Fun Trivia - Questions about Latin, Authors, History, Geography and More!

 

 

Trivia questions with answers.

The name of what part of the world is derived from a Latin verb that means "to rise"?
A: The Orient, so named because the sun rises in the east.

How did Larry Gelbart, the brilliant writer behind TV's M*A*S*H and Hollywood's Tootsie, get his start in show biz at age 16?
A: Through his father, who was comedian Danny Thomas' barber. Gelbart wrote his first gags for Thomas, who delivered them on the Fanny Brice radio show.

Who were Miss Marple's next door neighbors in the Agatha Christie mysteries about the sleuthing senior citizen from St. Mary Mead?
A: Dr. Haydock and Miss Harnell.

Whom did Olive Oyl go out with before she met Popeye?
A: Ham Gravy.

TV talk show host and entrepreneur Merv Griffin sold his privately held entertainment company, Merv Griffin Enterprises, in 1986 for a reported $250 million. Who bought it?
A: The Coca-Cola Company. Among the firm's holdings were the popular TV game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, both of which were created by Griffin.

What insect served as Napoleon Bonaparte's official emblem?
A: The bumblebee.

What is the distance--in yards--between the corral and the bull ring at the famous bull runs held annually in Pamplona, Spain?
A: 825 yards.

How did Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River, get its name?
A: Not from an Indian tribe or word, but from Latin. An early explorer called it Lake Veritas Caput, meaning "true source" or " true head." His companion decided that was too long and chopped off letters at both ends.

What is the largest desert in Europe?
A: Europe has no deserts--it's the only continent without one.

Where would a soldier wear a havelock?
A: On his head, in the desert. it's the light cloth covering attached to a military cap, that protects the back of a soldier's neck from the sun. It was named for Sir Henry Havelock, a British officer who served in India.

In which state is the Wyoming Battle Monument located?
A: In Pennsylvania. The monument commemorates a July 1778 Revolutionary War battle in which a group of loyalists and Indians massacred settlers in Wyoming Valley in northeastern Pennsylvania.

What weekly periodical was the first magazine in history to sell a billion copies in a year?
A: TV Guide, in 1974.

What magazine did the L8brary of Congress cease publishing in Braille in 1985 after =Congress voted to with hold funding?
A: Playboy, which it had been publishing in Braille--without ads or pictures--for 15 years. Publication resumed in 1986 after the courts ruled Congress's action illegal. AT the time playboy was the sixth most popular of the 36 publications the Library was printing in Braille.

What is the only country in the Middle East that does not have a desert?
A: Lebanon.

What popular crooner won a Grammy n 1992 for an album entitled Perfectly Frank?
A: Tony Bennett. The album contained songs identified with Frank Sinatra.