Free Trivia Questions

From Adviceopedia

Free trivia questions are perfect for stumping your friends, on long car rides, waits, or any time at all. An eclectic mix of topics within a list of free trivia questions will ensure that you can quiz everyone in your group.

A List of Free Trivia Questions

• Which branch of the United States military only had 50 members when World War I started?

The Air Force

• Before getting into Marxism, which Soviet dictator was planning to become a priest?

Joseph Stalin

• Who was the last president of the Soviet Union?

Mikail Gorbechev

• Which president of the United States went by the informal version of his first name?

Jimmy Carter

• Which 20th century war is called the "forgotten war" even though over 50,000 United States troops died?

The Korean War

• What is the only thing that can destroy a diamond?

Intense heat

• What makes some diamonds colored?

Impurities, such as nitrogen and boron. Some are colored due to deformities in the stone itself or irradiation.

• What did Hyman Lipman do in 1858 that made student life a little easier?

He attached an eraser to a pencil.

• The first hair dryer was actually a household appliance designed for something completely different. What was it?

Before hair dryers, people used the vacuum cleaner to dry their hair. Early vacuum cleaners didn't just suck air in, they blew it out. So, women attached the hose to the exhaust section and dried their hair. The first hair dryer was invented in 1920, but it was heavy and bulky.

• Which type of rock floats in water?

Pumice

• Which metal remains a liquid at room temperature?

Mercury

• What is the difference between stalagmites and stalactites?

They are both mineral deposits found in caves, but stalagmites grow upward and stalactites grow down.

• What is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust?

Aluminum

• What is Susan Sarandon's real name?

Susan Abigail Tomalin

• How much did George Eastman sell his pocket cameras for in 1900?

One dollar

• Who was Amelia Earhart flying with when they disappeared?

Fred Noonan

• In medical emergencies, what does CPR stand for?

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

• What part of the eye do cataracts influence?

The lens

• Which planet is closest to the sun?

Mercury

• Which planets in the solar system spin fastest and slowest?

Jupiter spins the fastest, at about one rotation every ten hours; Venus spins slowest, making just one rotation every 243 days.

• In ballet, what is a pirouette?

A 360-degree turn on just one foot.

• Which detergent used "ring around the collar" in many of its ads?

Wisk

• Why was Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland banned in China?

The Alice books were banned in China in 1931 because "animals should not use human language." Officials felt that it was disastrous for human beings and animals to be on the same level.

• What is it that determines the sex of crocodile embryos?

Temperature

• Ponce de Leon introduced two types of trees to Florida in 1513. What were they?

Lemon and orange

• What does the Beaufort scale measure?

Wind

• What is Mark Twain's real name?

Samuel Clemens

• What was Socrates trained to do?

He was trained in stone cutting.

• How long had Prince Charles and Princess Diana been divorced before she died?

Just one year

• What was the first bird domesticated by man?

The goose

• How many eggs, on average, does a hen lay per year?

On average, a hen will lay around 300 eggs per year.

• What is between Alaska and the continental United States?

British Columbia

• Which skirt style was most popular in the 1960s?

The mini skirt

• In 1989, which tanker caused the massive oil spill in Alaska?

Exxon Valdez

• What are phrases that use two contradictory words back-to-back called, such as "jumbo shrimp" or "pretty ugly"?

These phrases are called oxymorons.

• Who is Persephone in Greek mythology?

Hades' wife and queen of the underworld

• Which book was John Lennon's assassin carrying?

J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye

• William Moulton Marston is the creator of comic book heroine Wonder Woman and which invention?

William Moulton Marson, also known as Charles Marson, created the polygraph, or lie detector, in addition to the female comic book hero.