Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What was Led Zeppelin’s original name?

The New Yardbirds
The Pop Tops
The Hindenburgs
Orange Sunshine

The correct answer is The New Yardbirds

So why is this answer correct? : In July 1968, a band called the Yardbirds essentially broke up and rebuilt itself with new members. Jimmy Page invited a buddy, Robert Plant, to come on as lead vocalist, and John Bonham to join on drums. The reformed group initially played as the New Yardbirds, but a bigger name change was still to come. In October 1968, the group performed its first concert under its new, new name, Led Zeppelin.

Trivia: What state is home to America’s smallest national forest?

Oregon
Rhode Island
Alabama
Ohio

The correct answer is Alabama

So why is this answer correct? : Even though it’s only 11,000 acres, the Tuskegee National Forest in eastern Alabama has plenty of opportunities for enjoying the outdoors. One highlight is the eight-mile-long Bartram National Recreation Trail, named for naturalist and writer William Bartram, who traveled through the area in the 1770s. While there is a tiny 33-tree “forest” in Adak, Alaska, that calls itself the country’s smallest national forest, it’s not actually part of the National Forest System.

Trivia: What rock band started out as Linda Ronstadt’s backing band?

Journey
The Eagles
Heart
Fleetwood Mac

The correct answer is The Eagles

So why is this answer correct? : One of the best-selling rock bands of all time might never have formed if not for the efforts of singer Linda Ronstadt, who brought Don Henley and Glenn Frey together to play in her band in 1971, shortly before the duo formed the Eagles. Henley and Frey quickly connected through their musical talents. The first song they co-wrote was “Desperado,” the title track to their 1973 sophomore album. The track became a hit and a rock classic when Ronstadt (a music legend in her own right) when she recorded her cover that same year.

Trivia: Where is the world’s largest mangrove forest?

Panama
Bangladesh
Brazil
Papua New Guinea

The correct answer is Bangladesh

So why is this answer correct? : Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans Reserve Forest in southwest Bangladesh is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world. Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in low-oxygen soil along slow-moving coastal waters. Covering 3,900 square miles, the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest borders the Bay of Bengal and the river delta formed by the Megha, Ganges, and Brahmaputra rivers.

Trivia: George Clinton led which of the following funk acts?

Kool & the Gang
Sly & the Family Stone
Earth, Wind, & Fire
Parliament-Funkadelic

The correct answer is Parliament-Funkadelic

So why is this answer correct? : Known as P-Funk, George Clinton’s most famous production formed from two individual bands named Parliament and Funkadelic. At its peak, P-Funk’s live performances featured more than 40 artists on stage, including the tremendously talented Bootsy Collins on bass. Clinton not only produced the act, but wrote and sang as well.

Trivia: Where is Europe’s last old-growth forest?

Germany
Finland
Belarus & Poland
Bulgaria & Romania

The correct answer is Belarus & Poland

So why is this answer correct? : Straddling the border of Poland and Belarus, Białowieża Forest is the last remaining old-growth forest of Europe. The forest covers nearly 1,200 square miles, a massive ecosystem that has remained, for the most part, unspoiled by humans for the past 7,000 years. It is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, including the European bison, the biggest land mammal in Europe.

Trivia: Who is the lead singer of The Who?

Pete Townshend
Roger Daltrey
Davy Jones
Glenn Frey

The correct answer is Roger Daltrey

So why is this answer correct? : Roger Daltrey is the lead singer of the British rock band the Who, one of the most influential rock acts of the 1960s and ’70s. The band was unparalleled at the time, with songs and lyrics that embraced the teenage experience for what it often is: lonely and moody. Thanks to their prolific contributions, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Trivia: Who served as frontman of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath?

Bruce Dickinson
Ozzy Osbourne
Rob Halford
James Hetfield

The correct answer is Ozzy Osbourne

So why is this answer correct? : Black Sabbath’s eponymous 1970 debut album ushered in a new era of heavy metal, as Ozzy Osbourne’s powerful vocals and guitarist Tony Iommi’s legendary riffs were unlike anything else on the music scene at the time. The band was originally called Polka Tulk Blues Band and later Earth, but changed their name to Black Sabbath after composing a hit song of the same title.

Trivia: Which soul artist wrote the Oscar-winning “Theme From Shaft”?

Marvin Gaye
Isaac Hayes
Al Green
James Brown

The correct answer is Isaac Hayes

So why is this answer correct? : Composed for the 1971 film “Shaft,” “Theme From Shaft” took home the Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement the following year. The song also won the Academy Award for Best Original Score, which made Hayes the first African American to win the award for music composition. Hayes re-recorded the song for a 2000 remake of the film, and performed as the opener at his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2002.

The Quiz: Made to enhance Jane Russell’s bust in his film “The Outlaw,” what director is credited with inventing the underwire push-up bra?

Alfred Hitchcock
Orson Welles
Howard Hughes
Roman Polanski

Billionaire Howard Hughes created the first underwire push-up bra to enhance Jane Russell’s bust in his 1943 film, The Outlaw. Incidentally, the amount of cleavage Russell revealed in the resulting film was deemed inappropriate, and censors banned the film. When the film was eventually released, its notoriety caused ticket sales to skyrocket, and Russell became a star overnight. Years later, she revealed that Hughes’ bra was so uncomfortable that she secretly wore her own during the film. No one, not even Hughes, was the wiser. The provocative bra proved ahead of its time, paving the way for future styles to come.

The correct answer to this quiz is Howard Hughes.