Saturday, November 7, 2026

The tidbits, trivia answers and word pairs from Facts & Games on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Play today’s games · All past days · All past tidbits

Six tidbits

Commonly confused words

emigrate vs. immigrate

emigrate: To leave your country to live somewhere else. immigrate: To come into a new country to live. Emigrate is exit; immigrate is into.

official vs. officious

official: Authorized or approved. officious: Annoyingly eager to give orders or help. Officious people are bossy.

definite vs. definitive

definite: Clearly known or fixed; not vague. definitive: Final and authoritative; the best of its kind. A definite answer is clear; a definitive one settles the matter for good.

aural vs. oral

aural: Relating to the ear or hearing. oral: Spoken, or relating to the mouth. Aural, like audio.

explicit vs. implicit

explicit: Stated clearly and directly. implicit: Suggested without being stated. Explicit is spelled out; implicit is implied.

Beatles trivia

1. Which inventor, nicknamed “Magic Alex”, ran the Beatles’ Apple Electronics?Answer: Alexis Mardas. Alexis Mardas, a Greek electronics engineer, was given the Apple Electronics division and promised the band futuristic gadgets.
2. Which music publisher set up Northern Songs with Brian Epstein, John and Paul in 1963?Answer: Dick James. Dick James founded Northern Songs to publish Lennon–McCartney songs.
3. Which English actress co-starred with the band in the film Help!?Answer: Eleanor Bron. Eleanor Bron played Ahme, a member of the cult chasing Ringo.
4. On the Sgt. Pepper cover, which word is spelled out in flowers?Answer: BEATLES. Red flowers in the foreground spell out the band’s name.
5. Which band took “Got to Get You into My Life” into the US Top 10 in 1978?Answer: Earth, Wind & Fire. Earth, Wind & Fire’s horn-driven cover was recorded for the Sgt. Pepper film.
6. Which band had a 1983 UK hit with a cover of “Dear Prudence”?Answer: Siouxsie and the Banshees. Siouxsie and the Banshees’ version reached No. 3 in the UK.
7. Which singer’s cover of “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” topped the US chart, with John Lennon on guitar?Answer: Elton John. Elton John’s version went to No. 1 in the US, and John Lennon played on it.
8. Which Scottish group took “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” to No. 1 in the UK?Answer: Marmalade. Marmalade’s cover reached No. 1 in the UK early in 1969.
9. Which Dutch design collective painted the huge mural on the Apple Boutique?Answer: The Fool. The Fool also designed clothes for the shop and outfits for the band.
10. Which Abbey Road engineer invented artificial double tracking (ADT) for the band?Answer: Ken Townsend. Ken Townsend devised ADT so John would not have to sing every vocal twice.
11. The famous final piano chord of “A Day in the Life” is in which key?Answer: E major. Several pianists struck an E major chord at once and let it ring for about 40 seconds.
12. On which UK album does Ringo Starr have no lead vocal?Answer: A Hard Day’s Night. Help! has “Act Naturally”, Rubber Soul “What Goes On” and Revolver “Yellow Submarine”, but A Hard Day’s Night has no Ringo vocal.
13. Which A Hard Day’s Night song did John and Paul write for George to sing?Answer: I’m Happy Just to Dance with You. It is a Lennon–McCartney song, and George’s only lead vocal on the album.
14. Which Beatle plays a left-handed bass?Answer: Paul McCartney. Paul is left-handed and plays his Höfner bass strung for a left-hander.
15. What extra came with the original Sgt. Pepper LP?Answer: A sheet of cardboard cut-outs. The insert had a moustache, badges, sergeant’s stripes and a picture card to cut out.
16. When the first four Beatles albums came out on CD in 1987, how were they issued?Answer: In mono. Please Please Me, With the Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night and Beatles for Sale first appeared on CD in mono.
17. Which two-word phrase is Ringo Starr’s catchphrase?Answer: Peace and love. Ringo signs off and greets fans with “peace and love”, often with a two-finger sign.
18. Which Irish poet edited Paul McCartney’s 2021 book The Lyrics?Answer: Paul Muldoon. Paul Muldoon shaped the book from conversations with McCartney about his songs.
19. Which Beatle wrote an autobiography titled I, Me, Mine?Answer: George Harrison. George’s 1980 book took its title from his own song.
20. Who was John Lennon’s companion during his so-called “lost weekend” in the mid-1970s?Answer: May Pang. May Pang, his and Yoko’s assistant, was with John for about 18 months.

Taylor Swift trivia

1. Which song is track 2 on Fearless?Answer: Fifteen. “Fifteen” follows the title track as the second song on Fearless.
2. Which song opens the album Speak Now?Answer: Mine. “Mine” is track 1 of Speak Now.
3. How many tracks are on the standard edition of Speak Now?Answer: 14. The standard Speak Now runs from “Mine” to “Long Live” in 14 tracks.
4. Which Fearless song did Swift co-write with John Rich of Big & Rich?Answer: The Way I Loved You. John Rich is Swift’s co-writer on “The Way I Loved You”.
5. Swift co-wrote “The Man”, “You Need to Calm Down” and “ME!” with which New Zealand producer, known for his work with Lorde?Answer: Joel Little. Joel Little co-wrote those Lover songs with Swift.
6. Which evermore song did Swift write with Jack Antonoff alone, without Aaron Dessner?Answer: Gold Rush. “Gold Rush” is credited to Swift and Antonoff; “Ivy” also includes Dessner.
7. Which Reputation song title names a royal?Answer: King of My Heart. “King of My Heart” is track 10 on Reputation.
8. Which Lover song title names a piece of jewelry?Answer: Paper Rings. “Paper Rings” is track 8 on Lover.
9. Which 1989 song title sounds like a how-to guide for romance?Answer: How You Get the Girl. “How You Get the Girl” is track 10 on 1989.
10. Swift secretly co-wrote Calvin Harris’s “This Is What You Came For.” Which singer is featured on it?Answer: Rihanna. Rihanna sings on the hit, which Swift co-wrote as “Nils Sjoberg.”
11. Who plays Swift’s Romeo-style love interest in the “Love Story” video?Answer: Justin Gaston. Model Justin Gaston, a former Nashville Star contestant, plays the love interest.
12. Which model plays the boyfriend Swift turns on in the “Blank Space” video?Answer: Sean O’Pry. Sean O’Pry plays the doomed boyfriend in the “Blank Space” video.
13. Which English actor co-stars with Swift in the moody “Style” video?Answer: Dominic Sherwood. Dominic Sherwood plays her love interest in the “Style” video.
14. Which actor plays the bad boy in the “I Knew You Were Trouble” video?Answer: Reeve Carney. Reeve Carney, then starring on Broadway, plays the troublemaker.
15. Which of these Lover songs did Swift write entirely by herself?Answer: Cornelia Street. “Cornelia Street” is credited to Swift alone.
16. Which of these songs from her debut album did Swift write entirely by herself?Answer: Should’ve Said No. The other three were co-written with Liz Rose.
17. Which song is track 3 on Midnights?Answer: Anti-Hero. “Anti-Hero” follows “Lavender Haze” and “Maroon.”
18. In the “You Need to Calm Down” video, which pop star dressed as a hamburger hugs Swift dressed as fries?Answer: Katy Perry. The burger-and-fries hug marked the end of the two singers’ feud.
19. In which Pennsylvania town did Swift live before her family moved to Tennessee?Answer: Wyomissing. The family moved to Wyomissing, near Reading, before heading to Hendersonville.
20. Swift and “William Bowery” co-wrote “Exile” and which other Folklore song?Answer: Betty. William Bowery, Joe Alwyn’s pen name, is credited on “Exile” and “Betty.”

Football trivia

1. Who was the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft?Answer: Jake Long. The Miami Dolphins took the Michigan offensive tackle with the first pick.
2. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XL, the Steelers’ win over the Seahawks?Answer: Hines Ward. Hines Ward caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
3. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants’ win over the Patriots?Answer: Eli Manning. Eli Manning won his second Super Bowl MVP award, both against New England.
4. Who was named MVP of Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots’ 13–3 win over the Rams?Answer: Julian Edelman. Julian Edelman caught 10 passes for 141 yards.
5. From which yard line is an NFL two-point conversion snapped?Answer: The 2-yard line. The offense gets one play from the 2-yard line to reach the end zone.
6. How many officials are on the field in a standard NFL officiating crew?Answer: Seven. A crew has a referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge.
7. In football slang, what is a “pancake”?Answer: A block that knocks a defender flat on his back. Offensive linemen proudly count their pancake blocks.
8. What is a “coffin corner” punt?Answer: One aimed out of bounds near the opponent’s goal line. A punt that goes out of bounds near the corner pins the other team deep in its own territory.
9. Captain Fear, a pirate, is the mascot of which team?Answer: Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers’ pirate theme also includes a ship in the end zone at Raymond James Stadium.
10. Which team is often nicknamed the “Bolts”?Answer: Los Angeles Chargers. The nickname comes from the lightning bolt on the Chargers’ helmets.
11. Who coached the Pittsburgh Steelers to their Super Bowl XL win?Answer: Bill Cowher. Bill Cowher won his only Super Bowl in his 14th season as Pittsburgh’s coach.
12. Who was the New England Patriots’ head coach just before Bill Belichick?Answer: Pete Carroll. Pete Carroll coached the Patriots from 1997 to 1999 and later won a Super Bowl with Seattle.
13. Where did the Dallas Cowboys play their home games before moving to AT&T Stadium?Answer: Texas Stadium. Texas Stadium in Irving, famous for the hole in its roof, was home from 1971 to 2008.
14. Which NFL team played its home games in the Houston Astrodome?Answer: Houston Oilers. The Oilers played in the Astrodome before moving to Tennessee.
15. Which NFL team played its home games in Seattle’s Kingdome?Answer: Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks shared the Kingdome with baseball’s Mariners from 1976 until 1999.
16. Who coached the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances?Answer: Marv Levy. Marv Levy led Buffalo to Super Bowls XXV through XXVIII.
17. Bill Parcells was head coach of every one of these teams except which?Answer: Miami Dolphins. Parcells coached the Giants, Patriots, Jets and Cowboys, and later ran the Dolphins’ front office.
18. Joe Namath played his final NFL season with which team?Answer: Los Angeles Rams. After 12 seasons with the Jets, Namath finished his career with the Rams in 1977.
19. Tony Dorsett played his final NFL season with which team?Answer: Denver Broncos. After 11 seasons in Dallas, Dorsett finished with the Broncos in 1988.
20. Which quarterback was nicknamed “The Gunslinger” for his daring throws?Answer: Brett Favre. Brett Favre’s risk-taking style made the nickname stick.

Basketball trivia

1. Who was the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft?Answer: Andrew Bogut. The Milwaukee Bucks took the Australian center from the University of Utah.
2. Who was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, straight out of high school?Answer: Kwame Brown. Michael Jordan’s Washington Wizards made him the first high schooler taken No. 1.
3. Which team did the Spurs beat in the 1999 NBA Finals for their first title?Answer: New York Knicks. San Antonio beat the eighth-seeded Knicks in five games.
4. Which team did the Spurs beat in the 2003 NBA Finals?Answer: New Jersey Nets. Tim Duncan nearly had a quadruple-double in the clinching Game 6.
5. Which team did LeBron James’s Miami Heat beat in the 2013 NBA Finals?Answer: San Antonio Spurs. Miami won Game 7 after Ray Allen’s famous shot saved Game 6.
6. Which team did the Chicago Bulls beat in the 1992 NBA Finals?Answer: Portland Trail Blazers. Michael Jordan’s Bulls beat Clyde Drexler’s Blazers in six games.
7. Which team did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson’s Bucks sweep in the 1971 NBA Finals?Answer: Baltimore Bullets. Milwaukee won its first title in only its third season.
8. Who was Finals MVP when the Spurs swept LeBron James’s Cavaliers?Answer: Tony Parker. Tony Parker became the first European-born player to win Finals MVP.
9. Which star is nicknamed “The Claw” for his huge hands?Answer: Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi Leonard’s hands measure about 11¼ inches from thumb to pinkie.
10. Which French center is nicknamed “The Stifle Tower”?Answer: Rudy Gobert. The nickname is a play on the Eiffel Tower and his shot-blocking.
11. How far is the free-throw line from the backboard?Answer: 15 feet. The free-throw line is 15 feet from the face of the backboard.
12. In the NBA, how long does a player have to attempt a free throw?Answer: 10 seconds. The shooter must release the ball within 10 seconds of getting it.
13. How long is an NBA court?Answer: 94 feet. An NBA court is 94 feet long and 50 feet wide.
14. Clutch the Bear is the mascot of which team?Answer: Houston Rockets. Clutch has cheered on the Rockets since the 1990s.
15. Who coached the Lakers to their 33-game winning streak and the 1972 title?Answer: Bill Sharman. Bill Sharman won the title in his first season as Lakers coach.
16. Toni Kukoč, who won three titles with the Bulls, is from which country?Answer: Croatia. Kukoč was a star in European basketball before joining Chicago in 1993.
17. Who is the only NBA player to record a quadruple-double that included steals?Answer: Alvin Robertson. Alvin Robertson of the Spurs had 20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals in 1986.
18. Which assistant coach is credited with the “triangle offense” used by Phil Jackson’s teams?Answer: Tex Winter. Tex Winter developed the system and taught it to the Bulls and the Lakers.
19. Dennis Rodman played college basketball at which school?Answer: Southeastern Oklahoma State. Rodman starred at the small NAIA school before the Pistons drafted him.
20. Who coached the Oklahoma City Thunder to their 2025 championship?Answer: Mark Daigneault. Mark Daigneault won the title in his fifth season as Thunder coach.

Baseball trivia

1. Which Hall of Fame pitcher was nicknamed “Rapid Robert”?Answer: Bob Feller. Bob Feller earned the nickname for a fastball that made him a Cleveland star as a teenager.
2. Since 2017, the World Series MVP award has been named after which player?Answer: Willie Mays. MLB renamed the award the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award in 2017.
3. Felipe, Matty and Jesús Alou once played the same outfield at the same time for which team?Answer: San Francisco Giants. The three Alou brothers all played the outfield together for the Giants in a 1963 game.
4. In baseball slang, what are “ducks on the pond”?Answer: Runners on base. A batter coming up with “ducks on the pond” has runners waiting to be driven in.
5. In baseball slang, what is a “dying quail”?Answer: A soft hit that drops in front of the outfielders. A dying quail is a weakly hit ball that sinks quickly and falls in for a hit.
6. How many umpires usually work a regular-season MLB game?Answer: Four. A regular-season crew has four umpires, with six used in the postseason.
7. What is it called when a batter bunts to bring home a runner from third?Answer: A squeeze play. On a squeeze play the runner on third breaks for home as the batter bunts.
8. In which movie does Kevin Costner’s character build a baseball field in his Iowa cornfield?Answer: Field of Dreams. In Field of Dreams, Costner plays Ray Kinsella, who carves a ballfield out of his corn.
9. Which actor played Babe Ruth in the movie “The Babe”?Answer: John Goodman. John Goodman starred as the Yankees slugger in the biopic.
10. Who was MLB commissioner just before Rob Manfred?Answer: Bud Selig. Bud Selig, the former Milwaukee Brewers owner, handed over to Manfred in 2015.
11. Which Negro Leagues slugger was often called “the Black Babe Ruth”?Answer: Josh Gibson. Josh Gibson, a catcher famed for his long home runs, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1972.
12. The original Washington Senators moved in 1961 and became which team?Answer: Minnesota Twins. The Senators moved to Minnesota and took the name Twins, after the Twin Cities.
13. Which team did the Florida Marlins beat in the 2003 World Series?Answer: New York Yankees. Josh Beckett clinched it with a shutout at Yankee Stadium in Game 6.
14. Which team won the 1984 World Series?Answer: Detroit Tigers. The Tigers started 35–5 that season and beat the Padres in five games.
15. Which procedure, named after a pitcher, repairs a torn ligament in the elbow?Answer: Tommy John surgery. Dr. Frank Jobe first performed it on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John in 1974.
16. Which reliever holds MLB’s record for most career games pitched?Answer: Jesse Orosco. Jesse Orosco pitched in 1,252 games over 24 seasons.
17. Who was the first Japanese-born player in the major leagues?Answer: Masanori Murakami. Masanori Murakami pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 1964 and 1965.
18. Fans of which team cheer on the “Rally Monkey”?Answer: Los Angeles Angels. The Rally Monkey, shown on the video board when the Angels trail late, became famous during their 2002 title run.
19. Which Hall of Fame catcher for the Expos and Mets was nicknamed “Kid”?Answer: Gary Carter. Gary Carter got the nickname for his boyish enthusiasm and helped the Mets win the 1986 World Series.
20. Which pitcher holds MLB’s record for most complete games?Answer: Cy Young. Cy Young finished 749 of the games he started, a record no one will approach.

Hockey trivia

1. Who was the first goaltender to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP?Answer: Roy Worters. Roy Worters of the New York Americans won it for the 1928–29 season.
2. For a goaltender, what does the stat “GAA” stand for?Answer: Goals-against average. Goals-against average is the number of goals a goalie allows per 60 minutes played.
3. In hockey, what is a “wraparound”?Answer: Carrying the puck from behind the net and tucking it in by the post. On a wraparound the shooter skates around the back of the net and tries to beat the goalie to the post.
4. In hockey, what does “five for fighting” mean?Answer: A five-minute major penalty for fighting. Players who drop the gloves usually each get five minutes in the penalty box.
5. Iceburgh the penguin is the mascot of which team?Answer: Pittsburgh Penguins. Iceburgh has cheered on the Penguins for more than three decades.
6. Which club team represented Canada and won the first Olympic hockey gold medal, in 1920?Answer: Winnipeg Falcons. The Winnipeg Falcons, mostly players of Icelandic descent, won gold at the Antwerp Games.
7. Which country won the first women’s world hockey championship, in 1990?Answer: Canada. Canada beat the United States in the final in Ottawa.
8. Which country won the first Olympic women’s hockey gold medal, at the Nagano Games?Answer: United States. The U.S. beat Canada 3–1 in the gold medal game in Nagano.
9. Who was the first Swedish player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame?Answer: Börje Salming. Börje Salming, a Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman for 16 seasons, was inducted in 1996.
10. Which Flyers winger, nicknamed “The Riverton Rifle,” shares the record of 19 goals in one playoff year?Answer: Reggie Leach. Reggie Leach set the mark and won the Conn Smythe Trophy even though the Flyers lost the Final.
11. Who holds the NHL record for career playoff goals?Answer: Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky scored 122 playoff goals.
12. Who in 2016 became the first American-born player to win the Hart Trophy?Answer: Patrick Kane. Patrick Kane, from Buffalo, New York, won it after leading the NHL with 106 points for Chicago.
13. Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer formed which famous Bruins line?Answer: The Kraut Line. The three grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario, and starred for Boston’s Cup winners of 1939 and 1941.
14. When a referee raises an arm but lets play continue, what is coming?Answer: A delayed penalty. Play stops once the team that committed the foul touches the puck.
15. How long is each overtime period in the Stanley Cup playoffs?Answer: 20 minutes. Playoff overtime is played in full 20-minute periods, five-on-five, until someone scores.
16. How thick is an NHL puck?Answer: One inch. A regulation puck is one inch thick and three inches across.
17. Which team swept the Washington Capitals in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final?Answer: Detroit Red Wings. Detroit won its second straight Cup with a four-game sweep.
18. Which team did the Anaheim Ducks beat in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final?Answer: Ottawa Senators. Anaheim won the series four games to one for its first Cup.
19. Which team did Tampa Bay beat in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, played in the Edmonton bubble?Answer: Dallas Stars. The Lightning beat Dallas in six games.
20. Which team did Tampa Bay beat in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final?Answer: Montreal Canadiens. Tampa Bay won the series four games to one for back-to-back titles.

Soccer trivia

1. Which London club is nicknamed “the Hammers”?Answer: West Ham United. The nickname comes from the club’s roots as the works team of the Thames Ironworks shipyard.
2. Which English club plays its home games at Villa Park?Answer: Aston Villa. Aston Villa have played at Villa Park in Birmingham since 1897.
3. Which Italian club is nicknamed “I Biancocelesti” for its sky-blue and white colors?Answer: Lazio. Lazio share Rome’s Stadio Olimpico with their rivals Roma.
4. What is the nickname of Australia’s women’s national soccer team?Answer: The Matildas. The name comes from the folk song “Waltzing Matilda”; the men’s team are the Socceroos.
5. With which club did Cristiano Ronaldo begin his professional career?Answer: Sporting CP. He came through Sporting’s academy in Lisbon before joining Manchester United.
6. Which club did Lionel Messi join after leaving Barcelona in 2021?Answer: Paris Saint-Germain. Messi spent two seasons in Paris before moving to Inter Miami.
7. Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is better known by which nickname?Answer: Dibu. “Dibu” Martínez made key saves as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup.
8. From which club did Manchester City sign Erling Haaland?Answer: Borussia Dortmund. Haaland moved from Dortmund to Manchester City in the summer of 2022.
9. Which Dutch defender joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2018 for a then world-record fee for a defender?Answer: Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool paid about £75 million for him in January 2018.
10. Who is the U.S. women’s national team’s all-time leading scorer?Answer: Abby Wambach. Wambach scored 184 goals for the United States.
11. In soccer, what is an “own goal”?Answer: A goal a player accidentally scores into their own net. It counts for the opposing team.
12. Under today’s Laws of the Game, where is the ball placed for a goal kick?Answer: Anywhere inside the goal area. The kicking team may place it at any point in the goal area, the small box in front of the goal.
13. Which Portuguese club plays its home games at the Estádio do Dragão?Answer: Porto. The Dragão (“Dragon”) opened in 2003; a dragon sits on Porto’s crest.
14. Which country won the 1984 European Championship on home soil, led by Michel Platini?Answer: France. Platini scored nine goals in the tournament, including one in the final against Spain.
15. Which country won the 2007 Women’s World Cup in China?Answer: Germany. Germany beat Brazil 2–0 in the final in Shanghai to retain the title.
16. Which country hosted the 1974 men’s World Cup?Answer: West Germany. The hosts also won it, beating the Netherlands in the final in Munich.
17. Who is the England men’s team’s all-time top scorer?Answer: Harry Kane. Kane passed Wayne Rooney’s record of 53 goals in 2023.
18. Which Italian club won the treble of league, cup and Champions League under José Mourinho?Answer: Inter Milan. It was the first treble ever won by an Italian club.
19. Which French striker won the Ballon d’Or in 2022?Answer: Karim Benzema. Benzema won it after leading Real Madrid to the Champions League and La Liga.
20. Which Brazilian striker was nicknamed “O Fenômeno” (the Phenomenon)?Answer: Ronaldo. Ronaldo won two World Cups with Brazil and the Ballon d’Or twice.

Movies trivia

1. Who played Truman Burbank in The Truman Show?Answer: Jim Carrey. Carrey played a man who doesn’t know his whole life is a TV show.
2. Who played the shape-shifting T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day?Answer: Robert Patrick. Patrick’s liquid-metal killer was one of the landmark computer-effects creations.
3. Which actor played the “Man with No Name” in Sergio Leone’s Dollars westerns?Answer: Clint Eastwood. Eastwood played him in A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
4. In The Lion King (1994), what kind of animal is Timon?Answer: A meerkat. Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog take in the young Simba.
5. Who played Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally...?Answer: Billy Crystal. Crystal starred opposite Meg Ryan’s Sally Albright.
6. Who won Best Actress for playing the title role in Mildred Pierce (1945)?Answer: Joan Crawford. It was Crawford’s only Academy Award.
7. Which divorce drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep won Best Picture for 1979?Answer: Kramer vs. Kramer. Hoffman won Best Actor and Streep won Best Supporting Actress for it.
8. Which Pixar film stars the race car Lightning McQueen?Answer: Cars. Owen Wilson voiced Lightning McQueen.
9. Who played mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park?Answer: Jeff Goldblum. Goldblum’s chaos theorist warns that life will find a way.
10. Who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars?Answer: Alec Guinness. Guinness earned an Oscar nomination for the role; Ewan McGregor played the young Obi-Wan later.
11. Who played Tom Hagen, the Corleone family lawyer, in The Godfather?Answer: Robert Duvall. Hagen is Vito Corleone’s adopted son and consigliere.
12. Who played Maria in the film version of West Side Story (1961)?Answer: Natalie Wood. Her singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon; Rita Moreno played Anita.
13. Which Disney animated film features the song “Colors of the Wind”?Answer: Pocahontas. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
14. Who won Best Actor for playing Ray Charles in Ray?Answer: Jamie Foxx. Foxx also played the piano himself in the film.
15. Who won Best Actress for playing June Carter in Walk the Line?Answer: Reese Witherspoon. Joaquin Phoenix played Johnny Cash opposite her.
16. Who played George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life?Answer: James Stewart. An angel named Clarence shows George what the world would be like without him.
17. Who played Marion Crane, the woman in the shower scene, in Psycho (1960)?Answer: Janet Leigh. Leigh earned an Oscar nomination for the role.
18. Which studio’s logo shows a woman holding up a torch?Answer: Columbia Pictures. The “Torch Lady” has opened Columbia films for about a century.
19. Who played Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind (1939)?Answer: Olivia de Havilland. De Havilland was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for the role.
20. Who won Best Supporting Actor for playing SS officer Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds?Answer: Christoph Waltz. Waltz later won a second Oscar for Django Unchained.

Television trivia

1. Which actor created Dragnet and starred as Sgt. Joe Friday?Answer: Jack Webb. Jack Webb brought Dragnet from radio to TV and played the no-nonsense Sgt. Joe Friday.
2. On The Walking Dead, what was Rick Grimes’s job before the outbreak?Answer: Sheriff’s deputy. Rick Grimes was a Georgia sheriff’s deputy who woke from a coma into the apocalypse.
3. HBO’s The Last of Us is based on a video game made by which studio?Answer: Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog made The Last of Us game, and its creative director Neil Druckmann co-created the series.
4. Who plays Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us?Answer: Pedro Pascal. Pedro Pascal plays Joel, opposite Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
5. Who moderated NBC’s Meet the Press from 1991 until his death in 2008?Answer: Tim Russert. Tim Russert became the show’s longest-serving moderator.
6. On Bewitched, what was the name of Samantha and Darrin’s daughter?Answer: Tabitha. Tabitha, who inherited her mother’s magic, later got a short-lived spin-off of her own.
7. Who played Dan Conner, Roseanne’s husband, on Roseanne?Answer: John Goodman. John Goodman played Dan Conner on Roseanne and later on The Conners.
8. On The Bachelor, what does the lead hand to the contestants he wants to keep?Answer: A rose. Each rose ceremony ends with roses for those who stay; anyone without one goes home.
9. On Wheel of Fortune, how much does it cost to buy a vowel?Answer: $250. Contestants pay $250 from their round winnings for each vowel.
10. Which British sitcom starred John Cleese as a rude hotel owner in Torquay?Answer: Fawlty Towers. John Cleese played Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers, which he wrote with Connie Booth.
11. Which 1980s detective show starred Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis?Answer: Moonlighting. Moonlighting made Bruce Willis a star as the wisecracking detective David Addison.
12. Which TV chef made “Bam!” his catchphrase?Answer: Emeril Lagasse. Emeril Lagasse shouted “Bam!” as he tossed in spices on his Food Network shows.
13. Which late-night host was famous for his nightly Top Ten List?Answer: David Letterman. David Letterman’s Top Ten List became a fixture of his late-night shows.
14. On The Simpsons, what is the name of the bar where Homer drinks?Answer: Moe’s Tavern. Homer spends many evenings at Moe’s Tavern, run by Moe Szyslak.
15. On Gilligan’s Island, what was the Professor’s name?Answer: Roy Hinkley. Russell Johnson played Professor Roy Hinkley; Jonas Grumby was the Skipper.
16. Who played Captain Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat?Answer: Gavin MacLeod. Gavin MacLeod, Murray on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, captained The Love Boat.
17. Desperate Housewives was set on which suburban street?Answer: Wisteria Lane. The housewives lived on Wisteria Lane in the town of Fairview.
18. Who was the first anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live?Answer: Chevy Chase. Chevy Chase anchored Weekend Update in SNL’s first season.
19. Dawson’s Creek was set in which fictional Massachusetts town?Answer: Capeside. Dawson Leery and his friends grew up in Capeside, Massachusetts.
20. Which Netflix drama follows the Byrde family laundering money in Missouri?Answer: Ozark. Jason Bateman starred in Ozark as financial planner Marty Byrde.

Fantasy trivia

1. What is the forest home planet of the Wookiees in Star Wars?Answer: Kashyyyk. Chewbacca’s people come from Kashyyyk, a world of giant trees.
2. In Star Trek, what is the name of Spock’s Vulcan father?Answer: Sarek. Sarek, a Vulcan ambassador, married the human Amanda Grayson.
3. What does the T in Captain James T. Kirk stand for?Answer: Tiberius. Kirk’s full name is James Tiberius Kirk.
4. Who played Duke Leto Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune?Answer: Oscar Isaac. Oscar Isaac played Paul’s father, Duke Leto, in the 2021 film.
5. In Aliens, which Colonial Marine panics with the line “Game over, man”?Answer: Hudson. Bill Paxton’s Private Hudson delivers the famous outburst.
6. Who played the Predator creature in the 1987 film Predator?Answer: Kevin Peter Hall. The 7-foot-2 actor Kevin Peter Hall wore the Predator suit in the first two films.
7. Who played the Merovingian in The Matrix Reloaded?Answer: Lambert Wilson. French actor Lambert Wilson played the program known as the Merovingian.
8. Who played Éowyn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films?Answer: Miranda Otto. Australian actress Miranda Otto played the shieldmaiden of Rohan.
9. At which inn in Bree do the hobbits first meet Strider?Answer: The Prancing Pony. The hobbits meet Aragorn, known as Strider, at the Prancing Pony in Bree.
10. Which position does Ron Weasley play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?Answer: Keeper. Ron guards the goal hoops as Gryffindor’s Keeper.
11. What is the name of Hogwarts’ grumpy caretaker?Answer: Argus Filch. Argus Filch patrols the castle with his cat, Mrs. Norris.
12. Black Panther is king of which fictional African nation?Answer: Wakanda. T’Challa rules Wakanda, home of the precious metal vibranium.
13. Which actor played Wolverine in the X-Men films?Answer: Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman first played Wolverine in X-Men (2000).
14. Hal Jordan is the best-known human to serve as which DC hero?Answer: Green Lantern. Test pilot Hal Jordan received his power ring from a dying alien Green Lantern.
15. Which actor played the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who?Answer: Matt Smith. Matt Smith played the Eleventh Doctor from 2010 to 2013.
16. Who played paleontologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park?Answer: Sam Neill. Sam Neill played Dr. Alan Grant and returned in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion.
17. Who played Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones?Answer: Lena Headey. Lena Headey played Cersei across all eight seasons.
18. Which Narnia book tells how Narnia was created?Answer: The Magician’s Nephew. In The Magician’s Nephew, Digory and Polly watch Aslan sing Narnia into being.
19. Who played Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games films?Answer: Josh Hutcherson. Josh Hutcherson played Peeta opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss.
20. Who played Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters?Answer: Ernie Hudson. Ernie Hudson joined the team as Winston, the fourth Ghostbuster.

Broadway trivia

1. Who originated the role of gambler Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls?Answer: Robert Alda. Robert Alda won a Tony for the role in the original 1950 production.
2. Who wrote most of the lyrics for The Phantom of the Opera?Answer: Charles Hart. Charles Hart wrote the lyrics, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe.
3. Who sings “If I Were a Rich Man” in Fiddler on the Roof?Answer: Tevye. The milkman Tevye daydreams about wealth in the song.
4. In The Sound of Music, Maria is a postulant at which abbey?Answer: Nonnberg Abbey. The show opens at Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg, Austria.
5. In Hamilton, who sings “Satisfied”?Answer: Angelica Schuyler. Angelica replays the night she met Alexander in “Satisfied.”
6. The musical Chess has music by two members of which pop group?Answer: ABBA. Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus wrote the music, with lyrics by Tim Rice.
7. In Les Misérables, Jean Valjean was first imprisoned for stealing what?Answer: A loaf of bread. He stole bread to feed his sister’s starving child.
8. In Rent, what does Mark Cohen do?Answer: He makes documentary films. Mark films his friends’ lives throughout the show.
9. In Hairspray, Tracy Turnblad dreams of dancing on which TV show?Answer: The Corny Collins Show. Tracy wins a spot on Baltimore’s Corny Collins Show.
10. In The Music Man, what does con man Harold Hill promise to form in River City?Answer: A boys’ band. He sells instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he can’t actually teach.
11. Which U.S. president appears as a character in Annie?Answer: Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR joins Daddy Warbucks and Annie in the White House scenes.
12. Which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera?Answer: Love Never Dies. Love Never Dies follows the Phantom to Coney Island.
13. In Into the Woods, which of these is NOT on the Witch’s list for the Baker and his wife?Answer: A crown as bright as the sun. The fourth item is hair as yellow as corn, not a crown.
14. Who originated the role of Elder Price in The Book of Mormon?Answer: Andrew Rannells. Andrew Rannells played Price, opposite Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham.
15. Who composed the music for Annie?Answer: Charles Strouse. Charles Strouse wrote the music and Martin Charnin the lyrics.
16. Who wrote the music and lyrics for The Wiz?Answer: Charlie Smalls. Charlie Smalls won the Tony for Best Original Score for The Wiz.
17. Kinky Boots is set at a shoe factory in which English town?Answer: Northampton. Charlie Price inherits his family’s shoe factory in Northampton.
18. In Matilda the Musical, what is the name of Matilda’s kind schoolteacher?Answer: Miss Honey. Miss Honey spots Matilda’s gifts, while Miss Trunchbull terrorizes the school.
19. Who directed Hamilton on Broadway?Answer: Thomas Kail. Thomas Kail won the Tony for Best Direction of a Musical for Hamilton.
20. Who won a Tony for playing the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot?Answer: Sara Ramirez. Sara Ramirez won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the role.

U.S. History trivia

1. Which Spanish explorer was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas?Answer: Vasco Núñez de Balboa. Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the Pacific in 1513.
2. Which longtime governor of Plymouth Colony wrote the history Of Plymouth Plantation?Answer: William Bradford. Bradford governed Plymouth for most of its first decades and chronicled its story.
3. What was the 1765 meeting of delegates from nine colonies that protested British taxes called?Answer: The Stamp Act Congress. Delegates met in New York in October 1765 to protest taxation without representation.
4. Who was the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence?Answer: Charles Carroll. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, from Maryland, was also the last surviving signer.
5. Which U.S. Navy captain is remembered for the dying order “Don’t give up the ship”?Answer: James Lawrence. Lawrence gave the order while mortally wounded aboard the USS Chesapeake.
6. Which Mexican–American War general was nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready”?Answer: Zachary Taylor. Taylor’s plain manner earned the nickname, and his fame helped make him president.
7. The young women known as the “mill girls” of Lowell, Massachusetts, worked in which industry?Answer: Textiles. Lowell’s mills spun and wove cotton cloth and hired many young New England women.
8. Which Shawnee religious leader, called the Prophet, was Tecumseh’s brother?Answer: Tenskwatawa. Tenskwatawa’s teachings helped Tecumseh build his intertribal alliance.
9. Who patented the process of vulcanizing rubber in 1844?Answer: Charles Goodyear. Vulcanization made rubber strong and stable in heat and cold.
10. Which suffragist organized the 1913 suffrage parade in Washington and founded the National Woman’s Party?Answer: Alice Paul. Alice Paul led the more militant wing of the movement for the 19th Amendment.
11. Which river’s Great Flood of 1927 displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the South?Answer: Mississippi. The flood broke levees from Illinois to Louisiana.
12. What was the code name for the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942?Answer: Operation Torch. American and British troops landed in Morocco and Algeria.
13. On which Solomon Island did U.S. Marines land in August 1942 in the first major Allied offensive against Japan?Answer: Guadalcanal. The campaign lasted about six months and ended in an Allied victory.
14. Which civil rights organizer helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960?Answer: Ella Baker. Baker encouraged student sit-in leaders to form their own independent group.
15. Which 1967 Supreme Court case struck down state bans on interracial marriage?Answer: Loving v. Virginia. The unanimous ruling came in the case of Richard and Mildred Loving.
16. Which company introduced its Personal Computer, model 5150, in 1981?Answer: IBM. The IBM PC set the standard for business computers.
17. Who became the first African American woman in space, in 1992?Answer: Mae Jemison. Jemison flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.
18. The 1792 Buttonwood Agreement among New York traders led to which institution?Answer: The New York Stock Exchange. Brokers signed it under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street.
19. Who designed the Washington Monument?Answer: Robert Mills. Mills’s design was simplified to the plain obelisk that stands today.
20. Which Seminole leader resisted removal from Florida in the 1830s?Answer: Osceola. Osceola became a famous leader of the Second Seminole War.

U.S. Presidents trivia

1. Who was the 24th president?Answer: Grover Cleveland. Cleveland was both the 22nd and the 24th president.
2. Who was Joe Biden’s vice president?Answer: Kamala Harris. Harris served as vice president from 2021 to 2025.
3. Jane was the wife of which president?Answer: Franklin Pierce. Jane Means Appleton Pierce was first lady from 1853 to 1857.
4. Harriet Lane served as White House hostess for which bachelor president, her uncle?Answer: James Buchanan. Buchanan never married, so his niece acted as first lady.
5. Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, Maine, is the family estate of which president?Answer: George H. W. Bush. The Bush family’s seaside home was often called the “Summer White House.”
6. Which president is buried in a grand memorial in Canton, Ohio?Answer: William McKinley. The McKinley National Memorial holds the tombs of McKinley and his wife, Ida.
7. Which president was mockingly nicknamed “His Rotundity”?Answer: John Adams. Critics poked fun at Adams’s stout build and formal manner.
8. Which president had earlier been governor of Massachusetts?Answer: Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge won national fame as governor during the 1919 Boston police strike.
9. Which president’s Farewell Address warned against “permanent alliances” with foreign nations?Answer: George Washington. Washington urged the young nation to stay out of lasting foreign entanglements.
10. Which president signed the Clean Air Act of 1970?Answer: Richard Nixon. Nixon signed it on the last day of 1970.
11. Which president signed the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890?Answer: Benjamin Harrison. It was the first federal law against monopolies.
12. Which president signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993?Answer: Bill Clinton. It was the first major bill Clinton signed after taking office.
13. What did Franklin D. Roosevelt name the Maryland retreat now called Camp David?Answer: Shangri-La. FDR borrowed the name of the hidden paradise in the novel Lost Horizon; it was later renamed Camp David.
14. Which Irish-born architect designed the White House?Answer: James Hoban. Hoban won the design competition and later oversaw its rebuilding after 1814.
15. Which president was awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, in 2001?Answer: Theodore Roosevelt. He was honored for leading the charge up Kettle Hill in Cuba in 1898.
16. Which president was born in Staunton, Virginia?Answer: Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was born in Staunton in 1856, the son of a Presbyterian minister.
17. How many presidents have been named James?Answer: Six. Madison, Monroe, Polk, Buchanan, Garfield and Carter were all named James.
18. Whose 1981 inauguration was the first held on the Capitol’s West Front?Answer: Ronald Reagan. Earlier inaugurations were usually held on the East Front.
19. Which president signed the 1966 law creating the Department of Transportation?Answer: Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson signed the law in October 1966.
20. Which first lady had been a Hollywood film actress?Answer: Nancy Reagan. As Nancy Davis, she appeared in films including one with her husband.

Geography trivia

1. What is the capital of Lebanon?Answer: Beirut. Beirut sits on the Mediterranean coast.
2. What is the capital of Angola?Answer: Luanda. Luanda is a port on Angola’s Atlantic coast.
3. What is the capital of Oman?Answer: Muscat. Muscat lies on the Gulf of Oman.
4. What is the capital of Azerbaijan?Answer: Baku. Baku sits on the shore of the Caspian Sea.
5. What is the capital of Iowa?Answer: Des Moines. Des Moines is also Iowa’s largest city.
6. What is the capital of New Mexico?Answer: Santa Fe. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital city in the U.S.
7. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Sunflower State?Answer: Kansas. The sunflower is Kansas’s state flower.
8. Which U.S. state is nicknamed the Bay State?Answer: Massachusetts. The name recalls the old Massachusetts Bay Colony.
9. Which river flows through Portland, Oregon?Answer: Willamette. The Willamette joins the Columbia just north of downtown Portland.
10. What is the highest mountain in Mexico?Answer: Pico de Orizaba. The dormant volcano, also called Citlaltépetl, is North America’s third-highest peak.
11. Which country’s flag is red with one large yellow star in the center?Answer: Vietnam. Vietnam’s flag shows a single five-pointed gold star on red.
12. Which country’s flag has horizontal black, red and gold stripes?Answer: Germany. Belgium uses the same colors, but in vertical stripes.
13. Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki all lie on which sea?Answer: Baltic Sea. All three capitals are on gulfs of the Baltic Sea.
14. The Plitvice Lakes, a chain of terraced lakes and waterfalls, are in which country?Answer: Croatia. Plitvice Lakes is Croatia’s oldest and best-known national park.
15. Badlands National Park is in which U.S. state?Answer: South Dakota. Its eroded buttes and pinnacles lie in southwestern South Dakota.
16. What is the largest lake entirely in Europe?Answer: Lake Ladoga. Lake Ladoga lies in northwestern Russia, near St. Petersburg.
17. Which strait separates New Zealand’s North Island from its South Island?Answer: Cook Strait. It is named after James Cook, who sailed through it in 1770.
18. Kruger National Park is in which country?Answer: South Africa. Kruger is one of Africa’s largest game reserves.
19. The Geirangerfjord is in which country?Answer: Norway. The fjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Norway.
20. Which canal cuts across northern Germany to link the North Sea and the Baltic Sea?Answer: Kiel Canal. It is one of the world’s busiest artificial waterways.