Question 1

True or false: Harper's Magazine was originally titled 'Harper's New Monthly Magazine' and debuted in 1850.

Accepted Answer

True. True. It began in 1850 as 'Harper's New Monthly Magazine' and remains one of America's oldest magazines.

Question 2

True or false: The word 'magazine' derives from the Arabic word 'makhazin,' meaning storehouses.

Accepted Answer

True. The English word 'magazine' originates from the Arabic 'makhazin' (storehouses), via French and Italian. The term for a periodical reflects the idea of a 'storehouse' of varied information.

Question 3

True or false: During World War II, the U.S. government banned all magazine sales to conserve paper for the war effort.

Accepted Answer

False. Paper was rationed, but magazines were never fully banned; many reduced page counts or switched to smaller formats.

Question 4

True or false: The Gentleman's Magazine, launched in 1731, was the first periodical to use the word 'magazine' in its title.

Accepted Answer

True. Edward Cave founded The Gentleman's Magazine in 1731, and it was the first publication to label itself a 'magazine,' deriving from the Arabic word for storehouse, signaling a collection of diverse content.

Question 5

True or false: Playboy magazine's first issue sold over 50,000 copies.

Accepted Answer

True. The first issue (December 1953) sold 53,991 copies, a huge success that launched the magazine.

Question 6

True or false: The oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the world is 'The Spectator', launched in 1828.

Accepted Answer

True. The Spectator, a British weekly, has been in continuous print since 1828, making it the world's oldest weekly magazine.

Question 7

True or false: In the 18th century, some magazines were printed on silk to survive repeated readings.

Accepted Answer

False. Silk was never used for magazines; paper was standard. Some luxury books used vellum, but not silk for periodicals.

Question 8

True or false: The word 'zine' is a shortening of 'magazine' and emerged in the 1930s with science fiction fan publications.

Accepted Answer

False. The term 'zine' is a shortening of 'fanzine,' which was coined in 1940, not the 1930s. So 'zine' did not emerge in the 1930s.

Magazine Trivia Questions