Ever wonder what the only single by Detroit band Sponge to crack the U.S. Billboard top 100 was? Or what famous speech was given at Cobo Hall in June of 1963, two months before it electrified the world that August in Washington?

In a cozy back room of the Hard Rock Cafe Detroit, people can enjoy drinks and appetizers with friends while testing their history and pop culture knowledge at the Detroit Historical Society’s “313 Trivia” event on the first Wednesday of the month.

Great places to freshen up on your Detroit history and pop culture include historical museums, cultural organizations, community activities, publications and even universities, senior curator at the Detroit Historical Museum Joel Stone said.

“But the best place to learn about Detroit history and culture is not ‘on your couch’ or on the worldwide web. Get out. Look around. Ask questions. Have fun. Detroit is a very cool place,” Stone said.

The purpose of the 313 Trivia events is to raise money for the Detroit Historical Society’s Past>Forward campaign. The five-year campaign hopes to raise $20.1 million toward expanding exhibits, upgrading technology and expanded program delivery capabilities.

“The campaign funds raised will allow us to do just that and will be used for much-needed upgrades to our museums and collection facilities,” said Bob Sadler, director of public & external relations for the Detroit Historical Society. “Given the ongoing changes to the way that people receive and exchange information, it was important for us to reconsider how best to interpret more than 300 years of Detroit history for the 21st century museum visitor and improve our ability to tell the stories that are important to our region.”

The public phase of the campaign began in July 2011. Before that, funding for the campaign received corporate and foundation support, including the support of new funders such as the John A. and Marlene Bell Family Foundation.

“So far, our efforts have focused primarily on corporate and foundation support, as well as reaching out to current and longtime contributors,” campaign director Michelle Wooddell said in a press release. “But we’ve yet to invite the community to participate in our effort, and are looking forward to doing so through a series of exciting events and activities that will help
the public better understand the campaign’s goals and achievements.”

The funds raised from the campaign will go to the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Detroit Historical Society’s Collections and its education and programming initiatives, according to a press release.

The Detroit Historical Museum will have three new permanent exhibits: the Gallery of Innovation, the Allesee Gallery of Culture, and Detroit: The Arsenal of Democracy.

The Gallery of Innovation will feature the entrepreneurial spirit of Detroiters using interactive technology. The Allesee Gallery of Culture will highlight music, architecture, sports, arts and entertainment from the 20th century. Detroit: The Arsenal of Democracy will take visitors back to the WWI era, when people of the region helped create an arsenal that changed the outcome of the war.

The Detroit Historical Museum will also see renovations to other exhibits and a transformation to the plaza outside of the museum. This area will become the Detroit Legends Plaza, an outdoor destination in honor of Detroit legends of sports, entertainment and media. The plaza will feature such stars as Gordie Howe and Kid Rock, who have already agreed to cast their hand prints and signatures in the cement.

To install the new exhibits and complete renovations, the Detroit Historical Museum will close from May 28 to Nov. 23, 2012.

The Dossin Great Lakes Museum will have a new core exhibit: Built in the River in the John A. and Marlene L Boll Foundation Gallery. Using a hands-on interpretation approach, the exhibit will allow visitors to virtually steer a long-ship down the Detroit River. The Dossin Great Lakes Museum will close from Dec. 10, 2012 through April 27, 2013.

The campaign will also focus on digitizing significant portions of the Detroit Historical Society’s collection of more than 250,000 artifacts, as well as reconstituting curatorial and education departments and enhance educational experiences — this includes new in-school educational programs.

“The Detroit Historical Society has a proud tradition of serving our community, and to continue this strong legacy, we need to make a significant investment,” CEO of the Detroit Historical Society Bob Bury said in the press release. “Through the success of this campaign, metro Detroit residents and visitors will enjoy enhanced access to the stories that shape our region and lifelong learning opportunities suitable for every stage of their lives.”

The renovations, expansions and other projects funded by the campaign are the first large-scale renovations since the Detroit
Historical Museum was expanded in the ‘60s, according to the press release.

The fundraising aspect of the campaign will continue through June of 2014, Sadler said.

“The Society is confident that the changes made as a result of
the campaign will have a significant, positive impact on metro Detroit’s learning community,” he said.

The trivia nights will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe, 45 Monroe St., starting at 6:30 p.m. on March 7 and April 4, with a $10 suggested donation per person. Participants can register with a group of three to five people, or alone and be placed into a team.

The winning team will receive a complimentary Hard Rock Cafe tab for the night, plus gift cards to the Hard Rock Cafe Detroit and two free admission passes each to the Detroit Historical Museum. Second and third place teams will also take home prizes.

To participate in 313 Trivia, players can register online at http://pastforward.detroithistorical.org By the way – the answers are “Molly” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.