History and Anna Jarvis
Anna Jarvis founded modern Mother's Day in 1908. Later sued to abolish it — felt it was over-commercialized.
Q1.Which American woman is credited as the founder of the modern Mother's Day holiday?Tap to reveal
Answer: Anna Jarvis
She never married and had no children of her own, and created the day to honor her late mother.
Q2.In which month is Mother's Day celebrated in the United States?Tap to reveal
Answer: May
It always falls on the second Sunday of the month, so the exact date changes every year.
Q3.Which US president signed the 1914 proclamation that made Mother's Day a national observance?Tap to reveal
Answer: Woodrow Wilson
The proclamation asked Americans to display the flag as a public expression of love for mothers.
Q4.Which flower did Anna Jarvis choose as the official emblem of Mother's Day?Tap to reveal
Answer: Carnation
A colored carnation came to be worn for a living mother and a white one in memory of a mother who had died.
Q5.What was the name of Anna Jarvis's mother, whose 1905 death inspired the holiday?Tap to reveal
Answer: Ann Reeves Jarvis
Before the Civil War she organized Mothers' Day Work Clubs that taught local women about sanitation to reduce infant deaths.
Q6.The first official Mother's Day service in 1908 was held at a Methodist church in which West Virginia town?Tap to reveal
Answer: Grafton
The church is now the International Mother's Day Shrine and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
Q7.Which American writer and activist issued a Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870 calling on mothers to unite for peace?Tap to reveal
Answer: Julia Ward Howe
Howe is better remembered as the author of the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Q8.Anna Jarvis spent her later years fighting the commercialization of the holiday and died in 1948 in a sanitarium in which US state?Tap to reveal
Answer: Pennsylvania
She had exhausted much of her inheritance on campaigns against florists, confectioners and greeting card companies.
Global Mother's Day variations
US (2nd Sunday in May), UK (Mothering Sunday, lent), Mexico (May 10 fixed). Different dates and customs.
Q1.In the United Kingdom, Mothering Sunday falls on the fourth Sunday of which Christian season?Tap to reveal
Answer: Lent
The day originally marked a return to one's mother church, and the family reunions that followed grew into a celebration of mothers.
Q2.Which country celebrates Mother's Day on a fixed date of 10 May, often with a mariachi serenade for mom?Tap to reveal
Answer: Mexico
The date was adopted in 1922 and, unlike the US version, is never moved to a Sunday.
Q3.Thailand celebrates Mother's Day on 12 August, the birthday of which member of the royal family?Tap to reveal
Answer: Queen Sirikit
Thai children traditionally give their mothers jasmine, the flower chosen as the symbol of the day.
Q4.In France, Mother's Day is on the last Sunday of May unless that date coincides with which Christian feast?Tap to reveal
Answer: Pentecost
When the two clash, French law moves the celebration to the first Sunday of June.
Q5.Egypt and much of the Arab world celebrate Mother's Day on 21 March, a date chosen to coincide with what seasonal event?Tap to reveal
Answer: The spring equinox
Egypt adopted the date in 1956 after a campaign led by journalist Mustafa Amin.
Q6.Which South American country celebrates Dia de la Madre on the third Sunday of October?Tap to reveal
Answer: Argentina
The October date traces back to a Catholic feast of the Motherhood of Mary once held on 11 October.
Q7.Norway celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday of which month?Tap to reveal
Answer: February
That makes Norway one of the earliest countries in the calendar year to honor mothers.
Q8.Bolivia's Mother's Day on 27 May commemorates an 1812 battle in which local women fought Spanish troops near which city?Tap to reveal
Answer: Cochabamba
The women are remembered as the Heroinas de la Coronilla, after the hill where they made their stand.
Famous mothers in history
Marie Curie's daughter Irene also Nobel-winning, JFK's mother Rose, Queen Elizabeth's mother (the Queen Mother).
Q1.Which British queen, mother of nine children, gave her name to an entire era of history?Tap to reveal
Answer: Queen Victoria
Her children and grandchildren married into so many royal houses that she was nicknamed the grandmother of Europe.
Q2.Which mother of Prince William and Prince Harry died in a car crash in Paris in 1997?Tap to reveal
Answer: Diana, Princess of Wales
Her funeral at Westminster Abbey was watched by an estimated global television audience in the billions.
Q3.Marie Curie's daughter Irene Joliot-Curie won a Nobel Prize in 1935 in which subject?Tap to reveal
Answer: Chemistry
They remain the only mother and daughter to have both won Nobel Prizes.
Q4.Which Habsburg empress, mother of 16 children including Marie Antoinette, ruled Austria for 40 years from 1740?Tap to reveal
Answer: Maria Theresa
She arranged her daughters' marriages as diplomatic alliances, sending Marie Antoinette to France at age 14.
Q5.Which Roman empress, the mother of Nero, was killed on her own son's orders in AD 59?Tap to reveal
Answer: Agrippina the Younger
She was also the sister of Caligula and the wife of Emperor Claudius, making her related to four emperors.
Q6.Which mother of Emperor Constantine is credited in Christian tradition with discovering the True Cross in Jerusalem?Tap to reveal
Answer: Helena
She is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Q7.Mary Wollstonecraft, author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, died days after giving birth to which future novelist?Tap to reveal
Answer: Mary Shelley
Her daughter published Frankenstein in 1818 at the age of just 20.
Q8.Which mother of Henry VII, the first Tudor king, gave birth to him when she was only 13 years old?Tap to reveal
Answer: Lady Margaret Beaufort
She later founded two Cambridge colleges, Christ's College and St John's College.
Famous mothers in pop culture
Marge Simpson, Molly Weasley (Harry Potter), Aragog (Lord of the Rings... no, that's not right). Iconic fictional mothers.
Q1.What is the name of the blue-haired mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie in The Simpsons?Tap to reveal
Answer: Marge Simpson
Julie Kavner has voiced her since the family first appeared in shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.
Q2.In which 1994 film does Sally Field play the devoted mother of a character played by Tom Hanks?Tap to reveal
Answer: Forrest Gump
Field is only ten years older than Hanks, the actor who played her son.
Q3.In the Harry Potter series, what is the first name of the Weasley children's mother?Tap to reveal
Answer: Molly
In the final book she defeats Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Q4.In Gilmore Girls, Lorelai's daughter shares her mother's first name but goes by what nickname?Tap to reveal
Answer: Rory
The series is set in the fictional small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
Q5.Which actress won the Best Actress Oscar for playing mother Aurora Greenway in Terms of Endearment?Tap to reveal
Answer: Shirley MacLaine
Debra Winger, who played her daughter, was nominated in the very same category that year.
Q6.In the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, what is the first name of Raymond's meddling mother, played by Doris Roberts?Tap to reveal
Answer: Marie
Roberts won four Emmy Awards for playing Marie Barone.
Hosting Mother's Day trivia
Mother's Day trivia works at brunches. Keep it 20-25 questions, light and fun. Add a 'mother in this movie' visual round.
Trivio.NET has Mother's Day packs in the Holidays & Events category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who founded Mother's Day?
Anna Jarvis in 1908. Ironically, she later spent her life trying to abolish the commercialized holiday.
When is Mother's Day in different countries?
US: 2nd Sunday in May. UK: 4th Sunday of Lent. Mexico: May 10 fixed. Spain: 1st Sunday in May.
Where can I find Mother's Day trivia packs?
Trivio.NET's Holidays & Events category has Mother's Day packs.
Are Mother's Day trivia questions appropriate for kids?
Yes — perfect for ages 7+. Family-friendly content, good for school events.
