100 Random Trivia Questions

Whether you're prepping to win at bar trivia, looking to flex your brain muscles, or searching for a fun activity to try with friends, these random trivia questions are sure to stump you! While you might have some knowledge in each area, to truly be a great trivia guru you'll need a well-rounded stock of mental facts. Explore each of these categories to see where you need to improve your game and where you excel.

If picking up bits of interesting and random knowledge is your thing, these 100 random trivia questions will hopefully be entertaining and informative.

POP CULTURE

  1. In the TV show Friends, how many times has Ross been married by the time the series ends? Three
  2. In what year was the movie Jurassic Park released? 1993
  3. Who holds the record for winning the most Oscars? Walt Disney who won 22 times.
  4. What is the longest running animated American TV show? The Simpsons. The first episode aired in 1987, and the show is in it's 34th season as of 2023.
  5. Famed animal rights activist and nemesis of Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, has a series of vlogs that start with what catchy phrase? "Hey all you cool cats and kittens…"
  6. What are the names of Kim Kardashian's children? North West, Saint West, Chicago West, and Psalm West.
  7. What are the names of the Sanderson Sisters in the movie Hocus Pocus?  Winifred, Mary, and Sarah.
  8. On what day do Star Wars fans celebrate "National Star Wars Day?" May 4th ("May the 4th be with you" instead of the famous line "May the Force be with you.")
  9. Who is the first (and only as of now) Disney princess to have a tattoo? Pocahontas.
  10. What animal is Indiana Jones famously afraid of? Snakes.
SPORTS AND HOBBIES

  1. An Olympic gold medal is mostly comprised of what metal? It's 92.5% silver.
  2. What is it called when a bowler makes three strikes in a row? A turkey.
  3. What is the term used when a golfer scores three under par? An albatross (or double eagle). A birdie means one under par, and an eagle is two under.
  4. What NBA player is the leading all-time point scorer for regular season and playoffs? Lebron James, who overtook the title from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 2022.
  5. What popular game is also known as dummy boards, dad hole, doghouse, or baggo? Cornhole.
  6. What is the oldest baseball park? Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox was opened in 1912.
  7. What is the national sport of Canada? Lacrosse.
  8. The classic 1980 movie Raging Bull is about which real-life boxer? Jake LaMotta.
  9. The Triple Crown is an award that goes to a horse that has won what three competitions? The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
  10. What year did terrorists take Israeli team members hostage at the Olympics? The 1972 summer Olympics held in Munich.

MUSIC AND ART

  1. Music artist Prince requested to be included in an episode of which sitcom because he was such a fan of the main characters' romantic relationship? New Girl. (Additional trivia tip: one of the conditions of his appearance was that none of the Kardashians be allowed to be featured during the episode.)
  2. Who plays the guitar solo on Michael Jackson's hit song "Beat It?" Rocker Eddie Van Halen.
  3. Which sculptor's work includes "The Thinker" and "The Age of the Braves?" Auguste Rodin is a French sculptor who is known as the "father of modern sculpture."
  4. Which famous rock band has a one-armed drummer? Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a horrific car accident, but never let it stop him from rocking.
  5. Who painted American Gothic in 1930, which depicts a farmer and his daughter? Grant Wood. Many people believe the painting is of a farmer and his wife, but the subjects are meant to be father and daughter.
  6. The song "Hey Jude" was written by Paul McCartney for whom? He began writing the song (which he originally titled "Hey Jules") for John Lennon's son Julien to comfort him during his parents' divorce.
  7. What band plays the theme song for the TV show The Big Bang Theory? The Barenaked Ladies.
  8. Who was the first winner of The Masked Singer? T-Pain, dressed as "Monster" beat out Donny Osmond ("Peacock") and Gladys Knight ("Bee") to take the trophy.
  9. Which abstract artist was blamed for stealing the "Mona Lisa?" Pablo Picasso. While it's true that he and friend Apollinaire did steal some sculptures from the Louvre, the actual thief of the "Mona Lisa" was ex-Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia.
  10. What band asked the biker gang Hell's Angels to act as security for their festival show? The Rolling Stones
SCIENCE AND MATH

  1. What is the furthest planet from the sun? Neptune.
  2. What was the number zero originally called? From the Arabic word for empty, sifr.
  3. What does LASER stand for? Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
  4. How many moves maximum does it take to solve a Rubik's Cube? Even though there are 43 quintillion possible configurations, any Rubik's Cube can be solved in 20 moves or less.
  5. What is the name of the first man-made satellite that the Soviet Union launched into space in 1957? Sputnik 1.
  6. A shape called a Lemniscape indicates what number in math? A lemniscape looks like the number eight turned on it's side. It's name means "ribbon."
  7. What is the chemical compound for salt? NaCl, otherwise known as sodium chloride.
  8. What number is spelled with the same number of letters as the number itself? Four.
  9. What are the four states of matter? Solid, liquid, gas, and plasma.
  10. What do you call the number on top of a fraction? Numerator. The number on the bottom is called the denominator.
HISTORY BUFFS

  1. How many sides does the Great Pyramid of Giza have? Each of the visible "sides" are actually made up of two different sides that are slightly concaved towards each other from base to tip. This was only discovered after the invention of the plane because the indentation is invisible from the ground.
  2. Which four presidents are on Mount Rushmore? George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.
  3. Who sent Christopher Columbus to explore the New World? King Ferdinand of Spain.
  4. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she was crowned Queen of England? 27.
  5. What is the oldest civilization in the world (that we know of)? This civilization started around 10,000 B.C. and is located in parts of present-day Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
  6. What is the name of Thomas Jefferson's main house? Monticello, located in Virginia.
  7. What year was the wreck of the Titanic discovered? Robert Ballard discovered the wreck of the Titanic on September 1, 1985 with the help of unmanned submersible Argo.
  8. According to legend, who is famous for having the first "Eureka moment"? Archimedes, upon discovering the principle of buoyancy.
  9. Which country was the first to give women the right to vote? New Zealand, in 1893.
  10. How many wives did Henry VIII have executed? Henry VIII was married to six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. He had Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard beheaded.

 

ALL ABOUT ANIMALS

  1. What is a group of bats called? A cauldron.
  2. What animal has the highest blood pressure? A giraffe.
  3. In the TV show Friends, Ross has a capuchin monkey who particularly enjoys what song? "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
  4. What animal has the strongest bite? A hippopotamus.
  5. What is the name of the gorilla who was killed in 2016 when a three-year-old fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati zoo? Harambe.
  6. Do polar bears and penguins live together? No, they live on polar opposite sides of the world. Polar bears inhabit the Northern polar regions while penguins live in Antarctica, which is as far South as you can go.
  7. What is the closest living relative to the T-Rex? The chicken.
  8. What animal is responsible for the most human deaths in the world? Mosquitos, which can infect people with deadly viruses are estimated by the World Health Organization to kill around 750,000 people per year.
  9. What animal is found on every single continent? Barn owls, mosquitos, otters, and cockroaches are found on all continents except Antarctica.
  10. Which baby animal can gain up to 250 pounds a day when growing to maturity? The blue whale, the largest animal on earth, can reach weights of up to 300,000 pounds in adulthood.
FOR THE FOODIES

  1. Which fast food chain has the most locations around the world? Subway, with around 41,600 locations in 104 countries and territories.
  2. How many dots are on the Domino's logo? Three.
  3. What fruit is used to flavor Southern Comfort liqueur? Peach.
  4. What is the first food eaten in space by an American? Astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit Earth, and NASA packed him a meal of applesauce served in a toothpaste-like tube, along with some sugar tablets he dissolved in water.
  5. What is Arachibutyrophobia? The fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth.
  6. What does "Dorito" mean in Spanish? Little golden thing.
  7. What is the most common pizza topping? Pepperoni. This is followed by mushrooms, onions, and then sausage.
  8. What vitamin gives sweet potatoes and carrots their orange color? Vitamin A.
  9. What animal has long been associated with Budweiser? Clydesdale horses. These massive horses first appeared in ads for the brand in 1933 and continue to this day. They are housed in the Budweiser Stables in St. Louis.
  10. What type of fish can be deadly if prepared incorrectly, but is a delicacy for well-trained sushi chefs to prepare? Pufferfish sushi, known as Fugu, can contain traces of a neurotoxin found in the fish if not prepared properly. Chefs typically train for three years before being allowed to test their skills at preparing pufferfish.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

  1. What is the "27 Club?" This is the group of musicians and artists who have died at the age of 27, leading many to believe the number to be cursed. These include Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Amy Winehouse.
  2. Who famously said the line "The die has been cast" to mean there's no turning back? Julius Caesar before crossing the Rubicon river.
  3. What is the largest country by land area? Russia, followed by Canada, China, and then the United States.
  4. What is the most expensive piece of jewelry in the world? The Hope Diamond, which is a rare 45.52 carat blue diamond, was originally even larger and known as the Tavernier Blue. It is on display at the Smithsonian and is estimated to be worth $250 million.
  5. Who discovered penicillin? Alexander Fleming discovered a mold on his samples of colonies of the bacteria staphylococcus on September 3, 1928. He then went on to discover that this penicillin mold was capable of killing bacteria that caused strep throat, meningitis, and diphtheria.
  6. What does the Latin phrase "cogito, ergo sum" mean? "I think, therefore I am" is attributed to philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes.
  7. Who designed the famous glass pyramids that are found at the entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris? Architect I.M. Pei.
  8. What is the name of the scale used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake? The Richter Scale goes from 1-9.9, and the largest earthquake ever recorded was the 9.5 Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960.
  9. What are the names of the five Great Lakes? Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior.
  10. The "black box" records the flight path, performance, condition, and any issues of a plane in flight, but what color is it actually? Orange.
BUSINESS ACUMEN

  1. Which global company allows workers to bring their dogs to work with them? Amazon.
  2. Who built the first Apple computer? Steve Wozniak.
  3. What was the original name of Google? Founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin eventually changed the name of their project to Google, basing it on concept of a googolplex. A googol is the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeroes. A googolplex is the number one followed by a googol zeroes.
  4. What is the name of the paper company featured in the American version of the sitcom "The Office?" Dunder Mifflin. It's analogous to the company Wernham Hogg, which is featured in the original British version of the series.
  5. On average, how far do a typist's hands travel in one day? 6 miles.
  6. What is a "C-Suite?" This is the name given to C-Level executives of an organization, who are responsible for overseeing and leading the company. For example, CEO (Chief Executive Officer, CFO (Chief Financial Officer), and COO (Chief Operating Officer).
  7. Outside of its home city, the St. Louis Bread Company goes by what name? Panera.
  8. What hairstyle is known as "business in the front, party in the back?" The Mullet.
  9. What is the name of billionaire Elon Musk's space travel program? SpaceX
  10. Who was the world's first billionaire? John D. Rockefeller, who's personal net worth surpassed $1 billion around 1918. In today's money, his net worth at the peak of his fortune would be around $340 billion.
LITERATURE

  1. The TV show "Big Little Lies" is based on a book by which author? Liane Moriarty.
  2. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown opens with a murder in what French location? The Louvre museum of Paris.
  3. Samuel Langhorne Clemens is more famously known by what pen-name? Mark Twain.
  4. Who wrote the book "To Kill a Mockingbird?" Harper Lee.
  5. What mystery writer holds the Guinness World Record for the most translated works? Dame Agatha Christie, who has sold around two billion copies worldwide in at least 103 different languages.
  6. What is Dr. Seuss' real name? Theodor Seuss Geisel.
  7. Who wrote the James Bond series of books? Ian Fleming.
  8. In "A Christmas Carol," how many ghosts visit Scrooge? Four: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and the ghost of his friend Marley.
  9. What is the name of the theater where many of Shakespeare's plays were brought to life? The Globe Theatre, located in London.
  10. What is the name of Stephen King's first published novel? Carrie, published in 1974.
Now that you've made it through these trivia questions, your skills should be honed for your next game night or round of bar trivia!

Kelsey Caldwell is a realtor and freelance writer from Charlotte, NC. She and her husband are parents to two amazing kids, a puppy, and rabbit.