And travel in circles so much we wanted Depends.
You've made us Roll again more than a hot craps shooter in a gambling den
And dance around the center hexagon wishing we could Roll again again.
You've frustrated us with twisted pie slices wedged inextricably
And totally guessable answers that we've missed inexplicably.
Yet for all the trials and tribulations you've put us through,
Happy 25th Anniversary, Trivial Pursuit®, we still love you!
[The Trivia Why's Guy, 2007]
Trivial Pursuit Genus Editions - Updates and Corrections to the Original Game
The following updates and corrections for the original Genus Edition of Trivial Pursuit® are intended for historical purposes only. If you are still playing this version, please join the 21st century by pointing your web browser over to Hasbro or visiting your favorite local toy store and buying a newer edition (Genus V, 20th Anniversary, Sixth, and 1990's editions are the currently available genus versions).This information is to the best of my knowledge as of February 11, 2007. My major sources include In Further Pursuit of Trivial Pursuit (Joseph A. DeBartolo, 1984), Winning at Trivial Pursuit (Jeff Rovin, 1984), the Google Usenet News Archive, Wikipedia, and hundreds of random web sites found through Google. Additions and comments are most welcome at tpcorrections@triviawhys.com, or just post them in the comments section of this blog article. Please do not copy this list elsewhere without a link back to this blog as the data will be updated as necessary.
Definitions of the columns in the main table:
- Original Status - Status of the question and answer in 1982 (see next table).
- Current Status - Status of the question and answer now (see next table).
- Original Answer - The answer printed on the original card in 1982.
- Current Answer - The corrected answer. Empty quote marks indicate that the original answer is still correct.
- Abbreviated Question - The trivia question in short.
- Notes - Explanation of the update.
Definitions of the seven possible answer statuses:
Answer Status | Correct Answer? | Description |
Okay | Yes | Answer was correct in 1982 and is still correct now (typos, spelling errors, and quote paraphrases ignored). |
Adjusted | Yes | Answer is correct, but the question needs a tweak to be completely accurate. In some cases, even though the question is bad, the answer required is clear. |
Historical | Yes | Answer isn't arguable but refers in the present tense to something that no longer exists. |
Partial | Maybe | Answer is one of two or more possible correct answers. |
Debatable | Maybe | Answer is arguable because it is difficult to determine or the question is vague. |
Incorrect | No | Answer was already incorrect in 1982. |
Changed | No | Answer was correct in 1982 but is incorrect now. |
Below are the updates and corrections, sorted by the original answers. Note that different versions have been released with corrections, which I would also like to track if possible. The box I have says © 1981 Horn Abbot Ltd. (which still owns the rights to Trivial Pursuit today) even though it was distributed by Selchow and Righter in 1983 or later (it also says "No. 7", which might be the update number).
Original Status | Current Status | Original Answer | Current Answer | Abbreviated Question | Notes |
Partial | Partial | Ace, two, three, four, six | Ace, two, three, four, six or ace, two, three, four, five | Lowest possible five-card poker hand with aces low | Both six-low and five-low are played. In two of the popular poker variations, Omaha Hi-Lo and Razz, five-low is standard. |
Okay | Changed | Adams, Harrison, Johnson, Roosevelt | Adams, Harrison, Johnson, Roosevelt, and Bush | Four surnames shared by multiple U.S. presidents | George H.W. Bush was the 41st President, and George W. Bush was the 43rd President. |
Partial | Partial | Advantage | Advantage, 40-30, or 30-40 | Point scored immediately before deuce in tennis | The question really should have asked about the point after deuce. |
Okay | Changed | Aeroflot | American Airlines | Largest airline in the world | Russia's Aeroflot was the largest beginning in the late 1930s, but American Airlines is now the largest. |
Okay | Changed | Agate | Pearl, alexandrite, or moonstone | June's birthstone | Agate is no longer commonly considered to be the birthstone. |
Okay | Changed | Alaska | Wyoming | U.S. state with the smallest population | As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Wyoming is the least populous state with 494,000 people. Alaska also passed Vermont and North Dakota and sits at 47th with 627,000 people. |
Okay | Debatable | Albania, Andorra, Austria | Albania, Andorra, Austria, [and Azerbaijan] | Three European countries beginning with the letter A | Azerbaijan is sometimes considered part of Europe now. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Albert Blake Dick | Thomas Edison | Inventor of the mimeograph machine | Edison received patents in 1876 and 1880 for his process. Dick coined the term "mimeograph" in 1887. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Aldous Huxley | William Shakespeare | Author whose Miranda exclaimed, "Oh brave new world that has such people in it" | Shakespeare's character Miranda first spoke the line in The Tempest. Aldous Huxley borrowed from it to name his novel Brave New World and his Savage quotes her twice. [FIXED] My version says Shakespeare. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Anchors Aweigh | "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" | U.S. Navy hymn | "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is the official hymn, while "Anchors Aweigh" is the official song. |
Okay | Changed | Animal, vegetable, mineral | Animalia, plantae, fungi, protista, archaebacteria, eubacteria | The three kingdoms of nature | Carolus Linnaeus created the three ancient divisions in 1735, and more were added to reach six. Another system uses three domains instead: eukarya, archaea, and bacteria. |
Okay | Historical | Apartheid | "" | South Africa's racial policy | The country ended its racist policy in 1994. |
Okay | Adjusted | The Arabian | "" | Sea that Bombay is on | Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1995. |
Okay | Debatable | Archie Moore | Archie Moore or George Foreman | Oldest man to hold a world boxing title, at 44 | Moore actually held the Light Heavyweight title until he was 45 or 48 years old (his birth year is either 1913 or 1916). If the latter, then Foreman edged him, holding the heavyweight title just shy of his 46th birthday. |
Okay | Historical | Arkansas | "" | Only Southwest Conference football team not based in Texas | Arkansas left the conference in 1991 before the SWC disbanded in May 1996. |
Okay | Adjusted | Asia | "" | Continent that's home to half the world's people | Asia has over 60% of the world's population (3.9 billion out of 6.4 billion) as of 2004, so while the question is still correct, it could be phrased more precisely. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The Atlantic Ocean | "" | Body of water Ridgway and Blyth were the first to row across | George Harpo and Frank Samuelson accomplished the feat in 55 days beginning on June 7, 1896, beating John Ridgway and Chay Blyth by 70 years. |
Okay | Changed | The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic | The Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern | The world's four oceans | Five oceans are recognized now, including the Southern Ocean, which was officially named by the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Australia | "" | Country originally known as Terra Australis Incognita | The Dutch called it New Holland earlier, in the late 1600s. Terra Australis was really meant to refer to Antarctica, but it hadn't been discovered yet when Matthew Flinders gave the name to Australia. |
Okay | Partial | Australia, Britain, Canada | Australia, Britain, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, etc. | Only three countries to have challenged the U.S. for yachting's America's Cup | New Zealand joined the fray in 1983 and won in 1995 and 2000, Italy reached the final in 1992 and 2000, and Switzerland won in 2003. |
Okay | Historical | Austria | "" | Only European country that uses schillings | Austria officially switched from the Austrian schilling to the euro in 1999 and stopped using schillings altogether in 2002. |
Okay | Changed | Babe Ruth | Barry Bonds | Baseball player who walked the most times | Bonds finished the 2006 season with 2,426 career walks, 364 more than Ruth. Bonds also broke Ruth's season record (170 in 1923) with 177 in 2000 and 198 in 2002. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | A baseball | A softball | Heavier of the two: a baseball or a softball | A standard 12-inch softball weighs about 7 ounces, while a baseball weighs only 5.25 ounces. A 16-inch softball is even heavier, at a minimum of 9 ounces. |
Partial | Partial | Baseball and bridge | Baseball, bridge, table tennis, tennis, etc. | Two games that have a rubber and a grand slam | The surface of table tennis paddles is called a rubber, and Davis Cup matches are called rubbers. Both sports have Grand Slams. |
Okay | Historical | Belgrade | "" | Capital of Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia split into Serbia and Montenegro in 2003. |
Okay | Partial | Ben Hogan | Ben Hogan or Bobby Jones | Only golfer whose life story was made the subject of a movie | Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius hit the big screen in 2004 to go along with Follow the Sun in 1951. |
Okay | Partial | Ben Hur | Ben-Hur, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King | Film that won the most Academy Awards, 11 | The 1997 movie Titanic and the 2003 movie The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King both tied the record. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Big Mac | "" | Item described as "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a sesame seed bun" | The phrase ended, "on a sesame seed bun", not "and a sesame seed bun". |
Okay | Changed | Billie Jean King | Martina Navratilova | Woman who won the most Wimbledon tennis championships | King won six singles crowns. Navratilova tied the mark in 1985, passed it in 1986, and finished with a ninth in 1990. If you include doubles and mixed doubles, they tied with 20 each (King: 6, 10, and 4; Navratilova: 9, 7, and 4). |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Billy the Kid | "" | Infamous pseudonym of William Bonney | William Bonney was also a pseudonym for the outlaw born as Henry McCarty. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Bjorn Borg | William Renshaw | First player to win five straight Wimbledon singles tennis titles | Renshaw capture the title every year from 1881 to 1886. Lawrence Doherty also won five straight, from 1902 to 1906, before Borg's 1976 to 1980 run. |
Okay | Changed | Black | Any that doesn't match the ball | Color of the shirts table tennis players must wear in official competition | Current International Table Tennis Federation rules allow clothing to be any color that does not match the ball's color. |
Okay | Historical | Black, red, gold | "" | The three colors on the West German flag | This is still correct but now historical since West Germany and East Germany reunited on October 3, 1990. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Blindman's buff | Blindman's bluff | Game known in various countries as blind fly, blind cow and blind buck | The given answer is the U.K. spelling, while the corrected answer is the standard U.S. spelling. |
Okay | Partial | Bob Mathias | Bob Mathias and Daley Thompson | Only man to have won the Olympic decathlon twice | Great Britain's Daley Thompson captured the decathlon gold in both 1980 and 1984. |
Okay | Adjusted | Bombay | "" | Largest city in India | Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1995. |
Okay | Historical | Bonn | "" | Capital of West Germany | This was correct from 1949 to 1990. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The brassiere | "" | Otto Titzling's invention | The 1971 book Bust-Up: The uplifting tale of Otto Titzling and the development of the bra fabricated this story. |
Partial | Partial | Bret and Bart | Bret, Bart, and Brent | First names of the Maverick brothers | Robert Colbert played brother Brent on the Maverick television series. |
Okay | Changed | Bridge | Poker | Most popular card game in the English-speaking world | Poker, with Texas Hold 'Em being the most-played variation, and possibly solitaire have surpassed bridge in popularity. |
Okay | Changed | Britain, China, France, the USSR and U.S. | Britain (United Kingdom), China, France, Russia and U.S. | The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council | The USSR was replaced by Russia. |
Okay | Historical | British Airways and Air France | "" | The two airlines that fly the Concorde | Operation of the Concorde ceased in 2003 after 34 years. |
Okay | Changed | California | Minnesota | U.S. state that raises the most turkeys | As of 2005, the top six states in order were Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri, and California. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Camels | "" | Animals crucial to Lawrence of Arabia's campaigns in the 1924-1928 war | The war was World War I, so the years should be 1914-1918. |
Okay | Okay | Canada | Canada or Russia and its predecessors | Country with the most Olympic hockey gold medals | The Soviet Union and Unified Team have won 8 gold medals in men's hockey, while Canada has won 7. However, Canada's women have also won 2 gold medals to bring their total to 9. |
Partial | Partial | Captain James T. Kirk | Captain Jonathan Archer, Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Willard Decker, Spock, John Harriman, Rachel Garrett, and Jean-Luc Picard | Commander of the Starship Enterprise | Kirk was the captain in the original Star Trek television show, while others have served as captain of one of the seven Enterprises in spinoffs and movies. |
Okay | Historical | Caspian Sea | "" | Lake between the Soviet Union and Iran | The Caspian Sea lies between Russia and Iran since the Soviet Union split in 1991. |
Debatable | Debatable | Chang | Chang or Mohammad | Most common surname in the world | Some sources say Mohammad, but it's debatable. |
Historical | Historical | Chicago | "" | Location of the Union Stockyards | The stockyards have been gone since 1971, and the area now holds the Stockyards Industrial Park. |
Okay | Debatable | Chicago's | unknown | City whose bus terminal boasts the world's busiest pay phone, at 270 calls a day | The number of calls is certainly way down since cell phones became popular. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Chile | "" | Country where Magallanes, the world's southernmost city, is | Magallanes is a region, not a city. |
Okay | Changed | China, India, the Soviet Union, and the U.S. | China, India, the U.S., Indonesia, [Brazil and Pakistan] | Four countries with half the world's population | The U.S. is now the third most populous country, and Indonesia is fourth. The top four account for 45.3% of the world's population as of 2004 (add in Brazil and Pakistan to get over half). |
Partial | Partial | Cleveland | "" | City whose newspaper is called The Plain Dealer | Although it is Ohio's largest newspaper, other newspapers across the country share the name. |
Okay | Changed | Coca-Cola | United Postal Service | Company with the world's second-largest truck fleet | Wal-Mart is now number one. Number two may be the United Parcel Service or the U.S. Postal Service. |
Okay | Changed | Coin collecting | Gardening | Most popular hobby in America | Gardening, genealogy, coin collecting, and even PC use now stake claims to the title. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | College football bowl games | "" | What the Liberty, Gator, Hula, Pecan, and Bluebonnet are | The Liberty, Gator, and Hula bowls still exist, but the Pecan existed only from 1964 to 1970 and the Bluebonnet lasted from 1959 to 1987. |
Okay | Historical | Craig Claiborne | "" | Food editor of the New York Times | Claiborne passed away in 2000, and the New York Times no longer has a food editor. |
Okay | Changed | Craps | Slot machines | Biggest money-making game for Las Vegas casinos | Slot machine revenue makes up well over two-thirds of all game revenue. Craps also brings in less money than blackjack now. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Craps | Blackjack | Las Vegas casino game with the best odds | If you count cards in blackjack, you can get favorable odds in the long run, although the casino may also throw you out. |
Okay | Changed | Czechoslovakia | Czech Republic | Country where a true Bohemian lives | On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. |
Okay | Historical | Czechoslovakia | "" | Country abbreviated as C.S.S.R. | This is historical now since Czechoslovakia split up. |
Okay | Changed | Czechoslovakia | Czech Republic | Country that forms all of Hungary's northern border | On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Austria and the Ukraine also touch Hungary in the north. |
Partial | Partial | The Deerslayer | The Deerslayer, Pathfinder, Hawkeye, or Leatherstocking | What James Fenimore Cooper character Natty Bumppo is also known as | The colonists called him Leatherstocking, while the Native Americans called him Deerslayer, Pathfinder, or Hawkeye. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Delaware | Florida | U.S. state with the lowest highest elevation, at 60 feet | Delaware has the lowest mean elevation (60 feet), but Florida has the lowest peak (Britton Hill is 345 feet above sea level). |
Okay | Historical | Denver | "" | Location of Mile High Stadium | The former home of the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies closed in 2001 and was demolished the following January. |
Okay | Partial | Diamond | Diamond or quartz | April's birthstone | Quartz, or rock crystal, is a cheaper alternative. |
Okay | Adjusted | Dinar | "" | Unit of currency used in Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia split into Serbia and Montenegro in 2003. |
Debatable | Debatable | Dolphin | Dolphin, Chimpanzee, etc. | Most intelligent creature on earth after man | This is basically an unanswerable question since there are so many ways to define "intelligent". |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Double Doody | "" | Howdy Doody's twin brother | Double Doody was actually just the nickname given to Howdy Doody's backup and "stunt double" puppet. |
Okay | Adjusted | Dungarees | "" | Overalls named for Dungri, a suburb of Bombay | Bombay was renamed Mumbai in 1995. |
Okay | Changed | DuPont | BASF | World's largest chemical company | BASF ranks first in both revenue and market capitalization. DuPont is third in revenue, also behind Dow Chemical, and second in market cap. |
Okay | Historical | East Berlin | "" | Capital of East Germany | This was true from 1961 to 1990. |
Okay | Changed | East Germany | Germany | Location of Leipzig, Dresden and Magdeburg | The country has been called Germany since reunification in 1990. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Eddie Arcaro | "" | Five-time winner of the Kentucky Derby who lost his first 250 races | The two-time Triple Crown winner only lost his first 45 mounts. |
Okay | Adjusted | Eggs | "" | What the typical American eats 263 of each year | Despite cholesterol concerns, this number hasn't dropped much. United Egg says the number of eggs produced divided by the population equaled 255 in 2005. Even taking into account breakage, non-food uses, and so on, the number is still probably over 200. |
Partial | Partial | Eight | Eight or nine | Number of reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh | Clement Moore's 1823 poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas" has eight, and Robert May added Rudolph in 1937. |
Partial | Partial | Eight minutes | Eight minutes and eighteen seconds | Amount of time it takes sunlight to reach Earth | Since the granularity of the answer wasn't specified, the given answer is correct enough. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Elizabeth I | St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins | Queen whom the Virgin Islands were named for in 1627 | Christopher Columbus named them in 1493 for St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins (not a queen, so the question as stated has no correct answer). |
Okay | Partial | Emerald | Emerald or chrysoprase | May's birthstone | Chrysoprase, a variety of chalcedony containing nickel, is an alternative. |
Okay | Changed | English, French, Spanish, Italian | English, French, Spanish, and Chinese | The four most widely-used languages in North America | Chinese is now the third most popular language in both the U.S., where Italian has dropped all the way to eighth, and Canada. |
Okay | Changed | Europe | Asia | Continent with the most people per square mile | Asia is now number one by far, with 203 people per square mile to Europe's 134. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The eyes | "" | What it's impossible to keep open while sneezing | It's possible but not recommended. |
Okay | Adjusted | The F.A. Cup soccer final | "" | Event played at Wembley Stadium, London, every May | The original Wembley Stadium was built in 1924 and demolished in 2002. A new Wembley is set to open in June 2007, so Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has been the site since 2001. |
Okay | Changed | The Federation Cup | The Fed Cup | Women's tennis equivalent to the Davis Cup | The name was officially truncated in 1996. |
Okay | Partial | The fifteenth | The fifteenth or third | Crystal Anniversary | Crystal is the fifteenth on the traditional anniversary gift list and third on the modern list. |
Okay | Partial | The fifth | The fifth or sixth | Wood Anniversary | Wood is the fifth on the traditional anniversary gift list and sixth on the modern list. |
Partial | Partial | The final out | The final out or it's over | When a baseball game is never over until | The original answer isn't true when the home team wins in its final at-bat. Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over." |
Partial | Partial | Five | Five or four and a half if the home team is winning | Number of innings needed for an official baseball game | If the home team has the lead, four and a half innings are sufficient if rain or other conditions end the game. |
Partial | Partial | Five | Five or three | Number of sets in a full-length men's championship tennis match | Grand Slam tournament finals and some Masters series finals are best-of-five sets, while most other tournaments are best-of-three. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Florida and Hawaii | Florida and Alaska | Two states with the farthest-separated points in the U.S. | Florida and Alaska have more distant points, but not by much. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The flush toilet | "" | Great and proud claim to fame of Thomas Crapper | Crapper neither invented the flush toilet nor originated the verb that sounds like his name. He was a plumber who helped popularize the toilet however. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Forty | Almost sixty | Number of times more than the brain that the human body typically weighs | Although the average adult human brain still weighs around three pounds, the average human body continues to get heavier (153 pounds in 1960 to 178 pounds in 2002). |
Partial | Partial | Forty-eight | Forty-six or forty-eight | Number of stars on the U.S. flag in 1912 | Arizona and New Mexico joined the union that year, so there were 46 stars until July 4, 1912 and 48 stars after. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The fountain pen | "" | Lewis E. Waterman invention | Waterman only improved the fountain pen, which had been invented somewhere between two and eight centuries earlier. |
Partial | Partial | Four | Four or five | Men's par on a 455-yard golf hole | There is a maximum yardage for each par level, but the ranges overlap. |
Okay | Debatable | Fourth | Third or fourth | U.S. rank among world countries in area | The U.S. is third if you subtract some disputed regions from China's total. India also claims Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract. |
Okay | Changed | France | Ukraine | Largest country in Europe after the Soviet Union | The Ukraine is now considered the largest European country. The Russia, Turkey, and Greenland are larger than France but none are truly in Europe. |
Okay | Changed | France | Japan | Country with the third-most satellites in orbit | Both Japan and China had overtaken France as of 2006, trailing only the U.S. and Russia. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Fred Perry | William Renshaw | First man to win three consecutive Wimbledon singles tennis titles | Renshaw capture the title every year from 1881 to 1886. Reginald Doherty, Lawrence Doherty, and Anthony Wilding also won at least three straight before Perry. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | French | Dutch or Flemish | Most commonly-spoken language in Belgium | Dutch, also called Flemish, is the number one language (59%, to 40% for French). |
Okay | Adjusted | The French Foreign Legion | "" | Fighting unit headquartered in Corsica | Although the military unit is still mostly located on the island, the headquarters are now in Aubagne, France. |
Okay | Partial | Garnet | Garnet or rose quartz | January's birthstone | Rose quartz, symbolizing friendship, is a less expensive alternative. |
Okay | Historical | Gene Autry | "" | Cowboy star who is part-owner of the California Angels baseball team | The California Angels became the Anaheim Angels in 1997, a year before Autry passed away. |
Partial | Partial | Gentlemen, start your engines | [Lady or Ladies and] Gentlemen, start your engines | Words that signal the start of the Indianapolis 500 | The variation spoken depends on the number of female drivers in the race. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | George S. Patton Jr. | "" | U.S. general who died Dec. 10, 1945, when his jeep collided with a truck | The general's accident occurred on December 9 and his death on December 21. |
Partial | Partial | Gold | Gold or silver | Metal that Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe's nose was made of | As a 20-year-old, Brahe got the worse of a sword fight with a classmate and had to wear artificial bridges for the rest of his life. |
Partial | Partial | Gold and silver | Gold and silver or nickel or palladium or platinum or zinc | Two metals in the alloy white gold | White gold can be made with gold and a number of other metals. |
Partial | Partial | Golf and tennis | Golf, tennis, squash, racketball, table tennis, volleyball, etc. | Two ball sports that use the term ace | Many sports that involve serving have aces. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | A golf ball | "" | Object with 336 dimples | There is no standard number of dimples on a golf ball anymore. Most balls now have more. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The Good Ship Lollipop | "" | Plane that Shirley Temple sang about in the 1934 film Bright Eyes | The "Lollipop" was not an airplane. Temple was singing about the pillow on her bed while flying in an airplane. |
Okay | Changed | Gordie Howe | Wayne Gretzky | NHL's all-time leading goal scorer | The Great One finished his career with 894 goals, 108 more than Howe. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Gorgeous George | "" | Person who had Chanel No. 5 sprayed in the ring before he wrestled | The perfume was Chanel No. 10. |
Okay | Changed | Grease | The Phantom of the Opera | Play with the longest run on Broadway | Several plays have broken this record, most recently The Phantom of the Opera, which passed Cats with its 7,486th performance on January 9, 2006. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | The Great Wall of China | "" | Only manmade structure visible from space | Depending on how you define "manmade structure" and where in "space" you are, some other answers are possible. None are visible from the moon or even more than a few thousand miles away. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The Greatest | The Greatest: My Own Story | Muhammad Ali's autobiography | Richard Durham helped Ali write the 1975 book. |
Okay | Changed | Greece | Bulgaria and Romania | Last country to join the European Economic Community | Spain and Portugal joined in 1986; Austria, Finland, and Sweden in 1995; Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia in 2004; and Bulgaria and Romania in 2007. Now called the European Union. |
Partial | Partial | Hank Ketcham | Hank Ketcham (U.S.) or David Law (U.K.) | Creator of Dennis the Menace | Amazingly, an unrelated U.K. strip also named Dennis the Menace debuted just three days after the U.S. comic in March 1951. |
Okay | Changed | Hawaii | Thailand | Place where three quarters of the world's pineapples are grown | As of 2001, Thailand led the world in pineapple production, with 13.9% of the total 14.22 million tons. Hawaii managed only 300,000 tons (which had slipped to 200,000 by 2005). Dole shut down its canning operation in 1991. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Henry Kissinger | "" | Person who knelt in prayer with Richard Nixon in the final hours of Watergate | Kissenger claims he didn't. |
Okay | Historical | Hong Kong | "" | Britain's possession on the Chinese mainland | China took back control on July 1, 1997, when its 99-year lease ended. |
Okay | Adjusted | Hong Kong | "" | British colony with a famed jade market on Canton Road | Hong Kong is no longer a colony, and the market moved to the corner of Kansu and Battery streets in 1984. |
Okay | Changed | Horse racing | Major League Baseball | Most attended sport in the U.S. | According to Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, over 31 million people attended horse racing events in 2004, while Major League Baseball drew 73 million fans in 2004. |
Partial | Partial | Hypoxemia, or lack of blood to the brain | "" | The cause of every human death | The question really should say "almost every", since exceptions like death by atomic bomb certainly exist. |
Partial | Partial | "I see nothing, I know nothing" | "I see nothing, I know nothing" or "I know nothing" | Sergeant Schultz's standard cop-out | The German spoke the shorter phrase more often. |
Okay | Partial | Impossible Missions Force | Impossible Missions Force or International Music Feed | What TV's IMF stood for | Mission: Impossible probably had more fans, but AT&T created its International Music Feed in 2005. |
Okay | Adjusted | Impotence | "" | Sexual problem that's grounds for divorce in 24 U.S. states | Almost all states now either allow divorce because of impotence or permit no-fault divorces. |
Okay | Partial | India rubber | Rubber | What a lacrosse ball is made of | None of the official rules state what type of rubber the balls must be made from. |
Okay | Changed | Ingemar Johansson | Wladimir Klitschko | Last white man to hold the world heavyweight boxing championship | Wladimir Klitschko defeated Chris Byrd on October 14, 2000 to become WBO World Heavyweight Champion, and he added the IBF and IBO titles in 2006. |
Okay | Historical | Intourist | "" | The Soviet Union's state-run travel agency | The Russian agency was privatized in 1992, a year after the Soviet Union was split up. |
Partial | Partial | The Irish Wolfhound | The Irish Wolfhound or Great Dane (tallest) or St. Bernard (heaviest) | World's largest dog | The Irish Wolfhound is the tallest breed on average, a Great Dane holds the individual height record, and the St. Bernard is the heaviest. |
Okay | Changed | Italy | Luxembourg | Country that consumes the most wine per capita | As of 2003, the leader was Luxembourg at 66.1 liters per drinking-age person, ahead of France's 48.5 and Italy's 47.5. Luxembourg has been number one since about 1997. |
Okay | Changed | Italy | U.S. | Country with the most Contract Bridge world championships | The United States currently leads Italy 17 to 14, including a North American victory with Canada in 1970. |
Okay | Changed | Jai Alai | Golf | Sport featuring the fastest-moving ball | Golf technology has advanced so far that drives can come off the tee up to 170 miles per hour, faster than the 150 mph a jai alai ball can travel. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | James Earl Ray's | "" | Person whose life is depicted in George McMillan's The Portrait of an Assassin | The correct title of the 1976 book is The Making of an Assassin: The Life of James Earl Ray. |
Okay | Changed | Japan's | Euro? | Country whose currency is considered the most difficult to counterfeit | Polymer banknotes with extra security were first used in Australia in 1988. The euro was supposed to be very difficult to counterfeit, but the bad guys only needed four years to crack it (2002 to 2006). |
Okay | Changed | Jersey Joe Walcott | Evander Holyfield | Boxer who lost the most heavyweight title fights | Evander Holyfield failed to defend his heavyweight crown six times, two times more than Walcott. Holyfield lost to Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer twice, Lennox Lewis twice, and John Ruiz. |
Okay | Changed | Jersey Joe Walcott | George Foreman | Oldest man to have held the world heavyweight boxing title | On November 5, 1994, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer in the tenth round to win the heavyweight crown at the age of 45 years and 9 months. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | John F. Kennedy's | "" | Person whose last words were, "My God, I'm hit" | Special agent Roy H. Kellerman claimed this, but other possible last words were "Is it bad? Please don't. Don't lift me" or something before he was shot by the first bullet, which struck his larynx. |
Partial | Partial | Jose Ferrer | Jose Ferrer (movie) or Henry Fonda ( play) | Actor who defended the Caine mutineers | Henry Fonda played Lt. Barney Greenwald in the play in 1954, the same year the movie was released. More recently, David Schwimmer has played the role on stage. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Khrushchev's shoe-pounding | "" | Cause of an adjournment of the 25th anniversary session of the United Nations General Assembly | The date was September 29, 1960, only fifteen years after the United Nations was formed. |
Okay | Debatable | Kodak | unknown | Company that's the world's largest user of silver | Kodak may still lead the way, but the company discontinued making film cameras in 2004 and produces less film every year. |
Debatable | Debatable | Lake Ontario | Lake Ontario or Lake Erie | Smallest of the Great Lakes | Lake Ontario is the smallest in area, while Lake Erie is the smallest in volume. |
Okay | Historical | The Leaning Tower of Pisa | "" | Object predicted to topple over between 2010 and 2020 | Work in 2001 stabilized the landmark for at least the next 300 years. |
Okay | Changed | Leningrad | Saint Petersburg | Russian city with the Hermitage Museum | The city reverted to its original name in 1991 after going by Petrograd from 1914 to 1924 and Leningrad since then. |
Debatable | Debatable | Lightning | Volcanoes | Natural phenomenon that kills more people than any other | Lightning kills about 2,000 people around the world each year, while the Toba eruption claimed an estimated five to six million lives. Floods, earthquakes, cyclones, and tsunamis probably also rank above lightning. |
Partial | Partial | The llama | The llama or alpaca | Branch of the camel family found only in the Andes | Alpacas are smaller than llamas and, like sheep with long necks, are raised for their wool. |
Partial | Partial | London | Kew or London or England | Location of Kew Gardens | Since the question doesn't specify what level of detail is desired, the answer is correct, but the town is called Kew, the county Greater London, and the region London. |
Okay | Changed | Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal, St. Louis | Los Angeles, Mexico City, Montreal, St. Louis, Atlanta | Four North American cities that have hosted the Summer Olympics | Los Angeles hosted a second time in 1984, and Atlanta joined the ranks in 1996. |
Okay | Partial | Manuel Benitez Perez, or El Cordobes | Manuel Benitez Perez (El Cordobes) or Julian Lopez Escobar (El Juli) | Bullfighter who earned more than $3 million a year at the height of his career | Julian Lopez Escobar, El Juli, appears to be the currently highest-paid bullfighter, at around $200,000 per fight. |
Okay | Changed | The martini | The margarita | Most popular cocktail in the U.S. | The margarita stakes its claim partly thanks to Jimmy Buffett, and number two is probably the cosmopolitan, thanks to Sex and the City. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | The Mediterranean | The South China Sea or Caribbean Sea | World's largest sea | The South China Sea, a marginal sea, is usually considered the biggest, and the Caribbean Sea is also larger. |
Okay | Partial | Melbourne | Melbourne and Sydney | Only Australian city to have hosted the Olympic Games | Sydney hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics, 44 years after Melbourne had the honors. |
Okay | Partial | The Minnesota Vikings | The Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos | Team that lost the most Super Bowls | The Vikings and Bills are both 0-4, while the Broncos are 2-4 in NFL's grand finale. |
Debatable | Debatable | The Mississippi | The Mississippi or Missouri | Longest river in the U.S. | Depending on where you measure from, the Missouri River is sometimes considered longer. Hydrologically, the Red Rock/Missouri/Mississippi system is the longest and is referred to as the Mississippi. |
Okay | Historical | Monopoly® | "" | Board game banned in the Soviet Union | Monopoly® is no longer banned in Russia. |
Okay | Partial | Monty Hall | Monty Hall or Billy Bush | Host of "Let's Make a Deal" | A short-lived incarnation in 2003 with Billy Bush bombed. |
Okay | Adjusted | Morocco | "" | African kingdom ruled by Hassan II | Hassan ruled until his death on July 23, 1999. Mohammed VI is the current king. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Moses | Joshua | Prophet who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land | Although Joshua wasn't a prophet, he completed the mission after Moses was killed. |
Partial | Partial | The Mousetrap | The Mousetrap or Macbeth | Play with more performances than any other in British theater | The given answer assumes consecutive performances, but the question doesn't state that. |
Okay | Historical | Muhammad Ali | unknown | Person who claims to be the most recognized person in the world | Nobody claims this right now, as far as I can tell. |
Partial | Partial | Nepal | Nepal and China | Country where Mount Everest is | The mountain borders Nepal and Tibet. |
Okay | Changed | The New York Daily News | The New York Times | Newspaper with the largest Sunday circulation in North America | The Times has 1.6 million Sunday subscribers, easily besting The Los Angeles Times. Neither USA Today nor the Wall Street Journal publishes on weekends. (In Further Pursuit shows the correct answer. Was this broken?) |
Okay | Debatable | Nevada | Nevada, Arizona, or New Mexico | U.S. state with the least rainfall | This varies from year to year, with Arizona and New Mexico also vying for the honors. |
Okay | Okay | Nine | "" | Number of Oscars won by Gone with the Wind | The omitted award was probably the Technical Achievement Award "for pioneering in the use of coordinated equipment". |
Debatable | Debatable | Nine | Nine, Eight, Seven, etc. | Number considered to be the luckiest number worldwide | Eight is the luckiest number in Chinese culture, seven in American, and so on. |
Partial | Partial | The nine of hearts | many | Playing card that's the symbol of love | The nine, queen, & king of hearts, and several of the clubs (cups in a Tarot deck) all symbolize love. |
Okay | Changed | North Dakota | Vermont | Most rural state in the U.S. | According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 61.8% of Vermont's population is rural, ahead of Maine at 59.8%, West Virginia at 53.9%, and Mississippi at 51.2%. North Dakota was only 44.2%. |
Okay | Okay | The North Pole | "" | Pole that gets more sunlight: the North Pole or the South Pole | Spring and summer (when the North Pole is tilted toward the sun) are about five days shorter than fall and winter (when the South Pole is) in the Northern Hemisphere. |
Okay | Changed | Norway, Sweden, the Soviet Union | Norway, Sweden, Russia, and Estonia (water border) | Three countries that border Finland | Estonia and Russia now border Finland instead of the Soviet Union. Norway, Sweden, and Russia are the only countries with land borders. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | The nose and paws | The paws | Only two places where dogs have sweat glands | Moisture comes from the nose, but there are no sweat glands there. |
Okay | Changed | O.J. Simpson | LaDainian Tomlinson | Player who holds the NFL record for most touchdowns in a season | Simpson's record of 23 in 1975 was initially broken by John Riggins with 24 in 1983. Tomlinson set the current records with 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 combined touchdowns in 2006. |
Okay | Okay | Oct. 29, 1929 | "" | Date known as Black Tuesday | The original answer is significantly more commonly used than September 11, 2001, which was dubbed Black Tuesday by some but is mostly known as 9/11 now. |
Okay | Changed | Oklahoma | New Mexico | U.S. state with the largest Indian population | New Mexico is now number one, followed by South Dakota and Oklahoma. And the question should specify American Indians, or preferably Native Americans. |
Partial | Partial | One and seventeen | One and seventeen or negative one and negative seventeen | Only two numbers that divide into 17 evenly | Negative numbers work too. The question should specify "positive integers". |
Okay | Okay | One day | "" | What you gain by crossing the international date line to the east | Because the line zig zags around various islands, the difference can sway by an hour or two, but the given answer is accurate enough. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | One jack and four fives | The jack of nobs and four fives | The five cards in a perfect Cribbage hand | The jack of the starter suit and all four fives gives you 12 points in pairs, 16 points in fifteens, and 1 point for nobs for a total of 29 points. |
Partial | Partial | Paper, stone, and scissors | Paper, stone, and scissors; or rock, paper, scissors; or Rochambeau; etc. | Game where the winner strikes the loser's wrist with two extended fingers | The given answer is the usual British name, sometimes in stone-paper-scissors order. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | A par five | A par five or a par four | Only kind of golf hole you can shoot a double eagle on | A hole-in-one is a double eagle on a par four, while holing out in two strokes nets you a double eagle on a par five. |
Okay | Adjusted | Paris | "" | Location of the famed Crazy Horse Saloon, telephone number 255-6969 | The saloon's current phone number is 01-47-23-32-32. |
Okay | Changed | Park | Main | Most common street in America | As of 2002, the number one street was Main, well ahead of Washington, Park, and Broadway. |
Okay | Changed | Peanuts | Garfield | World's most-read comic strip | Charles Schulz passed away on February 12, 2000, and only reruns have been printed in papers since shortly thereafter, greatly lowering circulation. According to Answers.com in 2005, Garfield appears in over 2,500 newspapers worldwide. |
Partial | Partial | The penguin | The penguin, cassowary, or emu | Bird that can swim but can't fly | Cassowaries are good swimmers, while emus can swim if necessary. |
Okay | Changed | Peru | Bolivia | Country with the world's highest golf course | The 14,335-high Tuctu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru has been closed. The current 18-hole leader appears to be the La Paz Golf Club, 10,800 feet up in Bolivia. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Philip | Frank | Columbo's first name | This question helped get Trivial Pursuit's distributors sued for $300 million (unsuccessfully), as Fred L. Worth planted this misinformation in his The Trivia Encyclopedia. Columbo's first name was debatably revealed on the first DVD release. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Pink | Cream | Color of yak's milk | A female yak is called a nak, and its milk is not pink. |
Okay | Historical | Pittsburgh | "" | Location of Three Rivers Stadium | The Pittsburgh Pirates stopped using the stadium in 2000, and it was demolished on February 11, 2001. |
Okay | Adjusted | Pluto | "" | Planet that travels around the sun every 248 years | The International Astronomical Union demoted Pluto from full-fledged planet to dwarf planet or minor planet status on August 24, 2006. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Pluto | "" | Planet that Percival Lowell discovered | Lowell (incorrectly spelled "Lovell" on the card) didn't find Pluto. Clyde Tombaugh did. |
Okay | Changed | Poodle | Labrador Retriever | Most popular registered dog in America | Labs have been number one every year from 1992 to 2006. |
Okay | Changed | Price-Waterhouse | PricewaterhouseCoopers | Company that tabulates the ballots in voting for the Academy Awards | Price Waterhouse merged with Coopers & Lybrand in 1998. |
Okay | Changed | Princess Anne | Sandy Pflueger | Who Captain Mark Phillips is married to | Mark Phillips and Princess Anne divorced in 1992. Princess Anne married Timothy Laurence later in the year, while Phillips married Sandy Pflueger in 1997. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | The Queen Elizabeth | Freedom of the Seas | Largest passenger liner ever built | Several ships have claimed this record, most recently Royal Caribbean International's Freedom of the Seas, launched in 2006. The QE2 was probably the intended answer. |
Okay | Changed | Reader's Digest | AARP Bulletin | Second-biggest selling magazine in America | As of 2005, AARP the Magazine and the AARP Bulletin held the top two spots, each going out biweekly to over 22 million subscribers. Reader's Digest is third at 10 million (monthly), and TV Guide is fourth at 8 million (weekly). |
Debatable | Debatable | Rhode Island and Providence Plantations | Rhode Island or North/South Carolina | U.S. state with the longest name | If we're talking about common names, then the Carolinas are 14 letters each. The question should have specified that it was referring to the official names. |
Partial | Partial | Rhubarb and asparagus | Rhubarb, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, cassava, sweet potato, taro, yam, etc. | The only two perennial vegetables | At least forty different vegetables are perennial. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Robert Fulton | "" | Person who called his steamboat the Clermont | Fulton registered his boat as the North River Steam Boat. Only later was it nicknamed for its sailing port in New York. |
Partial | Partial | Ruff | Ruff (U.S.) or Gnasher (U.K.) | Name of Dennis the Menace's dog | Amazingly, an unrelated U.K. strip also named Dennis the Menace debuted just three days after the U.S. comic in March 1951. |
Okay | Changed | Severiano Ballesteros | Tiger Woods | Youngest golfer to have won the Masters | Seve won at age 22 in 1979, while Tiger was 21 in 1997. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Shirley Temple | Lord Menuhin | Youngest person listed in Who's Who | Violinist Yehudi Menuhin was the youngest at age 15, and he was born in 1916, a dozen years before Temple, so she never held the record. |
Okay | Adjusted | Sirhan Sirhan | "" | Assassin due for release on Feb. 28, 1986 | Parole for Robert F. Kennedy's assassin has been denied 13 times through 2006. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Russia | Country that owns October Revolution Island | The Arctic island is now part of Russia. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Russia and China | Country that borders the most others | Russia and China both now border 14 countries, while the Soviet Union had bordered 12. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Russia | Country with the most movie theatres | Russia has the most now. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Russia | Country saddled with the 10 coldest major cities | Most of the cold, northern parts of the Soviet Union were in Siberia, now part of Russia. The actual number in the top ten is arguable, with Ulan-Bator in Mongolia challenging for a spot. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Russia | Country with the most time zones, 11 | Despite the breakup, Russia still has 11 time zones. |
Okay | Changed | The Soviet Union | Cuba | Communist country closest to the U.S. | The corner of the former Soviet Union near Alaska is now in Russia, which is now a semi-presidential federal republic. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | St. Peter's, Vatican City | Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine | World's largest cathedral | Technically, St. Peter's isn't just a cathedral. The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City is probably the largest actual cathedral. |
Partial | Partial | Stalemate | Stalemate (draw) or checkmate (loss) | Chess outcome when a player has no legal move | It's stalemate and a draw if the player isn't in check and checkmate and a loss if the player is. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | "The Star of India" | "Abraham Lincoln" sapphire | World's largest sapphire | The Star of India is the world's largest star sapphire, but other shapes have been larger, including a 2,302-carat Australian gem that was carved into a bust of Abraham Lincoln. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Straw | "" | What Rumpelstiltskin's daughter spun into gold | Rumpelstiltskin was a dwarf who helped a miller's daughter perform the task in exchange for her first-born child. |
Okay | Partial | Students for a Democratic Society | "" | What SDS stood for | There are many other expansions of this TLA, but the given answer is still probably the common even though the organization dissolved in 1969. |
Partial | Partial | Surfers | Surfers, skateboarders, snowboarders, wakeboarders, etc. | Type of sportsmen divided into naturals and goofy-foots | Almost all boardsports use the terms. |
Okay | Partial | Sweet, sour, salt, bitter | Sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami | Four tastes a human can distinguish | Umami was first identified in 1908 in Tokyo by Kikunae Ikeda. |
Partial | Partial | The Taj Mahal | The Taj Mahal or various military sites | What you are forbidden to fly an airplane over in India | The Taj Mahal is the best specific answer, but it isn't the only answer. |
Partial | Partial | Ten | Ten or two | Number of tentacles a squid has | A squid has two tentacles and eight arms, which are also sometimes referred to as tentacles. |
Partial | Partial | Tennis | Tennis, squash, racquetball, etc. | Sport a player can double-fault in | Several racquet sports allow the server two attempts to start a rally. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | A Tequila Sunrise | A Freddie Fuddpucker or Cactus Banger | Drink formed of tequila, orange juice, and Galliano | A Tequila Sunrise uses grenadine instead of Galliano. [FIXED] My version of Trivia Pursuit says grenadine. |
Okay | Partial | The third | The third or ninth | Leather anniversary | Leather is the gift of choice for the third wedding anniversary on the traditional gift list and for the ninth on the modern list. |
Okay | Changed | The thirty-five | The thirty | Yard line NFL teams kick off from | The line was moved back in 1994 to aid the offense. |
Debatable | Debatable | Thirty-seven | Thirty-eight | Number of known plays William Shakespeare wrote | The Bard is usually credited with 17 comedies, 10 histories, and 11 tragedies, although many conspiracy theories abound. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Thomas Edison | Edward A. Calahan | Inventor of the stock ticker in 1870 | Calahan invented the device in 1867, and Edison developed an improved version. |
Partial | Partial | Three | At least fourteen | Number of children Adam and Eve had together | Cain, Abel, and Seth are the only three mentioned by name in Genesis, but Jubilees talks about daughters Azura and Awan and nine other sons. |
Okay | Okay | Three | "" | Number of stars in Orion's belt | The middle star is actually a multiple star consisting of a double star and two other stars, but this is just counted as one star. |
Partial | Partial | Three | Three or four | Par on a 245-yard golf hole | Par on a golf course is determined by more than just the distance from the tee to the hole. |
Okay | Historical | Time | "" | Weekly magazine with a column called "The Presidency" | Hugh Sidey wrote the column from 1966 to 1996. |
Okay | Partial | Topaz | Topaz, citrine, or turquoise | November's birthstone | Topaz is the traditional birthstone, while citrine and turquoise are modern alternatives. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Toronto | Taipei 101 | City with the tallest building outside the U.S. | Taipei 101, completed in 2004, has the highest roof. Toronto's CN Tower does have a 335-foot antenna that makes it stick up higher, but even then the Petronius Platform in the Gulf of Mexico reaches higher. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The Trapp family | The Von Trapp family | Family that Julie Andrews was governess to in The Sound of Music | "Von" just means "of" in German, but it was part of the family name nevertheless. |
Partial | Partial | Trivia | Trivia or seeds | What a spermologer collects | The original dictionary definition was seeds, which morphed into gossip, and from there into trivia, although possibly by Trivial Pursuit's creators (or more likely, one of their sources). |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Twenty | "" | Number of times larger than life that the Statue of Liberty is | Liberty is about twenty times taller than an average woman but thousands of times heavier and more voluminous. The question should say "taller than", but that's probably the reasonable interpretation anyway. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | Twenty-one | Twenty-one or twenty-three | Number of Johns who have been Pope | If you count John Paul I and John Paul II, the number is higher. Otherwise, there were twenty-one from John I to John XXIII, with John XVI called an antipope and John XX skipped erroneously. |
Okay | Changed | Two | Ten | Tons of gem diamonds mined every year | About twenty tons of diamonds are mined each year, half of which are gem-quality. |
Partial | Partial | Venus | Venus, Mars, and/or Mercury | Planet the Mariner spacecraft explored | Mariners 2 and 5 visited Venus; Mariners 6, 7, and 9 visited Mars; and Mariner 10 visited both Venus and Mercury. Mars is the correct answer if "explore" means "orbit around". |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Verrazano-Narrows Bridge | Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge | World's longest suspension bridge | The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan now has the world's longest main span at 6,529 feet. The Verrazano was the longest until 1981, when it was passed by Humber Bridge, but is now only seventh at 4,260 feet. |
Okay | Partial | Vida Blue | Vida Blue, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens | Only pitcher to start for both leagues in baseball's all-star game | Randy Johnson was the American League starter in both 1995 and 1997 and matched Blue's feat with a National League start in 2000. Clemens joined them in 2004. |
Okay | Partial | Video Display Terminal | "" | What VDT stands for | There are many other expansions of this TLA, but the given answer is probably the most common, even though its use is dropping. |
Okay | Adjusted | The Volga's | "" | River whose basin constitutes one-third of the European Soviet Union | The Volga now runs through western Russia. |
Debatable | Debatable | Water | unknown | Drink that's the best thirst-quencher | Sports drink manufacturers will argue otherwise. Replacing the salt in the body is important, and drinking too much plain water can cause water intoxication and death. |
Okay | Historical | West Berlin | "" | Location of Checkpoint Charlie | The booth was moved to a museum in October 1990. |
Okay | Historical | West Berlin | "" | Free World city behind the Iron Curtain | West Berlin has been free, and known as Berlin again, since 1990. |
Okay | Changed | West Germany | Germany | Country that borders Denmark to the south | East and West Germany reunited in 1990. |
Okay | Changed | West Germany | Czech Republic or Ireland | Country that's the largest per capita consumer of beer | As of 2003, the new leader was either the Czech Republic at 157.0 liters per person or Ireland at only 141.2 liters but more accurately measured. Germany ranked third and Austria fourth. |
Okay | Changed | West Germany | Germany | Country that's home to the Dresdner Bank | East and West Germany reunited in 1990. |
Okay | Changed | West Germany | Germany | Location of the Black Forest | East and West Germany reunited in 1990. |
Partial | Partial | Will Rogers | Leon Trotsky or Will Rogers | Person credited with saying, "I never met a man I didn't like" | Trotsky said it earlier, but he's not in the Entertainment field. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | The windshield wiper | "" | Glass-cleaning device Mary Anderson invented in 1902 | Although Anderson obtained a U.S. patent in 1905 (not 1902) for the swinging-arm version, J. H. Apjohn had invented an up-and-down device two years earlier. |
Partial | Partial | The winners of the first and second race | The winners of two specific races on the same day | What you have to pick to win a daily double at the track | The more general definition is commonly accepted now. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | Wolfgang Mozart | Jane Taylor (words) or Bouin (melody) | Composer of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at the age of five | Mozart wrote neither the original tune nor the words. What he did was compose a dozen variations on the tune. There is no definitive answer to who first put Taylor's words together with Bouin's melody. |
Okay | Historical | The World Trade Center | "" | New York City complex with 208 elevators and 43,600 windows | The World Trade Center towers collapsed after being struck by terrorist-hijacked airplanes on September 11, 2001. |
Okay | Partial | The world's largest slot machine | A slot machine | What "Super Bertha", found in the Four Queens Casino in Las Vegas, is | Several other machines now claim to be the world's largest, but "Super Bertha" once held the crown. |
Okay | Historical | Xaviera Hollander | "" | Former New York madam who writes a column in Penthouse | The Happy Hooker began the column in 1972 and continued it for almost 35 years. |
Partial | Partial | A yo-yo | A yo-yo, top, or various electronic toys | Toy you can make sleep | Tops can also go to sleep, but it's not a common trick. Many electronic pets, beginning with the Tomagotchi in 1996, can also sleep. |
Partial | Partial | You ain't heard nothin' yet, folks | Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet, folks | First words spoken on a film sound track | Al Jolson prefaced the given answer with "Wait a minute" in The Jazz Singer in 1927. |
Okay | Changed | Yugoslavia | Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia | Country that Serbs, Croats, Slovenians, and Macedonians call home | The Yugoslavian melting pot split apart from 1991 (Croatia and Slovenia) to 2003 (Serbia) to 2006 (Macedonia). |
Okay | Changed | Yugoslavia | Croatia | Country with the medieval seaport of Dubrovnik | Croatia declared its independence on June 25, 1991. |
Incorrect | Incorrect | 115 years | 116 years | Length of the Hundred Years' War | The war is considered to have begun on May 24, 1337, when Philip VI of France seized Gascony, and ended on July 17, 1453, when the French won the Battle of Castillon. |
Okay | Changed | 132 | 137 | Number of rooms in the White House | Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, counted 137 in 2003. |
Okay | Partial | 212 | 212, 347, 646, 718, and 917 | Telephone area code for New York City | New York City is now split into five area codes. |
Okay | Okay | 213 | "" | Telephone area code for Los Angeles | The Greater Los Angeles area has been split into multiple area codes beginning in 1998, but the city itself still only uses 213. |
Okay | Partial | 312 | 312 and 773 | Telephone area code for Chicago | Chicago was split into two area codes in 1996 and 1997. |
Adjusted | Adjusted | 2001: A Space Odyssey | "" | Film based on Arthur C. Clarke's novel Sentinel | "The Sentinel" was a short story written in 1948 and published in 1951. |
Summarized by answer status and category:
Okay | Adjusted | Historical | Partial | Debatable | Incorrect | Changed | |
Geography | 918 (91.8%) | 11 (1.1%) | 15 (1.5%) | 7 (0.7%) | 8 (0.8%) | 8 (0.8%) | 33 (3.3%) |
Entertainment | 983 (98.3%) | 3 (0.3%) | 0 (0.0%) | 10 (1.0%) | 0 (0.0%) | 2 (0.2%) | 2 (0.2%) |
History | 980 (98.0%) | 9 (0.9%) | 2 (0.2%) | 2 (0.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 4 (0.4%) | 3 (0.3%) |
Art & Literature | 983 (98.3%) | 3 (0.3%) | 3 (0.3%) | 5 (0.5%) | 1 (0.1%) | 2 (0.2%) | 3 (0.3%) |
Science & Nature | 949 (94.9%) | 12 (1.2%) | 0 (0.0%) | 20 (2.0%) | 5 (0.5%) | 7 (0.7%) | 7 (0.7%) |
Sports & Leisure | 933 (93.3%) | 9 (0.9%) | 5 (0.5%) | 27 (2.7%) | 1 (0.1%) | 5 (0.5%) | 20 (2.0%) |
TOTAL | 5746 (95.77%) | 47 (0.78%) | 25 (0.42%) | 71 (1.18%) | 15 (0.25%) | 28 (0.47%) | 68 (1.13%) |
That final percentage in the lower-left corner of this table tells the amazing story... over 95% of Trivial Pursuit's original questions are still accurate 25 years later! Impressive. Almost 97% of the answers are still correct today (over 98% if you include the Maybes).
Happy Silver Anniversary, Trivial Pursuit, your legacy is golden! And a hearty thanks from the Trivia Why's Guy for inspiring me to write two Palm OS trivia games (Triv and QuizQuilt), four trivia books, and this trivia blog.
11 comments:
You have corrected the question "What communist country is closest to the US?" by replacing the USSR with Russia. However, modern Russia is not a communist state. I imagine that the correct answer is Cuba.
The following corrections have been made to the above table mostly thanks to Mark Brader, with one from Chris (see comment above), and some of my own.
[Asia]
> Continent that's home to half the world's people
Added note in explanation that the original question is still correct.
[Australia]
> Country originally known as Terra Australis Incognita
Added information about Antarctica to explanation.
[Australia, Britain, Canada]
> Only three countries to have challenged for yachting's America's Cup
Put back missing "the U.S." after "challenged".
[Belgrade]
> Capital of Yugoslavia
Made note more relevant, referring to the end of Yugoslavia itself.
[Britain, China, France, the USSR and U.S.]
> The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council
Made updated answer parallel to the original answer.
[Canada]
> Country with the most Olympic hockey gold medals
Changed status to Okay since the question doesn't exclude women's medals even though it wasn't an event back then.
[Captain James T. Kirk]
> Commander of the Starship Enterprise
Added Christopher Pike and Willard Decker to the list of commanders and the number of ships to the note, and fixed the spelling of Jonathan.
[Dinar]
> Unit of currency used in Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia
Made note more relevant, referring to the end of Yugoslavia itself.
[The final out]
> When a baseball game is never over until
Changed original and current status from Adjusted to Partial and added Yogi Berra's answer.
[Greece]
> Last country to join the European Economic Community
Added Cyprus (2004) and note about being renamed the European Union.
[Hawaii]
> Place where three quarters of the world's pineapples are grown
Added note about Dole shutting down its canning operation in 1991.
[Lightning]
> Natural phenomenon that kills more people than any other
Changed updated answer to Volcanoes and explained more in note.
[The Mississippi]
> Longest river in the U.S.
Added Red Rock/Missouri/Mississippi system to note.
[Nepal]
> Country where Mount Everest is
Corrected updated answer to say Nepal and China instead of Nepal and Tibet.
[Nine]
> Number of Oscars won by Gone with the Wind
Changed status from Incorrect/Incorrect to Okay/Okay and removed updated answer. The Technical Achievement Award is given by the Academy but isn't an Oscar.
[The North Pole]
> Pole that gets more sunlight: the North Pole or the South Pole
The original answer is correct, as explained in the new note.
[Norway, Sweden, the Soviet Union]
> Three countries that border Finland
Added note that Estonia's border with Finland is a water border.
[Oct. 29, 1929]
> Date known as Black Tuesday
The original answer is significantly more commonly used than September 11, 2001, which was dubbed Black Tuesday by some but is mostly known as 9/11 now.
[One day]
> What you gain by crossing the international date line to the east
Changed status from Partial/Partial to Okay/Okay. The difference can be an hour or two off from a day, but the given answer is accurate enough.
[Peanuts]
> World's most-read comic strip
Modified note to indicate that the strip is still being published.
[Philip]
> Columbo's first name
Added result of lawsuit to note.
[Pluto]
> Planet that travels around the sun every 248 years
Added detailed information about Pluto's status. The given answer is accurate; just the term planet is debatable.
[Pluto]
> Planet that Percival Lowell discovered
Changed note to give credit to Clyde Tombaugh.
[Rhode Island and Providence Plantations]
> U.S. state with the longest name
Added comment about "official names" in note.
[Shirley Temple]
> Youngest person listed in Who's Who
Made note clearer.
[The Soviet Union]
> Communist country closest to the U.S.
Fixed updated answer. Russia is no longer Communist.
[Stalemate]
> Chess outcome when a player has no legal move
Changed status from Debatable/Debatable to Partial/Partial since it can be either Stalemate or Checkmate.
[The Taj Majal]
> What you are forbidden to fly an airplane over in India
Fixed spelling of Taj Mahal.
[Ten]
> Number of tentacles a squid has
Changed status from Incorrect/Incorrect to Partial/Partial, since the arms are sometimes also called tentacles.
[Three]
> Number of stars in Orion's belt
Changed status from Partial/Partial to Okay/Okay. Multiple stars are seen as one star.
[Twenty]
> Number of times larger than life that the Statue of Liberty is
Changed status from Partial/Partial to Adjusted/Adjusted. The question should have specified "height", but it's a reasonable interpretation.
[Verrazano-Narrows Bridge]
> World's longest suspension bridge
Added "main span" to note.
[West Berlin]
> Location of Checkpoint Charlie
Changed current status from Changed to Historical as the booth is no longer there.
[A yo-yo]
> Toy you can make sleep
Added electronic pets to current answer and note.
[Yugoslavia]
> Country that Serbs, Croats, Slovenians, and Macedonians call home
Changed note to include Serbia's final split in 2003.
[213]
> Telephone area code for Los Angeles
Changed current status from Partial to Okay. The city's area code has not split although the Greater Los Angeles area's has.
I know this is an old post, but does that table contain all of the questions from the original genus edition? If not, are they online in some format somewhere?
thanks
> I know this is an old post, but does that table contain all of the questions from the original genus edition? If not, are they online in some format somewhere?
No, the table only includes the questions that needed updating (and even these questions are summarized). The only company that could publish the complete questions and answers legally (at least in the U.S.) would be Hasbro, and they're not going to do it. Contact me directly at whysguy@triviawhys.com if you want to discuss this further.
Thanks to Nick Adami for the latest correction! Regarding the name of the horse in "Jingle Bells", TP gives "Bobtail" as the answer, but the poem only meant that the horse's tail was bobbed, so the real answer is "The poem doesn't say". [Note: not added to table yet.]
"[The final out]
> When a baseball game is never over until
Changed original and current status from Adjusted to Partial and added Yogi Berra's answer."
Not entirely true. A game can be called after the 5th inning (or during the bottom of the 4th if the home team is ahead or has scored to tie the game) and still be considered an official game. No out is required to finish a game in this scenario.
My original genus edition also included the question "who was the captain of the Hispaniola" giving the answer Long John Silver - which has always been a source of deep irritation to me as Long John Silver was employed as a one legged cook who later mutinied and seized the ship briefly - until it was recaptured - the Captain of the Hispaniola in "Treasure Island" was of course Captain Smollett
Nice find. The version I have has the same answer, but the question is "What peg-legged pirate had a parrot named Captain Kidd?", which is also wrong. His parrot was either Fleur Da Silva or Captain Flint.
How many logarithmic scales are there on a slide rule? Just look at one - Scales A,B,C,D and K (at least!) are all logarithmic. Some slide rules have more. The TP answer "Two" seems very wrong to me, but even friends of mine who like me got their Math/Physics degrees before electronic calculators guess "Two" before i suggest that they pull out their old sliderules and count...
Thanks to batmanis64 for the following two corrections from the same card:
"What two brothers lost a billion trying to corner the silver market in 1980?" has the mangled answer "Nelson and Bunker Hunt". The two brothers' names are Nelson Bunker Hunt and William Herbert Hunt.
"What are the three cardinal virtues?" should be "What are the three Christian virtues?" if they wanted the answer "Faith, hope, charity". There are four cardinal virtues: prudence (wisdom), justice (fairness), temperance (restraint), and courage (fortitude).
For the question, "What mammal lives the longest?" The answer should be the bowhead whale (200 years or more), not man. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest-living_organisms; 211+ years, or 177-245 given the accuracy of measurement.
Thanks to M.C. for the correction.
Post a Comment