What is the history of trivia?
Ed and Dan wrote the book Trivia (Dell, 1966), which achieved a ranking on the New York Times best-seller list; the book was an extension of the pair's Columbia contests and was followed by other Goodgold and Carlinsky trivia titles.
What is Trivium?
Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value. The trivia (singular trivium) are three lower Artes Liberales: grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
What is the meaning of the Word Trivia?
Trivia. This article is about bits of information and data that are of little value. For the educational syllabus, see trivium. For other uses of "trivia" or "triviality", see Trivia (disambiguation). Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value.
How many inventions shaped modern society?
Inventions Trivia: 22 Inventions that shaped modern society. | Useless Daily: Facts, Trivia, News, Oddities, Jokes and more! Useless Daily: Facts, Trivia, News, Oddities, Jokes and more! You are here: Home / History / Inventions Trivia: 22 Inventions that shaped modern society. Inventions Trivia: 22 Inventions that shaped modern society.
When was the first trivia invented?
In the 1960s, nostalgic college students and others began to informally trade questions and answers about the popular culture of their youth. The first known documented labeling of this casual parlor game as "Trivia" was in a Columbia Daily Spectator column published on February 5, 1965.
Where did trivia come from?
'Trivia' comes from the Latin 'trivialis,' meaning "found everywhere, commonplace." One meaning of 'trivia' is "unimportant matters." But as valuable as scholarly knowledge can be, trivia sometimes gets a bad rap.
Who came up with trivia?
The word trivial appeared in English as early as the 1500s, but “trivia” took longer to get there. It was the name of a book about streets and crossroads in 1716. And then its “fun facts,” sense came around after 1902 when Logan Pearsall Smith published a series of books called Trivia.
Is a trivia a fact?
Trivia is unimportant facts or details that are considered to be amusing rather than serious or useful.
Is trivia good for your brain?
Benefits of Trivia Games By answering questions and learning, you're improving your cognitive skills. Retaining information about topics you're interested in is like an exercise for your mind, allowing you to expand your intelligence and improve mental capabilities.
What do you call trivia?
1. Trivia is defined as little-known facts or unimportant matters. Examples of trivia are details of a fight that happened decades ago. An example of trivia is a game in which team members race to see who can be the first to answer questions about insiginificant facts of history, popular culture, art and science. noun.
What trivia means quiz?
(ˈtrɪvɪə ɡeɪm ) or trivia quiz. noun. a trivia game or competition is one where the competitors are asked questions about interesting but unimportant facts in many subjects. a pub trivia game.
What did Chris Haney invent?
the Trivial Pursuit board gameChris Haney (August 9, 1950 – May 31, 2010) was a Canadian journalist and co-creator of the Trivial Pursuit board game with Scott Abbott.
What was the original name of Trivial Pursuit?
the Genus editionOver the years, numerous editions of Trivial Pursuit have been produced, usually specializing in various fields. The original version is known as the Genus edition (or Genus I).
What are 10 random facts?
"OMG" usage can be traced back to 1917. ... The majority of your brain is fat. ... Stop signs used to be yellow. ... Most wasabi we eat in the U.S. isn't really wasabi. ... Green Eggs and Ham started as a bet. ... Too much water can kill you. ... You might be drinking water that is older than the solar system.More items...
What are 5 interesting facts?
Interesting Unknown FactsHot water will turn into ice faster than cold water. ... The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. ... The sentence, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English language.The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. ... Ant's take rest for around 8 Minutes in 12 hour period.More items...
What's a cool random fact?
1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue. There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long (eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum). A skunk's smell can be detected by a human a mile away. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
What is the Latin word for where 3 roads meet?
noun triviumWord History The words trivial and trivia can be traced back to the Latin noun trivium, meaning "a place where three roads meet." The Latin word was made from tri-, meaning "three," and via "way, road." The adjective form of trivium was trivialis.
What are the most common trivia questions?
General trivia questions and answersWho, in 1903, was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize? ... What year did the Berlin wall fall? ... What is the more popular name for the portrait officially titled “La Gioconda,” painted in 1503? ... What element does the chemical symbol Au stand for?More items...•
What does status mean in Latin?
1670s, "height" of a situation or condition, later "legal standing of a person" (1791), from Latin status "condition, position, state, manner, attitude," from past participle stem of stare "to stand," from PIE *ste-tu-, from root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm." Sense of "standing in one's society or profession" is ...
How do you use the word trivia?
Trivia in a Sentence 🔉I love to compete in trivia contests because I know so many random facts.We whiled away our time, arguing over any meaningless trivia that caught our attention.I keep a book of useless trivia information in every bathroom of my house.More items...
Who wrote the book Trivia?
Ed and Dan wrote the book Trivia (Dell, 1966), which achieved a ranking on the New York Times best-seller list; the book was an extension of the pair's Columbia contests and was followed by other Goodgold and Carlinsky trivia titles.
When was the book "Trivia" published?
Book II of the 1902 publication is headed with a quote from "Gay's Trivia, or New Art of Walking Streets of London. ",
What is the University of Colorado trivia bowl?
The University of Colorado Trivia Bowl was a mostly student contest featuring a single-elimination tournament based on the GE College Bowl . Many of the best trivia players in America trace participation through this tournament including many Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? contestants. In recent years, the event has been conducted in a round robin competition format and operated as a regional qualifier for T.R.A.S.H. (Testing Recall About Strange Happenings).
What is triviality in literature?
Trivialities, bits of information of little consequence was the title of a popular book by British aphorist Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946), first published in 1902 but popularized in 1918 (with More Trivia following in 1921 and a collected edition including both in 1933). It consisted of short essays often tied to observation of small things and commonplace moments. Trivia is the plural of trivium, "a public place." The adjectival form of this, trivialis, was hence translated by Smith as "commonplace."
What is trivia in science?
Trivia is information and data that are considered to be of little value. It can be contrasted with general knowledge and common sense .
Why do bars have trivia nights?
Today, many bars and restaurants host weekly trivia nights in an effort to draw in more patrons, especially during weeknights.
What is the plural of trivia?
Trivia is the plural of trivium, "a public place.". The adjectival form of this, trivialis, was hence translated by Smith as "commonplace.". In the 1918 version of his book Trivia, Smith wrote: I KNOW too much; I have stuffed too many of the facts of History and Science into my intellectuals.
Who is the creator of trivial pursuit?
Before creating Trivial Pursuit, Chris Haney was a photo editor at The Gazette in Montreal. The co-creator of Trivial Pursuit, Scott Abbott, worked for The Canadian, as a sports editor.
Where did the idea for Jeopardy come from?
Merv Griffin states that the idea for Jeopardy! came from his wife. In his own words: “My wife Julann just came up with the idea one day when we were in a plane bringing us back to New York from Duluth. I was mulling over game show ideas, when she noted that there had not been a successful ‘question and answer’ game on the air since the quiz show scandals. Why not do a switch, and give the answers to the contestant and let them come up with the question? She fired a couple of answers to me: ‘5,280’ – and the question of course was ‘How many feet in a mile?’ Another was ’79 Wistful Vista’; that was Fibber and Mollie McGee’s address. I loved the idea, went straight to NBC with the idea, and they bought it without even looking at a pilot show.”
How many times has there been a three way tie in Jeopardy?
A three way tie has happened just once in Jeopardy! history. This occurred in 2007 when Anders Martinson, Jamey Kirby, and returning champion Scott Weiss all finished the game at $16,000. Going into final Jeopardy!, they were at $13,400, $8,000, and $8,000. All three contestants were invited back for the following episode for a rematch.
What was the original name of Jeopardy?
The original name for Jeopardy! was going to be “What’s the Question?” , but Griffin decided to change the name after a memo from one of the network executives stating that the show needed more “jeopardies”.
When did Jeopardy win $1?
There was also once a $1 Jeopardy! winner in January of 1993 with all three contestants answering the Final Jeopardy! question incorrectly dropping their scores to $0, $0, and $1 respectively.
Why do contestants ring in before the answer?
Contestants on Jeopardy! are penalized if they ring in before the host finishes reading the answer. If they do, their buzzer stops working for 1/4 of a second. This was to combat the fact that in the beginning contestants would often start ringing in right away after they’d finished reading the answer, even though the host would often still be reading. This was particularly problematic when it would take more than five seconds for the host to read the answer, thus the contestant would never get a chance to provide the question.
When was trivia invented?
The term trivia, as we think of it today, dates back to 1589, referring to insignificant pieces of information, which were only interesting to a few educated folks.
When was trivia first used?
Specifically, in British aphorist Logan Pearsall Smith’s book, Trivialities: Bits of Information of Little Consequence, first published in 1902 and popularized in 1918, we have the first recorded use of the the term trivia as we think of it today.
What was the most popular trivia show in the 1950s?
Trivia on TV in the 1950s. The 1950s marked an important time in the history of trivia, as quiz shows such as Dotto, The $64,000 Question, and Twenty One became extremely popular. These shows had high ratings until in it was revealed in 1959 that the producers of these shows were feeding answers to the contestants.
What is a trivia question called?
So, technically, when we say a trivia question or a piece of trivia, we could actually refer to these as trivium. We don’t, and people would think you were weird if you did, but you could.
What does "trivia" mean in the dictionary?
While the dictionary defines trivia as “unimportant facts or details,” we tend to disagree: we think trivia is of the utmost importance. But from where does the word trivia come?
How many copies of Trivial Pursuit have been sold?
The game generated over $800 million in sales in 1984 alone. Since its debut, the game has sold over 100 million copies and has been played by an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. No doubt, the world fell back in love with trivia.
Who created the first quiz bowl competition?
Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky organized the first quiz bowl competitions at Columbia University and went on to publish the book Trivia, which became a bestseller. No history of trivia would be complete without mentioning Trivial Pursuit.
Who was the first person to print on paper?from uselessdaily.com
6. Printing press. In 1454 the German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg was the first to construct a press that comprised moveable metal type, which, when laid over ink, could print repeatedly onto paper.
Which famous inventor also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company?from quiztriviagames.com
Which famous inventor also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company? Alexander Graham-Bell
What are the quizzes on Bing?from binghomepagequiz.net
Bing Homepage quiz can be played daily or weekly on various topics like Science, Pets, Geography, History, Sports, Entertainment, Knowledge base, and a lot more! You can also try quizzes like Bing today’s quiz and Bing news quiz if it’s of your interest!
Where was the stethoscope invented?from britannica.com
In 1816 Laënnec was appointed as a physician at the Necker Hospital in Paris, where he developed the stethoscope. Laënnec’s original stethoscope design consisted of a hollow tube of wood that was 3.5 cm (1.4 inches) in diameter and 25 cm (10 inches) long and was monoaural, transmitting sound to one ear.
What is the word used to describe magicians performing tricks?from dkfindout.com
Abracadabra is a word used by magicians performing tricks.
How many seconds do you have to answer each question?from britannica.com
You have 10 seconds to answer each question. The faster you answer, the higher your score. When you are done, try again to beat your best score!
What is the reading and writing system for people who are visually impaired called?from quiztriviagames.com
What is the reading and writing system for people who are visually impaired called? Braille
Which famous inventor also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company?
Which famous inventor also co-founded the American Telephone and Telegraph Company? Alexander Graham-Bell
Which businessman and inventor famous said, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so?
Which businessman and inventor famous said, “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”? Henry Ford
Who developed the first successful long distance wireless telegraph?
Who developed the first successful long-distance wireless telegraph? Guglielmo Marconi
Who was the first female self-made millionaire in America?
Who is the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records? Madam C. J. Walker
What is the reading and writing system for people who are visually impaired called?
What is the reading and writing system for people who are visually impaired called? Braille
When was celluloid invented?
December 17, 2017 By. Show Answer. Billiard balls. Brothers Isaiah and John Wesley Hyatt developed celluloid in 1869 while competing for a $10,000 prize offered by a company looking for a substitute for ivory in billiard balls.
Where did Robert Fulton launch his first steamboat?
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.
Who uttered the famous words, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you”?
Alexander Graham Bell – not Sherlock Holmes This was the first complete sentence heard over the newly invented telephone. Blurted out by Bell on March 10, 1876, when he spilled acid on his trousers, the words were picked up by his assistant, Thomas A Watson, at the other end of the line.
What was the first calculator?
7. Calculator. The original compact calculator was the abacus, developed in China in the ninth century. The young French mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) invented the first adding machine in 1642, a clever device driven by gears and capable of performing mechanical addition and subtraction.
Who invented the radio?
10. Radio. A Russian, and the Italian-Irish inventor Guglielmo Marconi, saw the potential in this technology when they sent and received the first radio waves. Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio message (three dots for the letter “S”) in 1901.
What was the first refrigerator?
11. Fridge. The first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric “Monitor-Top” refrigerator introduced in 1927. If it weren’t foe them we would be still storing food in “ice houses” and adding a more than abundant amount of salt to everything.
When was the barcode first used?
Barcodes were not a big success until they were used in supermarket checkout systems. The first product that used a barcode was a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit Gum sold on June 26, 1974.
When was the ATM invented?
8. ATM. They were invented by John Shephed Barron, and the first ATM was introduced in June 1967 at Barclays Bank in Enfield, UK. No use whatsoever if you don’t have money.
Who invented the portable telephone?
15. Mobile phones. What would we do without our trusty portable telephone? In 1917, Finnish inventor Eric Tigerstedt filed a patent for a “pocket-size folding telephone with a very thin carbon microphone”. That’s when it all began.
Who invented the 3 axis control system?
16. Aircraft. We can literally fly anywhere we want thanks to the Wright Brothers who developed the three-axis control system with the incorporation of a movable rudder on their 1902 Glider.
Overview
English usage
The adjective trivial introduced into English in the 15th to 16th century was influenced by all three meanings of the Latin adjective:
• A 15th century English translation of Ranulf Higden mentions the arte trivialle, referring to the trivium of the Liberal Arts.
• The same work also calls a triuialle distinccion a threefold division. This is due to an application of the term by Arnobius, and was never common either in Latin or E…
Latin meaning and etymology
The trivia (singular trivium) are three lower Artes Liberales: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education and an important building block for all undergraduates.
The ancient Romans used the word triviae to describe where one road split or forked into two roads. Triviae was formed from tri (three) and viae (roads) – literally meaning "three roads", and i…
Organized competition
The largest current trivia contest is held in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point's college radio station WWSP 89.9 FM. This is a student-run community station with 30,000 watts of power and about a 65-mile (105-kilometre) radius, and the contest serves as a fund raiser for the station. The contest is open to anyone, and it is played in April of each year spanning 54 hours over a weekend with eight questions each hour. There are usually …
See also
• Factoid
• Pub quiz
• Triviality (mathematics)
• Trivial Pursuit
The History of Trivia
Etymology of The Word Trivia
- First off, what is the singular form of trivia? I mean, you realize that trivia is plural, right? Answer: trivium. So, technically, when we say a trivia question or a piece of trivia, we could actually refer to these as trivium. We don’t, and people would think you were weird if you did, but you could. “Trivium” in Latin, means “triple way” = tri (three) and via (way). In medieval Europe, students lear…
Modern Usage of The Word Trivia
- It wasn’t until the 20th century that we began to associate trivia with random factoids like we do now. Specifically, in British aphorist Logan Pearsall Smith’s book, Trivialities: Bits of Information of Little Consequence, first published in 1902 and popularized in 1918, we have the first recorded use of the the term trivia as we think of it today...
Trivia on TV in The 1950s
- The 1950s marked an important time in the history of trivia, as quiz shows such as Dotto, The $64,000 Question, and Twenty One became extremely popular. These shows had high ratings until in it was revealed in 1959 that the producers of these shows were feeding answers to the contestants. The Quiz Show Scandals, as they were known, resulted in quiz shows disappearing …
in Pursuit of The Trivial
- Even after trivia gameshows went off the air in the late-1950s, trivia was still popular. Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky organized the first quiz bowl competitions at Columbia University and went on to publish the book Trivia, which became a bestseller. No history of trivia would be complete without mentioning Trivial Pursuit. In 1979, Canadians Chris Haney, a photo editor for …
Trivia Online
- Tired of being unable to find a website that would fulfill his trivia addiction, founder Matt Ramme decided to take matters into his own hands and create Sporcle, the web’s leading trivia website. Recently celebrating our 10 year anniversary, Sporcle has been allowing users to create online trivia quizzes for the last seven years. So, now you know a bit about how trivia has entered, left, …