Trivia for Seniors

In July 1969, which mission landed the first humans on the Moon?

• Apollo 8
• Apollo 11
• Apollo 13
• Gemini 4

Answer: Apollo 11. Apollo 11 landed on 20 July 1969, and Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface. Apollo 13 is remembered for its safe return after an explosion in 1970.

Which singer was crowned 'The King of Rock and Roll'?

• Elvis Presley
• Chuck Berry
• Little Richard
• Buddy Holly

Answer: Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley earned the title in the 1950s with hits that mixed country, blues and gospel. His home, Graceland, is in Memphis, Tennessee.

Which 1939 film follows Dorothy and her dog Toto down the Yellow Brick Road?

• Gone with the Wind
• The Wizard of Oz
• Mary Poppins
• The Sound of Music

Answer: The Wizard of Oz. The Wizard of Oz starred Judy Garland as Dorothy. The film famously switches from sepia to bright Technicolor when she arrives in Oz.

Who became the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in 1979?

• Theresa May
• Barbara Castle
• Margaret Thatcher
• Shirley Williams

Answer: Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher led the UK from 1979 to 1990 and was nicknamed the Iron Lady. Theresa May became the second woman to hold the post in 2016.

Which barrier, a symbol of the Cold War, was opened in November 1989?

• The Berlin Wall
• Hadrian's Wall
• The Western Wall
• The Atlantic Wall

Answer: The Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall had divided East and West Berlin since 1961. Its fall on 9 November 1989 led to German reunification in October 1990.

In which board game do players buy properties, collect rent and try to stay out of jail?

• Scrabble
• Cluedo
• Snakes and Ladders
• Monopoly

Answer: Monopoly. Monopoly was first published by Parker Brothers in 1935 and became one of the best-selling board games of all time. Landing on the Go to Jail square sends you straight to jail.

The Beatles came from which English city?

• London
• Manchester
• Liverpool
• Birmingham

Answer: Liverpool. The Beatles formed in Liverpool and played many early shows at the city's Cavern Club before conquering the world in the 1960s.

Jazz legend Louis Armstrong was best known for playing which instrument?

• Saxophone
• Piano
• Clarinet
• Trumpet

Answer: Trumpet. Armstrong, nicknamed Satchmo, was a trumpet virtuoso and also famous for his gravelly singing voice.

What was the name of the first artificial satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957?

• Vostok 1
• Explorer 1
• Sputnik 1
• Telstar

Answer: Sputnik 1. Sputnik 1 went up on 4 October 1957 and started the space race. Explorer 1 was America's first satellite, launched in 1958.

Which country won the 1966 FIFA World Cup on home soil?

• Brazil
• England
• West Germany
• Italy

Answer: England. England beat West Germany 4-2 after extra time at Wembley. Geoff Hurst scored a hat-trick in the final.

Charlie Chaplin's best-loved screen character, with bowler hat, cane and baggy trousers, is known as what?

• The Tramp
• The Ringmaster
• The Gentleman Thief
• The Stranger

Answer: The Tramp. The Tramp, also called the Little Tramp, appeared in silent classics such as The Kid and City Lights.

Which film was India's first submission for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, earning a nomination in 1958?

• Mother India
• Do Bigha Zamin
• Pather Panchali
• Mughal-e-Azam

Answer: Mother India. Mehboob Khan's Mother India (1957), starring Nargis, was nominated at the 1958 Academy Awards. It remains one of Indian cinema's best-known classics.

Before decimalisation in 1971, how many shillings made one British pound?

• 10
• 12
• 20
• 240

Answer: 20. There were 20 shillings in a pound and 12 pence in a shilling, so 240 pence made a pound. Decimal Day changed that to 100 new pence.

Which composer wrote the 'Choral' Ninth Symphony despite being almost completely deaf?

• Mozart
• Beethoven
• Bach
• Handel

Answer: Beethoven. Ludwig van Beethoven completed his Ninth Symphony in 1824. Its final movement sets Schiller's poem 'Ode to Joy' for choir and soloists.

What did Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming discover in 1928?

• Insulin
• X-rays
• Polio vaccine
• Penicillin

Answer: Penicillin. Fleming noticed mould killing bacteria in a lab dish, which led to penicillin, one of the first and most important antibiotics. He shared the 1945 Nobel Prize for it.