 2001 to 2009.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Sweden?Answer: Stockholm. Stockholm is spread across 14 islands where Lake Mälaren meets the Baltic.
2. What is the capital of Ghana?Answer: Accra. Accra sits on the Gulf of Guinea coast.
3. What is the capital of Iran?Answer: Tehran. Tehran lies at the foot of the Alborz mountains.
4. What is the capital of Jamaica?Answer: Kingston. Kingston is on Jamaica’s southeast coast.
5. What is the capital of Venezuela?Answer: Caracas. Caracas sits in a mountain valley near the Caribbean coast.
6. What is the capital of New York State?Answer: Albany. Albany lies on the Hudson River.
7. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Evergreen State?Answer: Washington. The name comes from its vast evergreen forests.
8. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Peach State?Answer: Georgia. Georgia has long been famous for its peaches.
9. Which country has the only national flag that is not a rectangle?Answer: Nepal. Nepal’s flag is made of two stacked triangles.
10. The Torres Strait separates Australia from which island?Answer: New Guinea. It lies between Cape York and New Guinea.
11. Table Mountain overlooks which city?Answer: Cape Town. Its flat top often wears a ‘tablecloth’ of cloud.
12. Which Italian city is famous for its canals and gondolas?Answer: Venice. Venice is built on islands in a lagoon.
13. The saguaro cactus grows wild only in which desert?Answer: Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert covers parts of Arizona, California and Mexico.
14. The Great Pyramid of Giza is in which country?Answer: Egypt. It stands on the edge of Cairo.
15. What is the longest river in the United States?Answer: Missouri. The Missouri is slightly longer than the Mississippi.
16. Which is the largest continent by area?Answer: Asia. Asia covers about 30% of Earth’s land.
17. Which is the smallest of the world’s oceans?Answer: Arctic. The Arctic Ocean surrounds the North Pole.
18. The Strait of Malacca separates the Malay Peninsula from which island?Answer: Sumatra. It is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
19. Lake Geneva is shared by Switzerland and which country?Answer: France. The French call it Lac Léman.
20. Which river flows through Prague?Answer: Vltava. The Charles Bridge crosses the Vltava.