RICRAC #24
October 25, 2026
Before you read the answers below.
How many different piece shapes are there in Tetris?
Answer: 7 shapes
The tetrominoes: every way to join four squares. The game was created in 1984 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet engineer.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
How many symphonies did Beethoven complete?
Answer: 9 symphonies
The Ninth, with its 'Ode to Joy,' is now the anthem of the European Union. Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he wrote it.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
For how many years was Franklin D. Roosevelt president?
Answer: 12 years
From 1933 until his death in 1945. He's the only president elected four times: the 22nd Amendment now limits presidents to two terms.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
In 2017, how many plastic bottles were bought every minute around the world?
Answer: 1,000,000 bottles
That's nearly 17,000 every second. Less than half were collected for recycling.
Source: ecowatch.com (Euromonitor estimate reported by The Guardian.)
How long is the Kentucky Derby?
Answer: 1.25 miles
The race lasts about two minutes, hence its nickname: 'the most exciting two minutes in sports.'
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The record for the longest sneezing fit: how many days?
Answer: 978 days
Donna Griffiths, from the UK, from 1981 to 1983. She's estimated to have sneezed about a million times in the first year alone.
Source: guinnessworldrecords.com
How long is the Channel Tunnel, to the nearest tenth of a mile?
Answer: 31.4 miles
Including 23.5 mi under the sea: the longest undersea section of any tunnel in the world. It opened in 1994.
Source: en.wikipedia.org