Information, Please!

American radio program

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Information, Please! was a popular American radio quiz show that aired from 1938 to 1952. It featured a panel of experts who answered diverse questions submitted by listeners. This format was innovative because it put the experts on the spot, rather than having a host who already knew the answers. The show's success led to imitators, such as The Quiz Kids, which featured child contestants.1

The term "quiz" itself has an uncertain origin, with one popular tale suggesting it originated as a Dublin theater manager's wager to create a new word within 24 hours by chalking "quiz" on walls. While the manager, Richard Daly, existed, this story lacks definitive proof. The word "quiz" initially meant an eccentric person or thing, and this sense survives in the adjective "quizzical". The modern usage of "quiz" as a test or to question closely emerged later.2

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quiz show
…the quiz show style of Information, Please, which involved a panel answering questions on diverse subjects mailed in by listeners. This show was such a success that it had several imitators, the most popular of which was The Quiz Kids, which used precocious children on the studio panel.
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…the quiz show style of Information, Please, which involved a panel answering questions on diverse subjects mailed in by listeners. This show was such a success that it had several imitators, the most popular of which was The Quiz Kids, which used precocious children on the studio panel.
Read More

Clifton Fadiman
…of the popular radio program Information Please, on which he and such panelists as Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, and Oscar Levant used questions submitted by listeners as occasions for an entertaining display of wit and erudition.
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…of the popular radio program Information Please, on which he and such panelists as Franklin P. Adams, John Kieran, and Oscar Levant used questions submitted by listeners as occasions for an entertaining display of wit and erudition.
Read More