Post a general trivia question & see if anyone can guess the answer without using Google.

[red dog 1]

Last edited Sun Apr 12, 2026, 10:40 PM - Edit history (5)

GUESSES ARE WELCOME!

(Here's my question - please feel free to post a question of your own)
What well-known person's home was the very first to be illuminated solely by electric lights? (answered)

[LakeVermilion]

1. I'm thinking...

Alexander Graham Bell.

[LakeVermilion]

3. Nope!

I checked .

[Harker]

2. I'll go with Nikola Tesla.

[red dog 1]

10. Nope.

[lapucelle]

4. JP Morgan

[LNM]

5. Edison?

[red dog 1]

11. Good guess, but no.

[Earl_from_PA]

6. I don't know the answer to the OP's question

But my general trivia question is ...
Does carrot cake count as a serving of vegetables?...
Inquiring minds ..

[mwmisses4289]

7. Of course it does! It's made with carrots, right?

And many recipes also add in nuts (usually walnuts or pecans) and raisins. Add in the cream cheese frosting (that's dairy, yes?) and voila! A healthy dessert! 😄😋😂🥕🍰🥕

[Earl_from_PA]

8. My thinking exactly

A stand alone well balanced meal...

[yellowdogintexas]

58. my carrot cake has crushed pineapple and shredded coconut, carrots and walnuts

all the food groups

[quaint]

9. Ronald Reagan

[red dog 1]

12. Ha!

[quaint]

13. Am I wrong?

The General Electric Showcase House was at 1669 San Onofre Drive in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles in California. It was built as a residence for the American actor Ronald Reagan and his family. Reagan served as a spokesperson for the American conglomerate General Electric, who furnished the house with the latest consumer products. The house was featured in advertisements for General Electric. Reagan and his family lived at the house until his election as President of the United States in 1980. wikipedia

[red dog 1]

16. The 1st house with electric lighting was in New York in 1880

[quaint]

19. It was the "solely" that made me think of Ronnie.

[Niagara]

14. Benjamin Harrison?

[red dog 1]

17. No

[Nittersing]

15. Vanderbilts?

[red dog 1]

18. Good guess, but no.

[Niagara]

20. How about that Rockefeller fellow?

[Harker]

21. If it was Jimmy Schwartz, there's going to be a riot.

[Niagara]

22. Who's Jimmy Schwartz, Harker?

[Harker]

23. Beats me, but "famous" could be subjective.

[Niagara]

24. Absolutely, Harker

[Harker]

25. ...

[red dog 1]

67. How about "well-known"?

Could 'well-known' also be subjective?

[Harker]

68. I don't know, red!

[red dog 1]

69. "Barefoot" Jimmy Schwartz of The Blues Disciples?

Or Jimmy Schwartz, the artist and beatnik friend of British singer, songwriter, poet & guitarist Roy Harper, who has released 22 studio albums and 10 live albums.
(That Jimmy Schwartz died in 2012)

[Harker]

70. Ah! Just the unaccomplished, utterly unknown Jimmy Schwartz of my imagination, red.

[red dog 1]

33. Nope, good guess though.

[LisaM]

26. The Astors?

Seems like a Gilded Age thing.

[lapfog_1]

27. Teddy Roosevelt?

just a WAG

[red dog 1]

34. Nope, good guess.

[underpants]

28. Hearst

[red dog 1]

35. Another good guess, but no.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

29. Stanford White. NT

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. If my first guess doesn't pan out, Ulysses Grant. NT

[Harker]

32. Jimmy Schwartz?

[VGNonly]

36. JP Morgan?

[red dog 1]

37. Ding!

[VGNonly]

38. It seemed like a robber baron thing.

[rpannier]

64. I can see it. Though if I had made it

the sign would read
JP Morgan is a douche. Thank you for reading.

[Niagara]

39. post #4 did give this answer, red dog

[mountain grammy]

108. I was thinking Frank Lloyd Wright

but JP Morgan makes sense. Thanks! Good trivia.

[VGNonly]

40. Who said

"I only play the piano, but tonight god is in the house"?

[ProfessorGAC]

41. Fats Waller Talking About Art Tatum

I think most jazz piano players know that quote. I think I heard it the first time when I was 11 or 12 when first exposed to Tatum's recording by my jazz coach. He's probably the one who said it.
Fats wax a great stride piano player,but....Art could do what Fats did, but the reverse wasn't true. Hardly anybody could do what Art was capable of. The only one that immediately comes to mind is Oscar Peterson.

[VGNonly]

42. Tiger Rag

[ProfessorGAC]

43. A Piano Genius!

He's near the top of almost every great piano players GOAT list.
They all know!

[VGNonly]

44. A fun jam!

[bobalew]

45. Who played the pedal steel on CSNY's "Teach your children" studio version?

NC....

[VGNonly]

46. Jerry Garcia

[red dog 1]

48. Was Wyatt Earp ever shot in a gunfight?

Last edited Fri Apr 10, 2026, 05:45 PM - Edit history (1)

[ProfessorGAC]

53. The Answer Is No

Never hit by a bullet, even though in the famous "gunfight" bullets went through his duster, he was never hit.

[red dog 1]

49. What horse is widely considered to be the greatest racehorse of all time?

[WestMichRad]

50. I'm not a hose racing fan, but...

Secretariat?

[red dog 1]

51. Correct!

[ProfessorGAC]

54. That Was An Easy One

I was in my 3rd year of HS at the time and we had a priest (Geometry teacher) that had spent several 8years teaching at the Carmelite school in Louisville.
He knew all the racing folks and got us interested.
I remember watching the Belmont and there was a long period in the stretch run where Secretariat was the only horse in the camera frame, he was so far ahead.
It would be like a human winning the 1,500 meter at the Olympics by 150 yards.
Stunning!

[WestMichRad]

56. It's the only horse's name I can remember!

(other than Trigger and Mr. Ed))

[Walleye]

77. Big Red. Yes I was watching on TV the day he won the Belmont stakes by 30 lengths. I don't think.

That’s a feat that ever been duplicated. I used to go to Belmont with my boyfriend and we would read the racing form and bet on the horses. It was really fun, if you didn’t bet too much money. I don’t think there’s ever been a horse like Secretariat

[303squadron]

52. Who is the only author who has written books

That appear in 9 of the 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal System?

[ProfessorGAC]

55. Great Question

I don't have any clue as to the answer, but it's a great trivia question.

Edit: Well I know now, because I looked it up. Makes sense.

[WestMichRad]

57. Isaac Asimov?

I know he wrote about a lot of different things. No idea what the 10 categories of the Dewey Decimal system are.

[303squadron]

59. We have a winner

Asimov - one of my scientific and literary heroes.

[303squadron]

60. Another one (tongue in cheek)

Who played cornet for Jacques St. Claire on the jazz track "Vital Stats"?

[red dog 1]

61. What is the longest-running Broadway show in history?

[Harker]

62. "Cats"?

One of three that occurred to me.

[red dog 1]

63. Nope,

Good guess, Hark.
[What are the other two?]

[Harker]

65. "Phantom of the Opera"..

and "Les Misérables."

[red dog 1]

66. Ding!

Phantom of the Opera

[tornado34jh]

71. In which country can you find the Crooked Forest, where trees are bent at 90 degrees?

[red dog 1]

72. How much did admission to Disneyland initially cost?

[Harker]

73. Fifty cents?

[red dog 1]

74. Good guess, but a little more than that.

[red dog 1]

92. (Hint) X 2

[Harker]

93. Math was never my strong suit, red.

100 cents?

[red dog 1]

94. $1 is correct!

It originally cost a buck to enter the Magic Kingdom.

[Tikki]

75. What is the legal name of the California city called Ventura?

Tikki

[Harker]

78. Buenaventura?

[Tikki]

79. Yeah...City of San Buenaventura.

Tikki

[Harker]

81. I thought about it for quite a while, rejecting some pretty cumbersome creations.

[yorkster]

76. This is really fun. Congrats to you and commenters.

And I got to listen to Tiger Rag while perusing the comments.

[-misanthroptimist]

82. The creator of Wonder Woman...

...also is known for an invention that is still used to this day. What is this invention?

[-misanthroptimist]

83. Which planet in our solar system would float in water?

[Angleae]

84. Saturn

Of course, finding a body of water that big is a bit challenging.

[-misanthroptimist]

85. Correct!

That just always knocked me out - a planet with a 72k mile diameter that could float.

[VGNonly]

86. What is located at this address

460 North Shore Dr. Clear Lake Iowa?

[jmowreader]

87. The last concert hall Buddy Holly ever played at

[VGNonly]

88. Yes The Surf Ballroom

Here's a tougher one: 28995 Lansing Rd. Dyersville, also in Iowa?

A lot corn there

[jmowreader]

89. Something to do with the movie "Field of Dreams"

Was it where Ray built his baseball field?

[VGNonly]

90. Yes!

[red dog 1]

91. Which two seas does the Suez Canal connect?

[Harker]

95. The Mediterranean and Red Seas.

[red dog 1]

97. Ding!

[VGNonly]

96. Merry Clayton famously sang

on Gimme Shelter, but she was the 2nd choice. Who was first?

[Sanity Claws]

103. Marianna Faithful

I pulled this out of my ass.

[VGNonly]

104. She sang with Ike&Tina Turner for a very short time.

She was the 1st white Ikette. In 1969, Her somewhat demanding husband forbade her from performing with the Stones. They divorced in 72.

[red dog 1]

98. On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly charted a four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza airplane for himself & 2 others fly from their

performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa to their next venue in Moorhead, Minnesota.
Who were the two other musicians who were supposed to be on that plane with Buddy Holly, and what instruments did they play?

[Harker]

99. Guitarist Tommy Allsup and bassist Waylon Jennings, I believe.

[red dog 1]

100. Your belief is correct!

[Harker]

101. The forgotten man is Roger Peterson.

Last edited Mon May 4, 2026, 08:24 PM - Edit history (1)

Not Armstrong as originally posted.

[Leghorn21]

102. Who said, "Acting is not an important job in the scheme of things. Plumbing is."

[red dog 1]

105. Who was the first American woman to cross the continent?

She traveled with her husband and another couple.
The journey was by sleigh, canal barge, wagon, sternwheeler, horseback and foot.

[VGNonly]

107. Mrs. Whitman?

I don't recall her first name.

[red dog 1]

109. You got it!

Mrs. Narcissa Whitman.

[efhmc]

118. As a feminist I totally disagree. We don't know who it was. You have the name of a wife and her journey with her

husband. Are there no records of women traveling alone with no male to acknowledge them as accomplishing this feat? And if no husband, then no male to say it happened.

[VGNonly]

106. On WKRP

what is the name of the shopping mall in the famous Turkey Drop episode?

[VGNonly]

110. What is the largest tributary by volume

of the Mississippi River?

[Harker]

111. I'll go with The Missouri River.

In fact, being a poor swimmer, I'd go with any river.

[VGNonly]

112. The Missouri is longer but relatively shallow.

The river I'm referring to has over 10x the volume.

[Harker]

113. I'll need earplugs!

[VGNonly]

114. The Ohio

The Ohio and the Mississippi come together at Cairo IL. The Ohio has more volume than the Missouri/Mississippi combined at that point. In the hydrological sense the Ohio is the largest river.

[Harker]

115. What is the etymology of the word "trivia"?

[VGNonly]

116. Tom Hanks was portrayed as a child

in a part of Forrest Gump. What other 3 films was he was a child?

[nuxvomica]

119. I can think of "Big"

But that's obvious.

[VGNonly]

123. Splash

In the end of Philadelphia, home movies are shown.

[red dog 1]

117. Who first came up with the "Big Bang" theory of the origin of the universe?

["The hypothesis of the primeval atom"]

[VGNonly]

132. Was he a priest?

[red dog 1]

133. Yes, he was a Catholic priest.

[nuxvomica]

120. What author's first story was "Three Dragons"?

And why did that spark a lifelong vocation?

[red dog 1]

121. What author wrote the short story "Three Bananas"?

(It wasn't his first story, and he wrote over a hundred other short stories)

[nuxvomica]

122. Two guesses

James Thurber and Dr. Seuss.

[red dog 1]

124. Good guesses but no.

Hint: He was a freelance writer who sold many short stories to "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction" (F&SF)

[nuxvomica]

125. Philip K. Dick?

The title is goofy enough for him. Or E.E. Smith? I don't know much about sci-fi mags but I did manage to sell a story to Perihelion a while back.

Take a stab at my question. It should be obvious.

[red dog 1]

130. No, he wasn't a well-known Sci-Fi author like Philip K. Dick or E.E. Smith,

But he was a close friend of both Harlan Ellison and Michael Shea, and he did know several other well-known Sci-Fi writers, including Marc Laidlaw, K.W. Jeter and Pat Murphy (The Falling Woman), all of whom visited him from time to time at his San Francosco residence.

(I have no idea who wrote Three Dragons)

















I'm curious about your sale of a story to Perihelion...how much did they pay you?
Is the story available to read on their website?

[nuxvomica]

131. The story was published way back in 2013

I think I made $6 off it but it was the first year I started writing sci-fi so it was a big deal to me. It was flash fiction and below their current limit of 800 words. They only keep it around for six months. The title was "Blabbo Sillypants" and it was about an android clown. Thinking back, it was very prescient about AI.

I have no idea about "Three Bananas" but I am resisting the urge to Google it.

[red dog 1]

134. A Google search will come up with a Czech children's author Zdenek Karel Slaby, who is not the writer I asked about.

Slaby also wrote a short story called "Three Bananas," which was adapted into a famous Soviet animated short film.

As far as your short story, Blabbo Sillypants," why don't you send it to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction?
https://fandsf.com

[nuxvomica]

135. They won't accept anything I wrote

Most of it's been posted on a public forum. I tried to convince the moderator to make it private so the stories could be sold but he sees it as a way to promote self-published novels, which I don't think is actually working. I do have one story that was on a private forum and is probably unique in all of sci-fi history: it's homeopathic sci-fi. Maybe I'll revisit it. The other members of that forum loved it even though they weren't familiar with homeopathy.

The author of "Three Dragons" is so popular, it's practically a cult.

[Tiny Tabby]

126. Wonder woman

The lie detector

[Tiny Tabby]

127. Big bang theory

A Catholic priest who worked at the Vatican as a scientist

[Tiny Tabby]

128. What notorious criminal is linked with O'Hare Airport?

[Harker]

129. John Dillinger.