# Origin of truth or dare **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-truth-or-dare/570315 "2011-02-05T21:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-truth-or-dare/570315/1 "2011-02-05T21:58:44Z")
Howdy all, Does anyone know the origin of the popular adolescent game “truth or dare?” How far does said game go back into the annals of mankind’s history? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-truth-or-dare/570315/2 "2011-02-05T23:12:25Z")
The first hits I see from Google Books are two 1957 books. > [@](#): > > There is a happy land > Keith Waterhouse - 1957 - 189 pages > > But neither she nor Barbara looked up nor showed any more interest. > 'Have we to play truth or dare? … I didn’t like truth or dare. Sooner or later it always got round to who goes out with who and kissing and that. … > [@](#): > > The warden’s niece > Gillian Avery - 1957 - 254 pages > > “Jos,” commmanded Thomas, “think of some way of occupying this dreary afternoon.” > “Well, not Truth or Dare anyway.” ---
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-truth-or-dare/570315/3 "2011-02-06T04:50:16Z")
I can’t find any references to it from before the 1950s, so it looks like it started around that time.