Random TriviaAugust 2018

1.What “celestial” song was

written for the 1932 Broadway show The Great Magoo and

was originally named “If You Believed in Me”?

“It’s Only a Paper Moon.”

Jazz musicians like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny

Goodman all recorded their own version of the song.

2.What is the name of the

fortune-telling sphere that answers your questions, unless it doesn’t know, in which case it tells you to “ask again later”?

The Magic 8-ball

Originally called the “Syco-Seer,” the toy was thought up by Albert Carter in the

1940s. It just so happens that his motherwas a professional psychic.

3.How many major

organ systems are found in the human body:

9, 11, or 20?

11

Bonus Question:Can you name them all?

The circulatory, respiratory, digestive, excretory, nervous, endocrine, immune,

integumentary (skin), skeletal, muscular, and reproductive systems.

4.What famous tennis champion has won 23 single grand slam titles, 15 doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and has a sister named Venus?

Serena Williams

On September 1, 2017, Serena became a new mom to a daughter, Alexis

Olympia Ohanian Jr. Williams won the Australian Open in January 2017, when she was eight weeks pregnant.

5.What is the process called during which leaves use sunlight to create food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water?

Photosynthesis

It was an English clergyman and scientist, Joseph Priestley, who began the study

of photosynthesis in 1771. He observed that a plant (mint) placed in a sealed container with a candle could create

enough oxygen for the candle to remain lit.

6.What Canadian-born

personality famously hosted the radio-turned-television

shows People Are Funny and House Party?

Art Linkletter

He later was given his own show in 1963 called The Art Linkletter

Show. He also wrote a very popular book titled Kids Say

the Darndest Things!

7.What city is over 1,400 years

old, was once known for being the “kitchen of its

nation,” and is located on the main island of Honshu?

Osaka It is one of the oldest cities in

Japan and has over 800 bridges.

8.What is the name of the icicle-shaped formation found hanging from the

ceiling of a cave?

A stalactite

When these drip, they can also form the

icicle-shaped formations that rise up from a cave floor as well. These are

called stalagmites.

9.What world famous

supermodel of the 1960s was known for her thin

frame, wide eyes, and the London “mod” scene?

Twiggy

She was born in London in 1949, and her given name was Lesley

Hornby. Along with her modeling career, she made television and movie appearances, like in the 1981 movie The Blues Brothers.

10.What does it mean

if something is a “no-brainer”?

An obvious answer/decision The term was first used

by cartoonist Carl Grubert in the 1959 cartoon The Berrys.

11.What product used the slogan “A little

dab’ll do ya”?

Brylcreem

Brylcreem has been around since 1928, but it was originally only sold to barbers. By the 1950s, it was one of the most popular

hairstyling products for men.

12.All the gases that

gravity holds to Earth make up what?

The atmosphere Earth’s atmosphere is only

about 60 miles thick and made up of mainly nitrogen and oxygen.

13.What official animal

of Australia is known for being a very good jumper?

The kangaroo Kangaroos can see about 300 degrees around at any one

time due to the position of their eyes.

14.What does acrylic paint become when it dries?

Plastic

It was Mexican muralists who first began experimenting with acrylic

paints in the 1920s and ’30s. Before this, they were originally created for

use in more industrial settings.

15.What outermost layer of the sun also shares

its name with a Mexican beer?

Corona You can see the corona of the sun

during a total solar eclipse.

16.In 1952, one movie received

Academy Awards for Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actor (Karl Malden), and Best

Supporting Actress (Kim Hunter). What was the title of that movie?

A Streetcar Named Desire The movie is based on the

Tennessee Williams’ play, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.

17.From which language do the words buffet, gourmet, filet, and chalet originate?

French

18.What is another name for

a normal distribution curve or Gaussian distribution curve?

A bell curve It shows data distribution with the mean located at the apex of

the curve. Bell curves are always in the shape of a bell.

19.What novel written by George Orwell in 1949 became a best-selling book again in 2017?

1984 The book is about a dystopian future where the government

known as “Big Brother” is always watching you.

20.Over 70 percent of the global market relies on

Canada to produce what product that comes

from trees?

Maple syrup Of that, 92 percent

comes from Québec.

21.Who was famous for introducing Johnny

Carson with the phrase “Heeeere’s Johnny!” on

The Tonight Show?

Ed McMahon

Beginning in 1962, he held this job for 30 years. McMahon was also well-known for helping sell a variety of products from Budweiser to Breck Shampoo to Sara Lee.

Did you know one of his first jobs was as a bingo caller?

22.What popular candy

from Germany (or Italy depending on who you

ask) is made from ground almonds and sugar?

Marzipan

The higher the ratio of almonds in the mixture, the more expensive the marzipan.

23.Who went on expeditions

with Meriwether Lewis to explore the land of the

Louisiana Purchase?

William Clark Their journey began in May

of 1804, lasted two years, and took the men more than

8,000 miles.

24.Who was Time magazine’s Man of the Year for 1958

and France’s president from 1959 to 1969?

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle was a commander in World

War II and the first president of the Fifth Republic of France.

25.What book has sold more

copies than any other?

The Bible As of May 2012, the Bible is believed

to have sold over 3,900,000,000 copies. The second-most sold book was on the

Chinese Revolution, Works of Mao Tse-tung, which sold roughly

820,000,000 copies.

26.What fashion company still

popular today began in Florence, Italy, selling leather goods such as saddles and saddlebags: Versace,

Burberry, Gucci, or Armani?

Gucci

Guccio Gucci founded his company in 1921. When cars became more popular than horses, he switched to selling more fine leather goods and luggage. By the 1930s, he added a shop in Rome, and

his selection included even more accessories like belts, shoes, and gloves.

27.What country is famous for the Great Pyramid

of Giza and has borders on the Mediterranean

and Red Seas?

EgyptCairo is the capital of the Arab Republic of Egypt (official name).

28.What is a group of atoms bonded together called?

A molecule A molecule is the smallest

piece of a chemical compound that still has all of the

compound’s properties.

29.What type of bear lives

in the arctic and is a very strong swimmer?

Polar bear

Polar bears can weigh up to 1,600 pounds and grow to eight feet tall. In 1973, an agreement to help protect them was made by the U.S.,

Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Russia.

30.What television show ran

from 1952 to 1966 and centered around a nice

married couple and their sons, Ricky and David Nelson?

The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet

In the show’s 14-year run, they made 435 episodes, and that doesn’t include the radio shows they made before they went on television.

They started on the radio in 1944, and in the beginning, different actors played the boys

until Ozzie and Harriet’s own children joined the cast in 1949.

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