Ask FunTrivia Question Archive

31007. Who invented the machine gun?

31009. This question provoked howls of protest from two of my contestants at pub quiz - Who was the naval commander that became the first man to reach the North Pole in March 1909? - The answer I was prepared to accept was Robert Peary, however, two 'expert' quiz players less-than-kindly informed me that Peary did not reach the North Pole, he merely flew over it. I said that I thought he was wrong, as this contradicts all the articles I've read about Peary's travels. In this case, was my question wrong, or was my contestant?

31010. Who invented the first automated chess playing machine?

31012. How many people do you think live in the whole of Wales?

31013. If Paddington Bear landed in Southampton from Lima, how did he end up in Paddington?

31015. Boeing is an American company, but where is the Airbus made?

31016. When was the last show of the Brady Bunch aired (not being a rerun)?

31018. Who was the only U.S. president that was also the Speaker of the House of Representatives?

31019. One for Sequoianoir- Do you know how it was possible for Margaret Rutherford's son to become pregnant and give birth to her grand-child?

31022. Who said, "You never really know a man until you have divorced him?"

31024. Which well-known character from a very well-known TV series has the initials CMVATALTL ?

31026. Who was the first player to play for two premiership teams?

31027. What is the oldest book of the Bible?

31029. Who is the current Big Ten Champion of college basketball?

31030. What is the cartoon character Shaggy's real first name?

31031. Who invented Tupperware?

31034. Which TV programme featured on MTV shows you around the houses of the stars?

31038. Can anyone tell me who sang the title song in the Michael Caine film 'Alfie' ?

31039. Who discovered hydrogen?

31041. Who played 'Terry and June' in the British sitcom of the same name?

31042. What is the longest underground tunnel in the world?

31047. It is said that the Japanese people originally came from China, if so, who were the original inhabitants?

31048. Ping Pong Diplomacy, please expound?

31050. Why in cartoons do vampires live in Transylvania?

31051. Which TV cop appeared pointing a gun in the opening credits of the show, saying "Trust me. I know what I'm doing." And for how many years did the show run?

31052. Why is Padma Maya Gurung unhappy with the post office in her country?

31053. Whose Wonderful World was a bigger hit as a re-issue 26 years after the original?

31054. Were the singers Nina and Frederick Danish or Spanish?

31055. What is the top selling single of all time and who sang it?

31056. Who is the oldest person to have a number one hit?

31057. The years immediately after the end of WW2 were rather turbulent. A newly formed Israel was at war with the Arabs and the United Nations ordered a ceasefire. Who was appointed as mediator and what did he achieve?

31058. Did John Lennon have a solo number one in his lifetime?

31059. What causes all the fog in London?

31060. Indian married women have a noticable 'dot' on the foreheads. What is this 'dot' made out of, and why is it so permanent?

31062. When the Eisenhower Interstate Highway was built, it was specified that one mile in every five must be absolutely straight. Why?

31066. Can a mixture be a solution and a suspension?

31072. I just saw the Pianist and was wondering if this movie was originally made in English, since I know Roman Polanski isn't allowed in the country, or was it made in another language and what everyone is watching is dubbed, although it doesn't seem like it, just making sure?

31078. Who was the man who gave his name to the Punnett Square?

31089. Why did Alexander the Great order that all his men be clean shaven?

31091. Which U.S. president lost his lower jaw to cancer and had it replaced by a rubber one?

31093. What is Ms. Frizzle's, the book character from the Magic School Bus, first name?

31094. Who is the third longest serving member of Congress ever?

31095. Who was the only man to win a 400-800 double in the same Olympics?

31096. What record company owns a building inspired by a stack of records on a turntable?

31097. What was the first children's book to receive both the John Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Award?

31099. What was the date of the first issue of People Weekly?

31101. Since a major is a higher rank than a lieutenant, why is a lieutenant general (3star) of higher rank than major general (2star)?

31102. Who was the Birdman of Waitohi?

31103. What famous cinema star's real name had the initials R A R P F G D V D'A ?

31104. How long is/was the longest snake ever recorded?

31108. Here in the States, if a soldier is injured in battle they are awarded the Purple Heart - what do British soldiers receive?

31116. When did the NHL make the wearing of helmets mandatory for all its players?

31117. Who was the last president to smoke cigarettes?

31118. Why is butter yellow?

31126. What was the name of the jockey that rode this year's Grand National winner?

31127. In soccer, what two players have scored hat-tricks for three different premiership clubs?

31129. When was the Victoria Cross most recently awarded, and to whom?

31132. Is there a single word that means the opposite of postpone?

31133. A movie was made in the 60's or possibly the 50's which may have been a western. It showed a scene where tiny horses had been captured and the horses escaped through a crack in a canyon wall, wherein lay prehistoric creatures. What movie was this?

31134. When Britney Spears was a child she was on 'The Mickey Mouse Show' in the US, but which other pop star presented alongside Britney?

31135. What is the difference between a pig and a hog?

31137. What is the smallest thing known to man and what is it made up from, and is it infinite to what things are made of as everytime we find technology to see smaller things they are made up of even smaller things?

31138. If beer is mainly water why does it make you so dehydrated?

31141. If you are a baritone will you always stay a baritone, or can your voice get lower or higher?

31151. What did Dorothy's three friends in 'The Wizard of Oz' want from the wizard?

31153. Why do men possess an Adam's apple and women do not?

31154. Which best-selling author was the first to discuss the effects of metal fatigue in air craft (Nevil Shute, Richard Bach, Joseph Heller or Harold Robbins)?

31155. Which place was Heptanesia or 'Seven Islands' to ancient Greeks (Mumbai, Kanyakumari, Pondicherry, or Lakshadweep)?

31156. Which musical composition was the first commercial recording on a compact disc?

31157. What is the theme tune called that was used for Our Tune on Radio One in the 80's and from where can I download it?

31159. What animal has been responsible for more human deaths than any other?

31161. What were Frank Sinatra's children's names?

31164. Tigers, tigers everywhere. Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, Indian tigers, Malaysian tigers, Sumatran tigers and so on. Which country has the largest number of tigers?

31168. What land do you go into in the book 'The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe' when you go through the wardrobe?

31170. Who led the Rohirrim in the Battle of Pelennor Fields before being killed by the Lord of the Nazgul?

31171. What drug is most often given to people who are having a 'bad experience' on LSD?

31173. Name the children in C.S. Lewis' book who went through the wardrobe into Narnia?

31175. In what year did the White House Historical Association commission the first ornament to celebrate Christmas?

31179. Who played Trini on The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and is she still alive?

31185. What happened if suspects drowned during trial by ordeal?

31186. Who was the first prime minister in the UK?

31187. What was the name of the actor who played Mr. Baxter in the TV series Hazel?

31188. Fire is usually orange and yellow, but why is the fire on the stove purple?

31189. In the 1989 movie Major League, Rene Russo plays a young, beautiful librarian. What was on her license plate?

31190. May I have any information pertaining to the death of playmate Dorothy Stratten?

31195. Is pumpkin fattening?

31196. In the early 1950's here were shmoos in the comic strips. They were white blobs with a head and I think Al Capp drew this. Does anybody know about shmoos?

31197. What was the last year that Canadian ten cent and twenty-five cent coins were completely silver?

31202. What is the highest point of the earth?

31203. What is a 'smoked hat'?

31204. What is the dent in the bottom of a wine bottle called?

31205. Who was the author to discuss the effects of metal fatigue in aircraft?

31207. On Friends, where did Joey get a job as a tour guide?

31208. On Friends, who did Rachel have a baby with?

31209. What was the name of Mickey Mouse's first cartoon?

31213. How did Roger and Larry Troutman of the group Zapp die?

31218. What are the differences between a tortoise and a turtle?

31219. What jobs does an obstetrician perform?

31220. What is Tikka Masala and where does it originate from?

31221. Why are steering wheels on opposite sides in different countries?

31223. What was the character name of the newspaper publisher on The Andy Griffith Show?

31224. What was the name of the newspaper on 'The Andy Griffith Show'?

31226. When was the last public execution in both the US and in Britain?

31227. What does the word 'Aloha' mean?

31231. What was the first name of George VI of England?

31232. In the early 1990s, Alex Ferguson was the coach of Manchester United, the most successful professional football (soccer) team in all of England at that time. Previously he had managed a very successful team in Scotland. He could be a very successful manager of a soccer team anywhere in the world, except Singapore. Why is that?

31233. Who said, "Failure is the price we pay to achieve sucess?"

31235. Who designed the Green Bay Packers team logo?

31238. Seeds produce hormones to tell the seed to grow roots. There are commercially available hormones to make cuttings root, but is it possible to get the hormones from a seed or germinating seed and put them into a cutting so it grows roots in your own home, maybe by mashing it and rubbing it into the cutting?

31243. What body part do polite Chinese people point to when referring to themselves?

31246. Which European country gives a Nobel Prize each year?

31247. What is the name of the movie which starred an American woman whose husband sends her to an outback sheep farm in Australia with all of her kids and they haven't got a clue what they are doing, although she learns when he goes back to America. One child rides a horse, one is a ballerina. They have a snake that lives in the sink and the husband comes back to take over but the wife is content with her life on the farm with just her and the kids?

31248. What actor was 'discovered' playing a counter boy in a McDonald's commercial?

31254. Can you tell me which famous comedian was born in Greenwood Street Barry?

31255. In sport, what is a mashawi or mawashi?

31256. George Bush stated that the American people should be less like the Simpsons and more like which other famous family?

31259. Why is one of the wheels on a penny-farthing bicycle so big?

31260. How did the country of Turkey get its name?

31267. When the world's oldest subway opened, which were the first two stations in operation?

31268. Which was the first underground railway (subway for those across the Atlantic) completely converted from steam to electric operation, and when?

31269. Who is the voice of the Aflac duck?

31270. Of which Palantiri was Aragorn the rightful owner?

31273. Who invented the cylinder pin tumbler lock?

31274. Who were the first and last monarchs to reign in the Tudor dynasty in Great Britain?

31275. Who had the original hit with the song 'Hey Baby'?

31276. How many players on a Polo and Water Polo teams respectively?

31277. What is the Aflac Duck? Is it any relation to the oozlum bird?

31279. Some time after Salvador Dali's death, his younger brother became famous as a surrealist painter. This younger brother had great international success and the word 'genius' was used to describe him. His name was Dali and he did not change it. Yet today, the world remembers only one Dali and few people even know that he had a brother. Why is this?

31287. What company's slogan is or was "Prepare to want one?"

31290. Does anyone know the rules and regulations governing the 'cut' in the Masters at Augusta? I know it is not 70 and ties, but there seems no logic to it over the years. Perhaps it is anyone within 10 shots of the leader?

31291. What candy is 100 years old?

31293. What was the name of the television series in the 1960's that starred both Robert Vaughan and David McCallum?

31294. What is Dolly Parton's bra size?

31295. What is the approximate distance from the bottom of the Marianas Trench to the top of Mount Everest?

31296. What major league pitcher was also a professional bowler?

31302. What do the heart, the club, the spade, and the diamond represent on a deck of playing cards?

31304. What is the difference between a second and a third world country?

31308. 'It is small but it is all we have got' is the motto of which organisation?

31313. There were four Sherlock Holmes novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but how many short stories were in these four?

31314. In the sport of Olympic biathlon (marksmanship and crosscountry skiing) how far are they shooting, and how large is the target?

31320. What is the name of the curly haired character in The Fast Show, played by Simon Day, who is always offering unwanted and pretty dodgy advice?

31324. Who is/was Nino Baldalucci?

31326. How do we get the term 'spendthrift', when thrifty people do not spend excessively?

31327. In the 1958 film about the Titanic, which ship was used?

31328. Which company is the owner of the drinks Tango and 7Up?

31329. This question has a definite answer, I just can't find it. It was on a card from a trivia game, someone out there has to know. What was Elliot's last name in the movie E.T.?

31332. From where do we get the word 'blackmail?'

31333. How did we get the funeral term 'wake'?

31334. How did we get the term 'grave yard shift'?

31336. Where do kiwi fruits originate?

31339. Who was the first European translator of The Arabian Nights, aka The Thousand and One Nights?

31341. Who first discovered or isolated oxygen?

31342. Who won the very first Oscar for Best Actor and also Best Actress, and for what movies?

31343. In which place was the first MacDonald's restaurant opened?

31347. What is the name of the largest fish and chip shop in the UK and do they have branches abroad?

31348. Who was Stitch's creator?

31352. What cartoon character owes his existence to a misprint in a scientific journal?

31355. What year was Desert Storm?

31361. What was Fred Flintstone's street address?

31362. Which country has India played against in the Davis Cup the most number of times?

31367. Who caught Joe Namath's last NFL pass?

31371. What is a ploughman's lunch?

31372. What was the name of the Romanian doctor who went on the expedition to the Congo, in the film of the same name?

31373. What was the first name of Mary Beth's husband in the popular U.S. cop series 'Cagney and Lacey?

31374. Who provided the voice for Alf?

31379. Has anyone heard of Scott Strader?

31393. Who, how, and when was Velcro invented?

31396. Christ is almost always portrayed with a beard. Why is this accurate?

31397. Name the victims of the infamous Manson Family?

31400. What is another name for Chinese white cabbage?

31401. After what geophysical occurrence might you see Bishops Ring around the sun?

31403. Where do alpestrine plants grow?

31404. What tropical American tree produces the lightest wood known?

31405. What is the name of the first atomic powered submarine?

31406. Linseed oil comes from what plant?

31407. What state of the U.S. has the smallest latitude?

31408. The Rh factor was named after what animal?

31409. Who wrote the Principia?

31410. The poppy is the state flower of what US state?

31411. What is the term for a state of resistance of an infection?

31412. What fleshy roots do the Chinese value for medicinal purposes?

31413. What common flavoring comes from the fruit of a climbing orchid?

31415. In the anime show 'InuYasha' what is InuYasha's sister's name?

31419. Who fought in the Spanish-American war?

31421. Who played the characters Darryl Coopersmith and Big John Pruitt in the movie 'Adventures in Babysitting'?

31425. Who played Joe Gipp, and who played Brad and Sarah's parents in 'Adventures in Babysitting'?

31427. Who wore the Yankee pinstripes longer than anyone in history - as a player and coach, participating in 23 World Series?

31433. Who played Chris' love interest, the one who had the license plate "so cool" in Adventures in Babysitting?

31435. Which English football team does Tom Hanks support?

31437. What is the young of a beaver and a badger called respectively?

31439. In which country was the onion first grown?

31441. Which animal attacts a female by urinating on his head?

31442. Who was the make-up artist for the 'I Love Lucy' television series?

31443. Who provided the voice for TV's Mr. Ed?

31446. What percentage of Americans can trace their ancestry back to Britain?

31449. TV's Munsters lived at 1313 Mockingbird Lane, so where did the Addams Family live?

31452. Sal Mineo in Tonka, what year did it come out?

31456. What war between two countries started because of an incident that had a parallel in the garden of Gethsemane. Name the war, the countries involved and the dates?

31457. Why are we Canadians called Canucks, and why are Americans called Yankees?

31461. In the movie 'Blazing Saddles' Harvey Koreman quotes "The voo-doo that you do so well." What is this originally from, a song?

31462. Who was the first international winner of the Master's Tournament?

31463. The continental drift is a theory that states what?

31465. The TV show 'Dallas' takes place in Dallas. Where does 'Dynasty' take place?

31469. Which were all the soccer teams, in order, that Diego Armando Maradona played for?

31471. When did clubs like 'Girl Scouts' and 'Cub Scouts' start?

31476. Who is the voice of the Geico gecko?

31478. Why do people at random times get chills down their backs?

31479. On the back of video games it gives you a warning that says that the flashing light on the screen can give people seizures. How is this?

31480. Who was the tallest English king?

31483. Who had an office in the Hackard Building?

31484. What foreign monarch was issued a U.S. patent in 1989?

31485. What do you call the stuff that gets up your nose?

31488. What is the first name of the fictional character 'Mr. Clean' from the Mr. Clean products?

31494. What movie or actor with the initials M.M. has won 7 Oscars?