Business Trivia Questions with Answers Including Topics About the U.S. Auto Industry, New York Stock Exchange, Lifebuoy soap, Andy Warhol, Dr. Seuss, Robert Fulton, and More!

 

Business trivia questions and answers on topics like the New York Stock Exchange, Robert Fulton, Dr. Seuss, Henry Ford, and more.

Fun business trivia questions and answers.

What state was the home of the U.S. auto industry before World War I and the rise of Michigan?
A: Indiana, where there were once hundreds of automakers.  The last, Studebaker, shut down its operations in 1963. The Indianapolis 6500 auto race, held annually on Memorial Day weekend, dates back to 1911, when Indianapolis was an auto-manufacturing center.

How much did the first three minutes of a call cost when commercial telephone service was introduced between New York and London in 1927?
A: $75.00

What was Henry Ford's first mass-produced car?
A: The model N--which sold for $500 in 1906.

What fast-food chain founded in 1964 was named for brothers Forrest and LeRoy Raffel?
A: Arby's. The name stands for RB--Raffel Brothers.

On the New York Stock Exchange, what is the ticker-tape symbol for the Anheuser-Busch company?
A: BUD. The company manufactures Budweiser beer.

Frank W. Woolworth started selling 5-cent goods in 1878 and added 10-cent idtems in 1880. When did he begin offering 320-cent items?
A: In 1932.

What was produced when sewing machines were first set up in a French factory in 1841?
A: Uniforms for the French army. Rioting tailors--fearing they'd be put out of work--broke into the factory and destroyed the machines.

What was Lifebuoy soap called when it was first introduced in 1897?
A: Lifebudy soap.

In the 1925 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, who was credited with writing the article on mass production?
A: Henry Ford, although the entry was actually written by the Ford Motor Company's official spokesman, William Cameron.

With what product did the term "brand name" originate?
A: Whiskey. Producers branded their names on the barrels they shipped out.

What unusual use did non-drinker Andy Warhol make of Absolut Vodka, the Swedish liquor for which he and other artists created a series of innovative print ads?
A: He claimed he used it as perfume.

What was the last 12 cylinder car produced in the United States?
A: The 1948 Lincoln Continental.

For whom was the Mercedes automobile named?
A: Mercedes Daimler, the daughter of German automaker Gottlieb Daimler.

Why are the annual awards given for the best billboards called Obies by the Outdoor Advertising Association of American Marketing?
A : They're named after the ancient obelisks of Egypt, which are considered by the association to be the precursors of today's outdoor advertising.

What phrase is said to be the most oft-printed warning in the history of the printed word?
A: "Close Cover Before Striking"--the words of caution that appear on most matchbooks.

What famous children's book author created an imaginative ad campaign for an insect spray called Flit?
A: Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodore Seuss Geisel. He worked on the ad campaign--which featured his trademark bugs.--for 17 years.

Where did Robert Fulton launch his first steamboat?
A: In Paris, on the Seine, in 1803. It sank. But Fulton made history four year later when his steamboat Clermont traveled the Hudson River from New York City to Albany.