100+ Trivia Questions and Answers for Your Next Game Night

The skin. It covers about 20 square feet on an average adult and accounts for roughly 16% of body weight.

11 time zones — more than any other country. When it's midnight in Kaliningrad, it's already 10 AM in Kamchatka.

Au, from the Latin 'aurum' meaning 'shining dawn.' This is why gold-related words in English don't start with 'Au' — they come from the Germanic root instead.

Venus. It's the brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon and is visible near sunrise or sunset, earning it both 'Morning Star' and 'Evening Star' nicknames.

1912. It sank on April 15 after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

206. Babies are born with about 270, but many fuse together as they grow.

Vatican City, at just 0.17 square miles (44 hectares). It's entirely surrounded by Rome, Italy.

Mandarin Chinese, with roughly 920 million native speakers. Spanish is second, English is third.

Approximately 186,000 miles per second (299,792 km/s). Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth.

Deoxyribonucleic acid. It was first identified by Swiss chemist Friedrich Miescher in 1869, but its double-helix structure wasn't discovered until 1953.

12 sides. The word comes from the Greek 'dodeka' (twelve) and 'gonia' (angle).

The Nile, at approximately 4,130 miles (6,650 km). The Amazon is a close second and carries far more water by volume.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂). They release oxygen as a byproduct, which is why forests are called the 'lungs of the Earth.'

1945, after World War II ended. It replaced the League of Nations, which had failed to prevent the war.

Diamond. It scores 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. Only another diamond or a few synthetic materials can scratch it.

About 8 minutes and 20 seconds. The Sun is roughly 93 million miles away.

Nitrogen, at about 78%. Oxygen is second at about 21%. The remaining 1% is mostly argon and trace gases.

The ant. Its brain is about 15% of its body mass. For comparison, a human brain is about 2% of body mass.

The mitochondria. They generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency that fuels nearly every cellular process.

Saturn, with 146 confirmed moons as of 2024. Jupiter is second with 95. New moons are still being discovered.

NaCl — sodium chloride. It's one of the few rocks that humans eat regularly.

Three. Two pump blood to the gills, one pumps it to the rest of the body. Octopus blood is also blue because it uses copper-based hemocyanin.

The cheetah, reaching speeds up to 70 mph (112 km/h) in short bursts. They can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 3 seconds.

Charged particles from the Sun (solar wind) collide with gases in Earth's atmosphere, causing them to glow. Different gases produce different colors.

The honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae) in Oregon's Blue Mountains. It spans about 2,385 acres and is estimated to be 2,400 years old.

−40 degrees. It's the only point where both scales intersect.

AB-negative, found in less than 1% of the global population. AB-positive is the universal plasma donor, while O-negative is the universal red cell donor.

Neil Armstrong, on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. His first words on the surface: 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.'

The Inca Empire, around 1450 AD. It was likely a royal estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Spanish conquistadors never found it.

1989. The wall had divided East and West Berlin for 28 years. Its fall symbolized the end of the Cold War.

Michelangelo, between 1508 and 1512. He painted it while lying on his back on scaffolding, and he initially didn't want the commission.

The Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, lasting between 38 and 45 minutes. Britain declared war on Zanzibar, and the sultan's forces surrendered almost immediately.

The Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history. At its peak, it stretched from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan.

The United States Constitution, ratified in 1788. The phrase was written by Gouverneur Morris, who drafted much of the final text.

Amelia Earhart, in 1932. She flew from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to a pasture near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in about 15 hours.

1914. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary in Sarajevo triggered a chain of alliances that pulled Europe into war.

The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Built around 2560 BC, it was the tallest man-made structure for over 3,800 years.

The Mayflower. It carried 102 passengers from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts — a 66-day voyage.

Johannes Gutenberg, around 1440. His movable-type printing press made books affordable for the first time and is considered one of the most important inventions in human history.

Mauritania, which didn't officially criminalize slavery until 2007. While most countries abolished it in the 1800s, enforcement has been another matter entirely.

Antarctica. Despite being covered in ice, it receives less than 2 inches of precipitation per year, making it technically a desert.

Canada, with an estimated 2 million lakes. That's more than all other countries combined.

Canberra — not Sydney or Melbourne, which are the two most common wrong answers. Canberra was purpose-built as a compromise capital.

The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, at approximately 36,000 feet (nearly 7 miles) below sea level.

Sudan, with roughly 200-255 pyramids. Egypt has about 138. Sudan's are smaller but more numerous.

South Africa. Its coastline stretches from the Atlantic on the west to the Indian Ocean on the east, meeting at Cape Agulhas.

The Antarctic Desert at about 5.5 million square miles. The Sahara is the largest hot desert at about 3.6 million square miles.

The Danube, flowing through four capitals: Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary), and Belgrade (Serbia).

Morocco. The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez was founded in 859 AD and is recognized by UNESCO and Guinness World Records.

Maine, which borders only New Hampshire to the southwest. Its other borders are with Canada and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Strait of Gibraltar, only 8.9 miles wide at its narrowest point between Spain and Morocco.

Canada, at about 151,000 miles (243,000 km). Indonesia is second with about 34,000 miles.

'Thriller' by Michael Jackson, with estimated sales of 66-70 million copies worldwide since its 1982 release.

Tetris, played by Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov on a Game Boy aboard the Mir space station in 1993.

Instagram. Kevin Systrom initially created a location-based check-in app, then stripped it down to focus only on photo sharing.

Beyoncé, with 32 Grammy Awards. She surpassed classical conductor Georg Solti's previous record of 31 in 2023.

'El Apóstol' (1917), an Argentine political satire by Quirino Cristiani. It was made with cardboard cutouts and is now lost.

The Beatles. John Lennon formed The Quarrymen in 1956 as a skiffle group. Paul McCartney and George Harrison joined later.

The 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H, with an estimated 105.9 million viewers. It held the record for nearly 30 years.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with combined worldwide box office gross exceeding $30 billion across 30+ films.

2007. Steve Jobs announced it at Macworld on January 9, calling it 'a revolutionary product.' It went on sale June 29.

The Beatles, with 20 number-one singles. Mariah Carey is second with 19.

Entertainment. His full name is Charles Entertainment Cheese.

Mario, from Nintendo's Donkey Kong (1981). He was renamed after Mario Segale, the landlord of Nintendo of America's warehouse.

The Simpsons, which premiered in 1989 and has aired over 750 episodes across 35+ seasons.

Brazil, with 5 titles (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002). Germany and Italy are tied for second with 4 each.

Polo. A polo field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide — about 9 times the area of an American football field.

Michael Phelps, with 23 gold medals in swimming across five Olympic Games (2000-2016). He has 28 total Olympic medals.

Golf. Astronaut Alan Shepard hit two golf balls on the Moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.

The French Open (Roland Garros) in Paris. The red clay slows the ball and produces a higher bounce, favoring baseline players.

26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers). The distance was standardized at the 1908 London Olympics to end in front of the royal box.

The Palio di Siena horse race in Italy, held since 1633. But if you count all sports, the Royal Ascot horse race (1711) and the University Boat Race (1829) are also contenders.

Tennis. The origin is debated — the most popular theory is it comes from the French 'l'oeuf' (egg), referring to the shape of zero.

Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.

1900, at the Paris Olympics. Women competed in tennis, sailing, croquet, equestrian, and golf — 22 women out of 997 athletes.

England, with the earliest definite reference dating to the late 16th century. It was played by children in the Weald region of southeast England.

The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with 6 Super Bowl victories each.

Tomatoes — technically a fruit. If you mean fruit in the grocery-store sense, bananas win with over 100 billion eaten annually.

Brazil, producing about a third of all coffee globally. It's been the top producer for over 150 years.

Saffron. It takes about 75,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron, which can cost $500-5,000 per pound.

Almonds. Ground almonds are mixed with sugar and sometimes egg whites to create the paste used in cakes and confections.

Belgium, not France. Belgians were frying cut potatoes in the late 1600s. The name 'french fries' likely comes from the verb 'to french' (to cut in strips) or from American soldiers in WWI Belgium.

Avocado. The word 'guacamole' comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word 'ahuacamolli' — 'ahuacatl' (avocado) and 'molli' (sauce).

Strawberry. Each 'seed' is actually a tiny fruit called an achene, and the red flesh is the enlarged receptacle of the flower.

Pork, accounting for about 36% of global meat consumption. Poultry is second, beef third.

Kimchi, most commonly made with napa cabbage and Korean chili pepper flakes (gochugaru). Korea has over 200 varieties.

Mead (fermented honey water), dating back to at least 7000 BC. Evidence has been found in pottery from northern China.

Subway, with over 37,000 locations globally — more than McDonald's (about 40,000 as of 2024, making this a close and shifting race).

Froot Loops, by Kellogg's. Toucan Sam was designed in 1963 and has been redesigned several times since.

'Westworld' (1973) was the first to use 2D CGI. 'Tron' (1982) was the first to use extensive 3D CGI. 'Toy Story' (1995) was the first fully CGI feature.

Eric Roberts, with over 700 film credits. However, many are low-budget direct-to-video films. For mainstream films, Samuel L. Jackson is the most prolific.

'Game of Thrones,' with 59 Primetime Emmy Awards across its eight-season run on HBO.

'Titanic' (1997), directed by James Cameron. It went on to earn over $2.2 billion globally.

Silver. They were changed to ruby red for the 1939 film to take advantage of Technicolor, which was new at the time.

'Joker' (2019), which earned over $1.07 billion worldwide — remarkable for a dark character study with no sequel bait.

John Ford, with four wins (The Informer, The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, The Quiet Man).

Netflix launched its streaming service in 2007 with a library of about 1,000 titles. Its first major original series was 'House of Cards' in 2013.

'Here's looking at you, kid' from Casablanca — Humphrey Bogart said it to Ingrid Bergman while teaching her poker between takes, and it made it into the film.

'Beauty and the Beast' (1991). Before the category expanded to 10 nominees, animated films almost never received Best Picture nominations.

Seinfeld, which aired its final episode on May 14, 1998. It was the most-watched TV event of the year.

Roger Moore, with 7 films from 1973 to 1985. Sean Connery played Bond in 6 official films plus one unofficial ('Never Say Never Again').

'Clerks,' directed by Kevin Smith on a budget of $27,575. It was filmed in the convenience store where Smith worked.

'The Turning Point' (1977) and 'The Color Purple' (1985) both received 11 nominations and won zero.

HAL 9000. Each letter in 'HAL' is one letter before 'IBM' in the alphabet, though the filmmakers denied this was intentional.

'Coco' (2017), set in Mexico and centered on the Day of the Dead. It won two Academy Awards.

'Happy Days.' The phrase comes from a 1977 episode where Fonzie literally jumps over a shark while waterskiing, widely considered the show's decline.

'Logistics' (2012), a Swedish experimental film that runs for 857 hours (35 days and 17 hours). It follows a pedometer's journey in reverse from store to factory.

'Alien' (1979), directed by Ridley Scott. The tagline is scientifically accurate — sound can't travel in the vacuum of space.