Pub Quiz
Categories:
Wonders of the world
Music
Sports
Current Events
Inventions/ Inventors
British History
Grab Bag
Film/TV
Wonders of the World
1. Name 3 of the ancient wonders of the world according to early lists made by Philon
of Byzantium
a. Great Pyramid of Giza
b. Hanging gardens of Babylon
c. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
d. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
e. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus
f. Colossus of Rhodes
g. Lighthouse at Alexandria
2. Which mosque (turned museum) famous for its dome sports, Byzantine architecture
and its name can be translated as “holy wisdom” in Greek.
a. Hagia Sophia
3. Emperor Shah Jahan built this Mausoleum in India for one of his wives.
a. Taj Mahal
4. This natural wonder of the world is observed at the polar zones, both North and
South.
a. Auroras
5. The Historic temple of Angkor Wat is located in which asian country
a. Cambodia
6. Which wonder of the world is located 2400 meters above sea level on a mountain
above the Peruvian Urubamba Valley
a. Machu Pichu
7. Which Italian ruler in the 20th century ordered the Leaning Tower of Pisa to be
returned to a vertical position and had concrete added to the foundation?
a. Benito Mussolini
8. In what county is Stonehenge located?
a. Wiltshire
9. Chomolungma was a term commonly used by Tibetans for centuries to describe
what natural world wonder?
a. Mount Everest
10. The Great Pyramid of Giza was made as a tomb for which of the following Khufu,
Khafre, Menutu or MenKaure
a. Khufu
Inventions/ Inventors
1. What did Sir Alexander Fleming discover 1920s?
a. Penicillin
2. What was Thomas Edison famous for discovering?
a. The Electric Light bulb
3. Karl Benz is generally acknowledged as the inventor of what?
a. The automobile
4. Which person is most commonly remembered as the “father of the atomic bomb?”
a. J. Robert Oppenheimer
5. Which sporting technique did American athlete Dick Fosbury invent?
a. The Fosbury Flop –the high jump technique
6. What was the name of the first ever orbiting satellite?
a. Sputnik
7. Erno Rubik puzzled millions of people by inventing this in 1974.
a. Rubik’s Cube
8. Suji Wa Dokushin Ni Kagiru meaning... the numbers must be single... is the proper
name for what puzzle sensation?
a. Sudoku
9. What were the first names of the Wright brothers who invented and built the first
airplane?
a. Wilbur & Orville
10. Which iconic superhero was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger and
made his debut in Detective Comics #27 in 1939?
a. Batman
11. How many stars did the first ever American Flag have?
a. 13
12. Despite never patenting his invention this man is credited with inventing the lightning
rod.
a. Benjamin Franklin
13. Which Italian artist painted the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Virgin of the
Rocks?
a. Leonardo da Vinci
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Music
1. What is the best selling album of all time?
a. Thriller by Michael Jackson – sales are stimated between 45 million
and 108 million copies worldwide.
2. Which singer headlined 1969 Woodstock but, due to bad weather and logistical
problems, didn’t get to perform until over half of the crowd had gone home?
a. Jimi Hendrix
3. Which horror musical, written by Richard Curtis and with a large cult following,
features the song Time Warp?
a. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
4. “Nothing Compares 2 U”, the worldwide smash hit by Sinead O’Connor, was written
by which American superstar?
a. Prince
5. Academy Award nominated actor Mark Wahlberg first gained fame as a rapper in
the 90’s- what was his band’s name?
a. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
6. Who is Ireland’s best selling solo artist, and the country’s second biggest musical
export after U2?
a. Enya
7. Which Scottish city attracts thousands of visitors every August with its series of
performing arts festivals?
a. Edinburgh
8. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and which other artist formed The
Highwaymen in 1985?
a. Johnny Cash
9. Trumpet, Trombone and Saxophone are all members of what section of the
orchestra?
a. The wind section
10. What musical event began in 1895, with an aim to “present the widest possible
range of music, performed to the highest standards, to large audiences” and is now
sponsored by the BBC?
a. The Proms
11. Which rock and pop megastar was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight?
a. Sir Elton John
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British History
1. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
a. Geoffrey Chaucer
2. Who was King Henry VIII’s Sixth wife
a. Catherine Parr
3. What date was D-Day?
a. June 6th, 1944
4. What was Prince Edward of Woodstock (1330- 1376) more commonly known as?
a. The Black Prince
5. What was the name of the sustained bombing campaign on London between
September 1940 and May 1941
a. The Blitz
6. Who is currently 4th in line to the throne of the Monarchy of the UK?
a. Prince Andrew – The Duke of York
7. The Glorious Revolution of 1688 allowed which king and queen came to power?
a. William of Orange and Mary II of England.
8. Who was the nickname given to King Richard I
a. Richard the Lion-heart.
9. How many years were between Winston Churchill’s 1st & 2nd terms as Prime
Minister?
a. 6 years
10. Which icon of London was retired in 2005?
a. The Routemaster bus
11. Who was King Arthur’s wife?
a. Guinevere
12. In what century was Cambridge University founded?
a. 13th
13. The War of the Roses was between which two houses?
a. House of Lancaster and House of York
14. Which English Prime Minister attended the Versailles Peace Conference at the end
of WWI?
a. David Lloyd George
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Sports
1. Both sides of the Nigeria civil war held a 48 hour cease-fire to watch which footballer
play in 1968?
a. Pele
2. Who is the only man to have twice won all four major in tennis in the same calendar
year?
a. Australian Rod Laver in 62 and 69
3. Jamaica had its first Olympic bobsled team in the Winter Olympics of which year?
a. 1988
4. How any times did Tim Henman reach Wimbledon Semi-Finals?
a. 4
5. Which America baseball team has won the most World Series?
a. New York Yankees – 26 times
6. What colour jersey would you see “The King of the Mountains” wear in the Tour de
France?
a. White and Red Polka dots
7. What colour is the centre bull’s-eye of an archery board?
a. Gold (would accept Yellow)
8. What is the name of the small trophy fought for between England and Australia
annually on the cricket pitch?
a. The Ashes
9. What sport, originated over 2000 years ago, has time periods called ‘chukka’s’?
a. Polo
10. Valentino Rossi rides for which Moto GP team?
a. Yamaha
11. What sport originated from the martial art of swordsmanship and is fought using
bamboo sticks?
a. Kendo
12. What 5 disciplines make up part of the rhythmic gymnastics discipline?
a. Robe, ball, hop, club/baton, ribbon
13. If you were doing the ‘goofy foot’ while ‘hanging 10’ what would you be doing?
a. Surfing
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Grab Bag
1. In what year was John Lennon shot?
a. 1980
2. How long is a marathon?
a. 42.195 kilometers or 26 miles 385 yards (26.22 miles)
3. If you were to travel on the London underground what lines would take you to
Wembley Park?
a. Jubilee and Metropolitan
4. How many stars are there in the Australian Flag?
a. 5
5. What is the capital of Ethiopia?
a. Addis Ababa
6. What is the longest running west end musical that is currently still showing?
a. Les Miserables – 23 years running (The mouse trap ran for 26 years but
stopped in 2004)
7. What is the name of Picasso’s famous painting depicting the Nazis bombing of
Guernica in Spain in April 26, 1937?
a. Guernica
8. How many novels are in the Chronicles of Narnia series?
a. 7
9. The Kola nut is used in which popular fizzy drink?
a. Coke
10. Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto refer to 4 moons of which planet?
a. Jupiter
11. To the nearest degree, Absolute 0 (or 0 degrees Kelvin) is what in Celsius?
a. -273.15
12. What is Superman’s born name given to him by his father Jor-El?
a. Kal-El
13. The name Amanda is formed from the Latin word ‘amo’ meaning what?
a. I love – Amanda literally means “she ought to be loved”
14. What was the name of the Popeye’s girlfriend?
a. Olive Oil
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Current Events
1. Who are/were the two American Presidential Candidates?
a. Mitt Romney and Barack Obama
2. What is the name of the energy reduction alliance ratified by 182 countries and/or
regions effective as of 2005?
a. Kyoto protocols
3. Name two emirates of the UAE?
a. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm alQaiwain
4. Who is the Queen of Denmark?
a. Queen Margreth II
5. What country has the highest Gross National Product per capita
a. Luxemburg
6. What is the number plate of sir Alan Sugars’ Rolls Royce
a. AMS 1
7. Which five countries have permanent seats on the UN security council?
a. USA, UK, France, China, and Russia
8. Where is the world’s largest desert?
a. Antarctica – why? Because it gets the least amount of rainfall a year,
then any other place in the world.
9. In what country is Guantanamo Bay?
a. Cuba
10. The Tutsies were part of what country’s 20th century genocide?
a. Rwanda
11. Who is the current President of Ireland?
a. Michael Daniel Higgins
12. What are the two colours of the flag of the EU?
a. Blue and Yellow
13. Which grandchild of Queen Elizabeth recently spent time in Afghanistan in the Royal
Army?
a. Prince Harry
14. What is the last country to win consecutive World and Euro Cups?
a. Spain
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Film/TV
1. Demi Moore became the first actress to receive a 12 million dollar fee in 1996 for
her role in which film?
a. Striptease
2. Who played Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part I?
a. Marlon Brando
3. Who played Mr White in the Quentin Tarantino classic Reservoir Dogs?
a. Harvey Keitel
4. Who was the second bond in the official James Bond series?
a. George Lazenby - in order Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger
Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig
5. Which actor played the adopted son of Chief Chingachgook in the movie The Last of
the Mohicans?
a. Daniel Day-Lewis
6. Who, at the age of 6, became the youngest person to be presented with an Oscar?
a. Shirley Temple
7. Which late director’s body of work includes A Clock Work Orange and Eyes Wide
Shut?
a. Stanley Kubrick
8. Name the character made famous by John Travolta in the movie Saturday Night
Fever?
a. Tony Manero
9. Which film trilogy is the highest grossing motion picture trilogy worldwide of all time?
a. The Lord Of the Rings – grossed a total of $2.91 billion
10. What type of martial art is Steven Seagal best known for?
a. Aikido
11. In Sex and the City, what is Mr Big’s real name?
a. John (full name is John James Preston)
12. What TV series, running from 1994 to 2004, included guest appearances from the
likes of Tom Selleck, Bruce Willis, Reese Witherspoon and Isabella Rossellini?
a. Friends
13. Who directed numerous Hollywood hits including Amistad and Schindler’s List?
a. Steven Spielberg
.
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