The Indiana Book of Trivia

Trivia and the pursuit of the trivial are embedded in American culture. Who hasn't dreamed of winning the million-dollar prize on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?," decimating opponents in a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit, or zinging tidbits into conversational breaks at social gatherings? Although knowledge of Indiana trivia will not guarantee an appearance on national television, it can be a conversational icebreaker and just plain fun. Compiled by former Indiana newspaper reporter and author Fred D. Cavinder, this book resists repeating commonly known Hoosier trivia such as Cole Porter was from Indiana or that Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, in favor of listing odder, less historic facts about the Hoosier State and its inhabitants. Considering that there are many books of trivia and a few of them devoted to Indiana, the effort has been made to provide some entertainment and present the really trivial Indiana trivia. As Cavinder notes, "we're not doing "War and Peace" here, just a pleasant diversion."

Paperback. 214 pages. 2007, Indiana Historical Society Press. By Fred D. Cavinder.