Fact or Fiction? You Decide! Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

This is true. In 1784, Mozart bought the bird after hearing it sing a melody strikingly similar to one from his own Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453. He even noted the bird's version in his expense book, showing that the starling had altered a few notes. It sang F♯ instead of F natural, a subtle but noticeable shift, but impressively captured the tune's essence. This tweak added a slightly brighter, more playful tone to the melody. Mozart seemed amused rather than annoyed, noting the bird's version with affection. He even wrote: 'Das war schön!' ('That was beautiful!').

Whether the bird learned it from Mozart or heard it elsewhere remains a mystery, but Mozart was clearly enchanted. He kept the starling for about three years, and when it died, he held a mock funeral complete with a humorous poem he wrote for it and a ceremony. It's one of the more whimsical episodes in Mozart's life, revealing his affection for animals and his playful spirit. Tweet, tweet!

Answer: False

Churchill was many things: statesman, strategist, and cigar enthusiast. One of his most notable strategic contributions was his early and persistent support for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. As early as 1941, Churchill was urging planners to develop a scheme for landing forces on the French coast, recognising the need for a decisive push into Nazi-occupied Europe.

However, according to absolutely no historical record, Churchill once tried to condition his pet goldfish to surface at the scent of cigar smoke. The plan, allegedly dubbed 'Operation Smoke Signal', was meant to create a reliable aquatic ally who could respond to Churchill's smoky summons with patriotic enthusiasm. Could you picture that? Churchill was many things: statesman, strategist, and cigar enthusiast, but a goldfish trainer? Um...no!

If he was, it might have gone like this....Unfortunately, the goldfish, named Admiral Bubbles (in this entirely fictional account) refused to cooperate. Despite Churchill's daily puffs and motivational speeches, the fish remained unimpressed, occasionally blowing bubbles in what some interpreted as passive resistance. The experiment was abandoned, and Churchill returned to more traditional wartime tactics, leaving the Admiral to swim in peace. :-D

Answer: True

Albert Einstein, who transformed our understanding of the universe, had little patience for small inconveniences, socks among them. He once explained that his big toe always wore a hole through them, so he simply stopped wearing them altogether. Even at Princeton, colleagues and students grew accustomed to seeing him in well-worn shoes or sandals without socks, a quiet rebellion against unnecessary formality.

This simple habit reflected a broader pattern in Einstein's life: a preference for comfort and clarity over convention. Just as he stripped physics down to its essentials, he stripped his wardrobe down. To him, socks were a problem without a solution, so he removed the problem entirely.

So, the man who gave us E=mc² also gave us the fashion statement: 'No socks, no problem'. If relativity teaches us that time is flexible, Einstein proved that dress codes are too.

Answer: False

False. In the late 18th century, Thomas Jefferson, already famous as a statesman and diplomat, once donned a macaroni costume at a university event in Paris, said no source ever! The 'macaroni' style, popular among certain fashionable Europeans at the time, involved exaggerated wigs, elaborate clothing, and a generally flamboyant appearance. Had it been true, Jefferson's outfit would look utterly ridiculous today, but in Paris, it was considered a stylish statement back then.

While Thomas Jefferson never wore a macaroni costume, he was absolutely smitten with the dish itself. During his time in Europe, he encountered baked macaroni and cheese and became so enamoured that he meticulously documented recipes, imported a pasta-making machine from Naples, and even served the dish at presidential dinners back in the U.S. Guests were baffled by the cheesy novelty, but Jefferson didn't care. In many ways, he was America's first macaroni evangelist, spreading the gospel of gooey goodness one state dinner at a time. :-D

Answer: False

Historical records show that Lincoln stored important government documents in his hat. Lincoln himself confirmed this practice in writing, even blaming his hat for a delay in correspondence. In an 1850 letter to politician Richard S. Thomas, he wrote, 'I am ashamed of not sooner answering your letter... my only apologies are, first, that I have been very busy in the U.S. court; and second, that when I received the letter I put it in my old hat, and buying a new one the next day, the old one was set aside, and so, the letter lost sight of for a time'.

Did you fall for and believe this is true? Alas, 'tis false, as you can see. However, I like to think the story went like this: Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat was more than just a fashion statement. Yes, it was a mobile filing cabinet, a symbol of authority and, according to absolutely no credible source, home to his pet frog, Croakus. This amphibious companion was said to live tucked inside the tall hat, emerging only during moments of political tension. Legend has it that the frog would croak whenever someone lied in Lincoln's presence, making it the earliest known organic lie detector in American history.

Cabinet members reportedly grew nervous whenever Lincoln adjusted his hat, fearing a sudden ribbit might expose their half-truths. The president allegedly referred to the frog as 'my green little conscience', and once joked that Croakus had veto power over bad legislation. While historians agree this tale is complete nonsense, it remains a ribbiting example of presidential folklore at its finest. I cannot stop laughing when I picture this! :'D

Answer: False

Forks have been around for thousands of years, but they weren't used for eating until much later. Ancient civilisations like Egypt and China used fork-like tools for cooking, while personal table forks first appeared in the Byzantine Empire around the 4th century AD. They spread slowly across Europe, becoming common in Italy by the 11th century and reaching wider acceptance by the 17th century.

I made up the story about Leonardo. Yes, according to absolutely *no* Renaissance source, during a break when painting the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci a master of invention, anatomy, and art, invented a pasta utensil. Did he really? Nope. I decided that he once designed a large spaghetti fork for the Pope, allegedly to help him twirl noodles with divine efficiency. The fork, said to be 14 inches long and carved from sacred oak wood, was rumoured to feature a built-in compass to ensure perfect spirals. Naturally, it was never used, because spaghetti wouldn't become popular in Italy until centuries later!

Historians agree this tale is about as authentic as a microwave in the Sistine Chapel. Still, the image of da Vinci sketching a holy pasta-twirler in his notebook, right next to flying machines and anatomical studies, is too delicious to ignore. While the Pope never received his divine dining tool, the myth lives on as a reminder that even geniuses deserve a little nonsense. ;-)

Answer: True

In 2011, Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School, Daniel Mochon of Yale, and Dan Ariely of Duke identified the Ikea theory and published the results of three studies. It became known as 'The IKEA Effect' because of the company's association with self-assembly furniture.

The IKEA Effect is an absurd psychological idiosyncrasy where people fall in love with things they've built themselves, no matter how crooked, incomplete, or nonfunctional they are. When people assemble furniture, bake cakes, or even fold origami, they tend to overvalue the final product simply because they put effort into it.

This effect isn't just about the furniture. It's about pride, ownership, and the transformation of effort into sentiment. People will defend their imperfect creations with the passion of artists, convinced that their DIY coffee table is fabulous. The IKEA Effect shows that effort breeds affection, and that humans are hilariously prone to loving what they've suffered to create.

I honestly love assembling furniture and have done it quite a few times. I'm not saying my creations are perfect, however. When anyone mentions that my television unit is squint, I tell them it's meant to be, because it's the latest style! :'D

Answer: True

I included this question because I think this is a lovely story. Stubbs was a Manx cat who became the honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska in 1997. The town didn't have an official mayor, so locals jokingly elected Stubbs after being unimpressed by the human candidates.

There was no formal mayoral election. His title was always honorary and symbolic. He held it for 20 years, greeting tourists at Nagley's General Store (his unofficial office), sipping catnip-infused water from a wine or margarita glass and surviving multiple misadventures, including falling into a fryer (turned off), hitching a ride on a garbage truck, and even a dog attack.

Stubbs passed away in 2017 at the age of 20, but his legacy lives on as one of the most beloved and eccentric political figures in feline history. You can read more on Wikipedia or Atlas Obscura.

Answer: True

In December 1970, Elvis Presley showed up at the White House unannounced, carrying a handwritten letter asking President Richard Nixon to make him a 'Federal Agent at Large' in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Elvis believed he could help fight the drug epidemic by going undercover, using his celebrity status to infiltrate groups.

Nixon agreed to meet him that same day. The two posed for a photo, Elvis in a velvet suit with a massive belt buckle, Nixon looking slightly bewildered (perhaps he was all shook up!) when presenting the King with an honorary badge. That photo is now the most requested image in the U.S. National Archives. True story.

Answer: True

No, this isn't a porky pie (lie). In 1386, a pig in Falaise, France was publicly executed by hanging after being found guilty of killing a child. The pig had allegedly attacked and fatally injured a young boy, and was tried in a formal court proceeding. It was dressed in human clothes and hanged in the town square as part of the sentence.

This event is one of many documented cases from medieval Europe where animals were put on trial and punished like humans. Pigs were frequent defendants, often accused of harming children. These trials reflected the legal and moral beliefs of the time, where animals could be held accountable under human law.

Answer: True

Yes, believe it or not, scientists have actually made diamonds out of peanut butter, but not in the kitchen. Peanut butter is rich in carbon, which is the essential ingredient in diamonds. At Germany's Bayerisches Geoinstitut, researcher Dan Frost recreated the intense conditions found deep inside the Earth's mantle, millions of times atmospheric pressure and scorching temperatures, to transform peanut butter into a tiny diamond.

The process was a science experiment. Frost's goal wasn't to make bling from a sandwich spread, but to study how carbon behaves under extreme geological conditions. Peanut butter just happened to be a carbon-rich candidate. So yes, it's technically true, because with enough pressure, heat, and lab-grade equipment, you can turn peanut butter into a diamond. Just don't try it at home!

Answer: True

Statistically speaking, vending machines have caused more deaths than sharks, at least in the United States. According to a 1995 report from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, vending machines were responsible for an average of 2-3 deaths per year, typically from people rocking or tipping them to retrieve stuck snacks. In contrast, shark-related fatalities average about one every two years in the U.S., despite the media frenzy they often provoke.

So yes, people were technically more likely to be crushed by a rogue vending machine than eaten by a shark. It's one of those weird but true stats that reminds us that danger doesn't always come with fins. It might come with a simple snack. Beware when retrieving a can of Pepsi! ;-)

Answer: True

This really surprised me! Tigers don't just have striped fur. Their skin is striped too. If you were to shave a tiger (not recommended), you'd find that the pattern remains on the skin underneath. Each tiger's stripe pattern is unique, like a fingerprint, and the pigmentation goes deeper than just the surface fur.

This biological anomaly helps tigers blend into their environment, breaking up their outline in tall grasses and dappled forests. So even if a tiger were somehow bald, it would still be wearing its stripes. Nature doesn't mess around when it comes to stealth fashion. Tony the tiger, Kellogg's Frosties mascot, thinks they're grrreat! :-)

Answer: True

Indeed, boanthropy is a rare psychological disorder in which a person believes they are a cow or ox. Individuals experiencing boanthropy may behave like bovines, grazing on grass, walking on all fours, or mooing, often as part of a delusional episode. It's classified under the broader category of zoanthropy, where a person believes they are an animal.

Modern psychology classifies it as a form of delusional misidentification, often linked to disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Though uncommon, it highlights how deeply identity and perception can be affected by mental illness.

One of the most famous (though debated) historical cases is that of King Nebuchadnezzar II, described in the Book of Daniel as having lived like an ox for seven years after a divine punishment. While modern psychiatry doesn't see boanthropy often, it remains one of the most bizarre and fascinating examples of how identity and perception can dramatically shift in the human mind. Now, I find this very mooving!

Answer: False

False. Queen Victoria may have been famously stern in portraits, looking unamused. However, she didn't try to outlaw laughter in public. That myth likely stems from her reputation for formality and the stiff upper lip of Victorian society. In reality, Victoria had a sharp wit and was known to enjoy a good chuckle, especially at court gossip and the antics of her beloved dogs.

The idea of her banning public laughter is pure fiction, but it does conjure up a hilarious image: signs posted around London reading 'No Giggling Beyond This Point' and royal guards issuing stern warnings for snorts, guffaws and chortles. Thankfully, Victorian Britain survived without a laughter lockdown, and Queen Victoria herself was reportedly quite amused by life's absurdities. ;-)