Category: Brain Teasers

Which one of these conflicts took place between 1952 -1960 and involved an insurgency by Kenyan rebels against British colonial rule?

Basmachi Revolt
Mau Mau Uprising
Ifni War
Dhofar Revolution
Anglo-Aro War

Correct Answer: Mau Mau Uprising

The Chaco War — which was fought between 1932-1935 — was fought between what two countries?

Argentina and Brazil
Mexico and Guatemala
Uruguay and Paraguay
El Salvador and Honduras
Bolivia and Paraguay

Correct Answer: Bolivia and Paraguay

Turkey invaded what Mediterranean island-nation in 1974?

Crete
Sicily
Sardinia
Malta
Cyprus

Correct Answer: Cyprus

Trivia: What is the only national capital whose buses use 100% renewable energy?

Abu Dhabi
Athens
Stockholm
Ottawa

Correct Answer: Stockholm

So why is this answer correct? : One of the most ambitiously green cities in the world, Stockholm has officially declared a goal to be completely free of fossil fuels by the year 2050. A group called Region Stockholm announced a plan to make buses run completely on renewable energy by 2025, and they beat that goal by seven years. Since 2018, all buses in the Swedish capital have been running on fossil-free biofuel and ethanol.

Trivia: Metro stations in LA, Chicago, and Toronto share what name?

Penn
Central
Union
Capitol

Correct Answer: Union

So why is this answer correct? : Because of the wide reach of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, there are many Penn Stations, including two just miles from each other in New York CIty and New Jersey. While Penn had an affiliation with a specific company, Union Station came from a general term: If a station was a hub serving several companies, they would often take the name “Union Station.” That’s how LA, Chicago, Toronto, Denver, and Washington, D.C., all ended up with similar names.

Trivia: The word “ferry” comes from a myth where souls are carried across what?

Tigris River
Atlantic Ocean
Caspian Sea
Styx River

Correct Answer: Styx River

So why is this answer correct? : The term “ferry” was first used in Greek mythology. Charon, the son of Erebus and Nyx, was said to carry the souls of the dead across the River Styx to the afterlife. Even in mythology, there was a toll for this transit: Charon received a coin as payment for each deceased body.

Trivia: Who was the first sitting U.S. President to ride a train?

Andrew Jackson
Teddy Roosevelt
Abraham Lincoln
Martin Van Buren

Correct Answer: Andrew Jackson

So why is this answer correct? : Trains have a rich history in United States politics — among other things, they helped 19th-century candidates crisscross the nation and were often the site of stump speeches. But until the early 1800s, trains were unheard of in the United States. And it wasn’t until 1833 that a President first rode on one of these so-called “Iron Horses.” That President was Andrew Jackson, who stepped aboard a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train in order to take a pleasure trip from Washington, D.C., up to Baltimore.

Trivia: Which country had the first bus line?

France
U.S.
China
Italy

Correct Answer: France

So why is this answer correct? : The bus first appeared in the 1660s, then went away, and came back with more staying power in 1826. Both times the bus was “invented,” it was in France. In 1662, Frenchman Blaise Pascal organized a series of horse-drawn “busses” to run on a consistent schedule across Paris, but it failed to catch on in part because it only catered to nobility. The omnibus was born in France in 1826, and could carry up to 42 passengers with three horses pulling it. New York City opened its first omnibus line two years later in 1828.

Trivia: Which city has the world’s largest network of aerial cable cars?

La Paz, Bolivia
Beijing, China
Aspen, Colorado
Vancouver, Canada

Correct Answer: La Paz, Bolivia

So why is this answer correct? : At almost 12,000 feet above sea level, La Paz, Bolivia, is one of the highest cities in the world. Its urban cable car system, Mi Teleférico, is the world’s largest and highest. With eight lines operating throughout the city, Mi Teleférico is estimated to transport about 250,000 passengers daily across a 20-mile network.

Trivia: An Oyster Card will help you ride public transportation in what city?

Berlin
Honolulu
Sydney
London

Correct Answer: London

So why is this answer correct? : Oyster Cards were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2003, and since then more than 86 million cards have been sold. They’re used to pay the fares on the London Underground, the city’s buses, the Docklands Light Railway, the London Overground, and most National Rail services in the area. They’re called Oyster Cards to suggest security and value, like an oyster with a pearl, as well as to reference the oyster beds of the River Thames.