The Year Is 1980 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Los Angeles Rams

The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the space of six seasons. Dallas was the victim in both Super Bowls X and XIII, and Minnesota lost to them in Super Bowl IX. In Super Bowl XIV, played in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the Steelers fought off a tough Rams squad to win 31-19. Up through 1980, the Steelers never faced the Redskins, an old rival from their days in the pre-merger NFL, in the Super Bowl.

Answer: "Lou Grant"

A very successful spinoff of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Lou Grant" won its second Best Drama Emmy in 1980.

Answer: Mississippi

A native of Ackerman, a small town in north-central Mississippi, Cheryl Prewitt began cultivating her Christian faith as a child, after surviving a horrific car crash and sexual abuse in the home. Now married with two sons - she lost her youngest child, Gabrielle, to a malignant brain tumor in 1999 - she runs Salem Family Ministries and CP Annie, which designs swimsuits specifically for beauty pageants, out of Tulsa. (Thanks to the Miss America website for additional information on Cheryl Prewitt.)

Answer: Cyrus Vance, State

A native of West Virginia, Cyrus Vance resigned his post as Secretary of State in protest against the ill-fated attempt to free American hostages held in Tehran. Maine native and former presidential candidate Edmund Muskie replaced Vance.

Answer: Allen

Tracking through the Caribbean, Hurricane Allen reached Category 5 strength, making it one of the most powerful storms in history. The storm weakened as it entered the Gulf of Mexico, ultimately making landfall at Port Mansfield, Texas, as a Category 3 storm. In all, 272 people died as the result of this storm.

Answer: Sidney Poitier

The second comedic pairing of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, "Stir Crazy" is the story of two men framed for a bank robbery they didn't commit and how they survive in prison. It was also the sixth movie directed by the versatile and venerable Poitier, who made his directoral debut with "Buck and the Preacher", in which he starred opposite Harry Belafonte, in 1972. (Thanks to the Internet Movie Database for information on Sidney Poitier.)

Answer: They beat the Boston Celtics to win the championship.

Although the Lakers have had a number of epic battles against the Celtics, they faced the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 championship series. The Sixers gave the Lakers all they could handle before falling on the floor of the Spectrum in Game 6. By the time the Sixers and Lakers hooked up again, at the end of the 1981-82 season, Pat Riley was at the helm.

Answer: False

Authorities arrested McCartney on January 16 in Tokyo, Japan, after they found half a pound of marijuana on him. The arrest, and his subsequent release on January 25, forced him to cancel the remainder of his tour.

Answer: Robin Williams

Though best known for his comedy, Robin Williams has branched out to more dramatic screen roles, including the movies "Insomnia" and "One Hour Photo". That's a far cry from Mork, the zany alien he brought to TV screens a quarter-century ago.

Answer: Tampa

The Summit Venture, a freighter navigating Tampa Bay in a driving rain squall, hit the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, knocking out a 1,200-foot section of the bridge. In all, 35 people died, many of them on a Greyhound bus bound for points to the south. The old bridge complex, originally built in 1954 and augmented by a parallel structure in 1971, was destroyed in 1990, three years after a new cable-stayed bridge was completed over the mouth of Tampa Bay.