Question 1

The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, is often called the most important invention of the last millennium. What was the very first major book Gutenberg printed in large numbers?

Accepted Answer

The Bible. Gutenberg's press produced the famous Gutenberg Bible around 1455 — roughly 180 copies were printed, of which about 49 still exist today. It was the first major book in Europe produced using movable type, launching the age of mass communication.

Question 2

Diamonds are famous for being the hardest natural substance — but what are diamonds actually made of?

Accepted Answer

Pure carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice. Diamonds are made entirely of carbon atoms bonded in a rigid tetrahedral crystal structure — the same element as graphite and coal, just arranged differently. It's that incredibly strong lattice that makes diamonds the hardest natural material on Earth.

Question 3

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15) in 44 BC — but roughly how many senators participated in the conspiracy to murder him?

Accepted Answer

About 60. Ancient sources suggest around 60 senators were involved in the plot and of those approximately 40 were actually in the room when he was stabbed though Caesar himself is said to have received 23 stab wounds. The sheer number of participants was partly to spread collective guilt across the conspirators.

Question 4

The tradition of decorating a tree at Christmas was popularized in England partly because of a royal couple. Which monarch helped make the Christmas tree fashionable across the British Empire?

Accepted Answer

Queen Victoria. An 1848 illustration of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert gathered around a decorated Christmas tree was widely published and imitated, spreading the tradition across Britain and beyond. While the custom was already known in royal circles, Albert’s enthusiastic adoption of it helped make it a mainstream phenomenon.

Question 5

The movie 'Die Hard' (1988) is beloved — but the film was actually based on a novel. What was that novel's title, and what famous franchise was it originally a sequel to?

Accepted Answer

'Nothing Lasts Forever,' a sequel to the Roderick Thorp novel 'The Detective'. Die Hard is based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel 'Nothing Lasts Forever,' which was itself a sequel to his earlier novel 'The Detective' — a book that had been adapted into a 1968 Frank Sinatra film. That contractual link is why Sinatra was technically the first person offered the role of John McClane.

October 15, 2026 Trivia

1. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg around 1440, is often called the most important invention of the last millennium. What was the very first major book Gutenberg printed in large numbers?

2. Diamonds are famous for being the hardest natural substance — but what are diamonds actually made of?

3. Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March (March 15) in 44 BC — but roughly how many senators participated in the conspiracy to murder him?

4. The tradition of decorating a tree at Christmas was popularized in England partly because of a royal couple. Which monarch helped make the Christmas tree fashionable across the British Empire?

5. The movie 'Die Hard' (1988) is beloved — but the film was actually based on a novel. What was that novel's title, and what famous franchise was it originally a sequel to?