Sports on Earth Trivia Quiz

Answer: Scotland

The caber toss is just one of the unique and unusual athletic events that can be seen every year at the Scottish Highland Games. It consists of tossing a long wooden pole. The typical caber is almost 20 ft (6m) tall and weighs around 175 lbs. (79kg). Scores are measured by viewing the tossed caber as though it was the hour hand on a clock.

A perfect throw faces straight ahead of the thrower is gives twelve points. The length of the throw and height of the arc are also figured into the mix. This age old sport descended from the practice of throwing logs across chasms so that you could walk safely across.

Answer: It was a type of ball game

Harpastum was a type of ball game that was played around 500 B.C. in many parts of the vast Roman Empire. The ball was about the size and density of a softball and may have been similar to a mix of rugby and American football. Although the exact rules are not known, the violence of sport was commented on by such notable minds as Galen, Sidonius Apollinaris and Julius Pollux.

Answer: Ash

While maple and hickory are sometimes used, the vast majority of professional bats are made from ash. Ash is a very tough wood with good elasticity which is why it is used for everything from baseball bats, guitars, and hunting bows. These properties help the batter to hit the ball farther and with more speed.

Answer: Native American

Lacrosse has been played since at least 1100 A.D. by Native American tribes located in the northern areas of North America. The original version of the game could involve teams with hundreds of players and last for three days straight. There was a ceremonial aspect to these games and some tribes used them as a right of passage into manhood.

The French Jesuit missionary Jean de Brebeuf was the first European to write about the game, which is why the game is now known by its French sounding name.

Answer: Fencing

Fencing is a very old sport that has its origins in combat sports. The three weapons used for Olympic competition are the sabre, epee, and foil. Fencing was included in the first modern Olympic games in 1896. The four other sports that can make this same claim are athletics (track & field), swimming, gymnastics, and cycling.

The other three options were first introduced at the 1900 Olympics.

Answer: Cricket

The sport of cricket finds it origins in 16th century England. Although the sport uses a bat and ball, and is playing in time frames called innings, the resemblance to baseball ends there. A wicket is a set of three wooden stumps that are embedded into the ground are similar in appearance to the pickets in a picket fence.

These wickets are protected by a batsman who uses his bat to keep a ball from hitting these wickets.

Answer: salt

At the beginning of a Sumo match salt is thrown into the air above the ring in a age-old purification ritual. The dirt filled circular ring in which the matches are held is called a dohyo and a new one is constructed for each set of matches. The winner of each grappling match if the first one to force his opponent out of the ring, or to force his opponent to touch the ground with any part of his body other than the soles of his feet.

Answer: True

For most of his career George Herman "Babe" Ruth wore a lettuce or a cabbage leaf under his baseball cap in an attempt to keep himself cool. He changed it every two innings. It must have worked.

Answer: True

There were many variations of this ancient ball game, but the basics seemed to remain the same. The game is often compared to modern racquetball, but there were varieties where only the feet could be used. The game had ritual and possibly religious aspects to it. Human sacrifice of the losing participants was common.

There are a few arenas which still stand today. They feature a long narrow field that have side walls with stone rings sticking out. The point of the game was to put a solid rubber ball through the ring.

Answer: Football

Tom Dempsey is considered by many to be one of the premier field goal kickers to ever play in the NFL. In November 1970 he set the record (63 yd.) for the longest field goal in football history; shattering the then record of 53 yds established by Bert Rechichar in 1953. Tome Dempsey held this record solo for 28 years until it was tied by Jason Elam, the placekicker for the Denver Broncos.

He played for 10 years (1969 to 1979) and is an inductee to the American Football Association Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame (inducted in 1983).