Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: Toy company Wham-O popularized the Hula Hoop and what other ‘50s toy?

Slip N’ Slide
Pogo Stick
Frisbee
Cabbage Patch Kids

The correct answer is Frisbee

So why is this answer correct? : Inspired by the bamboo rings that Australian schoolchildren twirled around their waists in gym class, Wham-O created the Hula Hoop in 1958. The hula-hooping craze was so rampant, the company sold 25 million in just two months. The Frisbee was released a year earlier, in 1957, named after the Frisbie Pie Company because students used to toss the empty pie tins to each other.

Trivia: Which Florentine bridge is famously lined with jewelry shops?

Bridge of Sighs
Ponte Vecchio
Charles Bridge
Helix Bridge

The correct answer is Ponte Vecchio

So why is this answer correct? : The Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge” in English) is a highlight of Florence. In the 13th century, shops of all kinds were constructed on the bridge, but waste from the businesses began soiling the local environment. In 1593, Ferdinand I declared that only goldsmiths and jewelers would be allowed to keep shops on the bridge. Even today, the bridge is packed full of jewelry stores.

Trivia: The 1952 film “Bwana Devil” started which film trend?

Straight to television
3D movies
Drive-in movies
Colorized films

The correct answer is 3D movies

So why is this answer correct? : Failed attempts to get audiences excited about 3D movies date back to 1922’s “The Power of Love.” That all changed when the two man-eating lions in “Bwana Devil” leapt off the screen and into viewers’ hearts. Critics complained the film was dull and the glasses uncomfortable, but the movie made $2.5 million on a budget of $400,000, guaranteeing the gimmick would continue throughout the 1950s.

Trivia: Bologna is home to this fountain for which Roman god?

Jupiter
Neptune
Mars
Pluto

The correct answer is Neptune

So why is this answer correct? : Although the Fountain of Neptune depicts the god of the sea, Bologna is a landlocked city in northern Italy. The subject was instead meant to be symbolic of Pope Pius IV’s power. Giambologna completed the fountain in 1566, and today, it remains a centerpiece of the city, featuring mighty Neptune and four cherubs and four sea nymphs at the base.

Trivia: What 1950s innovation was first introduced as the Flashmatic?

Wireless remote control
Microwave oven
Refrigerator light
Instant camera

The correct answer is Wireless remote control

So why is this answer correct? : Although wired remote controls like the “Lazy Bones” already existed at the time, manufacturer Zenith cut the cord in 1955 by using the power of light. Audiences would aim the Flashmatic, a device similar to a ray gun, at receptors in the corners of the screen to adjust their TV sets. Zenith soon pulled the plug on the Flashmatic because other lights in the home accidentally made the television change channels.

Trivia: The 15th-century Villa d’Este overlooks what Italian lake?

Lake Bled
Lake Garda
Lake Como
Lake Lucerne

The correct answer is Lake Como

So why is this answer correct? : Villa d’Este sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Como in Cernobbio. The Renaissance-style estate was built in 1568 by the wealthy Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio. The property has changed hands several times, but today, it is a luxury hotel that hosts A-list Hollywood stars. Lake Como is also a popular filming destination — Alfred Hitchcock’s first movie, “The Pleasure Garden,” was filmed there.

Trivia: What was Elvis Presley’s middle name?

Charles
Bradford
Michael
Aaron

The correct answer is Aaron

So why is this answer correct? : There’s a little debate around Elvis Presley’s middle name: not that it’s Aaron, but how the King preferred to spell the name. While his family often spelled it “Aron” to match the middle name of his stillborn twin, Jesse Garon, Elvis was actually named for his father’s friend Aaron Kennedy, and Aaron” is the spelling on his gravesite.

Trivia: What was Rome’s Castel Sant’Angelo during the Renaissance?

A museum
A library
A prison
A military hospital

The correct answer is A prison

So why is this answer correct? : Castel Sant’Angelo was originally built as a tomb for Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 CE. Its role in the community changed over the centuries. During the Renaissance, it served as a prison. Many renovations also took place during that era, including the construction of the massive castle on the ruins of the mausoleum and the statues on its bridge (Ponte Sant’Angelo).

Trivia: What TV personality had two top five shows in 1952?

Ed Sullivan
Dick Clark
Lucille Ball
Arthur Godfrey

The correct answer is Arthur Godfrey

So why is this answer correct? : Arthur Godfrey is one of a few stars who made the leap from radio to TV, starting with the show “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts.” When it bowed in 1951, Godfrey’s variety show was the No. 1 rated TV show in the country. A year later, “Scouts” slipped to No. 2, but was joined by another Godfrey program, “Arthur Godfrey and His Friends,” which at the time was the No. 3 most-watched show in America.

Trivia: Rome’s Piazza Navona features the famous Fountain of what?

Four Rivers
Julius Caesar
Jupiter
The Angels

The correct answer is Four Rivers

So why is this answer correct? : Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini invented the Baroque style of sculpture, which had many Renaissance influences. This La Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of Four Rivers), located in Rome’s Piazza Navona, was created for Pope Innocent X in 1651. Each obelisk of the fountain represents a river: the Ganges, Nile, Danube, and Rio de la Plata.