Quiz Pages - to gently stretch the mind

75 Years of Recent History Quiz - ANSWERS

1946 Who made a speech that first spoke of the Iron Curtain’? Churchill

1947 What role did Stafford Cripps take on at the end of the year? Chancellor of the Exchequer

1948 What new Middle Eastern state was declared in May?  Israel

1949 What body was established to unite a number of nations against the Soviet threat? NATO

1950 What war broke out in this year? Korean

1951 Which two British diplomats spying for the USSR fled to Moscow? Burgess and Maclean

1952 What royal event occurred in February? Death of King George, Eliz II ascends the throne

1953 Who conquered Everest and in what month? Edmund Hilary & Sherpa Tenzing, end of May

1954 What happened on the Bikini Atoll? H-Bomb test

1955 What was launched this year? USS Nautilus, first nuclear submarine

1956 What contest was first held in Switzerland this year? Eurovision Song Contest

1957 What Pandemic started in Feb of this year?  Asian Flu

1958 What did Bertrand Russell launch in this year? CND

1959 What central American country went Communist?  Cuba

1960 What war broke out this year? Vietnam

1961 Who became the new US President in January? John F Kennedy

1962 Who did Decca Records famously reject in January? The Beatles

1963 Who became PM in October? Harold Wilson

1964 What was the Beatles first US No.1 single in February? I want to hold your hand

1965 Whose state funeral was conducted in January? Winston Churchill’s

1966 What was televised for the first time in April? Opening of Parliament

1967 What was first pumped ashore in March? North sea Gas

1968 What famous figure was shot dead on April 4th? Martin Luther King Jr

1969 What famous iconic jet is flown for the first time in February? Boeing 747 Jumbo

1970 What country severed itself from the Commonwealth and declared itself a republic? Rhodesia

1971 What now famous educational institution opened in January? Open University

1972 What hand-held scientific instrument was first introduced this year? The calculator

1973 What first communication was made in April? A hand-held mobile call

1974 Where did two bombings occur in England in November? Birmingham pubs

1975 What famous ground-breaking company was established in April? Microsoft

1976 What first commercial flight occurred in January? Concorde

1977 What royal celebration occurred this year? Queen’s Silver Jubilee

1978 What famous radio series was first broadcast in March? Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

1979 Philips demonstrated what publicly for the first time? The CD

1980 What famous hand-held puzzle first made its debut? Rubik Cube

1981 What famous race first occurred in March of this year? London Marathon

1982 What famous early personal computer was launched in January? Commodore 64

1983 What spacecraft was launched on its maiden voyage in April? Space Shuttle Challenger

1984 What secondary education exam changed to what? O Level & CSE became GCSEs

1985 What did Vodaphone first launch in January? First UK mobile phone network

1986 What special child was born in April? First child to a non-related surrogate mother

1987 What special envoy was kidnapped in January (& held nearly four years)? Terry Waite

1988 What famous national grouping collapsed in February? The Soviet Union

1989 What craft was launched into space in February? The first of 24 global Positioning Satellites

1990 What famous person was released from prison in February? Nelson Mandela

1991 What invasion provoked what war? Of Kuwait by Iraq – the Gulf War

1992 What did Bush & Yeltsin agree in February? End of the Cold War

1993 What two US rivers caused major flooding in February on?  Mississippi and Missouri

1994 What famous construction opened in May? Channel Tunnel

1995 What coming together was there in space in June? Space shuttle Atlantis & Mir space station 

1996 What ‘special animal’ was born in July? Dolly the Sheep (cloned)

1997 Who came famously to power in the May election? Tony Blair

1998 What famous Internet company was founded in September? Google

1999 What currency was established in January 1st? Euro

2000 What research project was announced in July? Human Genome Project 

2001 What UK outbreak started in February? Foot & Mouth

2002 What famous royal funeral occurred in April? Of the Queen Mother

2003 What war began in March? The Iraq War

2004 What was the first ever recorded South Atlantic tropical cyclone? Caterina

2005 What Internet entertainment form was launched in February? YouTube

2006 What country’s population reached 300 million this year? USA

2007 What did Steve Jobs introduce in January? The original iPhone

2008 What occurred fuelled by the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis? Tumbling world stock markets

2009 What ‘finance system’ first appeared? Blockchain - cryptocurrency - Bitcoin

2010 What Internet posts were launched in October? Instagram

2011 Which terrorist death occurred on May 2nd? Osama bin Laden

2012 What print edition was discontinued in March? Encyclopedia Britannica

2013 Who spilled the beans on US intelligence and fled to Russia? Edward Snowden

2014 What virus outbreak occurred in West Africa? Ebola

2015 With whom did the US re-establish full diplomatic relations in July? Cuba

2016 What monumental UK event occurred in June? Europe Referendum

2017 Which non-politician obtained high political office? Donald Trump

2018 Who went south for the first time in April? Kim Jong-un

2019 Who beat England in the Rugby World Cup?  South Africa

2020 Why did New South Wales declare a state of emergency? Bush fires