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Quiz about What Happened in  1980s edition
Quiz about What Happened in  1980s edition

What Happened in ...? (1980s edition) Quiz


Ah, the 1980's--Glasnost, Morning in America, Kajagoogoo. It was a happier time...

A multiple-choice quiz by john_sunseri. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
john_sunseri
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
321,974
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
6803
Awards
Top 5% quiz!
Last 3 plays: Getta (7/10), Guest 12 (8/10), curdman (8/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What happened in 1980? Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State and killed 36 people, six new moons were discovered orbiting Saturn, Jean-Paul Sartre went from Being to Nothingness (died in April), and a comedian was horribly burned while freebasing cocaine. Who was he? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What happened in 1981? Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II were shot (both survived), Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, scientists identified something called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and on August 1st a new channel appeared on cable television. What was it? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. What happened in 1982? Spain joined NATO, Disney opened EPCOT, West German scientists created a single atom of Unnilennium (atomic #109, now called Meitnerium), Argentina and Great Britain clashed over the Falklands, and the Soviet Union named a new General Secretary of the Central Committee. Who succeeded Brezhnev? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. What happened in 1983? Aspartame was approved for use in American soft drinks, Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union "the Evil Empire", Disney opened a theme park in Tokyo, and McDonald's introduced a new fast food item worldwide. What was it? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. What happened in 1984? Apple released its Macintosh computer (with mouse), the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations, John Updike wrote "The Witches of Eastwick", and Democrat Walter Mondale made history when he selected his running mate for the national presidential election. Why was his selection significant? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. What happened in 1985? Bernhard Goetz shot four muggers on a New York subway, Christo (a Bulgarian artist) wrapped the Pont Neuf bridge in 40,000 yards of canvas, the Italian cruise ship "Achille Lauro" was hijacked and 450 people held hostage, and the British Antarctic Survey discovered something. What was it? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What happened in 1986? The American space shuttle Challenger exploded, a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl blew up in Ukraine, Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France, and Tenzing Norgay died. What was his claim to fame? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What happened in 1987? Oral Roberts raised $4.5 million so that God wouldn't have to call him home, excavation began on the Channel tunnel, Rudolf Hess killed himself in Spandau prison, and something appeared on "The Tracey Ullman Show". What was it? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. What happened in 1988? Stephen Hawking released "A Brief History of Time", Israel launched its first satellite, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber was unveiled, and Palm Springs, California elected a new mayor. Who was it? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What happened in 1989? I.M. Pei's glass pyramid was unveiled before the Louvre, the Ayatollah Khomeini announced a fatwa on Salman Rushdie for writing "The Satanic Verses", pro-democracy advocates in China occupied Tiananmen Square for seven weeks, and an important event of the Cold War occurred. What happened? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What happened in 1980? Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington State and killed 36 people, six new moons were discovered orbiting Saturn, Jean-Paul Sartre went from Being to Nothingness (died in April), and a comedian was horribly burned while freebasing cocaine. Who was he?

Answer: Richard Pryor

Pryor had been drinking 151-proof rum (which is highly flammable) while using matches to heat the cocaine, and his daughter Rain claimed that he had poured the stuff all over himself while intoxicated. In any case, he ignited himself and ran out into the street, where police subdued him and took him to the hospital.

He spent six weeks in a burn unit recovering from the burns that affected over half his body. Later, he would use the incident as fodder for his stand-up comedy.
2. What happened in 1981? Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II were shot (both survived), Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer, scientists identified something called Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and on August 1st a new channel appeared on cable television. What was it?

Answer: MTV

MTV premiered at 12:01 on August 1st with the words "Ladies and Gentlemen--rock and roll!" Everyone knows that the first video played on the new network was The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star", but the SECOND video played was Pat Benatar's "You Better Run". Music Television is owned by Viacom.
3. What happened in 1982? Spain joined NATO, Disney opened EPCOT, West German scientists created a single atom of Unnilennium (atomic #109, now called Meitnerium), Argentina and Great Britain clashed over the Falklands, and the Soviet Union named a new General Secretary of the Central Committee. Who succeeded Brezhnev?

Answer: Yuri Andropov

Andropov had been a former head of the KGB, and was responsible for the crushing of political dissent in Soviet Russia, among other unsavory acts (such as spreading disinformation and using "extreme measures" against reformers in Czechoslovakia). He made a lot of people in the West nervous, but he died just fifteen months after he was selected Secretary, of kidney failure.
4. What happened in 1983? Aspartame was approved for use in American soft drinks, Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union "the Evil Empire", Disney opened a theme park in Tokyo, and McDonald's introduced a new fast food item worldwide. What was it?

Answer: The McNugget

Chicken McNuggets were introduced in India as part of McDonald's breakfast menu there. According to McDonald's ingredient lists, chicken breast makes up less than 50% of each McNugget, but they're certainly tasty. The Big Mac has been around since 1968, the McLean Deluxe started in 1991, and the Big N' Tasty came along in 1997.

EDIT: Thanks to haku4u, who noted that the McNugget had been released in America in 1980, then worldwide three years later.
5. What happened in 1984? Apple released its Macintosh computer (with mouse), the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations, John Updike wrote "The Witches of Eastwick", and Democrat Walter Mondale made history when he selected his running mate for the national presidential election. Why was his selection significant?

Answer: The first woman vice-presidential candidate for a major party

Geraldine Ferraro, a representative from New York, became the first woman to run for vice-president in a major party. There had been other women who ran for high office (Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to declare for President, in 1872), but never with the backing of one of the parties that actually had a chance to win. 24 years later, the Republicans would nominate Alaska governor Sarah Palin for the same office.

Of course, looking back at 1984, Mondale/Ferraro never really had a chance to win, either. Incumbent Ronald Reagan was just too popular--he won 49 states and 525 out of 538 electoral votes.
6. What happened in 1985? Bernhard Goetz shot four muggers on a New York subway, Christo (a Bulgarian artist) wrapped the Pont Neuf bridge in 40,000 yards of canvas, the Italian cruise ship "Achille Lauro" was hijacked and 450 people held hostage, and the British Antarctic Survey discovered something. What was it?

Answer: A hole in the ozone layer

The ozone layer protects Earth life from potentially harmful radiation, so when the scientists discovered that ozone was being massively destroyed over Antarctica, there was a public uproar. Eventually, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC compounds, for short) were determined to be the biggest villain, and in 1989 the Montreal Protocol was ratified by United Nations members, phasing out the compounds.
7. What happened in 1986? The American space shuttle Challenger exploded, a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl blew up in Ukraine, Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France, and Tenzing Norgay died. What was his claim to fame?

Answer: One of the first two men to summit Everest

Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa, achieved the summit of Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953. The two men stayed there for only about fifteen minutes, long enough to take a few pictures and plant an ice axe with four flags (the UN, the UK, India and Nepal), then began the long descent. Earlier, Norgay had saved Hillary's life when the latter had plunged into a crevasse and the former had anchored his ice axe and belayed Hillary's rope. Norgay died of a cerebral hemorrhage in India at age 71.
8. What happened in 1987? Oral Roberts raised $4.5 million so that God wouldn't have to call him home, excavation began on the Channel tunnel, Rudolf Hess killed himself in Spandau prison, and something appeared on "The Tracey Ullman Show". What was it?

Answer: The first appearance of The Simpsons

"The Simpsons" first appeared in a series of cartoon shorts on Tracey Ullman's variety show. They were successful, and in 1989 the concept was expanded to a half-hour show of its own, and became the first show for the Fox network to crack the top 30 in ratings.

As of 2009, "The Simpsons" was the longest-running primetime series in American television history, and has won 25 Emmys. In 1999, "Time" magazine named it the best television series of the 20th century.
9. What happened in 1988? Stephen Hawking released "A Brief History of Time", Israel launched its first satellite, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber was unveiled, and Palm Springs, California elected a new mayor. Who was it?

Answer: Sonny Bono

Sonny Bono, best known for his marriage to and musical partnership with Cher ("I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On"), ran for mayor of Palm Springs because he was angry at the local bureaucracy that wouldn't allow him to open a new restaurant. He later became a Republican congressman, representing the 44th congressional district of California. He died in a skiing accident in 1998.
10. What happened in 1989? I.M. Pei's glass pyramid was unveiled before the Louvre, the Ayatollah Khomeini announced a fatwa on Salman Rushdie for writing "The Satanic Verses", pro-democracy advocates in China occupied Tiananmen Square for seven weeks, and an important event of the Cold War occurred. What happened?

Answer: Opening of the Berlin Wall

On November 9, East German spokesman Günter Schabowski stated during a press conference that those on the Soviet side of the wall would be allowed to travel to West Berlin. Soon, throngs of people gathered at the checkpoints and the border guards opened the gates, beginning the process of German Reunification.
Source: Author john_sunseri

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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