1980s History Trivia

1. Yay I can totally watch the news all the time now! I'm so sure what twenty-four hour news channel was launched in 1980?

From Quiz A Totally Gnarly 1980s History Quiz

Answer: CNN

CNN (Cable News Network) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. It launched in 1980 as a twenty-four hour news channel under the leadership of Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld. When it launched, it was the first twenty-four hour television channel anywhere in the world and the first all news channel in the United States. It officially aired for the first time at five o'clock eastern time on the first of June with an introduction by Ted Turner, which was followed by a newscast by husband and wife team, David Walker and Lois Hart. Criticisms leveled against CNN include the sensationalistic nature of the news, particularly the 'breaking news' segments.

From Quiz 20th-Century History in the 1980s

Answer: Iran and Iraq

The Iran-Iraq started on 22nd September 1980 when Iraq invaded Iran. The war was fought for almost eight years, ending on 20th August 1988. The cause of the war the result of political and territorial dispute between the two countries. Iraq wanted to gain control of the Iranian border region of Khuzestan. The region was a rich-oil production field.

From Quiz Where did this Happen?: 1980s Edition

Answer: Zimbabwe

Robert Mugabe became Prime Minister of Rhodesia in April of 1980 subsequently and announced that the country would be renamed "Zimbabwe". Mugabe was Prime Minister until 1987, when the constitution was amended and he became the executive President. He remained President until 2017.

From Quiz 1980s History from Around the World

Answer: Japan

Tokyo Disneyland opened on April 15, 1983 in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, close to Tokyo. It started as just a theme park, but has grown into an entire resort complex called Tokyo Disney Resort. Tokyo Disney Resort includes two theme parks--Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea--as well as shops, entertainment venues, restaurants, and hotels. Tokyo Disney Resort is owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. It was the Oriental Land Company that originally approached Disney about going to Japan and establishing a park. The talks and negotiations between to two countries began in 1974 and the original contract was signed in 1979.

From Quiz Fun Facts for the Year 1986

Answer: Challenger

Not a great way to start the year. The Space Shuttle Challenger flying its tenth mission broke up 73 seconds into the flight. All seven crew members were killed though there is debate as to whether all the deaths were instantaneous or whether they died when the Shuttle hit the Atlantic Ocean. The disaster was caused after an O-ring seal in the right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff permitting hot gas from within the solid rocket motor to compromise the external fuel tank. The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle program. The ensuing investigation revealed that NASA managers had known of a potentially catastrophic flaw in the O-rings since 1977 and disregarded warnings from engineers about the dangers of launching in low temperatures. The launch was viewed by a large audience across the world, partly because of the presence of Christa McAuliffe the first female teacher in space. Columbia, Discovery and Endeavor were names of other space shuttle vehicles.

From Quiz Fun Facts about the Year 1983

Answer: Beirut

The devasting attack on the US Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon is considered by many to be the first use of direct attacks on US targets by radical Islamic Jihadist terrorists. The 63 dead marked the highest toll at a US Embassy attack to date. Sadly, the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya (on the same day that another attack was perpetrated in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) eclipsed the Beirut figure, as 212 peole were killed. The 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis occured between 1979-1981 and had a much happier ending as the hostages were returned unharmed. Embassy violence is not limited to the US. In 2009 the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan was bombed causing 17 deaths and over 60 injuries.

From Quiz Hold On, We're Talking 1984

Answer: Pepsi

On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson was filming a commercial for Pepsi Cola. During the filming Jackson's hair was set on fire by the pyrotechnics. He was hospitalized and later received plastic surgery to hide the scar tissue. He also won eight Grammy Awards in 1984.

From Quiz A Slice in Time: 1980s World History

Answer: Attempting to assassinate Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II met with Agca in prison in 1983 and publically stated he had forgiven his attacker.

From Quiz The Golden Year - 1987

Answer: Aretha Franklin

'The First Lady of Soul' was inducted into the sophomore class of '87 with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Bill Haley, Roy Orbison, Rick Nelson and the Coasters.

From Quiz 1980-1989

Answer: 1982

December 2, 1982.

From Quiz A Totally Gnarly 1980s History Quiz

Answer: 1989

On the historic date of the ninth of November, 1989, the border between East and West Germany completely opened. A broadcast was held which actually announced misinformation about the complete opening of the border between East and West Germany. Conditions were to be eased so that East Germans could apply to travel across the border or apply to emigrate to West Germany, but this was not effectively communicated in the press conference. Upon hearing that the border was immediately 'open to everyone', East Germans started gathering at the Wall and eventually the guards relented and allowed the crowds to cross. Crowds of West Germans jumped on top of the Wall and celebrations ensued during what's become known as the 'night the Wall came down.'

From Quiz 20th-Century History in the 1980s

Answer: Anwar Sadat

Yitzhak Rabin, the two-term Israeli prime minister from 1974 to 1997 and from 1992 till 1995 when he was assassinated. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was killed by the Islamic Jihad in October 1981 during an annual victory parade to celebrate taking back part of Sinai Peninsula from Israel. President Reagan and John Paul II both survived the assassination attempts.

From Quiz Where did this Happen?: 1980s Edition

Answer: England

St Paul's Cathedral in London was the location where the wedding of the year was held. The entire United Kingdom celebrated the day with a national holiday, giving millions of people the chance to watch the wedding on TV, or visit the area for a glimpse of the newlyweds. Unfortunately the fairytale wedding didn't end as happily as expected, with the couple divorcing 15 years later, in 1996.

From Quiz Fun Facts for the Year 1986

Answer: New York Mets

The Mets defeated the Red Sox in seven games to claim their third baseball world championship. The Red Sox had not won a world series since 1918 a drought allegedly the result of Boston selling its best player Babe (the "Bambino") Ruth (then a top left-handed pitcher) to the hated New York Yankees for cash. In 1986 the Sox took a 3-2 lead into game six. With two outs and the game tied in the 10th inning Harold "Mookie" Wilson hit a slow ground ball to Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. Buckner missed the ball as it inexplicably passed through his legs and the Mets went on to win the game. The demoralized Sox lost game seven 8-5 and the "curse" lived on. As a life long Mets fan I am forever embarrassed to say I turned the game off in the top of the tenth to go to a movie and only later learned my beloved Mets had made the remarkable comeback. It was not until 2004 that Boston was able to lift the "curse" and win the championship.

From Quiz Fun Facts about the Year 1983

Answer: Shot down over Russia by the Soviet Air Force

On September 1, 1983, a Soviet SU-15 shot down the Korean civilian 747 airliner. All 269 passengers on board perished, including US Congressman Lawrence MacDonald. Korean authorities publicly stated the plane had mistakenly strayed off its intended course by some 365 miles due to a pilot's error in programming the navigation system. Unfortunately, the plane entered Soviet territory over the Kamchatka peninsula where submarines were located and, on the night of the flight, a secret test of an SS-25 Soviet missile was reportedly planned. A U.S. RC-135 spy plane was in the area, and it is assumed the Soviets believed they were destroying the RC-135 or a civilian version of a spy plane. Tensions between the US and USSR were pushed to high levels by the action but, uncharacteristically, rhetoric by both Cold War parties receded without escalation. As a result of the KAL 007 incident the US government agreed to release its new Global Positioning System (GPS) for civilian use when completed.

From Quiz Hold On, We're Talking 1984

Answer: The Transformers

The Transformers cartoon series debuted in 1984 and has since developed into one of the most successful toy franchises in the world. New toys, comic books and cartoon series continue to be produced.

From Quiz The Golden Year - 1987

Answer: Monkey Business

Hart threw his hat back in the ring in December, but yanked it for good after getting only four percent of the votes in the New Hampshire Primary.

From Quiz 1980-1989

Answer: 1984

From Quiz A Totally Gnarly 1980s History Quiz

Answer: St Paul's Cathedral

The Royal Wedding of Lady Di and Prince Charles took place in July 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England. Many royal families from other countries attended, as well as a number of politicians and celebrities. The fairy tale wedding was watched worldwide by an estimated seven hundred and fifty million people. There were street parties and celebrations throughout the United Kingdom, and crowds of people lined up along the procession route to catch a glimpse of the couple. The couple from the 'wedding of the century' separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

From Quiz 20th-Century History in the 1980s

Answer: South America

The Falkland War was fought from 2nd April to 14th June in 1982. The Argentinian army occupied the islands on April 2nd followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. The British despatched a naval force to engage the Argentine Navy on 5th April. The war ended 74 days later with a British victory and the return of the islands to British control.

From Quiz Where did this Happen?: 1980s Edition

Answer: Northern Ireland

Whilst homosexuality was always legal for women, Northern Ireland didn't decriminalise homosexuality for men until 1982. Previous Acts passed in the Parliament of the United Kingdom only applied to limited parts of the UK and attempts to pass the same legislation in Northern Ireland failed due to political opposition. An eventual complaint to the European Court of Human Rights resulted in legislation being passed to decriminalise homosexual acts for men throughout the United Kingdom.

From Quiz Fun Facts for the Year 1986

Answer: Paul Newman

Paul Newman was nominated for seven academy awards without a win before securing his Oscar for "The Color of Money", a sequel of sorts to the 1961 classic "The Hustler" for which Newman was nominated but did not win the award. While not considered Newman's most deserving role, his return to play the now aging pool hustler "Fast" Eddie Felsen mentoring a brash young Tom Cruise won over critics and academy voters. The great Peter O'Toole despite many iconic performances managed eight nominations and no wins. Richard Burton followed closely with seven fruitless nominations. All of these legends however pale in comparison with Roland Anderson who received 14 nominations for Art Direction and lost each time.

From Quiz Fun Facts about the Year 1983

Answer: Adolf Hitler

The "Hitler Diaries", a series of 60 small books that were alleged to contain the writings of the reviled Nazi Germany leader were purchased by the "Stern" magazine for 9M Deutschmarks (roughly 3.5M USD at the time) from unnanmed sources. The documents were supposedly authenticated and handwriting verified by experts hired by the magazine. Within days of the diaries release questions as to authenticity were raised. By the middle of May 1983 the German Federal Archives had declared the diaries grotesque fakes made on modern paper filled with obvious historical inaccuracies. The scandal caused not only editors at "Stern" to resign but also editors of the UK's "Sunday Times" and US magazine "Newsweek". The hoax led to several books, movies and a multi-episode British television mini-series.

From Quiz Hold On, We're Talking 1984

Answer: Los Angeles

The 1984 Summer Olympics were held in Los Angeles, California. The games were boycotted by the Soviet Union, in response to America's boycott of the 1980 games, which were held in Moscow.

From Quiz A Slice in Time: 1980s World History

Answer: Finland

The Soviet team, which came into the 1980 Olympics having won 4 consecutive gold medals, was defeated by a US team comprised mainly of college students in the semi-finals of the Olympic games. The upset of the heavily favored Soviets has become known as the "Miracle on Ice."

From Quiz The Golden Year - 1987

Answer: Mimi Rogers

Cruise's first marriage (and Mimi's second) lasted until 1990. Tom's third wife, Katie Holmes, was eight years old at the time of the nuptuals.

From Quiz 1980-1989

Answer: 1985

September 3, 1985.

From Quiz A Totally Gnarly 1980s History Quiz

Answer: Geraldine Ferraro

Born in New York in 1935, Ferraro was a teacher and a lawyer before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1978. She rose through the Democratic Party ranks and was chosen by Presidential candidate Walter Mondale as his running mate in 1984. She was the first woman to run for a major party for either the President or Vice-President position. As of 2021, she is still one of only four women to do so (the other three being the wrong answers for this question). Mondale and Ferraro were defeated by Ronald Reagan. Ferraro ran for a seat in the Senate in 1992 and 1998, losing both times. She served as Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights for three years and worked on Hillary Clinton's Presidential campaign.

From Quiz 20th-Century History in the 1980s

Answer: South Korea

Korean Airline Flight KAL007 was scheduled to fly from New York to Seoul via Anchorage. The Boeing 747 aircraft deviated for its planned route and flew into the Soviet prohibited flight zone. The Soviet Air Force mistook the commercial aircraft as the American aerial reconnaissance mission. All 269 crew and passengers were killed in the accident.

From Quiz Where did this Happen?: 1980s Edition

Answer: Brazil

Brazil was awarded the Jules Rimet Trophy in perpetuity after their third World Cup win, however it was stolen in 1983 from the Brazilian Football Confederation building in Rio de Janeiro. The trophy had previously been stolen - in 1966 - before being recovered and returned in time for the opening of the 1966 tournament. A replica trophy was presented to the Brazilian Football Confederation in 1984, and the original has never been recovered.

This is category 1974

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