It’s a bit unsettling how arbitrary things are when you really stop to think about it. Take what countries call themselves, for example. There’s nothing intrinsic about the country that gives it its name, or else the USA would probably be called Big Open Land That’s Mostly Empty.
In fact, as a country you don’t even have to stick to your name, no matter how long people have been calling you that.
Take Thailand, which has been gone by that name since only about 1939, when Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram decided it needed an update. Meaning “Land of the Free,” Thailand is a wonderful country full of wonderful people — who just so happen to be living in a country whose name some dude literally just made up. And, well, that’s basically the case for all of us when you think about it.
Before it was known by its modern name, what did the country of Thailand used to be called?
Click START to answer.
▼
Correct Answer: Siam
The answer is: Siam. For anyone who’s played risk recently, you may remember seeing Siam on the board roughly where modern-day Thailand is today. As a geographical term, Siam was used beginning in the 1600s, all the way up until a decree in 1939 changed it. Source
Share This Trivia
Want More Nostalgia?
Check out our other quizzes and random trivia questions!
More Trivia
- Which animal has the longest memory?
- Where does the butler try to send the cats in "The Aristocats"?
- What is the name of the cul-de-sac where "Knots Landing" takes place?
- Which fast-food burger had the slogan "Keep the hot side hot, and the cool side cool"?
- Which plant is used to make tequila?
- What do you call a group of pandas?
- What is Duckie's real name in "Pretty in Pink"?
- How many Bob Dylan albums have topped the Billboard 200?