Track the Events of the 2000s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Florida

2000 was the year in which we debunked the Y2K Bug but came face to face with the ILOVEYOU virus. London saw the opening of not only the Tate Modern Museum, but also the London Eye. "Survivor" aired its first episode and started a craze of Reality TV.

In the United States, as Bill Clinton departed the White House, a close battle for presidency waged between Republican George W. Bush and Democratic Al Gore. When the votes were tallied in Florida, a recount was demanded because Florida, as a swing state, would eventually be the deciding factor in the election. After the Supreme Court put an end to the recounts weeks later, Bush became the president. He was reelected four years later.

Answer: iPod

2001 is perhaps the most notoriously-known for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th. These terrorist assaults on the United States reshaped the decade and sparked war in the Middle East. This led to the death of Saddam Hussein in 2006 and Osama Bin Laden in 2011.

Apple, meanwhile, though better-known at the time for niche computers, ended up becoming a force to be reckoned with after the release of their iPod music device which allowed for easy-to-use MP3 play and transfer. The popularity of the iPod created a surge of interest in Apple products and led to an increase in sales for MacBooks and iMacs as well as the release of the iPhone and iPad in later years.

Answer: Golden Jubilee

In 2002, the Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. Water was found on Mars and East Timor became an independent nation. In the U.S., "American Idol" finished its first year while in Europe, the Euro started its circulation.

For the Queen of England, the Golden Jubilee was held as she'd inherited the throne back in 1952. To commemorate the event, she toured the commonwealth stopping off in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, and the rest of the UK. Streets were renamed and monuments were erected for the event. Sadly, 2002 was also the year of the passing of the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth II would celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 as well as attend the Olympic Games' opening ceremony in London.

Answer: Arnold Schwarzenegger

2003 saw a continuation of the battles in the Middle East and, for a few days, the eastern seaboard of North America was blacked out. Elsewhere, the Concorde jet was decommissioned and, in outer space, Galileo reached Jupiter.

In California, a search for the next Governor ended with famous film actor Arnold Schwarzenegger taking his seat in office as the Republican candidate. With a rather large margin, he won the election and stayed at his post after re-election in 2006. He appeared in movies and as Mr. Olympia in the decades preceding and returned to the cinema industry soon after. In 2003, Hollywood also saw the release of the third "Terminator" film starring none other than "The Governator".

Answer: Indian Ocean

2004 saw an increase in violence in the unstable nation of Sudan, particularly in Darfur. Meanwhile, Ken Jennings won a streak of games on "Jeopardy!" taking home over two million dollars in trivia winnings. Janet Jackson's wardrobe would be forever double-checked after a Superbowl "Wardrobe Malfunction" early in the year and we would forever add that term to our collective vernacular.

As the year came to a close, however, an earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia. The resulting tsunami was one of the largest disasters to hit such a densely-populated area. Indonesia and Sri Lanka were hit the worst followed by India and Thailand. People were affected as far away as Tanzania.

Answer: Pope John Paul II

While 2005 was marked by the Live 8 Concerts and the release of the final "Star Wars" film in George Lucas' six film series, it was also punctuated by a series of horrible tragedies including Hurricane Katrina in the Southern United States and a string of Asian earthquakes.

Born in Poland in 1920, Pope John Paul II was the second-longest reigning Pope to ever hold the position in the Vatican. He passed away after over twenty-five years as Pope and he was succeeded by German-born Pope Benedict XVI (also in 2005). Pope John Paul II was the Person of the Year (according to "Time" magazine) in 1994.

Answer: Yugoslavia

This year saw the World Cup and Winter Olympics in Italy and the release of the Nintendo Wii. At the same time, Pluto stopped being the ninth planet in the solar system.

Yugoslavia ended up renaming itself as the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in 2003 before both sides split and became independent nations in 2006 with Serbia claiming the former-Yugoslav capital city, Belgrade, and Montenegro resting on the Adriatic Sea with Podgorica as its capital. Two years later, the Republic of Kosovo would split from Serbia and gain its own independence.

Answer: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In a year of renewed interest in climate change, 2007 was the year of Al Gore's Live Earth concert series. Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize in the same year. At the same time, a new British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, moved into 10 Downing St. and the world watched in horror at a tragic shooting at Virginia Tech in the United States.

Taking hold of the literary world, J. K. Rowling released the seventh and final "Harry Potter" book in 2007 pushing her net worth over one billion dollars and becoming the fastest-selling book ever released. A two part film finale wouldn't hit the screens until 2010 and 2011 respectively. Other books released in 2007 were "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and "Eclipse", the third "Twilight" book.

Answer: Cuba

2008 showed a great deal of strife. While TV writers went on strike in the United States for several months, oil prices reached their highest point to date and preceded a further economic difficulties.

The President in question was Fidel Castro who, after forty-nine years, stepped down as the President of Cuba and let his brother, Raul Castro, take the reins on the Communist nation. Both were major figures in the country's tumultuous history and Castro was one of the longest-serving world leaders at the time.

Answer: H1N1

2009 was another important year. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the President of the United States and, in the summer, the world mourned the loss of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

H1N1 first hit the world in 1918 before making its reappearance in 2009. Also known as 'Swine Flu', H1N1 ended up killing nearly three hundred thousand people before fading away in 2010. Passed through touch or fluids, this flu was minor in most cases and did indeed pass to most people, but proper care and healthy immune systems were able to fight it off.