Question 1

Which pop star performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in 2013 and deliberately caused a 34-minute city-wide power outage — or so the conspiracy theory goes?

Accepted Answer

Beyoncé. Beyoncé's explosive halftime show in New Orleans was followed by a mysterious 34-minute power outage that delayed the game. Though the outage was officially blamed on an electrical relay device, conspiracy theories immediately blamed the performance.

Question 2

Which European country was the first in the world to appoint an official government minister whose sole job is to combat loneliness among its citizens?

Accepted Answer

United Kingdom. The UK appointed its first Minister for Loneliness in 2018 following a government report that found over nine million British people often or always feel lonely.

Question 3

Which U.S. state was once briefly an independent republic known as the 'Bear Flag Republic' in 1846, before being annexed?

Accepted Answer

California. California declared independence from Mexico in June 1846 under the Bear Flag Republic, which lasted only 25 days before the U.S. Navy arrived and raised the 27-star US flag.

Question 4

Which mathematician first proved that there are different 'sizes' of infinity, showing that some infinities are larger than others?

Accepted Answer

Georg Cantor. Georg Cantor developed set theory in the late 19th century and proved through his diagonal argument that the infinity of real numbers is strictly larger than the infinity of natural numbers. His revolutionary work was initially rejected by many mathematicians.

Question 5

In cricket, what is the term for when a bowler dismisses three batters with three consecutive deliveries, equivalent to a 'hat trick' in football?

Accepted Answer

Hat-trick. A hat-trick in cricket is three wickets in three balls, and the term actually originated in cricket before spreading to football (soccer), hockey and other sports.

April 15, 2026 Trivia

1. Which pop star performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in 2013 and deliberately caused a 34-minute city-wide power outage — or so the conspiracy theory goes?

2. Which European country was the first in the world to appoint an official government minister whose sole job is to combat loneliness among its citizens?

3. Which U.S. state was once briefly an independent republic known as the 'Bear Flag Republic' in 1846, before being annexed?

4. Which mathematician first proved that there are different 'sizes' of infinity, showing that some infinities are larger than others?

5. In cricket, what is the term for when a bowler dismisses three batters with three consecutive deliveries, equivalent to a 'hat trick' in football?