Nostalgia: 80s Quiz

Take this quiz and then let us know how well you did. (Use the Comments link below.)

Question 1: Former Beatle John Lennon was shot and killed on Dec. 8, 1980 by whom?

John W. Hinckley
Randolph Peter Best
Mark David Chapman

(To see the answer, click and drag your mouse in the white space below.)

Correct answer: Mark David Chapman

John Hinckley was the guy who shot Ronald Reagan and Randolph Peter "Pete" Best was the guy who shot himself in the foot by getting dropped by the Beatles before they hit it big.

Question 2: Iran finally freed 52 American hostages on Jan. 20, 1981 after holding them for how long?

99 days
nearly a year
444 days

Correct answer: 444 days

The Iranian Hostage Crisis lasted well over a year, despite a failed and bloody rescue attempt and steep economic sanctions.

Question 3: Ronald Reagan named which of the following women as the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 22, 1981?

Sally Ride
Susan Dey
Sandra Day O'Connor

Correct answer: Sandra Day O'Connor

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space, while Susan Dey was the rocking sister of TV's The Partridge Family.

Question 4: What was Jenny's number?

555-1212
867-5309
867-5305

Correct answer: 867-5309

Tommy Tutone's song about calling Jenny was a classic 80's pop hit. Most people don't know that Tommy Tutone was actually the name of a group, not a guy. The feature members were Tommy Heath and Jim Keller.

Question 5: Who shot J.R.?

Sue Ellen's sister, Kristen Sheppard
Donna Culver Krebbs
Miss Ellie, J.R.'s own mother

Correct answer: Sue Ellen's sister Kristen Sheppard

All real fans of Dallas had to know this one. After all Miss Ellie couldn't hurt her dear son, could she?

Question 6: Which of the following was the highest-grossing movie of the 1980's?

Back to the Future
E.T
Jaws

Correct answer: E.T

Although Michael J. Fox was at the peak of his powers as the plucky everyman Marty McFly in Back to the Future and the film made a lot of money at the box office, E.T. is by far the earnings champ of the 80's. Jaws was made in the mid 70's.

Question 7: The Berlin Wall came down in November of 1989 after standing for 28 years. How long was the actual wall?

103.45 miles
26.5 miles
88 miles

Correct answer: 26.5 miles

The Berlin Wall only had to separate East and West Berlin. Berlin is a big city, but not that big. The Great Wall of China runs about 4,000 miles but that was for an entire country.

Question 8: When Mike Dukakis earned the Democratic nomination for President in 1988, who was his running mate?

Geraldine Ferraro
Lloyd Bentsen
Bill Clinton

Correct answer: Lloyd Bentsen

Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale's running mate in 1984 while Bill Clinton gave one of his longest, most boring speeches at the 1988 Democratic convention. His speech was so bad that when he said "In conclusion..." he got a huge round of applause.

Question 9: How much crude oil flowed from the ruptured Exxon Valdez into Prince William Sound in 1989?

450,000 gallons
1.7 million gallons
11 million gallons

Correct answer: 11 million gallons

11 million gallons is enough oil to just about fill one of those huge oil tankers, but not enough to fill the World's Largest Ship.

Question 10: What was the must-have holiday toy of 1983?

Rubik's Cube
Cabbage Patch Kid
Transformers

Correct answer: Cabbage Patch Kid

The Rubik's Cube craze peaked in 1981-1982 and the Transformers didn't hit shelves in the U.S. until 1984.

How well did you do? (Use the Comments link below.)

Comments

Clark Bayles said…
I made up an 80's quiz some years ago for some high school students of mine who thought they were pretty into the 80's. they failed miserably. if you want a copy let me know. it is mostly movies and music.
Anonymous said…
Hey, if everyone knew my number, why didn't they call?

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