# Trivial Pursuit Mistakes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555 "2004-02-11T00:44:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/1 "2004-02-11T00:44:03Z")
The amount of mis-information in Trivial Pursuit (Genus Edition) is staggering. I haven’t played in a long time, but I recall numerous mistakes coming up under science, esp. One question specifically stands out in my mind. It may have been under the category of history. It asked who was the first person killed in a plane crash. It claimed, IIRC, Orville Wright. Recently, after visiting the National Air & Space Mueum’s website, I got curious enough to ask their staff. The answer was that Orville was in an airplane crash years later (not using their first plane), but he was not killed. And, Wilbur died of typhoid in May 1912. So, what mistakes have you found (in the bogus edition)? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/2 "2004-02-11T00:56:51Z")
One I remember for sure gave “Otto Titzling” as the inventor of the Bra. Pure urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![Pepsi\_Classic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Pepsi\_Classic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pepsi_Classic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/3 "2004-02-11T00:59:04Z")
Don’t forget about the Moops. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/4 "2004-02-11T01:09:26Z")
There are quite a few of mistakes in the '80s Edition and at least one confused answer caused by a movie having different titles in the US and the UK ([License to Kill, aka License Revoked](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097742/combined)). ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/5 "2004-02-11T02:08:50Z")
Years ago I played a UK Junior Trivial Pursuit game and we found the following : Q: What metal can Supergirl not see though? A: Nephews. I seem to recall hearing that some mistakes are deliberate, to catch people who rip off their questions wholesale for some other product. No idea if this is true, tho’ it does sound cunning. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/6 "2004-02-11T03:00:15Z")
Augie Doggie’s father is **not** Huckleberry Hound. I do not know why that one example has stayed with me. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/7 "2004-02-11T03:18:21Z")
One that sticks out in my mind: “What is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way”. The answer as given was “Andromeda”. First, on a nitpicking note, there is no galaxy called “Andromeda”: That’s the name of a constellation. There does happen to be a prominent and nearby galaxy in the constellation of Andromeda, but it’s properly called “the Andromeda galaxy” or “M31”. But more significantly, there are many galaxies which are closer than the Andromeda galaxy. The Large and Small Magellenic Clouds come to mind, as do Snickers and the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy (which is actually currently being absorbed by the Milky Way). Granted, M31 is considerably larger than any of these, and could reasonably be called the nearest **major** galaxy to the Milky Way. But that’s not what the question asked. Another one I recall: “If you were standing in New York City, in what direction would you look to see Sirius?”. Their answer was “North”. Which is the one answer which is absolutely unequivocably wrong. From the Northern Hemisphere, Sirius is _never_ in the north. It can be just south of east, or just south of west, or anywhere in between, depending on when you look, but it’s never north. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/8 "2004-02-11T03:20:47Z")
I remember being “wrong” on the question “What is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way?”. TP had the answer “Andromeda”. At that time the correct answer was really the Large Magallenic Cloud (about 1/12 of the distance of Andromeda), and since then several dwarf galaxies have been discovered that are closer. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/9 "2004-02-11T03:40:44Z")
When playing as a teen, I seem to recall getting bent out of shape when I was asked “Do black jaguars have spots”. I answered “Yes” and the answer on the card was “No”. I flipped out and went to my book collection, bringing out books that had pictures of black jaguars and their perfectly visible spotting pattern. Perhaps I was a bit over the top as I’m pretty sure the response I got from the rest of the players was something along the lines of “Jeez, alright already. It’s only a game. Take your damn piece of pie.” I take my Trivial Pursuit seriously, dammit. 😃 [sub]And I will take this moment to brag about my little black feral kitty who has a light spotted undercoat that you can see when the light hits her just right. She’s my miniature black jaguar![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/10 "2004-02-11T07:04:56Z")
One of the questions in the Genus Edition concerns the first black winner of the Wimbledon singles title. The answer given is Arthur Ashe, who was indeed the first African-American **male** to claim the championship (1975). Yet [Althea Gibson](http://www.altheagibson.com/bio.html) had taken the ladies’ crown in 1957 and 1958. ---
**Author:** ![Astra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Astra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astra)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/11 "2004-02-11T07:29:51Z")
I’ve gotten questions about John Crapper inventing the toilet before. Pretty sure that’s in the same box as Otto Titzsling. ---
**Author:** ![Tortuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Tortuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tortuga)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/12 "2004-02-11T07:49:50Z")
> [@Astra](#): > > I’ve gotten questions about John Crapper inventing the toilet before. Pretty sure that’s in the same box as Otto Titzsling. And we can “blame” the same man for both legends, according to [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/business/names/crapper.asp). Perhaps the folks at Trivial Pursuit also took Swift seriously (and misplaced him in history by a hundred and thirty years). Q: What replaced potatoes as the staple diet of the Irish during the potato famine? A: The delicious and succulent “fat yearling child.” ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/13 "2004-02-11T08:30:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But more significantly, there are many galaxies which are closer than the Andromeda galaxy. The Large and Small Magellenic Clouds come to mind, as do Snickers and the Sagittarius Dwarf Galaxy (which is actually currently being absorbed by the Milky Way). Snickers? Is this some kind of product tie-in? ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/14 "2004-02-11T08:58:09Z")
Milky Way, Snickers … are there galaxies called Hersheys, Three Musketeers, and Butterfingers, too? Maybe those scientist-types shouldn’t name things while hungry. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/15 "2004-02-11T09:03:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Another one I recall: “If you were standing in New York City, in what direction would you look to see Sirius?”. Their answer was “North”. Which is the one answer which is absolutely unequivocably wrong. From the Northern Hemisphere, Sirius is _never_ in the north. It can be just south of east, or just south of west, or anywhere in between, depending on when you look, but it’s never north. Yeesh. No astronomer I, but I would have just answered, “up.” ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/16 "2004-02-11T11:36:51Z")
I’d have said “specify time of year and time of night”. And then struggled to work it out. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/17 "2004-02-11T11:58:40Z")
I remember one question that read “What comic book company owns Superman, Iron Man and The Hulk?” Their answer was Marvel. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/18 "2004-02-11T15:04:06Z")
There’s a question about the Daddy Longlegs being the most venomous spider, and while the answer may not be flat-out wrong, it is darned confusing. See [here.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdaddy.html) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/19 "2004-02-11T15:52:18Z")
There was one question on the very first TP game that had a correct answer but was removed from the next editions of the game for “sensitivity” reasons. Q: How long after their marriage was Ronald and Nancy Reagan’s first child born? A: Seven months. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555/20 "2004-02-11T19:12:02Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > There are quite a few of mistakes in the '80s Edition and at least one confused answer caused by a movie having different titles in the US and the UK ([License to Kill, aka License Revoked](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097742/combined)). Yes! This caused me to lose a game once! GRRRRRRR! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trivial-pursuit-mistakes/228555.md?page=2)