Old Habits Trivia Quiz

Answer: Utah

In the mid to late 2010s, the Far Western Anthropological Research Group discovered evidence of charred tobacco seeds at a location referred to as the Wishbone Site. This site was located in the Great Salt Lake Desert in northwestern Utah. Radiocarbon dating estimated that the tobacco seeds found at the site were over 12,000 years old, which could make it the earliest evidence of tobacco use by humans ever discovered.

Tobacco, which contains the addictive stimulant known as nicotine, is used in the production of cigars and cigarettes. After European explorers discovered tobacco in North America, it soon became one of the most widely traded crops in history. It was not until the 20th century that humanity began to recognize the links between tobacco and cancer, prompting many nations to enact laws and regulations aimed at discouraging and/or prohibiting further tobacco use.

Answer: Opium

Opium, derived from poppies, is an addictive substance that is found in the seeds belonging to the Papaver genus of plants, most notably Papaver somniferum. Opium is believed to have been used by humans for over 5,000 years. Opium is currently used in the production of many pain relieving medications such as codeine, oxycodone and morphine. Opium is also used in the production of the illegal drug heroin, which is basically a much more potent version of morphine.

In 1729, China had imposed a prohibition on opium, which actually had the opposite effect, leading to people desiring opium even more than before. This later led to the Opium Wars, which were started when China attempted to block British traders from smuggling opium into the country. The First Opium War was fought between 1839 and 1842 and resulted in the ceding of Hong Kong to the U.K. The Second Opium War was fought from 1856 and 1860 during which the French allied with the British against the Chinese.

Answer: 1929

The leaves of the plant Erythroxylum coca have long been used as a stimulant and analgesic. The plant is native to the highland regions of South America, most notably Colombia and Peru. There is evidence that the Inca, who lived in the region, consumed coca leaves over 6,000 years ago. Erythroxylum coca is also the plant that used in the production of the illegal drugs cocaine and crack. In fact, cocaine is technically the name of the addictive chemical that is found within the coca leaves.

When it was first made, the original formula of Coca-Cola soda included coca leaves which infused the drink with a small amount of cocaine. In 1903, Coca-Cola switched to using spent coca leaves instead of fresh ones. The American government declared cocaine to be illegal in 1914 and, by 1929, Coca-Cola declared that it had completely removed cocaine from its soda recipe. The company still uses a small amount of "decocainized" coca leaves in its soda formula to this day.

Answer: Saharan cave paintings

In 1910, cave paintings were discovered in a highland region of the Sahara Desert named Tassili n'Ajjer, which is located in southeastern Algeria. Amongst these cave paintings were images depicting humanoid figures covered in psilocybe mushrooms, which is a genus of mushrooms known for their psychedelic properties.

While the Tassili cave paintings contain some of the earliest evidence of the use of psychedelic mushrooms, there may be even earlier evidence yet to be uncovered. Similar art has been discovered in places such as Spain and Mesoamerica.

Answer: Japan

Ephedra, a plant native to China, has been known for its medicinal effects for over 2,000 years. The plant produces a chemical known as ephedrine, which is known to have an effect on the body similar to adrenaline. Ephedrine was discovered by Japanese scientist Nagai Nagayoshi in 1885.

In 1887, a Romanian chemist named Lazar Edeleanu became the first scientist to synthesize amphetamine from ephedrine at the University of Berlin in Germany. Amphetamine is currently used in the production of medications such as Adderall. Nagai Nagayoshi would later become the first scientist to synthesize methamphetamine in 1893. Methamphetamine based drugs are more potent than amphetamine based drugs. Crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth), which looks like white/blue glass, is even more potent than standard methamphetamine. Crystal meth was first synthesized by Japanese chemist Akira Ogata in 1919. All three compounds are considered to be controlled and/or illegal substances in many countries around the world.

Answer: Arabia

Cannabis is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and evidence has suggested that it has been used by mankind in that region for over 10,000 years. The term 'ganja', which often refers to the drug, is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language in Ancient India. As trade between other civilizations increased, cannabis and its popularity would eventually spread across the world.

In 1378, a man named Soudoun Sheikouni, who was the Emir of an Arabian civilization known as the Joneima, became one of the first world leaders to ban the use of cannabis. The United States would ban cannabis in 1937 with the passing of the Marihuana Tax Act. As medical study continues in the modern age, the medical benefits of cannabis are becoming more apparent and some countries have decriminalized or legalized its use for medicinal and/or recreational purposes.

Answer: rice

According to an article published by the National Academy of Sciences in 2004, evidence of a fermented beverage similar to mead was discovered in China. The beverage was made using a mixture of either grapes and/or hawthorn berries, honey and rice. Analysis of the residue estimated that the beverage may have been produced over 8,000 ago.

While the Chinese concoction may be one of the earliest alcoholic beverages, there is evidence that humanity may have begun consuming alcohol even earlier. In an article published onto the BBC News website, evidence of beer was found inside prehistoric caves near the city of Haifa in Israel. Archaeologists have estimated that the cave brewery could be over 13,000 years old.

Answer: Ethiopia

There is a legend in Ethiopia about a goat herder named Kaldi, who allegedly discovered coffee as far back as the 9th century CE. Coffee would later be brought to Yemen around the 15th century where the beverage would slowly see more widespread distribution reaching Europe by the 16th century. European settlers would eventually bring coffee seeds to the Americas where the crop would flourish, specifically in the tropical and subtropical regions.

Coffee is known for its high amount of caffeine which, while completely legal, can also be considered an habitual substance. While some civilizations got their fill of caffeine from the consumption of tea, the discovery of coffee, as well as cacao (chocolate), would provide humanity even more ways to get a caffeine fix.

Answer: 1938

Lysergic acid diethylamide (known as LSD or acid) was created using some of the chemicals found in psychedelic mushrooms. While Albert Hofmann created the formula for LSD in 1938, its psychedelic effects were not known until Albert Hofmann ingested the substance himself in 1943.

When it was initially produced, LSD was used to assist in psychiatric therapy and was even purchased for widespread use in American hospitals during the 1950s and early 1960s. However, LSD would be declared illegal by the United States government in 1968 after the drug became a staple of the counterculture (hippie) movement, which widely promoted recreational use of LSD. The United Nations would follow suit issuing a mandate in 1971 that led to the restriction or outright prohibition of LSD in other countries as well.

Answer: Testosterone

Dr. Ernst Laqueur, a Swiss pharmacologist, is credited for being the first scientist to properly isolate testosterone in 1935. Around the same time, German biochemist Adolf Butenandt and Croatian biochemist Leopold Ruzicka, would be the first two scientists to successfully synthesize the hormone. Butenandt and Ruzicka were both awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939.

The discovery of testosterone would be a precursor to the eventual development of anabolic steroids, which first saw widespread use on soldiers during World War II. After the war, steroids would be used as performance enhancers by professional athletes. Once humanity learned of the long-term negative side effects brought on from using anabolic steroids, many public sports leagues around the world began to ban the use of them starting with the International Olympic Committee in 1971.