Oklahoma, located in the South Central United States, is known for its rich Native American culture, diverse landscapes, and contributions to American history. The state's capital is Oklahoma City and the largest city is also Oklahoma City. Oklahoma was admitted to the Union as the 46th state in 1907. The state has a rich history, from the Native American tribes that have called it home for centuries, to the arrival of European settlers in the late 19th century.
Oklahoma is home to many notable landmarks, such as the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Philbrook Museum of Art and the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. The state is also known for its contributions to American music, particularly country music, and many famous country music singers and songwriters are from Oklahoma. The state is also rich in natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas, and is one of the largest oil-producing states in the country.
Trivia questions about Oklahoma can include questions about its history, geography, culture, and famous residents. This article will test your knowledge of the state's past and present, from its role in the American West to its contributions to American culture. Get ready to learn more about Oklahoma and see how well you fare against these challenging trivia questions. Whether you're a resident of the state or just a curious trivia buff, this article is sure to be an engaging and informative read.
38 Oklahoma Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Maria Tallchief, a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, pirouetted her way to fame when as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and in the title role of The Firebird. Working with her mentor and husband George Balanchine, Tallchief is considered America’s first superstar in what art form?
Answer: Ballet
- Technically classified as a domestic terrorist rather than a serial killer, Timothy James McVeigh was an American who killed 168 people in what city?
Answer: Oklahoma City
- Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt star as tornado chasers in the 1996 film "Twister", set in what state known, also called the "Sooner State"?
Answer: Oklahoma
- What Chiricahua Apache leader led raids against the U.S. Army in the Southwest until his final surrender in 1886? Today, this leader's grave can be found on the army base at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
Answer: Geronimo
- You might not agree with the placement of the punctuation mark after the state’s name if you think it’s only OK, but what title of the famous 1943 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ends with one?
Answer: Oklahoma!
- "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" are songs from what classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical named after a U.S. state?
Answer: Oklahoma!
- Which 1983 film (based on the book of the same name by S.E. Hinton) about rival gangs in Oklahoma in the ‘60s was chock full of young stars including Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Emilio Estevez?
Answer: The Outsiders
- What U.S. President signed the "Indian Removal Act" which sent many eastern Native American nations (including all of Georgia's tribes) to reservations in present-day Oklahoma?
Answer: Andrew Jackson
- The annual football showdown between the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma at Dallas's Cotton Bowl Stadium is named for what river?
Answer: Red River
- What college quarterback was a walk on with Oklahoma in 2014 after transferring from Texas Tech, but went on to win the starting job and the 2017 Heisman Trophy? A charismatic figure with endorsements from Hulu, among others, he was drafted number 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2018.
Answer: Baker Mayfield
- At the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Boise State went for a two-point conversion in overtime, while only trailing by one point. They successfully converted and beat Oklahoma, finishing their undefeated season. What play did they use, also the name of a landmark?
Answer: State of Liberty
- In 1985, Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to be elected chief of what U.S. tribal nation based in Oklahoma? With over 400,000 enrolled members, it's the second largest tribal nation in the U.S. after the Navajo.
Answer: Cherokee Nation
- Founded in 1901 and named for a French novelist, what Oklahoma city in Choctaw County is known for being the winter quarters for many circus companies and performers? The city's cemetery features Showmen's Rest where many circus and rodeo performers are laid to rest.
Answer: Hugo
- "Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry" away from the "Surrey with the Fringe on Top," according to the lyrics of a classic song from what Rodgers and Hammerstein musical?
Answer: Oklahoma!
- A scissor-tailed flycatcher and the year 1907, the year in which it became a state, appear on the quarter coin that commemorates what panhandled U.S. state?
Answer: Oklahoma
- What Oklahoma city in Payne County is considered the Pipeline Crossroads of the World due to its status as a price settlement point for the New York Mercantile Exchange?
Answer: Cushing
- The "Territory of Arkansaw", was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1819, until June 15, 1836. Most of this territory naturally became Arkansas, but the remainder lives on in what current state?
Answer: Oklahoma
- The Arkansas Territory of 1819 contained land that includes today's Arkansas and parts of what other state?
Answer: Oklahoma
- In the 2004 Sugar Bowl, LSU won its second national championship title by defeating Jason White, the star quarterback for what school?
Answer: Oklahoma
- Austin is the capital of Texas. Which other capital of a U.S. state is closest in distance to Austin? We're using "as the crow flies" or haversine distance, rather than driving distance. And we're looking for the city, not the state.
Answer: Oklahoma City
- in 2002, a “C” oil company based in Utah and a “P” Petroleum Company based in Oklahoma merged to form what Houston oil conglomerate? The name is one word, the two former companies pressed together.
Answer: ConocoPhillips
- What three-word name is given to the forced displacement of Native Americans, in particular members of the Five Civilized Tribes, by the United States government during the 1830s and 1840s from their ancestral homes in the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma?
Answer: Trail of Tears
- The Dust Bowl, a period of severe drought in the 1930s that devastated farmers, started in what state before spreading east?
Answer: Oklahoma
- What group of settlers to what is now the U.S. state of Oklahoma got their name from the way they entered the territory and staked their claims before the official start of the 1889 Land Rush?
Answer: Sooners
- Which company started mining Bitcoin at a 12 MW facility in Oklahoma in 2018, but has been working out of a 300 MW facility in Texas since 2021? (Hint: It was first called Bioptix but sort of shook things up when it changed its name in 2018)
Answer: Riot
- Which lake in the Cookson Hills is one of the state’s deepest lakes and known as Oklahoma’s “clear water wonderland?”
Answer: Tenkiller Ferry Lake
- David Boren was the last Democrat to serve as Senator from Oklahoma. Boren resigned from office in 1994 when he took a position as President of what university?
Answer: University of Oklahoma
- What show, reportedly the first to be filmed entirely in Oklahoma and sporting a mostly Native American cast, has released two seasons on Hulu?
Answer: Reservation Dogs
- The annual football match-up between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas is known by what name, referring to the river that separates the two states?
Answer: Red River Showdown
- Miley's 2015 album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz is a collaboration with what Oklahoma-based alternative rock band, who joined Miley for performances on the Bangerz tour?
Answer: The Flaming Lips
- The NBA's SuperSonics played their last home game in Seattle in 2008, after which they moved to Oklahoma City to become what team?
Answer: Thunder
- In 1985, influential politician and activist Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to be elected Principal Chief of what tribal nation, one of the largest in the U.S., headquartered in Tahlequah, Oklahoma?
Answer: Cherokee Nation
- Who was the first pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in the franchise's final NBA draft before relocating to Oklahoma City?
Answer: Kevin Durant
- In 1968, Walmart opened its first stores outside of Arkansas. Name EITHER of the two stores in which Walmart opened a store that year (besides Arkansas).
Answer: Missouri and Oklahoma
- Sam Walton was born not in Arkansas, but in nearby Oklahoma in 1918. The town where he was born has a regal-and-maritime sounding name. What is it?
Answer: Kingfisher
- Extending beyond football, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State face off in a rivalry series known by what chaotic word that appeared in the title of James Blunt's first album?
Answer: Bedlam
- Signing a lucrative six-year endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand prior to the event, point guard Chris Paul was the fourth overall 2005 NBA Draft pick by what team who briefly relocated to Oklahoma City due to Hurricane Katrina?
Answer: New Orleans Hornets
- Commonly nicknamed “Black Wall Street” due to the thriving African American business within the area, what district in Tulsa, Oklahoma was burned to the ground during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre?
Answer: Greenwood
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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