Trivia: What river is home to the world’s largest hydroelectric facility?
Ganges
Nile
Yangtze
Mississippi
The correct answer is Yangtze
So why is this answer correct? : Located in China’s Hubei province and spanning the Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam generates 22,500 megawatts of energy, making it the largest hydroelectric facility in the world. The dam required 510,000 tons of steel to construct, and is so large that it can slow the rotation of the Earth when at full capacity.
Trivia: The Great Man-Made River is found in what African country?
Morocco
South Africa
Cameroon
Libya
The correct answer is Libya
So why is this answer correct? : Since 1991, the Great Man-Made River has brought fresh water from deep underneath the Sahara Desert to the coastline of Libya through a series of underground pipelines. The water originates from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, which is a reservoir of “fossil water” discovered in the 1950s. The system provides necessary drinking water and irrigation for Libyan farmland.
Trivia: The Great Wall of China was largely constructed during which dynasty?
Ming
Shang
Zhou
Han
The correct answer is Ming
So why is this answer correct? : The first fortifications in what would become known as the Great Wall of China were built in the fifth century BCE, and work continued intermittently for several centuries thereafter. But it was the Ming Dynasty that made the wall what it is today. During the 14th to 17th centuries, rulers ordered the addition of fortresses and gates, and divided the structure into inner and outer walls to protect their cities.
The Quiz: Which actor played James Bond only once?
Roger Moore
George Lazenby
Timothy Dalton
Pierce Brosnan
Starring in only one Bond film, 1969’s “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” Australian actor George Lazenby had the unenviable task of assuming the James Bond role after Sean Connery. Many believed that Lazenby was simply unqualified for the task. Critics viewed his youth (he was only 29 at the time) as a weakness to his portrayal of the well-traveled James Bond. Lazenby claims that following the release of the film, he was offered a contract to appear in six more Bond films. His agent urged him to turn it down, believing that the growing popularity of hippie culture at the time would render the franchise obsolete.
The correct answer to this quiz is George Lazenby.
Trivia: Who was the youngest general in the Continental Army?
George Washington
Marquis de Lafayette
Henry Knox
Nathanael Greene
The correct answer is Marquis de Lafayette
So why is this answer correct? : In 1777, at the age of 19, French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette became a major general in the Continental Army and quickly proved to be an indispensable ally. Lafayette served as one of three division commanders during the decisive campaign in Yorktown. Some 53 years later, 66-year-old Lafayette famously toured the U.S., which led to many streets, parks, and schools being named in his honor.
Trivia: “The Last Emperor” details the life of the youngest ruler of what country?
Japan
China
India
France
The correct answer is China
So why is this answer correct? : In 1908, at the age of 3, Puyi ascended to the Chinese throne of the Qing Dynasty. Four years later, during the Chinese Revolution, he became the last emperor of the nearly 2,200-year-old Chinese imperial system. In 1924, he left Beijing for Japan, and from 1934 to 1945, he was emperor of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. At the end of the war, he was taken prisoner by the Russians. Puyi eventually returned to China in 1950 to go on trial as a war criminal. He was pardoned in 1959 and worked at a botanical garden until his death in 1967.
Trivia: In 238 CE, Gordian III became the youngest ruler of what civilization?
Persian Empire
Roman Empire
Byzantine Empire
Han Dynasty
The correct answer is Roman Empire
So why is this answer correct? : Gordian III isn’t the most well-known Roman emperor, but he has one accolade above all the others — he’s the youngest to ever rule the realm. After some gruesome “Game of Thrones”-esque politics, Gordian III found himself on the throne at the tender age of 13. Unfortunately for Gordian, his time on top didn’t last long, as he was assassinated by his own troops six years later and replaced by the praetorian prefect Philip the Arabian in 244 CE.
Trivia: In 2021, 12-year-old Abhimanyu Mishra earned what chess title?
Elite
Grandmaster
King’s Knight
Overlord
The correct answer is Grandmaster
So why is this answer correct? : On July 4, 2021, U.S. chess player Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest grandmaster in chess history at 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days old. The previous record holder, Ukraine player Sergey Karjakin, was a mere three months older than Mishra when he became grandmaster in 2002. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or FIDE, awards grandmaster status when a player earns a 2500 rating by participating in various games and tournaments.
Trivia: In 1944, Joe Nuxhall became the youngest person to play in what league?
National Hockey League
Major League Baseball
National Football League
National Basketball Association
The correct answer is Major League Baseball
So why is this answer correct? : On June 10, 1944, due to player shortages during World War II, 15-year-old Joe Nuxhall took to the mound and pitched two-thirds of an inning for the Cincinnati Reds. At that moment, he became the youngest person to ever play Major League Baseball, and almost 80 years later, the record still holds. Eight years after his history-making inning, Nuxhall returned to the Reds and to this day holds the team record for most games pitched by a left-hander. After retiring in 1967, Nuxhall announced games for the Reds for 37 years.
Trivia: Who is the youngest person to hold a U.S. Cabinet position?
Anthony Foxx
Alexander Hamilton
Pete Buttigieg
Robert Kennedy
The correct answer is Alexander Hamilton
So why is this answer correct? : Alexander Hamilton remains the youngest person to ever hold a Cabinet position in the U.S. government. In 1789, at the age of 32, Hamilton served as the first secretary of the treasury and created, among other things, the First Bank of the United States and the Coast Guard. (Some historians believe he was 34, but regardless, he’s still the youngest.) The closest person to beating Hamilton’s 233-year-old record was 35-year-old Robert Kennedy, who was appointed attorney general in 1960.