History Trivia / NationalTreasure

* ActorAllusion: [[Film/TheRock "You shoot me, I drop this, we both go up."]]

** Canadian Bruce Greenwood plays the President of the United States.

* ShownTheirWork: In comparison to Literature/TheDaVinciCode, the film shows a more closer to reality version of both the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. The Templars in question are shown to be more along the lines of an international banking system across the Eastern Mediterranean with the treasure from Solomon's temple being the basis for their money. The Freemasons are also stated to be a successor to the Templars, which is considered fact by members of the Masonic Temple, even including how the Founding Fathers were Freemasons themselves and that members of the Masonic Temple are part of the government to this day.
** Discussed in the film. Ben's father leads Ian on a wild goose chase to Boston to find a non-existant clue to the treasure's location, referring to both the Beacon of Truth in Solomon's Temple and Paul Revere's midnight ride. Ian never did his research on the midnight ride, so he couldn't double check if the information was correct.

* ActorSharedBackground: Like her actor Creator/DianeKruger, Abigail Chase is said to be a German-American from Saxony (though it's possible Abigail is intended to have been born to US parents based in Germany, rather than German by birth).

* LifeImitatesArt: The scene in ''Book of Secrets'' where Ben and Co. are implied to have created fake news of a racially insensitive nature to get the White House staff in charge of the president's birthday celebration to change the location from their first choice to Mt. Vernon can now be seen as this after the events in Charlottesville. The specific details of events, the veracity of news stories and their sources, doesn't matter once the press scents blood in the water.

---> '''Staffer 1:''' Sir, we have to move the party. Some historian claims the Spencer Landmark Hotel was used for Klan meetings in the late 1800s.
---> '''Chief:''' Anyone know if this is true?
---> '''Staffer 2:''' I've got the ''Washington Gazette''. They want a quote on, "Is the president being insensitive to minority issues?"
---> '''Staffer 1:''' Doesn't matter if it's true.
---> '''Chief:''' Get me a list of the approved alternates. Now.

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/SeanBean's character doesn't die.

* OrphanedReference: There's a quick moment where one character is seen grabbing a knife. It was never put to use later; the production team was planning on it, but cut that element out (partly for ratings reasons).

* PopStarComposer: Music/TrevorRabin of Music/{{Yes}} did the soundtrack for both movies.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Connor, the White House curator that Abigail dates in NT:2 and whom she distracts in the Oval Office is played by Ty Burrell, who is more memorable as Phil Dunphy from ''Series/ModernFamily''.
** And the actor playing Shaw did the voice of ThatOneBoss with the big sideburns from VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII!
** [[Film/StarTrek Admiral Christopher Pike]] is an [[IdenticalGrandson identical descendant]] of a former President of the United States.
** [[{{Series/Supernatural}} Lucifer]] joined the FBI
** The kid who argues with Ben Gates at the White House in the sequel is none other than [[DiaryOfAWimpyKid Greg Heffley]].
** [[{{Series/Dexter}} Sgt. James Doakes]] apparently worked with the FBI before joining Miami Metro.
** Ben's ancestors were [[Series/{{The 4400}} Tom Baldwin]] and [[Series/LabRats Chase Davenport]].
** Ben tried to stop Mitch Wilkinson before when he [[TheRock took over the island of Alcatraz and threatened to release nerve gas into San Francisco.]]

** Ben's ancestors were [[Series/The4400 Tom Baldwin]] and [[Series/LabRats Chase Davenport]].

** Ben's ancestor was [[Series/LabRats Chase Davenport]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: Connor, the White House curator that Abigail dates in NT:2 and whom she distracts in the Oval Office is played by Ty Burrell, who is more memorable as Phil Dunphy from ''ModernFamily''!

* PopStarComposer: Trevor Rabin of Music/{{Yes}} did the soundtrack for both movies.

** [[{{Dexter}} Sgt. James Doakes]] apparently worked with the FBI before joining Miami Metro.

** The sequel wasn't the first time BruceGreenwood played [[ThirteenDays an American president]]. Bonus points when the first thing Poole sees in the President's Book is who murdered JFK.

** [[StarTrek Admiral Christopher Pike]] is an [[IdenticalGrandson identical descendant]] of a former President of the United States.

** And the actor playing Shaw did the voice of ThatOneBoss with the big sideburns from KingdomHeartsII!

** Abigail is dating [[ModernFamily Phil Dunphee]] in the sequel.