Weird trivia questions are a fun and quirky way to learn about obscure and random facts. These questions can cover a wide range of topics, from history and science to pop culture and sports, and are often designed to challenge even the most knowledgeable trivia enthusiasts.
While these questions may seem trivial or insignificant, they can actually provide valuable insights into the world around us. For example, did you know that the shortest war in history lasted only 38 minutes? Or that there are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe?
Weird trivia questions can be a great way to break the ice at social gatherings, test your knowledge against friends and family, or simply expand your understanding of the world. So why not dive in and discover some of the weirdest and most wonderful facts that the world has to offer?
37 Weird Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Frankie is the first name of a Cleveland native often called "America's King of Polka." What's Frankie's last name, which he shares--though oddly, they're not related--with another famous accordionist?
Answer: Yankovic
- Which term used to come before schizophrenia to note a subtype of the condition because people with the mental health diagnosis often believe that other people cannot be trusted or are “out to get them,” and may see and hear things that are not really there?
Answer: Paranoid
- What British overseas territory is partially protected from severe hurricanes due to a surrounding coral reef but remains frequently associated with disasters due to an allegedly large number of unexplained aircraft disappearances?
Answer: Bermuda
- If you visit a museum on East Main Street, you can see a pair of socks once worn by the poet who penned “The Raven.” What’s the spooky scribe’s triple name?
Answer: Edgar Allan Poe
- The Empire Strikes Back hit theaters during Memorial Day Weekend in 1980. That same week, an iconic horror film opened but had a relatively weak opening box office because it was counter-programmed against the Star Wars installment. What was this Jack Nicholson-starring horror film?
Answer: The Shining
- Which "odd" character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe wears an amulet called the Eye of Agamotto?
Answer: Doctor Strange
- Somnambulism is the fancy medical word for which sleep disorder where you partake in a specific physical activity while you’re asleep? (Hint: It’s more common in kids and can be downright creepy to witness—luckily, they usually outgrow it).
Answer: Sleepwalking
- You’ll find them throughout the country, but adventuring through the Waitomo Caves will give you one of the most magical experiences with which bioluminescent insect? (Hint: Like fireflies, they’re also part of the Lampyridae family)
Answer: Glowworm
- Not just an adjective for a strange someone, which E word also describes the phase of muscle movement where it lengthens (as opposed to the concentric phase, when it shortens)?
Answer: Eccentric
- She'll only pay pennies and dimes for a kiss, but her whole soul for a wish. So go the weird economics of what Carly Rae Jepsen hit that anagrams to MY ABLE CAMEL?
Answer: Call Me Maybe
- #84 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes list is the closing of a 1933 horror film – "Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast." What creature’s demise on the Empire State Building inspired the line?
Answer: King Kong
- Spooky! The first name of the country singer behind “God Bless the U.S.A.” The middle name of the star of 1978’s “Halloween” and 2018’s “Halloween.” The surname of the star of “The Crow.” What’s that shared L-word?
Answer: Lee
- The cause of the 1666 Great Fire of London is commonly believed to have been a spark from the oven of Thomas Farriner, who owned what type of shop on Pudding Lane?
Answer: Bakery
- What 2009 game, developed by Mojang, is an open sandbox in which players often build structures and battle creepers, zombies, and other "mobs"?
Answer: Minecraft
- Decades before AI apps and chatbots were a thing, which 1985 Hughes film was about a couple of high school computer nerds who use their skills to program their dream woman?
Answer: Weird Science
- Need the full name: Oddly held right in the center of city, a ginormous Austin music fest scooped its name from what PBS music show?
Answer: Austin City Limits
- What is the spooky name for the single light left illuminated onstage in an empty and otherwise dark theatre?
Answer: Ghost light
- In a 2014 reddit AMA, Bill Murray admitted he only appeared in a particular 2004 movie because he (wrongly) believed it had been written by Joel Coen of the famous Coen brothers. In this live action adaptation of a classic comic strip, what titular feline character did Murray voice?
Answer: Garfield
- The first known instance of banning coffee was in a Saudi Arabian holy city in 1511 as the drink was believed to stimulate radical thinking. What was this anti-joe city?
Answer: Mecca
- Pollywogs appear before King Neptune and his court to become shellbacks in a weird, unofficial U.S. Navy ceremony commemorating a sailor's first official crossing of what imaginary line?
Answer: Equator
- Philly's Mutter Museum is the place to see thousands of medical oddities, including pieces of the brain of what Nobel laureate who died in 1955?
Answer: Albert Einstein
- Martin Van Buren holds the odd distinction of being the only president to speak English as a second language. Like many in his hometown of Kinderhook, New York, what was Van Buren's first language?
Answer: Dutch
- Weirdly, you don't zip yourself inside the Sealy memory foam mattress brand that shares what C-name with a 1985 Steve Guttenberg movie about friendly aliens and retiree hijinks?
Answer: Cocoon
- A popular prescription sleep medication that’s got a reputation for causing people to do odd things while asleep (walking, talking, eating, and even driving) Zolpidem is better known by its brand name that starts with A?
Answer: Ambien
- What sixth U.S. president, oddly enough, had a pet alligator that lived in the unfinished East Room of the White House?
Answer: John Quincy Adams
- Within Washington DC, near where M Street becomes Canal Road in Georgetown, lies a long, steep staircase resting between a stone wall and a brick warehouse. This structure was featured in a climactic final scene in what 1973 horror movie?
Answer: The Exorcist
- What word is missing from the following medical fact from the 19th century? ______ was originally marketed as a cough suppressant in 1898 as it was not believed to be addictive. This was quickly realized not to be true as it readily breaks down into morphine in the body. Morphine was already known to be addictive.
Answer: Heroin
- What was the spooky name of the first computer worm, created in 1971, that could be defeated by the first antivirus software (aptly named Reaper)?
Answer: Creeper
- What is the name of the mysterious and unknown person who designed and created the original implementation protocol for Bitcoin? We'll accept either the first or last name.
Answer: Satoshi Nakamoto
- In the spring of 1954 in Seattle, a strange mass delusion broke out as people began reporting damage in unprecedented numbers to what part of their cars? The craze led to theories of cosmic rays, sand fleas, and nuclear weapon testing among other hypotheses.
Answer: Windshield
- Let's take stock of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: one still exists, five are known to have been destroyed, and one has an unknown location and ultimate fate with theories that it may have never existed. What is this mysterious wonder?
Answer: Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- In order to track suspects, which major US law enforcement agency created the electronic surveillance tools Magic Lantern (a trojan horse keystroke logger) and CIPAV (a piece of spyware that tracks user location via digital methods)?
Answer: The FBI
- Which VC firm founded in 2012 has a froggy name, believes “it takes money to change money,” and has invested in companies like Affirm, Credit Karma, Coinbase, and Wealthfront?
Answer: Ribbit Capital
- What American novelist is well-known for his sparse use of punctuation and once claimed that to use quotation marks is to "blot the page up with weird little marks?" This author is associated with the Southern Gothic, Western, and post-apocalyptic genres.
Answer: Cormac McCarthy
- The term "magic bullet" was coined by German scientist Paul Ehrlich to describe a compound that would kill only a specifically targeted organism. Ehrlich even invented the "first magic bullet" with Salvarsan, which was used to treat which disease?
Answer: Syphillis
- Sulfur, quicklime, and pine resin are just some of the substances that historians believe might have made up the mysterious water-resistant substance used to set fire to enemy ships in the 7th century CE. The most common name of this substance is ____ fire, where what word fills in the blank?
Answer: Greek
- Portland, Oregon holds a strange record likely to go without contest. In 2000, researchers in the city earned the title for creating what first-of-its-kind bioluminescent animal? Although they inserted jellyfish glow genes into a whole barrel of them, only one came out with the unique ability.
Answer: Monkey
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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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