About This Quiz
Our Earth that we live on is a strange place, indeed.
It's not only filled with strange animals but humans as well!
It is a place of wonder, filled with daily miracles that are simply called life. And it is filled with fascinating facts, as well.
For instance, did you know that the only planet not named after a god is our Earth? Did you know that most South Africans can speak two languages (and take it totally for granted). What about the fact that "hello" wasn't a greeting used until the telephone came along. And who introduced it? Thomas Edison. Although, the inventor of the telephone wanted the greeting to be "Ahoy!" Let's all just agree that "Ahoy" is infinitely cooler!
Or did you know that elephants are indeed scared of mice (as proved by the Mythbusters) or that a cockroach can live without its head for a week, eventually dying of this because it cannot drink?
Zany facts, right. And you will find many more in our quiz. Except you have to answer them. Do you think you can do it? Some are extremely difficult, so a score of more than 11 will be simply incredible.
So what you waiting for? Jump right in and show us what you are made of! You got this!
Good luck, and enjoy it!
The tallest peak in North America is Mount Denali. Found in Alaska where it forms part of the Alaskan mountain range, Denali is 6190m tall during snow season. It was formerly known as Mount McKinley but changed to Denali, a name it had been called by the local people for centuries.
It certainly is a close run contest for the longest river in America. In fact, there is just 11 kilometers in it. But the Mississippi, at 3,778 kilometers, is longer than the Missouri which clocks in at 3,767 kilometers.
Jimmy Hoffa was a controversial figure at the time of his disappearance in 1975. Said to have mafia ties, Hoffa even spent time in jail for jury tampering, fraud and attempted bribery. After his disappearance, he was declared legally dead in 1982 but the case remains open.
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Reginald Kenneth Dwight, born on March 25, 1947, is none other than the legendary Elton John. He has always worked with famed lyricist Bernie Taupin and his music has sold over 300 000 albums worldwide! His rearranged composition, "Candle in the Wind" released after the death of Princess Diana, is the biggest selling single in both UK and US history.
Well, was it a UFO? There have been so many conflicting reports over the years, we will probably never know. Authorities say it was a weather balloon, but conspiracy theorists say this was only a ruse and that a UFO and dead aliens were found on the crash site. Who knows, really?
While working for famed inventor Thomas Edison, Henry Ford built the Ford Quadricycle. It comprised of four bicycle wheels, was steered using a tiller and was powered by a 2-cylinder engine which produced four horsepower.
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Many people believe that George Washington's dentures were made out of wood. This simply isn't true. Yes, he had dentures but they were made out of materials such as gold, lead and ivory. Never wood!
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. His assassination by Gavrilo Princip led to a number of international events that eventually led to war.
The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. Hoping to totally disable the United States Pacific fleet, they did massive damage, killing 2,335 people and damaging or sinking a number of ships. The U.S. aircraft carriers, however, were not in harbor at the time. On Dec. 8, the United States declared war on Japan with Franklin Roosevelt delivering his famous "a date that will live in infamy" speech.
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No, not birds but dogs, in fact. In fact, Canaria in Latin is the word for dog. When explorers first came to Grand Canaria, it had hundreds of large dogs on it. It was also a haven for seals, something the Romans called sea dogs!
Written by Tennessee Williams, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered on March 24, 1955 in New York. It won the Pulitzer Prize for drama that same year. A film version with Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor followed in 1958.
The Volkswagen Beetle (22 million units) and the Model T (15 million) have impressive numbers when it comes to production. But they cannot beat the Toyota Corolla. First introduced in 1966 and still a model today, it has sold over 40 million units by 2014.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) regulates the game of cricket worldwide. It was formed in 1909 but was first known as the Imperial Cricket Conference. In 1965, it was renamed the International Cricket Conference, becoming the International Cricket Council in 1989. It currently has over 100 members, although only 12 nations play Test cricket, the pinnacle of the game.
Situated north of Thailand in SouthEast Asia, Myanmar is a country of over 53 million people. It was initially called Burma but in 2011, changed to Myanmar after the restoration of the presidency that had been overthrown in 1962 in a coup d'état.
Many believe the most southern point of the African continent to be the Cape Point in South Africa. While the southernmost point is in South Africa, it is Cape Agulhas, not Cape Point. Interestingly, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meet at this point as well.
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In the world of soccer, you either think Lionel Messi is the best or Cristiano Ronaldo is the best. Both are incredible players. Ronaldo has recently won all the major accolades and helped Portugal win the European Cup in 2016, some feat for sure. He has won the most prestigious European club football competition, the European Cup, on 5 occasions.
Since the first democratic elections held in 1994, South Africa does indeed have 11 official languages. The most important of these is English, which everyone can communicate in. The others are Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, SiSwati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Most South Africans can speak more than one language.
Volkswagen started the ‘hot hatch’ revolution with the introduction of the Golf GTI in 1976. This was a Golf Mk 1 with a high-performance engine, which instantly became a hit. Other manufacturers soon followed!
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Yes, Timbuktu does exist. It is found in the African country of Mali and is home to around 50,000 people. People first settled in Timbuktu as far back as the 12th century. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Really... no, really! There are people out there who fear knees. And not only their knees but knees belonging to others as well. They also fear acts in which the knees are involved, for instance kneeling. That's just weird, man!
Often written as the Greek letter for P which is π, Pi is a mathematical idea showing the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference. The size of the circle will never change this ratio, which will always be 3.14 (to two decimal places).
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Yes, the Generation X'ers were born for a 20-year period between 1960 and 1980. This is the MTV generation, the generation that grew up on a range of music but saw the birth of punk, hip hop and heavy metal. And its also the generation considered to be the original slackers.
One of R&B's greatest singers, Stevie Wonder was born Steveland Judkins in 1950. Wonder has been recording since the age of 11. This multi-instrumentalist has sold over 100 millions albums worldwide, despite the fact that he went blind soon after birth.
To help birds fly and reduce their weight significantly, their bones are hollow inside. But there is also another reason. They are filled with tiny air sacs which allow the body to bring in oxygen when the bird inhales AND exhales!
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This catches everyone! Hopefully you got it right. He may be known as Paul McCartney to the world but he was actually christened James Paul McCartney. He remains one of the most famous names in music today.
Yes, that's right. It's a caravan, which fits right in doesn't it? Caravans of camels are a form of transport in places like the Sahara desert for the Bedouin people. Their ability to handle heat, store their own water and travel long distances makes them the perfect pack animal.
Diamonds are indeed made from carbon. Carbon is one of the most naturally appearing elements in the universe. Doesn't that kind of make you wonder why diamonds are so expensive....
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Just about 20 years ago, Toyota first launched its hybrid vehicle, the Prius. From 1997 to 2003, the Prius was part of the compact car market. In 2003, it was relaunched as a hatchback. With over 4 million sales worldwide, this is the top selling hybrid car on the planet.
Essentially what Napoleon was saying is that an effective army, capable of winning decisive battles, cannot do so if they are starving. And Napoleon's armies had particularly problems in 1812 finding food. Reports suggest that men even committed suicide than rather die of starvation.
"The Matrix" is an epic sci-fi movie that has gained cult status. It was directed by the Wachowskis and starred Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. Sequels followed but were never deemed as good as the original.
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Businessman Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States in November 2016 and inaugurated on January 20, 2017. Trump had built his financial fortune mostly in real estate. He wasn't expected to win the elections over seasoned Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton.
ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Both these nations formed part of the Commonwealth and fought alongside Britain during World War I and II. These troops are celebrated on ANZAC Day in New Zealand and Australia observed on April 25 each year.
Juneau is the capital and home to just over 32,000 Alaskans, even though the far-more-remote city of Anchorage holds a population of close to 300,000 - almost 40% of the state's entire population!
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Yes, indeed. The glabella is the space between your two eyebrows. However, there is another area called the glabella in your body. And it's in exactly the same area but doesn't refer to the skin but the bone that is slightly depressed found under the skin.
Nautical terms can be a little off-putting. For example the front of the ship is the bow and the back is aft. Turn left and you are turning to port (although you may not be) and turn right and going to starboard.