Duration: 1st January – 30th June
Number of books: 30
Hosted by:Crazy Challenge Connection

National Trivia Day
Timeframe: 1/1/19 to 6/30/19

National Trivia Day is observed across the United States each year on January 4. In the 1960’s, after writing some trivia columns, Columbia University students Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky created the earliest inter-collegiate quiz bowls that tested culturally significant, yet virtually useless, information, which they dubbed trivia contests. 

The word trivia has come to refer to obscure and arcane bits of dry knowledge as well as nostalgic remembrances of pop culture. We couldn’t resist looking at some random bits of trivia and turning them into a challenge.

Most information gathered from mentalfloss.com.

CHALLENGE RULES:
♦ If you want to participate in a challenge, please sign up by posting at least a partial list of the challenge requirements. This gives us a post to link you to, which you can use to update your books as the challenge progresses. 

♦ Unless otherwise noted, books must be at least 150 pages long. (See the link here for rules regarding graphic novels.) Books may only be used for one task in this challenge, but cross-challenge posting is encouraged 🙂 Re-reads are allowed, as long as you read the entire book and not simply skim through it. 

♦ For each book you read, please post a link to the title, and indicate the author and the date you finished reading it. If a challenge task gives several options, please make it clear which option you’ve chosen. If the task calls for an item on the cover, include a link to the book cover. If it’s not obvious from the book title or cover, be sure to explain how your book fits the task. If you don’t, you won’t get credit for completing that task. 
* If you don’t know how to post a link to the book title, cover or author, see the instructions here: 
Add a link to the book title, book cover and/or author

♦ When you complete the challenge, please post your entire list as a new message to make it easier for everyone to see what you’ve read 🙂 If you don’t repost your list, your name will not be added to the list of those who have completed the challenge.

Challenge Tasks: 

1. The word PEZ comes form the German word for peppermint: PfeffErminZ.
* Read a book with a 3-letter word in the title (“The” is not acceptable) – or – a book set in Germany. – Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra

2. Bones found at Seymour Island indicate that, 37-40 million years ago, penguins stood at a formidable 6 feet tall and weighed 250 pounds.
* Read a book set on an island – or – a book with a character who is described as unusually tall or big. – Journeys to the Other Side of the World by David Attenborough (every place visited was an island)

3. Amelia Earhart and Eleanor Roosevelt once sneaked out of a White House event, commandeered an airplane, and went on a joyride to Baltimore.
* Read a book that includes an airplane ride somewhere in the plot – or – a book in which a real famous person is mentioned (tell us who). – Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (Anne of Brittany)

4. In 1897, Indiana state legislators tried to pass a bill that would have legally redefined the value of pi as 3.2.
* Read a book with a 3 AND a 2 in the total number of pages (tell us how many) – or – a book that has a politician character. – The Siren by Kiera Cass (327 pp.)

5. The smell of fresh cut grass comes from the chemicals plants release when in distress.
* Read a book with grass or a lawn on the cover (show us the cover) – or – a book in which a MAIN character is in distress (tell us how). – Seeing is Believing by Erin McCarthy

6. People walked differently in medieval times. They stepped with the ball of the foot first to check the ground for debris, perhaps because well-soled shoes were hard to come by.
* Read a book set in medieval times (from the 5th to the 15th century) – or – a book showing a person walking on the cover (show us the cover). – Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

7. Before it was rebranded as a kids’ toy, Play-Doh was initially sold as wallpaper cleaner.
* Read a book whose title starts with a letter in PLAYDOH (disregard A, An, The) – or – a book with some kind of plaything or toy on the cover (show us the cover). – Hexed by Ilona Andrews, Yasmine Galenorn, Allyson James & Jeanne C. Stein

8. A reindeer’s eyes change color through the seasons. They’re gold during the summer and blue in the winter.
* Read a book set in the summer months (June, July, and/or August) – or – a book with a predominantly gold cover (show us the cover). – Circe by Madeline Miller

9. Before settling on the Seven Dwarfs we know today, Disney also considered Chesty, Tubby, Burpy, Deafy, Hickey, Wheezy, and Awful.
* Read a book with a number in the title (cardinal number only such as Seven or 7, not Seventh) – or – a book whose title ENDS with the letter Y. – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

10. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $310 million on pet costumes last Halloween.
* Read a book with some sort of holiday in the story (bonus if it’s Halloween) – or – a book with at least 310 pages (tell us how many). – The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen

11. Scientists have found evidence of take-out restaurants in the remains of Pompeii.
* Read a book marked FOOD AND DRINK on the main Goodreads genre page – or – a book with double vowels somewhere in the title. – The Beast of Blackmoor Bog by Kate Forsyth

12. Chock Full o’ Nuts coffee does not contain nuts. It’s named for a chain of nut stores that the founder converted into coffee shops.
* Read a book with a scene set in a coffee shop – or – a book in which a MAIN character owns his/her own business. – Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

13. The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn.
* Read a book by an author whose first OR last name starts with U – or – a book with some sort of mythical or fantasy animal somewhere in the story. – Sea Fever by Virginia Kantra

14. The average cumulus cloud weighs roughly 1.1 million pounds.
* Read a book with a cloud on the cover (show us the cover) – or – a book with two 1’s in the original publication date. – Blood Work by Kim Harrison (2011)

15. The New York Public Library initially refused to stock Goodnight, Moon.
* Read a book with a librarian as the main character – or – a book with a moon on the cover (show us the cover). – Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

16. Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie invented M&Ms. The two M’s stand for their last names.
* Read a book with an author whose LAST name starts with M – or – a book in which two people work together in the same company. – A Date With the Other Side by Erin McCarthy

17. When the mummy of Ramses II was sent to France in the mid-1970’s, it was issued a passport. Ramses’ occupation? “King (deceased).”
* Read a book in which a trip is made that requires a passport – or – a book with royalty involved. – Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

18. At an NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association) conference in 1972, Roxcy Bolton proposed naming hurricanes after senators instead of women. She also preferred “him-i-canes.”
* Read a book about women’s rights or the feminist movement – or – a book written by a male author. – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

19. Herbert Hoover was Stanford’s football team manager. At the first Stanford-Cal game in 1892, he forgot to bring the ball.
* Read a book with some sort of a sports theme (any sport) – or – a book by an author whose first and last name start with the same letter. – The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

20. The Corduroy Appreciation Club celebrated 11-11-11 as The Day That Most Resembles Corduroy.
* Read a book with an intact “11” in the number of pages (tell us how many) – or – a book showing an item with stripes on the cover (show us the cover). – Through the Tiger’s Eye by Kerrie O’Connor

21. During WWI, German measles were called “liberty measles” and dachshunds became “liberty hounds.”
* Read a book set during World War I – or – a book by an author who writes under at least two different names.

22. In Queensland, Australia, it’s illegal to own a pet rabbit unless you’re a magician.
* Read a book with some sort of performer as part of the plot (bonus if it’s a magician) – or – a book set in Australia. – Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy (Cara, exotic dancer)

23. Giraffes have the highest blood pressure of any mammal, although their resting heart rate is about the same as humans.
* Read a book with a medical professional as the MAIN character – or – a book with double consonants somewhere in the title. – The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

24. Earmuffs were invented by a 15-year-old.
* Read a young adult book – or – a book set in a normally-cold climate (tell us where). – The Silver Horse by Kate Forsyth

25. Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft of Fahrenheit 451 on a rented typewriter in the basement of the UCLA library in just 9 days.
* Read a book set on a college campus – or – a book that you read quickly. – Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburne

26. Wayne Allwine, the voice actor for Mickey Mouse, and Russi Taylor, the voice actress for Minnie Mouse, wed in 1991.
* Read a book in which a wedding occurs – or – a book set in a location that starts with the letter M (tell us where). – Gene of Isis by Traci Harding

27. On Good Friday in 1930, the BBC reported, “There is no news.” Instead, they played piano music.
* Read a book with a day of the week in the title – or – a book published in 1930 or earlier (tell us what year). – Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847)

28. In the early stage version of The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s faithful companion Toto was replaced by a cow named Imogene.
* Read a book with a dog on the cover (show us the cover) – or – a book with a main character whose first name starts with the letter I. – Heiress for Hire by Erin McCarthy

29. Fredric Baur invented the Pringles can. When he passed away in 2008, his ashes were buried in one.
* Read a book originally published in 2008 – or – a book in which a death occurs. – Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

30. Duncan Hines was a real person. He was a popular restaurant critic who also wrote a book of hotel recommendations.
* Read a book where a main character works at restaurant in some capacity – or – a book where the author’s FIRST name starts with D OR the author’s LAST name starts with H. – The Turn by Kim Harrison