Happy Trivia Day!

Today was National Trivia Day for 2026! Trivia night, Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy! and Buzztime–plus many more ways to enjoy trivia. . .

Happy National Trivia Day ! ! ! 

❓ 📝 🧠 🧩 💡 🔎 ✍️ 🤔 🎯 🤓 🤔✏️ 💯 🏆 ✅ 🧐 ✨ 🕵🏼

The History:
Origination of Trivia: The word “trivia” comes from the Latin “trivialis,” meaning “found everywhere. ” It is based on “trivium,” which means “crossroads,” combining “tri-” for “three” and “via” for “road. ” “Trivia” has several meanings: unimportant matters, obscure facts not relevant to daily life, and topics of interest that are inconsequential. The term was introduced in the early 20^th century as a noun from “trivial. ” Trivia can also refer to the goddess Diana, called Diana Trivia in Roman mythology, and to the lower division of the Artes Liberales, which included grammar, rhetoric, and logic..

Trivial Pursuit courtesy of Openverse

Trivia Day: National Trivia Day commemorates the informal exchange of questions and answers about popular culture that began among college students in the 1960’s. Ed Goodgold and Dan Carlinsky, students at Columbia University, initiated this trend by writing trivia columns and establishing the first inter-collegiate quiz bowls. These contests focused on culturally and emotionally significant, albeit largely trivial, information. The students referred to these events as trivia contests. Subsequently, they published the book Trivia (Dell, 1966), which was the first to approach trivia in this innovative manner. This publication also earned a spot on the New York Times bestseller list.

Celebrated: National Trivia Day is celebrated every year on January 4^th.

2014-Staff-Trivia courtesy of Openverse

A Few Facts:
I am sharing a few facts, and more, some trivia, some not trivial. . .

Trivia, Trivia. . .and More Trivia:

Trivial Pursuit: Trivia in the form of a family playing game! Trivial Pursuit is a board game where players answer trivia questions from different categories to win. Players move around the board and land on squares that define the question type. There are six categories like “history” and “science and nature. ” Each correct answer lets players continue their turn and earn wedges for their tokens. The goal is to collect all six wedges and answer a final question in the center. The game was created by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott in 1979 and first sold in 1981. It was licensed to different companies over the years, finally sold to Hasbro in 2008. By 1986, it had sold 20 million units and earned $600 million. Over 100 million copies have been sold by 2014. Various themed editions exist, but some players criticized the 2006 version for being simpler and more focused on celebrities. The six colors/subjects are:

1. Geography category is blue
2. Entertainment is pink
3. History is yellow
4. Art & Literature is originally brown, later purple
5. Science & Nature is green
6. Sports & Leisure is orange

game board – trivial pursuit courtesy of Openverse

Largest Ongoing Trivia Contest: Steven Point, Wisconsin, is home to the largest ongoing trivia contest, which takes place at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s college radio station, WWSP 89.9 FM. In April 2013, the university held its 44^th annual trivia event. Generally, around 400 teams take part, with team sizes varying from 1 to 150 participants. The contest is accessible to all individuals and lasts for 54 hours over a weekend, featuring eight questions each hour.

Jeopardy! game board US courtesy of Openverse

Jeopardy! Jeopardy! is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. It features a quiz competition where contestants are given clues posed as answers, and they must respond with a question identifying the clue. The original version began on NBC on March 30, 1964, and ran until January 3, 1975, with several revivals and a syndicated version starting on September 10, 1984. Art Fleming was the host for early versions until 1979, while Alex Trebek took over the daily syndicated version in 1984, hosting until his death on January 8, 2021. After Trebek, various guest hosts filled the role until Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings became rotating hosts. Jennings became the sole syndicated host by December 2023 after Bialik’s withdrawal during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. Jeopardy! is currently in its 41^st season and is one of the longest-running game shows, having aired over 9,000 episodes and winning 45 Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. The gameplay consists of three rounds: Jeopardy! , Double Jeopardy! , and Final Jeopardy! . Each game features a board with categories and clues of different monetary values, which increase in the Double Jeopardy! round. Contestants must wait for a clue to be read before ringing in. A “Daily Double” allows contestants to wager any amount of their earnings for a chance to gain more points. Responses must be phrased in the form of a question, especially in later rounds. Contestants are encouraged to pick clues strategically, with some opting for random selections known as “Forrest Bounce. ” The Final Jeopardy! round includes a single clue where contestants make a final wager based on their scores. Contestants must write their responses within a time limit. The contestant with the highest score at the end wins the game, while consolation prizes are given to non-winners. Returning champions play again against new contestants, and as of September 8, 2003, there is no limit to the number of consecutive days a contestant can win. Ties for first place were historically handled with co-champion titles, but since November 24, 2014, ties are broken with a tie-breaker clue, ensuring only one contestant continues as champion. If no contestant finishes Final Jeopardy! with a positive score, there is no winner for that episode, and three new contestants compete. Changes to the game’s structure over time have helped enhance fairness and excitement in competitions. Contestants receive cash for their winnings or consolation prizes, with adjustments made for inflation. Throughout each season, Jeopardy! holds special tournaments for specific groups, with the main event being the Tournament of Champions. Here, players with the most wins and money from the previous season compete for a large cash prize. Tournaments include 15 contestants over 10 episodes and have three rounds: quarterfinals (five games), semifinals (three games), and finals (two games). In the quarterfinals, three new contestants play each day. These rounds are unseeded except for the Tournament of Champions, where players are seeded based on their winnings. Winners and four highest-scoring non-winners advance to semifinals, which are also seeded. The tournament format, established in 1985, has evolved to ensure that games have a clear winner, requiring tie-breakers even if scores are zero. Contestants who score zero in Double Jeopardy! do not compete in Final Jeopardy! that day.

NTN had a brain fart last night courtesy of Openverse

NTN Buzztime: NTN Buzztime is a company that specializes in the production of interactive entertainment across various platforms. Its flagship product, known as Buzztime, previously referred to as the NTN Network, has been operational since 1985, delivering trivia and other games through broadband over a national network to more than 3,800 bars and restaurants throughout the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The company’s operations in the United Kingdom ceased in 2008. Typically, Buzztime is available at independently owned bars and restaurants, although it is also featured in outlets of two major U.S. chains, Buffalo Wild Wings and Damon’s Grill. As of August 2021, Buzztime is offered in only seven locations of Buffalo Wild Wings across five different states. Additionally, it is available at select T.G.I. Friday’s and Applebee’s locations. Buzztime provides a variety of trivia games covering numerous subjects, including pop culture, entertainment, world history, geography, sports, and music, as well as general trivia encompassing a wide range of categories. NTN Buzztime, Inc. is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company was originally established as Alroy Industries and was known as NTN Communications, Inc. from 1985 until 2005.

Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

The Present:
People all over the world, including the U.S. are enjoying their trivia, every day!

The Future:
Let’s give thanks and enjoy trivia this great year and in the years to come. . .

FREEBIES & DEALS For National Trivia Day:
❓ FREE National Trivia Day: Fonts
📝 FREE: National Trivia Day: Crafts + Printable
🧠 CHEAP: National Trivia Day: Ideas, Crafts & Worksheets
🧩 FREE: National Trivia Day: AT “Hey It’s Free”

Hashtags:
#HappyNationalTriviaDay #NationalTriviaDay #HappyTriviaDay #Trivia 

IMG_4025 courtesy of Openverse

 National Trivia Day