Trivia - vampire bats, Hugh Hefner, Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, General George Patton, Barbie Doll's measurements, Mahatma Gandhi

 

Free trivia questions and answers - Miscellaneous trivia from Hugh Hefner to P.T. Barnum

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Trivia - includes questions and answers about Edgar Bergen, Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, P.T. Barnum, Socrates & More.

For what magazine did Hugh Hefner serve as circulation manager while he was raising money to launch Playboy?
A: Children's Activities magazine.

Prior to his death in 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. founded what politically-themed magazine?
A: George.

What was the cost of the first tour arranged by travel entrepreneur Thomas Cook in 1841?
A: The equivalent of fourteen cents. It was a 48-mile round trip by British rail between Leicester and Loughborough for a temperance meeting.

What problem did Leonardo da Vinci, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and General George Patton have in common?
A: All were dyslexic.

What would the Barbie Doll's measurements be if she were life-size?
A: 39-21-33.

What did All Nippon Airways do in an effort to prevent its planes from sucking birds into their engines?
A: It painted giant eyes on the engine intakes to discourage birds from approaching.

What English earl had both a coat style and a furniture style named for him?
A: Philip Dormer Stanhope, the fourth earl of Chesterfield.  The Chesterfield coat and sofa are named for him.

Before the introduction of the hair dryer in 1920, what common household appliance was promoted for its hair-drying ability?
A: The vacuum cleaner--which could be converted into a hair dryer by attaching a hose to the exhaust.

How much hay was eaten daily by Jumbo, showman P.T. Barnum's famous 6-1/2 ton elephant?
A: Two hundred pounds.

What was the first living creature ever ejected from a supersonic aircraft?
A: A bear, in 1962.  It was parachuted from 35,000 feet to a safe landing on earth.

To whom did Mahatma Gandhi write for advice on diet and exercise?
A: Strongman Charles Atlas.

In 1964, a capsized freighter was refloated in Kuwait by filling its hull with polystyrene balls.  Where did this idea originate?
A: In a 1949 Donald Duck comic, in which Donald and his nephews raised a yacht using ping pong balls.

Why does the Bronx Zoo get blood daily from a local slaughterhouse?
A: To feed its vampire bats, part of its captive breeding collection of bats--the largest in the world.

What famous Englishman's experiments with freezing meat in 1626 caused his death from exposure?
A: Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher, courtier, statesman, essayist.

What trade was Greek philosopher Socrates trained for?
A: Stonecutting.

Who was billed as "The Human Mop" when he joined his family's comic acrobatic vaudeville act at age 3?
A: Buster Keaton.

What did Hyman Lipman do in 1858 that made life easier for students?
A: He put pencil and eraser together.

Who went to New York City to launch her modeling career in 1966, after winning the Miss Rocket Tower beauty contest in California?
A: Cheryl Tiegs.

How much did 16-year-old Edgar Bergen pay a woodcarver for Charlie McCarthy's head in 1925--and what size had did it wear?
A: Cost, $36.00; hat size, 5-7/8.

The term "Siamese twins" originated with the birth of two brothers joined together at the chest.  What were their names?
A: Chang and Eng, born in 1811.

What did Lizzie Borden, Napoleon, and Titian have in common?
A: They were all red heads.

Gen. Tom Thumb, 3 feet 4 inches tall, was the first husband of Mercy Lavinia Bump, who measured 2 feet 8 inches. How tall was her second husband, Con Primo Magi?
A: Her equal at 2 feet 8 inches.