It may itself be a little-known fact, but January 4th is National Trivia Day! To celebrate, I thought I’d post some trivia tidbits from Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries. Remember, ONE of the claims in each set of three below following is false. Can you figure out which one in each trio is the fake trivium? (Did you know trivia is the plural of trivium?)
A.
- There’s an abandoned cruise ship loaded with crazed, cannibal rats drifting around somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Beware!
- A banyan tree in Pakistan was put under arrest by a British army officer in 1898 and is still in chains today. Pardon, anyone?
- It’s illegal to chew gum in Singapore.
B.
- Ben Franklin wrote a treatise on why scientists should try to find a way to make farts smell better.
- Dog Island is an island oasis dedicated to letting dogs live out their wilder natures, undisturbed by humans. Be free, Fifi.
- There’s an annual festival in Spain centered around throwing tomatoes at people. Food fight!
C.
- The oldest known dental fillings date back to between 12,740 and 13,000 years ago, and they were filled with, essentially, tar. Ew.
- It’s illegal to own a pet turtle in Iceland, and 1 in 10 children there grow up to become authors.
- I was once trapped in an elevator, alone, overnight. Scary!
If you don’t know all of the answers, go do some research and see if you can figure them out! But be careful… things might not always be what they seem at first glance, and truth often is stranger than fiction.
For even more trivia fun, check out this post from MentalFloss on National Trivia Day last year. I especially love the one about Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. (I’m a huge fan of their new Urban Bourbon flavor!)
If you enjoyed these true (and not so true) trivia facts for National Trivia Day, or want to check your answers, make sure to check out the book: Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries!
Do you have any favorite trivia tidbits? Please post them in the comments below (and be sure to warn us if they might not be 100% true)!