Stuff You Should Know's First-ever Crowd-sourced Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Stuff You Should Know's First-ever Crowd-sourced Quiz
Image: John Lund/Blend Images/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Josh and Chuck know a lot of trivia gleaned from past Stuff You Should Know episodes, but so do their listeners. To give the fans a shot to prove their know-how, we've compiled this quiz made up entirely of questions posed by @SYSKPodcast followers on Twitter. Good luck, pal!
What is the currency of the Principality of Sealand?
Sealand dollar
Wampum
A basket of four fiat currencies
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one was posed by @JacobTang2. Sealand, a sovereign nation that appeared in the "How do I start my own country?" episode has the Sealand dollar as its currency. It's pegged to the U.S. dollar in value.

Which of these is the correct plural form of octopus?
Octopi
Octopuses
Both
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We also would've accepted "octopods." As we learned in the "Octopus, Octopi, Octopod, Octopuses" episode, there are at least three accepted plural forms of the word "octopus." @DisquietTheRiot suggested that question.

Chuck has something in the studio no one else has. What is it?
Medical donut pillow
Microphone cover
A superfluous nipple
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chuck likes to know that only he has breathed on his microphone cover. That question was asked by @Sarijo.

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From what language does the word "yo-yo" originate?
Chinese
Druid
Tagalog
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Thanks to @DrOwlPhD for this question. The word "yo-yo" means, "come, come" or "come back," in Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines.

Which of these HowStuffWorks.com podcasters have guest podcasted on Stuff You Should Know?
Stuff You Missed In History Class's Sarah Dowdey
TechStuff's Jonathan Strickland
Stuff They Don't Want You to Know's Matt Frederick and Ben Bowlin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

TechStuff's Jonathan Strickland served as co-host for the "How the Necronomicon Works" episode. He also played the voice of Charles Darwin on the "How Earthworms Work" episode. Twitter follower @Duskborne could have told you the answer to this one, since he asked it and all.

Who was the painter thought by Patricia Cornwell to be Jack the Ripper?
Walter Sickert
Grant Wood
Francisco Goya
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The crime fiction author Patricia Cornwell was called "monstrously stupid" by the curator of a British museum for destroying a painting by Walter Sickert in search of proof he was Jack the Ripper. An excellent question posed by @latuacantante17.

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How much more anesthetic do gingers (redheads) require when being put to sleep?
5 percent
20 percent
50 percent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As discussed in the poorly named "How Redheads Work" episode, it takes as much as 20 percent more anesthesia to put a redhead under for surgery. Why? Listen to the episode. A fine question by @MissTrust90.

How long did one study find mice can retain consciousness following decapitation?
Four seconds
15 seconds
90 seconds
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A study investigating decapitation as a humane method of euthanizing lab animals found that electrical activity associated with consciousness in the brains of mice persisted for about four seconds following decapitation. Yow. Thanks to @morthouseblog for that one.

Why should you not stop eating gluten if you self-diagnose yourself with a gluten allergy?
It could induce a coma
You will likely become constipated
A gluten allergy won't be detectable by a medical test
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gluten leaves the body fairly quickly when it's cut from the diet, so if you stop eating gluten, a gluten allergy won't be detected by your doctor and a false negative will be found during allergy testing. That one's from @MorganFryPasic.

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Who started smoking first: Josh or Chuck?
Josh
Chuck
Neither ever smoked
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Something of a trick question since Chuck was never a smoker. Josh, however, smoked for 20 years before he quit. Thanks to @Max_Bobbitt for that one.

When do racehorses born in the Northern hemisphere celebrate their birthdays?
On their birthdates
On August 1
On January 1
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the "How Thoroughbreds Work" episode, Josh and Chuck mention that horses born in the Northern hemisphere all have the same birthday, January 1. Southern thoroughbreds all share the birthday of August 1. The shared birthday keeps things simple, supposedly. Good one, @hmluker.

What Ecuadorian group is known for creating shrunken heads?
Shuar
Yanomamo
Fore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the "How Shrunken Heads Work" episode, Chuck and Josh discuss the Shuar, the only indigenous group known to shrink heads. Thanks to @KieraJo for that one.

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What do Bing Crosby, Jimi Hendrix, and Yanni have in common?
They all got their start at the Apollo Theater
They all have perfect pitch
They all have the same agent
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

As heard in the "Tone Deafness" episode, Bing Crosby, Jimi Hendrix and Yanni all have perfect pitch. Man, that was a good one. Thanks to @skittermax.

Who lit the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago?
Westinghouse
General Electric
Edison Company
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It was Nikola Tesla's alternating current, installed by the Westinghouse Company, that lit the World's Fair in Chicago. It was the culmination of the "War of the Currents" between Tesla's alternating currrent (AC) and Thomas Edison's direct current (DC), as described in the "How did Nikola Tesla change the way we use energy?" episode. Thanks to @jrwyke for that one.

Which of these celebrities was frozen cryogenically upon death?
Ted Williams
James Brown
Elizabeth Taylor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Red Sox great Ted Williams, a.k.a. "Teddy Ballgame," was placed in cryonic suspension upon his death in 2002. His body and head are both in cold storage in Arizona. Great question from @ponypandaturtle.

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Which of these institutions has benefited from direct involvement by the Hells Angels?
Scared Straight
Doctors Without Borders
Toys for Tots
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While it's entirely possible a Hells Angel or two has lent a hand to the other NGOs listed, Toys for Tots was the only one of these three that Chuck and Josh mentioned in the "How the Hells Angels Work" episode. A fine question posed by @zeHobocop.

What is Josh's weapon of choice in the event of a zombie apocalypse?
Battle axe
Crossbow with exploding arrow tips
Chainsaw
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The duo over at @twoshedsband know. Josh opts for a battle axe in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Chuck goes for crossbow with exploding arrow tips. Chuck lives.

Which of these is one of the three main types of earthworms?
Anemic
Anecic
Endemic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In addition to the endogeic earthworms that dwell just beneath the soil surface and the epigeic ones that live above ground beneath leaf litter, the anecic -- the deepest dwelling of earthworm types -- form the three types of earthworms. Thanks to @mingle for the question.

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In the movie "Ghostbusters," who was the role of Winston was originally written for?
Eddie Murphy
Rick James
Gregory Hines
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The role of Winston was originally created for Eddie Murphy. Thankfully, Ernie Hudson stepped in and filled the role. Chuck and Josh can't even begin to remember which episode they mentioned this in, since they talk about "Ghostbusters" in a lot of them. Probably @abigflea could tell you since he asked the question.

In 2006, there were an estimated 6.5 billion humans on the planet. How many LEGO mini-figures were built by that same year?
100 million
2 billion
4 billion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

By 2006, LEGO had built an estimated 4 billion mini-figures. They're clearly poised to take over the world. Thanks to @JoeRubiks for coming up with that one.

You Got:
/20
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