54 trivia questions from 1946, with answers
Seven rounds about 1946 for an 80th birthday party in 2026 or a 40s night: the year in the news, science and inventions, sports, films, songs, life at home, and famous people born in 1946. Every answer links to its source.
54 questions · 1946 trivia questions with answers · answers included
Updated
No questions match these filters.
The year in the news
- 1
In March 1946, at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, which British leader warned that "an Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent"?
easy
Hint: The speech's official title was "The Sinews of Peace".
AnswerWinston Churchill.
He was not prime minister at the time but leader of the opposition, and he made it a condition that President Truman travel to Fulton with him and be there for the speech.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulton_Speech?oldid=1363700444
- 2
On July 4, 1946, the United States recognized the independence of which Asian country?
easy
Hint: Its capital is Manila.
AnswerThe Philippines.
General Emilio Aguinaldo had declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, but both Spain and the United States ignored that proclamation.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Manila_(1946)?oldid=1379171122
- 3
On December 11, 1946, the UN General Assembly created an emergency fund to help children and mothers after World War II. By what acronym is it known?
medium
Hint: Since 1953 its official name has been the United Nations Children's Fund.
AnswerUNICEF.
It started as a temporary relief agency, became a permanent part of the UN in 1953 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNICEF?oldid=1382249206
- 4
The first session of the UN General Assembly, in 1946, met in a Methodist church hall in which European capital?
medium
Hint: The hall stands across from Westminster Abbey.
AnswerLondon.
In return for the use of the hall, the assembly voted to pay for repainting the church's walls in a light blue.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methodist_Central_Hall,_Westminster?oldid=1375753789
- 5
In the November 1946 midterm elections, which future president from Massachusetts was first elected to the House of Representatives?
medium
Hint: His first name was John.
AnswerJohn F. Kennedy.
Another future president, newcomer Richard Nixon, won a House seat in California in the same election, and Republicans took control of both houses of Congress.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_United_States_elections?oldid=1373418623
- 6
Which law, signed by President Truman in 1946, brought the federal government into feeding children at school?
medium
Hint: It is named after the midday meal.
AnswerThe National School Lunch Act.
It was also meant to prop up food prices by using up farm surpluses, and in 1999 it was renamed to honor Georgia senator Richard Russell Jr.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_School_Lunch_Act?oldid=1382628476
- 7
Congress created the Fulbright Program in August 1946 to fund educational exchanges with other countries. Its money was to come from selling what?
hard
Hint: Senator J. William Fulbright proposed the idea in 1945, in the aftermath of World War II.
AnswerSurplus U.S. government war property.
It became the largest education exchange program in history.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulbright_Program?oldid=1382389171
- 8
In 1946, which Norwegian became the first secretary-general of the United Nations?
hard
Hint: During the war he was foreign minister of Norway's government in exile in London.
AnswerTrygve Lie.
The Soviet Union opposed Canada's Lester B. Pearson and the United States opposed the Soviet candidates, so Lie was put forward as someone both powers accepted.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trygve_Lie?oldid=1379773148
Science and inventions
- 9
On October 7, 1946, Raytheon showed reporters at New York's Waldorf-Astoria two "Radarange" units. What kind of appliance were they?
easy
Hint: That December, the Federal Communications Commission approved the 2450-megahertz frequency for them.
AnswerMicrowave ovens.
The name Radarange was the winning entry in an employee contest, and the first ones were aimed at businesses such as sandwich shops.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven?oldid=1381617068
- 10
Which Italian motor scooter, first made in 1946, got its name when Enrico Piaggio saw the prototype and said it looked like a wasp?
medium
Hint: Its name has five letters and starts with V.
AnswerThe Vespa.
The first ones sold slowly, but sales took off once buyers could pay in installments.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespa?oldid=1383519399
- 11
When the ENIAC computer was formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania on February 15, 1946, what two-word nickname did the press give it?
medium
Hint: The first word means huge, and the second is where thinking happens.
AnswerThe "Giant Brain".
Six women were chosen as its programmers, among them Betty Holberton and Kay McNulty.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC?oldid=1383604455
- 12
The Bell System's mobile telephone service was first used in St. Louis on June 17, 1946. How much did the original equipment weigh: 8 pounds, 80 pounds or 800 pounds?
medium
Hint: It went in a car, not in a pocket.
Answer80 pounds.
At first there were only three channels for all the users in the whole metropolitan area, and an operator helped connect every call.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Telephone_Service?oldid=1369404662
- 13
On November 13, 1946, General Electric researcher Vincent Schaefer made snow fall from clouds over the Berkshire Mountains by dropping what into them from a plane?
medium
Hint: That summer he had used it to chill his lab's "cold box", which was too warm.
AnswerDry ice.
Schaefer was self-taught and never finished high school, yet he was issued 14 patents.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Schaefer?oldid=1373658019
- 14
In January 1946, the U.S. Army's Project Diana bounced radar signals off what, and picked up the echoes?
hard
Hint: The project was named after a Roman goddess.
AnswerThe Moon.
The first echo came back on January 10, 1946, and the project marked the birth of radar astronomy, later used to map Venus.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Diana?oldid=1353701265
- 15
On October 24, 1946, a rocket launched at White Sands, New Mexico, took the first photograph of Earth from outer space. What type of rocket was it, built partly from captured German parts?
hard
Hint: Its name is a letter and a number.
AnswerA V-2.
The pictures were taken with a 35 mm black-and-white movie camera, and the rocket reached a height of 65 miles.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V-2_No._13?oldid=1331602833
Sports
- 16
Enos Slaughter's "Mad Dash" home from first base won Game 7 of the 1946 World Series for which team, against the Boston Red Sox?
easy
Hint: The team's city name begins with "St."
AnswerThe St. Louis Cardinals.
Legend says he ran through his third base coach's stop sign while Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky "held the ball", a story that has been hotly debated ever since.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaughter's_Mad_Dash?oldid=1365419134
- 17
Before his June 1946 rematch with the quick-footed Billy Conn, heavyweight champion Joe Louis said, "He can run, but..." what?
medium
Hint: Think of a game of hide-and-seek.
Answer"...he can't hide."
The fight at Yankee Stadium was the first world heavyweight title bout ever shown on TV, and Louis won by a knockout in the eighth round.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Conn?oldid=1362914726
- 18
The NBA counts a Basketball Association of America game on November 1, 1946, as its first official game. In which city was it played?
medium
Hint: The home team was called the Huskies.
AnswerToronto, at Maple Leaf Gardens.
The Toronto Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers, and the league was founded by hockey team owners who wanted basketball in their arenas on nights with no hockey.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_Association_of_America?oldid=1375268309
- 19
In 1946, the year before he was called up to the majors, Jackie Robinson played for the Royals, the Brooklyn Dodgers' International League farm club. Which city were they from?
medium
Hint: He lived that season in a house near Jarry Park.
AnswerMontreal.
He led the league with a .349 batting average and was named its Most Valuable Player.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_Robinson?oldid=1379806187
- 20
The Cleveland Browns began play in 1946 in the new All-America Football Conference. Who were they named after?
medium
Hint: Not a color: the team was named after a person who helped found it.
AnswerPaul Brown, their first coach.
They won all four of the league's championship games before it folded in 1949.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Browns?oldid=1379573029
- 21
Which racehorse, nicknamed the "Club-footed Comet" because of an old injury to a front hoof, won the Triple Crown and was voted 1946 Horse of the Year?
medium
Hint: His name is a word for an attack.
AnswerAssault.
He was foaled on the King Ranch, and to date he is the only Texas-bred winner of the Triple Crown.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_(horse)?oldid=1378765700
- 22
Who won the first U.S. Women's Open golf championship, played in 1946 at Spokane Country Club and the only one ever decided by match play?
hard
Hint: Her last name rhymes with "iceberg".
AnswerPatty Berg.
She beat Betty Jameson 5 & 4 in the final and won $5,600, paid entirely in war bonds.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_U.S._Women's_Open?oldid=1377257810
- 23
In March 1946, UCLA star Kenny Washington became the first Black player to sign with an NFL team after World War II. Which team, newly moved from Cleveland, signed him?
hard
Hint: The Los Angeles Tribune pushed hard for the signing.
AnswerThe Los Angeles Rams.
At UCLA, he was rated a better baseball player than his teammate Jackie Robinson.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Washington_(American_football)?oldid=1362875311
At the movies
- 24
In The Big Sleep (1946), Humphrey Bogart plays which private detective?
easy
Hint: Lauren Bacall co-starred in this adaptation of a 1939 Raymond Chandler novel.
AnswerPhilip Marlowe.
Midway through filming, the director and cast realized they did not know whether a chauffeur in the story had killed himself or been murdered, and when they asked, author Raymond Chandler admitted he didn't know either.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Sleep_(1946_film)?oldid=1376662115
- 25
Which actress starred with Glenn Ford in Gilda (1946) and performed "Put the Blame on Mame"?
easy
Hint: Her singing voice was dubbed by Anita Ellis.
AnswerRita Hayworth.
Her look in the film, and that song, influenced the design of the cartoon character Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilda_(film)?oldid=1376284265
- 26
Which William Wyler film, about three servicemen coming home after World War II, won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture?
medium
Hint: The three veterans meet on a flight home to Boone City.
AnswerThe Best Years of Our Lives.
Harold Russell, who was not a professional actor, won two Oscars for the same role, the only time that has happened.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Years_of_Our_Lives?oldid=1381969799
- 27
Before It's a Wonderful Life (1946), movie snow was usually made from which breakfast food, so loud underfoot that dialogue had to be re-recorded?
medium
Hint: The film's new "chemical snow" used soap flakes; the old kind used a different flake.
AnswerUntoasted cornflakes.
The film became a Christmas classic after its copyright lapsed in 1974, which let TV stations show it without paying fees.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_a_Wonderful_Life?oldid=1383527093
- 28
In Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious (1946), Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman discover what hidden in wine bottles in a villain's cellar?
medium
Hint: It looks like black sand.
AnswerUranium ore.
To get around a ban on kisses longer than three seconds, Hitchcock interrupted the stars' two-and-a-half-minute kiss every three seconds.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notorious_(1946_film)?oldid=1383094344
- 29
In The Yearling (1946), starring Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman, what kind of animal does the boy Jody adopt?
medium
Hint: Jody's father warns him it will have to be set free when it grows up.
AnswerA fawn, a young deer, which he names Flag.
Claude Jarman Jr., who played Jody in his first film, received an Academy Juvenile Award.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yearling_(1946_film)?oldid=1364488310
- 30
Which actress won the Best Actress Oscar for the films of 1946, for To Each His Own?
medium
Hint: Her sister was the actress Joan Fontaine.
AnswerOlivia de Havilland.
At the same ceremony, Laurence Olivier received an honorary award for acting in, producing and directing Henry V.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_Academy_Awards?oldid=1383654592
- 31
At the first Cannes Film Festival, held from September 20 to October 5, 1946, how many feature films shared the top prize, the Grand Prix: two, five or eleven?
hard
Hint: The jury put more weight on creativity than on competition.
AnswerEleven.
One of them was Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend, whose star Ray Milland was named Best Actor.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946_Cannes_Film_Festival?oldid=1362798982
On the radio
- 32
Whose trio first recorded "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") in June 1946?
easy
Hint: He sang and played the piano in the trio.
AnswerNat King Cole's.
Over the objections of his label, Capitol Records, Cole recorded it again in August with a small string section, and that version became a massive hit.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Song?oldid=1373044198
- 33
Which Irving Berlin musical opened on Broadway on May 16, 1946, with Ethel Merman as the sharpshooter Annie Oakley?
medium
Hint: Its songs include "Anything You Can Do" and "There's No Business Like Show Business".
AnswerAnnie Get Your Gun.
Jerome Kern was first asked to write the music, but after he died in November 1945, the producers turned to Berlin.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Get_Your_Gun_(musical)?oldid=1381420971
- 34
Bobby Troup wrote "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" in 1946 after driving west with his wife, Cynthia. Which highway did he first think of writing a song about?
medium
Hint: Their trip began on it before they switched to Route 66.
AnswerU.S. Route 40.
Cynthia suggested the title, and she later said she couldn't believe he left Albuquerque out of the song.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Get_Your_Kicks_on)_Route_66?oldid=1373055328
- 35
Which song, sung by James Baskett in a 1946 Disney film, won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the second Disney song to win after "When You Wish upon a Star"?
medium
Hint: The title is a cheerful string of nonsense syllables.
Answer"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".
It came from Song of the South, and in 2004 it ranked 47th on the American Film Institute's list 100 Years...100 Songs.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah?oldid=1365423240
- 36
Philco Radio Time, which began on ABC on October 16, 1946, is known as the first pre-recorded show on the major U.S. radio networks. Which singer starred in it?
medium
Hint: He had been a solo star on radio since 1931.
AnswerBing Crosby.
Its first season was recorded on 16-inch aluminum discs, and from the second season it used Ampex tape recorders.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philco_Radio_Time?oldid=1374908126
- 37
Which railroad song, sung by Judy Garland in the 1946 film The Harvey Girls, won the 1946 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Johnny Mercer's first Oscar?
hard
Hint: The title is the name of a railway, without the word "Railway".
Answer"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe".
Mercer said the words came to him while he sat on a Union Pacific train and saw another train labeled "Atchison, Topeka...".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Atchison,_Topeka_and_the_Santa_Fe?oldid=1374657771
- 38
Which Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five hit, recorded in January 1946, topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946?
hard
Hint: The title starts with the sound of a train.
Answer"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie".
Its co-writer Milt Gabler, Jordan's producer at Decca, later produced Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choo_Choo_Ch'Boogie?oldid=1368256750
Life at home
- 39
On July 5, 1946, at a public pool in Paris, Louis Réard introduced a tiny new two-piece swimsuit. What did he name it?
easy
Hint: That May, rival designer Jacques Heim had launched the Atome, advertised as the world's "smallest bathing suit".
AnswerThe bikini.
Its four small triangles of fabric were printed with a newspaper pattern, and Réard went on to sell bikinis at his Paris swimsuit store for 40 years.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Réard?oldid=1381431600
- 40
Which Procter & Gamble laundry detergent went into U.S. test markets in 1946 as the world's first heavy-duty detergent?
easy
Hint: Think of the sea and the beach.
AnswerTide.
It was sold nationwide by 1949 and billed itself as "America's Washday Favorite".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide_(brand)?oldid=1381646328
- 41
Which pediatrician's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care came out in 1946 and sold 500,000 copies in its first six months?
medium
Hint: His first name was Benjamin.
AnswerDr. Benjamin Spock's.
By his death in 1998 it had sold 50 million copies, and children raised on its advice were called "Spock babies".
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Common_Sense_Book_of_Baby_and_Child_Care?oldid=1310041763
- 42
Babies born in 1946 are counted among the first baby boomers. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to which year?
medium
Hint: It is in the mid-1960s.
Answer1964.
In the U.S., boomers born from 1946 to 1955 are called "leading-edge boomers"; they came of age during the Vietnam War and civil rights eras.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_boomers?oldid=1382642983
- 43
Around 1946, Earl Tupper joined forces with Brownie Wise, who had great success selling his containers at home parties. His airtight lids were inspired by the seal on which kind of can?
medium
Hint: Think of what you open with a screwdriver before redecorating.
AnswerPaint cans.
He made his first containers from polyethylene slag, a black waste product of oil refining that his supervisor at DuPont gave him.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Tupper?oldid=1323001881
- 44
In 1946, a Dallas chain called Tote'm Stores took a new name to show off its new, unusually long opening hours. What is it called?
medium
Hint: The new hours ran from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Answer7-Eleven.
The old name came from customers "toting" away their purchases, and some stores had totem poles out front.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven?oldid=1383444894
- 45
Which coconut candy bar was introduced in 1946 and comes in blue packaging, while its nut-free sister bar, Mounds, comes in red?
medium
Hint: It replaced the Dreams Bar, which was made of diced almonds and coconut.
AnswerAlmond Joy.
Its maker, Peter Paul, was founded in 1919 by six Armenian immigrants.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almond_Joy?oldid=1383483423
- 46
In July 1946, Willys-Overland brought out the first mass-market all-steel station wagon built as a passenger car. Which famous World War II vehicle name did it carry?
medium
Hint: The wartime original was a rugged four-wheel-drive vehicle.
AnswerJeep (the Willys Jeep Station Wagon).
Its steel body was sometimes painted to look like a wood-paneled "woodie" wagon.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willys_Jeep_Station_Wagon?oldid=1368414304
Born in 1946
- 47
Which singer-songwriter, born in 1946 and dubbed the "Queen of Country", starred in the film 9 to 5 (1980)?
easy
Hint: She was born in a one-room cabin in Tennessee, the fourth of twelve children.
AnswerDolly Parton.
When Elvis Presley's manager wanted half the publishing rights to her song "I Will Always Love You", she refused, a decision later credited with earning her many millions in royalties.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Parton?oldid=1383645757
- 48
Which singer and actress, born in 1946, won the Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck (1987)?
easy
Hint: She was born Cheryl Sarkisian.
AnswerCher.
At 52 she released the album Believe (1998), which introduced the "Cher effect", a stylized use of Auto-Tune on vocals.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cher?oldid=1382947239
- 49
Which actor, born in 1946, wrote the first draft of Rocky in three days after watching Muhammad Ali fight Chuck Wepner in 1975?
easy
Hint: He also played John Rambo.
AnswerSylvester Stallone.
Until 1969 he acted on stage under the name Mike Stallone.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_Stallone?oldid=1382946875
- 50
Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946, and George W. Bush on July 6, 1946. Which other U.S. president was born on August 19, 1946?
medium
Hint: He was the 42nd president.
AnswerBill Clinton.
George W. Bush shares his birthday with actor Sylvester Stallone, and Clinton shares his with astronaut Charles Bolden.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946?oldid=1383360130
- 51
Which director, born in 1946, won the Best Director Oscar for both Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan?
medium
Hint: He became a household name with Jaws (1975).
AnswerSteven Spielberg.
He later went back to college in Long Beach and completed his bachelor's degree in film by presenting Schindler's List.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg?oldid=1383661421
- 52
Which performer, born in 1946, won the Best Actress Oscar as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (1972)?
medium
Hint: Her mother was Judy Garland.
AnswerLiza Minnelli.
Her first film appearance was as the baby in the final shot of her mother's film In the Good Old Summertime (1949).
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liza_Minnelli?oldid=1381910334
- 53
Which actress, born in 1946, played Sister Bertrille in TV's The Flying Nun and later won Best Actress Oscars for Norma Rae and Places in the Heart?
medium
Hint: Before The Flying Nun, she starred on TV as Gidget.
AnswerSally Field.
She played Tom Hanks's mother in Forrest Gump (1994), though she was only 10 years older than him.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Field?oldid=1383094656
- 54
Which slugger, born in 1946, hit three home runs in a row at Yankee Stadium in the clinching Game 6 of the 1977 World Series?
hard
Hint: Earlier, he helped Oakland win three straight World Series, from 1972 to 1974.
AnswerReggie Jackson.
His nickname "Mr. October" came from Thurman Munson, who told a reporter during that World Series, "Go ask Mister October."
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggie_Jackson?oldid=1379896958
Use this set at an 80th birthday party
Read a question, allow thinking time, then invite an answer. Play the guest of honor against the room: they answer each question alone, everyone else answers together, and the side with more right answers wins. Save the last round, Born in 1946, for the end: everyone in it was born the same year as the guest of honor. Turn on Large print for guests who find small type hard to read, and add the 1956 set for a round from their childhood.
Timer and team scores
8 turns × 60 seconds = 8 minutes of play, plus instructions and breaks.
60
Pause whenever the group needs more time.
Team Lime's turn
Team Lime: 0
Team Violet: 0
Team Tangerine: 0
Team Sky: 0
Team Lemon: 0
Team Bubblegum: 0