RICRAC #23
October 24, 2026
Before you read the answers below.
In the original format of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire', how many questions do you need to answer to win the top prize?
Answer: 15 questions
With three lifelines to help: 50:50, Phone-a-Friend and Ask the Audience.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
How many pieces are on the board at the start of a chess game?
Answer: 32 pieces
16 per side, including 8 pawns. The board has 64 squares, so exactly half of them are occupied at the start.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
How much water does an Olympic swimming pool hold?
Answer: 660,430 gallons
164 ft by 82 ft, at least 6.6 ft deep: 2,500 cubic meters. It has become a unit of its own for describing large volumes of water.
Source: en.wikipedia.org (Minimum regulation volume (2 m deep).)
In Pac-Man, at what level does the game become unplayable, with half the screen turned to garbage?
Answer: 256 level
The level counter is stored in a single byte, which only goes up to 255. One more and it overflows, filling the right half of the screen with junk.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
How many sunrises do astronauts aboard the International Space Station see each day?
Answer: 16 sunrises
The ISS circles the Earth in about 90 minutes, at nearly 17,398 mph.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The fastest serve ever recorded in tennis: how fast?
Answer: 163 mph
Hit by Australian Sam Groth in 2012, at a Challenger tournament in South Korea.
Source: guinnessworldrecords.com
What is the total height of Angel Falls, the world's tallest waterfall?
Answer: 3,212 feet
In Venezuela, including an uninterrupted drop of 2,648 ft. It's named after American aviator Jimmie Angel, who flew over it in 1933.
Source: en.wikipedia.org