Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: What city did a Greek messenger run to after the Battle of Marathon?

Athens
Sparta
Cairo
Jerusalem

The correct answer is Athens

So why is this answer correct? : One of the most famous battles of the Greco-Persian Wars is now referenced every time someone completes a 26.2-mile run. According to legend, a messenger ran from Marathon to Athens (about 25 miles) to announce the Greek victory, dying of exhaustion upon his arrival. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, there was another trained runner named Pheidippides who covered 150 miles in two days before the battle to ask Sparta for support.

Trivia: How many U.S. state capitals are named after presidents?

1
4
8
13

The correct answer is 4

So why is this answer correct? : Only four state capitals are named after former Presidents. Lincoln, Nebraska, is named for Abraham Lincoln; Madison, Wisconsin, for James Madison; Jackson, Mississippi, for Andrew Jackson; and Jefferson City, Missouri, for Thomas Jefferson. In addition, two national capitals are named for American presidents — and one isn’t even in America. Washington, D.C., is of course named for George Washington, and Monrovia, Liberia, is named for James Monroe.

Trivia: The Battle of Actium saw Cleopatra combine forces with what leader?

Masinissa
Mark Antony
Xerxes I
Nero

The correct answer is Mark Antony

So why is this answer correct? : In 36 BCE, Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra married Roman general Mark Antony to form one of history’s most famous power couples. However, they lasted only about five years together before the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE. Roman leader Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, off the western coast of Greece, sending the couple fleeing back to Egypt, where they both died the following year.

Trivia: What is the only state capital not accessible by road?

Lansing, Michigan
Olympia, Washington
Helena, Montana
Juneau, Alaska

The correct answer is Juneau, Alaska

So why is this answer correct? : If you want to visit Juneau, Alaska, you’ll either need to fly or ferry in. The remote city is the only state capital inaccessible by road. Aside from Honolulu, it’s also the only state capital not connected by road to mainland North America. Visitors can take the 1,500-mile Alaska-Canadian Highway, but where the highway ends, you’ll have to board a ferry to reach the city.

Trivia: What was Spartacus’ role before becoming a commander in the Servile Wars?

Teacher
Doctor
Gladiator
Senator

The correct answer is Gladiator

So why is this answer correct? : If you’ve seen the famous film scene where dozens of warriors say “I am Spartacus,” you probably know that the man was a skilled gladiator. The Third Servile War was also called the Gladiator War and the Spartacus Revolt, because it was Spartacus who led a group of escaped gladiators to band together at Mount Vesuvius. Their army fought through Roman forces from 73 to 71 BCE to eventually gain possession of a large part of Southern Italy before finally falling to defeat.

Trivia: What state shares no common letters with its capital?

Texas
South Dakota
Nevada
West Virginia

The correct answer is South Dakota

So why is this answer correct? : There is only one pairing of state and state capital that shares no common letters between them: Pierre and South Dakota. Pierre is also the country’s second-smallest state capital by population (after Montpelier, Vermont) with just over 14,000 residents. Before South Dakota became a state, Yankton was the capital of the Dakota Territory; Pierre became the capital of South Dakota in 1890.

Trivia: In the Battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas I led Sparta against what empire?

British
Persian
Roman
Mongolian

The correct answer is Persian

So why is this answer correct? : The Battle of Thermopylae found the vastly outnumbered forces of Sparta fighting against a massive Persian army, an underdog story that has been told in films such as 2006’s “300.” The real number of Greek fighters was closer to 7,000, but historical estimates put the Persian forces at over 300,000. The three-day battle took place in 480 BCE, and while the Greeks were defeated, their superior tactics dealt a significant blow to the Persian Empire, and the Greeks ultimately prevailed in the second Greco-Persian War.

Trivia: Where is the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.?

Albany, New York
Annapolis, Maryland
Austin, Texas
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The correct answer is Baton Rouge, Louisiana

So why is this answer correct? : As it turns out, capitol buildings in the U.S. aren’t usually all that tall — at 34 floors and 450 feet, the Louisiana capitol is only the seventh-tallest building in the state (though the highest in Baton Rouge). However, that is plenty tall enough for a 27th-floor observation deck that offers panoramic views of the city skyline and surrounding gardens.

Trivia: What battle marked the start of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066?

Battle of the Boyne
Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Hastings
Battle of Waterloo

The correct answer is Battle of Hastings

So why is this answer correct? : The Battle of Hastings in 1066 was the site of William, Duke of Normandy’s most important victory as he sought to become king of England. From his deathbed, King Edward controversially named Harold II his successor, even though Harold had sworn an oath to support Willaim’s right to the crown. At Hastings, William defeated Harold, then moved on to Berkhamsted, where England’s remaining major leaders surrendered. William was crowned king in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1066.

Trivia: Tallahassee takes its name from an Apalachee word meaning what?

Friendship
Great swamp
City of gold
Old fields

The correct answer is Old fields

So why is this answer correct? : The name Tallahassee has been in use since at least the 16th century. It comes from the Apalachee Native American tribe, and is usually translated as “old fields” or “old town,” although some translate it as “sun town.” Its first use among Europeans was on a British map from 1767, which referred to a village on the west side of Lake Jackson as “Tallahassa.”