The Random Knowledge Quiz

Famous for its tea - you have heard of Ceylon tea, right - Sri Lanka only changed its name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka on May 22, 1972 after becoming a republic. Even though it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, it retained the name Ceylon.

Yes, nitrogen makes up most of the Earth's atmosphere, along with oxygen and argon. In fact, nitrogen is 79% of the atmosphere and oxygen just under 21%.

The capital of Zimbabwe is Harare. It is home to around 1.6 million people. Previously it had been known as Salisbury up until 1982 and the name changed when Rhodesia became known as Zimbabwe.

Edison was certainly prolific! In fact, he is credited with 2,332 patents. Of course, his most significant were the light bulb, the phonograph and the kinetoscope, which essentially led to modern-day movies.

A manx cat, from the Isle of Man, has no tail. They also have elongated legs and a rounder head than other cat breeds.

Also known as the Southern Tropic, the Tropic of Capricorn slices through Australia, almost dividing it perfectly in half. Did you know that this is the southernmost point on Earth where the sun can be directly overhead?

Christopher Columbus had eight pigs on board his ships when he landed in Cuba in 1493. No one knows if they were eaten or left there. Hernando de Soto, however, brought 13 pigs with him to Florida. Three years later, that had grown to 700!

Dogs regulate their heat by panting and sweating through the pads of their feet. Just think about it, if they were us and sweated through their skin, we would have very wet dogs that smelled horrible!

As many of the other planets are seen with the naked eye, it was Uranus that was the first to be discovered by a telescope. Sir William Herschel did so in 1781.

True! Pennsylvania has a long and rich history in the telling of the story of the United States. In fact, it was the second state to join the union. It did so on Dec. 12, 1787.

The earth has a diameter of 7,926 at the equator. This changes when measured at the poles and becomes 7,899.

"The Dark Side of the Moon" is perhaps Pink Floyd's most famous album. It was released in 1973 and stayed on the Billboard charts for a period of 741 weeks! Sales of the album are estimated at around 45 million units worldwide.

Yes, they are tanks from World War II. The Sherman was from America, the Churchill from England and the Tiger was German. Of them all, the Tiger was superior but the Germans could not produce them fast enough to have any impact on the war.

Yes, Iceland has the most northern point of any country in the world. The area itself is called Kötlutangi and it is at 63°23'N, where the Arctic Circle is at 66°33′39″ N.

Kato seems just like a regular chauffeur, but without a doubt, Green Hornet could not do without him. Kato became Green Hornet's sidekick after the Hornet's alter ego, Britt Reid, saved his life.

NATO formed in on April 4, 1949 thanks to the growing threat of the U.S.S.R. after World War II. It comprises 29 member countries including the United States, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.

An anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko was the leader of Black Consciousness Movement. He was arrested in 1977 and died in captivity, as a result of beatings he received from the state security police. He was only 30 years old.

Despite claims that it was unsinkable, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on its way to North America and sunk with the loss of 1,503 lives. The wreck of the Titanic was found in 1985.

A former steeplechase jockey, Dick Francis based his novels around the world of horse racing. Francis was born in 1920 and wrote over 40 best sellers. His son, Felix, continues his legacy to this day.

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio met in 1952 and were married on Jan. 14, 1954. It didn't last long and the two were divorced after just 274 days.

Meant to represent a cavalry unit, the knight in the game of chess has a very unique way of moving. He may only move in an L-shape, even over other pieces, which can be used very tactically. The knight is sometimes called the horse.

Bigger and better as they say, and an elephant certainly is when it come to their gestation period. Elephants will carry their young for up to 22 months in the case of an African elephant and between 18 to 22 months for an Asian elephant, their slightly smaller cousins.

One of Ludwig van Beethoven's most influential pieces, the Fifth Symphony in C minor was written over a four-year period between 1804 and 1808. This piece of music is around 40 minutes long.

The world's highest waterfall is Angel Falls, which is located in Venezuela in South America. It measures an incredible 979 meters high. The falls drop over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain.

Yes, all adults have 206 bones in their bodies. Interestingly at birth, this number is up to 270 but many bones actually fuse together so the number lowers significantly.

Pewter is made from 85% to 99% tin mixed with copper, or in ancient times, lead. The oldest pewter ever found dates back to around 1450 BC after it was discovered in an Egyptian tomb. The malleability of the metal makes it easy to do fine detail work on.

True! No other state has a single syllable. Did you know that Maine is home to horror writer Steven King? It was also the 23rd state to join the union in 1820.

Sir Francis Drake did it all. Sea captain, explorer, privateer and much more. He was vice admiral and second in charge of the English fleet when they battled the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The Indian ocean surrounds the Maldive islands. This republic consists of 26 atolls across a 250-square kilometer area and is a massive tourist attraction. The Maldives were given independence from Great Britain in 1965.

Pinocchio is the name of a wooden puppet made by Geppetto who wants to be a real boy. Interestingly, "The Adventures of Pinocchio" was published in a children's newspaper in Italy, the Il Giornale per i Bambini.

The comedy team Monty Python consisted of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Many went on to have successful careers following Python, especially John Cleese.

"A Boy Named Sue" was released by "The Man in Black", Johnny Cash in 1969 as a B-side. It was not written by Cash but by humorist and poet Shel Silverstein. It gave Cash his only top 10 hit on the Billboard charts.

Hitler wanted the 1936 Berlin Olympics to show the superiority of the Aryan race. American Jesse Owens had other ideas and went on to win four gold medals, in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and the long jump.

Did you get it mixed up? Superman (Clark Kent) works for the Daily Planet while Spiderman (Peter Parker) works for the Daily Bugle. One is a reporter and the other a photographer.