Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What country’s flag was designed by a 15-year-old girl?

The Bahamas
Colombia
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea

The correct answer is Papua New Guinea

So why is this answer correct? : Susan Karike Huhume was a student in Papua New Guinea when she submitted the winning design for a new flag in 1971. Huhume incorporated the traditional Papua New Guinean tribal colors of red and black in the flag’s design, which is split diagonally. It features the Southern Cross constellation over a black background and a yellow bird-of-paradise (the country’s national bird) over a red background.

The Quiz: In the U.S., the Sony Walkman personal cassette player was originally marketed in 1979 under what name?

Listener
Eardrum
Soundabout
Voicematic

When Sony’s personal cassette player went on sale in 1979, it was sold under the names “Soundabout” in the United States, “Stowaway” in the United Kingdom, and “Freestyle” in Australia. The name Walkman, however, became so popular in Japan, it quickly spread overseas by word of mouth, to the extent that customers in other countries started asking for it by name. In 1980, Sony decided to change the name to “Walkman” worldwide. Sony stopped manufacturing Walkman cassette players in 2010, having sold more than 200 million units worldwide.

The correct answer to this quiz is Soundabout.

Trivia: Which dessert item was popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair?

Jell-O
Sprinkles
Cheesecake
Ice cream cone

The correct answer is Ice cream cone

So why is this answer correct? : Dozens of scientific advances have debuted at World’s Fairs over the years, but rarely has there been a more fun introduction than that of the ice cream cone. The ice cream cone was invented in St. Louis by Syrian vendor Ernest Hamwi, who ran out of dishes for the sweet treat. Thinking on his toes, he wrapped a waffle into a cone shape, put a scoop of ice cream in the middle, and a new vessel for the cold dessert was born. A similar creation was patented by Italy Marchiony in 1903, but the invention took off in St. Louis.

Trivia: Which of these clothing innovations debuted at the World’s Fair in 1893?

Drawstring
Zipper
Fly
Velcro

The correct answer is Zipper

So why is this answer correct? : In 1851, the “automatic continuous clothing closure” was first patented by Elias Howe, but he never marketed it to the public. In 1893, Whitcomb L. Judson patented a “clasp locker” shoe fastener which was revealed at the Chicago fair, and in 1923, B. F. Goodrich officially renamed it the “zipper.” While there are plenty of stories of inventors getting to an idea first but failing to capitalize on it, that wasn’t Howe. Even though he missed on the zipper, he also invented the modern lockstitch sewing machine, which won a gold medal at the 1867 World’s Fair in Paris.

Trivia: Germany’s 2001 fair debuted the first mass-produced car powered by what?

Water
Hydrogen
Electricity
Compost

The correct answer is Hydrogen

So why is this answer correct? : In 2001, German carmaker BMW debuted the first production-based hydrogen-powered car at the World’s Fair in Hanover, Germany. Called the 750 hL, the hydrogen was stored cryogenically at -418 degrees Fahrenheit in a steel tank behind the back seats. The range of the electric fuel cell was about 250 miles, and while the car was produced for sale, only about 100 vehicles were made available for people deemed influential enough to be ambassadors of the brand. As of 2022, the only so-called “fuel cell electric vehicles” being mass produced are the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo.

Trivia: 1939’s fair buried a time capsule with a cup featuring what character?

Zeus
Huckleberry Finn
Mickey Mouse
The Wicked Witch of the West

The correct answer is Mickey Mouse

So why is this answer correct? : The Westinghouse Time Capsule at the 1939 fair in New York was intended to take a snapshot of human culture, and preserve it for the future. (Specifically, the capsule is meant to be dug up in 6939.) It is currently buried beneath Flushing Meadows-Corona park in Queens, New York and contains items like a Waterman fountain pen, Bausch & Lomb glasses, cigarettes, and a Mickey Mouse cup.

Trivia: Which famous inventor made a presentation at the World Fair in 1876?

George Washington Carver
Thomas Edison
Alexander Graham Bell
Nikola Tesla

The correct answer is Alexander Graham Bell

So why is this answer correct? : America’s very first World’s Fair in Philadelphia celebrated the nation’s centennial, and was officially called by a very cumbersome title, “The International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine.” In March of that year, Boston University professor Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for his invention of the telephone, and four months later, he showed it off in public for the first time on June 25 at the fair.

Trivia: Asia’s first World’s Fair introduced what film industry innovation?

3D
Surround sound
Subtitles
IMAX

The correct answer is IMAX

So why is this answer correct? : A short film titled “Tiger Child” was the first IMAX film, debuting at the 1970 expo in Osaka, Japan. The documentary was directed by Canadian Donald Brittain and produced by Roman Kroitor and Kiichi Ichikawa, and was shown within the Fuji Group Pavilion which was the largest air-inflated structure in the world. The film included scenes shot in 10 countries around the world using the IMAX camera invented by Norwegian Jan Jacobsen in the late 1960s.

Trivia: What beer was named for its success at a World’s Fair?

Miller High Life
Victory Classic Lager
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Red Stripe

The correct answer is Pabst Blue Ribbon

So why is this answer correct? : Before the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, what we know today as PBR actually was called PBS: Pabst Best Select. A steamship captain named Frederick Pabst brewed the beer, and after it was awarded a blue ribbon, they decided to do a little rebranding, and Pabst Blue Ribbon was born. Pabst used actual blue ribbons to wrap around the beer bottles they would sell, and by 1900, they used 1 million feet of silk ribbon per year. PBR switched to a blue ribbon icon in the 1950s.

Trivia: What city had an MLB team named for its city’s World’s Fair?

Seattle
St. Louis
New York
Montreal

The correct answer is Montreal

So why is this answer correct? : The World’s Fair in 1967 was held in Montreal, and was branded “Expo ‘67.” The event was such a success that when the city got an expansion MLB team in 1969, they were named in its honor: the Montreal Expos. Montreal became the first city to host a Major League Baseball game outside of the United States when the Expos beat the Cardinals 8 to 7 on April 14, 1969, at Jarry Stadium.