There are thousands of trivia questions online, you can even come up with yours from your fields of interest, but here is a list of carefully selected and thought-provoking trivia questions.
Easy General Trivia Questions
How many planets are there in the solar system? Answer: Eight It has been authenticated that there are eight planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. There is a possible ninth planet but it is still up for debate.
Spiders are known to have how many legs? Answer: Eight The air-breathing arthropods are known to have eight legs. All spiders are predators and they mostly feed on insects.
What is the name of the longest river in the world? Answer: River Nile
In which country would one find the Great Barrier Reef? Answer: Australia Located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the Great barrier Reef is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.
Rainbows are known to have how many colors? Answer: Seven This meteorological phenomenon is known to take the form of a multicolored circular arc and the observable colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
What is the hardest natural substance known to man? Answer: Diamond Apart from being the most popular gemstone, diamond is the hardest naturally occurring substance known to man.
What is the full meaning of BBC? Answer: British Broadcasting Corporation If you thought of big black c**K first, you should be concerned about what has become of you.
How many basic senses do humans have? Answer: 5 It has long been established that humans have five basic senses: sight or vision, hearing or audition, touch or tactition, smell or olfaction, and taste or gustation.
What is the name of Earth’s highest mountain? Answer: Mount Everest Located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, Mount Everest has an elevation of 8,849 m. No fewer than 300 people have lost their lives while trying to ascend the mountain.
What is the most spoken language in the world? Answer: English This is one of the easiest general trivia questions. It’s no secret that English is the most spoken language in the world. It has over 1.132 million speakers spread across the globe. After English comes Mandarin, then Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, and Portuguese.
What animal is known as the fastest land animal? Answer: Cheetah Cheetahs are large cats native to Africa and central Iran, they are built for speed and can run at 80 to 128 km/h.
How long does the bowhead whale live? Answer: Over 200 years Whales are known to be the largest animals on Earth and they live longer than all other mammals. The bowhead whale live for more than 200 years.
What group of animals are called a tower? Answer: Giraffes Giraffes are the tallest of all living terrestrial animals and as well the largest ruminants. Whenever you sight a group of giraffes, refer to them as a tower of giraffes.
Where is the biggest muscle in the human body located? Answer: Buttocks Known as the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the body of a human is located in the buttocks; it is considered the chief antigravity muscle.
When did the most famous battle in English history take place? Answer: October 14, 1066 Known as the Battle of Hastings, the war was between Duke William of Normandy and King Harold II.
In what year did the Titanic sink? Answer: 1912 The British passenger liner sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on the 15th of April 1912 after striking an iceberg during a voyage from Southampton, UK, to New York City, United States.
Which country of the world has the largest population? Answer: China The East Asian country is the world’s most populous country with a population of more than 1.402 billion as of 2020. After China follows India (1.38 billion) and then the United States (329.5 million)
In what country would one find the ancient pyramids? Answer: Egypt That’s why they are called the Ancient Egyptian pyramids; these are arguably the most remarkable structures erected by humans in ancient times.
What is the name of the largest ocean on Earth? Answer: The Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is not only the largest but the deepest of the five oceanic divisions on Earth. It also has most of the islands in the world; about 25,000 islands.
What is the hardest substance in the human body? Answer: Tooth enamel This is one of the easy general trivia questions about the human body. Enamel is the thin outer covering of the tooth and as well the hardest tissue in the human body; it is known to protect the soft part of the tooth to prevent decay.
Who was the first president of the United States? Answer: George Washington The American soldier, statesman, and Founding Father served as the first president of the famous nation from 1789 to 1797. He was succeeded by John Adams who served as the vice president under Washington.
What is the longest river in South America called?
Where is the Bermuda Triangle located? Answer: Atlantic Ocean Also known as the Devil’s Triangle, the Bermuda Triangle is situated in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is said that several aircraft and ships have mysteriously disappeared in this region.
Who wrote the Harry Potter series? Answer: J. K. Rowling The British author and philanthropist is best known for the fantasy series which has sold no fewer than 500 million copies across the globe and is considered to be the best-selling book series in history.
What city of the world is known as the City of Love? Answer: Paris Paris is the capital of France and one of the most popular cities in the world. Among other things, the Eiffel Tower where thousands of lovers got engaged, is why the city is nicknamed the City of Love. There is no doubt that this is one of the easy general trivia questions to ask anyone.
When did Apple release the first iPhone? Answer: June 29, 2007 On the aforementioned date, the late co-founder of Apple and its former CEO Steve Jobs introduced the world to the first iPhone. He described the device as “a phone and an internet communicator”
What is the name of the fictional home of Batman? Answer: Gotham City A fictional city of the comic books published by DC Comics, Gotham City was first specified as Batman’s place of residence in Batman #4; since then, it has been the main setting for stories featuring the popular character.
How many years make a bicentennial? Answer: 200 years “Bi” is a prefix that refers to “two” and centennial pertains to the 100th anniversary; thus bicentennial is used to refer to the two-hundredth anniversary of any significant event.
What is the most populous city in the United States of America? Answer: New York City Often called the capital of the world, New York City is the most populous city in the United States, one of the world’s most populous megacities, and the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.
Who does the world know as the father of the computer? Answer: Charles Babbage He is an English polymath who lived from the 26th of December 1791 to the 18th of October 1871. Babbage invented the Difference Engine which championed the development of complex electronic designs. This is why he is considered the “father of the computer”.
Bees are known to have more than two eyes, but exactly how many do they have? Answer: Five Yes, they don’t look creepy but they have five eyes: two big eyes known as the compound eyes and three other small eyes located at the top of their heads called the simple eyes or ocelli.
The largest bone in the human body is called? Answer: The femur Apart from being the largest/longest bone in the human body, the femur is the only bone in the thigh. Also known as the thighbone, its main function is to bear weight and enable the stability of gait.
Where is the biggest island in the world located? Answer: Between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans Greenland is the largest island in the world; the autonomous territory within the Danish Realm is located east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, precisely between the Arctic and the Atlantic oceans.
Which president of the United States’ time in office was the shortest? Answer: William Henry Harrison The American military officer and politician was the 9th president of the United States but he died in office 31 days after his inauguration and made history as the shortest presidency in the history of the United States.
Which country won the first FIFA World Cup? Answer: Uruguay The final of the first FIFA World Cup was played on the 30th of July 1930 and was between Uruguay and Argentina. Uruguay defeated Argentina 4 – 2. The South American country would win their second world cup two decades later: they defeated Brazil 2 – 1 to win the FIFA World Cup of 1950.
The 100 years war lasted for how many years? Answer: 116 years The Hundred Years’ War began in 1339 and ended in 1453, so it lasted for a total of 116 years. It wasn’t fought in a stretch but is a series of armed conflicts between England and France in the Late Middle Ages.
How many states make up the United States of America? Answer: 50 No citizen of the North American nation should be told that the United States of America is a federal republic made up of 50 states with a federal district, Washington, D.C., which is the capital city of the country.
What is the name of the physician that discovered penicillin? Answer: Alexander Fleming The Scottish physician and microbiologist died on the 11th of March 1955 but it has been hard for history to forget about him, thanks to his contributions to medicine; prominently, his discovery of penicillin on the 28th of September 1928.
How many continents does the world have? Answer: Seven Who doesn’t know that there are seven continents of the world? This is one of the easiest general trivia questions but in case you don’t know, the continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.
Who performed the world’s first human-to-human heart transplant operation? Answer: Christiaan Barnard The South African cardiac surgeon passed on the 2nd of September 2001 but will always be remembered for performing the first human-to-human heart transplant operation; he pulled this off on the 3rd of December 1976 but the patient died of pneumonia 18 days later.
What is the only food that does not spoil? Answer: Honey Honey has been associated with a lot of benefits like improved heart health, wound healing, and much more.
What is the day after Christmas commonly celebrated as? Answer: Boxing Day Traditionally, Boxing Days were meant to be a day off for servants; the day they receive Christmas boxes from their masters and go home to be with their families.
What is the name of the founder of Facebook? Answer: Mark Zuckerberg Although there are other people associated with the beginning of the company, Mark Zuckerberg is widely considered as the brain behind Facebook.
Who served as the 44th president of the United States? Answer: Barack Obama The American politician, lawyer, and author served as the 44th president from 2009 to 2017; he is America’s first black president.
What do you call someone who is 80 years old? Answer: An Octogenarian Not only someone 80 years old, anyone between 80 and 89 years old is an octogenarian just as a person between 90 and 99 is called a nonagenarian. If you are within the 100 to 109 age bracket you would be called a centenarian.
What is the full meaning of “www”? Answer: World Wide Web This is probably the easiest question to answer among the general trivia questions listed here. It refers to the global computer system, a worldwide computer network.
What is the name of the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom? Answer: Margaret Thatcher Thatcher served as the prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and remains the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century.
What sea separates Europe from Africa? Answer: The Mediterranean Sea Connected to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea spread from Western and Southern Europe to North Africa and Western Asia.
Who did Donald Trump defeat to become the 45th president of the United States? Answer: Hillary Clinton Donald Trump was the 45th president of the United States of American and he defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election to assume office.
What is the most popular sport in the world? Answer: Soccer (Association Football) Association football, soccer, or simply football, is a team sport played by an estimated 250 million players in all corners of the world. Moreso, it is believed that the sport has at least four billion fans.
Hard General Trivia Questions and Their Answers
What is the name of the painter who cut off his left ear? Answer: Vincent Van Gogh The Dutch painter had a fall out with a colleague named Paul Gauguin, during which he cut of his ear, wrapped it in a paper, and presented it to a prostitute.
What planet is most close to the sun? Answer: Mercury Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, followed by Venus and our planet – Earth.
Who is the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? Answer: Marie Curie The Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist won the Noble Prize in Physics in 1903
Who is the only person to win the Noble Prize twice? Answer: Marie Curie Yes, she was the first woman to win the prize and the first person to win it twice; she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. This is surely one of the hard general trivia questions to answer.
Who did the famous portrait painting known as Monalisa? Answer: Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was many things in his life but he is mostly remembered for his work as a painter and sculptor.
Which country is the largest in the world? Answer: Russia The country spans from Eastern Europe to Northern Asia and covers 11% of the world’s landmass.
Which country is the smallest in the world? Answer: Vatican City The European country is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and measures only 0.2 square miles.
Who invented the World Wide Web (WWW)? Answer: Tim Berners-Lee The English scientist reportedly wrote the first web browser in 1990 while working at CERN.
After the death of Adolf Hitler, who became the leader of Germany? Answer: Karl Dönitz The German admiral briefly succeeded Adolf Hitler as head of state in 1945.
How long did the First World War last? Answer: Over four years The First World War, according to various records, began on the 28th of July 1914 and ended on the 11th of November 1918
Which is the largest country in Africa? Answer: Algeria The North African nation spreads across over 2.38 million square kilometers. Algerians shouldn’t count this among the hard general trivia questions.
Where is the bulk of the world’s freshwater found? Answer: Icecaps and Glaciers Yeah, over 68 percent of the fresh water on earth is found in icecaps and glaciers, and about 30 percent is found in groundwater.
Which capital city of the world is located on the Tiber River? Answer: Rome Rome is the national capital of Italy and is located on the Tiber River, in the central part of the Italian peninsula.
Name one of the smallest but loudest animals in the world Answer: The pistol shrimp or the water boatman The former can produce a sound similar to a sonic blast and the latter sings up to 99.2 decibels. 66. Between the sun and the earth, which is larger? Answer: The Sun It is said that as many as one million earths could fit inside the sun.
What planet rotates on its side? Answer: Uranus The planet is tilted on its side for reasons that are not clear and this feature stands it out amongst other planets.
Who invented the scissors? Answer: Leonardo da Vinci The Italian polymath of the High Renaissance is often credited with inventing scissors, which he reportedly used for cutting canvas.
Who invented the paperclip? Answer: Johan Vaaler It is said that the Norwegian filed for an American patent in 1901 because Norway had no patent office. It seems like something you should know, but you didn’t know until now, so it is definitely one of the hard general trivia questions.
Which of the planets are impossible to walk on? Answer: Uranus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune These planets are mostly made up of gases; they don’t have solid surfaces that would enable one to walk on them.
What birds can fly backward and upside down? Answer: Hummingbirds Unlike other birds, they have unique shoulders with socket joints that make it possible for them to rotate their wings by 180 degrees in all directions.
Apart from animals considered to be humans’ closest relatives, which animal have fingerprints identical to humans’? Answer: Koalas It is said that humans are closely related to the great apes of the Hominidae family – chimps, gorillas, and orangutans. Apart from these creatures, Koalas have been found to have fingerprints that are almost identical to humans.
Coca-Cola cannot be bought or sold in what countries of the world? Answer: Cuba and North Korea Coca-Cola is probably the most popular brand in the world but they do not have an official presence in Cuba and North Korea.
What is the most visited country in the world? Answer: France Records have it that as many as 89 million people visit the European country yearly.
What is the longest name of a place in the world? Answer: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu The name has 85 letters and the place is a hill located near Porangahau, in southern Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. There is no how you know this, it is probably the hardest of all general trivia questions. 76. When was the first atomic bomb used in war? Answer: August 6, 1945 The first atomic bomb called Little Boy was detonated on the aforementioned date at around 8:15 AM in Hiroshima, Japan.
In what movie series did Johnny Depp Star as Captain Jack Sparrow? Answer: Pirate of the Caribbean The series of fantasy swashbuckler films are the most popular work of the American actor who has received nominations for three Academy Awards.
What programming language shares the same name with an island of Indonesia? Answer: Java Java is a densely-populated island in Indonesia; it also refers to a popular programming language used to develop apps, games, and what have you.
When was the Spanish-American War fought? Answer: April 21 – August 13, 1898 The armed conflict between Spain and the United States of America was fought for nearly four months, three weeks, and two days, to be precise.
Where will one find the smallest bone in the body of a human? Answer: Ear The stapes is the smallest bone in the human body, it is located in the ear and is about 3×5 mm in size.
How many presidents of the United States of America were assassinated? Answer: Four Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy were all assassinated while serving as the president of the United States.
Where and when did the first battle between the American and Spanish forces take place? Answer: Manila Bay, on the 1st of May 1989 Remembered as the Battle of Manila Bay or the Battle of Cavite, the first battle between American and Spanish forces during the Spanish-American War took place on the 1st of May 1898.
Who invented the telephone? Answer: Alexander Graham Bell The Scottish-born inventor is often credited for inventing the telephone. He co-founded AT&T in 1885.
How many babies are born every second? Answer: Four According to various records, four babies are born every second; this amounts to 15,000 babies each hour and 360,000 babies every day.
Which animal sleeps up to 22 hours a day? Answer: Koalas These creatures are known to sleep anywhere from 18 to 22 hours per day. This is so because it takes a lot for their food to digest and they just have to sleep through it.
What is the coldest temperature ever recorded? Answer: -144 degrees Fahrenheit If you are looking for hard general trivia questions to answer, this should make your list. The temperature was recorded during a research that spanned from 2004 to 2016 in Antarctica.
What do you call a group of ferrets? Answer: Business How did they get the name? You have to find more details for your self but it is more of “busyness” than entrepreneurship.
What is the most venomous snake in the world? Answer: The Inland Taipan (the Western Taipan) It is said that a single bite from this snake has enough venom to take down 100 men.
What is the highest mountain known to man? Answer: The Vesta Mountain Mount Everest might be the highest mountain on earth but Vesta is thrice as large and is located on an asteroid called Vesta.
Who was the first man to walk on the moon? Answer: Neil Armstrong This was in 1969 and it is said that traces of his footprints can still be seen on the moon’s surface because there’s no wind on the moon to wipe it off.
Which Billionaire designed a traffic control system for Seattle? Answer: Bill Gates Reports have it that the Microsoft founder pulled this feat off when he was only 15 years old.
What animal has the least lifespan? Answer: The Mayfly Some species of the mayfly live for only 8 hours but in all, this animal has a lifespan that doesn’t exceed 24 hours.
Which inventor got a patent for a cigar that was supposed to burn forever? Answer: Thomas Edison The famous inventor had hundreds of patents when he died in 1931 and this is probably the most peculiar of them all.
What animal shoots blood from its eyes? Answer: The horned lizard This creature can shoot blood out of its eyes up to a distance of 3 feet and it is believed that they do this to confuse predators. Unless the person you asked has a vast knowledge about animals, this is one of the hard general trivia questions to ask anyone.
How long does it take the light from the Sun to reach Earth? Answer: 8 minutes Considering the speed of light and the distance between the Sun and the Earth, this is a fascinating fact. 96. What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered in water? Answer: 70 percent Water might not surround you but there is way more water on Earth than many people are aware of.
What is the Earth’s largest and only natural satellite? Answer: The moon Did you know that what we know as moonlight is light from the sun’s ray bouncing off from the moon?
How much saliva does the mouth produce per day? Answer: One liter It’s seven liters of saliva in a week, 30 in a month, and 365 in a year.
How much scent can the human nose detect? Answer: Three trillion scents Stop underrating your nose, it can practically smell everything.
How much water does an adult elephant need to drink daily? Answer: Over 200 liters This shouldn’t surprise anyone, after all, they are the world’s largest mammals living on land.
What animal has blue blood, three hearts, and 9 brains? Answer: The Giant Pacific Octopus This is probably why they can quickly change their texture and color anytime they want.
Which country of the world is most prone to earthquakes? Answer: Japan The Asian country has recorded the most earthquakes in the world. Other countries prone to this natural phenomenon are Turkey, Iran, China, and Indonesia.
What countries have purple in their national flag? Answer: Nicaragua and Dominica This is one of the general trivia questions that are hard for people to answer but Nicaragua and Dominica are the only countries with the color in their flags.
Which country has the largest number of islands? Answer: Sweden Records have it that the nation has as many as 221,800 islands, but only about 1,000 of them are inhabited.
What is the most common bird in the world? Answer: The Red-billed quelea. It is believed that there are as many as 1 to 10 billion red-billed queleas in the world; they are mostly found in sub-Saharan Africa.
