Riddles With Answers

Which U.S. president officially gave the White House its name?

George Washington
John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Theodore Roosevelt

Fact: Although the executive mansion had been informally called the “White House” for decades due to its white-painted exterior, the name was not made official until 1901. President Theodore Roosevelt formally adopted “The White House” in government correspondence and stationery, replacing earlier titles such as the “Executive Mansion” and the “President’s House.” His decision standardized the name across federal usage, cemented it in public consciousness, and ensured it would remain the building’s permanent and recognized designation.

Correct Answer: Theodore Roosevelt

Which location is the very last place on Earth to ring in the New Year each year?

American Samoa
Tahiti
Baker Island
Easter Island

Fact: The final place on Earth to celebrate the New Year is Baker Island, which—along with nearby Howland Island—lies in the UTC-12 time zone, the latest officially recognized time zone on the planet. These uninhabited U.S. territories in the central Pacific Ocean experience midnight a full 26 hours after the earliest New Year celebrations in Kiribati’s Line Islands (UTC+14). While Baker Island has no permanent population, its extreme position on the global time map earns it the distinction of being the last spot on Earth to welcome the New Year.

Correct Answer: Baker Island

What is the translation of the New Year’s song “Auld Lang Syne?”

“Happy New Year”
“Till we meet again”
“Days yet to come”
“Old long since”

Fact: “Auld Lang Syne” is that song everyone mumbles after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. It is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. The song has long been associated with New Year’s celebrations and is one of the most recognizable songs around the world. “Auld Lang Syne” roughly translates to “old long since” and the song is all about preserving old friendships and looking back over the events of the year. Guy Lombardo, sang the hymn at midnight Jan. 1, 1929 in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, and is credited spawning a global tradition.

Correct Answer: “Old long since”

Which college football bowl game has been held on New Year’s Day since 1916?

Rose Bowl
Orange Bowl
Sugar Bowl
Cotton Bowl

Fact: The Rose Bowl Game, often called “The Granddaddy of Them All,” is the oldest bowl game in college football history and one of the sport’s most enduring traditions. Its origins trace back to the Tournament East–West Football Game first played in 1902, but it became an annual event beginning in 1916. Since then, the game has been traditionally held on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California, serving as a centerpiece of the Tournament of Roses festivities and a cornerstone of college football culture that has helped define the holiday’s sports calendar for over a century.

Correct Answer: Rose Bowl

What holiday became popular after it was featured on an episode of Seinfeld?

Feast of Fools
Festivus
Candlemas
Pi Day

Fact: Festivus is a secular holiday observed on December 23, created as a response to the stress and commercialism of Christmas. It was originally created by author Daniel O’Keefe and later entered popular culture through the 1997 Seinfeld episode “The Strike,” which was co-written by his son, Dan O’Keefe. The holiday’s traditions include a Festivus dinner, a plain aluminum Festivus pole, the ritual “Airing of Grievances,” and and so-called “Festivus miracles.” In the episode, Festivus is famously described as “a Festivus for the rest of us.”

Correct Answer: Festivus

Who famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”?

Plato
Aristotle
Socrates
Confucius

Fact: The quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” is attributed to Socrates, the foundational figure of Western philosophy. According to Plato’s Apology, Socrates made this statement while defending himself at his trial in 399 BCE, where he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. The line encapsulates his belief that self-reflection, moral inquiry, and the pursuit of wisdom are essential to a meaningful life. Socrates’ commitment to questioning assumptions—and his refusal to abandon that mission even under threat of death—cemented his enduring legacy in philosophy and ethics.

Correct Answer: Socrates

What was the first animal launched into space?

Ladybugs
Fruit flies
Moths
Cockroaches

Fact: Fruit flies were the first animals ever launched into space. In 1947, the United States sent a group of fruit flies aboard a captured German V-2 rocket to an altitude of roughly 68 miles above the accepted boundary of space. Scientists chose fruit flies because their genetic makeup is surprisingly similar that of humans, making them ideal for studying the effects of radiation and high-altitude exposure. The flies were successfully recovered alive, proving that living organisms could survive spaceflight—an essential milestone that paved the way for later animal missions and, ultimately, human space travel.

Correct Answer: Fruit flies

Yogi Bear’s voice was inspired by a character on what show?

I Love Lucy
Leave It To Beaver
The Honeymooners
The Andy Griffith Show

Fact: You don’t have to be smarter than the average bear to notice the resemblance between Yogi Bear and Art Carney’s Ed Norton from The Honeymooners. Yogi was inspired by Art Carney’s portrayal, sharing Norton’s upbeat delivery, sing-song cadence, and cheerful scheming—right down to a version of Carney’s signature hat. Like many Hanna-Barbera characters, Yogi was shaped by the comedic style of popular entertainers of the era, and voice actor Daws Butler helped translate that familiar mid-century comedic rhythm into an animated icon that became one of television’s most recognizable cartoon personalities.

Correct Answer: The Honeymooners

Actor Michael Keaton took the last name Keaton to avoid confusion with what other famous Michael?

Fact: Michael Keaton was born Michael John Douglas, but because Michael Douglas was already an established Hollywood star, Screen Actors Guild rules prevented him from using the same professional name. To comply with union regulations, he selected a new surname early in his acting career. Contrary to popular belief, “Keaton” was not chosen as a tribute to Buster Keaton; instead, Keaton has said he picked the name at random while flipping through a phone book. To this day, he has never legally changed it and still goes by Michael Douglas to his friends and family.

Correct Answer: Michael Douglas

The poetry of which famous writer inspired the musical “Cats”?

Robert Frost
T.S. Eliot
Emily Dickenson
Lewis Carroll

Fact: The long-running musical Cats, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based almost entirely on poems from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, a whimsical 1939 poetry collection written by T. S. Eliot. Although Eliot is best known as a towering figure of literary modernism for complex works like The Waste Land, this lighter, playful verse about mischievous felines unexpectedly became the foundation for one of Broadway’s most successful and enduring productions, blending high literature with popular musical theater on a global scale.

Correct Answer: T.S. Eliot