Category: General

The 2016 Year in Review Quiz

A quiz where we re-cap some of 2016’s most and least memorable events…in a question and answer form.

Hello! Welcome to “The 2016 Year in Review Quiz”. A quiz where we re-cap some of 2016’s most and least memorable events…in a question and answer form. The year 2016 was full of deaths and politics, but for the quiz, we tried to sprinkle in a healthy dose of entertainment, science and technology just to brighten things up. With that said, have a wonderful 2017, and I hope this quiz brings you as much joy as it brought us while researching the topics.

Round 1

  1. On what day of the week did January 1, 2016, fall? – Friday
  2. The year 2016 was the 2016th year of what Civil calendar? – Gregorian calendar
  3. What month, in 2016, did the World Trade Organization announce an outbreak of the Zika virus? – January
  4. In March, 2016, former politician Radovan Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison for genocide and crimes against humanity committed during what war? – Bosnian War
  5. On January 1, 2016, which Canadian province became the first one to allow the testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads? – Ontario
  6. What network was primarily responsible for leaking over 11.5 million documents, collectively known as the Panama Papers, on April 3, 2016? – The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
  7. What is the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum of 2016, more widely known as? – Brexit
  8. Which Japanese company manufactured the final videocassette recorder on July 22, 2016? – Funai
  9. What country hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics? – Brazil
  10. In 2016, which vessel became the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth? – Solar Impulse 2

Tie-breaker: What date did the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum took place on? – June 23, 2016

Round 2

  1. On what day of the week did February 29, 2016, fall? – Monday
  2. EgyptAir Flight 804 was en route to which city when it crashed on May 19, 2016? – Cairo
  3. The Gotthard Base Tunnel, which opened on June 1, 2016, is located in which country? – Switzerland
  4. With what global issue does the 2016 Paris Agreement deal with? – Climate change
  5. On what date did singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie die? – January 10, 2016
  6. What 2009 first-person shooter game mostly takes place in 2016? – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
  7. What smartglasses were you able to purchase on November 10 2016, from a proprietary vending machine? – Spectacles
  8. What video game console did Microsoft release in August, 2016? – Xbox One S
  9. Who hosted the 88th Academy Awards? – Chris Rock
  10. What artist received the most Grammy Awards in 2016? – Kendrick Lamar

Tie-breaker: What mountain range does the Gotthard Base Tunnel pass through? – The Alps

Round 3

  1. What date were the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics held on? –  August 5, 2016
  2. How old was David Bowie at the time of his death in 2016? – 69
  3. What virtual reality set was launched in March, 2016? – Occulus Rift
  4. Which pop singer’s reissued Christmas album was subtitled “Snow Queen Edition”? – Kylie Minogue
  5. What is the name of the sixth expansion to the World of Warcraft game universe? – World of Warcraft: Legion
  6. Which film was the highest-grossing film of 2016? – Captain America: Civil War
  7. Which gaming franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary on February 27, 2016? – Pokemon
  8. What soccer team won the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup? – Real Madrid
  9. What is the more common name for the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module that was added to the International Space Station in 2016? – BEAM
  10. Who won the Men’s Singles title at the 2016 Australian Open? – Novak Djokovic

Tie-breaker: What were the names of the official mascots of the 2016 Summer Olympics? – Vinicius and Tom

Round 4

  1. What two American astronauts passed away in February of 2016? – Edgar Mitchell and Donald E. Williams
  2. Who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature? – Bob Dylan
  3. Which artist received the most nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards? – Kendrick Lamar
  4. In 2016, who portrayed Donald Trump on the TV variety show, “Saturday Night Live”? – Alec Baldwin
  5. To what age did the US state of Hawaii change the legal smoking age on January 1, 2016? – 21
  6. What actor played the role of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in the 1974 film “Young Frankenstein”? – Gene Wilder
  7. How many gold medals did US swimmer Michael Phelps win at the 2016 Summer Olympics? – 5
  8. In October of 2016, just 2 months after its initial release, what product did Samsung stop manufacturing and selling? – Samsung Galaxy Note 7
  9. On what date did the 2016 Dyn Cyberattack take place, rendering some of the largest Internet services unusable for several hours? – October 21, 2016
  10. What years did Nancy Reagan serve as the First of the United States? – 1981 to 1989

Tie-breaker: Overall, how many medals did US swimmer Michael Phelps win at the 2016 Summer Olympics? – 6 

Round 5

  1. What was the last book novelist Harper Lee published before passing away in February of 2016? – Go Set a Watchman
  2. What motoring show premiered on Amazon Video on November 18, 2016? – The Grand Tour
  3. Which British actor played the role of Spider-Man in the 2016 film “Captain America: Civil War”? – Tom Holland
  4. Who wrote and directed the 1973 film “Westworld” that was used as the basis for the 2016 HBO TV series by the same name? – Michael Crichton
  5. At what age did Prince release his debut album “For You”? – 19
  6. What sporting legend was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942? – Muhammad Ali
  7. Which character did Anton Yelchin portray in the Star Trek film series reboot, prior to his death in 2016? – Pavel Chekov
  8. What company was founded in October, 2016, to relaunch an all-electric vehicle that had previously failed? – Fisker Inc.
  9. Before disbanding in 2016, who was the vocalist for the band “Gossip”? – Beth Ditto
  10. Who plays the role of Elliot Alderson in the TV show “Mr. Robot”? – Rami Malek

Tie-breaker: How old was novelist Harper Lee at the time of her death in February, 2016? – 89

Round 6

  1. Which Gabor sister, who passed away in December of 2016, was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936? – Zsa Zsa Gabor
  2. What is the name of Beyonce’s sixth studio album, released in April 2016? – Lemonade
  3. Under what name did Nintendo re-release the Nintendo Entertainment System in 2016? – Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition
  4. What fictional town is the Netflix series “Stranger Things” based in? – Hawkins, Indiana
  5. Who was the male lead in the 1976 film “The Man Who Fell to Earth”? – David Bowie
  6. Which US Senator was nominated as Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential running mate? – Tim Kaine
  7. Which NFL team won Super Bowl 50? – Denver Broncos
  8. How much money did buyers interested in Tesla’s Model 3 vehicle, had to pay as a deposit? – US$1,000
  9. What physical, interactive feature did Apple introduce to their MacBook Pro laptop series in the fall of 2016? – The “Touch Bar”
  10. On what streaming platform was Kanye West’s “The Life of Pablo” album launched? – Tidal

Tie-breaker: What is the name of the little boy who disappeared in the beginning of the “Stranger Things” Netflix series? – Will Byers

Round 7

  1. Who won the 2016 Oscar for Best Actor? – Leonardo DiCaprio
  2. What popular mobile game, that caused many players to get into accidents, was released in July of 2016? – Pokemon Go
  3. Which actress, portraying an Alderaan princess, passed away in December, 2016? – Carrie Fisher
  4. Which artist received 2016 Grammy Award for “Album of the Year”? – Taylor Swift
  5. What TV show, sequel to an ABC sitcom that ended in 1995, was released by Netflix on February 26, 2016? – Fuller House
  6. Alec Baldwin started hosting which ABC show on June 26, 2016? – Match Game
  7. Which electronic duo did The Weeknd collaborate with for his song, “Starboy”? – Daft Punk
  8. How many original shows and movies did Netflix release in 2016? – 45
  9. What is the name of the cable television network VICE Media launched in Canada and the United States in February 2016? – Viceland
  10. What company manufactured Google’s Pixel phone? – HTC

Tie-breaker: Which album won the 2016 Grammy Award for “Album of the Year”? – 1989

Introducing the New Random Trivia Generator App

In 2016 we worked hard to rebrand Random Trivia Generator, inject some color into the site, and bring it into the 21st Century.

In 2016 we worked hard to rebrand Random Trivia Generator, inject some color into the site, and bring it into the 21st Century. One of the goals of the rebrand was to make the site more accessible and usable across multiple platforms.

Without further ado, we would like to introduce the new Random Trivia Generator app, now available in the App Store and Google Play!

New Design, New Functionality!

The new app was designed to look and feel much like the desktop and mobile versions of the site, with infinite scrolling to keep you entertained for hours with over 17,000 trivia questions (with tons more coming).

This first update in over 3 years includes some user-requested features like:

  • Card and List view – ability to toggle between card view or list view to quickly scan through trivia.
  • Tap to reveal – in card view the answer is hidden until you tap on the question card.
  • Randomly generated quizzes – unlike the current, fixed-length random trivia quiz, you are able to select the number of rounds and questions.
  • User-submitted questions – additional functionality to submit single, or multiple questions to our database.
  • Category-specific views – scroll through all questions in a specific category

In 2017, we will be working to bring other user-requested features, tons more trivia questions, and improve the general usability of the site and database, so you can focus on entertaining your friends, family and guests, while we take care of the rest.

Enjoy the new Random Trivia Generator app and stay tuned for all the new features we are working on.

Comic Book Wednesdays – Revival Trivia

It’s the day after Trivia Tuesday…middle of the work week. Only 6 more days until another Trivia Tuesday! What to do but read new comic books on this holy of days – Comic Book Wednesday!

It’s the day after Trivia Tuesday…middle of the work week. Only 6 more days until another Trivia Tuesday! What to do but read new comic books on this holy of days – Comic Book Wednesday!

I have been in an on-again, off-again relationship with comic books for over 25 years. Break-ups have been rough due to shortage of space, loss of interest, poor story arcs, needless tie-ins, and heavy work load (hey kids, you still want to become an engineer???). But for the re-birth of my second most favorite hobby, I thought it would be nice to tie in another one – comic books. And what better title to tie in than Revival!

So for the revival of Random Trivia Generator and the start of this new blog, enjoy this short Revival themed trivia round:

  1. Which comic book publisher publishes the “Revival” series? – Image Comics
  2. What year saw the release of issue #1 of the “Revival” comic book series? – 2012
  3. What US state is this comics series based in? – Wisconsin
  4. What is the family name of the brothers who try to sell parts of the revivers? – Check
  5. Which young girl comes back to life early on in the series? – Jordan Borchardt (bonus points for correct spelling)
  6. What short name does Dana use to refer to her son? – Coop
  7. What is the full name of Em Cypress, Dana’s sister and reviver? – Martha Ann Cypress
  8. What is Em Cypress’ secret? – She is a reviver
  9. What is the name of Dana and Em’s father? – Wayne Cypress
  10. This comics series is often described as what genre? – Horror (bonus points for “rural-noir”)

Tie-breaker: What does the abbreviation of Dana’s police team, RCAT, stand for? – Revitalized Citizen Arbitration Team

Until next Wednesday!

Image credit: Alphacoders

The Christmas 2016 Quiz

Can’t escape the awkward work parties and gift swaps around this time? Feeling broke already? Have a free Christmas quiz to help take your mind off things for a while…and maybe even win some pub bets! Just click on my lovely ornament above.

Welcome to the first curated Random Trivia Generator quiz. What better topic for the first quiz than Christmas! Since I can’t save you from the dozens of gift swaps, awkward work parties and gatherings, the least I could do is provide you with some free trivia questions and a quiz to help you forget about things for a bit. Enjoy!

Round 1

  1. What does an Advent calendar count down to? – Christmas
  2. Christmas Island is a territory of what country? – Australia
  3. What English singer-songwriter was born on December 25, 1971? – Dido
  4. In the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, what did my true love send to me on the eighth day? – 8 Maids a-Milking
  5. What do all the victims in the 1984 film “Don’t Open Till Christmas” all have in common? – They were wearing Santa Claus suits or items of clothing
  6. Who recorded the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in 1958? – Brenda Lee
  7. What year did Disney release a 3D motion-capture adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”? – 2009
  8. Who played the role of Kris Kringle in the 1994 film “Miracle on 34th Street”? – Richard Attenborough
  9. Who played the role of Kris Kringle in the 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street”? – Edmund Gwenn
  10. What is the name of the popular Christmas song that Will’s dad composed in the 2002 film “About a Boy”? – Santa’s Super Sleigh

Tie breaker – What year did Charles Dickens publish a novella entitled “A Christmas Carol”? – 1843

Round 2

  1. What were Frosty the Snowman’s eyes made out of? – Coal
  2. In India, what day is observed on the 25th day of each December? – Good Governance Day
  3. Which Disney character is named after Ebenezer from Charles Dickens’ novel “A Christmas Carol”? – Scrooge McDuck
  4. Who wrote the 1996 novel “Certain Poor Shepherds: A Christmas Tale”? – Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
  5. What international company is said to have influenced the image of the modern-day Santa Claus? – Coca-Cola
  6. According to Futurama, what holiday is celebrated on December 25th in the year 3,000? – Xmas
  7. How many weeks before Christmas does the 2003 film “Love Actually” begin? – Five
  8. The nearest permanently inhabited place to the North Pole is part of which country? – Canada
  9. What year did Mariah Carey release the song “All I Want for Christmas Is You”? – 1994
  10. What popular Christmas song did Eartha Kitt record in 1953? – Santa Baby

Tie breaker – Who directed the 2003 film “Love Actually”? – Richard Curtis

Round 3

  1. On what short story was the 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life” based on? – The Greatest Gift
  2. What ABC Original Movie, starring Jenny McCarthy, air on December 10, 2006? – Santa Baby
  3. What year did Hallmark made its first Christmas cards? – 1915
  4. Who wrote the 1994 novel “Inspector Proby’s Christmas”? – John Gano
  5. In the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, how many drummers are drumming? – Twelve
  6. What band released a single in 1977 entitled “Father Christmas”? – The Kinks
  7. Which artist recorded the Christmas song “Run Rudolph Run” in 1958? – Chuck Berry
  8. What holiday is celebrated on December 26th in Canada? – Boxing Day
  9. What beverage company distributed the 2012 3D animated short film “The Polar Bears”? – The Coca-Cola Company
  10. Which singer sang “I Believe in Father Christmas”? – Greg Lake

Tie breaker – How many years after the founding of the company did Hallmark release its first Christmas cards? – 5 years

Round 4

  1. On which three days of the week is December 25th more likely to fall? – Tuesday, Friday or Sunday
  2. Who created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? – Robert Lewis May
  3. Which composer wrote the classical piece “Messiah”? – George Frideric Handel
  4. What traditional fruit cake do Germans eat around the Christmas season? – Stollen
  5. What branch of Christianity introduced the Advent calendar? – German Lutherans
  6. How many times does the word “jingle” appear in the first verse of “Jingle Bells”? – Three
  7. What gives eggnog its frothy texture? – Whipped eggs
  8. How old was Kevin in the 1990 film “Home Alone”? – 8 years old
  9. What spiced wine is traditionally consumed during the winter months, and especially around Christmas? – Mulled wine
  10. What is Santa’s postal code in Canada? – H0H 0H0

Tie breaker – What year marked the first appearance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? – 1939

Round 5

  1. What ocean is Christmas Island located in? – Indian Ocean
  2. What year was Disney’s “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” released? – 1983
  3. Who directed the 2003 film “Elf”? – Jon Favreau
  4. In the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, what type of tree did the Partridge come in? – Pear tree
  5. What is the shape of the door that Jack gets sucked through to another world? – Christmas tree
  6. Who does an angel placed on top of the Christmas tree represent? – Archangel Gabriel
  7. Which African country was released from British and French oversight on Christmas Eve, 1951? – Libya
  8. In the film “Home Alone 2”, what city was the McCallister family planning on vacationing in? – Miami
  9. The song “Jingle Bell Rock” is performed during the opening credits of which “Lethal Weapon” film? – The first one
  10. What is the curved part of the candy cane known as? – The warble

Tie breaker – What was the name of the toy store in the film “Home Alone 2”? – Duncan’s Toy Chest

Round 6

  1. Who directed the 1946 film “It’s a Wonderful Life”? – Frank Carpa
  2. Which Canadian Prime Minister was born on December 25, 1971? – Justin Trudeau
  3. What year was the computer worm, “Father Christmas”, released into the world? – 1988
  4. What year did the Trans-Siberian Orchestra release their debut album entitled “Christmas Eve and Other Stories”? – 1996
  5. What car did Frank buy for himself for Christmas in Season 6 of the TV show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”? – Lamborghini Countach
  6. The “Christmas Price Index” tracks the cost of what items? – The gifts in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
  7. What is the main ingredient in traditional gingerbread cookies? – Flour
  8. In the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, who wants to take over Christmas and orders the kidnapping of Santa Claus? – Jack Skellington
  9. In which Canadian province would you find Christmas Island? – Nova Scotia
  10. What is Clark planning on spending his Christmas bonus in the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”? – Swimming pool

Tie breaker – Who wrote the 1958 book “Journey to Christmas”? – B. J. Chute

Round 7

  1. What American soul singer-songwriter died on December 25, 2006? – James Brown
  2. Who played the role of the Grinch in the 2000 film “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”? – Jim Carrey
  3. What year did the first Coca-Cola polar bear ad campaign appear? – 1922
  4. Which star is represented by placing a star on top of a Christmas tree? – Star of Bethlehem
  5. Candy canes are said to have originated from which European country? – Germany
  6. What toy was Arnold Schwarzenegger after in the movie “Jingle All the Way”? – Turbo-Man
  7. How many gifts would you have if you received all the gifts from the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”? – 364
  8. What is the name of Jack Skellington’s ghost dog? – Zero
  9. Who played the lead role in the 1983 film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”? – David Bowie
  10. What year did the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” made its debut on CBS? – 1965

Tie breaker – On what date did the TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” made its debut on CBS? – December 9, 1965

Hello World! – Obligatory First Post

We are finally in color and mobile! Read some trivia about the Random Trivia Generator!

Hello World!

First off, I want to thank all users who stuck with us over the past 6-7 years despite the simplistic nature of the site. And secondly, welcome to the new Random Trivia Generator, the blog, and this first of what I hope is many more blog posts to come.

What is Random Trivia Generator?

Random Trivia Generator was a trivia hobby project that was born in 2009 and made public in 2010. As a university student, I spent long hours commuting to school, work, visiting friends, family, etc. Travelling in a large city like Toronto takes time and back before smartphones were popular, readily available and affordable, I used to read books while travelling to occupy my time. When with friends, we used to read each other trivia questions from books, games and random cards we purchased at thrift stores.

Over time we had so many books and trivia games that it became a burden to travel with so many games. We also had gone through all trivia games we had and knew the answers to most questions. This was around the time I got my first smartphone, Nokia E71, and had access to a slow 3G network. I also had a couple of weeks off from school. So I decided to see if I could make a repository of my own trivia questions that I can access from my phone and stump my friends. So I did it!

The outdated website you saw was originally made for a Nokia E71 phone and was never changed until now. Yes, that is 100% true. And until it became public, the site resided on my personal desktop that I was able to access through my phone.

My close friends thought it was a fun idea so I made it public for everyone to access. We kept adding questions while we were in school but we abandoned it as soon as we graduated. The site and database sat unused by us for over a year after we graduated but when it came time to pay for another year of hosting, I noticed that the site was doing quite well and about a 1,000 strangers across the planet were using it every month. This drove me back to the site. And now, after 5 years of actively maintaining the database, I decided it was time to get serious and spend some money and time on its looks.

New Look and Feel

With the help of Equal Parts Studio, my little trivia hobby project is finally in color and works across all platforms. There is even a new mobile app coming out this month. For a sneak preview of what to expect, check out the holding page at Random Trivia Generator.

But it is not just the look that has changed. We have also updated the database structure to allow for the introduction of many new functionalities in the coming months and years.

Thank you

And this is the history of the site. One man, many contributors, many years and countless hours brought us all to this point – the new Random Trivia Generator. Thank you all and I look forward to sharing more trivia questions and quizzes with users across the world!

Slavi