Wisconsin, located in the Midwest region of the United States, is known for its picturesque landscapes, rich history, and contributions to American culture. The state's capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee. Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th state in 1848. The state has a rich history, from the arrival of early settlers and the lumber industry, to the state's role in the Civil War and beyond.
Wisconsin is home to many notable landmarks and historical sites, such as the Wisconsin Dells, the Circus World Museum, and the National Railroad Museum. The state is also known for its contributions to American culture, particularly in the field of cheese and beer production, with famous companies such as Miller Brewing Company, and Kraft Heinz hailing from the state. The state is also known for its contributions to American sports, particularly in the field of football, and is home to many famous football teams and players.
Trivia questions about Wisconsin 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 Civil War to its contributions to American culture and industry. Get ready to learn more about Wisconsin 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.
36 Wisconsin Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Focusing on a group of six teenagers’ lives in Point Place, Wisconsin 50 years ago, what’s the name of the groovy, FOX period sitcom that starred Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis?
Answer: That ‘70s Show
- On Barbie’s refrigerator is a magnet from Kenosha’s Mars Cheese Castle. Tucked in her closet are a cheese helmet and Bart Starr and Brett Favre jerseys. These are mementoes from growing up in what dairy-loving Midwest state?
Answer: Wisconsin
- Hopefully they have good dental in Madison! More than 50 years before Bart Simpson made sure nobody laid a finger on his, Shirley Temple shilled for what crispety-crunchety candy bar that just topped Wisconsin’s most popular Halloween candy list for 2023?
Answer: Butterfinger
- Delavan, Wisconsin—not South America—is the location of the factory that produces what brand of rectangular chocolate mint candies?
Answer: Andes
- What biome shares its name with a Toyota truck and appears in the moniker for a famous Wisconsin football stadium?
Answer: Tundra
- What tear-inducing satire news site was founded by two students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1988?
Answer: The Onion
- Usonian House and the Unitarian Meeting House are two Madison buildings that were designed by what architect? Monona Terrace was created by a student of this architect based off of one of the architect's designs.
Answer: Frank Lloyd Wright
- Quintec Integration, Inc., a leader in conveyor systems integration, opened in the small-town Germantown, Wisconsin in what year?
Answer: 1999
- In 2009, the City Council of Madison, Wisconsin declared what to be the official city bird? (It might be unique among official birds around the world by being the only one made of plastic.)
Answer: Plastic Flamingo
- The first cheesehead was not worn at a Green Bay Packers game but instead at a game for what baseball team?
Answer: Milwaukee Brewers
- Harpoon in Boston, Sand Creek in Wisconsin, and O'Fallon in Missouri all have a chocolate-flavored product which is what type of beer?
Answer: Stout
- Which healthcare software company well-known to providers for its electronic medical records system is based in Madison, Wisconsin?
Answer: EPIC
- What beer brand, known as a blue-collar Milwaukee lager and a cheap beer for college students and hipsters, was licensed for sale in Chinese markets in the early 2010s? In China, the price of a typical bottle skyrocketed to $44 and the company claims the beer itself is different, a special brew of German malts and aged in oak whiskey barrels.
Answer: Pabst Blue Ribbon
- After leading the University of Wisconsin in tackles for loss and winning the Ronnie Lott award in 2010, what defensive player was drafted by the Houston Texans and became popular across the NFL? His name has electrical power.
Answer: J.J. Watt
- Leinenkugel, New Glarus, and Steven's Point are all established breweries in what state that is also home to one much-larger and much-more-famous brewer?
Answer: Wisconsin
- The town of Pepin, Wisconsin is home to a museum honoring what author of the Little House books, most famously "Little House on the Prairie"?
Answer: Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The Sunken Garden, Thai Garden, and Rock Garden are all separate parts of Madison's botanical gardens opened in 1952 and named after what Wisconsin politician from the early 20th century?
Answer: Michael Olbrich
- Built in 1913, what is the oldest dormitory building on the campus of the University of Wisconsin?
Answer: Barnard Residence Hall
- Opening its first location in Wisconsin in 1997, what "lupine" company claims to operate the largest network of indoor water park resorts in North America, with locations in Colorado Springs, the Pocono Mountains, and others?
Answer: Great Wolf Lodge
- Seattle is one of two major U.S. cities located on an isthmus, a narrow piece of land between two bodies of water. What state capital, which boasts a free weekly newspaper called the Isthmus, is the other?
Answer: Madison, Wisconsin
- Which American department store based in Wisconsin carries many “big name” and celebrity brands (like Vera Wang and Jennifer Lopez) as well as its own line of clothing and furnishings (including Croft & Barrow and Sonoma Goods for Life)?
Answer: Kohl's
- In 2021, Minor League Baseball team of Beloit, Wisconsin renamed themselves the Sky Carp, a colloquial term for a goose that doesn't do what in winter?
Answer: Migrate
- Which American fintech company founded in 1984 and based in Wisconsin owns First Data and the STAR Network that powers over 2 million ATMs in the United States?
Answer: Fiserv
- Both celebrated progressive Robert La Follette and Communist-hunter Joseph McCarthy were Republican senators from what U.S. state?
Answer: Wisconsin
- Which Lockheed company headquartered in Wisconsin is the go-to if you need to replace something in a fixed-wing aircraft, since it keeps over 20,000 unique parts in stock?
Answer: Derco
- In 1998, which politician from Wisconsin became the first openly lesbian candidate to be elected to Congress?
Answer: Tammy Baldwin
- First established in 1895, name the branded American lager whose Light variety served as the official beer sponsor for the 2009 World Series of Poker and whose name sounds like it's a superior product in a famous Wisconsin city.
Answer: Milwaukee's Best
- What U.S. state in 1875 offered a prize of $10,000 to the first resident who could create a vehicle that could cheaply replace horses and other animals? This led to the first city to city car race in the U.S..
Answer: Wisconsin
- In 2009, Todd Bol mounted a wooden container shaped like a one-room schoolhouse to a post on his Wisconsin lawn. This was the beginning of a national non-profit that has built over 150,000 similar neighborhood structures, and which goes by what three-word name?
Answer: Little Free Library
- The first U.S. house to be powered by hydroelectricity was located in the town of Appleton, in what Midwestern state?
Answer: Wisconsin
- Which former U.S. Senator and Wisconsin governor was responsible for starting Earth Day in 1970?
Answer: Gaylord Nelson
- Danica Patrick, the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, is originally from the town of Beloit in what midwestern American state?
Answer: Wisconsin
- The first product made by Kimberly-Clark in 1872 at its Neenah, Wisconsin mill was paper for what purpose?
Answer: Newspapers
- In 1886, the Endicott & Macomber Agency of Boston wrote the first Employer’s Liability Insurance policy for the Gender and Paeschke Manufacturing Company. In what Midwestern "M" city was the Gender and Paeschke Manufacturing Company located?
Answer: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, Wilderness Territory, Kalahari Resort, Chula Vista Resort, and Great Wolf Lodge are often considered the "Big 5" waterparks at what small Midwestern town known as a tourist destination?
Answer: Wisconsin Dells
- The large insurance and financial services company Northwestern Mutual is not headquartered in the Northwestern part of the United States nor in the same state as Northwestern University. In which state is this 1857-founded company headquartered? The company's most recent major FinTech acquisition was the financial planning app LearnVest for over $200 million in 2015.
Answer: Wisconsin
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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.