Quiz night in 2 days · nothing leaves your phone

Cram less. Remember more.

You don't need to reread anything twice. You need to try to answer, get told the truth straight away, and do it again a few hours later. That is the whole method - the rest of this page is just making it easy to do.

Your two-day plan

Four short sessions beat one long one. Spread out, the same hour or two of study sticks far better than it does crammed in one go.

Today, session one

20-25 minutes. Mix of everything, all four categories.

Today, session two

20-25 minutes, 4-8 hours after the first. Same mix, plus whatever you missed.

Tomorrow

One more 20-25 minute session, any time of day.

Quiz day

A light 10-15 minute recap. Nothing new, just a top-up.

Why the gaps: spacing a review out by roughly a tenth to a fifth of the time you need to remember it for makes the memory sturdier than reviewing it again straight away. Two days out, that means hours between sessions, not minutes.

Drill

Answer in your head before you look. Every card shows you the full answer either way - this is about the trying, not about scoring yourself.

Keyboard: Space or Enter reveals the answer. Once it's showing, 1 is missed it, 2 is got it.

Browse all the facts

Testing yourself beats reading this list - use the drill above first. This is here to skim before you start, or to check something afterwards.

Baseball, general (29)

Which pitcher holds the all-time MLB record for career wins?: Cy Young, with 511 wins.He retired in 1911 and the record is considered untouchable - matching it would mean winning 25 games a year for 20 straight seasons.
Who broke Major League Baseball's modern colour barrier, and in what year?: Jackie Robinson, in 1947, with the Brooklyn Dodgers.He debuted on 15 April 1947 at Ebbets Field, and the Dodgers won the game 5-3.
What jersey number was retired across all of Major League Baseball in honour of Jackie Robinson?: Number 42.Retired league-wide in 1997, it was the first number ever retired by every team in the league at once.
In what year did the American League introduce the designated hitter rule?: 1973.It began as a three-year experiment before being permanently adopted.
What 1989 movie features the line 'If you build it, he will come', about a farmer who builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield?: Field of Dreams.It starred Kevin Costner, and the real Iowa filming location is still a working ballfield you can visit today.
In what year did the National League finally adopt the designated hitter, ending the split between the leagues?: 2022.It closed a nearly 50-year gap during which NL pitchers still had to bat for themselves.
Who is the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in World Series history?: Don Larsen, in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.He needed just 97 pitches to retire all 27 Brooklyn Dodgers he faced, at Yankee Stadium.
What word describes a game in which one team fails to get a single hit?: A no-hitter.Throwing one is rare enough that pitchers avoid even mentioning it out loud while it's still in progress, for luck.
Who holds the single-season home run record, and how many did he hit?: Barry Bonds, with 73 home runs in 2001.He hit the 73rd on the final day of the season, breaking Mark McGwire's three-year-old record of 70.
Which player is nicknamed 'The Iron Man' for playing in more consecutive games than anyone in MLB history?: Cal Ripken Jr.He ended the streak voluntarily in 1998, telling his manager 'It's time' - he wanted to end it in front of his home crowd.
Whose consecutive-games-played record did Cal Ripken Jr break?: Lou Gehrig's, which stood at 2,130 games.Gehrig's streak had been considered unbreakable for over 50 years before Ripken passed it in 1995.
Which pitcher holds the career strikeout record in MLB history?: Nolan Ryan.He finished with 5,714 strikeouts - well clear of second-placed Randy Johnson, a gap wider than some entire Hall of Fame careers.
How many no-hitters did Nolan Ryan throw in his career, an MLB record?: Seven.He threw the last one in 1991 at age 44, striking out 16 Toronto Blue Jays along the way.
Which team did the Boston Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to, sparking the 'Curse of the Bambino'?: The New York Yankees.The sale after the 1919 season is often linked to owner Harry Frazee needing money to finance a Broadway musical.
In what year did the Boston Red Sox finally win the World Series again, ending the 86-year 'Curse of the Bambino'?: 2004.They swept the Cardinals, after storming back from 3-0 down against the Yankees in the ALCS.
What song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch?: 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game.'The stretch tradition itself may date back to 1869, decades before the song most people associate with it was written.
In the famous 1983 'Pine Tar Incident', which player had a go-ahead home run controversially disallowed?: George Brett, of the Kansas City Royals.His bat carried more pine tar than the rules allowed; the ruling was later overturned and the game finished weeks afterwards with the homer standing.
How many players from each team are on the field on defence at one time?: Nine.That is also the traditional number of innings in a standard MLB game.
What do you call a home run hit with the bases loaded?: A grand slam.It is the only way to score four runs on a single swing.
What 1992 movie, starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis, is about a women's professional baseball league during World War II?: A League of Their Own.It's the source of the famous line 'There's no crying in baseball!', delivered by Hanks' character.
What is it called when a batter hits a single, double, triple and home run in the same game?: Hitting for the cycle.In some seasons it is rarer than a no-hitter, largely because the triple is the hardest of the four to get on demand.
Which real-life Oakland Athletics general manager did Brad Pitt play in the 2011 film Moneyball?: Billy Beane.The film dramatised his use of statistical analysis to build a competitive team on a tiny budget.
Who holds the highest career batting average in MLB history?: Ty Cobb.He finished at .366 - no modern-era player has come close in decades.
Which Yankee's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 remains one of baseball's most famous unbroken records?: Joe DiMaggio.He hit .408 during the streak; Pete Rose's 44-game streak in 1978 is the closest anyone has come since.
Whose career home run record of 755 did Barry Bonds break in 2007?: Hank Aaron's.Aaron had himself broken Babe Ruth's 714 in 1974, holding the record for over three decades.
Who was the first Black player in the American League, debuting just 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson?: Larry Doby, with the Cleveland Indians in 1947.Signed by showman-owner Bill Veeck, he later helped Cleveland win the 1948 World Series.
Which team has won the most World Series titles in MLB history?: The New York Yankees, with 27.That is more than double the next-closest franchise, the St Louis Cardinals, on 11.
In what year was the first modern World Series played, and who won it?: 1903 - the Boston Americans (now the Red Sox) beat the Pittsburgh Pirates.It was a best-of-nine series arranged privately between the two team owners, not officially organised by the leagues.
In 1919, this Chicago White Sox player was implicated in a scandal for allegedly throwing the World Series - the team became known as the 'Black Sox'. What was his nickname?: 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson.He was banned from baseball for life despite hitting .375 in that same series, and remains a symbol of the sport's biggest scandal.

Baseball oddities (15)

Every baseball used in an MLB game is rubbed with a special mud before play. What is it commonly called?: Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud.It has been the only mud used by every major and minor league team, and most college programs, since 1938.
The special mud rubbed onto every MLB baseball before play is sourced from a secret spot in which US state?: New Jersey.The exact harvesting location has been a closely guarded family secret for decades, known to only a handful of people.
What safety problem in the 1920s led to rubbing mud being used on every MLB ball?: New, shiny balls were hard for batters to see. After a pitch killed Cleveland's Ray Chapman in 1920, MLB needed a way to take the gloss off without damaging or darkening the ball.Earlier fixes - infield dirt, shoe polish, even tobacco juice - either scratched the leather or made balls too dark to pick up.
Which comedy duo made 'Who's on First?', baseball's most famous comedy routine, about a team with players literally named Who, What and I Don't Know?: Abbott and Costello.A recording of the routine is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Who is the shortest player in MLB history, at 3 feet 7 inches?: Eddie Gaedel.Owner Bill Veeck sent him up as a publicity-stunt pinch-hitter in 1951 - he walked on four straight pitches and never played again.
In a famous 1931 exhibition game, a 17-year-old female pitcher struck out two of the greatest hitters ever. Who were they?: Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, struck out by pitcher Jackie Mitchell.Some dismissed it as a stunt, but Mitchell insisted until her death in 1987 that both strikeouts were entirely legitimate.
Which Civil War general is popularly - but wrongly - credited with inventing baseball in Cooperstown in 1839?: Abner Doubleday.He was not even in Cooperstown in 1839 - he was a cadet at West Point - and versions of baseball's rules predate the claim by decades.
Which Boston Red Sox first baseman famously let a routine ground ball roll through his legs in the 1986 World Series, costing his team Game 6?: Bill Buckner.The Mets went on to win that game and the series, and the error haunted Buckner for the rest of his career.
Which MLB ballpark is the only one with a swimming pool for fans in the outfield?: Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.Fans can rent it out and watch the game from the water, just beyond the right-centre field wall.
In which 1993 movie does a boy's baseball get lost over a fence guarded by a giant, terrifying dog, in a suburban neighbourhood?: The Sandlot.The dog, nicknamed 'The Beast', turns out to be far friendlier than the boys feared.
Which Hollywood legend was married to Joe DiMaggio, one of baseball's most famous off-field romances?: Marilyn Monroe.The marriage lasted less than a year, but DiMaggio kept sending flowers to her grave for decades after her death.
At Milwaukee's old County Stadium, mascot Bernie Brewer celebrated every home run by doing what?: Sliding down a long slide into a giant mug of beer.Bernie is still the Brewers' mascot today, though the beer-mug slide has evolved over the decades.
At Shea Stadium, and now Citi Field, a giant model of which fruit rises out of a top hat after every home team home run?: An apple - the 'Home Run Apple'.It nods to New York's nickname, the Big Apple, and is one of the most recognisable props in baseball.
Which 1979 promotional night at Comiskey Park ended in a riot after fans stormed the field?: Disco Demolition Night.A between-games explosion of disco records got so far out of hand that the White Sox had to forfeit the second game of the doubleheader.
What is the maximum legal pine-tar coverage on a bat - the rule at the centre of the 1983 George Brett incident?: 18 inches from the knob of the bat handle.Umpires literally measured Brett's bat against the 17-inch width of home plate to make their later-overturned ruling.

Australian baseball (19)

In 2014, which two MLB teams played the historic season-opening series at the Sydney Cricket Ground - the first official MLB regular-season games ever held in Australia?: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.It was also the first time MLB had opened its regular season in the southern hemisphere.
Which Australian-born infielder, debuting with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1986, is credited with opening the door for the wave of Australians who later reached MLB?: Craig Shipley.More than 35 Australian-born players have followed him to the majors since.
Which Australian became the first from his country to play in an MLB All-Star Game, in 1999?: Dave Nilsson, a catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.He spent his whole eight-season MLB career with the Brewers before leaving to captain Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Which Sydney-born reliever became a 2013 MLB All-Star pitching for the Oakland Athletics, and is one of the most successful Australians ever to play in the majors?: Grant Balfour.He was inducted into the Baseball Australia Hall of Fame in 2015.
Perth-born closer Liam Hendriks led the American League in saves in 2021 with how many?: 38 saves.A three-time All-Star, he was also diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2023 and returned to the majors that same year.
In 2024, which Australian became the first player from his country selected No. 1 overall in the MLB Draft?: Travis Bazzana, taken by the Cleveland Guardians.The Oregon State second baseman, from Hornsby in NSW, is also the first second baseman ever taken No. 1 overall.
What is the name of Australia's national baseball championship, first contested in 1934?: The Claxton Shield.It is named after Norrie Claxton, a South Australian baseball administrator who donated the trophy.
What is the name of Australia's top professional baseball competition, relaunched in its current form in 2010, with clubs including the Perth Heat and Sydney Blue Sox?: The Australian Baseball League (ABL).It grew out of the earlier 1989-1999 league of the same name after a decade-long gap with no top-flight competition.
In what year did the Australian Baseball League, the country's first professional league, begin play?: 1989.The first-ever game was Perth Heat against Adelaide Giants, with the Giants winning 8-5.
Which club is the most successful in Australian Baseball League history, with 15 Claxton Shield titles?: The Perth Heat.They were a founding team of the original 1989 league and remain one of the ABL's flagship franchises.
At which Olympics did Australia win its first Olympic medal in baseball, a silver?: The 2004 Athens Olympics.Australia beat Japan in the semi-final before losing the gold medal game 6-2 to Cuba.
Which Australian city was Oakland Athletics All-Star reliever Grant Balfour born in?: Sydney.He went on to a 12-season MLB career, mostly as a setup man and closer.
As of the 2025-26 season, how many teams make up the Australian Baseball League, and who are they?: Four - the Adelaide Giants, Brisbane Bandits, Perth Heat and Sydney Blue Sox.The league shrank from six after the Canberra Cavalry and Melbourne Aces both withdrew for financial reasons.
Which ABL club won back-to-back championships including the 2025-26 title, their third in four years?: The Adelaide Giants.They beat the Sydney Blue Sox in the finals to take the crown.
What is Australia's best finish at the World Baseball Classic?: The quarter-finals, reached in 2023.Australia has played in every edition of the WBC since it began in 2006.
Which state teams traditionally contest the Claxton Shield alongside an Australian Provincial team?: South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.The 'Provincial' side represents players from outside the major state associations - a uniquely Australian structure.
What position did Australian MLB All-Star Dave Nilsson primarily play for the Milwaukee Brewers?: Catcher.He is the only Australian ever selected for an MLB All-Star Game, in 1999.
Which city was Liam Hendriks born and raised in?: Perth, Western Australia.He started with tee ball at five before moving to baseball proper at ten.
Grant Balfour, born in Sydney, primarily pitched in which role across his 12-season MLB career?: Relief pitcher - mostly as a setup man and closer.He finished with 84 career saves and made the All-Star team as a replacement selection in 2013.

General knowledge (27)

Who painted the Mona Lisa?: Leonardo da Vinci.It hangs in the Louvre in Paris and is one of the most visited artworks in the world.
Who was the first person to walk on the Moon, in 1969?: Neil Armstrong.His line, 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind', was broadcast live to a worldwide TV audience.
What is the smallest country in the world by area?: Vatican City.At about 0.44 square kilometres, you could walk across the entire country in under 20 minutes.
How many bones are in the adult human body?: 206.Babies are born with around 270 - many fuse together as the body grows.
Off which Australian state's coast is the Great Barrier Reef?: Queensland.Stretching roughly 2,300 km, it is the largest coral reef system on Earth, made up of over 2,900 individual reefs.
What is the chemical symbol for gold?: Au.It comes from the Latin word for gold, 'aurum'.
How many plays are traditionally credited to William Shakespeare?: 37.Some modern scholars push the count to 38 or 39 by including collaborative or disputed works such as Edward III.
What is the capital city of Australia?: Canberra.A classic trick question - Canberra was purpose-built as a compromise capital between rivals Sydney and Melbourne.
In what year did the Second World War end?: 1945.It ended in Europe in May 1945 and in the Pacific in September 1945, following Japan's surrender.
Roughly how fast does light travel in a vacuum?: About 300,000 kilometres per second (299,792 km/s).At that speed, light from the Sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth.
How many elements are currently on the periodic table?: 118.The final four were officially confirmed in 2016, including oganesson, the heaviest element discovered so far.
What is the official currency of Japan?: The yen.Its symbol, the same one used informally for the Chinese yuan, is a different currency entirely.
By the scientific definition of a desert - a region of very low precipitation - what is the largest desert on Earth?: The Antarctic Desert.It is nearly twice the size of the Sahara, which is only the largest hot desert - Antarctica barely gets any precipitation at all.
Which river is most commonly recognised as the world's longest, though the Amazon has a rival claim?: The Nile.Guinness World Records still credits the Nile, but some recent expeditions argue an extended Amazon source makes it slightly longer.
What is the largest ocean on Earth?: The Pacific Ocean.It covers roughly a third of the planet's surface - larger than all the landmasses on Earth combined.
Which 1997 film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, was the highest-grossing movie of all time for over a decade?: Titanic.It held the record until James Cameron's own Avatar overtook it in 2010.
Which British band recorded 'Bohemian Rhapsody'?: Queen.Freddie Mercury reportedly composed most of it in his head before ever playing it on piano.
The Margherita pizza, topped simply with tomato, mozzarella and basil, is said to be named after which historical figure?: Queen Margherita of Savoy.Legend says a Naples pizzaiolo created it in 1889 with colours matching the Italian flag, in her honour.
How many players does each side field in a game of cricket?: Eleven.That is where the term 'a cricket eleven' comes from when referring to a team.
What is the name of the medal awarded each year to the AFL's best and fairest player?: The Brownlow Medal.It's named after Charles Brownlow, an early football administrator - and the winner is decided by votes from each match's umpires.
Which country won the first-ever FIFA World Cup, in 1930?: Uruguay.They won it on home soil, beating neighbours Argentina in the final in Montevideo.
In which Australian city were the 2000 Summer Olympics held?: Sydney.They are still widely remembered as one of the best-organised Games in Olympic history.
In what year did the Berlin Wall fall, paving the way for German reunification?: 1989.East Germany's announcement that citizens could cross freely led to crowds tearing the wall down by hand within days.
What is the name of the coffee shop where the characters in the sitcom Friends regularly hang out?: Central Perk.The show's iconic orange couch sat by its front window for all ten seasons.
Which planet in our solar system has the hottest surface temperature, despite not being the closest to the Sun?: Venus.Its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere traps heat so effectively it's hotter than Mercury, which orbits closer to the Sun.
Which country has the most time zones of any nation on Earth?: France.Its scattered overseas territories, from French Polynesia to the Caribbean, give it 12 time zones in total - more than Russia or the USA.
What is the name of Australia's iconic dark, salty spread made from leftover brewer's yeast extract?: Vegemite.It was invented in Melbourne in 1922 after wartime shortages cut off supplies of a similar British import.

How this works

Retrieval practice. Trying to pull an answer out of your own head, and failing sometimes, teaches you more than reading the answer over and over. That struggle is the point, not a sign you're doing it wrong.

Spacing. A gap between sessions, rather than one long block, gives the memory time to fade a little and then be strengthened again. That's why the plan above has real hours between sessions instead of stacking them back to back.

Interleaving. Mixing categories instead of drilling one at a time forces you to work out which kind of question you're even looking at, which is closer to what quiz night actually feels like.

The hypercorrection effect. When you're confident and wrong, that surprise makes the correction stick unusually well - so the drill asks how sure you were, and treats a confident miss as good news, not a bad mark.

Sleep. Declarative memory - names, dates, facts like these - gets filed away during sleep. An all-nighter the night before the quiz will cost you more recall than it buys you in extra study time.

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