Bookworms reunite!

Six opening lines every reader should know, do you?

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Don’t you just love a good puzzle? Let’s play a round with some of the most unforgettable first lines in literature. You’ll get a taste of the sentence that set the whole story in motion, plus a quick description of what’s ahead, but without spoiling the title just yet. Don’t worry, the answers are waiting for you further down. Settle in with a cup of coffee and see how many you can get right.

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"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

This tale begins in the English countryside, where money, marriage, and manners mix into a lively social dance. The plot follows daughters hoping to secure their futures, nosy neighbors, and a string of misunderstandings that continue to make readers smile centuries later.

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"It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."

Here we step into a chilling future where language is twisted, history is rewritten, and even private thoughts aren’t safe. The story follows one weary worker caught between his conscience and a system that demands absolute obedience. What book is it?

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"Call me Ishmael."

The voice belongs to a man who signs on for an epic sea voyage. He joins a crew on a whaling ship, but the real focus is the captain’s dangerous obsession with one particular creature of the deep. The narrator watches it all unfold, with plenty of salt air, danger, and philosophy along the way. Did you guess it already?

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"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

This famous opening sweeps us into Europe during a period of revolt and upheaval. In the middle of political storms, two very different men are drawn together by love and sacrifice. It’s a mix of history, tragedy, and hope packed into a sweeping tale that still resonates today. If you don’t know which book it is, keep scrolling and find the answer!

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"It was a pleasure to burn."

You probably know this one! In this dystopian world, books are outlawed, and firemen don’t put out flames; they actually start them. The main character loves his job at first, but soon starts questioning everything. His journey is one of rebellion, discovery, and danger.

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"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

This story transports us to imperial Russia, with shiny ballrooms on one side and a private heartbreak on the other. At its center is one woman whose scandalous choices send shockwaves through her family and society. The novel balances love, betrayal, and tragedy in a way that continues to captivate readers today. Dare to take a guess? Now it’s time to find out the answers!

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Elizabeth Bennet’s wit still enchants readers more than two centuries later. Austen uses humor and sharp observation to poke fun at social climbing, marriage expectations, and the limited options women had in 19th-century England. No wonder this book has never gone out of style, huh?

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That thirteen-o’clock moment instantly signals that something’s off. Orwell’s novel still feels eerily relevant, with its Big Brother surveillance, strict Party rules, and the constant manipulation of truth. At once a warning and a masterpiece of storytelling, it continues to haunt readers decades after its first publication.

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Ishmael’s short self-introduction kicks off one of America’s greatest novels. The real star, though, is Captain Ahab, whose obsession with the white whale drives the entire plot. Melville delivers an unforgettable blend of high-seas adventure, philosophical reflection, and haunting obsession.

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Dickens contrasts London and Paris during the French Revolution, capturing both cruelty and courage. The famous first line sets the tone for the chaos of the times. And in the end, one character’s ultimate sacrifice delivers one of the most moving finales in literature.

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Guy Montag, the book-burning fireman, slowly wakes up to the emptiness of his world. Written in the 1950s, Bradbury’s novel eerily anticipates issues ranging from mass entertainment to censorship, delivering a timeless and powerful warning. Simply a masterpiece.

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Tolstoy opens with a sweeping truth about families, before delving into Anna’s personal tragedy. The novel blends love, betrayal, and questions of duty, all set against the backdrop of 19th-century Russian society. It remains one of the most ambitious and enduring novels ever written.

Twisting your perception of time

Strange links: What do a fax machine and the US Civil War have in common?

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Did you know that Cleopatra, Egypt's most famous queen, lived closer to our time than to the construction of the powerful pyramids of Giza? When we map out different historical events on a timeline, we frequently discover that moments we thought were galaxies apart actually happened at the same time or were separated by far fewer years than we imagined. Join us as we put history into perspective! One thing's for sure: you're in for some surprises.

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We often tend to associate the marvelous pyramids of Giza with Cleopatra VII. And it's easy to see why, as she's Egypt's most famous Queen. But here's the surprising truth: about 2,500 years separated the construction of the pyramids (2580–2560 BC) from Cleopatra's life (69–30 BC). That means that the Queen of the Nile was roughly 500 years closer to our own time than she was to the pyramid builders!

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If you've worked in an office at any point over the past 35 years, chances are you've used or at least seen a fax machine. And while it might seem like a relatively recent invention, the truth is that the first fax machine was invented well before the American Civil War. That's right! In 1843, 18 years before the war broke out, Scottish inventor Alexander Bain created the first electromechanical facsimile machine, the ancestor of the modern fax.

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The Salem witch trials are remembered as an infamous event from long ago. These trials took place mainly between 1692 and 1693, decades before the US even existed as a nation. Surprisingly, the prestigious Harvard University had already been founded 56 years earlier! And here's the most impressive part: both events occurred in what is now Massachusetts.

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The sinking of the Titanic happened over a century ago. This tragic event, which captured the world's attention, occurred in 1912, but at the very same time, other events were also happening around the globe. Surprisingly, that same year also saw the debut of one of America’s most beloved cookies: the Oreo!

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Did you know that the iconic Marilyn Monroe was born in the same year as Queen Elizabeth II? It might seem surprising, since popular imagination links these two women to very different eras. But it's true: Marilyn was born in June 1926, just two months after the future queen, who would go on to rule the UK for 70 years. They actually met once, at the Royal Film Performance held at the Empire Theatre in London on October 29, 1956. Queen Elizabeth II passed away in 2022, 60 years after the actress's death.

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Pyramids take center stage again in this comparison. You probably link woolly mammoths with the Ice Age in the Northern Hemisphere, right? While that connection is accurate, it may surprise you to learn that some of these massive mammals were still roaming the Earth long after the Egyptian pyramids were built.

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The Samurai were a privileged warrior class that inhabited pre-modern Japan, arising around the 12th century. Their influence lasted for centuries, which is why some samurai were still alive when Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call in 1876. It was precisely in that same year of the 19th century that marked the official abolition of the samurai class in Japan.

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The Aztecs were a powerful civilization that primarily ruled what is now Mexico between the 14th and 16th centuries. Among its many achievements was the construction of Tenochtitlán, which began around the year 1325. But did you know that Oxford University was already teaching students nearly three centuries before the Aztecs began building their empire? While the exact dates are uncertain, scholars estimate that instruction at Oxford was already underway by 1096!

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When discussing ancient civilizations, we can’t forget the Incas, whose empire was centered in what is now Peru. The thing is, when the Incas were building the impressive structures of Machu Picchu around 1450, there were just over 30 years left before the incredible Sistine Chapel was completed on the other side of the world. Just three decades separate these two monumental and majestic human creations, built with very different technologies, tools, and techniques.

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The Ottoman Empire was founded around 1299, an amazing seven centuries ago. That's why it feels so incredible that it still existed when Walt Disney was creating his first cartoons. Indeed, Disney released his first animated shorts, the Alice Comedies, in 1923, just a year after the Ottoman Empire was officially dissolved.