Category: Brain Teasers

Trivia: Bested by Alfred the Great, the “Great Heathen Army” was made up of whom?

Mongolians
Vikings
Persians
Byzantines

The correct answer is Vikings

So why is this answer correct? : In 865 CE, a group of Scandinavian Vikings joined together in what became known as the “Great Heathen Army,” which sought to conquer all of England. The army went virtually undefeated until it ran into the king of Wessex, Alfred the Great. At first it was business as usual for the Vikings as they dealt Alfred great losses and sent him into hiding. But Alfred regrouped with a force of local guerillas, and put the “Great Heathen Army” down at the Battle of Edington.

Trivia: Which state capital was raised 10 feet from its original foundation?

Little Rock, Arkansas
Denver, Colorado
Jefferson City, Missouri
Sacramento, California

The correct answer is Sacramento, California

So why is this answer correct? : Sacramento sits 30 feet above sea level today, but that wasn’t always the case. In the 1860s, the original section of the flood-prone California state capital was raised 10 feet to its current elevation by abandoning the ground floors of multi-story buildings and constructing sidewalks at the first-floor level. You can see the only remaining section of the city’s original level in the sunken courtyard at the Old Sacramento tourist shopping center.

Trivia: The Battle of the Catalaunian Fields pitted Rome against what leader?

Genghis Khan
Hannibal Barca
Alexander the Great
Attila the Hun

The correct answer is Attila the Hun

So why is this answer correct? : The Battle of Catalaunian Fields was a showdown between Flavius Aetius and Attila the Hun in what is now the Champagne region of France. This battle was the first time European forces were able to defeat Attila’s army, and historians believe this result brought an end to the Hunnic invasion of Europe. Things went downhill for Attila from there, as he retreated, then unsuccessfully tried to invade Italy the following year. Within two decades, his empire was finished.

Trivia: Which state capital is known as the “Smithsonian of the South”?

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Tallahassee, Florida
Richmond, Virginia
Raleigh, North Carolina

The correct answer is Raleigh, North Carolina

So why is this answer correct? : Thanks to the city’s many cultural attractions and free museums, Raleigh is nicknamed the “Smithsonian of the South.” Amongst these sites is the North Carolina Museum of History, which is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in D.C. and features exhibits that cover 14,000 years of the state’s history. There are also several art museums scattered across the city, including CAM Raleigh, Gregg Museum of Art & Design, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Trivia: What inventor kept the Romans at bay in the Siege of Syracuse?

Archimedes
Imhotep
Heron of Alexandria
Cai Lun

The correct answer is Archimedes

So why is this answer correct? : The iron claw, the odometer, and the principle of buoyancy are all credited to the mind of Archimedes, one of history’s greatest inventors. His craft and creations are part of what kept the Romans at bay during their siege of Syracuse. He also devised a contraption that put a hook on a rotating crane that was used to capsize invading Roman ships. Syracuse withstood the invasion until Archimedes was captured.

Trivia: Which state capital is located along the Pearl River?

Casper, Wyoming
Jackson, Mississippi
Jefferson City, Missouri
Indianapolis, Indiana

The correct answer is Jackson, Mississippi

So why is this answer correct? : The Pearl River begins in central Mississippi and flows 444 miles south through two-thirds of the state and into Louisiana, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, the river passes through Mississippi’s capital, Jackson, providing drinking water to the city’s 166,000 residents.

Trivia: China’s Battle of Red Cliffs primarily featured what kind of warfare?

Naval
Hand-to-hand
Air
Guerilla

The correct answer is Naval

So why is this answer correct? : The Han Dynasty came to an end with the Battle of Red Cliffs, which, according to Norwich University, is still the largest naval battle of all time. Some 850,000 soldiers fought, as the larger side led by Northern warlord Cao Cao was pushed back by the smaller but tactically superior Southern forces, led by warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan. The result set the stage for the Three Kingdoms period of China, with each of the three warlords ruling as kings.

Trivia: What river flows through the most U.S. state capitals?

Missouri
Mississippi
Rio Grande
Colorado

The correct answer is Missouri

So why is this answer correct? : Flowing for 2,341 miles through seven states, the Missouri River is America’s longest river and is responsible for draining around one-sixth of the entire continent of North America. The Missouri originates at one of the highest points on the North American continent, in the Rocky Mountains of Montana. The Missouri is actually the longest tributary of the Mississippi River, which itself is the second-longest river in the United States.

Trivia: The Battle of Muye marked the beginning of what Chinese dynasty?

Shang
Zhou
Qin
Han

The correct answer is Zhou

So why is this answer correct? : The Shang Dynasty came to an end after the Battle of Muye, and the era of the Zhou Dynasty began. A military strategist named Lu Shang worked with King Wen and King Wu to defeat the Shang dynasty. The key turning point at the Battle of Muye was when Shang leader Di Xin armed 170,000 slaves to fight the Zhou, but many chose not to support his regime. This blunder led Di Xin to be posthumously given the sarcastic name, “King Zhou.”

Trivia: Which state capital was originally named Pumpkinville?

Sacramento, California
Carson City, Nevada
Phoenix, Arizona
Santa Fe, New Mexico

The correct answer is Phoenix, Arizona

So why is this answer correct? : Before Phoenix was laid out in 1868, the nearby settlement of Pumpkinville had been around for about a year, named for the wild pumpkins that grew in the area. Phoenix was named by Lord Darrell Duppa, who saw the town as rising from the ashes — just like the mythical bird. The original Pumpkinville now lies roughly at the intersection of Van Buren and 28th Street in Phoenix.