Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff

Rewind

Do you even know how a butter churn works?

A woman with closed and open eyes is shown in side-by-side images with text: "TELEGRAMS WERE WRITTEN IN: a) Morse code b) Numbers c) Blue ink."

Split image: Left, an animated giraffe in a subway. Right, a woman reacting with her hand on her forehead above text asking about the term "camelopard."

Only People With An IQ Above 130 Can Decipher These Basic Facts That Everyone Knew 100+ Years Ago, But Most Have Forgotten Now

These 13 Facts Were Common Sense 100+ Years Ago, But Nobody Knows Them Now — So Your IQ Is Extremely High If You Ace This Quiz

Common Knowledge Test From 100+ Years Ago

Only A Genius Can Ace This Common Knowledge Trivia Quiz From 100+ Years Ago

Telegram messages were frequently written in [morse code](https://www.britannica.com/technology/telegraph)!

First, what were telegram messages often written in?

Giraffes were called [camelopards](https://mistholme.com/dictionary/camelopard/)! Get it? Because they're, like, camels mixed with leopards?

Which animal was also called a "camelopard" in Medieval times?

People used butter churns to make butter out of [cream](https://churncraft.com/blogs/the-churncraft-journal/a-short-history-of-butter-making?srsltid=AfmBOorHvLcMFv5uvzFBmtevtdTVRcxa3LNS6Ofrs_QqeurmniN_uvLx)!

A butter churn was used to make butter (duh) from what ingredient?

Whaling wives ["broke social barriers"](https://www.cshwhalingmuseum.org/heroines.html) by accompanying their husbands on their whaling journeys.

If you called a woman a "whaling wife," what did that typically mean?

That means to [start your own business](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang%20out%20one%27s%20shingle)!

People would place their quills on a [pen rest](https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_Franks-147-b)! Simple enough.

What was the tool used to hold a quill pen upright when not in use?

[Galvanic belts](https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electro-therapeutic-cures-in-the-victorian-age/) were used in the Victorian Age as an electric medical treatment.

What was a Galvanic belt orginally used for?

The [abacus](https://www.buzzfeed.com/abbyzinman/obsolete-items-trivia-quiz) was the OG, manual calculator.

What object did people use to make calculations manually, before the calculator?

Yep, hourglasses were actually used in [criminal punishment](https://meremuuseum.100kingitust.ee/en/hourglasses-in-history/) sentences.

What did people NOT use an hourglass for?

Farthing coins were worth a [quarter of a penny](https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/farthing/323009), and they officially stopped being used in 1956.

In British currency, how much was a farthing coin worth?

"Girding up thy loins" meant, essentially, [getting properly dressed](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gird) for battle.

You might've heard the phrase "girding the loins," which nowadays means to gear up for a task. What did it originally have to do with?

Lye soap was originally only used for clothes and [household items](https://sugarandspruce.com/blogs/news/99293889-the-history-of-lye-soap).

The Zoopraxiscope was an early [movie projector](https://www.britannica.com/technology/zoopraxiscope)!

Finally, the Zoopraxiscope was an early version of what modern object?

You don't need to know any of these facts. Why? Because your mind doesn't focus on the past — which is completely OK! But to redeem yourself, tell me in the comments below: what's one fact about the olden days that people might be surprised to learn?

Living in the future!

I spy a time traveller. No, but seriously, how did you know all these random facts? You've already impressed me — but if you want a little bonus, tell me in the comments below: what's one fact about the olden days that people might be surprised to learn?

History genius!

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Only People With An IQ Above 130 Can Decipher These Basic Facts That Everyone Knew 100+ Years Ago, But Most Have Forgotten Now

IDK about you, but I love learning about what people were up to in the olden days. We've discussed some of the objects that have become obsolete over time, and today, we're gonna go one step deeper.

I've compiled some facts that were "common sense" a century ago, but nobody knows anymore. I'm gonna test you to see how well you REALLY know your history...

What's one fact about the olden days that people might be surprised to learn? Tell me in the comments below!

And for more fun trivia quizzes, be sure to follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram!

Only People With An IQ Above 130 Can Decipher These Basic Facts That Everyone Knew 100+ Years Ago, But Most Have Forgotten Now

IDK about you, but I love learning about what people were up to in the olden days. We've discussed some of the objects that have become obsolete over time, and today, we're gonna go one step deeper.

I've compiled some facts that were "common sense" a century ago, but nobody knows anymore. I'm gonna test you to see how well you REALLY know your history...

What's one fact about the olden days that people might be surprised to learn? Tell me in the comments below!

And for more fun trivia quizzes, be sure to follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram!

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