Historical Events of 2016 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Russian Orthodox Church

In 1054 what has been called the East-West Schism broke apart the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. This schism was caused by disagreements about the pope's universal jurisdiction, the type of bread to be used in the Eucharist, and the interpretation of the Holy Spirit of the Trinity.

At the meeting in 2016 between the churches a 30-point declaration was signed that discussed issues including secularism, refugees, and euthanasia and called for an end to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

Answer: Dilma Rousseff

During her youth Dilma Rousseff engaged in demonstrations against the military dictatorship that was in power in Brazil at the time and she actually went to prison for two years. From the 1970s to the early 2000s she was a member of the Democratic Labour Party but in 2001 she moved to the Workers' Party. Serving as President of Brazil from 2011 to 2016, Rousseff was impeached after the country's senate found her guilty of administrative misconduct and disregarding the federal budget.

Answer: Solar Impulse 2

The Solar Impulse series of planes were developed by engineer André Borschberg and balloonist Bertrand Piccard and their first flight aboard the original Solar Impulse took place in 2009. Solar Impulse 2 was completed in 2014 and its historic journey around the world began on March 9, 2015 from Abu Dhabi.

The circumnavigation took 16 months after delays caused by thermal damage to the plane's batteries. The wingspan of Solar Impulse 2 was about 72 meters (236 feet) but incredibly it weighed just 2,313 kg (5,100 pounds). Traveling much slower than other types of aircraft, the cruising speed of the Impulse 2 was 60 km/h (37 mph) with a maximum speed of 140 km/h (87 mph).

Answer: European Union

The EU referendum saw a historic 72% voter turnout in the United Kingdom with 51.9% of voters voting to leave the European Union. Combining the words Britain and exit, the word "Brexit" was coined to describe the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Prime Minister David Cameron was a firm supporter that the country stay in the European Union and he announced his resignation shortly after the country voted to leave.

Answer: Zika virus

The Zika virus was first isolated in 1947 and until 2007 the virus was primarily contained to equatorial regions of Africa. From 2007 to 2016 the virus spread to North and South America prompting governments to advise women to wait at least two years before trying to get pregnant.

The Zika virus is related to dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus which are also diseases spread by mosquitoes.

Answer: Cyclone

Cyclone Winston made landfall in Fiji at Category 5 intensity with sustained winds of 230 km/h (145 mph). A state of emergency was declared in Fiji that lasted for two months as more than 40,000 homes were damaged.

Answer: San Francisco

San Francisco's paid parental leave law dictated that employees receive 100% of their normal wages for a period of six weeks paid through state insurance and employers. Certain large companies have even higher parental leave times with Spotify and eBay providing their employees with six months of fully-paid parental leave in 2016.

Answer: Panama Canal

Also called the Panama Canal Expansion Project, during the expansion the entrances from both the Pacific and Atlantic sides were made deeper and wider. Several other enhancements were made across the 77 km (48 mile) Panama Canal that allowed for ships with a maximum length of 366 meters (1,200 feet) and width of 49 meters (161 feet) to pass through.

This is much larger than the former limits of a maximum ship length of 294 meters (965 feet) and width of 32 meters (106 feet).

Answer: Cuba

Fidel Castro controversially rose to power in Cuba in 1959 after he led an overthrow of the government of Fulgencio Batista. Throughout his time in power Castro was viewed by some as a powerful force against imperialism while others viewed him as a dictator that abused human rights and plunged his country into poverty.

Answer: Greenland shark

The Greenland shark is one of the largest shark species and it has adapted to live at more than 1,219 meters (4,000 feet) below the ocean's surface. In 2016 scientists took samples of 28 Greenland sharks and utilized radiocarbon dating to come up with an age range for the species at 392 years +/- 120 years. Prior to the finding in 2016, the radiated tortoise was believed to be the oldest lived vertebrate at up to 188 years.