Miscellaneous Trivia  U.S. Navy, War, US States, TV, Movies...

 

 

Fun miscellaneous  trivia questions and answers.

What was the first enemy fighting ship captured by the U.S. Navy after the War of 1812?
A: The U-505, a World War II German submarine. It was captured in the Atlantic off the coast of French West Africa in 1944  and is now on exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

How many writing systems appear on the Rosetta Stone, found near Rosetta, Egypt, in 1799 by a Napoleonic expedition?
A: Three. The inscription is written in the Greek alphabet, Egyptian hieroglyphics, and demotic script (a cursive form of Egyptian hieroglyphics). The stone is now housed in the British Museum.

What article of clothing worn by Roman emperor Caligula as a child gave him his name?
A: His sandals. He grew up among his father's soldiers and wore small shoes similar to their iron-nailed military sandals, called caligate in Latin. As a result, he became known by the diminutive Caligula, or Little Shoes. His real name was Gaius Caesar.

Writer Kay Thompson's goddaughter provided the inspiration for her books about Eloise, the mischievous little girl who lived at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Who was she?
A: Liza Minnelli.

How many U.S. states are there with only four letters in their names? Watch out, this is a trick question.
A: Nine The easy ones are Iowa and Utah. The tough ones are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.

What American cit claims to have the only authentic Dutch windmill in the country?
A: Aptly named Holland, Michigan, founded in 1847 by Dutch immigrants an site of an annual tulip festival. The city's cdntgures-old windmill was dismantled in Vinkel, Holland, and reassembled there in 1965.

What clever telegram message convinced a reluctant William F. Buckley Jr. to make a cameo TV appearance on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In?
A: Buckley was asked, "Would you be on the show if we flew you on a plane with two right wings?"

What Revolutionary War figure laid the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill Monument on June 17, 1825--the 50th anniversary of the famous battle?
A: The Marquis de Lafayette, who was visiting the U.S. at the time. Daniel Webster made the key address.

What is the meaning of the U.S. Coast Guard motto, semper paratus?
A: Always prepared.

How long must a person be dead before he or she can be honored wit a U.S. commemorative stamp?
A: At least 10 years--except for U.S. presidents. Commemorative stamps can be issued for a deceased president on the first birthday anniversary following his death, or anytime thereafter.

What famous seafarer called his ship the Adventure Galley?
A: Captain Kidd.

In Jules Verne's 1865 book From Earth to the Moon, three men are blasted to the moon by cannon. Their speed of departure has proven to be the earth's escape velocity. What is it?
A: Seven miles a second. (Escape velocity is the minimum speed required to escape a planet's pull.)

In airport code, LAX stands for Los Angeles International Airport and JFK for Kennedy International Airport. What airport is represented by the initials IAD?
:A Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

How many masts are on the U.S.S. Constitution, the historic square-rigged flagship of the U.S. Navy popularly known as "Old Ironsides"?
A: Three.  The warship, first launched in 1997, was restored at a cost of $12 million and is now on exhibit in Boston.

At what speed was the Titanic traveling when it hit an iceberg and san on its maiden voyage in 1912?
A: 22 knots--to landlubbers, a little over 25 miles per hour.

What are the tree largest islands in the Mediterranean?
A: Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus.