Today’s Atlantic Trivia: Gift-Giving Edition
In a recent trivia update from *The Atlantic*, readers were invited to engage with a series of intriguing questions that blend cultural references with historical facts. The trivia, which draws from a range of topics including literature, film, and music, illustrates how the publication continues to stimulate curiosity and learning among its audience. For instance, readers were asked to identify what Jane Austen famously suggested a wealthy single man must be in want of, with the answer being a wife. This playful nod to classic literature not only entertains but also encourages a reflection on societal norms and expectations throughout history.
Another question delves into the dangers of early moviemaking, specifically regarding the flammability of nitrate-based film, a detail that highlights the risks filmmakers faced in the past. Such questions not only test knowledge but also serve as a reminder of the evolution of the film industry and the safety measures that have since been implemented. The trivia also touches on contemporary topics, such as the intricacies of DIY guitar pedals, where readers learned about the gain knob that controls the strength of the signal entering the device. This blend of the past and present illustrates *The Atlantic’s* commitment to providing thought-provoking content that resonates with a diverse readership.
Additionally, the trivia segment featured a light-hearted anecdote about gift-giving customs, particularly the superstition surrounding the gifting of scissors or knives, which could symbolize severing a relationship. This personal touch adds a relatable element to the trivia, inviting readers to share their own experiences and thoughts. Overall, *The Atlantic’s* trivia section not only serves as an engaging pastime but also enriches readers’ knowledge across various domains, making it a delightful addition to the publication’s daily offerings. For those eager to test their wits and learn something new, signing up for *The Atlantic Daily* ensures that the trivia continues to inspire curiosity and conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4jeMLbZBg
Updated with new questions at 3 p.m. ET on November 19, 2025.
If I have provided you with any factoids in the course of
Atlantic
Trivia, I apologize, because a factoid, properly, is
not
a small, interesting fact. A factoid is a piece of information that looks like a fact but is untrue. Norman Mailer popularized the term in 1973, very intentionally giving it the suffix
-oid
. Is a humanoid not a creature whose appearance suggests humanity but whose nature belies it? Thus is it with factoid.
So what of those fun, itty bits of info that are correct? In the 1990s, William Safire suggested
factlet
for the small-but-true fact (and
The Atlantic
in 2012 agreed
), though
minifact
is sometimes used. And for the statements somewhere in between interesting and untrue—
factini
, perhaps? Start with five parts fascinating to one part wrong; adjust to taste.
Find
last week’s questions here
, and to get
Atlantic
Trivia in your inbox every day,
sign up for The
Atlantic
Daily
.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Today’s questions all come from
The Atlantic
’s 2025 gift guide
.
According to Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of”
what
?
— From Dan Fallon’s entry,
“Colorful Storage”
From its beginnings to the 1950s, moviemaking was much riskier than it is today, thanks to
what quality
of nitrate-based film?
— From Kaitlyn Tiffany’s entry
“The World’s Most Dangerous Film Festival”
A guitar pedal’s volume knob controls the ultimate loudness of the output.
What other knob
controls the strength of the signal as it
enters
the device?
— From Evan McMurry’s entry
“DIY Guitar Pedal”
The name of
what Romantic English poet
is now used in adjective form to describe any brooding, enigmatic type?
— From Walt Hunter’s entry,
“The Perfect Black T-Shirt”
In the musical
Cabaret
, a character is given as a gift
what fruit
, which she assumes arrived from Hawaii (but actually came from California)?
— From my own entry
“[REDACTED] Perfection”
And by the way, did you know that in some cultures, giving a loved one a gift of scissors or a knife is inauspicious, as it risks severing the relationship? I recently ran afoul of this when I sent kitchen shears to a friend raised in an Indian family; bless her for rectifying the situation by wiring me a dollar and thus turning the transaction into a purchase.
So if anyone buys the nail clippers that senior editor
Alan Taylor recommends
and suffers a schism with the recipient, let me know—we’ll add them to the bad-luck list.
Happy shopping!
Answers:
A wife.
Likewise, Dan writes, “anyone in possession of too many things must be in want of a storage solution.” His favorite option is eye-catching enough to double as decor.
Shop here.
Flammability.
Kaitlyn is a fan of the annual film festival in Rochester, New York, that flirts with disaster by screening nitrate reels. Haven’t you always thought that the frisson of mortal peril is what
Meet Me in St. Louis
is missing?
Shop here.
Gain.
Building your own guitar pedal is more fun and
much
more affordable than buying a nice one, writes Evan (who advises that the sweet spot for his selection’s gain knob is at about 1 o’clock).
Shop here.
Lord Byron.
A black T-shirt from the no-frills Japanese retailer Muji is possibly the world’s quickest shortcut to a Byronic air, Walt writes, even when you’re very un-Byronically slumped on a bench wolfing a taco.
Shop here.
A pineapple.
You, however, can send a friend a slice of actual aloha—as I have done many, many times—thanks to a farm that delivers its homegrown jewels from Maui to the rest of the States.
Shop here.
How did you do? Come back tomorrow for more questions, or
click here for last week’s
. And if you think up a great question after reading an
Atlantic
story—or simply want to share a top-notch fact—send it my way at
trivia@theatlantic.com
.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
From the
edition of The
Atlantic
Daily
by Isabel Fattal:
The manufacturer Abbott once produced about 40 percent of the U.S. supply of a particular product. A 2022 recall by Abbott therefore contributed to nationwide shortages.
What
is the product?
— From Nicholas Florko’s
“America Has a [REDACTED] Problem—Again”
A U.S. trial jury is smaller than a grand jury—hence its also being known by
what name
containing French’s opposite of
grand
?
— From Quinta Jurecic’s
“The Trump Administration’s Favorite Tool for Criminalizing Dissent”
What
is the term for a paradoxical anecdote or riddle used by practitioners of Zen Buddhism to deepen their meditation?
— From Julie Beck’s
“How to Cheat at Conversation”
And by the way, did you know that fewer humans have visited the bottom of the ocean than have gone to space? Depending on how you count, somewhere between 600 and 800 have slipped the surly bonds of Earth; only a few dozen have pulled those bonds as tight as they’ll go by putting seven miles of Pacific Ocean over their head at the Mariana Trench’s Challenger Deep.
Then there is Kathy Sullivan. She has been to both. Her trench trip was in 2020, and in 1984, she was the first woman to complete a spacewalk. She is now, rather charmingly, referred to as the world’s “most vertical” person.
Answers:
Baby formula.
The supply-chain disaster prompted regulators to explore ways to make the vulnerable industry a little less so, but Nicholas writes that a new recall from a different manufacturer is a reminder of how easily formula making can crack.
Read more.
Petit jury.
Quinta reports that neither the grand juries empowered to indict nor the petit juries empowered to convict have been particularly convinced by the Trump administration’s cases against the people it alleges are “assaulting, resisting, or impeding” federal officials.
Read more.
Koan.
“How do you cheat at a conversation?” sounds as though it could be one, Julie muses, but it is in fact the value proposition of a new artificial-intelligence tool. Cluely promises to give users any answer they might need in a social interaction, but Julie says it only makes them worse.
Read more.
Monday, November 17, 2025
From the
edition of The
Atlantic
Daily
by David A. Graham:
U.S. pennies are plated in copper but principally made of
what other metal
at the end of the alphabet?
— From Caity Weaver’s
“Pennies Are Trash Now”
What beverage
is traditionally made of ground
tencha
leaves, prepared with a whisk, and drunk from a ceramic bowl called a
cha-wan
?
— From Ellen Cushing’s
“The [REDACTED] Problem”
Broken chains and shackles were originally intended to be held in the left hand of
what American landmark
before a new design replaced those items with a tablet?
— From Clint Smith’s
“Tell Students the Truth About American History”
And by the way, did you know that for more than six decades the United States produced half-cent pieces? They were 100 percent copper and stamped with Lady Liberty, who sported a variety of hairdos over the years. The coin was almost the size of a modern quarter, which seems big until you consider that at the end of its run, the half-cent had a purchasing power of about 17 cents in today’s money.
Still, in 1857 it was deemed insufficiently valuable to keep minting—at 17 contemporary cents! Considering that the government is once again in the coin-discontinuing mood, the nickel and dime might want to watch out, too.
Answers:
Zinc.
Penny minting abruptly stopped last week. The coins will soon drop out of circulation, and their composition—zinc is much less valuable than copper—makes them unappealing to recycle. What this means, Caity writes, is that those 300 billion pennies floating around are now Americans’ problem.
Read more.
Matcha.
This old-school Japanese preparation is a far piece from the energy drinks and sugary beverages that new companies are marketing as matcha. Ellen explores the ramifications of the collision between matcha’s tradition and its current world-historic demand.
Read more.
The Statue of Liberty.
The gift from France, Clint writes, was meant not just to welcome immigrants but also to celebrate America’s abolition of slavery; he wonders whether the change was intended to make the statue “more palatable” to a wider audience. That instinct has never gone away, and it’s the job of educators to resist it.
Read more.
