Riddles With Answers

Before it was the site of a famous battle, what was the Alamo?

Church
Prison
Hospital
Military fort

Fact: The Alamo was established in 1718 as a Spanish mission and church known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. Spanish missionaries used it to spread Christianity among Native Americans in the region. After serving as a religious mission for decades, the site was secularized and later used by Spanish and Mexican military forces. The Alamo became legendary in 1836, when a small group of Texan defenders held off a much larger Mexican army for 13 days. Their defeat inspired the famous rallying cry, “Remember the Alamo!”

Correct Answer: Church

What restaurant chain was known for its iconic orange roof?

Shoney’s
Bob Evans
Friendly’s
Howard Johnson’s

Fact: Howard Johnson’s became famous for its distinctive orange roofs, which made its restaurants instantly recognizable. Founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925, the company expanded rapidly along highways and eventually operated more than 1,000 restaurants across the country. The chain was also known for its fried clams and its famous selection of 28 ice cream flavors. Once one of America’s largest restaurant chains, Howard Johnson’s gradually declined amid growing competition. Its last remaining restaurant closed in 2022.

Correct Answer: Howard Johnson’s

What is the only dog breed specifically mentioned in the Bible?

Chow Chow
Greyhound
Cocker Spaniel
Basset Hound

Fact: Dogs are mentioned in the Bible 14 times. The only breed of dog mentioned by name in the Bible is the greyhound (Proverbs 30:29-31, King James Version). “There be three things which do well, yea, Which are comely in going; A lion, which is strongest among beasts and Turneth not away from any; A greyhound; A he-goat also.” Many versions, including the King James version, name the Greyhound as one of the “four things stately” in the Proverbs. The fast and graceful greyhound was known in ancient times, at least 3,000 years BC. Its image appears in Egyptian tombs.

Correct Answer: Greyhound

In 1982, Time broke with tradition by naming which non-human recipient its “Man of the Year”?

Space Shuttle
Personal Computer
Cellular Phone
Cable television

Fact: In 1982, Time departed from its tradition of selecting a person or group by naming the personal computer its “Machine of the Year.” The magazine recognized the growing influence of computers as they rapidly moved from offices and laboratories into American homes and became increasingly accessible to ordinary consumers. Time declared that computers were changing how people worked, communicated, learned, and entertained themselves, correctly anticipating the enormous impact personal computing would have on everyday life in the decades ahead.

Correct Answer: Personal Computer

In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, what is Hobbes?

A boy
A mailman
A tiger
A dog

Fact: Hobbes is a tiger and the best friend of six-year-old Calvin in Bill Watterson’s comic strip Calvin and Hobbes. To Calvin, Hobbes appears as a living, talking tiger who joins him on countless adventures, while everyone else sees Hobbes as an ordinary stuffed toy. Watterson deliberately left the true nature of Hobbes ambiguous, allowing readers to decide whether he actually comes to life or exists that way only through Calvin’s imagination. The comic strip ran from 1985 to 1995 and appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers worldwide.

Correct Answer: A tiger

Which Tony Award-winning performer holds the record for hosting or co-hosting the Tony Awards five times?

Nathan Lane
Neil Patrick Harris
Bernadette Peters
Angela Lansbury

Fact: Angela Lansbury hosted or co-hosted the Tony Awards five times, more than any other individual in the ceremony’s history. She first hosted in 1968 and returned in 1971, 1987, 1988, and 1989. Lansbury was also one of Broadway’s most acclaimed and beloved performers, winning five competitive Tony Awards for her work in musicals and plays, including Mame, Dear World, and Sweeney Todd. In 2022, she received a sixth Tony, a special Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing her extraordinary contributions to the theater.

Correct Answer: Angela Lansbury

Which republic founded the fortress city of Palmanova?

A. Republic of Genoa
B. Republic of Venice
C. Duchy of Milan

Fact: Palmanova was established in 1593 by the Republic of Venice as a strategic fortress combining beauty with military defense.

Correct Answer: Republic of Venice

What geometric shape defines Palmanova’s fortifications?

A. Octagonal ring
B. Nine-pointed star
C. Hexagonal grid

Fact: Palmanova’s fortifications form a precise nine-pointed star, a hallmark of Renaissance military engineering.

Correct Answer: Nine-pointed star

Palmanova is part of which UNESCO-listed heritage?

A. Venetian Works of Defence
B. Historic Centre of Siena
C. Arab-Norman Palermo

Fact: Palmanova is included in the UNESCO site ‘Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries’ for its unique design.

Correct Answer: Venetian Works of Defence

Elton John reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his cover of which Beatles song?

Hey Jude
Yesterday
Come Together
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Fact: Elton John reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1975 with his cover of the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The original appeared on the Beatles’ landmark 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band but was never released as a single in the United States. Elton’s version featured John Lennon on guitar and backing vocals under the pseudonym “Dr. Winston O’Boogie.” Later that year, Lennon joined Elton onstage at Madison Square Garden, a performance that became Lennon’s final major concert appearance.

Correct Answer: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds