Note, however, that doesn't mean the hardest trivia questions. It’s remarkably easy to come up with dozens of hard trivia questions that require knowledge too obscure to answer -- or to be any fun. We’ll share a few examples of bad trivia questions below for reference.
One secret to creating great (and fun) trivia questions that aren't too challenging is to come up with ones that can have more than one correct answer. That way, you allow people to plumb the depths of their knowledge, and find not only the right answer but also enjoy that boost of self-confidence that comes with getting it right.
And really, when you’re having a trivia night with friends, isn’t that more important than stumping everyone? If you agree with that sentiment, then, by all means, avoid questions like those found in the first segment
Skip ahead:
- Hard Trivia Questions About American History
- Hard Trivia Questions About Geography
- Hard Trivia Questions About The Human Body
- Hard Trivia Questions About Sports
- Hard Trivia Questions About World War II
- Hard Trivia Questions About Everything Else!
Examples of Bad Trivia Questions for Your Game Night
Here are five examples of trivia questions that are too difficult to be considered fun. Why? Because they are almost surely unanswerable by most players. Thus, they risk leaving people feeling as if they came up short.
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1. What is the capital of Togo? (It’s Benin, but unless players have prepared specifically for geography, this is probably too obscure.)
2. What is the third-tallest mountain on Earth? (It’s Kangchenjunga, in the Himalayas, in the border region between Nepal and India. However, almost no one is going to readily answer that.)
3. What is the 10th decimal digit of pi? (It’s 5, but people who can recite pi to 3.14159, a standard number of digits recalled, will feel they perhaps should have known.)
4. Who was Teddy Roosevelt’s first lady? (It was Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, but this is a “gotcha” question, because it's rather obscure, and because she wasn't his first wife.)
5. Name five former U.S. secretaries of state. (There are plenty to name, but this question asks for too many responses to be much fun!)
Now, let’s move on to some great hard trivia questions.
Hard Trivia Questions About American History
These questions have a single correct answer. Plus, U.S. history is a subject in which most American citizens can be expected to have at least some grounding.
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1. What is the oldest European-founded city in the United States? (St. Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565)
2. Name all four U.S. presidents who were assassinated while in office. (Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy)
3. In which war did the most Americans die? (the American Civil War, in which an estimated 620,000 men, or 2 percent of the U.S. population at the time, lost their lives)
4. In what year did the first Ford Model T sell? (1908)
5. Who was the first U.S. president to appear on television? (Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on April 30, 1939, during the opening session of the New York World's Fair)
6. What does the middle initial "S" stand for in U.S. President Harry S. Truman's name? (This is a little tricky. Truman had no middle name. His parents gave him the middle initials as a compromise to honor both grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young)
Hard Trivia Questions About Geography
Most of these have multiple correct responses, which is a great way to make a hard trivia question a bit easier to field. And it's more fun for a wider group of participants.
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1. In what state is the tallest mountain in the continental United States? (California)
2. Name two of the five deepest points in the world’s oceans. (Mariana Trench, Puerto Rico Trench/Milwaukee Deep, Java Trench, South Sandwich Trench, Molloy Hole)
3. Name five countries whose names begin with the letter G. (Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana)
4. What is tallest mountain in Australia? (Mount Kosciuszko)
5. What is the longest river in Europe? (Volga)
6. Which country's flag features a dragon? (Three possible answers: Bhutan, Malta or Wales)
Hard Trivia Questions About the Human Body
These questions can be fun with players of different ages. Kids often will know more about the human body than adults do, because they more recently learned about it.
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1. Name the three bones found in the inner ear. (Hammer, anvil, stirrup)
2. How many total chromosomes does a human cell have? (46 – 23 pairs, but 26 total)
3. What is the second-biggest organ in the human body? (Liver)
4. Name four types of bone found below your pelvis. (Femur, patella, tibia, fibula, tarsals, metatarsals, phalanges)
5. Does an average head of full hair have about 1,000, 7,500, 10,000 or 15,000 hairs? (10,000)
Hard Trivia Questions About Sports
These questions mostly have single answers, as statistics are such an important part of sports.
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1. Which sport is older, basketball or American football? (Football)
2. In which decade was baseball’s first perfect game thrown? (1880s)
3. Name five positions on a soccer/football team. (Goalkeeper, sweeper, center back, full back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, wing back, winger, striker, forward)
4. This Major League Baseball team (currently) has the second-most World Series wins. (Cardinals, 11)
5. Who (currently) holds the all-time point record in the National Basketball Association? (Kareem Abdul-Jabar, 38,387)
6. In which year was the first football World Cup held? (1930)
Hard Trivia Questions About World War II
What can we say? People love trivia about the Second World War.
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1. On what day did Nazi Germany invade Poland? (Sept. 1, 1939)
2. Name three European countries that remained neutral during World War II. (Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey)
3. On what date was victory declared in Europe? (May 8, 1945)
4. Name three types of American World War II fighter planes. (P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk, F4 Corsair, F6 Hellcat, P-63 Kingcobra, etc.)
5. What was the deadliest battle of World War II? (Battle of Stalingrad, with approximately 2 million casualties)
Hard Trivia Questions About Everything Else!
Sometimes, it's more fun to take a wide-open approach. So here are 10 more great trivia questions from all sorts of topic areas.
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1. How many legs does a centipede have? (30)
2. Name one of the only African countries that were never colonized. (Ethiopia and Liberia)
3. How many humps does a dromedary camel have? (One)
4. Who was the youngest U.S. president ever? (Teddy Roosevelt, at 42)
5. In which decade were the first artificial Christmas trees manufactured? (1930s)
6. What is the hardest natural substance on Earth? (Diamond)
7. What is the best-selling album of all time? (Michael Jackson’s Thriller)
8. Who was the youngest British prime minister ever? (William Pitt the Younger, at 24)
9. What is the only mammal that is fully covered in scales? (Pangolin)
10. Who was the first Disney princess? (Snow White)
A Healthy Relationship Requires That You Put The Phone Down
I think the greatest compliment I ever got was from a female friend who said: "I want what you have". She was speaking of my marriage and the relationship I have with my wife. I was really proud of that because it made me feel like I have done my job as a husband. My wife and I do have a great relationship, and at this time, we have been married for 12 years. I get asked both personally and professionally what makes a successful marriage? I don't know if I have all the answers, but in today's age, I'd say "put the phone down".
A Healthy Relationship Requires That You Put The Phone Down
Working in mental health for the past 30 years, I have done my share of working with relationships. Some things will always ring true, but today so many people let their phones interfere, and in some cases, destroy their relationship. Let me give you a few examples.
In this day and age, people are slowly losing their interpersonal skills as they replace it with their phones. I was truly shocked when I looked up this statistic. The average person looks at their cell phone 110 a day, and in the evenings we check out phones every 6 seconds. That can't be! So I did a little more research. It turns out, I was quoting one of the lower numbers. Everyone jokes about a zombie apocalypse. Don't laugh. It’s here. So I'll say it again. If you want your relationship to survive, "Put the damn phone down"!
A few years back I received 2 pieces of really good advice. I was in a board of directors meeting and we were discussing a sensitive subject. The president said something that has stayed with me to this day. He said: "If you're going to put something in writing, be it letter, text or email, you have to assume that it is going end up on the front page of the New York Times." Wow! I never thought of it in those terms. But he was right. The minute we text, email or put pen to paper, we no longer own or are in control of what happens next. So, from a professional standpoint, it better be correct. I have since applied that principal to my relationship.
The other piece of advice I got was never to say anything to a member of the opposite sex that you wouldn't say in front of your spouse. Brilliant! Sometimes in these environments over the course of years we get close to a coworker. We have all heard terms like work-wife or work-husband. And while many times these conversations are harmless, it's good to check-in with yourself and your spouse to make sure you're not creating a problem. I think most of us are guilty of it. So start with being honest with yourself and your motives before causing any issues.
Getting back to the zombie apocalypse. I cannot tell you the amount of clients I have worked with while running EAP (employee assistance programs) about problems they cause in their relationship because they got caught up sending inappropriate messages to someone other than their spouse. Remember that whatever you write and send out to others, you no longer own. Believe me, the rate of return is pretty high. In other words, it could and most likely will come back to bite you. I'm not talking about innocent flirting. I'm talking about specific language that can be damaging to your relationship. I go back to never say (or write) anything to another that you would not be comfortable saying in front of your spouse. It's a betrayal of trust and intimacy if you do.
It's funny because in these situations when I confront a client about doing such actions, I inevitably hear something like its just fun, no one knows. Or, I'll never follow through with it. Two things to consider. First, then why do it at all? And secondly, how would you feel if you knew your spouse was doing that to you? More often than not, the person will answer: "I wouldn't care". Well if you really don't care that both you and your wife are giving away intimacy, freely, maybe it's time to reexamine the relationship. But I think the first step is to have this conversation in front of your spouse. Be honest. Be intimate.
The last point I would like to make in securing a healthy relationship concerning mobile devices is courtesy. When you're with your partner eating dinner, on a date or trying to have a conversation, put the phone down. It's impossible to connect in a meaningful way if you're staring at your phone. Remember when you were first dating and you didn't check your phone every 5 minutes and didn't answer every text/email? Do that! You can't build a relationship when you're mentally disconnected from the conversation.
So while there are many things you can do to strengthen or build a relationship, start here. Put the phone down. Know your worth. Know the worth of your relationship. Intimacy starts by being connected. And you cannot connect with your significant other when you’re on the phone.