Businesses Started as Bets
About this daily · 10 questions & answers
Businesses Started as Bets — Daily trivia Friday, July 31, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01Which streaming service's $40 Apollo 13 late-fee origin story has been contradicted by its own co-founder?
- ANetflix
- BPeacock
- CMax
- DHulu
Show answer
Netflix
Reed Hastings often said a $40 late fee for Apollo 13 gave him the idea for Netflix. Co-founder Marc Randolph says that while "there was an overdue copy of Apollo 13 involved", "the idea for Netflix had nothing to do with late fees" - and warns that epiphany-style origin stories are "often oversimplified or just plain false".
Q 02After splitting from his brother in 1948, a German shoemaker named his firm from his nickname plus surname. Which firm?
- AUnder Armour
- BAsics
- CAdidas
- DBrooks
Show answer
Adidas
Adolf Dassler registered "Adolf Dassler adidas Schuhfabrik" in August 1949, the name combining his nickname "Adi" with "Dassler". His brother Rudolf founded Puma; after dividing the business the two never spoke again.
Q 03Which sportswear company did Rudolf Dassler found after splitting from his brother, nearly naming it 'Ruda'?
- AFila
- BPuma
- CLotto
- DNew Balance
Show answer
Puma
Rudolf Dassler broke with his brother Adolf in 1948 and set up his own sports-shoe firm, initially contemplating the name 'Ruda' before settling on Puma. Adolf's rival company became Adidas.
Q 04Which logistics company was founded by a man who sketched the idea in a Yale economics term paper?
- AUPS
- BFedEx
- CUSPS
- DDHL
Show answer
FedEx
Frederick W. Smith wrote a Yale economics paper outlining an overnight delivery service, on which he is often said to have received a 'C'. He founded Federal Express on 18 June 1971, with operations starting in 1973.
Q 05What was the magazine 16-year-old Richard Branson launched with Nik Powell called?
- AStudent
- BYoung Voices
- CCampus Life
- DThe Pitch
Show answer
Student
Richard Branson launched Student in 1966 with Nik Powell, the first issue appearing in January 1968. He advertised popular albums from his mail-order record business in it, and that business became Virgin Records in 1972.
Q 06Which car marque was founded by an Italian tractor maker fed up with the clutch in his Ferrari 250 GT?
- APorsche
- BLamborghini
- CMcLaren
- DFerrari
Show answer
Lamborghini
Ferruccio Lamborghini complained that his Ferrari 250 GT's clutches needed continuous rebuilds and that Enzo Ferrari dismissed him; he later recalled telling Ferrari 'your cars are rubbish!', though the exchange is as much legend as fact.
Q 07Which European low-cost airline did Stelios Haji-Ioannou launch in 1995 with a £5 million loan from his father?
- ANorwegian Air Shuttle
- BRyanair
- CWizz Air
- DEasyJet
Show answer
EasyJet
Stelios Haji-Ioannou founded the airline in 1995 after securing a commitment of a 5 million pound loan from his father and studying the American low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines. It began with 70 staff and two wet-leased Boeing 737-200s flying from Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Q 08Which software company's founders left Xerox PARC to bet on their page description language, PostScript?
- AAdobe
- BOracle
- CIBM
- DMicrosoft
Show answer
Adobe
John Warnock and Charles Geschke left Xerox PARC and founded Adobe in December 1982 to sell PostScript themselves. Apple licensed it for its LaserWriter printers in 1985, helping spark the desktop publishing revolution.
Q 09In which country did the first professional bookmaker set up fixed-odds horse racing in the late 18th century?
- AUnited States
- BFrance
- CAustralia
- DUnited Kingdom
Show answer
United Kingdom
Guinness World Records recognises Harry Ogden as the first bookmaker, standing at Newmarket Heath in the UK in 1795. Instead of offering the same price on every runner, he calculated individual odds for each horse - building in his own profit margin.
Q 10A 1951 shooting-party argument over Europe's fastest game bird led directly to which publishing venture?
- ARipley's Believe It or Not!
- BGuinness World Records
- CThe Book of Lists
- DTrivial Pursuit
Show answer
Guinness World Records
On 10 November 1951 Sir Hugh Beaver of Guinness Breweries missed a golden plover at a County Wexford shooting party and fell into a dispute about Europe's fastest game bird. The first Guinness Book of Records followed in 1955.
How to play
- One question at a time, four options. Tap an answer to lock it in.
- You see the answer and a short explanation right away.
- Harder questions and faster answers earn more points. Share your score at the end.