150 Summertime Trivia Questions

Animals

1. Which ocean-dwelling creature are you most likely to see sunbathing? Answer: Sea lions.
2. True or false: In the summer, squirrels use their big, bushy tails to protect themselves from the sun. Answer: True.
3. What is the name of the United States’ beloved fire prevention mascot? Answer: Smokey Bear.
4. What is the most common butterfly in the United States? Answer: The Cabbage is White.
5. Some animals hibernate in summer to avoid the heat. Do you know the word for summer hibernation? Answer: Aestivation.
6. Give some examples of animals that hibernate in summer. Answer: Tortoises, crocodiles, four-toed hedgehogs, and dwarf lemurs.
7. Which animals are employed as beach lifeguards in some U.S. states? (a) Dogs (b) Chimpanzees (c) Raccoons. Answer: Dogs.
8. Why do some animals pant when it’s hot? Answer: To keep themselves cool.
9. What do elephants use instead of sunblock? Answer: Dust and mud.
10. Which animal stars in the hit 1970s movie “Jaws”? Answer: A Great White Shark.

Countries

11. Which country holds the world record for the hottest temperature ever? Answer: The United States (Death Valley, CA).
12. Where are the 2021 Summer Olympics being held? Answer: Tokyo, Japan.
13. In which country are you most likely to celebrate Christmas with a “barbie” on the beach? Answer: Australia.
14. Which country gives students the most extended summer vacation? Answer: Italy (12 weeks).
15. Where is the biggest water park in the world? (a) United States (b) Germany (c) Spain. Answer: Germany.
16. True or false: Mexico is the largest consumer of watermelons in the world. Wrong: It’s China.
17. In which country do people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice? Answer: England.
18. Where was ice pop invented? Answer: San Francisco, USA.
19. Name a country that features a sun on its national flag. Possible Answers: Uruguay, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, and North Macedonia.
20. Where does the word “season” come from? Answer: Season is an Old French word meaning “sowing” or “planting.”

Food and Drink

21. When is National Lemonade Day celebrated? Answer: August 20.
22. What is America’s number one BBQ snack? Answer: Hamburgers.
23. What is the world record for the giant glass of lemonade? Answer: 3,211 gallons.
24. Which is the most popular ice pop flavor in the U.S.? Answer: Cherry.
25. How much do Americans spend on alcoholic beverages on Independence Day? Answer: $1.6 billion.
26. What is America’s most popular ice cream flavor? (a) Vanilla (b) Chocolate (c) Strawberry. Answer: Chocolate.
27. What is the most popular cocktail in the U.S.? Answer: Margaritas.
28. How much tequila went into making the world’s giant margarita? Answer: 2,135 gallons!
29. Which two cities claim to have invented the ice cream sandwich? Answer: Pittsburgh and New York.
30. Which Canadian city is known as the “Slurpee Capital of the World”? Answer: Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Holidays and Events

31. Which of these is NOT a U.S. summer holiday? (a) National Watermelon Day (b) National Pool Noodle Day (c) National Hammock Day. Answer: National Pool Noodle Day.
32. Which U.S. city hosts an annual UFO festival in July? Answer: Roswell.
33. In which country do people celebrate the arrival of summer by jumping over fires? Answer: Spain.
34. When is Mexican Independence Day celebrated? Answer: September 16.
35. Where is the U.S. music festival Lollapalooza held? Answer: Chicago.
36. What does Pride Month celebrate? Answer: The rights of LGBTQ+ people.
37. Where is La Tomatina – an event widely regarded as the world’s most significant food fight – held every August? Answer: Bunol, Spain.
38. Where is the world-famous Glastonbury festival staged? Answer: Somerset, England.
39. Where does Nathan’s annual Fourth of July hot dog eating contest take place? Answer: Coney Island, New York.
40. The Katmai National Park in Alaska holds a contest each summer to find the fattest (a) Bear, (b) Moose, and (c) Wolf. Answer: Bear.

Songs

41. Who wrote and sang the 1980s hit “Boys of Summer”? Answer: Don Henley.
42. Which artists had a massive hit with “Summer of ‘69”? (a) Bruce Springsteen (b) Bryan Adams (c) Billy Joel. Answer: Bryan Adams.
43. Who wrote and recorded the hit song “Watermelon Sugar”? Answer: Harry Styles.
44. Which singer, the Queen of Disco, sang “I Feel Love”? Answer: Donna Summer.
45. Which New York band wrote and recorded “Summer in the City”? Answer: The Lovin’ Spoonful.
46. The song “Summer Nights” is from which 1978 movie? Answer: Grease.
47. Who sang the 1970s rock anthem “School’s Out”? Answer: Alice Cooper.
48. Which band recorded the 1969 folk-pop classic “Here Comes the Sun”?: (a) The Rolling Stones (b) The Monkees (c) The Beatles. Answer: The Beatles.
49. Complete the following lyric: “Summer’s here, and the time is right for _______ in the street.” Answer: Dancing.
50. Who had hits with “Fun! Fun! Fun!,” “California Girls,” and “Surfin’ Safari”? Answer: The Beach Boys.

Summer Blockbusters

51. What is the highest-grossing summer blockbuster of all time? (a) Jaws (b) Raiders of the Lost Ark (c) Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope). Answer: Star Wars.
52. What kind of animals were Timone and Pumba in The Lion King? Answer: Meerkat and warthog.
53. Which American actor appears in the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises? Answer: Harrison Ford.
54. Complete the following movie quote: “Where we’re going, we don’t need ______.” Answer: Roads.
55. In this indie classic starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, how many “days of summer” are there? Answer: 500.
56. Jurassic Park, E.T., and Saving Private Ryan are among the most successful summer movies ever made. But which director is responsible for all three? Answer: Steven Spielberg.
57. Which summer blockbuster was the first to make $100 million at the U.S. box office? Answer: Jaws.
58. What genre does the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer belong to? Answer: Horror.
59. In the 1997 blockbuster Men in Black, who (or what) does Will Smith’s character Jay battle with? Answer: Aliens.
60. Who directed the 1989 Batman movie? Answer: Tim Burton.

History

61. When was the “Summer of Love”? Answer: 1967.
62. The Fourth of July is the biggest event of the summer. But in which year did the United States gain independence from Britain? Answer: 1776.
63. True or false: July is named after the Roman emperor Julius Caesar. Answer: True.
64. What was the hottest U.S. summer on record? (a) 1976 (b) 2020 (c) 2019. Answer: 2020.
65. When was the rainbow-themed Pride flag invented? Answer: June 25, 1978.
66. When is the anniversary of D-Day? Answer: June 6.
67. When was “The Year Without a Summer”? Answer: 1816
68. What is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States? Answer: 134 °F (recorded in Death Valley, CA, in July 1913).
69. In which year did the legendary music festival Woodstock take place? Answer: 1969.
70. When and where were the first modern Olympics held? Answer: 1896 in Athens, Greece.

Science

71. How hot is the sun’s core? (a) 2,700 °F (b) 27,000 °F (c) 27,000,000 °F. Answer: 27,000,000 °F.
72. Plants use sunlight to make their food. What is this process called? Answer: Photosynthesis.
73. Where do hurricanes form? Answer: Over warm ocean waters.
74. In hot temperatures, liquid water turns into gas. What is the name of this process? Answer: Boiling (vaporization).
75. Records show that summers are getting hotter and hotter. Why do some people believe this is happening? Answer: Global warming.
76. What is hay fever caused by? Answer: Pollen.
77. True or false: Sunflowers angle their heads toward the sun to maximize the amount of sunlight they absorb. Answer: True.
78. In which month are you most likely to see the Perseid meteor shower? (a) June (b) July (c) August. Answer: August.
79. Do the Northern and Southern Hemispheres share the same seasons? Answer: No. The Southern Hemisphere experiences summer in December, January, and February.
80. What percentage of a watermelon’s overall mass is water? Answer: 92%.

Strange but True

81. True or false: Americans consume five billion hot dogs between May and September. Answer: False – it’s seven billion!
82. If you laid all those wieners end to end, how many times would they crisscross the country? Answer: 220 times.
83. Which Moroccan mammal is known to climb trees during the summer? Answer: Goats.
84. Which state hosts a mashed potato wrestling contest every August? (a) Arkansas (b) South Dakota (c) North Carolina. Answer: South Dakota.
85. True or false: Watermelons are a member of the vegetable family. Answer: True – they’re closely related to cucumbers!
86. Which classic summer game was inspired by an empty pie tin? Answer: Frisbee.
87. In which state can you celebrate Christmas in July? Answer: North Carolina.
88. How many bats congregate beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin every August? Answer: 1.5 million.
89. True or false: The Eiffel Tower gets smaller in the summer. Answer: False – the heat causes the tower to expand, which adds an extra six inches to its overall height.
90. In which state do people celebrate the story of Mike, the Headless Chicken? Answer: Colorado.

Pick and Mix

91. Which former president welcomed his first daughter into the world on July 4, 1998? (a) Bill Clinton (b) George W. Bush (c) Barack Obama. Answer: Barack Obama.
92. What are the three summer zodiac signs? Answer: Cancer, Leo, and Virgo.
93. Which vitamin do you get from sunshine? Answer: Vitamin D.
94. What is the longest beach in the United States? Answer: Long Beach, WA.
95. True or false: There are 500 known varieties of watermelon. Answer: False – there are more than 1000!
96. Which Shakespeare play is famously set in the middle of summer? Answer: A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
97. How much do Americans spend on fireworks for the Fourth of July? Answer: $1 billion.
98. What is the number one tourist attraction in the United States? Answer: The Grand Canyon.
99. What is the world’s busiest beach? Answer: Dalian beach, China.
100. What do the letters SPF mean? Answer: Sun protection factor.

Summer Olympics

101. True or false: There is enough water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool to fill 5,000 bathtubs. Answer: False – you could fill 9,400!
102. Which of these sports has NOT been featured at the Olympics? (a) Tug-of-War (b) Rope Climbing (c) Tag. Answer: Tag.
103. How many times has the United States hosted the Summer Olympics? Answer: Four.
104. When was the last time the United States staged a Summer Olympics? Answer: 1996.
105. The United States will host the Summer Olympics in 2028, but in which city? (a) New York, (b) Chicago, (c) Los Angeles Answer: Los Angeles.
106. Why were the 1940 and 1944 Summer Olympics canceled? Answer: Due to WWII.
107. Which of the following is the only male athlete in history to win the 200 and 400 meters at the same Olympics? (a) Usain Bolt (b) Michael Johnson (c) Michael Jordan. Answer: Michael Johnson.
108. Which athlete has the most Olympic medals? Answer: Michael Phelps (28).
109. How many people tuned in to watch the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro? Answer: 3.2 billion.
110. What do the Olympic rings represent? Answer: The five competing continents – America (North and South), Europe, Asia, Australasia, and Africa.

Fourth of July

111. How many hot dogs are consumed on the Fourth of July? Answer: 150 million.
112. True or false: During the Civil War, George Washington gave soldiers a double ration of rum to celebrate the Fourth of July. Answer: True.
113. Which former U.S. president was born on July 4, 1872? (a) Abraham Lincoln (b) Jimmy Carter (c) Calvin Coolidge. Answer: Calvin Coolidge.
114. What was the population of America when the Declaration of Independence was signed? Answer: 2.5 million.
115. In which city were both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution signed? Answer: Philadelphia, PA.
116. Which three U.S. presidents all passed away on July 4? Answer: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and John Monroe.
117. True or false: Independence Day is the second-booziest holiday after New Year’s Eve. Answer: False – Americans drank more alcoholic beverages on July 4 than at any other time.
118. What is the nation’s favorite hot dog topping? (a) Ketchup (b) Onions (c) Mustard. Answer: Mustard – of course!
119. Where is the largest Fourth of July fireworks display in the United States? Answer: New York City.
120. Which actor starred in the movie National Treasure? Answer: Nicholas Cage.

States

121. Which U.S. state is known as the “Sunflower State”? Answer: Kansas.
122. Where do the World Margarita Championships take place every August? Answer: Tucson, AZ.
123. Which state is known as the “Sunshine State”? (a) California (b) Florida (c)  Texas. Answer: Florida.
124. Where is the “Midnight Sun” baseball game held? Answer: Alaska.
125. What is the main attraction at the Iowa State Fair? Answer: A 600-pound cow sculpted from butter.
126. In which southern state can you attend a summer festival dedicated entirely to Elvis Presley? Answer: Tupelo, Mississippi – The King’s birthplace.
127. Which U.S. state generates the most solar power? Answer: California.
128. What are the United States’ three hottest states? Answer: Florida, Hawaii, and Louisiana.
129. Which state is the coolest in summer? (a) Minnesota (b) Oregon (c) Alaska. Answer: Alaska.
130. Which southwestern state features the “Zia sun” on its flag? Answer: New Mexico.

Summer World Records

131. On June 5, 2019, Thomas van den Dungen (Germany) broke the world’s tallest sandcastle record. But just how tall was it? (a) 28 feet (b) 41 feet (c) 57 feet. Answer: 57 feet!
132. How much did the world’s giant scoop of ice cream weigh? Answer: 3,000 pounds.
133. The world’s giant inflatable pool toy was named “Sally the Swan” by its creators. How tall was she? Answer: 70 feet tall.
134. True or false: The world’s giant strawberry weighed five ounces. Answer: False – it weighed more than eight ounces!
135. Donald Dettloff is the proud owner of the world’s most extensive collection of surfboards. Can you guess how many he has? Answer: 647.
136. What’s the world record for the longest-running BBQ? (a) 12 hours (b) 50 hours (c) 80 hours. Answer: 80 hours.
137. Pro competitive eater Joey Chestnut holds the world record for the hottest dogs eaten in 10 minutes. How many hot dogs did he eat during his record-breaking attempt in 2021? Answer: 76.
138. The world’s tallest sunflower was grown in Germany in August 2014. How tall was it? (a) 20.1 feet (b) 30.1 feet (c) 40.1 feet. Answer: 30.1 feet.
139. True or false: The world’s longest inflatable slip-and-slide measured 1,975 feet. Answer: True!
140. Kevin Strahle from New Jersey, USA, holds the world record for the most ice pops eaten in a minute. How much did he eat? Answer: Six.

Nature

141. Which U.S. state experiences the most wildfires during summer? (a) Texas (b) Arizona (c) California. Answer: California.
142. True or false: More thunderstorms occur during the summer than at any other time of the year. Answer: True.
143. What are the odds of being struck by lightning? Answer: 1 in 500,000.
144. What percentage of the world’s oxygen supply is produced by the ocean? Answer: 85%.
145. How do arctic foxes cool down in the summer? (a) by eating ice pops, (b) by shedding their fur, and (c) by swimming in the ocean. Answer: By shedding their fur.
146. What is the name of plants and trees that remain green and healthy for more than one season? Answer: Evergreen.
147. True or false: Heat is the most dangerous weather condition for humans and animals. Answer: True.
148. What species of fish do bears feed on in summer? Answer: Salmon.
149. What is the longest streak of consecutive rain-less days in U.S. history? Answer: 150 days (Las Vegas, summer 2020).
150. Which state is the wettest in summer? Answer: Florida.