Fun Trivia Questions

Answers to all these questions are found here at the bottom of the same page.

(I found these questions on a subreddit for Jeopardy fans. I’ve done light verification of these facts, nothing too in-depth. If any of the questions are seriously wrong, let me know!

1. What animals were the Canary Islands named after?
2. What is Michael J. Fox’s middle name?
3. Which of these animals can see best in total darkness: a dog, a cat, a skunk, a human?
4. Which US president was married to a woman whose first name was Eleanor?
5. Which US state is geographically closest to Africa?
6. What country has the longest land border with France?
7. Who is the only male actor to win an Emmy award for the NBC sitcom “Friends”?
8. Which major league baseball pitcher had the most wins but never won the Cy Young award?
9. How many Qs are in the name of the capital of New Mexico?
10. According to the 22nd amendment to the U.S. Constitution, what is the maximum number of years a person can serve as U.S. President?
11. How many time zones are there in China?
12. How many years was the Pony Express in operation?
13. What’s the second biggest country in the world?
14. Who was the youngest U.S. president ever inaugurated?
15. How many letters are in the answer to this question?
16. Who was the first Black American, (also the first person of African descent), to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
17. Which American president’s first language was something other than English?
18. What planet is on average closest to Earth?
19. (BONUS) A riddle: What is orange and sounds like a parrot?

Random Trivia Facts

If you live further than an hour from an ocean, you live closer to outer space than an ocean. (Read a longer explanation).

In 2011, 165 years after its discovery, Neptune completed one orbit.

Answers

1. What animals were the Canary Islands named after?
   The answer is dogs. Ancient Romans reported finding lots of dogs on this island.
2. What is Michael J. Fox’s middle name?
   Andrew. He did this because another actor in the Screen Actors’ Guild had the same name, so he did this to distinguish himself.
3. Which of these animals can see best in total darkness: a dog, a cat, a skunk, a human?
   Nobody can see anything in total darkness (perhaps bats can “see” using echolocation).
4. Which US president was married to a woman whose first name was Eleanor?
   Jimmy Carter. For anyone wondering, Eleanor Roosevelt’s first name was Anna.
5. Which US state closest to Africa?
   Maine. (See this article). And if Puerto Rico ever becomes a state the closest state to Africa would still be Maine! By about 30 miles
6. What country has the longest land border with France?
   (Brazil, with French Guyana)
7. Who is the only male actor to win an Emmy award for the NBC sitcom “Friends”?
   Bruce Willis won 2000 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
8. Which major league baseball pitcher had the most wins but never won the Cy Young award?
   Cy Young
9. How many Qs are in the name of the capital of New Mexico?
   Zero, it’s Santa Fe.
10. According to the 22nd amendment to the U.S. Constitution, what is the maximum number of years a person can serve as U.S. President?
    10 (most people say 8)
11. How many time zones are there in China?
    One.
12. How many years was the Pony Express in operation?
    1.5 years, replaced quickly by the telegraph.
13. What’s the second biggest country in the world?
    Canada.
14. Who was the youngest U.S. president ever inaugurated?
    Many people reflexively say Kennedy. Theodore Roosevelt is the youngest person to become U.S. president, taking office at age 42 in 1901 following the assassination of William McKinley
15. How many letters are in the answer to this question?
    Four
16. Who was the first Black American, (also the first person of African descent), to receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
    Diplomat Ralph Bunche who won it in 1950 for mediating the Arab-Israeli conflict in the 1940s.
17. Which American president’s first language was something other than English?
    Martin Van Buren who spoke Dutch as a child at home and learned English in school.
18. On average which planet is closest to Earth?
    Mercury (Computing an average means that Venus’s trajectory on the opposite side of the sun is very far away from Earth while Mercury with a smaller orbit around the sun generally remains closer. ).
19. A riddle: What is orange and sounds like a parrot?
    A carrot.