Trivia

Trivia Question: Who wrote the play, The Winter’s Tale that famously features the stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear”? Answer: Shakespeare For its sheer absurdity, the phrase “Exit, pursued by a bear” has taken on a life of its own. In The Winter’s Tale, said bear chases off the main antagonist. As such, “Exit, … Read more

Trivia Question: What term refers to the sharp blades that were attached to the barrels of rifles during old-world wars? Answer: Bayonets Bayonets essentially transformed rifles into spears. World War Two was one of the last major wars where bayonets were issued. As guns became more efficient at greater range, bayonets were left by the … Read more

Trivia Question: The Pied Piper is said to have hailed from what German city? Answer: Hamelin The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a fairy-tale about a musician who could control the minds of others. The town of Hamelin hired him to drown a plague of rats. Then, when Hamelin’s people refused to pay the piper, … Read more

Trivia Question: An Gorta Mor was a horrific famine inflicted upon what nation’s people? Answer: Ireland’s An Gorta Mor is Gaelic for “The Great Hunger.” British landlords and officials who ruled Ireland heavily taxed their tenants and forced them to work infertile ground where only potatoes could reliably grow. So, when a plague hit the … Read more

Trivia Question: Which American president had a vice president known as “Cactus Jack”? Answer: F.D.R. The real name of “Cactus Jack” was John Nance Garner. As a conservative Dixiecrat, he often balanced F.D.R.’s New Deal programs by discouraging spending that would massively inflate the deficit. Garner stopped being F.D.R.’s vice president around 1940 so he … Read more