A Little Trivia About Trivia Night

Add Trivia Night to the ever-expanding list of items whose origins emanate from Europe -or more specifically from Mother England only there it is known as “Pub Quiz.” Ahh, hence the need for beer !

In the mid 1970s, England natives Sharon Burns and Tom Porter traveled across the UK promoting their “pub quiz” service to local breweries as a promotion during low-revenue weeknights. The events were highly organized, with 32 teams in three separate leagues competing in head-to-head matches and sending the results to Burns and Porter to update the league standings.

After the success of the board game Trivial Pursuit in the mid 1980s, pub quiz took off and spread to America, where the competitions became known as “trivia nights.” Pub quiz is still more popular across the pond, though, with one estimate of 22,445 weekly events in the UK compared to only 2,000 in the U.S., which is 55.7 times as many trivia nights per capita compared to the United States.

In the St. Louis bar scene, one can find trivia almost any night of the week. And not too many years back the St. Charles County Suburban Journal published A Guide to Trivia Night Fundraisers in St. Charles County. One thing seems constant over the years: Trivia nights bring together consistent, local communities bent on having fun while raising funds to benefit many worthy causes.

Take the following quiz to get you ready then join us on October 3rd at St. Peters Catholic Church Parish Center for a night of comradery and friendly competition. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the fun begins at 7:00 pm.

Our own Dr. Dan Brown, SCCHS Board President will MC. There will be ALL NEW questions and categories, PLUS free beer and soda, attendance prizes, 50/50 drawing, cash awards for the top three teams, mulligans for purchase and a silent auction. Cost is $160 per table of eight or $20 per person. To reserve a table, call 636-946-9828.

If you can’t be with us on that evening, there are other ways you can help make this important fundraiser a success. Sponsor a round, donate items for the silent auction, or make a contribution. Call the Archives at 636-946-9828 for details!

1) Which writer coined the term “assassinate?”

William Shakespeare

Mark Twain

Charles Dickens

Agatha Christie

2) Which of the following US Presidents was NOT assassinated on a Friday?

Abraham Lincoln

William McKinley

John F. Kennedy

James Garfield

3) Which two states contain the largest populations of our national Bird, the Bald Eagle?

Texas and Louisiana

Florida and Minnesota

Maine and Massachusetts

Washington and Oregon

4) Which is the largest city without one of the four major (MLB,

NFL, NBA, and NHL) sports teams?

Austin, Texas

Las Vegas, Nevada

Portland, Oregon

Louisville, Kentucky

5) Which actor made his big screen debut in Animal House (1978)

And played a victim in Friday the 13th (1980)?

Billy Bob Thornton

Kevin Bacon

Matthew McConaughey

Johnny Depp