79 Trivia Questions That Are So Hard, They Made My Brain Swell To Twice The Size
When it comes to trivia, you can be a pop culture aficionado, a history buff, a science whiz — or you can know a little bit about a whole lot. That's how I like to roll!
So, if you've always wanted to know which fruit is the "king of fruits," who the first female winner of the Nobel Prize was, or what the study of knowledge is called, you've come to the right place.
Here's a list of 70+ trivia questions and answers to whip out for your next trivia night with your friends or just for your own personal enjoyment. After all, having an arsenal of facts about geography, literature, cinema, and more is pretty awesome.
Quick note that this is not a quiz; it's a list of trivia questions with the answers listed underneath. You can cover up the answers for yourself if you'd like, or pass around the list to take turns quizzing your friends as a group.
1.What is the chemical symbol for gold?
Au
2.Who directed Pulp Fiction?
3.What is the only continent where coffee grows naturally?
Africa
4.Who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?
Michelangelo
5.In which year did World War I begin?
1914
6.What is the hardest natural substance on Earth?
Diamond
7.What is the capital of Bhutan?
Thimphu
8.What is the title of the first Harry Potter book?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
9.What desert is the largest in the world?
Antarctic Desert
10.Who wrote The Odyssey?
Homer
11.Who was the first Emperor of China?
Qin Shi Huang
12.What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide
13.What is the smallest country in the world by land area?
Vatican City
14.Who wrote Meditations?
Marcus Aurelius
15.Who played the character of Jack Dawson in Titanic?
Leonardo DiCaprio
16.What is the main organ of the circulatory system?
Heart
17.Who is considered the fastest man in the world?
Usain Bolt
18.Which mountain range separates Europe and Asia?
Ural Mountains
19.What is the term for a word that is similar in meaning to another word?
Synonym
20.In what year was the first iPhone released?
2007
21.What is the longest river in Asia?
Yangtze River
22.What fruit is known as the "king of fruits"?
Durian
23.Who is the last Tsar of Russia?
Nicholas II
24.What is the most spoken language in the world?
Mandarin Chinese
25.Who was the famous civil rights leader known for his "I Have a Dream" speech?
Martin Luther King Jr.
26.What phenomenon causes the northern lights?
Auroras
27.What is the primary medium used in fresco painting?
Water-based paint on wet plaster
28.Who wrote The Catcher in the Rye?
J.D. Salinger
29.What is the largest mammal in the world?
Blue whale
30.Who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020?
World Food Programme
31.In what year did the Chernobyl disaster occur?
1986
32.In which country were the first modern Olympic Games held?
Greece (Athens)
33.Which band released the album Dark Side of the Moon?
Pink Floyd
34.Who is the Roman goddess of love?
Venus
35.Which trees produce acorns?
Oak trees
36.What ancient civilization built the Machu Picchu complex in Peru?
The Incas
37.What year was the first Woodstock music festival held?
1969
38.What is the study of knowledge called?
Espistemology
39.What instrument does Yo-Yo Ma play?
Cello
40.Who wrote Pride and Prejudice?
Jane Austen
41.What is the name of our galaxy?
Milky Way
42.Who co-founded Microsoft?
Bill Gates and Paul Allen
43.Who was the lead singer of Queen?
Freddie Mercury
44.Which city is known as the "Mother City" of South Africa?
Cape Town
45.What is the fastest land animal?
Cheetah
46.Who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and in what field?
Marie Curie, Physics (1903)
47.What is the capital of Mongolia?
Ulaanbaatar
48.What is the term for the physical components of a computer?
Hardware
49.Who invented the telephone?
Alexander Graham Bell
50.What style of art is Salvador Dalí known for?
Surrealism
51.What year did the Berlin Wall fall?
1989
52.In which movie does the character Tyler Durden appear?
Fight Club
53.What is the largest ocean on Earth?
Pacific Ocean
54.Who was the first female Prime Minister of the UK?
Margaret Thatcher
55.What is the second largest country by land area?
Canada
56.Which African nation was formerly known as Abyssinia?
Ethiopia
57.What element has the atomic number 1?
Hydrogen
58.What is the name of the famous clock tower in London?
Big Ben
59.What is the smallest bone in the human body?
Stapes (in the ear)
60.What is the capital of Egypt?
Cairo
61.Who discovered penicillin?
Alexander Fleming
62.What is the currency of Japan?
Yen
63.Who is known for the theory of evolution?
Charles Darwin
64.Who developed the first successful polio vaccine?
Jonas Salk
65.What gas is most abundant in the Earth's atmosphere?
Nitrogen
66.What is the name of the longest river in South America?
Amazon River
67.What is the capital of Australia?
Canberra
68.Who painted The Starry Night?
Vincent van Gogh
69.Who was the first Black woman in the United States Congress?
Shirley Chisholm
70.What is the largest land animal?
African elephant
71.Who is the author of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Harper Lee
72.What is the largest continent by land area?
Asia
73.What is the process by which plants make their food?
Photosynthesis
74.Who is the author of the philosophical work The Second Sex?
Simone de Beauvoir
75.What is the main language spoken in Argentina?
Spanish
76.What sport is known as "the beautiful game"?
Soccer (football)
77.Which planet is known as the "Red Planet"?
Mars
78.What is the capital of Italy?
Rome
79.What is a "birdie" in golf?
A score of one stroke under par for a hole