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It Happened in the 80s Trivia Quiz

All of these events happened during the 1980s. Have fun!

A multiple-choice quiz by justawesome. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
justawesome

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
111,445

Updated
Oct 28 24

# Qns
20

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
15 / 20

Plays
17799

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: chianti59 (17/20), Guest 73 (13/20), Guest 68 (16/20).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 20

1. The federal minimum wage was raised to $3.35 per hour in 1981.

True

False

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Question 2 of 20

2. The sale and possession of handguns was banned in 1982 in what city? Hint

Seattle

San Francisco

Baltimore

New York

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Question 3 of 20

3. Who was murdered by a deranged fan outside his apartment building in 1980? Hint

Peter Sellers

John Lennon

Arthur Ashe

River Phoenix

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Question 4 of 20

4. What mountain erupted in 1980 killing 62 (some reports give the death toll as 57) and spreading thick ash over an area of 250 square miles? Hint

Mt. Shasta

Mt. St. Helens

Mt. Rainier

Mt. Baker

NEXT>

Question 5 of 20

5. Who retired from The CBS Evening News in 1981? Hint

Bob Woodward

Gary Justice

Walter Cronkite

Howard Cosell

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Question 6 of 20

6. Who became the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981? Hint

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Janet Reno

Gennifer Flowers

Sandra Day O'Connor

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Question 7 of 20

7. Which entertainer died of an overdose of cocaine and heroin in 1982? Hint

Richard Pryor

Janis Joplin

Gilda Radner

John Belushi

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Question 8 of 20

8. Nearly 800,000 acres of which National Park were burned the summer of 1988? Hint

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Olympic National Park, Washington

Yosemite National Park, California

NEXT>

Question 9 of 20

9. January 28, 1986, 73 seconds into its ninth launch this space shuttle exploded as thousands watched. What was the name of the shuttle? Hint

Colombia

Voyager

Challenger

Explorer

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Question 10 of 20

10. Whose 50th birthday did Disneyland celebrate in 1984? Hint

Sleeping Beauty

Mickey Mouse

Donald Duck

Cinderella

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Question 11 of 20

11. Which company outraged its customers by introducing a reformulated version of a popular drink in 1985? Hint

RC Cola

Coca-Cola

Alpine Cider

Hershey's

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Question 12 of 20

12. What is the name of the hurricane that ripped through coastal communities from North Carolina to Rhode Island in 1985? Hint

Gail

Gloria

Gretchen

Gilda

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Question 13 of 20

13. After a long period of denial, which famous actor announced he was suffering from AIDS, and died October 2nd 1985? Hint

Rock Hudson

Hugh Beaumont

Robert Reed

Clayton Moore

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Question 14 of 20

14. What was the name of the ship that ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, creating a massive oil spill? Hint

Exxon Sanchez

Exxon Valentine

Exxon Valdez

Exxon Marque

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Question 15 of 20

15. What was the brand name of the game console introduced in 1985? Hint

Panasonic HES

Nintendo Entertainment System

Cinemastation

Sony Playstation

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Question 16 of 20

16. Which famous singer died from anorexia nervosa at the age of 32 in 1983? Hint

Karen Carpenter

Bonnie Raitt

Joan Baez

Cyndi Lauper

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Question 17 of 20

17. What over the counter medicine, tainted with cyanide, took the life of twelve year old Mary Kellerman in 1982? Hint

Alka-Seltzer

Tylenol

Rolaids

Bayer Aspirin

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Question 18 of 20

18. By a landslide vote, what famous person was elected mayor of Carmel, California in 1986? Hint

Clint Eastwood

Steve Largent

Sony Bono

Jay Silverheels

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Question 19 of 20

19. During a freak blizzard in 1987 50 inches of snow fell in a 24 hour period in North Carolina.

True

False

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Question 20 of 20

20. Which player was banned in 1989 from Major League Baseball for life for betting on games? Hint

Mike Schmidt

Orlando Palmeiro

Steve Garvey

Pete Rose

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Most Recent Scores

Today : chianti59: 17/20
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 73: 13/20
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 68: 16/20
Dec 20 2024 : Jaddreamer59: 15/20
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 12: 13/20
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 173: 18/20
Dec 20 2024 : Guest 173: 7/20
Dec 19 2024 : Guest 49: 14/20
Dec 19 2024 : Guest 98: 13/20

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The federal minimum wage was raised to $3.35 per hour in 1981.

Answer: True

The federal minimum wage was first enacted in 1938. Its purpose was to strengthen the economy and create new jobs.

2. The sale and possession of handguns was banned in 1982 in what city?

Answer: San Francisco

Later a state court concluded that under California law such decisions were reserved to the state legislature and could not be made by individual cities.

3. Who was murdered by a deranged fan outside his apartment building in 1980?

Answer: John Lennon

Mark David Chapman shot Lennon on December 8th. Chapman was sentenced to life imprisonment.

4. What mountain erupted in 1980 killing 62 (some reports give the death toll as 57) and spreading thick ash over an area of 250 square miles?

Answer: Mt. St. Helens

A geologist who barely escaped after monitoring the eruption said the blast was hundreds of times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The eruption toppled trees and stripped them of their bark in a national forest 20 miles from the explosion.

5. Who retired from The CBS Evening News in 1981?

Answer: Walter Cronkite

His nickname was Old Iron Pants. He covered almost every news event during his 60 plus years in journalism.

6. Who became the first female member of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981?

Answer: Sandra Day O'Connor

President Reagan announced the appointment of O'Connor to the Supreme Court in his determination to place women in postitions of authority.

7. Which entertainer died of an overdose of cocaine and heroin in 1982?

Answer: John Belushi

Belushi was one of the original members of Saturday Night Live. He is well known for his role in Animal House and The Blues Brothers.

8. Nearly 800,000 acres of which National Park were burned the summer of 1988?

Answer: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Twenty-five thousand firefighters fought to put out the fires caused by dry lightning storms. Costs exceeded $120 million.

9. January 28, 1986, 73 seconds into its ninth launch this space shuttle exploded as thousands watched. What was the name of the shuttle?

Answer: Challenger

The O-rings, a set of gaskets that sealed the joints between the rocket booster sections failed due to being exposed to cold weather. All seven members of the shuttle crew were killed. The shuttle cabin fell ten miles into the ocean.

10. Whose 50th birthday did Disneyland celebrate in 1984?

Answer: Donald Duck

On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck made his debut in the Silly Symphony cartoon The Wise Little Hen.

11. Which company outraged its customers by introducing a reformulated version of a popular drink in 1985?

Answer: Coca-Cola

This was the first change ever made to Coca-Cola since its conception in 1886, other than the removal of trace amounts of cocaine. Consumers didn't respond well to it, so the company went back to Coca-Cola Classic.

12. What is the name of the hurricane that ripped through coastal communities from North Carolina to Rhode Island in 1985?

Answer: Gloria

Economic losses were estimated at $900 million.

13. After a long period of denial, which famous actor announced he was suffering from AIDS, and died October 2nd 1985?

Answer: Rock Hudson

The announcement had an enormous impact on the public perception of AIDS. The first famous white, wealthy Republican, a symbol of heterosexuality, struck down with a disease that so many people had tried to ignore.

14. What was the name of the ship that ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, creating a massive oil spill?

Answer: Exxon Valdez

Exxon spent about 2 billion dollars cleaning up the 232,000 barrels of oil spilled into Prince William Sound.

15. What was the brand name of the game console introduced in 1985?

Answer: Nintendo Entertainment System

The system included R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) and the games Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros.

16. Which famous singer died from anorexia nervosa at the age of 32 in 1983?

Answer: Karen Carpenter

Her first musical interest was as a drummer and it wasn't until later that her pure, natural vocal talent surfaced without the benefit of formal training.
Her anorexia nervosa caused heart failure.

17. What over the counter medicine, tainted with cyanide, took the life of twelve year old Mary Kellerman in 1982?

Answer: Tylenol

Six others died over the next several days, all victims of capsules tainted with potassium cyanide. The murderer was never discovered.

18. By a landslide vote, what famous person was elected mayor of Carmel, California in 1986?

Answer: Clint Eastwood

He got 72% of the poll. President Reagan called to congratulate him.

19. During a freak blizzard in 1987 50 inches of snow fell in a 24 hour period in North Carolina.

Answer: False

It was actually 20 inches (some areas had 15 inches and some 25 inches). The blizzard hit the east coast, from Florida to Maine, killing 41 people.

20. Which player was banned in 1989 from Major League Baseball for life for betting on games?

Answer: Pete Rose

Rose bet from $8,000 to $16,000 daily on baseball games during the 1987 season.

Source: Author justawesome

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor coolupway before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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