Riddles With Answers

Who manufactured the pioneering video game “Pong”?

Nintendo
Microsoft
Atari
Apple

Fact: Pong was a table tennis-themed arcade video game, manufactured by Atari and released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade games and created by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell based the game’s concept on an electronic ping-pong game included in the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console. In response, Magnavox sued Atari for patent infringement. During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of Pong exclusively through Sears retail stores which became a commercial success.

Correct Answer: Atari

The USS Constitution earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” partly due to the strength of what tree?

Live oak
White pine
American elm
Black walnut

Fact: USS Constitution, famously nicknamed “Old Ironsides,” was built using exceptionally strong live oak in key parts of its hull and framing. During the War of 1812, British cannonballs were reportedly seen bouncing off the ship’s thick wooden sides, inspiring a sailor to exclaim that her sides were “made of iron.” Live oak, prized for its density, strength, and natural resistance to rot, was an important material in early American shipbuilding. Launched in 1797, USS Constitution remains the world’s oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.

Correct Answer: Live oak

Who was the first Black woman to win a Grammy Award?

Lena Horne
Billie Holiday
Ella Fitzgerald
Aretha Franklin

Fact: Ella Fitzgerald became the first Black woman to win a Grammy Award at the inaugural Grammy Awards in 1959. In fact, the legendary “First Lady of Song” won two awards that night: Best Female Vocal Performance for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook and Best Individual Jazz Performance for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook. Fitzgerald went on to become one of the most celebrated vocalists in music history, winning 13 Grammy Awards during her career and later receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Correct Answer: Ella Fitzgerald

Which TV character’s catchphrase was “Who loves ya, baby?”

Joey Tribbiani
Columbo
Kojak
Fonzie

Fact: Telly Savalas became a pop-culture icon as the lollipop-sucking New York City detective known simply as “Kojak.” The hit crime drama Kojak, which ran from 1973 to 1978, starred Savalas as the tough, incorruptible Lieutenant Theodore “Theo” Kojak, a bald New York City detective with a fondness for lollipops and the signature catchphrase, “Who loves ya, baby?” The lollipops were introduced as part of an unsuccessful effort by both the character and Savalas himself to cut back on smoking. In 1999, TV Guide ranked Kojak No. 18 on its list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.

Correct Answer: Kojak

Which athlete appeared in Nike’s first-ever “Just Do It” commercial?

Michael Jordan
Bo Jackson
Walt Stack
Spud Webb

Fact: Nike introduced its famous “Just Do It” slogan in a 1988 commercial featuring Walt Stack, an 80-year-old marathon runner from San Francisco. The ad showed the shirtless Stack jogging across the Golden Gate Bridge during his daily 17-mile run. Known around the city for his remarkable fitness and distinctive personality, Stack was an unlikely choice to launch what became one of advertising’s most famous campaigns. The “Just Do It” slogan helped transform Nike’s image and became one of the most recognizable advertising taglines in the world.

Correct Answer: Walt Stack

Which national park borders the shores of Lake Fyans?

A. Blue Mountains
B. Kakadu
C. Grampians

Fact: Lake Fyans borders the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, a region famed for rugged sandstone peaks and Aboriginal heritage.

Correct Answer: Grampians

Which Australian state is home to Lake Fyans?

A. Queensland
B. Tasmania
C. Victoria

Fact: Lake Fyans is located in the state of Victoria, on the edge of the Grampians National Park in southeastern Australia.

Correct Answer: Victoria

Which animal can hikers see in Grampians trails?

A. Platypus
B. Koala
C. Kangaroo

Fact: The Grampians region is home to native wildlife, and hikers may encounter kangaroos along the park trails.

Correct Answer: Kangaroo

Gloria Steinem first gained national fame by going undercover as what for an exposé?

Hospital nurse
Flight attendant
Cocktail waitress
Playboy Bunny

Fact: Before becoming one of America’s most prominent feminist activists, Gloria Steinem gained widespread attention in 1963 when she went undercover as a Playboy Bunny at New York City’s Playboy Club. Steinem spent several weeks undercover, documenting the demanding conditions, low pay, and treatment of the Bunnies in her two-part exposé, “A Bunny’s Tale.” Steinem later co-founded Ms. magazine and became a leading voice of the women’s rights movement. Steinem died at her home in New York City this week at age 92.

Correct Answer: Playboy Bunny

Which country is home to green-crowned brilliant hummingbirds?

A. Costa Rica
B. Belize
C. Panama

Fact: Green-crowned brilliant hummingbirds inhabit humid forests across Central America, with Costa Rica being one of their primary habitats.

Correct Answer: Costa Rica