Category: Brain Teasers

The Quiz: Better known for his military mind, which leader is credited with creating the first international postal system?

Julius Caesar
Napoleon Bonaparte
Genghis Khan
Alexander the Great

Genghis Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire, which would become the largest contiguous empire in history. One of his earliest decrees as Khan involved the formation of a mounted courier service known as the “Yam.” Not only did this medieval system allow goods and information to travel with unprecedented speed, but it also acted as the eyes and ears of the Khan. Thanks to the Yam, he could easily keep abreast of military and political developments and maintain contact with his extensive network of spies and scouts.

The correct answer to this quiz is Genghis Khan.

Trivia: What is the nickname of the left-field wall in Fenway Park?

Green Monster
Doubles Alley
Coogan’s Bluff
The Short Porch

The correct answer is Green Monster

So why is this answer correct? : Baseball’s oldest stadium, Fenway Park — home of the Boston Red Sox — opened in 1912 and features a towering 37-foot-tall wall in the left field. Known as the Green Monster, the wall was painted its iconic green color in 1947, and was later renovated in the 2000s to add seating above it.

Trivia: What were the first baseball hats made of?

Straw
Plastic
Cardboard
Tin

The correct answer is Straw

So why is this answer correct? : In 1849, the New York Knickerbockers adopted the first baseball team uniforms, including hats made of straw — the dapper summer style you might wear while picnicking in the park. A few years later, they switched to hats made from merino wool, which had the crown and curved bill that define baseball caps today. The caps retained the shape, and over time adapted to today’s modern style.

Trivia: What was the name of the first professional baseball team?

Louisville Grays
Cincinnati Red Stockings
Hartford Dark Blues
Boston Redbirds

The correct answer is Cincinnati Red Stockings

So why is this answer correct? : The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first fully professional baseball team in 1869 (though other amateur teams had secretly paid some of their members prior to that). Named for the red knee-high socks the players wore, the Red Stockings played their first game on May 4, 1869. The 10-person team went on to play — and win — 65 games that year.

Trivia: What Major League Baseball team was once named the Robins?

Red Sox
Yankees
Dodgers
Nationals

The correct answer is Dodgers

So why is this answer correct? : The baseball club that formed in Brooklyn in 1883 was first known as the Trolley Dodgers, after the network of streetcar lines that weaved across the city. The team went through a variety of other monikers, and when Wilbert Robinson became manager in 1914, it was named the Brooklyn Robins after him. Robinson’s tenure lasted until 1931, at which point the team went back to being called the Dodgers.

Trivia: Who was the first sitting President to throw the pitch on opening day?

Herbert Hoover
Theodore Roosevelt
William Howard Taft
Bill Clinton

The correct answer is William Howard Taft

So why is this answer correct? : President William Howard Taft didn’t intend to throw the first pitch at a baseball game; in fact, he hadn’t planned to even attend the Washington Senators opening game on April 14, 1910. But after a rough morning in the White House, Taft decided to treat himself. When the Senators’ manager suggested Taft throw the first pitch, the President was happy to oblige — and a national tradition was born.

Trivia: Which historic dam is located at the Arizona and Nevada border?

Hoover Dam
Three Gorges Dam
Oroville Dam
Glen Canyon Dam

The correct answer is Hoover Dam

So why is this answer correct? : Originally called the Boulder Dam, the Hoover Dam is the highest concrete arch dam in the U.S. It was constructed between 1930 and 1936 and impounds nearby Lake Mead, the largest reservoir by volume in the United States. Not only is the Hoover Dam an engineering marvel, but it is also a tourist destination, welcoming over 7 million visitors annually.

Trivia: In the first televised MLB game, the Cincinnati Reds played what team?

Chicago Cubs
Brooklyn Dodgers
Pittsburgh Pirates
Philadelphia Phillies

The correct answer is Brooklyn Dodgers

So why is this answer correct? : The first televised baseball game was organized more to showcase the new technology than to cater to baseball fans. Television was being featured at the 1939 World’s Fair, and the fair organizers thought a baseball game would be the perfect way to show it off. On August 26, 1939, viewers witnessed the first-ever baseball broadcast: a doubleheader between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

Trivia: The Palm Islands are located in what Arabian city?

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Doha, Qatar
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sana’a, Yemen

The correct answer is Dubai, United Arab Emirates

So why is this answer correct? : Palm Jumeirah is a human-made island off the coast of Dubai. Shaped like a giant palm tree, it was created using 7 million tons of rock and over 4 billion cubic feet of sand. The project took six years to complete and is home to 1,500 beachfront villas. Two more palm islands were initially planned, but only Palm Jumeirah has been completed thus far.

Trivia: Who was the first Black player in the American League?

Elston Howard
Minnie Miñoso
Monte Irvin
Larry Doby

The correct answer is Larry Doby

So why is this answer correct? : While Jackie Robinson broke ground as the first African American player in the National League as well as all of MLB, Larry Doby debuted just months later to become the first Black player in the American League. Doby signed with Cleveland after a career in the Negro Leagues, playing for the Newark Eagles. In 1948, Doby became the first African American player to hit a home run in the World Series.