What If It Never Happened Trivia Quiz

Answer: Mount St Helens eruption

Mount St Helens is located in Washington state, approximately 150 kilometres south of Seattle. It erupted on May 18, 1980 and took the lives of approximately fifty-seven people. The initial devastating eruption was followed by another one the following day and ash was distributed as far afield as Canada. Louwala-Clough is the Native American name for Mount St Helens which translates as "Smoking Mountain".

Answer: John Lennon assassination

John Lennon, a member of the famous British band The Beatles, was assassinated on December 8, 1980. Mark David Chapman, shot him multiple times outside Lennon's home at the Dakota apartment building in New York. Chapman had previously travelled to New York to kill Lennon, but had allegedly changed his mind.

After shooting Lennon, Chapman calmly sat on the sidewalk waiting for police while holding a copy of JD Salinger's book "The Catcher in the Rye".

Answer: Challenger space shuttle explosion

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle "Challenger" broke apart in midair soon after launch. According to reports, a faulty rubber o-ring caused burning gas from the rocket motor to reach the external fuel tank. Christa McAuliffe was a civilian on board the rocket, who had been selected as part of the "NASA Teacher in Space Project". All seven crew members on board perished.

Answer: Black Monday

The term Black Monday is used to refer to the worldwide stock market crash which began on October 19, 1987. The crash started with the Asian markets and quickly spread to Europe and the US. Popular theories blame the crash on computerized program strategies.

Answer: Exxon Valdez oil spill

The Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck the Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef in Alaska on March 24, 1989 and spilled 11 to 38 million US Gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Rated as one of the worst human made environmental disasters in history, as of 2014 up to 21,000 gallons of oil still remains on the beaches in the area.

Answer: Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 by the German Democratic Republic. Officially the wall was known as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Wall". "Checkpoint Charlie" was the name given to a popular crossing between East and West Berlin. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 was the beginning of the re-unification of Germany.

Answer: Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was a popular sports announcer and actor prior to being voted in as the 40th president of the USA. He served two terms as President from January 20th, 1981 to January 20th, 1989.

Answer: Chernobyl Nuclear meltdown

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine exploded on April 26, 1986. It is one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. Despite the health risks, the plant remained operational until December, 2000. According to experts, it will take 20,000 years for the area to be safe for human habitation.

Answer: Live Aid

Live Aid was a fundraising concert organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure on July 13, 1985, to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Two concerts were held in the UK and US simultaneously. Bands like Queen, U2, The Who, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez all performed.

Answer: Lockerbie bombing

Pan Am flight 103 was blown up on December 21, 1988 by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland. Libyan intelligence officer, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was found guilty. Two hundred and fifty nine passengers and crew were killed and the falling debris killed a further eleven people on the ground.