Trivia night is a fantastic game night activity. There are so many ways to play, but the staple of a successful trivia night is making sure the questions and categories are interesting enough to keep the players engaged. Having unique categories will facilitate a great trivia experience.
As we come up with our trivia night questions, it is important to use unique trivia category ideas so that we aren’t regurgitating the same stale vanilla question types everyone is used to. While the typical trivia categories will satisfy your trivia fanatic friends, you may want to consider spicing things up a bit using more unique questions and categories.
In order to accomplish this, we must think outside of the box. This can be a very time-consuming exercise. It requires a lot of time and research to develop your own questions, let alone create unique trivia categories. Not many people have a lot of time to spare. But there is good news; I have gone ahead and created a list of unique trivia categories and sample questions for you below.
If you enjoy these categories and sample questions, feel free to copy these unique trivia question categories and question examples or use the examples as inspiration to create your own categories and questions. If you would prefer, print the page and take the list with you.
62 Trivia Categories and Example Questions
1. “Proof” of Extra Terrestrials
What is the name of the small-town Texas cemetery said to be the burial site of a UFO pilot who crashed in the 1800s?
Aurora Cemetery
2. Birds That Don’t Fly
What is the name of this brown flightless chicken-sized bird from New Zealand, with hairlike feathers and nostrils on the tip of their bill?
The Kiwi
3. Strange Apartments, Houses, and Buildings
What is the name of this type of formulaic apartment building which flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, which are boxy, two or three-story apartment houses with overhangs to shelter parked cars?
A Dingbat
4. People Who Became Famous After Death
Who was the American author, now famous for his grim short stories and poetry, but at the time of death in 1849, never made enough money to support himself?
Edgar Allan Poe
5. Crazy Australian Creatures
Which animal has porcupine-like spines, a bird-like beak, a quoll-like pouch, and lays eggs like a reptile?
The Echidna
6. Famous Babies
Who was the half-man, half-god baby that killed two poisonous snakes with his bare hands?
Hercules
7. Infamous Bank Robbers
Who was the daughter of a publishing magnate, originally kidnapped, but would then go on to aid her captors in robbing a San Francisco bank?
Patty Hearst
8. The Most Dangerous Beaches
Where is this frighteningly named coastline, also known as “the Gates of Hell”, which is famous for countless shipwrecks, 11 species of shark-infested waters, and a beach where lions and hyenas can be found walking around?
Skeleton Coast of Namibia
9. Your Body is a Wasteland
Which organ makes up a large amount of the dust in your home?
Your Skin
10. Brazil Has A Crazy History
What kind of animal was a candidate in the Sao Paulo city council, receiving the most votes in the election?
A Rhinoceros named Cacareco
11. Bugs and Animals That Look Like Monsters
Which insect has big black eyes, spiky brown antennae, and a furry white body?
The Poodle Moth
12. The Biggest Business and Finance Scams
Who was the founder of the “Securities Exchange Company”, a company that claimed could make huge returns on buying and selling postage between countries using investor money?
Charles Ponzi
13. Camping Is Dangerous
What is the most common danger campers face while camping?
Insect Bites
14. Canada Eh?
Which Canadian province manufactures more than 77% of the world’s maple syrup?
Quebec
15. Cats Versus Dogs: The Final Showdown
Between cats and dogs, which of the two animals has a smaller carbon footprint?
Cats
16. Famous Cheaters
Who was the famous painter, known not only for her eyebrows but also for the various love affairs she had while married to Diego Rivera?
Frida Kahlo
17. Interesting Christmas Facts
What does the Christmas wreath represent?
The Crown of Thorns Jesus wore at his crucifixion
18. Dangerous Fashion Trends
What is the garment that was worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, but also caused internal organ damage, and broken bones?
Corsets
19. Crazy Coffee Facts
In what year was instant coffee first made?
1771
20. Rare Diseases
What is the rare disease known more commonly as the blue skin disorder, which is characterized by an abnormal amount of methemoglobin, between 10% and 20%?
Methemoglobinemia
21. Odd College and University Traditions
Which prestigious university played the game Bladderball, which is played by a sea of students, where the object of the game is to try and heave a six-foot exercise ball over a fence, into Old Campus and the general population?
Yale
22. Cool Color Facts
Which color have researchers discovered that Men and women see differently?
Red
23. The Smallest Countries In The World
Which country is located on the southeast coast of France and is renowned for being a tax haven, but is only 2.02 square kilometers and has a population of 32,000 people?
Monaco
24. Laws You Didn’t Know Exist
In which state is it illegal to share your Netflix password?
Tennessee
25. People Who Should Be More Famous
Who was the famous Polish Medical doctor who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by creating a fake epidemic which played on German phobias about hygiene?
Dr. Eugene Lazowski
26. Beautiful Deserts
What is the name of the world’s largest salt desert, which tens of thousands of years ago, this region was part of a prehistoric lake, which dried up and left behind 10 billion tons of salt?
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
27. Terrifying Dinosaurs Facts
According to computer calculations, which dinosaur could whip its tail so fast that it broke the sound barrier and created a sonic boom?
Apatosaurus (or the Brontosaurus)
28. Places That Are Forbidden To Visit
What is the name of the island in Brazil, that is infested with the deadliest serpents on planet earth?
Snake Island
29. Devastating Natural Disasters
In what year did the catastrophic Haiti earthquake hit and claimed between 100,000 and 300,000 lives?
2010
30. Driving Statistics: Yikes
What is the leading cause of car accidents?
Distracted Driving
31. Exercise Fads We Used To Love
What was the name of the exercise device that was essentially two pieces of metal tube bent in a loop and connected to a hinge, intended to be put between the knees and squeeze them together?
The Thigh Master
32. Famously Distinct Faces
Who is the late-night talk show host that is famous not just for his quick wit, but also for his distinguished chin?
Jay Leno
33. Famous Mob Bosses
Who was the most powerful Chicago mob boss from 1925 to 1931, infamous for the “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre”?
Al Capone
34. Famous People Who Served Time in Prison
Who is the famous television home advice host that was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy?
Martha Stewart
35. Prisoners Who Became Famous
Who was the NASCAR driver that served jail time for smuggling illegal alcohol in North Carolina, back before he became a renowned racer?
Junior Johnson
36. Fast Food Chains That No Longer Exist
What is the current chain of hotels and motels that was also once a chain of restaurants?
Howard Johnson’s
37. Halloween
What was Halloween’s original name?
All Hallow’s Ever
38. Medieval Health and Medicine
What was the form of Phlebotomy that aimed to maintain or restore the humoral balance in the body by removing a moderate amount of blood?
Blood Letting
39. Haunted Hotels
What is the name of this real-life hotel inspiration for Stephen King’s book, “The Shining”, after the mega-bestselling author stayed here?
The Stanley
40. Ancient Appliances
In what year was the first upright vacuum invented?
1908
41. Failed Inventions
What was the name of this 1950’s device created by the U.S. airforce to help validate and better understand the existence of extraterrestrials?
The Flying Saucer Camera
42. Misnomers
What is the name of this small, largely arboreal mammal that resembles the American raccoon, that is found from the Himalayas to China?
The Red Panda
43. Misleading Country Names
What is the totalitarian regime of Northern Korea’s actual country name?
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
44. Evil Historical Figures
Who was the dictator of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1953, responsible for more than 20 million deaths?
Joseph Stalin
45. The Mandela Effect
What is the name of this lovable cartoon bear family that actually spelled their last name with an “a” and not the more commonly believed “e”?
The Berenstain Bears
46. Canceled TV Shows That Hurt Our Hearts
What was the name of this canceled TV show, starring a famous Saturday Night Live Alum, and featured Steve Carrel and Steven Colbert as part of the cast?
The Dana Carvey Show
47. Things Named After Planets
What was the name of this short-lived, yet highly regarded video game console released by Sega in 1995?
The Sega Saturn
48. Animals That “Talk”
What were the fictional movie names of the cat and dog twosome who find themselves going on an adventure, but become separated?
Milo and Otis
49. Celebrity Baby Names
What is the first name of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s first child together?
Apple
50. Sea Life You Would Not Believe Is Real
Which deep-sea fish has a transparent head and tubular eyes, which are usually pointed upwards, but can also shift to the forward-facing position when needed?
Barreleye Fish
51. Things That Are No Longer Used At The Office
What was used before the email “cc” to make simultaneous copies of, and to track the recipients of, typed or handwritten documents that were distributed throughout a business?
Carbon Paper
52. Olympic Events We No Longer Have
What is this discontinued Olympic sport that originated with the eastern Woodlands Native Americans and Plains Indian tribes, that has been modified by its current professional form?
Lacrosse
53. US State Name Origins
Which state was named to honor the Duke of York?
New York
54. Name The Sketch Comedy Show
What was the name of this 90s MTV American sketch comedy TV series, starring 11 twenty-something comedians who created, wrote, acted, and directed the show?
The State
55. Little Known Celebrity Owned Restaurants
Which male celebrity owns “Tagine”, a Morrocan cuisine restaurant located in Beverly Hills?
Ryan Gosling
56. Science “Facts” (True or False)
Does water conduct electricity?
False: Water is an insulator, the mineral and chemical ions conduct electricity
57. Space Travel Disasters
What was the crew mission, originally designated as AS-204, which was supposed to be the first low Earth orbital test, but killed all three crew members during a launch rehearsal test?
The Apollo 1
58. Spelling And Homophones
In the sentence, “Do you [here / hear] what I am saying?”, which would be the correct word to use?
Hear
59. Awful Science Fiction Movies
What is the title of this 2000 American science fiction movie based on the novel of the same name written by L. Ron Hubbard?
Battlefield Earth
60. The Shortest Wars in History
What was the name of this little-known war of 1896, that lasted for only 38 minutes?
Anglo-Zanzibar War
61. The Most Peculiar Forms Of Transportation
What is the name of these amphibious trucks that were designed by the American military to run over both land and water during WWII?
DUKW boats (pronounced duck)
62. The Richest Countries On Earth
Which country is home to Hamad International Airport, which has the ability to handle around fifty million passengers each year?
Qatar
